One of my favorite things to do is rummage through collectibles and curiosities at antique shops and thrift stores. I love holding things in my hands that have a history, that could tell a story if only they could speak. It’s fun to imagine where all of these dusty old things came from, the homes that housed them for many years and the people who eventually tired of them for whatever reason.
A couple of my favorite antique store finds of recent weeks include this wind-up tin toy made in Japan:
Apparently this dapper little dog was made in the 60s and still works perfectly. His awkward hopping action had me squealing with delight and he was immediately tucked under my arm lest anyone else spot him.
Now the question is…what the heck is in his mouth? At first I thought it was a fish, but the white paint really does not in any way depict scales or fish bones. It most closely resembles a blue carrot. I’ve owned dogs my entire life and carrots are not one of the things in danger of being gobbled up when accidentally dropped on the kitchen floor. Perhaps Japanese dogs are more health conscious? Though why it would be blue is still a mystery.
Also scored on the same antiquing trip, an antique photo album complete with amazing black and white photographs:
I will often buy random antique photographs, especially ones of children that no matter how handsome, inevitably end up looking a little creepy.
Between finding inspiration for new painting subjects and the lovely detailed typeface on the reverse side of the cards, they’re irresistible to me. So an entire album? *swoon*
I love flipping through the pages and coming up with stories about who these people are. There are several who I’m sure will turn up in some of my new paintings, as soon as I figure out exactly who they were.
I went to see a show this weekend upon the recommendation of a friend and I’m now completely smitten with Whitehorse, the collaboration between singer/songwriters (and adorable married couple) Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland. It was incredible to see the power of what two people on stage can do with a bunch of equipment and effects pedals. They would play a little tambourine or sing a melody, then loop that recording to keep building and layering sounds filling the stage as if there were 6 of them. That description probably sounds gimmicky, but it was easily one of the best performances I’ve ever been lucky enough to see. And that’s coming from someone who was completely new to the music.
And if you’re interested in hearing some of their original music, here’s another video on a Canadian morning show where you can see how they record, then loop different sounds via effect pedal.
They have such incredible energy between them on stage that it’s riveting to watch. They remind me of a modern day Johnny Cash and June Carter, with less pills and booze.
One of the odd things about my particular brand of ADD is my ability to hyper-focus. I’m rarely able to do this when I actually *need* to, but sometimes when I’m painting I can fall into these zen-like modes where I focus on nothing else but the canvas right in front of me for hours and hours on end, forgetting to eat and often forgetting to breathe too. I catch myself holding my breath all the time when I’m really focused on something. Not good!
Not surprisingly, when I get interested in something new I can obsess over it for days or weeks at a time, endlessly researching until I eventually get distracted by a new topic (SQUIRREL!). My current obsession: the TV show Breaking Bad.
I’m a little late to the party since I don’t have cable, but as soon as the show was added to Netflix (Canadian version), I watched the pilot and was instantly hooked. I think I went through all 4 seasons in the span of 2 or 3 weeks. *love*
I love so many things about this show. The characters are so well written – complicated, a mix of good and bad, just like real people are. There are no clear good guys. There are a whole bunch of bad (and badder) guys, but no obvious path to take, no “right” answer. Most of all, I love the way the writers allow the story to unfold without that overbearing narrative style so prevalent in entertainment today. It’s up to the audience to figure out what the main characters are thinking and feeling. I hate it when viewers are beaten over the head with explanations of here’s what’s going to happen, here’s what’s happening now, here’s what just happened. Give the audience some credit, Hollywood!
Adding to the obsession – there’s also a companion podcast to go along with each episode of Breaking Bad. I haven’t gotten through all of them yet, but there are some fascinating tidbits about how the show is made, the writers room and all of the behind the scenes stuff that go into producing a TV show. The fact that each episode is shot in only 8 days is astounding, particularly with some of the crazy explosions and shoot outs. One episode often feels like a movie, which would have been allowed months and months of filming.
Art lovers may have enjoyed the episode where Jesse and Jane go to the Georgia O’Keeffe museum (technically it was in a flashback, but still a really sweet moment). While watching, I assumed the show got permission to shoot at the actual museum and briefly wondered how many hoops that was to jump through. In the podcast, the producers reveal just how much effort went into that 2 minute scene.
First, they contacted the Georgia O’Keeffe people to request the rights to show one of her paintings on camera. Shooting at the museum with one of her original paintings was never even considered. Instead, they were granted the rights to one painting (“My Last Door”), and the art department of Breaking Bad set out to reproduce it. Once they were finished, the painting was sent to the Georgia O’Keeffe people for approval. The painting was approved, the set built and the scene shot with very wide aperture so any paintings in the background were blurry & indistinguishable. Once the crew was finished, the painting had to be sent back to the O’Keeffe people to be destroyed.
Wow, right? It’s amazing how much effort by so very many people goes into creating a show! I’ve never wanted to be an actress, but I think being involved in production, set design or special effects would be really fun jobs. In another life, maybe!
And just for Jesse, one of Georgia O’Keeffe’s “vagina paintings” (though it should be noted that Georgia flatly denied any intentional resemblance to lady parts):
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m an avid podcast listener. Walking to the post office, working on a new painting, snuggling under the covers – a podcast is often my background sound of choice. This American Life has been one of my all time favorites, despite being Canadian, so I thought a holiday round-up of festive episodes may be in order. Most episodes stream beautifully for free right on your computer or you can download them for 99 cents. Pull up a chair, pour yourself a glass of nog & have a listen:
On a much happier note than my last post (thank you for all of the kind words via Twitter, email & Facebook), I watched the sweetest documentary this weekend about two average folks who collected one of the world’s most incredible & comprehensive collections of minimalist contemporary art. Herb and Dorothy documents the story of the Vogels, a postal worker and librarian from New York City who, over several decades, managed to buy over 4000 works of art (all stored in their one bedroom NYC apartment, no less).
The story itself is inspiring, especially since the world of art collectors is usually reserved for the ridiculously wealthy, but even more joyful is what they ultimately decided to do with their collection. They could have easily sold a few pieces here & there for a small fortune & would never have had to work again. Their collection is worth millions today & includes works by Charles Clough, Sol Lewitt, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Richard Tuttle & John Cage. But the Vogels never sold a single piece.
Sol LeWitt
With an apartment filled to the brim, they finally decided to let their “babies” leave the nest & donated the entire collection to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. Part of why they decided to donate the collection to this particular institution is because the gallery’s charter states that no work will ever be sold, unlike other galleries who sometimes choose to liquidate pieces in order to raise operating funds.
Christo
Ultimately the Vogels’ collection proved too big even for a national gallery and a new program was created – 50 x 50. By the end of 2009, fifty artworks were gifted to each of the fifty states. That’s right – 2500 pieces of art. Amazing!
If you want to see the documentary AND pinch your pennies, check your local library. I put in a hold request for it & the Vancouver library system sent me an email when it was ready to be picked up. Easy peasey!
I'm k.g.b (or Kris G. Brownlee, if you're not into the whole brevity thing).
As a painter, crafter and all around Maker of Cute Things, aCageyBee.com is the best place to keep up with what's currently making me smile. Hopefully you will too!
