The Owl and the Pussycat, Continued.

I received this in the mail last night. Made from paper and a Boca Box, the owl and pussycat are finger puppets, and the stars glow in the dark. I'm not the only artist in the family.

The Owls are Not what They Seem.

"And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon,
The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon." edward lear

I finished this piece just in time for the Deuce Double Aught Nine Opening at PoetHouse last week...
Though the title refers to a very sinister, yet comical, david lynch series- it is really a portrait of the husband. I mentioned the fact earlier, when I had it about seventy percent completed, but now that it is finished- I figured I would post the final piece.

This one started as a pen and ink last winter, playing with filigree patterns and the idea of idealizing a tangle of foliage. The owl, besides a good nickname, has such a huge amount of myth attached to it- sinister, wise, mystical, spiritual, postal. I researched several stories, thought about the owl's role in the Pooh Stories, in the Potter books, in native american totems, in Labryinth. My favorite reference has to be Lear's story of the pea green boat and the Owl's love for the Pussycat- no matter how mismatched and odd the pairing. And so narrative became portrait.

The Compass Shifts.

In Progress- a meditation.

"The unknown was my compass. The unknown was my encyclopedia. The unnamed was my science and progress. "  Anais Nin.

I've mentioned compasses before, I think.  I am sorta obsessed with them.  They pop up everywhere in my work, many times hidden. 

Suddenly, the poles have switched and everything is upside down and inside out. It happens.  I didn't realize last week when I was assessing resolutions how quickly west would become east.  Not for me, but for my best friend.  And I know it's random and strange to be posting this on a blog- so I apologize in advance to those who think blogs blur public and private to easily. But this is my blog, and it is my life and my art, and my life impacts my art.  So.   Owl is leaving in eleven days to serve our country, our new president. He is joining the Connecticut National Gaurd.  I am going to continue for now to live in Bend, focus on my artwork, on writing for the Source (who actually will be assigning me more stories- hooray), on my blooming relationship with Rise Up International (who I hope to accompany to Nicaragua this spring).  He is going to get to go to grad school for free, cut his hair, roll around in mud, wear camo, and see our neice and nephew every day.  It is going to be a huge, huge shift.  And there is a lot of unknowns.  And it's gonna be hard. The most difficult thing yet.  But, it is also going to be another grand adventure.  It is going to lead to amazing, wonderful things.  

Just so you know.

More Outside Lands Photos- cause it was that good.

Regina and Her Cute Self

Al checkin out the mad skills - Galactic

Al and I minutes after seeing Natalie Portman and her dog go backstage at Regina's set.

Fully Compostable.

Love this mask.

Crowd at one of the Smaller stages. Yep

Fellow Travelers- Owl, James, Lotan, and Kelly

Owls

Portrait of an Owl

Taking a break from the renovation

I decided that the above collage is a portrait. It changes the context of working on it a bit, though it doesn't change the process. Instead of trying to describe the essence of a story, I am trying to describe the essence of a person. A fairly daunting task, which is why he doesn't know I am working on his portrait. Sneaky, eh?

Seven

These photos were taken last year in the Guggenheim during our vacation to nyc, through a hanging wall of mirror-like disks; part magic curtain, part waterfall...

Ethereal, luminous, translucent, reflective- seven years of good luck.

Happy Anniversary, Love.

The Group Effort.

We made Blocks for my niece. Hand painting them took over a year (I got distracted). They have the alphabet and numbers 1-10. The rest of the sides are quiet illustrations that I hope a one year, one month old would enjoy. A heart, stars, goldfish in the sea, the owl and the pussycat, a blue bird of happiness, the world. Owl painted two sides as well- a saw (with a blue background- a seesaw), and the tortoise and the hare (complete with sweatband and finish line).
Now, If only I can get them mailed off before she turns two.