Quick Post about Portraits

Marie Cosindas' (born 1925) photography is just...WOW.

 That is all.

Hi there, Ken!

Ken Dunard designs some pretty rad lamps.

OK, so he makes furniture too, but I really want one of his lamps.

Plus we were roommates way back so I kind of HAVE to have one, right?

Let's take a look!

1. Name, Astrology sign, and location please.

Ken Dunard, Sagittarius, Chicago, IL, Longitude -87.691607, Latitude 41.986338

2. What are you currently working on?

Three different table light fixture prototypes

3. Who are your favorite artists?

No real favorite artist, but for product designers and architects I admire Alberto Meda,

Ingo Maurer and his team, the Bouroullec brothers, and Renzo Piano

4. What's the best advice you ever received about your career choice?

None that I can recall that stand out, but there are absolutely individuals that influenced

it in a positive way.

5. Favorite place(s) in your city?

Current

Neighborhoods in Chicago - Roscoe Village, Lake View

Federal building downtown Chicago

Back 7 years

Seattle piers 62/63

Neighborhood in Seattle - Fremont

6. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? And while we're at it, what about a different era?

Northwestern Montana or Southern Utah now.

7. What do you usually mindlessly doodle? (do you have a picture of this?)

I usually don't doodle. I go from sketches to building typically and the sketches

are guide in working out details to walking through a logical way to fabricate.

8. First website you peruse of the day?

Designboom then Ebay then Charlie Rose.

9. What's the worst movie you've ever seen, but secretly love?

Oh shit, I usually have a horror movie on in the background while I'm working and quickly forget the damn thing.

10. Any pets? Any kid

My girlfriend's cat Earl. Kid free

Thanks Ken!!

You can find Ken's website here

Astrology + Art

There will be a New Moon in Gemini this Saturday, and communication is highlighted. 

This a superb weekend to connect with people, learn new things, 

give your brother or sister a call, and get out and about in your town.

(all Gemini things)

We are all busy busy, and moving around lots, so be open minded and have fun!

 

(I'm always available for readings FYI!)

And check out artist Beth Hoeckel

You can get these and others in a iphone case too!

here

  

I want one.

In Progress

 These gorgeous colors

via

 

+

My backyard Hibiscus

  

=

 

Astrology post + Food

Mars enters Gemini tomorrow and we all get a little more cerebral, flirty, and witty. 

We also get bored a little easily. 

So moving around more, finding different things to do, 

exploring options...good things to do when Mars is this sign.  

 

Also, socialize!  

There is nothing Gemini loves more than to be with people.

Mars loves a good fight, and debates could get overheated, so just remember that, and enjoy this lightening quick energy.

 

 And now onto 

FOOD!

This is what I've been eating lots of lately, and I'd thought I'd share.

1 cucumber, 2 tomatoes, handful of kalamata olives, handful of feta, 

2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, pour of olive oil, pour of balsamic vinaigrette.  

Voila!

I eat the entire thing in one sitting.

And now go look at this:

http://pohtpof.tumblr.com/

 

 

Hello Jane!

Jane Almirall is a funny, creative mama, and an odd duck.

She creates beautiful, eerie art but is also quite business savvy. 

(Her Sun sits right next to Saturn and her moon is in Capricorn)

1. Name, Astrology sign, and location please.

My name is Jane Almirall, I'm a Gemini and I live in Mission, Kansas (very close to Kansas City, Missouri) 

 

 

 

2. What are you currently working on?

At the moment my studio is completely filled with inventory for a shop that I am opening this summer with my friend (and business partner) Carrie Parker. It's called, Oracle - Fine Curiosities - and we will be selling framed insects, taxidermy, bones, skulls, memento mori pieces and other beautiful oddities. She and I have been collecting pieces for months now and I'm really excited about it! I swear, everything about the experience of opening this store has been like magic or something - we are in a wonderful space in the Crossroads area - 115 W. 18th Street, to be exact - and we are nestled among some incredible local businesses too. It's such a great neighborhood and community of people, I love it.

(We are currently working on a website, but in the interim we have a Facebook page that we update frequently with details about the shop, check it out: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Oracle-Fine-Curiosities/356548717784791?fref=ts)

3. Who are your favorite artists?

My favorite dead artists are Martin Johnson Heade, Feicien Rops, John Singer Sargent and Masaccio. My favorite living artists whom I've never met are Camille Rose Garcia, Walton Ford, Monica Cook, Marcel Dzama, Sally Mann, Amy Cutler and a new favorite (I only recently saw his work and I love it) is Richard Colman. I really like representational imagery - particularly figurative - especially if it's dark and funny.

 

 

4. What's the best advice you ever received about your career choice?

The first, best piece of advice I received came from Linda Lighton (sculptor) when she suggested that I apply for Artist INC, which is an intensive training seminar that focuses on the business aspects of a career in the arts. This was almost two years ago, I applied and got in and the program was incredible. I met some fantastic people, pretty much everything I've learned from that experience has been so helpful...things that don't always get addressed in art school. So yeah, if you are in the arts, take a business class or look for programs within your community that can offer guidance and support in that way.

Along the same topic, I did have a funny experience about 10 years ago, when I was fresh out of grad school and was participating in an artist residency program. Kiki Smith, whose work I admired, was a guest speaker and we were all so excited to meet her. During her talk, someone asked her what career advice she could spare and she told us, point blank:

'Lower your expectations.'

At the time, I was equal parts pissed and crushed, but I have to admit that I think about what she said all the time - even though I don't agree with it.

 

 

5. Favorite place(s) in your city?

My favorite places are mostly food-oriented! I love EV, The Rieger Hotel Grill & Exchange, Grinders, Vietnam Cafe, Room 39, The Filling Station, Oklahoma Joe's...there are so many great places in Kansas City and a bunch more have opened up that I haven't even tried yet. I also love trail running at Shawnee Mission Park and Wyandotte County Park, both places have super pretty trails...I love the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and on Sunday afternoons there is a Yoga in the Park series on the Nelson lawn hosted by some incredible local yoga teachers, it's so fun!

 

 

6. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? And while we're at it, what about a different era?

This is a tough one...I need to travel more before I can settle on one place, but so far - this being hypothetical dream life stuff and if I could have my way and money was no object, I'd have a place in Portland, New Orleans, Austin, Florence, Barcelona and Elba. As for living in a different era - and for purely superficial, costuming reasons, I would pick the Belle Époque.

 

 

7. What do you usually mindlessly doodle? (do you have a picture of this?)

I tend to doodle feathers and eyeballs mostly...I love pattern too...but mostly eyeballs. :)

 

 

 

8. First website you peruse of the day?

I have a handful of them that I like to check while I'm drinking my coffee, but the one I tend to go to first is called Intothegloss.com -.it's a straight-up beauty blog, but a creatively curated one. Some of my other favorite sites post once a week: Hilahcooking.com - it's an awesome site for food/recipes that features How To videos and it's worth mentioning that Hilah is a wizard of food, being hilarious and a stone cold fox; I love Strawberryfieldswhatever.com for music and really great writing, Laura Jane Faulds' posts in particular are my favorite; and my sister's movie reviews on Walkmanjunkie.com are wonderful.

(Oh...and I love the compilation FAIL videos that turn up on YouTube.)

 

 

9. What's the worst movie you've ever seen, but secretly love?

Oh man...this is such a great question because I'm genetically pre-disposed to like some crap. I was going to say anything in Jean Claude Van Damme's oeuvre, but really, the argument could be made for any movie which features street battle dancing. I love them and will seek them out intentionally. The very worst - and the one which I love the most - is called Center Stage. Are you familiar with it? Anyways, I saw it in the theater when it came out (twice) and watch it on purpose at least once a year...plus I'll stop and watch it anytime it happens to be on. Here is a link to the final dance number, SPOILER, there is a motorcycle in it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoBTuIsB3ls

Center Stage is a treasure, I cherish it.

 

 

10. Any pets? Any kids?

I have two kids, my daughter Josephine and my son Owen. They are six and four and they are extremely busy and wake up waaaaay too early. We don't have any pets, but the kids have named some of the critters in our yard: Stinky The Pet (a beetle), Sausage (a chipmunk), Tickbite, Biscuit Joe and Princess Celestia (three bunnies, all of them vegetable-thieving jerkfaces).

 

 

Thank you Jane!

You can find more of Jane here

Bad economy = bigger boobs

There have been several studies correlating these two.  

From Dr. Leif D. Nelson to Terry F. Pettijohn and Brian J. Jungeberg.  

The latter, who studied Playboy issues from 1960 to current.

Basically when social and economic conditions are tough, we like our women heavier and slightly older. 

What do ya'll think?

Are we really seeing this?

Kate Upton, who is ridiculously getting flak from being "too fat" is the only maybe example I can think of.

But that's a stretch.

 

 {art by Jenny Saville}

On another note, hope everyone had a good, long weekend.

We spent ours in New Orleans!

 

Be back tomorrow with a new artist interview!