Another Weekend with Few Accomplishments

I really haven't been making any new work lately. I started a scarf months ago and it's still on the loom. The torch hasn't heated up except for some random etsy orders, and I haven't even been sketching new ideas. Motivation and morale are low. This dry spell started with a string of rejections and rejection is something that I can deal with, but I'm starting to wonder if this has deeper roots. I'm going to start making again, I promise, I just need a little break from what I've been doing to reconsider what I'm going to be doing.

In the meantime, though, I can't keep my hands still. I'll keep posting what I'm working on, even if it's just a dumb flower drawing. I work at a flower shop full time. I see a lot of flowers. I am very much not interested in spending much more time with them than I already do, but they do make good captive subjects when I'm feeling like getting lost in detail.

My goal with drawings is to include detail to the point of abstraction. If I quit while it still looks like something, I haven't worked hard enough. I got sunburned yesterday drawing this iris, but was still bored by how literal it was. So last night I drew a sketch of my sketch with obsessive crosshatch for shading, and now I feel like I'm happy with it. In my book they mirror each other.

Red Clay River - An Update

This is a video from The Knitting Factory, where I watched my friends play in Brooklyn two weeks ago.

They stayed with my sister in Bushwick, Brooklyn and woke up to find their van with all their gear gone. The next day they got word from NYPD that the van was recovered and we have been waiting for the owner to go claim it to see if anything was left. Unfortunately, only a mandolin and a 50 gallon drum that they used for percussion was left. It's tragic. So enjoy this video of the last time they ever played with these instruments, and I'll show you where you can buy their cd. It's the best way I can think of to contribute to the cause.

Drawing in New York

Some drawings:

Bushwick Backard

the airport in Atlanta

Music in New York City

This past weekend I made a short trip up to Brooklyn to visit my sister and see the big city. I have a few things to share, and I think I'll start with the music.

Rescue Birds

Ok, so my sister's in this one but that doesn't delegitimize the plug. Sara, Andrea, Mary, and Meg make a hypnotizing 3 part harmony and trade a slew of unexpected instrumentation (cello, accordion, autoharp, bells, etc.) They make an unforgettable and completely unique sound that doesn't seem to fit into any genre. It is sweet & innocent and powerful & raunchy all at once. Be their fan!

Red Clay River
These guys are from my hometown in Roanoke, Virginia. My sister and I have known some of these boys for so long and so well they're like part of the family. Couldn't ask for a nicer group of folks. Seriously. Their music is charged with energy and dramatic, with unexpected instrumentation (a theme) and an interesting push and pull between Dan's raw, Tom Waits-like vocals and the pure, sweet harmonies of Camelia and her violin. By the way, there's also a rock double-bass, a drummer that occasionally picks banjo, and some seriously glorious guitar solos from our boy Aaron. Overnight after the show their van was stolen with all the gear inside. The NYPD has recovered it, but there's no word yet as to what shape it's in or what's left. Keep up with these boys and girls, they might need your help at a benefit show in the near future. Be their fan!

PS. Click on the band name to go to their myspace page where you can hear the music.