Re-Use, Recycle

Hey, so, remember this post? I finally finished refinishing that dresser, and am now trying to remember how to fold clothes and actually put them away where they belong.

Behold it's glory!

I'm pretty much as proud of this as anything else I've ever done. It's hard to capture it in pictures, but I painted gold leaf into the details, and used three colors for contrast. It's a great feeling to rescue something from the trash heap, and create something great with it. It took me about a year to finally get this done, but it was definitely worth all the effort!

And the Bells are Ringin' Out, on Christmas Day!

Merry Christmas to everyone. I hope you had as wonderful a day as my Little Bear

Halloween

Just a note about this costume: the sign and sayings on the pins are from actual Tea Party protest propoganda.

Drive Excitement

Checked out Nascar at the Sonoma Infineon Speedway. My company is involved with Nascar, and so we got to have an outing to experience the glory first hand. This is the most popular sport in America, and I can't believe I've never seen or watched or experienced anything anything about it. The parking lots spread further than you could see, and it literally took an hour to walk from one side of the track to the other.

Petey Pumpkin Eater

Our house becomes overrun by tiny dogs on occasion. And, since their family sometimes misses them more than they can stand, I want to prove show that they are happy and well taken care of. Here's little Petey, cuddling while we watch 30 Rock.

Colors and Colors

I finally got around to launching my etsy. I will continue to update it through the next couple of weeks.

We All Scream

East Bay Open Studios is over, so it's on to the next thing. Since I'm not sure what that is yet, exactly, I am filling time by putting things in my brand new ice-cream maker. Seriously, this thing is amazing. And since every person in the whole world likes ice cream, I don't have to worry about making too much. No one turns down ice cream. Not even Vegans, when you make delicious raspberry sorbet and give it to them a minute after it was born.

Tonight? Dog ice cream. You heard me right. 2 jars of baby food, some soy milk and 20 minutes will give you the most amazing treat your dog has ever imagined. Or whatever, rice milk and chicken stock. It's your (dog's) world.

In other news, here's a painting.

"Marco Parachutes Behind Enemy Lines"

East Bay Open Studios is finally here! My showing includes 12 new paintings and 2 new prints, some of which are available to view on my Flickr. My studio is open from 11 - 6 PM on all 4 days, along with 7 other artists at the Bakery Lofts.

"The Brontosaurus is my Favorite Dinosaur"

Marco Goes to a Party

East Bay Open Studios Preview

Along with 8 other people in my building, I have a piece of work up at the East Bay Open Studios Preview Exhibition. The show is less than a month away, and I have a lot of work to do. I will post images from some of my new work soon.

There has been a lot of art and music in my life lately. I spent several days listening to music at Coachella, including both Paul McCartney and Leonard Cohen. Hearing legends like that, live, was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I also listened to Van Morrison, in what we like to call the "Cheap Seats" at the open air theatre in Berkeley. Basically, it consists of a six pack of beer on the hill overlooking the stage, but with no cover charge. Highly recommended in these difficult economic times, especially for someone as unreliable as Morrison. He played no encores and ended the show almost an hour earlier than expected. A lot of people were complaining on the way out, but not us! It's hard to be disappointed by free.

Also, went to Cigar Bar in the City to check out an art show by two of my neighbors, Kate Leffler and Anastasia Schipani. it was a really great venue for art, and the bar has an excellent design that feels very relaxed; like an elegant house party. The art was showcased very well, and I'm so excited that these two artists will also be opening their studios during the Open Studio event.

I was also reminded how easy it is to do something like this on a weeknight, provided that you don't start drinking. We went out for dinner, spent time looking at the show, and were back home by 11. I may not be able to get away with dancing into the wee hours of the morning, but I'm not ready to be a shut-in just yet.

I have lots of art and another recipe that I want to share, but it will have to wait until I am a little less busy!