Weekly Antler Gathering...

Happy Friday to you all. Congratulations on surviving the grueling shopping of last week's Black Friday and this week's Cyber Monday.  Got all your shopping done? :)

If you are still looking for ideas for me, check out my weekly posts at Antler Blog:

• Books, Books, Books...bursting at the seams.  Do you like them free of restraint?
• Or do you prefer ends to keep them in place.

I hope your weekend is frostbitten with December happiness and candy cane smiles.
Or just good,
MME.

(is this cheating?) Umberdove Enviornments

{detail of the range}


moved and inspired by this morning's post by the redwood (you), i am realizing that perhaps your environment pieces have not had the exposure they are due.

so, here are my personal favorites, courtesy from your good lookin website:"Path"

"The Nest"

"The Hive"

i have always loved this last photo - so rare to see you in action! you look so endearing and childlike, yet fully confident and poised, balancing on that rock.
"Path"

so there you go. i hope everyone takes a few minutes and enjoys all of these awesome works of art.
~mme. bookling

My favorite new artist

Can you even believe this woman's work? I recently discovered her through a mutual friend, and I am just dying to be able to afford her stuff. Thankfully, she has agreed to let me lease a wall in my house to adorn her talent.

I am very impressed with her emotional abstractions. Everything she does always MEANS something, and this agrees with me very well. I remember criticizing one of my college friend's bands name because it didn't mean anything.

I have had the privilege of absorbing some of her philosophies and theories, and I have been inspired by the way she absorbs that which is around her and therefore, her art becomes an expression of her organic life - nothing pretentious or fabricated...a simple and honest representation of her soul.

I have much to learn - and she is the kindest and most humble of teachers.

Ladies and Gents, I give you:

KClarkDesigns
Her oil paintings can be viewed here - and I know she is busy busy at work on a new website, and two new paintings in the studio that have recently been blowing my mind. My personal favorites listed on flicker:

Talus Rocks

Finding the Child

She has been a wayfarer for artists by taking a huge leap of faith and deciding to quit her long bartending career and focus solely on taking care of her art. She combined her decidedly fine eye and background in design and has produced a new form of art for her - some gorgeous and soulfull pillows found at her etsy shop under UmberDove.Bower Pillow

Like Petals for Lemonade

Number 2 in the Summer Solstice series

A custom order for yours truly

She is also experimenting with some plate work, also found on her etsy store. This series, The Secret Life of Trees, flew out of her etsy shop so fast, I couldn't snatch one up!

I am fortunate enough to see the daily workings of these always busy hands. I look forward to more fruits of her labors indeed. I am sure to be gondoling by the Biennale in Venice one fine afternoon and seeing her work on display. And then promptly buying it all.

~mme. bookling

Let's make a commitment!

Good Morning Sweet Bird,

After our wonderful talks last night of daily writing and visual art goals, multiple outlets for creative energy, and the need to create uncensored work / work without an audience, I thought it was time to share the art of Jen Renninger. Jen is one of those artist extraordinars who has decided to create and finish one image / piece of work every day this year.


There is an incredible narrative quality to her work, like dark stories bubbling to the surface, or dreams that have only been partially imagined. I am particularly drawn to her anatomical work (I know, not surprising).
Above, "Everyday Image 1.18.08" and below, "Everyday Image 1.4.08"

This one reminds me of you - before the blond of course.



Above, "Modern Geisha" and below "Everyday Image 1.17.08"


Prints of Jen's work are available through her etsy shop, Please Be Still, or if you just want to read and be inspired, check out her blog, 365.

For the past year, I've been kicking around the idea of a making a commitment to finish one piece of art, every day, for thirty days. It's not that I don't create every day of the week (in fact, I get a little crazy if I do not) but my larger paintings just seem to take such a long time to complete (and not without good reason - the lessons I learn from them are invaluable). However, I think really embracing the idea of completion would force me to become decisive and sure. What do you think? Interested in jumping into this with me? I know of a particular red bird journal that is calling your name...

Jen Lobo Designs

I was perusing SFGirlbyBay in my daily habit, and came across an old post with some sketches that caught my eye.

Feast your eyes on Jen Lobo designs - as well as a very cool website.

the initial image that caught my eye

i love the emotion here - as well as the name of the piece. this could make me weep today.

a part of her sketchbook work - love the colors.

i love the symmetry and coherence of this work

i thought immediately of you

question: are you ever afraid to paint when you are in a state of sadness?
i fear myself, but i do need to do it again soon.

~your little booklover,
mme. bookling

I feel a little under the weather today. I've spent a great deal more time with my tea mug and bed sheets than finding amazing sights to inspire your day. I need a breath of fresh air. And I really need this studio.



Darren Waterston's space is almost as inspiring to me as his work. I dream of high ceilings and a broad expanse of white to let my creative spirit breathe.



And the work that comes out of such a space takes my breath away.





I could feel all the emotion in the world just standing in front of his work.



Or maybe (because we both know my affinity for color) I need a studio more akin to Miriam Wosk, complete with pool and lounge chairs ten feet from the big swinging door.



And her color... swoon!



Well lovely, I hope your willow has managed to hold onto the midnight air, leaves aglow.

to the hearth and home of the booklings.

so, as i am living in this beautiful new space, i am just continually inundated with what i want to do to improve it...and i am coming to terms with it being a continual process. (we both know i am way too task to be good at the process)! i am hoping to be done by 2009 - so let's pull for that!

for now, i am attempting to focus direction towards the kitchen a bit (though so much is needed to help - and it's a question of money at this point, not inspiration).

i found this kitchen space on apartment therapy while perusing one of their house tours.

side note:

i love, but LOVE house tours! (and i am guessing,
my little voyeristic nymph, that you love them too!)

and may/may not dream about photographing my own house someday

(hey that would be oodles of fun to do together!)

as it stands, i SHOULD certainly be doing

a before/after shoot of the apartment now.

anyway, here is that kitchen storage idea!

p.s. monsieur bookling will stick up his snobby minimalist nose at this, but i think it's just so cute, whimsical, and FRENCH!

but back to the living room: i still need to finish of the space with some details...both of which you know a little somethin' about!


what is it? drum roll please.....


Plants and Pillows!!

I need a date to Molbacks, first of all! But I think I want two or three hanging plants to start.


I need four pillows. Two for living room, two for bedroom. For the living room, green/pink/brown/blue (using my chair and my soul as inspiration). Bedroom i am thinking an orange/brown/white motif...and i found this gal's pillows (sorry for cheating on you) on etsy.

it's totally sold. sad. serves me right for looking at anyone else's pillows except yours!

i have less of a direction about the pillows in the living room.

i also need some artwork for the wall above our head - did you see the curtains monsieur bookling put up there as well? it looks quite nice. i would love to put up some of this girl's stuff, a new artist i came across and now don't remember where, but look!

Lena Wolff

i think she saw our soul and painted it.

because maybe you didn't know but
it seems our souls keep mixing
and golly, it's getting gorgeous.

~the tardy but reliable,
mme. bookling

Gray Day, Rainy Day, Artsy Day

A scrumptious afternoon to you, my Mme. Bookling. The raindrops on my face have motivated me as they always do, so today I thought I would share some art and artists who are current sources of my inspiration.

My sketchbooks are always a mad-dash combination of little drawings, mathematical measurements, wish lists for Daniel Smith, and written vignettes, but this sketchbook, from Sodalitas is a work of art. The misty, otherworldly landscape really resonates with me. Its a place I could dream myself into, disappearing into the forest line.



I have been pining for a piece of Diana Fayt's gorgeous pottery for sometime now. She has an amazing sense of color and space, plus extraordinary drawing skills. (a little hint hint to Mr. Dove, we DO have an anniversary upcoming...) You can find her work on etsy here too.



And seriously, who doesn't love Lisa Congdon? This amazing gal's prolificness and wide range of work continually astounds me. She shows up and down the West Coast, runs a full etsy shop, keeps a fabulous blog, and makes new work every time I blink my eyes. Someday, I want to be her.



Lastly, I love this little mixed media collage by anna317. The simplicity, dream state and childlike wonder all tell a story that I can rest in.



Ok, my friend, I hope the clock is tick tickin' away till the time I get to share a cocktail with you tonight! (clinksies!)

wednesday, day 2 of your absence

it's official. i am getting sick. dang it.

in news: i thought this might be interesting to do together:

Gardening tips for city folk
Seattle Tilth, a local sustainable gardening advocacy group, is holding a series of free classes this summer to teach organic container gardening and composting to apartment and condo dwellers. Several will be held 5-7 p.m. at Victor Steinbrueck Park in downtown Seattle at the north end of Pike Place Market (2001 Western Ave.).
Learn veggie container gardening June 25, apartment composting July 2, culinary herb gardening July 9 and organic pest and disease control July 17. http://www.seattletilth.org/

We do have to pre-register, but it's free.

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Also, I am interested in going to the SAM - impressionists on view there right now. you?

http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/exhibit/exhibit.asp

As well as the Asian Art Museum at Volunteer Park, no?

Looks like I will have to quit my job just to keep up with all the things I want to do with you!

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Well, I just took a nap in the lounge, and my throat still hurts. I was supposed to have lunch with Jessica, but had to bail b/c I feel so shitty. I am now eating leftover pesto pasta and wish I had opted to spend money instead on soup.

Here is the etsy homepage for this afternoon. Again, not anything interesting to me.

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oh, isn't this just delicious for the eyeballs?

Love their stuff.

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wouldn't it be fun to take a candace/kelly trip to Portland? We could just wander around and look and local shops and eat fresh farm food and other such "urban hippie" activities...also, I would want to go and see THIS exhibit from SF Girl's blog (i am becoming a rather frequent reader of such things).

smooch, ma'am.

crm

tuesday, day 1 of you being away from the internet.

it's gonna be a long week. see, i have enough time to create a special blog just for you and the things you will miss being away.

half the fun to coming home is catching up on blogs, so i will leave you to that - and this blog created just for madame umberdove.

first in visual inspirations:

isn't this chair JUST the thing my landing strip needs? (i am trying to finish up apartment therapy to give back to you - and he is now talking about landing strips). i also want to take you to pretty parlor to see the chair i am thinking of actually using. i need some help deciding if the pink retro chair OR something more traditional but equally colorful more fits my style.

i am trying to figure out my style as well, and want to start a style tray...though it will probably look more like a binder (like yours). however, i am not getting most of my inspiration from magazines, but from the Internet. looks like i will be printing lots of stuff out or going to buy tons of design mags. i know this sounds dreadfully boring to you.

also, i love this -

it reminds me of the other ones i have. oh yeah! and yesterday, i finally bought two more of the watercolors in the same vein as the one you bought me. i bought a blue and an olive colored one - both different sizes, and will put them framed in my bathroom. i will need help deciding how to hang them - all in a row or perhaps clustered? if i go with the clustered, i will probably want to get several more - and this one looks like a good addition, no? wow, that was funny timing. the girl from whom i bought those things just emailed me thanking her for the purchase.

i found the above picture by pilfering sfgirlbythebay's favorites on etsy. i love doing that.

its about time that i crack down on my photo project, no? i feel overwhelmed at the decision to display the people i love OR visually stunning things. it's my goal to have both in one picture, so we will see. i also do not want to be compelled by obligation - you know? with photos of people in your house? also, it's hard to narrow the choices of photos (i had 25-30 frames up in renton) to being intentional and deliberate.

In http://sfgirlbybay.blogspot.com/2008/06/shapeshifters.html today, those are some amazing paintings, but don't you think this one looks phallic?

no word from april greer yet today, i really hope this works out...but i feel some cynicism about her wanting me creeeeping in.

here is the esty homepage today - a screen shot of it. nothing to speak of, in my opinion.

though i admit to clicking on this:

how girly of me