DOWNLOAD: 9.28.2012

Listening:

The Start of Something by Voxtrot

Thinking About You by Frank Ocean

Fireflies by Ron Pope

White Houses by Vanessa Carlton
Young Folks by Peter Bjorn and John 
Natural Blues by Moby
Angeles by Peter Bradley Adams
Underground by Ben Folds Five
Perpetuum Mobile by Penguin Cafe Orchestra
Make It Without You by Andrew Belle

Appreciating:

Matt Dinniman Dinniman's altered-surface animal prints are whimsical and cute. Especially loving this hedgehog. <3

Andrew Brooks Brooks is a photographer hailing from Manchester. His pictures are breathtaking--especially his land and cityscapes.

Lulie Wallace  These floral paintings are kinetic and fun. Love it.

Anticipating: 

I still have yet to listen to the new albums released by The Killers and Mumford & Sons. I've loved both these bands from the start--hopefully "Battle Born" and "Babel" won't disappoint. 

Consuming:

Ore Ida sweet potato fries. So much better than regular fries. 

Good Is Dead: Do You See?

I have a confession to make: I love words. But I love pictures more. 

I live to paint, take photographs, and draw. So when it comes to books, I'm a sucker for great illustration.


I'll never forget my first time reading Jonathan Safran Foer's Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. This book blew me away--brought me to tears, actually--but Foer's masterful use of illustration was just icing on the cake.

From altered text to eclectic-yet-meaningful images, Foer's illustrations reveal snapshots of Oskar's tortured consciousness. Images,  more than words, make the protagonist accessible to the reader.


So, I was also really pumped when a good friend sent me Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Scanning the pages, I discovered Haddon had jumped on the graphic-storytelling bandwagon as well. Huzzah!

The novel's leading man, Christopher, an autistic fifteen-year-old boy, is determined to solve the mystery of a neighborhood dog's death. Christopher is different from other people. Although warmhearted, he thinks in a very cold, methodical manner.

Haddon capitalizes on illustrations to depict the inner workings of Christopher's mind--from the way he maps out his neighborhood to his visual categorization system for human emotions, Haddon's illustrations make Christopher a more raw and relatable character.

I finished the book The Cheese Monkeys: A Novel in Two Semesters a few days ago too. This quirky art school memoir was authored by Chip Kidd, a graphic artist famous for his book jacket designs. So naturally, The Cheese Monkeys was laced with fresh illustrations as well.

I couldn't get over what Kidd did (that rhymes...) with the outside of the pages. By bending the book back and forth, two phrases are revealed: "Good Is Dead" and "Do You See?" two catchphrases of Kidd's eccentric graphic design instructor. How cool!                                                                              









Kidd utilizes illustration to convey humor as well. Upon opening the book, readers are graced with a clever artwork caption: "The inside front cover was intentionally left blank. It's not a mistake. It's actually a separate "piece," entitled "BUDGETARY CONSTRAINT NO. 13."

It seems like storytelling through illustrations is becoming a new trend. I can't wait so see where this new genre goes.

DOWNLOAD: 9.20.2012

Listening:

Where We Gonna Go From Here by Mat Kearney
Austin by Blake Shelton
Not the Kid by Communist Daughter
Sea Legs by The Shins
Next in Line by Walk the Moon
Acid Jazz Singer by The Fratellis
This Time by Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Fader by The Temper Trap
Happy Ending by MIKA
Somewhere Only We Know by Keane

Appreciating:

Jurgen Bay. Dutch artist whose eye-catching designs are redefining furniture. 

Jim Gary These sculptural car part creations are so cool--kind of remind me of Sayaka Ganz's plastic amalgams. 

Sandra Dieckmann Dieckmann's whimsical illustrations make for some very cool prints. 

Anticipating:

The 2012 Contemporary Realism Biennial is at the FWMoA until the end of October. I need to get over there. Soon. 

Consuming: 

Sunny D freezer pops.  Throwback with an icy twist. Awesome. 

Split Ends

Last week in AP Comp, the piece "Split Ends" by Jesse Shulman, age 17 (located on page 110 of the PDF) really caught my eye. It's a witty and charming little romance, but sections of this story are devastatingly raw.

"I felt like a rocket man because astronauts' tears hang in zero gravity and stay there, like memories, floating, drifting. In space, if you want to get rid of tears before they seep into the wiring and the ship sparks apart, you stick them in Tupperware. You hide them until one day there are too many and the box bursts."

Shulman's zany vignettes, existential quandaries, and fluid musings reminded me of Jonathan Safran Foer's masterful way of depicting relationships. It's the reason he's one of my favorite authors.

While reading "Split Ends,"  "Classic Water" by David Berman, one of my all-time favorite poems, came to mind.Through fragmented memories and fervid flashbacks, Berman articulates the same message Shulman does in "Split Ends:"

"No one deserves to be called what's-his-face."

How strange it is to lose a friend--yet even stranger to remember. Shulman was right: you can't breed mammoths back to life. But you can try. If only in your mind.  

DOWNLOAD: 9.13.2012

Listening:

Here We Are by Patrick Park
Fireworks by Animal Collective
Apologies by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
Funny Little Frog by Belle and Sebastian
Four Winds by Bright Eyes
Fragile Bird by City and Colour
Guilty Pleasure by Cobra Starship
Rebel Rebel by David Bowie
When it Rains by Eli Young Band
The Trial of the Century by French Kicks

Appreciating:

Oskar Kokoschka One of my favoirte painters of all time. Oldie but goodie.





















Rolland Bello Bello is a photographer known mainly for his work in the advertising sector. Primarily shooting for magazines and catalogues, Bello has "sold out" commercially. But good for him; he's put together some of the most beautiful spreads I've ever seen. The man's a genius.





 










Ruan Hoffmann A South African ceramic artist well-known for his unique designs. Loving the line quality on this line of dinnerware.

Anticipating:

The Les Miserables movie. Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean? AHHH OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHCANITJUSTBEDECEMBERALREADY?!?

Consuming:

Gnu Foods Chewy Bars. Om nom nom.

When You Are Engulfed In Flames

Your house is burning. What do you reach for?

 

It's a question often asked, yet rarely considered. However, the eclectic submissions from The Burning House inspired me, and I decided to make my own "tragedy tableau." Given ample time, pictured (from left to right) are the things I would bring.
 

 

 

1) Memorable "thank you" momentos from soldiers. Operation: Iraqi Freedom flag, a uniform nametag, a medal, and a toy Afghani hut.

 

2) My makeshift sock monkey, Klyde. Constructed in middle school, Klyde quickly became a tradition for me and my best friend, Kate. Whenever one of us traveled, Klyde accompanied us on our journey. He always returned with a destination Sharpie-d on his torso. Sisterhood of the Traveling Sock Monkey.

 

3) My father's embossing press.

 

4) Five cherished books: A photo album from my summer abroad in England, A Man For All Seasons by Robert Bolt, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, a Bible, and a journal from 2009--present.

 

5) My favorite leather backpack. Obtained at a flea market from an extremely bitter Russian woman.

 

6) The highlights of my ever-growing doorknob collection.

 

7) Cell phone.

 

8) My grandfather's corn fertilizer-cap. Still smells like summer.

 

9) American Journey #10 round watercolor brush. I've never found a better brush with synthetic bristles.

 

10) Boyfriend box. Scars and smiles from loves gone by.

 

11) Antique placard of the 23rd Psalm, passed down through my family.

 

12) Hairbrush, Aquafresh, and toothpaste. Gotta keep it classy.

 

13) VHS of 12 Angry Men.

 

14) Package of pistachios.

 

15) My favorite 16th birthday present: A vanilla-scented air freshener reading "Damn, Nelson Mandela, you smell so good!"

 

16) Set of three Russian stacking dolls.

 

17) Quilt made from my great-grandmother's old dresses.

 

18) Favorite floral scarf and geometric necklace.

 

19) Antebellum notebook, check, letter, and photograph from somewhere in Missouri. Items date back to 1868.

 

20) Conch shell from 2010 Florida trip.

 

21) Smooth stone picked up beneath the London Eye.

 

22) Dried flower collection.

DOWNLOAD: 9.7.2012

Listening:

White Snow by Red Wanting Blue
Colours by Grouplove
This Tornado Loves You by Neko Case
You're Missing by Bruce Springsteen
Where You'll Find Me by Audrye Sessions
I Should Tell You from RENT The Musical
Naive by The Kooks
Angels on the Moon by Thriving Ivory
In Your Light by Gotye
The Book of Love by The Magnetic Fields Favorite love song. Ever.

Appreciating:

Hope Gangloff--Portrait artist living and working out of New York City. Loving the unfinished quality and pallor.

 

Onishi Yasuaki--Truly amazing installation artist. The pictures don't do it justice.

 

Holton Rower--I'm totally in love with Rower's series of "tall paintings," and can't wait to try one myself. Plus, this is way too fun to watch.



 Anticipating:

 

The new "Coexist" album by the Xx, expected to release September 10th. The last album was great--I can't wait to see what they've come up with.

 

 

Consuming:

 

Chai Tea Blend by Teavana. I wish they had a store in Fort Wayne so I could port away these tea leaves in a wheelbarrow. I could drink gallons of this stuff. So good.

 

Have You Earned This Cliche?

"Writers have no real area of expertise. They are merely generalists with a highly inflamed sense of punctuation." --Lorrie Moore

 

The life of a writer is one of loneliness, odd jobs, and trashy apartments. That is, until someone decides you're brilliant.

Writers are a rare breed--I've heard as much. In seventeen years, pop culture and societal stereotypes have taught me all I need to know: Known to flock in coffeeshops and indie bookstores, writus familiaris is comfortable wearing berets, making weekend trips to Maine, and proclaiming "they never really cared for Charles Bukowski."

Maybe so, but I don't think anyone's nailed the definition quite like Lorrie Moore. "How to Become a Writer," a piece from Moore's short story collection "Self Help," chronicles the rapturous hell that is authorship.

This piece is funny, yet the cutting insight within is dizzying. And as someone who's gnawed through forests of pencils, consoled well-meaning parents, and wrestled "syllabic melodies," it struck an oddly familiar chord. Definitely worth a read.