AnArtEducation

So here's what we've been up to, mentally and physically

Again I wait months before I reappear to post anything. Blame it on a busy schedule, or laziness, either way is fine. In the time that has lapsed since I last wrote anything I've developed quite a few ideas that I wanted to share. So here goes...

Recently I've noticed that I see faces and objects in almost everything. Actually this has been happening for quite some time, but I've just recently started to take photos of the things I see or make quick sketches of them. Here is my favorite, two whales that appeared in the oil I was preparing for pancakes.

And here is this gnarly tree Joe and I saw taking a hike a few weeks ago. There was something quite magical about it, and I mean that in all sincerity, not like a hippie. I kinda thought it looked like something you'd see in a Tim Burton film. It looks like it has something to say, just open your mouth already!

Some inspiration for baby shower decoration, found at a little cafe in Pacific Grove (near Monterey):

And finally, on a completely different note, we've taken to vacationing as much as possible before the bubs (which is what my friend in Australia calls the baby) comes. Three weeks ago we went to Carmel near Big Sur and Monterey to see the seal pups and their mommas and the following weekend we headed to Mendocino to hang out with some friends in a beautiful cabin on the cliff side. Here is Joe jumping on the bed in his excitement that we got to stay in a nice fancy hotel in Carmel:

A seal Joe aptly named "Orson Whales"

Joe looking like a nice country boy at the Red Barn Cafe in Pacific Grove:

And our enthusiasm simply to be away from home for yet another beautiful weekend in Mendocino, I kinda look like I had a big lunch:

Valentine's Crafts

If you asked me about five years ago how I felt about Valentine's Day I'd let you know I wasn't impressed. Not that I didn't celebrate it, but I never felt like going all out. Well now, as the baby bug has hit me and I look at my husband with adoring eyes I feel the need not only to celebrate, but to decorate. So for today I'm highlighting some of my favorite v-day crafts.

image taken from : http://www.magueyweaves.com/

Papel Picado is one of my favorite forms of decoration. Maybe it's growing up in the southwest, but I find it absolutely beautiful. It's also not all that difficult to make. If you're me, you fold it up and make a haphazard design with scissors, but if you're a little more talented, then I suggest printing out your favorite design and placing it over the tissue paper. Then with an exacto knife you can "easily" (I say that with a chuckle), carve out your design. If you keep a small strip on the top intact you can glue string to your piece and hang it up.

image definitely property of: www.marthastewart.com

This is one for the kiddies. It's fairly simple and rather cute. A great little valentine for kids to make and take to school for their friends, or consume completely on their own. You can find the instructions here, because let's be honest, nobody does it better than Martha.

Just a quick note

As I descend into the world of babies and toddlers I've found myself recently infatuated with a kid's magazine that I cannot have. Honestly I haven't even held the magazine to see all the magical contents, yet I am smitten. If I were a 10yr old again, I'd be in heaven.

So without further ado: Anorak Magazine: The Happy Mag for Kids!

Here's the best inside peak I've been able to get: Book By Its Cover

This fabulous little magazine is out of the UK and available on amazon, for 53 bucks! Yikes. I'm sure I'll stumble upon it in some Bay Area bookstore eventually....

Poster Image: Anorak Magazine 2009

Til then I'll contemplate the meaning of the Wisdom Clouds.

I'll eventually catch up with it all

First off Happy New Year to the two people who read this, myself excluded. Thus far my new year has been a whirlwind of getting life straightened out so that I can A. finish my Montessori teacher training by this summer B. have a baby in August and C. nap between eating double what I normally eat.

Here is our little cashew/peanut/squish at 7 weeks
looking like a baby chick.

But I find I'm spending most of my time mentally preparing a nursery, mainly focusing on the decor of course and wondering how on earth we're going to arrange our tiny two bedroom apt. (of which one room is the office/music room) into an actual two BEDROOM apt. How do you tell your child, "I love you, but I'm not giving up the bass"? Will they even notice that half of their room is filled with Dad's music equipment? Can we easily hide that bass amp under the crib? Yes, these are my problems. It doesn't help that I received my new Real Simple in the mail yesterday and it has a section on these hyper organized moms. I hate them. I also would like to fly them out so that they can categorize all of Joe's cables and miscellaneous music instruments, with labels and proper space.

Oh, but I digress. I'm supposed to be talking about art right? At least I think that was the initial intention of this blog. Well for now here are the ideas and sites I've been looking at for baby nursery decor:

My brother made my husband this painting for his birthday and at present I think it will fit nicely in the baby's room, despite being a little dark. There is something comforting about it, like a grisly old grandpa watching over our wee one.

I kinda love birds, despite hating real life birds. So when I saw this painting that can be customized with your child's first initial I got all gooey inside just thinking about the name debate that will soon ensue.

This Etsy shop has too many wonderful pieces to choose from, so I'll just post a link to their homepage. I love the colors she uses! Are they a throw back to the 70s? Possibly, but then how else would we match that hideous Ethan Allen dresser my husband has had since birth and insists on keeping?

As far as bedding goes, I'm kinda hooked on orange. I saw this crib sheet while perusing the web the other day and I'm stuck on it, the only problem is, does it have to be 60 bucks? I mean my own bedsheets aren't $60! Plus imagine the copious amounts of drool and other bodily secretions we'll have to clean off these fancy things? Oh well, they're organic and it's all for the baby right?

Through college I worked in a casual yet fancy restaurant that opened my taste buds to the world of beautiful and delicious food. Thanks to my experience I now spend about half of my day thinking of food, concocting recipes and perusing the aisles at my local grocery. So I felt it was only fitting to highlight some of my favorite food oriented blogs, because well first off I'm hungry right now and second, these recipes make cooking into an art! (Something I have to occasionally remind myself of while I'm trying to quickly eat and drive to school at the same time).

So for today I say eat, drink and savor every morsel because while food's main purpose is to provide us with nutrients, it also can bring a little beauty into each day.

And so on to the food:

Smitten Kitchen - Who says you need a big space to prepare gourmet meals?
Visually this site is absolutely beautiful. The chef and her husband do all the work, cooking, cleaning and photography. Since it's cooling down in the Bay Area we're making her chicken and dumplings tonight and my mouth is watering as I type.

Lara Ferroni - Beautiful images of food that I believe are posted on this site Cook & Eat.

Chez Pim - Another site with gorgeous images, although I think some of the dishes may be a little out of reach for the average home chef. But who am I to limit your talents? Go, prep, cook!

Finally a few restaurants and groceries in our area that I couldn't live without:

Berkeley Bowl - The kind of grocery store where shopping is more of an experience than anything else. (That sounds cheesy, but it's true. I spend a good 40min a week trolling through the giant fruits and veggies section looking at exotic/foreign/odd foods and asking myself "what am I going to do with this?")

Cheeseboard Collective - A pizza coop along with a cheese shop. A combo that makes one delicious style of pizza a day (always vegetarian) for a relatively cheap price. Ingredients are always fresh, seasonal and worth the long line.

Tartine Bakery - So good they don't have a sign. Tartine's food is, and not to overuse this word, beautiful. Always rich and full of flavor, their desserts as well as their savory treats are welcomed by my taste buds every time. It's kind of an SF must.

Your friendly neighborhood cover artist!

So we just purchased tickets to see an interview with Sarah Vowell and Daniel Handler this coming Spring. And thinking about this anticipated evening (Sarah Vowell is one of my favorite "historians"), I found myself thinking about the clever illustrations and cover art these authors use for their books. Then I thought about how underappreciated illustrators are these days. I can remember a time when we read books in school and as the teacher began they always made sure to state the author and the illustrator, it felt very important then. It feels very important now. How often do we pick up a book solely based on its cover? I'll admit, I do it more often then not. So in honor of these fabulous illustrators I'm posting some links to their pages. Happy browsing!

Brett Helquist - best known for his work on the Lemony Snicket series (aka Daniel Handler's little gems).

David Levintha l - cover artist for some of Sarah Vowell's books like The Wordy Shipmates and The Partly Coulded Patriot.

Marcel Dzama - he's also done some illustration work for Sarah Vowell, along with some cd cover art you may recognize (like Beck's Guero).

Art Books for Kids

Here is a list of some wonderful books on artists and art movements for preschoolers-fifth grade.

Mary Cassatt - Jane O'Connor, Jennifer Kalis

Pablo Picasso - True Kelley

Picasso and the Girl with a Ponytail - Laurence Anholt

When Pigasso Met Mootisse - Nina Laden

Edgar Degas - Maryann Cocca-Leffler

Matisse - Laurence Anholt

Henri Matisse - Jane O'Connor

The Magical Garden of Claude Monet - Laurence Anholt

Leonardo and the Flying Boy - Laurence Anholt

Katie and the Mona Lisa - James Mayhew

Action Jackson- Jan Greenberg, Sandra Jordan, Sandra Jane Fairfax Jordan

Through Georgia's Eyes- Rachel Rodríguez, Julie Paschkis

The Yellow House - Susan Goldman Rubin, Joseph A. Smith (Van Gogh and Gauguin)

Andy Warhol's Colors - Susan Goldman Rubin, Andy Warhol

Klimt and His Cat - Bérénice Capatti, Octavia Monaco, Shannon A. White

Frida - Jonah Winter, Frida Kahlo, Ana Juan

Frida Kahlo - Margaret Frith

Collections of Artists and Other Stories