Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Nochevieja

In the spirit of my half Spanish heritage, I've got my twelve grapes ready for tonight. When midnight strikes, you have to rapidly pop those twelve grapes - one for each chime of the clock - in your mouth. If you successfully complete the feat, twelve months of prosperity and good luck await you. Plus, you look like a squirrel with a mouth full of nuts, so it's very funny. Thank you for visiting the world of Little Star Soup this year. I appreciate the kind comments, and look forward to blogging 2009. Happy, Happy, Happy New Year!

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Studio Holiday Card

Our studio's official Holiday Card has always been a calendar. I love New Year's. I love the clean slate, and contemplating on the year past and the year ahead. It's a free form project, so it's a lot of fun. I like picking a different theme each year, and creating 12 icons to go along with it. Past themes have been butterflies, fruit, and shoes. Stay tuned for this year's theme.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Henry VII

We had our first snowfall of the season yesterday in NY, and it was beautiful. The first one always is. With the snow falling, we decorated our Christmas tree, formally known as Henry VII. We name our trees, and they've all been Henry (just because of the street we live on). I vow this year, after January 6th, to take Henry VII to the local park where he will be made into mulch that goes into Central Park. I think it's such a sad visual, the day after Christmas, when all of the bare trees are on the sidewalk. But that's a ways from now. Right now Henry VII is all dressed up, and looking sweet. The new addition to our tree this year, is a flock of birds that decided to perch on Henry's branches. We have a wood thrush, a cardinal, a blue jay, and 9 other assorted song birds. Hopefully they know some Christmas carols.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Homework - Final Assignment

I was waiting for a sunny day to photograph my final assignment, but I fear the sun may not return to NY until May.
Our final assignment was about boxes. We talked about Joseph Cornell and his amazing boxes, and about the structure of boxes in general. Our assignment was to create a 'Box of Desires'. The audience should be able to guess what your desire is from looking at the box. Can you guess?It's not a house, although that is on my short list. It's a little art studio. A free standing room of my own. I picture it a short 5 minute commute through a flower garden in our backyard. It's also by the sea (why not? we're dreaming here). I would spend my days making art, and in the evening, close the door and leave it behind. Boxes also have an interior, and that had to be part of our desire as well. What does the inside reveal?It's a heart that reads "Where thou ART, that is home" by Emily Dickinson. I'm using Emily's words to imply a slightly different meaning. Art has always been home for me. From simple scribblings as a child, endless hours spent doing meticulous pencil drawings, to the work I do every day. Art has happened on the dining room floor, the kitchen table, and the corner studio in the living room. So if that art studio by the sea never materializes, it's ok, because "Where thou ART, that is home."

Friday, December 5, 2008

A Mural

My friends M&M are expecting a little bundle of joy on Christmas day. They asked me if I could help decorate the little ones nursery, and I jumped at the idea. They had a theme in mind, because the baby's sex will be a surprise, even to them, they wanted something unisex. M (Mommy-to-Be) requested a monkey family in the jungle. I worked up a couple of ideas, and they choose their favorite. The thing is we are a state apart, so they were taking on the actual painting of the mural. I gave them a crisp black and white line drawing that they projected on the wall. Then M (Daddy-to-Be) painted the entire mural. I think he did a wonderful job, and I know each brushstroke was painted with love. Everything is better with love as the extra ingredient.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Homework

Our assignment this week was to do a two or three dimensional collage of a famous person, or person from history. The requirement was that the person must be recognizable, and it must be someone we all know. We were told to think about recognizable visual characteristics, like Einstein's hair, and Jackie O's glasses and pearls. So I decided on Frida Kahlo, because really, is there a more recognizable visual characteristics than those eyebrows? Now that is a fashion statement.