AH 101

One of my favorite things in Pasticcio is the section called Art Attack.
(Apologies, JoFish!)
If only, if only, we could embed real, playable videos into our little Quartz.
I can never get enough of art things that came "before":

Here's one of my all time favorite pics of Sierra-Marie -
and yup, it's a photobooth shot, circa 1989:

A little night music

HOLIDAY! CELEBRATE!

Only 9 days remain until Free Comic Book Day (May 3rd) - the one day of the year that, even if you don't usually frequent comic book shops, you really should stop by a local purveyor. Some of the hottest art around is (and always has been) created by comic book artists. Comics can be Antagonistic, Brilliant, Creepy, Dramatic, Edgy, Funny, Gruesome, Hip, Intelligent, Jazzy, Kitschy, Lifelike, Meandering, Nervous, Opulent, Prophetic, Quirky, Revelatory, Steampunk, Tender, Urgent, Virulent, Wacky, X-rated, Yearning, and/or Zealous.
When I was a kid, we were allowed to read almost anything. I read The Snake Pit and 21 Stayed when I was 10 for goodness sake. They were books my parents had, and were considered fair game for any reader in our house, which mainly meant my mum and me.
Despite the lenience toward material published as a book, comic books (like gum) were forbidden.
When I was 7, my Great-Grandpa Fishburn died. I think my Auntie Kay, who was probably 16 or 17 at the time, was left to babysit me and my brother John (he was 3) while the family attended the funeral. Right around the corner from Grampy's house on West Lincoln Blvd. was a little "corner" store, kind of tucked into the ground actually, as the street was on a bit of an upslope.
Kay gave me fifteen cents, and sent me down to the store to get whatever I wanted.
Nice auntie! Or - she just wanted me out of her hair. I got a comic book "Classic" --- Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates as graphic novel. It was FABULOUS. I picked that title because even though it was in comic book form, at least it was adapted from a book, so I figured I could talk my way out of having broken a rule. I devoured it over the course of the afternoon; I was in heaven. (Being the kid who was always trying to copy the illustrations from my textbooks and library books on to stolen sheets of my dad's typing paper.)
Wonder whatever happened to that comic?
These are the first few pages from Twelve is a Beautiful Number by the wonderful New York City artist, Yuko Shimizu:

Every Wednesday Sale

Ya say it's your birthday?

"Is there anybody going to listen to my story"?
Actually, what I really want to know is, is there anyone
who can tell me what any of this even means?
=Is the moon in the 7th house?
=Has Jupiter aligned with Mars?
=Is peace finally gonna guide the planets?
=And will love truly steer the stars?

Lest you think

Lest you think I'm doing nothing every single day, leading me down the slippery slope to (clearly) no blogging, the digital abstract above is a piece I could only have made after receiving an excellent tutorial on the manipulation and use of brushes from the lovely, good-humored and patient, Roben-Marie Smith, of Paperbag Studios. She not only stepped me through the nitty-gritty, she also created the fabulously grungy brushes used in my piece. It does include another sneak peek, (or should I get jazzy, and manipulate the word pique?) of a swell project for which more details will be forthcoming. . . so Stay Tuned!
And up next on Ragtags Studio Central, a not-to-be-missed new book on the Business of Art ---

"I can walk under ladders"

Yeah, just like Joan Armatrading, I'm lucky. For example, today, I thought we wouldn't get mail. My across the street neighbor left his dog outside, sitting on his front stoop, and Ralph? Well, let me tell you, she is one big pup! Yeah, she's totally a girl dog--- like the girl Ralph in So I Married an Axe Murderer? Well, our mail lady has had a few bad dog moments, and I thought she would not deliver to any of us with Ralph out there, but she braved my house at least, and I got two swell things. The first: a little artist's book published by Drawn and Quarterly. I don't want to tell you more, as it will be included on the Complementary Bookshelf in Pasticcio 4, available in July or August, but suffice it to say you will fall head over heels. The second? I am so psyched to now have gracing my studio a darling little red-haired Wishing Fish Fairy painted by the fabulous (and also darling) Ms. Suzi Blu. She is currently inspiring SEVERAL entire generations of artists, writers and shop owners, all over the world! Watch her in action and there's no way to resist being inspired . . .




Here's little Ms. Wish:

Typography is What Language Looks Like

No, he's never gonna

This pie chart was over on my friend Jean's blog - I have had SUCH a week and just couldn't get it together to post a real, blogworthy post. But the chart made me laugh. . . I'm thinkin', "Ya know, I sure hope he DON'T let me down!" And I am just crazy about those back-up girls!