ragtags studio central: sarah's random this & that

random means "having no definite aim or purpose," (1655), taken from "at random" (1565), "at great speed" (thus, "carelessly, haphazardly"). In 1980s college student slang, it somehow, and sadly, acquired a distinct sense of "inferior, undesirable." (Online Etymology Dictionary, Douglas Harper) Well, okay, fine, Mr. Online Etymology Dictionary person, but THIS is the 21st Century. It's a whole new ball of wax.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

FREE TIBET + FREE STUFF


10 Questions for the Dalai Lama is my
MOVIE RECOMMENDATION
for the week of August 17th through 23rd.

Recognize the page shown above? If you do, and want a chance to win one of my smashing packages of fabulous, free, fun art supplies and maybe oh so much more, you know the drill - leave me a comment with your contact info, and the title and author of the book you think the page is from.

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No Dive

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Friday, August 15, 2008

Don't let's "PLAY SMALL"

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What do I have in common with Italy?

In Italy, everyone goes on holiday on August 15th (it's the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary into Heaven for Catholics), mostly to the beach. I've heard that entire towns basically 'close'. Am I Catholic? No. Italian? Still no. On holiday, at the beach? Well, you all know how regretfully I answer that one. . . No, with a side of sigh.
Still, I celebrate the date! It's Colin's birthday. He still looks a lot like the little fella he used to be, and fabulous in red.

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Monday, August 11, 2008

the pulse - chapter three

the pulse --- chapter three
a gathering of artists' VOICE
s

Y'all know Seth, over at the altered page, right? Well, he's putting finishing touches on Chapter 3 of The Pulse - his on-line (and TOTALLY BOOKWORTHY) compilation of artist surveys. This time he asks us, among other things, "Can ya ever part with your art?"
The urban distress photograph shown above is one of Seth's luscious New York City series, and it's graphically emblematic of what he gives to each of us, as artists.

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The Eye of the Beholder

In my never ceasing quest to "catch-up", I am finally sending along a Thank You to my darling art friend, that lost Aussie on the loose herself, Marie Otero, for giving me a Brillante blog nomination! Now it's my turn.

Every day I think how cool it is, how lucky we are, to be alive in the 21st century, a time when the people of the world can communicate daily, for very little cost, with people we would rarely (if ever) have had the opportunity to, just a few short decades ago.

I'm passing the Brillante award along to - drumroll, please:
In accordance with the rules for receiving this award please:
Put this logo on your blog:
Then:
  1. Add a link to the person who awarded you.
  2. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
  3. Add links to those blogs on yours.
  4. Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

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A Shelf in the Life - Home Portrait #2

Above you can see: an altered matchbox from the Santa Fe Flea Market, 3 little New Mexican pottery birds, a blue fish angel I got at Jackalope, a miniature South American casa, a fabulous fused glass frame partially hidden by a floor lamp, outsider art by Helene Lacelle, a small tile by one of the cool Zinnia peeps (maybe Joe?), a Ganesha tile, and a piece by the lovely Linda Woods. This, and all of the snaps following, are sections of the scene seen along our mantel, including the lower section. The last shot shows how it all lays out across the left side, to the middle of the fireplace.

Continuing to the right: an elephant from one of the several San Antonio Zoo Mold-A-Ramas, a Hindu wooden block set I made, a tiny Lakshmi statue and postcard, a cool lime enamel frame with a print of Krishna, an unidentified but nonetheless lovely vintage photograph, a Guan Yin statue nestled within a cloth poppy, a photo of some kids in Rwanda taken by one of my kids, a snapshot of one of my great-aunties in a darling enameled frog frame, and finally an almost deco $1 Buddha from a grocery store in Little Tokyo (LA).

Pass Buddha to find: a retro pearlized glass birdie from Urban Outfitters, via Lisa, shells from a shop on Balboa Island, big hunks of seaglass from Merchant Voyage, a couple of slender starfish, a Holden McCurry ceramic Prayer Tower with bird, a found photo of two girls in a boat, in a swell rhinestone frame, a shell a bird dropped in front of me as I rode my bike on a visit to my mum in Sebring, Florida several years before she died, a darling little piece by Erika Tysse in a seashell frame and a votive holder from St. Thomas. . .

Sand collected from here and there (ongoing), and shells from Florida . . .

Continuing down the mantel: Doggie Taco (well, that's what we call it) by Caroline Douglas (you can check her out in time lapse work mode in the YouTube clip below!), little stones Silver gave me, a shell fossil I found years ago on the rocky, windy, Oregon coast, another exquisite little piece by Caroline Douglas, (with a removable head!), a framed copy of a piece by Jennifer Davis, a silvered shell from Merchant Voyage, another altered matchbox with a glittery Arizona scene, a vintage glass glitter star, a Snow Baby reading box, a glittered up pine cone, which when open, reveals a tiny fox curled up in his nest, another framed miniature by Erika Tysse, a glass pup that was my dad's (wearing Colin's "Gerety" baby bead bracelet), and a darling little tin poodle JoFish gave me, which always makes me think of a book I got from my Great-gram Hon when I was 10, called The Davenports and Cherry Pie, written by Alice Dalgliesh.

This (right) section of the mantel is dropped down - I will include a pic of how that works in a later post: The colorful vintage vase is from Spain; I found it at a junk shop years ago, the sunflowers are from my Tournesol garden, the small birdie-topped picture frame is so pretty I have never even bothered to put anything in it. That's a portrait of me in my sunglasses by the amazing artist Jennifer Gordon, the pink and blue canvas is another by Erika Tysse (can you tell how much I love her art?), and the polychromic stencil piece at the end, well, that one is mine.

Above is a pic to put it all into perspective. It's grainy for some reason I couldn't discern, but I think you'll get the gist. As you can see, I didn't include every inch of the mantel in the running description, and obviously this only shows across the first half of the wall. Hope you're enjoying my "home tour"! More soon. . .

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Thursday, August 07, 2008

What Summer Means to Me

Did you all totally forget I have another blog venue?
Awww.
Well, not to worry, you can go read it right now!A hardworking bee in my Tournesol Garden.

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Wednesday, August 06, 2008

A Shelf in the Life - Home Portrait #1

I've had a few requests to show nooks & crannies, crevice & crawlspace. Not to overwhelm, I thought I would do it ala self-portrait - maybe 2 or 3 at a time. So with no further ado, here's my bedroom and then my dresser - if ya click on the pics, you can see more deets. Yes, it's usually this picked up. The window behind the bed faces West. The top book on the pile on the chair is WHAT IT IS (Lynda Barry). The bed is rumpled toward the bottom corner because Janie Marie Appleseed was curled up fast asleep there until I started clicking away:

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Summertime, and the livin's not easy

Down By Law is a b&w treasure. Filmed in 1984, it stars a very young (and ALWAYS fabulous) Tom Waits & Roberto Benigni, and features a brief bit at the beginning showcasing the talent of an equally young (playing totally crazed) Ellen Barkin. The action takes place in & around New Orleans and the Bayou, with a fair section set in the Orleans Parish Prison, where, more than ever actually planning an escape, Waits (Zach), Benigni (Bob), and John Lurie (Jack) build a working relationship. Unlikely? Maybe. Dysfunctional? Definitely. Entertaining? Always.
The first half may seem a little slow paced to some; if one is a bit patient, the film is WELL worth it. (Colin, Silver, & Heather weren't.) The music is low-key jazz with Tom Waits singing, and the atmosphere pure poverty-stricken, stifling, Southern summer.

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NY Times - Easing the Pain of Collecting


CLICK on PICS to get to ze ARTICLE. . .




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