opening night: dan-ah kim

i visited nearby project:gallery for the first time tonight to check out their latest opening. the show, kaleidoscope, features five female artists who represent "a whimsical and feminine style, that truly tells a greater tale than at first glance." hm.

i was really enchanted by the illustrations & stitchwork of brooklyn artist dan-ah kim. photos don't do them justice, but i love the colors, the composition, the stitching details. yup, gorgeous!

her etsy shop has a great collection of her prints for sale.

canyon cleansing?

the US Bureau of Reclamation is flushing out the grand canyon today. it's an attempt to rewind devestating environmental changes, the results of damming the river back in the 1960s. in 1971, a lone civil engineer warned that the dam would have drastic effects..."but no one listened."

so we've altered the results of 17 million years of natural history, and now we're fix the damage done by re-manipulating the river through a process called adaptive management, which involves annual flush outs like this. hmmm... a curious (and controversial) solution.

just this week i saw a sneak preview of grand canyon: river at risk (woohoo, 3d imax!), which explores the canyon and all these water issues. worth checking out.


[photo from cobalt123]

city pride

i'm so into these maps from ork posters. i just bought the boston one for our apartment. and looking forward to los angeles coming soon!

plus ork donates 2% of its sales to non-profits, sweet!

currently available: boston, brooklyn, chicago, manhattan, san francisco

coming in spring 2008: los angeles, seattle, portland, toronto, and one unknown

weekend highlights

FRIDAY
+ pirate shanties @ machine project
+ good microbrew

SATURDAY
+ drinks @ the mandrake
+ frohawk two feather closing @ taylor de cordoba
+ yummy veges @ tender greens
+ the other boelyn girl (ehh okay)

SUNDAY
+ target (pretty designs!)
+ ikea (new rug!)

MONDAY
+ haircut @ vidal sassoon academy
+ inspired @ corita art center
+ art (gocco!) supplies @ blue rooster

and now it's back to work...

"my paper mind"

peter callesen makes unbelievable paper cutouts from single pieces of paper (above). he creates from the paper--but also creates images in the shapes that he cuts. i love this play with positive & negative space.

javan ivey created a beautiful video using cut paper images, titled "my paper mind." under about, he gives some description of the method he uses, called "stratastencil." cool process--lovely results! [via tinygigantic]

all the paper cutting talk makes me think of nikki mcclure and her spectacular xacto-cut images. i still have her 2007 calendar hanging on my wall.

and the master of cutouts, matisse
(oh! just found this PBS online matisse game)

happy monday!

post it!

i'm trying use post mail more often, and these projects are getting me inspired...

- postcrossing connects postcard writers around the world. like a massive penpal/chainletter network, you sign up, send a postcard, and then someone else sends one to you. and on and on, around the world! (via photojojo)

- the postcard says is a new project by fiveandahalf. over 400 blogreaders received postcards with a little creative task to complete and mail back. from a recent sneakpeak, the results are looking great ~

- make your own photos into postcards with photojojo's 3 easy options.

more geometry!

i couldn't resist posting one more geometric creation...

just discovered aeik paper goods & design, and one lovely geometry card caught my eye. (via design for mankind)

these designs remind me of playing with parabolic lines in middle school math class. with some splashes of color á la aiek, these could be fun designs to play with...

geometry & art

shapes & connections...circle circle circle

1. maria of port2port & 3191 just launched her latest project--LINES & SHAPE--an artist collective that will publish bi-monthly themed volumes of visuals. the rotating group of artists don't communicate while they prepare their material for the book--and then it's all pulled together to create some beautiful mysterious visual parallels. theme of volume 1: CIRCLE.

2. i visited the brand new BCAM@LACMA yesterday (LA county's new contemporary art wing)... wow building, wow space, wow art. my personal highlight: richard serra's monumental steel bands on the ground floor. pictures can't do them justice, but walking through is awe-some. full of rusty grace.

3. spring is the perfect time for new apartment projects... and apartment therapy is the best daily dose of ideas & inspiration for small homes like ours. i love this chandelier of paper lanterns they featured in their weekly newsletter.

hidden gems

there's something so satisfying about finding new under-the-radar spots ~ especially in my own neighborhood.

first, fette's gallery [above]. tucked into a sweet culver city neighborhood, this house-turned-gallery has been hosting exhibits for over a year. behind the white picket fence, they've transformed the living room & all into this great open art space (a few pics). i love this balance of art gallery & happy home.

AND even closer to home, the mandrake bar [below]. it defines "hole in the wall"-- with just a no-name neon sign marking it from the street. but inside, it's a hip dive. their specialty cocktails are a unusual mix of flavors, like darky & stormy (black rum and ginger beer) and rosemary's garden (greygoose, mulled cucumber, and mint). it's a great space with room to spread out, contemporary art, faux wood tables, and an open backyard patio. definitely worth many a happy return. (yelp!)

fette's gallery
4255 baldwin ave
culver city, ca

the mandrake bar
2692 s la cienega blvd
los angeles, ca

[top photo via fette's gallery. bottom photo via kampy]

our moment is now

an excerpt from Barack Obama's speech on 01/09/08 in nashua, NH:

we know the battle ahead will be long,
but always remember that
no matter what obstacles stand in our way,
nothing can withstand
the power of millions of voices calling for change.

In the unlikely story that is America, there has
never been anything false about hope.
For when we have faced down impossible odds;
when we've been told that we're not ready,
or that we shouldn't try, or that we can't,
generations of Americans have responded with
a simple creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

Yes we can.
It was a creed written into the founding documents that
declared the destiny of a nation.
Yes we can.
It was whispered by slaves and abolitionists
as they blazed a trail toward freedom through the darkest of nights.
Yes we can.
It was sung by immigrants
as they struck out from distant shores and
pioneers who pushed westward against an unforgiving wilderness.
Yes we can.
It was the call of workers who organized;
women who reached for the ballot;
a President who chose the moon as our new frontier; and
a King who took us to the mountaintop
and pointed the way to the Promised Land.

Yes we can to justice and equality.
Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity.
Yes we can heal this nation.
Yes we can repair this world.
Yes we can.

And so tomorrow...we will remember that
there is something happening in America; that

we are not as divided as our politics suggest.

that we are
one people; we are
one nation.

and together, we will begin
the next great chapter in America's story
with three words that will ring from coast to coast;
from sea to shining sea:

Yes. We. Can.


[watch the music video] [read the LA times]


[photo from threecee]