End-of-Summer-ness

It's the Monday before Labor Day weekend.  In our hearts, the last official week of summer.  In its honor, we'll be taking the week off from blogging and Facebooking and Twittering, and instead doing other writing and reflecting.  

But before we leave . . . .

Thanks so dang much to folks who came out to the Under The Sun Flea Market yesterday to sample our wares.

It was the first time we busted out our new awning/tent.  (That's us, under the blue.)

And our Twitter friends ("tweeps") came out in force to represent!!!  Many, many thanks to @sally_K for organizing this "tweet-up" (Twitter meet-up) of friends in Marin, who came to visit (and shop . . . you guys are awesome).  Thanks to @mikewolpert and @vickirandallesq.  To @alembic.  To @c8nhogarth.  To @dianefischler and @ken_homer.  To @mizstarryeyed.  And to canine friends, all :)   And thanks to artist and buddy @lisasonorabeam for the love and support and kindness.

Also got to spend part of the weekend finishing fulfillment 0f a very cool custom order . . . wedding placecards for the upcoming nuptials and happy celebration of the folks at Laurel's Catering.  The collage includes paper from a 1910s European autograph book.  Got to do their save-the-date cards earlier this year, too.  It's been a real pleasure working with these lovely people.  Best of luck to you, Laurel and Matt!!! 

All righty!  We're out!!!! May the end of your summer be filled with as much peace and beauty as the Naked Lady flowers bring each end-of-summer.

Fabulous Happy Miscellany

It's been such a week of great luck, fun, publicity, coolness and launchings that we have to stop what we're doing right now and say, "THANK YOU, EVERYONE!!" and fill you in on all the good stuff . . . .

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As we've posted here before, Bean Up The Nose Art will be selling its wares this Sunday at the Beach House Style Under The Sun Flea Market.  Mucho props to wonderful @sally_k for organizing a group of Twitter folks to come visit.  And the event is also recommended by none other than the venerable Sunset Magazine site!  Check it out here.  Wowzers!

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Tonight from 6 to 8:30 p.m., I'll be gallery-sitting at the Marin Arts Council's Photography Contest and Show, which we've blogged about here, and here.  "Ribbons" is one of the photos we entered in the show . . . which SOLD!!!  (Bless you, @blakfish1.)

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(Photo courtesy of Amazon site.)

So happy to tell y'all right here that wonderful artist and friend Heidi Rand has just published this book on Kindle!   Way to go, Heidi!!!  Hoping all you fiber arts folks will check it out here.

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And lastly . . . WHAT A HOOT!!!  The Mister and I appear in this piece produced by @dianamyee -- my friend since fifth grade, and fabulous member of Kasier Permanente's team on wellness.  Yes, we are doing CrossFit.

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Looking forward to seeing folks soon, and hoping the end-of-your-summers are winding down in all sorts of fun, lovely and productive ways.  THANKS FOR PLAYING!!

One Woman's Rules of Foursquare

When I was in grammar school with @dianamyee and @jdunham1029, one of my favorite recess games was foursquare . . . where you used your hands to bat a rubber ball into one of the four squares you and three friends/competitors were standing in, hoping they'd miss or hit it out, allowing you to move up closer to the number one square.

Lo, these many decades later, I am once again a fan of Foursquare.

God bless the folks who made this app.

What's so great about it?

Everything.

Mostly I like it because it makes the chore of running errands fun.  Because the way Foursquare works is that you "check in" to sites that pop up on your screen, based on GPS positioning.  AND YOU SCORE POINTS.  Going to the grocery store?  CHECK IN!! Going to the post office?  CHECK IN.  Picking up orders?  CHECK IN   Get it?!?!? Fun, fun, fun.  

What makes it even more fun is that you play "against" friends who've agreed to be in your loop of Foursquare friends . . . and you see how many points they have . . . and you keep checking in.  

Points are awarded based on all sorts of factors, such as whether it's your first time there, your first time to that category of place, whether you're the first of your friends to be there, whether you are there WITH your friends.  

And if you're the person who's been there the most often, YOU ARE THE MAYOR!!!!  (And if you are lucky like me, your cool friends give you a Foursquare Mayorship logo t-shirt for your birthday.  Because I am a little obsessed.)

And it's pretty ridiculous, but in this world where we don't always get feedback for what we're doing, IT FEELS GOOD to be "mayor."  And to get the badges that Foursquare awards you for all kinds of silly things, too.

The app will shut out your checkins if it thinks you are cheating by clicking on too many at once, or if the place is too far away, GPS-wise, from where you're trying to checkin.  

But aside from those limitations, how you play Foursquare is pretty much up to you.  (And any agreements you make with your circle of friends.)

Just so you know how I play, here's my own manifesto:)

ONE WOMAN'S RULES OF FOURSQUARE

1.  No to "drive-bys."

I do not check in to places that I am simply moving past.  In other words, when various establishments pop up on the screen, I do not check into them simply because I am walking past them.  No fair.  No good.  

2.  Yes to "drive-ons"  

But I do check in to places I am traveling UPON.  In other words, as a passenger in a car driving over the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, I will check into the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge.  Same with listed freeways, etc.  However, this does NOT apply to cities/neighborhoods I am traveling THROUGH.  

3.  No to adding "goofy locations".

I do not add goofy (my own, technical term) locations to the system, like "my backyard" or other places I go that others do not.  

4.  Yes to checking in to applicable, already-existing "goofy locations."

But if the system already has some hilarious existing location (such as "Fog," or "Playing air guitar in my car in traffic") that applies to where I am and what I'm doing when it pops on the screen, I will check in there.  Because it is silly and fun.  Which is at the heart of Foursquare.

5.  Yes to adding business locations.

I will enter and check in to any business I frequent that is not yet in the system.  Because I think another thing at the heart of Foursquare is the chance to publicize places that you like.  And when your friends see that you have checked into the new cafe in town and go there a lot, that is good for that cafe.  Which is all good.

6.  Yes to "multiple checkins."  

I check in to all spots ALREADY ON THE LIST that apply to where I am.  For instance, last week I was at an art gallery in the Veteran's Memorial Building in San Francisco.  All three of those names popped up on the screen:  the gallery, the building, and the city.  I checked in to all three.  

Got it?  Any questions?  Any suggestions?  Feedback?  Add them in the comments below!  And have fun checking in :) 

Fabulous Artist Alert! Elizabeth Prillinger

Meet Elizabeth "Lilly" Prillinger.  Who is AWESOME.   

She is a CrossFit badass.  (Apologies for shakiness of filming here . . . .)

And she is an amazing artist.  

Recently, she took time out of her action-packed (read on) schedule to answer some questions for us.  We're posting them below.  Amidst photos of the juried show she is currently a part of:

That's right:  The Hootenanny, an art exhibition of city and county employees of San Francisco.  It runs through August 27 at the San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery (401 Van Ness).  

Another aside before we begin:  WE LOVE LILLY'S WORK HERE!!!  As you will see as you scroll down . . . the subject matter of this piece is particularly dark.  WHICH. WE. LIKE.  Because let's get real:  no one can be kind, exuberant and positively-sparky all the time.  

So, CHEERS TO YOU, LILY, for all of your art . . . including "Little Deaths" on display at The Hootenanny.

What is your art background?

I have always enjoyed making things.  From an early age my sister and I used to entertain each other with our drawings and pictures.  My mother always encouraged creativity and I think her influence stayed with me for life and shaped my own interest in the visual world.  I graduated from Princeton University with a degree in Art History and later received a Masters in Fine Art from the San Francisco Art Institute.

What medium do you prefer to use?

I am most comfortable working with oil paint, but I readily use alternative materials depending on the circumstances.  Recently, I have been doing a lot of drawing.  I collect photographs and old magazines as reference material so sometimes I prefer the immediacy of collage.  ["Little Deaths" is a series of 20 pieces, acrylic paint and polymer resin on canvas.]

What is your art space and schedule like?

My "art space" is a an unwieldy collection of "ephemera" that meanders back and forth between the garage and the backyard, but often winds up at the kitchen table.  I work on projects sporadically but intensely when I have the time.

"Little Deaths (series) 2006"

What else do you do during the day?

I am a San Francisco Police Officer.  At work, I'm afforded the ultimate privilege to help people -- but I am also able to observe and engage a diverse range of circumstances and individuals, from which I learn a tremendous amount.  

How do you describe your work?

As an artist, I am drawn to imagery that provokes a sense of unease, or mystery.  I am interested in the internal unrest that can be evoked by a visual composition.  In my paintings, I try to create unusual moments that express the muted anxieties and tensions of everyday life.  Generally speaking, I prefer to explore vaguely off-balance and slightly troubling subject matter.  Exposure to extreme circumstances often forces people to process and relate information in unusual and disturbing ways.  I am particularly interested in how "humor" plays a part in our abilities to express our personal histories, in that it often helps to diffuse content that may be emotionally unacceptable or unpleasant.

"Bath," 5" x 7" (part of "Little Deaths")

Where do your inspirations and ideas come from?

I am most inspired by the internal drama of everyday life.  As I get older, I am drawn more to the beauty of the natural world and I have actually been painting landscapes, which I never used to do.  Landscapes are frustrating because I want to make them "beautiful" -- but my inherent style veers towards abjection and distortion, so my landscapes are always unintentionally contorted and slightly comic.

"Swarm," 5" x 7" (part of "Little Deaths")

What's your next artistic goal?

I'd like to improve my ability to "see" and implement color in my work.  Several years ago, I made a series of figurative paintings featuring "thrill rides" at amusement parks, such as Ferris wheels and roller coasters.  Recently I've thought I'd like to make this type of work again, although I'd like to focus more on abstraction and how color imports sensation and dynamic movement to a composition.  It is amazing how "empty" space in a picture can infuse depth.  It is funny because I often find myself clumsily over-working the smallest little details -- but it is usually the large and loosely-rendered "open space" in a painting that I enjoy the most.

Thanks to you, Lilly, for being such a rocking roll model:  protecting and serving, and letting your artist flag fly high, too . . . embracing the full range of life, in work, and in art and its subject-matter.  YOU RULE!!! 

August "Under The Sun Flea Market"

Now hear this! Now hear this! Bean Up The Nose Art will be selling all sorts of goodies at the August "Under The Sun Flea Market" at Beach House Style on Sunday the 28th. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 779 Center Blvd. in Fairfax, CA.

Mark your calendars :)

Greeting cards. Luggage tags. Checkbook covers. Magnets. Business card holders. Collage goodie bags so you can make your own cool things.

And, of course . . . . free chocolate :)

Looking forward to seeing you then!!!!!

An Amazing Weekend

The weekend was, indeed, amazing!  Two big, back-to-back events involving art, love, and support.  So grateful!  Let's see!  

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On Friday night, the Marin Arts Council hosted its Artists' Reception for the Photography Contest and Show that runs through September 9.  In which we have entries, of which we've already posted about here.

So we turn now to some of the other -- and truly awesome photographers -- who are showing their stuff.  For instance, this painterly photo "Hailstorm, Bon Tempe, Mt. Tamalpais" by Brad Rippe.  One of my favorite places on earth, made even more beautiful.

Also loved this black and white (please excuse the reflection) "Yosemite," by Jake Pollock.

And this triptych from Leela Pratt.  Especially loved the amazing "White Rose at Dawn," in the lowest position.

Another painterly rendering blew me away:  "Ft. Point" by Kirk Lindgren.

And these twin visions of the Golden Gate were awesome.  Nice work, Susan Homes Schwartzbach!!

Guests were also treated to this fellow, who brought in a messenger-bag-full of snakes.

And I was treated to visits by good friends!  Thank you so much to Diane and Ken, and Maria, and Lisa Sonora Beam and Gwenda, and to Heather.   I so appreciated your kindness, love and support, picture-taking, sharing, and tweeting :).  How lucky can a girl get?

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Well.  Pretty darned lucky.

Because the very next day, I got to have 20 fabulous women over to help celebrate my 50th birthday.  Here are some of them . . . .

Here are some more . . . .

They gifted me with the most amazing items.  Including an impromptu kindness roast during lunch . . . in which every single one of them told the group how we met, and WHAT THEY LOVED ABOUT ME.  

Holy cow.  

Folks, this is a tradition we need to start RIGHT NOW.  Every year, you should get to have twenty people tell a whole group of folks right in front of you what is good about you.  It's now been 48 hours since this occurred, and I do not think my nervous system has incorporated all of it yet.

Do you know what it's like to hear that?  To hear people say lovely things about you that you had no idea anyone thought about you?  Because let's get real:  don't we go through most days thinking lots of things just aren't working, and people aren't paying attention, and there is not ever enough time or energy to make connections or have positive effects on things and each other?  And if you're like me, you're also cranky a fair amount of the time.

So, to experience such a love fest?  INCREDIBLE.  Truly, this was a life-changer.  And I sincerely hope that everyone will get to have such an experience AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

Then, I got other presents!!!! So many of them!!!! Unbelievable.  For instance, this bouquet of paper, made by wonderful Lisa Sonora Beam (who, after lunch, led us in art play . . . .)

Want to know what else I got?!?!?!  Flowers delivered.  And spa gift certificates, handpainted clothes pins and drawer pulls, champagne, wine, rubber stamps, greeting cards made by my friends themselves, coloring books, spa goodies, coffee gift certificates, a t-shirt with the Foursquare mayorship logo on it (quite a hit -- wonderful!!!!), pilates class gift certificates, handmade jewelry, pens and binders . . . . SO MUCH FUN!!  SO MUCH GENEROSITY!! THANK YOU!!!

And we ate this delicious food, catered by Laurel's Catering.

And munched down chocolate truffles.

And played with art supplies and made journals in the backyard.  And hugged each other a lot :)

Thank you to everyone who came.  From my friends since fifth grade, to my daughter and her step-mom, to my newest friends from Twitter . . . YOU ALL ROCK.  And to everyone who I could not invite because space was limited . . . here's to unlimited space and unlimited fun when I turn 60 :)  Because that's the goal . . . .

Love Letter to Whidbey Island

Dear Whidbey Island, Washington.

Even though I do have you tattoo-ed upon my leg, IT'S NOT ENOUGH!!!.  Oh, how I miss you, Whidbey Island.

Since I met you in 2005, I have had the great good fortune of taking the ferry from Mukilteo to Clinton many times a year.  

In 2009 and 2010, I spent huge, long, wonderful amounts of time upon your shores.  I even rented a house there.  Right across the street from one of the loveliest libraries in which I've ever spent time.

That even has A FIREPLACE IN IT.

Which comes in handy.  Because when I visit you from late September through April, dear Whidbey, you are often cold and rainy.  And even snowy.  But always, with some of the best sunsets around.

Oh, how I miss you, Whidbey Island!  Because even though I really wanted the card business to do well -- and it's indeed chugging right along, and I'm grateful for that -- what that means is that I can't pack my stuff and the dog up into the car and drive on up to see you as often as I used to.  Or as I'd like.  

Which means that I don't get to eat pie at the Whidbey Cafe in Greenbank, and see my friends Steph & Ruth.  Deb.  Tracy.  Tina & Susan.  All my peeps down on the South End.  Or eat at any of the great restaurants down there, like Prima Bistro.  Or see the Django Fest in September. 

Which means that Gracie the dog doesn't get to run wild up on the trails at Greenbank Farm.
Which means I don't get to catch flicks at the fabulous Blue Fox Drive-In, with its kick-ass snack bar. 

Which means - damn it! - that I don't get to eat dinner at the wonderful Oystercatcher, run by fabulous Joe and Jamie and wait-staffed by Dea and Jeannie.  Or stay at the LoveJoy Inn and The House Next Door, run by terrific Mitch and Lynda and all their daughters.  Or see anyone else in Coupeville . . . like all the folks at the Front Street Grill.  Rita and Chris and their kids at delicious Mosquito Fleet.  Virginia at the post office, who is always so kind and helpful.  Cindy at Aqua Gifts, who has supported Bean Up The Nose Art from the beginning.   Dianna who teaches yoga.

Missing walks at Ebey's Landing.

And driving through Prairie Perks (of which I was Foursquare Mayor) for a latte on the way 'cross island.

Back to "downtown" Coupeville, where sea stars live under the wharf.

Where you can buy more great coffee at Local Grown, sold by William .

And I am missing MJC Copy and Stationery, the first place that reprinted Bean Up The Nose Art's goodies en masse.  Where Katrina does a wonderful job, and is always kind and fast.

I miss other kind vendors, like all the gals at Collage/The Rusty Chandelier in Oak Harbor . . . who hosted my very first Meet The Artist Night.  And luggage-tag making parties.  So, so, so kind :) 
And up in Oak Harbor, too, boy oh boy do I miss Skip and all the folks at Mount Baker CrossFit/Whidbey Island.

And how could I not miss amazing The Star Store in Langley . . . one of Bean Up The Nose Art's first and classiest of vendors?!?!?!

And while we're in Langley . . . . I miss seeing movies at the Clyde Theatre, and treating myself to its $1 popcorn.

Any theatre that has stars in its sidewalk is a true gem.

I miss you, Whidbey Island.  From bottom to top, and every place in between.  I don't get as much done when I'm other places.  And I miss my crafty, silly, kind, hardworking friends who these days I don't get to see as often as I used to.  Having some California people over this weekend to celebrate my 50th birthday . . . and they are wonderful, too . . . but I wish you all -- even the rocks on the beach -- were here, as well.

Hoping to see you soon.

Much love and peace,

Tamara