resplendent chaos

Will Be Back Soon, Meanwhile...

Enjoy the phantoms in the rainy sidewalk.  

I'm still preparing for my upcoming art show opening June 5 (gulp) and am unable to update my blog until I get every last bit of work shipped off.  When the final box is dropped at the post office and I've consumed a sufficient amount of champagne to celebrate, I'll be back to regular postings. 

Social Networking Way Back Before Facebook

Way back before the era of Facebook people used to gather in parlors, saloons and hotel lobbies for afternoon socializing and networking. Instead of "writing on each other's walls" they'd bring leather bound memory albums with them and their pals would compose poetic verses written in impeccable penmanship.  I was lucky enough to acquire my great great great great (and maybe another great?) grandmother's Album of Memory from 1859.  It's a 150 year old version of Facebook except with better grammar and none of those annoying 25 Things About Me surveys.

This is my favorite page.  In 1863, Captain John Willen, Band Master of Lee's Rangers went to great pains inking an original song and music for my ggggg grandmother.  He obviously had the hots for her.

There's always a wise guy in the bunch.  Here we have a young suitor trying to impress with his wit and unusual handwriting.  Either that or he had a few too many whiskeys. "Woman O woman how divine. I wish I had one I could call mine. She'd soothe my sorrows, heal my woes. Pull my hair and wash my nose." 

   

Here's some good advice if you're seeking to unlock the secret to the holy springs of true womanhood. 

Take a Walk With Me - Pacific Heights to the Nude Beach

Cherry blossoms explode in pink softness outside one of the many Victorians lining the street.

 

Flowers of the Strawberry Tree appear as Chinese lanterns.

A highly scented eucalyptus grove in Presidio Park. 

Fibonacci fueled chlorophyl.  A tender, yet aggressive vine competes with a budding calla lily as a spotlight of sun illuminates the shade darkened forest.

A Wooly Pollen Otter nestles against a cluster of Chattering Thistle Gourds. 

We finally make it to the coastal cliffs.  As I was snapping the tanker bringing yet another load of crap into the country and trying to will it to turn around and go back to China, I noticed a floppy pinkish figure moving along the sand far below.  Digital zoom confirmed it was a nude guy. Where's Willy?  See if you can spot him.

The Happy Swinging Girl

I'm late, I'm late...so very late in posting the remainder of my LD Fashions collection. This is Giggling Gertrude swinging happily in the enchanted forest as his doppleganger squirrel pals look on with glee. I won't be able to get to the fifth LD Fashions model for a few weeks due to a last minute solo art show I'm scrambling (and stressing) to get prepared for, but he'll be posted here in all his frothy frou frou soon. Medium: ball point pen on hotel stationary, digital color.

A Fantasy in Polka Dots

My favorite part of this outfit is the white stickers cleverly affixed to his shoes so they'd match the polka dots in his dress. Medium: watercolor in sketchbook.

Industrial Strength French Maid

 

Do you live in a large home and find that most French maids aren't enthusiastic enough to get the job done?  Do they show up in their skimpy outfits and spend more time posing seductively than actually working? Are you fed up? If you want the job done right, then this is the guy to call.  When your doorbell rings, you'll open your door and French Maid Frank will practically knock over you in fevered anticipation of cleaning your home. Don't be alarmed when you notice your walls and windows rattling, that's just French Maid Frank gleefully dusting your furniture as he skips and pirouettes from room to room while pretending his duster is a magic fairy wand. Frank's speciality is cleaning wood paneled walls and calico shag carpets from the 70's.  Medium: Ink and marker in moleskine sketchbook.

Morose Priscilla and The Dirty Laundry Basket

Meet one of the models from the captivating Sissy Fashions website. They specialize in creating over the top petticoats, little girl party dresses, french maid outfits and formal gowns for adult men. The clothes are amazing (and I plan on ordering this dress to add to my own wardrobe), but the site's real gem is the gallery showcasing the happy (and at times, not so happy) customers pictured in their frilly new outfits.  I chose 5 models to paint for various reasons and will post one each day this week.

Above:  "Morose Priscilla and the Dirty Laundry Basket". This one caught my eye because despite the fact he's gone to all that trouble to acquire a custom-made frilly wedding cake of a dress and then present it with a curtsy, he still can't muster a smile.  If I were him, I'd be skipping through the daisies in joy.  Medium: gouache  and charcol over torn pages from old copies of Weekly World News and board.

A Page Torn From My Upcoming Book

After taking the walk mentioned below, I became obsessed with creating botanical illustrations of various flora and fauna found living throughout multiple dimensions and decided to chronicle my observations in the form of a book.   More about that later....  Medium: acrylic on paper, digital color.

Take a Walk With Me

Every once in a while I become overwhelmed by the world and must escape outdoors to leave it all behind for a few hours.  Yesterday was one of those days.  I turned off the laptop, the cell phone, grabbed the camera and disappeared into Golden Gate Park. Here are some of the things I saw along the way...

I heard some rustling in the sorrel and suddenly a squirrel popped up out of nowhere.

Nature has no shame - that's one of the things I like about it.

Random colors and textures weave themselves together creating stunning visual tapestry. I was so enthralled that I became lost and had no idea where I was. Then I started laughing because I noticed this fuzzy tree creature staring at me....

with that goofy look on his face.

I later came across a shallow pond  of clear water and enjoyed watching tiny creatures flit about under water while reflections of lush trees danced upon the surface.

Soon after stumbling around lost in the woods, I found the path that led me home.