Announcing....

My upcoming show at the Basil Hallward Gallery inside Powells City of Books in downtown Portland Oregon!

I have new paintings and drawings and they will be paired with the lovely, mysterious works of the talented artist Hayley Barker.

Oh, I'm so nervous and excited. The paintings aren't like anything else I've done before. Usually I'm so wrapped up in figures and imagery, but in my latest works I really made an effort to delve deeper and abandon all the characters that normally populate my drawings. I'll spare you the drama, but I really wanted to tap into the loss and sadness I've experienced over the past year, and also the wonderful events, and try to make sense of it all. Geez, I know, it sounds so hokey... that's why I'm an artist, not a writer! I guess there's a desire to connect and heal within all of this. I'm sure you know what I mean...

Well, anyways, here's part of an artist statement I've made, but abandoned:

I'm normally a printmaker, so my head is full of multiples.
When unchecked, these multiples float and collect like serendipitous moments amidst doubt and sorrow...

We're Not Used To That and My Upcoming Show

Here in Portland, we're not used to that big bright ball in the sky you might call the sun, and yesterday it was in the 90s. I rode my bike around town and burst into flames. I meet a friend in Southeast and it was the nice folks at Jace Gace who cooled us down with an ice cold glass of mint & fennel iced tea and some scrumptious wonderful waffles. Yes, waffles. We had the curry asparagus savory waffle (the curry was more like gravy) and the tiramisu waffle oozing with mascarpone and espresso syrup... mmmmmmmm! This is my new favorite place to be. And across the street in Colonel Sumner Park we happened upon the Multnomah County Bike Fair where my friend (who was riding sans helmet, and making me really nervous!) bought an awesome new bike helmet for only $10, and they lovingly fit it to her head. Thank goodness!

That said I need to get to the point and write about my upcoming show... well how about just some little teasers, first:

Hello Summer!

I hope everyone is enjoying this wonderful time of year.
I've been a little absent in the blogosphere lately. I've been preparing for my art opening this coming Thursday (more on that later!) and basking in the glow of the sun, and running around in flip flops. Mother Nature is working magical things in our world....

Some Things are Too Special Not to Share....

Our Family, originally uploaded by loaded hips.

This really is my family, and this has to be the best drawing I've seen in awhile. And it was made by someone very special. Sigh.

PS. Testing out the blogging feature on flickr....

Drawing on Post-It Notes

I often find myself drawing at work. On work materials. In a timely manner that does not conflict with my work ethic, nor in a way that expends said work materials in any way (*ahem* Hi Beth and Serra, my supervisors!) Take for example this new series I like to call Hollywood Babylon on Post-Its. Since I often need to write the date on post-it notes, and recently I devoured Hollywood Babylon by Kenneth Anger (the scrumptious tabloid of yesteryear) it was only natural the two would co-exist via the highlighter in my hand (btw it's impossible to properly scan the highlighter colors!) Please enjoy, and do send me your work art, if you have any to share. I would love to see it, and add to the collection.


Blue Dahlia





Heroin Chic






Jean Harlow with Big Teeth




Big Bottle o' Poison

Same random paper ephemera

Things I've been meaning to blog about --

This beautiful library card:



I like that it says "fee will be charged if ... mutilated."

This drawing of Marjane Satrapi, which I made while sitting in the front row of her Portland lecture in April, completely enamored:



Since it's been a couple of months since the lecture, I can only share my chicken-scratch notes, which read:

"Short knit black dress
black tights
button down
collared shirt
movie = passivity
she said "melancholy" funny
leads to exile
solitary
drawing = human being/God in his image
Not Without My Daughter barf
Umberto Eco
culture clash
east vs. west
guns = (?can't read my writing) her country
Flaubert Dostoevsky
Iran/Iraq war 1988 end"

There was so much more to her talk of course but I think I was just giggling too much to write it all down, and pinching myself...for more concise information about her life and work please visit here


My apologies for the random nature of this post. Both items were recently discovered when I cleaned out my bag.

Rosalind Franklin, I'm thinking of you

I'm thinking of you, because James Watson is under fire for his comments about race and genetics (read the interview with Henry Gates Jr and Watson here)

I'm thinking about you, because I want to feel confident that your contributions to the genetics model will yet enter into the debate. But you are no longer here and you're an unwilling/unknowing voice to the Double Helix.

I dedicate this painting to you. Your reading is the 7 of swords.



I'm no chemist and I'm trying to teeter off this soapbox... I'll meet you at the bar stool...