11.13.2013

New Bloggy Home

 

Hi guys, it's been a while! You'll find me in my new blog home HERE, come say, "Hi!"

4.28.2012

Fairmount Arts Crawl

So many, many things to update about but for now...

TOMORROW afternoon! 4/29 from 2pm-6pm I will be showing/selling at the Fairmount Arts Crawl. I'll be featured at RyBread Cafe, 2319 Fairmount Ave.

The Fairmount Arts Crawl is an annual event that attracts over 4,000 residents, visitors, and art lovers alike to the Fairmount neighborhood. Come and stroll down the avenue visiting over 45 different businesses-turned-art-venues housing over 70 installations. Along the way enjoy music, dancing, kids activities, live demonstrations, and so much more! Visit www.fairmountartscrawl.com for more details.

(That's what they told me to write...it's probably true)

I'll be selling stuff featured on my Etsy but also some prints, hanging objects and mostly original designs, I will also be taking commissions and generally be around to just hang out with!

Illuminated

The Divine Lotus

The Rise and Fall of Illumination

Earth

If you don't give a hoot about art or artists but you love drinking you should probably come hangout afterwards for drinks next door at La Calaca Feliz where the margaritas run instead of water!

2.24.2012

Treasured

I was featured in a treasury on Etsy by the lovely and very supportive Amanda Clark Reed of whitelightproject!


You can view the whole treasury here: First Feature


2.02.2012

Yin & Yang


The Chinese myth of moon & hare, also a wonderful blog by bookbindery mistress and artist Barbara Simler, is one of my favorite myths. Living here in the US we grow up knowing the face of the man in the moon. In Asia it is more common to find the hare in the moon, toiling away, churning the elixir of immortality for the moon goddess Chang'e. I love the idea of the moon having both these sides, one side of the man's face and also the moon rabbit, maybe they're friends and occasionally hang out.

While researching symbols and imagery I came across the counter part to the moon hare which I had never heard of; the three-legged red crow. Together they make the balance of yin yang, commonly represented by the Taijitu symbol which we call the 'yin yang' in the West. The moon hare represents yin or darkness while the three-legged red crow is yang, light. Western culture has assigned 'good' and 'evil' to the black and white of the yin yang but really it represents balance. We can't have light without dark, up without down, hot and cold, etc. opposites that ebb and flow and settle into balance.

The image that I created was a gift for someone dear to me, struggling through a challenging time in my life I was trying to express the idea that opposites attract and can live in harmony though there is a constant give and take.

The folklore isn't accurately represented visually because really the hare is darkness and crow should be red and representing light. For aesthetic purposes and clarity I went with the classic white rabbit in the light and a black crow. In future I think I might try and stay more true to the folklore because presenting an accurate depiction is very important to me.

Hare & Crow (detail)

Hare & Crow

1.19.2012

SOPA & PIPA

The internet is all abuzz with the debate and protesting of SOPA and PIPA bills that the Senate will be voting on this coming Monday. Please watch this video and write and call your Congress, representatives and Senators urging them to vote 'no' on these two harmful pieces of legislation that will ultimately limit our experience of the internet.



Do you really want judges to have the power to determine whether or not your website, social networking or media sharing site is infringing on the entertainment industry? These people should NOT be in charge of policing the internet when they aren't experts. The internet is the only place where we can globally share ideas freely and instantly, let's keep it free.

You can also read a very comprehensive article on both bills at Techdirt here.

*sorry for the video overlap with the side bar, I am not tech-savvy enough to fix the ratio! 





1.03.2012

Photos & Figuring It Out

Spent today re-shooting my works and trying to get the best images to show size and texture. I'm enjoying the multi-faceted process and slowing down to do things right. Photography is something I struggle with and I really admire people who express themselves in that media, it doesn't end when the shutter clicks. Selling things online you have to have the best representation of your wares and the only way to do that is with really great, interesting and accurate photos. I'm learning...slowly...baby steps.

Here are a few of my redesigned altarpieces and I think they look pretty rad. The newly added patterns are reflecting the shapes, forms and motions of the images graphically. I really love very simple color schemes there's something to be said for things that are visually quiet.


Tarjani $40
Generosity $40

Varada Mudra $40



After these facelifted pieces are up on the old Etsy I will be turning my attention to a hanging mandala series.

I still really want to do a lovers series too and I got so many responses for suggestions I think I at least need to do one or two couples, there are just so many great stories! I think it would be hilarious to play with the idea of good vs evil too, opposites attract! If you can think of any lovers (or haters) leave suggestions in the comments.

1.01.2012

2012 Divine Inspiration

The past few days have been a creative blur (see previous blog post ritual & sacrifice), I've been having a ton of ideas related to the biznaz side of my creating, side projects, fashion and pushing myself to just DO whatever comes to me with no fear or having to explain why (I do what I want!).

WHAM! this morning I wake up and like a possessed robot I pulled out all my inventory for Etsy and said, "NOPE." and proceeded to 2012-ify all of my collection. Whatever genius has decided to reside upon my head, thank you dear friend for this most productive visit, you can stay as long as you like.

My listings via Etsy are in process of being totally kick-ass, knock your shoes, socks AND pants off! I feel like a total madwoman but it's the best feeling to just be inspired and workandworkandwork until you have achieved your vision. As an artist you have to take the risk, your work is NOT precious it can be created again and again better each time.

Here's to 2012, getting weird, letting go and being completely in the nectar that is creation and inspiration. Get into it people, it might be our last one!

Here are some sneaky peeks at the newly designed stuffs, seriously excited to share this divinely inspired work!

the bunch

so fresh

so clean


Are you psyched? I am!

12.31.2011

Ritual & Sacrifice

I am welcoming the New Year and with it so many many exciting possibilities and projects! I had a wonderful few days off with my lovely family.

This holiday I received an unexpected gift from the Universe, a pristine pheasant carcass! This pheasant was killed by an owl in nature, no animals were harmed in the making of this post.

Inspired by a bit of silliness and the urge to dress up in ridiculous garb and make-up I photo-documented the plucking of my beautiful bird as an homage to death metal and satanic sacrifice. So, as a disclaimer: I am NOT a Satanist, nor do I condone ritualistic slaughter of animals unless it is a part of YOUR culture and rituals in which case you probably do not have the Internet.

I listened to Mastodon Blood Mountain while taking these photos, I suggest you do while looking at them. Listen to it on Spotify!

the 'sacrifice'








the get up


 the make-up
the fruits of my labor


12.21.2011

Pets & Portraits

Pet portraiture is one of things that I would really love to do more often. People LOVE their pets, I know because I have two cats and they're way cooler than you (except when they barf on my stuff). 

So, below is my first pet portrait commission: Lulu.

I worked within the same parameters as my other altarpiece book forms. The portrait is an original ink drawing and I hand-patterned the paper with a dog silhouette stencil I made and colored in with Derwent colored pencil in gray-blue.

Want an altarpiece of your pet? Get at me through my Etsy: Samskrits


"Lulu"
image size is 3.5"x5"




original photo

Channukahmas: How We Halvsies Do It Part Deux

So, today is the first day of Hannukah, I think? I could never really figure it out sometimes with the sundown thing. Last night would have been the first night to light the menorah, which I don't own. I generally line up 9 candles and that's my makeshift menorah. As you can tell if you read my previous 'Part 1' of the holidays in my mixed religion household Christmas was the heavy hitter, for one obvious reason...presents.

Most people think that Hannukah is eight crazy nights of presents being showered upon you...erroneous. When Christmas is the big holiday, in my house at least, we only got one present for Hannukah, maaaaybe two. My most remembered Hannukah gift was a set of personalized pencils with 'Sam' on them, like the ones you would find in a card store near the cash register along with personalized key chains. I think my present the following night might have been a notebook so that I could use said pencils. It was a weird Hannukah.

My brother and I would try to play The Dreidel Game but we would get the rules all mixed up and end up trying to see who could just make the dreidel stay up longest, being the younger I mostly lost at this feat. 

So, the first of night Hannukah is the most critical for candle lighting to my Mom. We HAD to do it at least that night. Second and third night usually made it on the list but fourth, fifth and sixth at least one would fall to the wayside and then we tried, sometimes failing, to end strong with seven and eight. I loved lighting the candles. They looked so mysterious being the only light in the kitchen which was always harshly bright white. The soft light would reflect and sparkle off the tin foil underneath the menorah that caught the dripping wax from the drip-less candles. My mom would light the shamash and read the prayer on the back of the Hannukah candle box with one eye as she covered her face. I liked to arrange the colors of the candles so that none repeated. I also liked to pick off the dried wax from the menorah and see how big of a chunk I could get at once, it's the simple things.

We ate Bubbe's latkes and had matzoh ball soup if the whole family got together. I made latkes once with my Bubbe which resulted in a lot of smoke and my mother being upset at the smell and mess being made in her kitchen.  I couldn't handle the smell but my Bubbe was so bent on sharing her tradition with me that when I threw up I couldn't bring myself to tell her how sick it was making me feel...Jewish guilt is killer.

Even though our traditions are kind of half-ass, they are ours and I think that's what it's all about. Hannukah is eight days to really remember the miracles, big and small, that happen in our lives and honor them. Holidays get so trite with presents, money and consuming what we don't need or sometimes even want (looking at you Christmas sweater from Grandma). Why can't we just get together with our loved ones, our families both blood and extended to take time together? Can't we get back to a simpler time when the holiday was meant to celebrate each other?

This year I donated to the Heifer Project in my family's name, you should too, they are an amazing organization that helps families and villages in the world to sustain themselves

Heifer.org











12.17.2011

Chrismakkuh: How We Halvsies Do It Part 1

I grew up in a mixed religion home, my dad was Methodist and my mom is Jewish. It made for some long winded explanations come holiday time of the year. I had to explain that we had a tree AND we lit the menorah, but no, we didn't get presents for 9 days, we did sometimes eat a Christmas ham we also spun the dreidel, ate chocolate in the shape of coins and definitely wrote a Christmas list to Santa.

I always loved picking out the Christmas tree it was my favorite thing about the holidays. The smell of the pine trees as we walked around the lot of Ging's Family Nursery searching for THE TREE. My mom and I always wanted the fat round tree and my Dad and brother wanted the tallest. When we finally settled on our Douglas fir I would be fascinated as the college kid, home on winter break, would casually wrap up our tree and help my Dad strap it to our car.  We would drive our fresh smelling tradition home. One step closer to presents, hot chocolate, egg nog and no homework.

The tree would live in our garage the piney scent replacing the oily smell of baseball mitts and tools until my Dad decided that it was ready to decorate. The decorating of the tree was a HUGE event because it meant crossing the border into the "Dead Room". Most families have a living room in which they, well, Live in. My family has a dead room. The only time we are allowed to occupy the most central room in our home is during a special occasion such as a major holiday. At these times proper behavior must always be observed and if you messed up the vacuum lines in the carpet you should at least try and push them back in place before mom noticed.

The Decorating of the Tree meant that we were allowed passage into the dead room and not only that, we could sit on the couches and even make (somewhat) of a mess. In turn my mom got to assault us with the same Manheim Steamroller and Kenny G Christmas tapes.

It begins with my brother putting the lights IN the tree, not on ON...in. It does look really nice but he is rabid about doing it correctly. It's best to let him do this process alone so as not to get blamed for making the lights blink or go out or being set with the task of finding the one. bad. light. on the whole. effing. strand. Once the tree is properly lit from WITHIN we commence with adding the ornaments. Boxes pulled down from the attic are sifted through and there is much nostalgia shared. My dad would pull out every single ornament and go, "AAaah! I remember this!"

A place for every ornament and every ornament in it's place, the matching reindeer always go on the bottom of the tree, the pink and blue frosted ornaments always at the top but not the tippy-top that is reserved for The (golden) Angel who shares her place with a Star of David my brother made eons ago.

My side of the tree is the left, full of years of angels and ballerinas made at church bazaar craft fairs sent from my grandparents, while my brother has the right side full of bears, Scooby Doo and fishing related ornamentation. Wildcards like shiny glass ball ornaments and things that have been around so long we don't know whose they are can go anywhere, as long as it doesn't drag down the branch and cover up another ornament (especially if it's one of my brother's).

On this night my brother and I would get one more ornament to add to the years of collected memories, one more to place on our stalwart tree's branches and our tree always withstood it all. Finally, the silver garland to wrap it all up in shine. Then we sat on the couch opposite our creation, turned off the lights and turned on our tree. To the collective sounds of 'Oooooh' and 'Aaaah', we basked in the glow of ever growing Christmas cheer.











12.07.2011

Haste Makes Waste

Being an artist it's unavoidable that you will make waste, I have so many little pieces of scrap paper, bits and bobs, odds and ends. I love being able to conserve it all and put them together as little beautiful Frankensteins. Sometimes I think they come out better than my conceived and executed ideas!

Illuminati Enneagram
 The enneagram is a symbol that represents the up and downs of life. Encompassed by the circle, life goes cyclically and in a constant wave of ups and downs, without the down times we wouldn't appreciate the times we are blessed with abundance, security and comfort.

This particular image is quite personal to me. The bleeding all-seeing eye of the Illuminati stares out from within the ups and downs of life, the blood dripping onto a fully blossoming rose. Someone was taken from me just as I was coming into myself as a person and being catapulted into accepting this loss I clearly saw both myself and the natural cycle of life, it's hard, frustrating, trying but we move onward and in its ugly times; there is beauty.


Star of David

From something heavy to something pure pattern and getting lost in the details. I get so caught up in the line work and pattern, it's euphoric and meditative to noodle away at it. I was inspired by the rose windows of Catholic churches, mandalas and the beauty in symmetry.

P.S. made my first Etsy sale and I can't say how elated I am! :0)

12.01.2011

Treasured

I curated my first Etsy Treasury list today!  I really love seeing what people are crafting, finding, re-purposing and sharing within the Etsy community.

I  love the color gray (grey?) and I use it often in my color palettes and especially in my wardrobe which consists mostly of black, gray and brown. I would like to blame this on working in the service industry but I actually just really love neutral tones.

I picked gray as my unifier because it gave me such a broad range of items to look through. It's also the first thing I think of when I want to describe the fast approaching winter. I love the cold colors of the sky, the crispness in the air and the quiet whiteness of the first snow.

Most of the things I picked remind me of winter or they're just really beautiful and I covet them, the holidays approach nearer my friends (hint). My favorite thing I added was 'one gray hair', someone actually is selling this...AMAZING! How could I NOT add this to my list? I beseech you, I had no choice.

Here are a few items and a link to my curated Treasury: Soft Grey Winter

11.29.2011

Hand of Glory & 6

I created 6 more book forms for my Etsy shop. This time I used the paper that I hand patterned from my previous post for my end paper and I think it really is just what this series needed. My favorite piece out of this series is my Harry Potter inspired reliquary!

 image size: 3.5"x 5" total size approx. 7"x 5"

In the Chamber of Secrets Harry follows Draco into Borgin and Burkes and encounters the Hand of Glory, a severed, mummified hand that is said to give light only its beholder. A favorite talisman for thieves and other persons of shady reputation Draco uses it to escape the Room of Requirement after using Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder. (Haven't seen it? What are you waiting for!) So, enamored as I am with the hamsa symbol I merged the two together to create one creepy image.

Hand of Glory
A few more from my new series, see the rest at my Etsy store: Samskrits
 
Jewel  
Meditation

 I've been working with a lot of neutrals, blacks and browns. I did this to keep everything simple at first, not sure where I would want to go after I made the first few book forms. Now that I've made a good amount I think it's time I move forward with some color!

Also, my themes will be expanding, I am (obviously) very interested in the spiritual, symbols, charms and iconography of religions and cultures. I will continue to explore this genre but spiraling out to include more of the occult and mysteries and also some main stream things. I have some really great plans for my next couple of series and I can't wait to share them with everyone!


11.26.2011

Pattern & Paper

For my most recent group of book forms for Etsy I couldn't find the right kind of pattern for my end paper so I patterned and hand painted it myself.  It took for-ev-er but it was worth it! Hopefully, as time progresses and I begin to have some small success with my store I will be able to work more and more independently of store bought products. I aspire to be completely self sufficient as far as making my own papers for decorative and drawing purposes. I have a vision of  studio with pulp and screens, drying racks and presses (my inner artist is drooling).

the beginnings of my pattern, post gridded
all finished, sorry for the halo effect. the pencil guidelines reflected in the light of the flash.
brand new 6
end papers

All the end papers are completely different because they were cut from the larger patterned sheet. It was really awesome pairing them up with their drawing counterparts, almost like a design puzzle.

I'm really looking forward to doing more pattern experimenting for my creations so I don't have to rely on the mass marketed patterns in art stores. I try to stick with handmade papers usually from Tibet which I find have the most subtle and beautiful textures and patterns.

Check my Etsy listings to see these guys all set up. Thanks for looking!





11.23.2011

Turkey Thursday & Black Friday (& Cyber Monday too)


 I posted a little while ago about a gift I made for Mark before he left for FL for the winter&spring I just added it to my Etsy as an example for a custom option! For the holidays I'm also offering free shipping until the New Year, whaaaat, that's crazy! (I know!) OK I kind of feel a little like a car salesman so I'm going to stop.

Here's some newer pictures of my tiny romantic crafted keepsake as well as the photo I used to paint my little portrait.

This photo is more true to the colors taken in the outdoor natural light


hey!

11.19.2011

Wolf & Sheep

It happens less than I'd like to admit but sometimes I get wrapped up into a beautifully creative mood. Where everything I touch comes together just as I had hoped, words, colors, shapes pour from me and it feels like I'm channeling some unknown muse/genius; the vehicle for their expression.

It happened while I was away in Sarasota very, very late at night while I was trying to work out some emotions. This little thing was born:


I haven't written any prose in such a long time and this just flowed from me, it was very satisfying. The more I read it and want to add to it the more I see how it is expressing very deep emotions from within. Here it is typed out to be read more easily:

This sheep in wolf's clothing. 
This skin will protect me.This fur will keep me warm/
These claws will defend me, keep me alive until dawn.
In the forest I will hunt you.
Through the trees I will speed/
Gaining faster ever closer, the space in between.
My desire growing stronger, my manners more weak/
Hunger deepens, but my resolve is meek.

I'm considering adding another stanza but of course the genius has left me so maybe when I am inspired with the Divine Creative presence again I will go back to it.

Watch this fantastic TED talk about genius by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat Pray Love, she is adorably endearing and funny.




11.18.2011

Salty Sea & Fine Flour

Sarasota has been beautiful and warm just like the people I have met here. I've never walked on a beach with sand as fine as flour until now and I don't think I can go back to Long Island's rocky shores ever again. I've been pretty spoiled with food and scenic shoreline vistas. Not to mention the time I got to spend with my favorite, favorite which has been relaxing and perfect. Back to chilly Philly I must go tomorrow morning and back to work!

happyhappy

never nude

hawk brother


I'll be back in February, Sarasota, thanks for having me!

Other than that, I was featured in an Etsy treasury by whitelightproject ! You can view the treasury here. I have a few new prototypes and forms in my mind that will be manifested 3-dimensionally very soon, looking forward to hearing opinions and critiques on them as soon as they are up!








11.13.2011

Trips & Trip-ups

Everything always gets really chaotic all at once! I finally opened the Etsy store only to realize that I have so, so much to learn about making my wares look really appealing. I'm in the process of re-shooting my current works as well as working on some new imagery and prototypes of new forms.

At the same time I thought this would be a great time to try and get my website up and running...I know nothing about websites. BUT my really super awesome friend and photographer Shelby Skumanich does and together we've been trying to install WordPress onto my database with no success. BUT, I know I'll get it soon I think I just have to start all over from scratch. So, samskrits.com will hopefully be live within the next 2 weeks and have something moderately (or fantastically!) interesting on it.

I've been playing with Photoshop to enhance my images and here are some that I treated similarly:






I'm also preparing to leave tomorrow morning for Sarasota, FL to visit my man-love, Mark and try to be productive while being inspired by moderate temperatures and the company of one of my most favorite persons. I will bring you all back a seashell.