tonette time

the artist is present kicks off the Big Sky Doc Film Fest

2012-02-17T16:27:00.000-07:00

Remember my post, the body as medium, Abramovic with a clip from the documentary about the artist, Marina Abramovic?

It plays for FREE (sponsored by HBO), TONIGHT at 6:30 PM at the Wilma Theater in Missoula, Montana and blazes the trail for a fantastic line-up of films at this year's Big Sky Documentary Film Festival.

I'll be posting a few of my own picks on salty snack studios' Facebook page and on Twitter (@TonetteTime) as the fest progresses.

See the schedule (click here) and GO. You won't regret it.

just ask love's; the movie

2012-02-14T12:56:00.000-07:00

Happy Valentine's from salty snack studios

a short movie by our fabulous intern from the University of Montana,

Cassandra James.

fantastic flying books

2012-02-12T12:41:00.000-07:00

App on Tap:

If you have fears and concerns with digital technology destroying the book, creativity and any art of the hand, you must spend some time with The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore on the iPad. The creators call it an 'interactive storybook,' that also fits into a fast growing trend called enhanced books. This one, though, absolutely leads in raising the bar for interactivity and art direction in apps. It's visually stunning for starters. And it's creatively inspiring.

The app-book evolved in conjunction with a short animated movie by the same creative team, Moonbot Studios. Morris Lessmore is "Inspired in equal measures, by Hurricane Katrina, Buster Keaton, The Wizard of Oz, and a love for books, "Morris Lessmore" is a story of people who devote their lives to books and books who return the favor." Once you have the app, be sure to watch the 'Making Of' video to get a glimpse into some details and concepts of the craftsmen behind the finished work, including the 1/6 and 1/12 scaled sets. Morris Lessmore is the vision of a passionate collaboration of artists, indeed.

And the film? The short animated film is also a warm, elegant tribute to culture and humanity. They'll get my standing ovation when William Joyce and Moonbot Studios takes home an Oscar for outstanding achievements in animated shorts this year! Bravo!

Here's a video clip of the iPad app.

To get the app, it costs US$4.99 (click here).

The HD short movie is currently free through iTunes or Vimeo.

remember your 8 track iPhone case from 1972?

2012-02-08T15:10:00.001-07:00

We remembered ours!

Last weekend we went to the Missoula Art Museum's Annual Benefit Auction. It's MAM's 40th anniversary, so the party was 70s themed.

Here we are decked out in polyester with our friend and Brink gallery owner, Jenn Leutzinger. The 70s Maxi dress fashion is nothing if it isn't comfortable!

We both carried custom 8 Track iPhone Cases, handmade by Bruce.

Here's mine:

The Osmonds Phase III 8 Track iPhone Case by Bruce Tribbensee

He had a different Donny and Marie case. Sing along if you like, "I'm a little bit country. And I'm a little bit ..."

This year's event was a huge success and our props were the best accessories ever! Some fangirls were trying to get Bruce to sell the cases on Etsy but he's way too busy with writing code these days.

Maybe in the Spring!

fluke the whale

2012-02-01T15:15:00.000-07:00

I had a whale of a dream. Literally. I'll spare you any play-by-play recount of the dream (so I'm not one of those people), but I'll have you know that glorious creepy adventure in my sleep made a deep impression on my conscious self. Since I woke up I haven't stopped thinking about it. I've been trying to replicate the main character, a cartoon baby whale, in drawings but I just can't. I can still picture him standing on a dock, but he's un-drawable. What I dreamt and what I draw can never match.

It's just how it is.

Fine, I say. It hasn't stopped me from making my wonderful whale friend more tangible for myself anyway. I've reinvented him, see:

Dream Whale © Toni Matlock 2012

With such a boxy head, apparently he's a Sperm Whale. I can't decide if he should be blue, yellow or green. In the dream, he was a rich glowing polychrome, but I don't feel my cartoon of him needs to be. I'm leaning toward green at the moment. What do you think?

Oh, and in case you are dying with curiosity for some details of the dream, let me just say it ended with a bumpy treacherous drive in the water's edge along a narrow strip of beach with people leaping out of the way (my brakes had gone out) until I hit a rock and came to a stop. When I opened my car door, I felt a huge pang of fear that people were hurt, but everyone was gone. Then a big beach towel unfolded like a magic carpet in the sand in front of me with a spread of all different kinds of chocolate bars. No doubt melted in their wrappers as hot and sunny as it was. A happy ending nonetheless.

I'm not sure where my cartoons of Fluke the Whale (yes, I even named him) will lead, if anywhere, but like my dream, I'll keep watching and see.

not too silly or wild

2012-01-30T06:57:00.007-07:00

Friday Flicks:

This week's Friday Flick is really Flicks plural. I want you to know about Art Babble, a website of short videos designed to educate on specific paintings. Many are specifically arranged for children to tour artworks from collections in different art museums and galleries around the country. The analysis is pretty basic and a great way to encourage and compliment a youngster's interest in art (or yours).

For example, below is a video on on Post Impressionist, Vincent Van Gogh's 1889 self-portrait.

It's not all dead white guys either. They also have some videos on some contemporary art and artists as well.

Here is Polly Apfelbaum installing "Blossom."

Certain works are specifically part of the Children's Video Tour, like this one:

Jan Steen's "The Dancing Couple" from 1663.

The style of the educational videos vary in the editing, the verbal aspect - lecture vs. thought-provoking questions - and music, so if you don't like one, you may still like others. You can select specific channels on Art Babble's website to help guide you in your interests, too.

This Friday Flick is not too silly or wild for turning over a new year, but hey, it could be. Who knows where it could lead?

Check out Art Babble and Play Art Loud (click here)!

double dare

2012-01-27T11:59:00.001-07:00

Friday Flick:

Double Dare stars Jeannie Epper and Zoe Bell. The movie shows the strength, warmth and resilience of the women stunt doubles behind characters like Wonder Woman and Zena. Super heroes of their own kind, watch them totally kick ass and beat new paths in a male dominated industry while smiling and laughing along the way.

The Double Dare website (click this).

Watch Double Dare on Hulu (click here).

p.s. I did my own stunt work for a short movie we made on film. We did several takes that didn't end up in the final bit, of course. It was a total blast but I didn't know what I was doing. I'd like to do more stunts and before I do, I plan to learn about proper stunt work. Ouch!

shoes; a love story from salty snack studios on Vimeo.

snaps in the snow

2012-01-23T13:19:00.000-07:00

We've gotten bundles of snow lately - a foot fell and accumulated over a few days.

Because of it, I've been mostly huddled inside and peeking out the door.

Bruce lures me out for quiet walks in the snow.

The backstreets are still and it's a short serene walk to downtown.

Our house looks smaller and cozier, like it's been carved out from under the snow.

The best walks are at night,

...when the snow glitters under the eerie blend of street and moonlight.

bravo to freakish success and to falling short of it

2012-01-16T07:31:00.001-07:00

Being an artist:

Even though I did not like the book, Eat, Pray, Love, I respect Elizabeth Gilbert's voice, especially when so many women my age connected so deeply with it. In this 2009 TED video, she delivers a wonderful pep talk on nurturing creativity. The TED blurb:

"Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses -- and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person "being" a genius, all of us "have" a genius. It's a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk."

in between all those things

2012-01-09T07:29:00.004-07:00

Being an artist:

Gabriel Orozco speaks on sculpture, photography and "a total vision of something..."

artist Collette calls out Lady Gaga for being a rip off

2012-01-06T09:21:00.004-07:00

In a previous post on the Lady Gaga phenomenon, I claimed "My only complaint about Gaga so far is that she seems to model herself after others so much." I wondered when, or if, Lady Gaga would find her own voice rather than borrow so heavily from other artists - pop and performance. Apparently Gaga's really done it now. Her current window installation at Barney's in New York has insulted multimedia artist, Colette, because Gaga's window heavily replicates one of Colette's installations from the 1970s.

Gaga's recent television bits at the Times Square New Years event reinforced my unease with her lack of authenticity. I recognize that everything she does is a performance. She's playing a persona at all times. Like Bowie, like Marilyn Monroe, like Madonna and so on and so on. I get it. I haven't done a blow by blow analysis of her costumes compared with artists through out art history, but I can discern the notes of Dadaism and camp 'influence'. Of course, a huge red flag shot up over her appropriation of Jana Sterbak's Meat Dress from 1987 for me. Even so, I tried giving her the benefit of the doubt. She's young and will mature, right?

Looking for Lady Gaga by Josh Gilbert.

I've been hoping that Gaga's imitation of avant-garde artists throughout history would eventually shape her into one. It's a standard art student task, like copying Degas paintings until you can paint as well on your own. Artistic influence is one thing, but eventually an artist must stand on their own. I appreciate how Gaga has pushed the ideas of performance art further into the main stream as mostly Pop seems to do in our culture, but it's time Gaga found a clearer way to recognize the artists she borrows from plus do something of her own. In Camille Paglia's critique, "Lady Gaga the Death of Sex," she gives Gaga a righteous spanking that reduces her back to her schoolgirl self, Stefani Germanotta (Gaga's real name).

It's time for Stefani to try something new. Step back from the artificial identity persona far enough to own something of your own. She is overdue.

Watch videos of Colette's early performances on the Colette Maison Lumiere YouTube channel and decide for yourself (click here).

Learn more about Colette:
Colette the artist website
Review by Edward Rubin in Sculpture magazine 2008.

My previous posts on Gaga.
Camille Paglia's, Lady Gaga the Death of Sex, The Sunday Times, 2010.
Lady Gaga, meat Jana Sterbak, Christopher Knight, LA Times, 2010.

the body as medium, Abramovic

2012-01-02T07:19:00.001-07:00

Being an artist:

Marina Abramovic on The Artist is Present and how she came to working with the body in her art. Via MoMA videos.

pocket music

2011-12-31T16:06:00.001-07:00

Technology pushes everyone around it seems, especially artists I often think because there is so much to keep up with, adapt to and compete with and artists are a culture's innovators. However, in the end I feel artists get the last word.

I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not but just as the piano evolved from dulcimers, our idea of what defines an instrument continues to change and include what began simply as a phone. Mobile apps are redefining the idea of a music band and expanding our options to make music. I haven't developed much of an ear for techno synthesized music yet, but I am pleased with the inventiveness of what people are doing to make music with what they are carrying in their pocket. In some ways the technology levels the playing field, helping set a beat and letting someone without musical talent 'play' an instrument. The spread of digital music is an undeniable fact, but for me reveals less about technology and more of the human desire to make art.

Here is a video (2008) of iBand; two iPhones and a Nintendo D combine to play app instruments (apps by MooCowMusic) much like any band formed by using other instruments.

What if you are rocking four iPhones? Then you have the option of a one woman (or man) band like South Korean Kim Yeo Hee (a.k.a. Apple Girl). She can and does play 'real' instruments, too, as she does for "Half" with a full band and backup singers.

Watch below as she covers Lady Gaga's "Pokerface" with only iPhone 'instruments' using T-Pain, Beatmaker and a fourth app that I could understand what she says (please help me translate if you can).

Here's a bit of Michael Jackson's Black or White on an iPhone using the app iShred. (Video by alychg 2011.)

Here is one more song with irony hopefully not lost, "Life Is Greater Than the Internet," also from iBand using two iPhones and an iPod Touch.

If you come across more music produced on the iPhone or the iPad (I didn't even start listing iPad songs but they are out there!), please share ones that you like with me.

It will be interesting to see how the songs evolve with the assistance of mobile devices and how more artists own (or abandon) the medium. Besides, I'm inspired by the ingenuity.

i love ME says Yayoi Kusama

2011-12-26T07:20:00.009-07:00

Being an artist:

Refreshingly secure with herself and with a strong unique vision, it only makes sense that apparently there are two feature documentary films about Yayoi Kusama. "Princess of Dots" by Heather Lenz is slated to finish this year.

!! If you only have time to watch one of these, I recommend the first one for its tone and insight if you are unfamiliar with her work.

This is the trailer for the 2008 Japanese (with English subtitles) movie "I love ME" about Yayoi Kusama by Director Takako Matsumoto. You can rent this film to watch online for 48 hours through New People Artist Series. Or buy it of course. For more information on this film, visit www.NewPeopleArtistSeries.com or www.viz-pictures.com

For another post with my story of seeing a retrospective of Kusama in Paris, see "conquering the Pompidou."

double take

2011-12-24T07:39:00.000-07:00

(belated) Friday Flick:

Double Take
2010, Director Johan Grimonprez, Writers Johan Grimonprez and Tom McCarthy, Hitchcock Double Ron Burrage and Hitchcock Voice Ron Perry.

"If you meet your double, you should kill him."

A crazy smart and unique movie. Watch the trailer:

the interactive periodic table

2011-12-21T07:01:00.003-07:00

App on Tap:

The Elements: A Visual Exploration

The Elements is a beefy educational iPad app with motion and interactive features that make studying the periodic table more interesting and more tangible.

"If you think you've seen the periodic table, think again."

The visual quality is high and appealing, and the technical information is supported by Wolfram Alpha. Spending time with the app feels easy, either as a beautiful reference tool or a more pleasurable alternative to flashcards for rigorous memorization for school. I didn't buy the 3D glasses to see the additional visual feature of the app; I didn't feel I needed it.

The downside: the app is 1.71 GB so it takes a LOOOONG time to download (expect a couple of hours) plus it takes up a lot of memory space, which may very well be all fine if you expect and plan for it.

Here is a video showing how and why the creator (Theodore Gray), who authored the coffee table book and other periodic table related merchandise, decided to make the app.

I learned about The Elements from another artist. I read a review by Tina Hoggett on her blog, big ideas.

Click here to Find the app in the App Store.

from bored and lost to being an artist; Sophie Calle

2011-12-19T07:24:00.001-07:00

Being an artist:

Sophie Calle explains how she started making art in the 70s. (Video from EGS, the European Graduate School.)

the yellow handkerchief

2011-12-16T07:15:00.002-07:00

Friday Flick: The Yellow Handkerchief (2008)

A well put together, understated movie of human connection and healing with an outstanding performance by William Hurt matched by the formidable Maria Bello, plus Kristen Stewart and Eddie Redmayne. This love story flows strong, steady and ominous as the swampy Louisiana current it's set in. The Yellow Handkerchief, symbolic of hope, while dingy and worn is still clearly held by the knot of its fabric.

See the trailer on IMDB (Click here).

conquering the Centre Pompidou in Paris

2011-12-15T07:32:00.002-07:00

Centre Pompidou front entrance

Centre Pompidou logo (the size of my hand) embedded in cobblestones of plaza

We visited the Centre Pompidou several times. With just the right bustling vibe, it feels like the center of town to me even if not geographically the center of Paris. I was really attracted to this neighborhood. I kept wanting to go back to it and wander the streets. And we did.

Riding the escalators up each floor along the exterior frame of the building gives a wonderful peek over the tops of buildings across the city. The motion feels appropriate with the setting.

On one of the balconies of Centre Pompidou

Basilique du Sacre-Coeur at Montmartre in the distance

Jugglers, entertainers and passerbys dashing around the plaza at the entrance.

We spent one visit to the museum in the Edvard Munch exhibit. Munch is most known for painting The Scream (1890s) which is not there, but I don't think the exhibit needed it. This exhibition, called The Modern Eye, runs until the first week of January 2012 and demonstrates the variety in the artist's work including his experimentation with photography in the early 1900s. I was really glad to see his photographs. While not as layered, expressive and well, obviously painterly, as his paintings, and well after his break from the current trend of Impressionism, they show his effort to use photography as another medium for probing the psyche. Self-portrait after self-portrait trying to capture an image of anxiety or an image of the tortured soul. Munch made so many sensitive paintings in his pursuit of making the soul visible. He returned to the same setting to paint and repaint similar scenes. He revisits girls on bridges repeatedly; figures flow like thick water, into ground, into sky. One red-headed figure of a girl felt so present, you could feel her longing; she made me think of my red-headed niece for the rest of the day.

Another day we spent combing the collection. Because it's a European museum, logically there are more samples of European artists in their collection than we see in the U.S. I found this refreshing. The Pompidou's collection has great range, and for me it was such a pleasure to see pieces by so many avant-garde artists, Fluxus artists, and so on. They have Plight, a Joseph Beuys installation of a pair of rooms lined with felt and a grand piano in it, that for all the pictures you ever see, standing in the room and feeling that installation can take your breath away. (They also have Infiltration Homogen for Grand Piano (1966), a piano wrapped in industrial felt, which pairs with the room installation quite well.)

Mmm, and works by Andre Breton and Piero Manzoni.

Piero Manzoni, Achrome, 1959

I discovered a few artists new to me, including this sculptor, Dorothea Tanning.

Dorothea Tanning, de quel amour, 1970

I could go back tomorrow and spend more hours. I could spend days.

The first times we visited the museum, we always went up an escalator on the left side. According to the museum pamphlets it seemed all exhibits were reached by going that direction. One day, we ventured up the right escalator to see the small exhibit by the artist who won this year's Marcel Duchamp award, Cyprien Gaillard. I couldn't clearly tell by the signage that any more exhibitions were up that side of the museum or particularly, how to get to them.

Except, I saw a modest sign on a wall that said Yayoi Kusama. The polka dot artist!

I thought there might be a little room of her paintings or a video behind that wall. When I headed that way with my regular museum pass, I was turned away by the ticket taker. She didn't say much but I couldn't understand her French anyway. (Surprisingly, this didn't happen very often to me, by the way. I usually got the gist of whatever French communications I had.) Anyway, wanting to see what else was up the escalator on the right side, I went to the main counter and bought more special collection tickets, this time asking specifically for Yayoi. It was our last day and I am so glad that I was so determined. More than I even imagined, there was a whole half floor of art hiding over there. It was a Yayoi Kusama retrospective!

No. B. 62, detail, by Yayoi Kusama, from m.ariii's photostream

Many paintings, sculptures and installations were on display spanning her career. I have only seen documentation of Kusama's work - never had I seen it in person. The textures of the various obsessive mark-making and layers of materials are impressive. Even though obsessive, her training comes through in the sense of pattern and strong use of form to command the eye.

When walking through one of her famous polka dot room installations, with mirrored walls and red and white inflated polka dot sculptures, I stood in the far corner to take it all in. A french woman squealed at me in French. I started with my clumsy, "Je ne sais pas..." to explain I don't speak French. She quickly said in English, "You are part of the art! You are an artiste!" I looked down at my red sweater and a long black scarf with white polka dots. We all laughed.

Here is a 2008 video clip of the same installation on display in La Villette, France.

The Yayoi Kusama exhibit is on view until January 9th of 2012. (I didn't see this next piece from Gagosian while in Paris, but it's a good sample of Kusama's inflatable sculptures. They really fill up the room.)

Yayoi Kusama [Installation view], Gagosian Gallery, a photo by 16 Miles of String on Flickr.

We never figured out how to get to a couple of floors of the museum where there is a public reference library (according to the website) and what looked like a vending machine cafe. Plus verandas with sculpture outside that I couldn't get near. As fond as I am of libraries, it seemed fine to miss some things this time. Although, not knowing how to get around to those spaces, but seeing them through glass walls and locked glass doors, bugged the shit out of me. You can imagine my nose pressed to glass!

It's hard to tell by Pompidou's website what exhibits cost what. We bought some three day passes (you can get 2 day, 5 day or whatever you want) good at many museums around Paris at a vending machine in the lobby, but special exhibitions cost extra. That's fine by me, I recognize these exhibits usually cost museums a fortune to rent the work from their home museums, have the art shipped and so on, but next time I plan to ask more questions about special exhibits when I buy tickets so I don't miss anything!

Read an article on Munch by Tobias Grey in the Wall Street Journal.

Pompidou provides quality educational materials on their website.

Sources:

m.ariii's Photostream

Gagosian Gallery
Centre Pompidou

*NOTE: I only have a couple of snaps for my notes because the Pompidou allows visitors to take photos of their collection but not borrowed works, like the Kusama show.

Be sure to watch for Yayoi Kusama and Joseph Beuys features in my coming Being an Artist posts.

Finally, this (akayheartsyou) person's fun little travel video of Paris that I found on YouTube gives a couple of glimpses of clever art installations at the Pompidou.

stacking em up

2011-12-14T07:31:00.000-07:00

Snaps:

A scene from salty snack studios.

Stacking 'em up into our tower of technology gear-head shame. I'm all Apple (including an iPod and an iPad that missed picture day), but Bruce covers the gamut: Three Blackberries, a Droid, and an iPhone. Now he's simultaneously writing code for all three. Fun times, eh?

places to stay in Paris

2011-12-13T19:19:00.002-07:00

Places to Stay: Paris.

Starting now, I'm creating a new category, Places to Stay, for keeping track of hotels, resorts, B&Bs, by-owner-rentals, and all. The category will be more like a list than proper reviews. The goal is simple: track places I have stayed and want to revisit, or places that someone recommended. By posting them publicly I hope to get reports from others on these places, lists of other good places, plus be able to easily share it all with friends.

What better city to begin than Paris?

First off, we booked our trip last minute. And booked our rooms even later last minute. By simply Googling for recommendations, I found reviews of 'budget' hotels that looked perfect for college kids - how about a big dull room with four beds in it and a bathroom down the hall? Or reviews for 'boutique' hotels, which were way out of my price range - 350 clams a night. Or their website was so fancy I was almost too intimidated to even ask the price of a room. My criteria was 1) good location, central for walking the city but a little south of the bulk of the tourist hotels if possible, probably the 5th arrondissment and maybe near Rue Mouffetard, 2) not break the bank, 3) have some charm and hopefully be a little independent place (rather than a big commercial hotel).

stairway at Hotel des Nations Saint Germain

In desperation, I went onto Twitter and did a shout out. @LightbulbDesign from London instantly saved our bacon with a great list of places to try. (She saved our crumpets in the past, too!) To my regret, I have since lost that list and cannot even find the posts on Twitter, so I only have information on one place - the hotel where we stayed. Losing her list is just more reason for me to collect such notes into a blog post!

Because it was so late in the game, we booked a hotel that had availability and would let us book online. A couple of hotels required email exchanges for a reservation and I was too freaked out that we would be sleeping in the train station to wait for replies.

Cute Flower shop across the street from Hotel des Nations Saint Germain

We stayed at Hotel des Nations Saint Germain and liked it, especially the location. Their website described the location well, "located on the left bank of Paris, near the Panthéon, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Luxembourg Garden. The nearest metro station Place Monge (line 7) gives easy reach to the Louvre Museum and the Opera District. Also near the station Cardinal Lemoine (line 10) and several bus lines." The room we stayed in was small and just fine by my standards, but I would warn people to not expect American scaled rooms (but I'd warn the same to people traveling anywhere outside the U.S.) and specifically, it's good to know in advance that the shower is smaller than a phone booth. Personally, I was totally fine with it.

Phone Booth Shower

Our friends stayed at Hotel Saint-Jaques, also in the Latin Quarter. Their location wasn't far from ours and I think they would recommend it. They had a room on an upper floor which sounded worth a little extra for its added romantic feel and of course, a tad bit more sky in their view. They also had a tub with a handheld shower feature rather than a shower, which they sounded fine (and even amused) to use.

Since returning, a friend highly recommended a place that coincidentally I had tried to email for reservations for us, before I panicked and booked the other place. Hotel Grandes Ecoles looks good for its excellent location, also in the Latin Quarter very close to where we stayed, plus a wonderful courtyard to enjoy during warmer seasons. I'd like to try them next I think.

View from our hotel window. I can stare into details of shutters, railings and drainpipes for hours.

I'm not sure who to credit, but I bookmarked websites for Jardin de Villiers, the colorful Le Maison Montparnasse and Port-Royal-Hotel. A friend put a further southeast place on my radar, Cardinal Rive Gauche, which led me to these related hotels that I might try one day, too. When (if) I come into a major windfall, I might try a place that has French designer flare.

Can you tell I'm preparing for a return trip?

I would also consider a flat (or apartment) rental by owner, but I understand there are some laws that restrict those in Paris, so I'll do more research before booking one. A NY Times travel review by Marc Gross mentioned Studios Paris for short-term rentals, so maybe I'll start there. (Studios Paris, 4, rue Androuet, 18th; (33-977) 219-888, paris-apartment-rent.com.)

what makes you free, gaga on abramovic

2011-12-12T08:00:00.002-07:00

Being an artist:

Lady Gaga answers a simple question from Marina Abramovic.

a graphic Che falls flat

2011-12-11T18:11:00.000-07:00

Che: A Graphic Biography by Spain Rodriguez

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Well this turned out to be disappointing. I'll have to disagree with Art Spiegelman's quote on the cover endorsing it as "Spain's take on Che is brilliant and radical." Unless I find why he thinks so, cause I don't see it. I support a graphic biography of Che Guevara, but this book lacked flow.

The cover blurbs boast "this dramatic and extensively researched book breathes new life into his story and struggle." Supposedly due to the powerful artwork, which one image at a time looks fine, but the sequences are abrupt and frequently confusing and the story structure is flat as well. Tacked onto the end of the book is a 4 1/2 page text (with no graphics at all) dissertation on the power of Che as an iconic image and how images of him have been used/exploited, etc., but even that text doesn't illustrate how or what is compelling about Spain's Graphic Biography of Che.

Sorry, I wanted to like it, but it fell flat.

View all my reviews

make your own challenges says Sherman

2011-12-05T07:26:00.000-07:00

Being an artist:

Realizing what you can grow up to do, from Cindy Sherman.

the lady and the duke

2011-12-02T10:31:00.001-07:00

Friday Flick:

I'm not recommending Sony Classics' The Lady and the Duke (released in 2001) for its story or directing (by legendary Eric Rohmer) or cinematography or performances. I couldn't even watch the movie in its entirety. I fast-forwarded. And that is something that I hardly ever ever do. I force myself to sit all the way through even the dullest of movies before I judge it. Sadly, I could not do it with this one. The tales of an Englishwoman's affairs during the French Revolution appeal to me, but this film did not bring that story to life with any strength. I didn't even hang onto the copy of the DVD to revisit the movie at a different time when I might be more in the mood. I popped it right back in the mail to Facets. And I feel vindicated for my disappointment by Stephanie Zacharek's review in Salon among others.

All that said, I was attracted to the idea of using paintings as sets for a movie. The painted backdrops have an impressive affect on time and motion, ripening it for sensuality and nostalgia. In Roger Ebert's review, he describes it as, "a daring visual style in which the actors and foreground action are seen against artificial tableaux of Paris circa 1792. These are not "painted backdrops," but meticulously constructed perspective drawings, which are digitally combined with the action in a way that is both artificial and intriguing." Unfortunately the action and story do not hold up to the set. I don't really see how they could. Wow. That's a hell of a set.

In the end, even though the movie overall fell short for me, I'm grateful the French New Waver, Rohmer, experimented this way, especially so late in his career. Apparently he was in his 80s when making the film. He made something smart, elegant and tempting to the eyes that pushes the way we expect to see a motion picture.

To read more about the artist's thoughts when he, Jean Baptiste Marot, made the paintings for the movie and how they were incorporated technically (for example, note that the actors perform in front of green screens - not the actual paintings), follow this link.

Sources:
SonyClassics.com

Salon.com

RogerEbert.com

Mubi.com
Facets.org
Kamera.co.uk
JeanBaptisteMorot.com

cindy sherman goes digital

2011-11-28T07:24:00.002-07:00

Being an artist:

Cindy Sherman on one way to get yourself working and crossing from film to digital photography.

Clip from PBS' Art:21.

googlie-eye spout

2011-11-27T07:19:00.001-07:00

snaps:

(on foot in Missoula)

I recently stumble across this wide-eyed (and wide-mouthed) bit of guerrilla art downtown Missoula at the new First Interstate Bank building. (corner of Higgins and Front Street)

how I've stopped being a catalog cow

2011-11-26T07:49:00.006-07:00

I really really don't like all of the catalogs delivered to me in my mail. Especially when I start receiving mounds of them for baby clothes and toys when I don't have any children. Or worse, the catalogs geared to the elderly full of muumuu dresses and foot callous scrapers. Great, thanks. I imagine that buying presents for nieces and nephews or friend's kids has put me on the list for children's merch, but what on earth did I ever buy that flagged me for geriatric? Did a catalog fairy see me scuffling around the house in my velour track suit? A giant tent dress does sound comfy.... Stop! Get these marketing mind-reading bastards out of my house.

It doesn't matter, really, how I got on any mailing list. I just want it to stop.

Except for a couple of art museum, gardening or home designer type catalogs, I recycle 99.9% of the catalogs that come to me and find it to be a massive waste of paper, time, and energy - mine, the earth's, the postal service's and so on. Why should I be a cow shuffling catalogs from my post, sorting it to the trash or recycling, then hauling it off? Or am I a dog playing fetch? I don't feel playful about it. Whatever the analogy, I shouldn't have to touch it at all. Maybe I'm just dreaming like a princess, but it's worth putting up at least a little fight. I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir. Almost everyone feels that they get too many catalogs, don't they?

Before I get off my soap box, I feel compelled to report on one thing that I've done that has helped. A non-profit service called Catalog Choice has significantly helped reduce all the unwanted catalogs in my mail. After about a year of new online or offline shopping, my address gets circulated again and I have to add some stop requests to my account or renew old ones, but it has helped. It hasn't completely stopped the catalogs coming, like my inner princess would like, but it's the best I've found so far.

It's free for their main service, though they take donations (tax deductible). You can also find catalogs through them, too if you so desire (which sounds insane to me, but do as one wishes). It could also make a good gift for the elderly or persons less inclined to get online and fight the catalog current for themselves. If you are interested, check them out HERE. If you have any other suggestions, let's hear 'em. This is one problem that I welcome a shotgun of solutions.

the artist

2011-11-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

Friday Flick:

For Friday Flicks, I usually post about older or obscure movies to dust them off and find what's fresh outside of the mainstream, but not this week. This Friday Flick is a black and white silent movie produced in 2011 and very hot at Cannes this year.

Hells yeah! I can't wait to see it.

Watch the trailer:

Starring Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo, the cast also includes John Goodman, James Cromwell, Penelope Ann Miller, and Missi Pyle. Written and Directed by Michel Hazanavicius.

(p.s. Thanks Carol for letting me know about it!)

360 panorama

2011-11-23T07:17:00.002-07:00

App on tap:

Bruce just introduced me to a very cool iPhone app called 360 Panorama. You basically move the camera around while it takes frames of images and they get combined into one shot. Voila! A 360 degree panoramic photo. Tons of potential for creative picture taking with this app.

If you see me around town spinning in circles with my phone in the air, I might be playing with this!

Bruce took this panoramic snap to show me how it works.

Update 29 November 2011:

Okay, Bruce took another photo that is pretty funny so I must add it here.

the making of a fairytale part 1

2011-11-22T10:20:00.001-07:00

At salty snack studios we make movies and iPhone apps. Last spring, Cassi James, a local Media Arts student at the University of Montana, came to us as an intern. It's been outstanding working with her.

Cassi put together a script for a short movie with one of our apps (Love's Book of Answers™) at the center of the story. This summer we helped her make that movie. In an earlier post, I showed some video clips when we were scouting locations.

We had clear sunny days, a Rock Star cast and crew, plus great luck on the timing of trains.

The movie is in the final stages of post-production and will release this winter. Here are some behind-the-scenes photos.

Zach Smith, Bruce, Cassi, Jessica Mostad

The joys of a jib.

I find shooting a video camera can be a very sculptural process, even more so when the camera is moving - not sitting static on a tripod. Bringing together a wide range of possible angles with movement is putting the camera on a jib arm on wheels. Basically, sticking the camera on the end of a long arm, moving levers to tilt the camera, swinging the arm from the tripod support and then rolling the whole bit on a set of wheels collectively, gives a bigger range of motion than on a tripod or handheld. It's elaborate but worth it.

camera at the end of a jib arm

After we release the movie, I'll explain (or you'll see) why for this shot we pulled the tripod and wheels off of the tracks that normally help smooth out a shot. (The nut of it: we needed bumpy instead of smooth when rolling.)

It's a combined effort, like an awkward dance, shooting this way. I love it.

Bruce and I playing back clips in the camera and watching them through the tiny viewfinder.

The same week as the shoot, Clementine came from Jersey to be the first and only member of our unofficial salty snack studios' Boot Camp. Clementine pitched in as a key member of the crew. She's funny, smart and has a keen eye which was a big asset. She also took many of the photos documenting the production.

Clementine tightening bolts on the jib arm

Cassi's script required a few tricky scenes that were fun to problem solve. Like, how do we show the Prince sword-fighting with a Dragon?

Without explaining the shot, since you don't know the script yet and haven't seen the movie yet either, simply observe how odd it can look when you are making a movie. Notice Bruce has the camera on the bottom rung of the ladder. I'm bracing the ladder-to-nowhere and Zach, as the Prince, is about to jump onto it. Cassi is directing the scene.

Ready? Action!

Zach Smith, Bruce, Toni, Cassi James

This was just day one of the shoot. I'll post more photos from other days soon!

Photos © Clementine "Devo" and Toni Matlock

steve albini on artist's mistake

2011-11-21T07:24:00.000-07:00

Being an artist:

Steve Albini in an interview by D.I.Y. or Die.

guerilla art on parisian road signs

2011-11-19T07:18:00.000-07:00

Paris is splattered with Guerilla Art. These altered road signs were my favorites because of their subtlety and subversiveness.

Sauf means 'except' or 'save' in English - but means save as in 'save for that one.' It made sense that I often saw the 'no entry' with 'except for bicyclists' in pedestrian friendly areas and medieval parts of the city.

References:

Driving phrases from Day-tripper.net

French Road signs from AmericansInParis.net
Excerpt from the book The Loire

Babylon translation website

the naked city

2011-11-18T07:27:00.013-07:00

Friday Flick:

For me the first time I watched it earlier this year, The Naked City (Netflix link here) fell short of the critical acclaim it enjoyed in 1949 or since. I was still compelled to watch the Jules Dassin's Noir thriller again.

I've decided that it is Barry Fitzgerald's casually natural performance as a detective that appeals to me. He definitely paved the way for characters like Columbo, just as an Irishman. He was in a lot of movies, so if you've watched a lot of old ones, you'll probably recognize him. He's easy to like is all. The cinematography is solid, too. I appreciated watching the black and white murder mystery plot unfold in 1948 New York City (shot entirely on location rather than in studios). Even the litter blowing in the streets held my interest. The documentary style compliments the story, too.

Oddly, and I guess happily, there are a few zinger moments that stood out enough to make me wonder how to develop a drinking game for the movie. I couldn't think of a game, but I recommend watching the movie with someone else so you can share these zingers. Maybe it just makes a good social movie.

Watch for

1) a bold outfit of plaid shorts with a matching plaid cropped top worn by a housewife character in a hideously dated scene on parenting
2) an awesome melodramatic face-slapping scene with a woman (Dorothy Hart) yelling at her fiance (Howard Duff), "You're lying!"
3) a super creepy scene with a pair of hairy sweaty wrestlers. The regular glimpses of NYC subways, store fronts and kids skipping rope.

I couldn't find a proper trailer but here's a clip:

P.S. It's also freaky to think that Barry Fitzgerald was born in 1888, too. He died in 1961. It sounds so old.

patti's proud moments

2011-11-14T07:06:00.002-07:00

Being an artist:

A quick interview with Patti Smith on recent honors, what she's listening to and what camera she's shooting these days.

- video from PS Photo Video Channel.

oui, Paris

2011-11-14T06:30:00.000-07:00

arrived, Charles de Gaulle airport, Paris, FR (taken with iPhone)

After the "100-year-old/good bones house remodel project" (even though there's still a bit left to do), my beau swept me off to Paris, France for a week.

It was, how can I say? Tres magnifique!

We returned last Friday. I'm still adjusting to the time (went to sleep before 9 last night and woke at 4am today) and adapting to the snowy weather, but mostly I'm gliding on the memory of the taste of fresh buttery pastries.

Bruce, Rue Monge, Paris (taken with iPhone, adjusted with Tilt Shift Gen App)

I'll post photos and app reviews from the trip soon. Well after I rummage through about 800 photos. Plus I'll post about our previous trips to Boston, MA, Maine and Portland, OR. And of course, more updates on the remodeling project in it's more finished state and the reflections that came with the project.

First evening's walk along the Seine river, Notre Dame across the river on the left

woolgathering

2011-11-13T16:40:00.000-07:00

Goodreads update:

Woolgathering by Patti Smith

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

They just released a fresh printing of this book that I read years ago. Very much worth reading. (Full disclosure: I'm a Patti Smith fan.)

View all my reviews

rauschenberg poetry

2011-11-07T07:17:00.029-07:00

Being an artist:

Rauschenberg erased De Kooning. The artwork became a classic almost instantly.

I've always been struck with the simplicity and elegance of this artwork. Period.

When I listen to Rauschenberg tell how the work came about, I appreciate even more the strange competitive dynamic between many artists, even among the 'Masters'. I love that Rauschenberg talked plainly of it and dealt with it for himself head on.

Hear him tell the story in the video below.

wild target

2011-11-04T07:44:00.001-06:00

Friday Flick:

Another Bill Nighy film for Friday Flicks this week, but this time with Emily Blunt, Rupert Everett and Rupert Grint and in a very different tone. A ridiculous and energetic one. The IMDB one line description: "A hitman tries to retire but a beautiful thief may change his plans." It's lightweight with several interesting and amusing turns.

words with friends free

2011-11-02T08:25:00.000-06:00

One of my twenty-something nephews hooked me on the app, Words With Friends. At first, I made fun of him for the name of the game (not that he named it but how lame!) and he agreed, but regardless of the name, it wouldn't be long before I would be laying in bed playing a few rounds before finally tucking in. Then I roped Bruce into the game and we would be side-by-side, playing the game just before lights out. Eventually another nephew started playing and I would have several games going. One (or sometimes two) with Bruce at my side, another with a nephew in Alaska and yet another with a different nephew in Indiana.

Since we covered three time zones, someone would send a word while I would be in a meeting or having breakfast and I would reply with my word at lunch or after work and so on. It's like getting a little hello with play time attached. You reply by playing your turn when you have a few minutes. It's great when maybe no on has anything big to report but you still interact.

The fanaticism wore off after a few weeks and now Bruce and I are back to British Murder Mysteries just before drifting off to sleep, but I still play a round here and there with one of my nephews. Don't get me wrong, the game isn't replacing talking to my nephews, it's just added long distance contact. There's a chat option in the app that we haven't taken much advantage of. The play is enough good scrabble-like fun, musing over the words each player chooses plus it feels like I'm still encouraging educational games and being a good Auntie.

Words with Friends Free is modeled after the game of Scrabble and like its name says, is free. It's available for Android and iPhone. You can get an upgraded version, also named Words with Friends but without the 'free', for $2.99 which doesn't have an advertisements that pop up after your every move, literally when you finish a word and submit it to play, and is probably worth the few bucks. The free version features the main aspects of the upgraded version.

Features:
• The game plays as you would expect, like the board game of Scrabble
• You can simultaneously play multiple games with different friends who also have the app whether they use an iPad, iPod Touch, iPhone or even if they use a Droid instead of a Mac device. You can play a round by taking turns passing the device back and forth.

• Turn-based design lets you play up to 20 games simultaneously
• Play with your friends or match-make instantly with a random opponent
• It also supports in-game chat messaging if you like to trash talk
• Push notifications tell you when it’s your turn

Electronic Arts made the 'authentic' Scrabble iPhone app for Mattel Inc. which I haven't tried yet, and (at the time of this posting) it also costs $2.99.

So far, I only play with three different people and haven't sought out players through my contacts, Facebook friends and so on. It's been a family game for me. Saccharine as it sounds, I like the virtual check in, especially with those who are far away. Like the closing scene of the Walton's, at night I play a turn or two and they play a turn or so back. "Goodnight John-Boy." "Goodnight Elizabeth."

gerhard richter

2011-10-31T07:31:00.002-06:00

Being an artist:

A video from Nowness on Gerhard Richter:

Gerhard Richter Painting on Nowness.com.

my advice on aluminum storm windows

2011-10-30T19:31:00.000-06:00

don't have them.

take a load off Mac-ee

2011-10-28T10:01:00.000-06:00

Last winter my Mac G5 desktop died. Luckily I didn't need to panic. Months before I had bought a laptop so I could work with more flexibility as we travel more and more, so it wasn't a crisis. But I was left with a big heavy pile of metal.

I researched what to do and found Apple does have a reuse and recycling program. On a web page you enter the type of computer to be recycled into a form which calculates what the machine may be worth for a store credit. Sounded fine by me. Mine was worth nothing. At best it might have brought $50 if it weren't dead. Sheesh. Even worth nothing, the recycling program was willing to take this model and they pay for the shipping as long as I packed it up. I couldn't find the stupid box. Our basement is like a museum of boxes, but apparently I didn't hang on to this one, or even one box big and stable enough for this towering heap.

Determined to get this big ass metal box out of my office right then but not just stick it on the curb for the trash, I called the guys at Recompute Missoula, to beg them to take it. They said, "Yes!"

I bagged the installation discs and the power cord and hauled it out and over there immediately. After leaving their store, I felt so relieved with just the possibility of parts being salvaged and reused.

No shit, while I drove away "Take a Load Off Maggie" was playing on the radio! So, I tried harmonizing with my own variation, "Take a Load Off Mac-ee." Ha!

Yeah, okay, this might by my dorkiest confession on this blog yet.

glorious 39

2011-10-28T09:56:00.000-06:00

Friday Flick:

First of all, the film has Bill Nighy in it. We are fans in our household, so he's enough for us. The drama has a strong cast overall, led by Romola Garai's passionate performance, but all helping to illustrate the emotionally (and politically) contrasting time for the youthful main characters just before WWII in England. The camera work is lush and gently moves the suspenseful story along through a rich English landscape and into grand vacant interiors. It's been twenty years since I've been in that landscape, and I found myself wanting to strap on some Wellies and walk through the screen right into it. While a nostalgic depiction of the setting, the film treats wartime corruption with scrutiny and critique.

The story surrounds a female lead who's personal discovery takes a dark turn into a conspiracy theory of the English upper class's conspiring efforts with Hitler to buy a version of peace for themselves. Ultimately the film could have been smarter, I imagine with the cast, and faster like modern thrillers as critics have said rather than the slower, naive old-school unfolding that it is. In the end though, I think it is well done and the departure from common patriotic nostalgia into the shushed decomposition of wartime is worth exploring.

jane lynch's happy accidents

2011-10-25T07:24:00.000-06:00

Happy Accidents: My Gleeful Life by Jane Lynch

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

While painting kitchen cabinets, I listened to Happy Accidents read by Jane. Working with Jane in mind was a perfect match. Not big on flash, just good stories. She makes plain, humorous and positive company. Thank you, Jane.

View all my reviews

elizabeth murray

2011-10-24T07:34:00.008-06:00

Being an artist:

Elizabeth Murray spoke at my graduation from the School of Art Institute in Chicago in the early 90s. While I appreciated her work then, I was not particularly a big fan or anything. However, when she spoke at our graduation ceremony, I felt more like I met her personally and found a deeper appreciation for her work. I find this happens a lot in the arts. Meeting the artist can - it doesn't always, but it can - give a new connection to the work. Her positive and grounded attitude stayed with me.

Here is a trailer for the Elizabeth Murray movie by Art:21, a series of movies about artists produced by PBS.

el bulli

2011-10-21T07:30:00.003-06:00

Friday Flick:

If you love to cook, and if you also love art, you must watch this movie documenting the avant-garde cooking at a restaurant in Spain of the same name, El Bulli. It's about the art of experiencing food. I'm still thinking about the water, the ice and the frequent obsessiveness that comes with creativity. And the moments of absurdity and grace found in its pursuit.

As an aside, we saw El Bulli in Portland at the very comfy Living Room Theater. We had just eaten dinner, so I only gobbled down a Lion Bar. Next time I plan to enjoy a taste from their tapas menu and a glass of wine with my movie.

El Bulli is by archaeologist, language teacher, author and filmmaker, Gereon Wetzel.

david lynch on being an artist

2011-10-20T08:40:00.002-06:00

David Lynch, being an artist:

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Video from Álex Hernández-Puertas, dequesi's channel

shellac and helen money

2011-10-18T11:40:00.001-06:00

This past Sunday we shot video of Shellac playing in Missoula for Sustain, the Travis Bean Guitar Doc that we've been making.

I met the guitarist, Steve Albini, when we interviewed him in Chicago but this was my first time seeing the band perform live and these guys know how to put on a show. As ambivalent in attitude as they may seem in some of what I've read about them, their show absolutely pays attention to the audience with banter, momentum and intensity. At one point, Albini gnaws at his guitar strings as if it were a chicken leg. But watching him, and I was directly in front of him zoomed in on the guitar strings at this moment, and hearing the sounds that result, he's almost elegant about it. Considering his straightforward, confidence and enjoyment making well-prepared food for his wife (I follow his cooking blog, 'Mario Batali voice',) his performance with a guitar makes sense. Like he's lapping at a bowl of three-minute gazpacho. He makes and enjoys his soup, and he'll share with you how to make it, too.

Any decent footage that comes out of that dark, low-ceiling den called the Palace will be saved for our movie. For now, here is a still photo of the band setting up. Albini is in front wearing his trademark mechanic's jumper.

The opening act rocked too

Helen Money, a one-woman electrical cello band, opened for Shellac. Her weighty notes were a revelation for me. I bought her latest cd, In Tune, to ruminate over as autumn settles in.

Here is 'Mondo' by Helen Money with animation by Nelson Chan.

To learn more about the movie we are making on Travis Bean Guitars click here.

Both bands will be performing in California, Oregon and Washington in the coming days. Please report back to me if you catch a show.

bleary eyed travelers return home

2011-10-11T11:13:00.000-06:00

from tabling for Submishmash at a lively and friendly Wordstock Fest in lovely (and this past weekend, rainy) Portland, Oregon.

Photo taken and adjusted using Tiltshift Generator App on my iPhone.

the absolutely true diary of a part-time indian

2011-10-03T13:50:00.000-06:00

Goodreads Update:

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I don't usually feel this way about Audio books, but I highly recommend the Audio version of this book. Read by the author, the main character's American Indian voice is beautiful, rich and full to hear and much of the tone would possibly be very different (lost) when simply read in one's own voice/head.

View all my reviews

taking back the yard

2011-08-21T09:54:00.008-06:00

the good bones house remodel update:

Here's the view into the back yard from the second floor back porch. Yep, there's two stories of back porches on each side of the duplex. They are all closed porches with screens, lattice and windows.

There were four large raised beds full of weeds and dead plants.

Finally accepting that the summer was getting away from me, I hired Jen Pledge Master Gardener to clear them out and lay sod.

The best bit of landscaping already here is a white hydrangea that thrives tucked under the dining room window in front of the old coal chute.

For more posts on the good bones house remodel, select the tag below or in the tag cloud.

acres of woodwork

2011-08-20T23:42:00.001-06:00

the good bones house remodel update:

For weeks I've been scraping, patching, plastering, sanding, priming and painting. This is what I look like most of the time. I call it my Rhoda look.

paint-scraping maniac

I lucked out with some great help on this project, too. Even though he's scraping in this picture, I nicknamed this guy Runs With Paint for how well he hustles on the job, especially when rolling paint.

A big priority for this project has been the floors. While solid, they were worn and seriously needed to be refreshed. First on my list, I hired the wood floors to be refinished. Then I dredged up the courage to yank out the linoleum in the kitchen. Happily it was glued to a plywood under-layment and not the sub-floor which I have had happen before and is a hassle.

The wood floor refinishing guys lent me this nifty long-handled pry bar called The Mutt to take up the old cracked linoleum flooring. It made the job so much easier than a regular flat crow bar. I slammed it under the edge, lifted the underlayment a wee bit, then slammed the mutt further in and lifted. After more slamming and lifting, it came up in large sections a few feet wide. The bar does most of the work, as it should be. Almost a cake walk.

Then we used the little cat claw and pliers to yank out the hundreds and hundreds of tacks.

The linoleum in the entry foyer had a great pattern but was too worn and water damaged. It was only tacked down on the edges without any glue at all. I got it all up and out in about twenty minutes. That's like a small miracle right there.

The wood floor refinishing guys turned me onto a smart scraper to add to my artillery for removing loose paint from wood trim. I've always used a chisel edged scraper but they showed me the advantages of this pull-action scraper, especially good for reaching tight spaces and applying steady force. Their own scraper came as a promotional gift from a wood-flooring company and isn't available in stores. Here's a comparison of a pull-scraper type from the hardware store (the bottom one) and theirs (on top). I really liked the long arm and lighter weight of theirs.

Speaking of wood flooring, each unit of the duplex has 1640 square feet between two floors and they are all wood except for about 400 of them. The skinny quarter-sawn oak on the first floor and mixed oak upstairs have all been being refinished by Cross Flooring, including two significant patches they blended splendidly.

Ken and Mike did the first couple of coats. After that dried we put rosin paper down to protect the floors while we continued to work for a couple of weeks.

Today Nate buffed it and gave it a final coat, so we won't walk on it for a few days so it can cure.

Meanwhile I will focus my energy in the kitchen which has had very little attention all these days.

For more posts on this project, select the tag "good bones house remodel."

vroom vroom

2011-08-14T20:52:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago, Studboy rolled through town with his dad and uncle on a bucket list Harley cross-country road trip. I hadn't seen him in about a decade - since Beag's wedding - and we had a great visit. He's exactly the same as ever; and full of great stories. Plus, we swapped wheels for a day!

Much of my time on the back of bikes was before everyone wore helmets. Most of the ride I leaned too close, knocking our helmet heads together.

scouting for Love's commercial

2011-08-09T08:25:00.001-06:00

This week and next we are shooting a commercial for The Love's Book of Answer's iPhone App. The fairytale story is by our wonderful intern, Cassi James. Here's some video clips of when the three of us scouted locations around Missoula. a few weeks ago Yesterday was a successful day of shooting. Even the train did it's job well. Stay tuned for the final short movie!

Location scouting for Love's Commercial from salty snack studios on Vimeo.

places to stay in Missoula

2011-08-07T06:52:00.001-06:00

It is slim pickin's for great hotels in Missoula. Some fancy resorts and lodges nearby, sure, and a few good B&B's probably (my favorite, Foxglove Cottage, closed), but not truly great hotels that I would highly recommend. Personally, Bruce and I love to stay in historic old hotels right downtown in the cities we visit. While rumors persist of someone reviving the hotel aspect of the Florence Building and other buildings here, Missoula doesn't have anything like that, yet. So there is my disclaimer to start off.

The historic Wilma building downtown is right on the river, has an independent theater that hosts films, live concerts and local theatrical events. It's been being restored with fabulous condos and some are available for rent by the night. I've been in them and they are wonderful AND they are on par in cost with the most 'nice' hotels in town. (At the time of posting this, about $125-$150/night) I don't know about the services or other details but for quality of spaces and location, I easily recommend Stay at the Wilma.

A couple of nice hotels - where my folks stay - are right downtown and near the river. The Holiday Inn Parkside (not to be confused with Holiday Inn Express which is also here) is closest to the Farmer's Market and just a block off of Higgins Street for a lot of shopping and dining options. The Doubletree (a Hilton) is a few blocks further, also close to everything, and has the only restaurant and deck right on the river (Finn & Porter) in this town which is nice for breakfast, drinks, etc. Both have easy access to the trails along the river, too.

Less spendy are the motels mostly along Broadway and Brooks Streets. Friends who just came through on a cross-country Harley trip requested affordable and downtown, so I sent them to Mountain Valley Inn. Mostly plain and a little vintage looking, the rooms are well kept. We stayed there once while remodeling a house while living in it and were without a bathroom for a few days. Plus, when I ran the Big Sky Documentary Film Fest a few years back, the manager at Mountain Valley generously sponsored a bunch of rooms to host filmmakers and were super accommodating, so I gladly throw them some biz in return for their support.

That's all I have to offer for first-hand experience on the motel scene. I've stayed in many motels and Thunderbirds across the U.S. and enjoyed them, but not here yet. Based on drive-by appearances alone, I suggest seeing motels in this town before you book your room if you can. Certain motels rent rooms by the month and have a reputation for stumbling drunks and regular 911 calls. And if that's your scene, knock yourself out, man.

Several chain hotels are here near exits, too, if that's what you want. You don't need my help finding those of course. It's a university town, so everything is packed for Griz games, Freshman orientation and so on, so keep that in mind as well.

Finally, more and more people here are renting out little bungalows, apartments over garages and their houses for the summer, a weekend or by the night. Check out sites like VRBO (Vacation Rental By Owner) to find some great places. If you are looking to fish and stay close to Missoula, I suggest looking at listings out Rock Creek. I hope one day to build a guesthouse for friends and family, but I'm a long way from such a decadent arrangement.

This post is just on Missoula but there are many great places near here in other towns. I'll build that list, too, so let me know if you have requests and I'll do them sooner rather than later.

******

I am growing the 'guide to visiting Missoula' section of this blog to help answer more inquiries for visitors. I have lived in Missoula fifteen years now and have gotten many emails or phone calls with simple questions like where to stay. I've concluded that this blog is a good place to make it available to anyone. Point your friends and loved ones here if they are heading to Missoula. I'll do my best to make suggestions on whatever their interests or find someone appropriate who can. And if you have particular topics of interest about visiting Missoula, just let me know.

Links for Places to Stay in Missoula:

Stay at the Wilma Rentals

Mountain Valley Inn

The Doubletree Hilton

my bones need a break

2011-08-06T16:11:00.000-06:00

good bones project update:

I'm typing now from bed. I went to the good bones (remodel) project this morning after running a bunch of errands. I swept and vacuumed up from the electricians, washed drop cloths, made notes of unfinished tasks and bought the weekend painter lunch, then just hit a wall and came home.

I lied down to take a quick nap. Two hours later I woke up. I figure it's a sign that my very long days of working on the good bones has caught up with MY bones and muscles and this afternoon needs to be break time. I'm whipped. With Bruce's help I also discovered we are missing a wedding today. I lost the invitation somewhere in a pile of mail and bills. We still haven't found it. We thought it was at 5PM but called mutual friends and found out it's at 3:30. Rats. And we like them! I hope they'll forgive us.

It's just that kind of summer this year. Cahrazy.

Still in the prone position, I am opening a pile of mail, thumbing through production notes (um, yeah, we shoot a commercial during the next two weeks) and organizing bills and receipts. I can do things as long as I keep my feet up.

Meanwhile, Bruce is having a pre-production meeting with our intern, Cassi, going over the shot list and special effects for the commercial. Cassi is spearheading the commercial and I'll be sure to post updates and photos on it soon. Briefly though, she is outstanding. We lucked out with her.

Tomorrow, we have a new 'summer intern,' a teenager, arriving from New Jersey: Clementine. She'll help with the shoot and hopefully enjoy a taste of Montana summer. We are looking forward to it but also feeling a little nervous. We hope we are entertaining enough and she likes us!

gambling on your good luck

2011-08-06T08:40:00.001-06:00

good bones project update:

Remodeling a house has all the thrills for me that many people get from a trip to Las Vegas.

The first time I walked by this backdoor (before I owned it), I was sure that behind this piece of plywood was a perfectly good door. I can't explain it, I just knew. I could imagine a number of scenarios for why it was there. Dog scratches because some poor pooch had been locked on the back porch and bored out of its mind showed its frustration. A domestic dispute when some meat-head tried kicking down the door and failed. A burglar perhaps. As far as the door is concerned, the worst case scenario would be cracks in the lower panels which looked perfectly fine from the other side.

One day, even though it's the backdoor and low on the priority list while there are a million other things to scrape, patch, and paint, I had a head of demolition steam going and walked by it. In my best Dirty Harry impersonation, I wielded a crow-bar and asked myself if I was feeling lucky.

Well, do ya punk?

Damn straight!

It looks to me like the door had a slender kick guard at one point. There are some shallow grooves along one part of the door under the knob, probably from the adhesive of the kick guard. The panels have splitting paint and lots of dirt, but otherwise look great. Yay!

It's a small thing, but these are exactly the kind of gambles you take when you buy an old house. You look over the surface and guess that whatever is underneath is something you can handle - you can patch, paint over or replace. And whatever it is, hopefully it's something you can afford - physically, mentally and financially. Happily, I cashed out on this one.

To see a clip of the scene from the movie, Dirty Harry, click here.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service

2011-08-05T07:11:00.000-06:00

friday flick:

On Her Majesty's Secret Service, while poorly titled, is possibly the best James Bond film ever. I'm tempted to set out on a 007 marathon to compare them and decide.

Australian actor, George Lazenby, manages the role of 007 very well in what turned out to be a speed bump in Sean Connery's run in the part. Lazenby's Bond is not as intense and warm as Connery's but he's still smooth and compelling enough for the story. Apparently audiences were not won over by Lazenby's 007 in 1969, so it's a good thing for the series that Connery came back or the classic adventure series may have come to an end. What makes this film work isn't its star anyway.

Directed by Peter R. Hunt, On Her Majesty's Secret Service stands alone from the series cinematically. The film is less stylized than most of the Bond series, with fewer spy gadgets, quips and series insider references, though there are enough to keep viewers aware of the trademarks. Bond seems more...real. Possibly because the story itself has more romance and mystery, with Bond showing a bit of vulnerability, particularly with his love interest played by Diana Rigg who gets to work a Bond Girl with more dimension and purpose than we can usually expect. The solid direction moves well from the drama and suspense into the action sequences which feel fresh and thrilling, especially the night-time ski chase in the alps which is obviously a handbook for shooting and editing such sequences in future Bond films. The movie flows as a story and less like a genre formula. Icing on the cake: Telly Savalas plays the villain.

While Hunt went on to direct other films and TV, this appears to have been his last Bond film. What is very interesting is that he had been the editor or supervising editor for five other Bond films (Dr. No, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, You Only Live Twice, Thunderball). His influence on the action series during its most impressive phase is significant.

Writing about it and putting the film and the Bond series in the front of my mind tempts me to do a thorough comparison and organize the series from best to worst. Hmm, we'll see.

Now I'm curious, what's your favorite Bond film? Or least favorite?

the dishes on a tightrope

2011-08-04T22:52:00.000-06:00

Here it is: the good bones project. A 100-year-old duplex, built as a duplex with two almost exactly mirroring two-story apartments.

Notice the satellite dishes? There were five, yes five, on the house when we took the project on last Fall. Even if both apartments sign up for such service, that only means two. Apparently when you order this service they don't bother to reuse their old dishes or take them away when you end service. They don't take them away ever, in fact. I tried calling the companies to have them removed but they are not interested. It was one of the first orders of business to take them all down.

I realized that this is what nephews are for!

Yes, I made him use that ridiculous narrow old ladder we found in the garage. He balked at first, cause he teaches safety at his work, but then he finally did it. At one point I started to follow him up it but changed my mind as I watched it sway with his every step. The rungs are skinny with barely enough room for his boot-size. He went one foot in front of the other tight-roping his way to the top. We went and bought a better beefier ladder after this - his pick.

The dishes are a small thing but annoyed the crap out of me visually. I looked up and my eyes went right to them as they poked out of the house's facade. I cursed every time. Taking them down was a good way to build momentum wrangling the decades worth of miscellaneous cables, wiring and cords embedded into the sides and underbelly of this place.

**I'd like to take this opportunity to thank my sister/s publicly for having such great sons. This one (his nickname is Indi) lives part-time in Montana and part-time in Alaska. When he's in town he sure is handy and he's a really good sport when I'm hell-bent on a project!

Sixty Six

2011-07-29T06:48:00.001-06:00

friday flick:

A British comedy by Paul Weiland based on his own life story, Sixty Six is a solid movie. One of the best I've seen in a while. 12-year-old Bernie struggles with coming of age and feeling forgotten by his family in 1966 U.K. when the big event of his childhood is overshadowed by England's shot at the World Cup. Helena Bonham Carter, and Eddie Marsan play the parents to newcomer Gregg Sulkin. Released in 2006.

the big door sweep drag

2011-07-28T08:08:00.000-06:00

Update from "the good bones project":

First, it's mostly been a demolition phase, going through one side of the duplex and systematically prepping for plaster patching, painting, electrical work and floor refinishing.

an exhaust fan will replace this fixture in the bathroom

All of the doors in the upstairs had weather strip tacked with nails and glue or a silicone caulk. Argh to glue and caulk, especially when I found it in the keyholes. Seriously? Saving how many degrees do you think? Any? I'm not sure how I'll dig that out yet.

Also every bedroom door has door sweeps on each side. I've been sitting on the floor in front of each one, scooting along and removing them all. It's one of the ways of becoming close to a space; getting down close to every surface and seeing it from every angle, including the lowest possible ones. It's a closeness that comes slowly and without overtly trying or making it happen. It just grows as you work, spending time and handling all the pieces.

bathroom

Some good news is that this linoleum in the bathroom is in good shape, even along the edges, and gets to stay.

purple-trimmed bedroom outside of door

purple-trimmed bedroom inside

Too bad about the dog scratches that will need wood filler. Notice the variety of door sweeps, though. Who knew?

west bedroom outside

The drag of the door sweeps dig into the floors.

east bedroom outside

The tools for the job: a screwdriver with interchangeable bits (because every sweep has a different screw size, of course) and a little cat claw for prying and pulling tacks and nails also in the sweeps.

door sweep drag disgust

Having a sweep on each side of the door makes a long tight sandwich to trap dust, lint and hair. And lots of it.

That just ain't right.

Stay tuned for more on "the good bones project" as I remodel a 100-year-old duplex in the University District of Missoula, Montana.

foxy shazam

2011-07-22T07:36:00.002-06:00

My nephew, Nick, turned me onto some new noises. I can't get enough of Foxy Shazam since he did. It's like crossing Freddie Mercury with Jack White or something.

So far I highly recommending listening to "Unstoppable" while scraping paint, sanding trim and patching plaster and occasionally pretend you are encased in white leotards.

good bones

2011-07-21T09:19:00.000-06:00

Last fall I embraced a new project: a 100 year old duplex in the University District.

In the process of buying it, we invited a small parade of building specialists and subcontractors to consult on its soundness and potential for improvements.

Repeatedly, the verdict was that "It has good bones."

I'll be posting more about the joys and perils of remodeling this stack of good bones with the same tag if you want to follow its development.

More on the subject:
Houzz article: 8 Signs Your House Has Good Bones

Kwika article: Look for a Home With Good Bones

The Hot Rock

2011-07-15T07:02:00.002-06:00

Friday Flick:

I'm busy doing some house remodeling so I won't elaborate much on this post.
A few quick reasons to watch The Hot Rock:

First, Robert Redford is in it. If that's not enough for you, the whole comedic cast is in top form including George Segal, Ron Leibman, Paul Sand, Moses Gunn, and Zero Mostel.
Paul Sand perfectly delivers some great lines like "I'll skip over that part if you don't mind," and "I'm gonna tell Mom what you did."
A young Christopher Guests plays a cop. "Sire, bombs! Outside, bombs!"
Quincy Jones did the soundtrack.
It's a light, upbeat 70s heist movie with smarts that made me feel warm and fuzzy inside ... or something nostalgic like that.

Watch the trailer:

lick-lipping paintings in Hamilton

2011-07-14T14:58:00.001-06:00

Paintings by Linda Stoudt are on view in Hamilton, Montana at The Frame Shop and Gallery until August 3rd.

All of her paintings have a bold intimacy to them. Many are deliciously rich with color, too. "Yellow on Parma," especially, makes me lick my lips.

Take the drive down the valley to see them. You won't regret it. We took Dick and Mabel and they enjoyed it very much. The gallery is open from Tuesday through Friday 10 AM to 5 PM and Saturdays 10 AM to 2 PM.

Note: Images used with permission of the artist.

is midnight in paris a stanky perfume?

2011-07-07T19:03:00.001-06:00

One of Tonette Time's friends emailed me about my post on the movie Midnight in Paris then postscripted that she remembered a perfume also called Midnight in Paris. "It REALLY stank."

Amused by her message and since we developed an iPhone and iPad app (Stinky Maps) for posting smells around the world, I went off on some quick research and indeed there are not just one, but TWO Midnight in Paris perfumes. Technically the first is "Evening" not "Midnight" but it's close enough for our amusement, eh?

Soir de Paris (Evening in Paris) Bourjois for women existed between 1928 and 1969 and was common on the shelves of Woolworth's, then in 1992 a variation of it was relaunched by different creators. Apparently the reviewers at Fragrantica think "the top notes are fruity fresh." Many people post on their website with memories of mothers who wore it as well as sweet little 90-somethings who still do. One commenter claimed the scent is available and I found several online sources for it at about 35 dollars, so if you also have nostalgia for it, you can knock yourself out! Hehe!

For the most recent Midnight in Paris by Van Cleef & Arpels released in 2010, you'll need to fork over 75 to 115 dollars. Perfume blog, now smell this, has some amusing things to say about what Paris really smells like at midnight, too.

Watch this video about the more spendy Midnight in Paris perfume by fragrance reviewer Katie Puckrik Smells.

I wonder if Woody Allen also knew about the perfume?

when the folks are in town

2011-07-05T14:07:00.003-06:00

Dick and Mabel love going for a drive. Which might help explain their spontaneous 2,000 mile road trips to visit me.

The Bitterroot valley is a close beautiful drive we make every few years or so with them. This time we stopped for a quick bite and gelato at Cafe Firenze in Stevensville.

They enjoy bird watching so we hoped to take a walk around the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge but the trail was flooded.

Flycatcher

We saw a couple of birds they don't see in the Midwest as we drove by, though.

Osprey

One night we had a fun dinner (and dessert) out at a newer restaurant, Sapore.

Mom ordered the special dessert, a Root Beer Float, then tried pointing the finger at Dad.

She shared a couple of sips with us.

Dad stops at every historical marker if you give him a chance. They were only here a few days, but we squeezed in a trip to Fort Missoula which they usually like, stopping into the Historical Museum just before it closed. And then we wandered around the new Native Plant Garden.

Marilyn Marler

We were greeted by Marilyn Marler, Vice President of the Montana Natural History Center's Board of Directors, who was trimming branches and prepping for upcoming events.

Marilyn identified two shrubs for me that I didn't recognize. The Blue Eldeberry, apparently a volunteer, was tall with fanning white flowers. Dad is big lover of Eldeberries and has picked many in Indiana (Bloomington area) where they used to grow like weeds along fence lines. A native plant to the Rockies, now I want to plant one. The Twinberry had a good upright growth, with yellow trumpet flowers and drippy purple fruit.

Strawberries

Mom saw this hollowed out log and said, "Doesn't that look fun?" So Dad had her sit in it.

And I insisted on pictures of course.

Patience personified.

The center built a simple, stable and handsome arbor. I took photos to remember the design for future reference.

This water tank is a commanding part of the view from the Natural History Center. Dad was admiring its pieced construction and speculating its age with me when Mom asked me what kind of flower is graffiti-painted on it. "Oops, well, I think that would be a marijuana leaf, Mom." Moving on...

For more on the Natural History Center check out their website or their blog.

*****

My parents are in great shape for being in their 80s, but they don't walk like they used to. Still one night after dinner, we took a nice breezy sunset loop along the Clark-Fork River starting at Finn and Porter restaurant at the Hilton Doubletree Hotel.

Heading north to south, we crossed the Madison Street walk/bike bridge first to see how much the river has been rising. (It doesn't translate well in photos but trust me, it's been a lot.)

walked over this red skull-faced Panda on the bridge

reading about the Missoula valley along the river trail

Mom and Adam (nephew) behind Dad

Watching adventurers practicing on boards in Brennan's Wave from the Higgins Street bridge in the middle of downtown completed the sight-seeing.

To finish the loop, we headed back to the hotel along the river trail on the north side of the river. Mom was exhausted but appreciated the walk, especially after having had yet another dessert at dinner again. (As usual when they visit or I visit them, we had dessert every single day and/or night.)

For a low-calorie visual dessert, here's a few inspiring minutes of women free-style kayaking on Brennan's Wave. Video by competitive freestyle kayaker Polly Green at Flair Films.

Midnight in Paris

2011-07-01T15:26:00.006-06:00

Friday Flick:

I wanted to see Midnight in Paris when I read the director's own bit about it in the New York Times (click to read it). Titled, This Germ of an Idea Calls for an Antibiotic, Woody Allen tells a brief behind-the-scenes story about how he came up with the idea for his latest film. And it's a funny story. I avoided previews, so when the movie came to town, I wasn't sure what to expect except Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, and Carla Bruni somehow linked to each other by Woody Allen's pen. Oh, and in Paris. It was enough for me.

The film is like a nostalgia-filled cocktail of Paris with an American kick of the Now. A modest, uncomplicated douse of idealist dreaming served straight up with a chaser of light believability. I preferred the nostalgic parts over the others, but that probably reveals more about me than the film.

Highlights: Kathy Bates as Gertrude Stein, Adrian Brody as Salvador Dali, Alison Pill as Zelda Fitzgerald and Corey Stoll steals scenes as Ernest Hemingway. Listen to an interview with him on NPR's All Things Considered. See it and let me know what you think.

For a compilation of reviews on Midnight in Paris, see David Hudson's post on MUBI.

surprise visitors

2011-06-27T18:14:00.000-06:00

Last Thursday I got a text from someone in my family (who will remain unnamed to protect them) saying that my parents were getting on the road Saturday to drive two thousand miles from Indiana to Montana and 'surprise' me. I waited until Saturday and called Dick and Mabel, "Hey! Sooo, what's up?" They must have left Friday cause they were already on the border of Iowa and Illinois. They giggled calculating their ETA to me.

I had told them earlier in the spring that they shouldn't visit in July because it would conflict with other visitors and work projects. Mom's been sick so they missed June, I thought, and was now looking to August. As soon as Mom was feeling better, they decided to hop in the car and get out to Montana before June ends! In three days. What goofy parents!

I'm not really ready for them. I had intended to shoot another interview with them for the Dick&Mabel project when they visited next, but I haven't prepped enough questions yet. I cleaned up a bit around the house - especially my studio/office - and we'll see if I can scrap together an improvised interview. They should be here tonight. I'm looking forward to it.

"Who've you been talking to today?" Dad dug for information over the phone.

"Forget it, I'm not giving up my blood," I teased back.

Thank you mysterious family member for the warning! What if we left town to hike Glacier or something!?

love songs

2011-06-21T15:26:00.000-06:00

A friend recently told me she didn't have any 'good' love songs in her music collection. Apparently everything she had was depressing and more like a break-up song. How sad is that?

To remedy the crisis, I pulled together a random selection of celebratory love songs from Camille Yarbrough, Cat Power to Cee Lo Green. And other crooners whose names start with letters other than 'C'.

Click to check out my "love songs" playlist on iTunes.

If you face such an emergency, when in doubt turn to Barry White. He's a fast (and obvious but respectable) solution not included in the list.

I want to add more to the list, so please help me out. What are some of your favorite love songs?

springing native plants

2011-06-18T07:10:00.001-06:00

We hiked around Crazy Canyon last weekend and my eyes almost popped out of my head it was such a deliriously packed blooming wild flower party. It's very close to town up Pattee Canyon and close to my old house so when I lived nearer, I hiked it more often. Just crossing town for this hike felt like a greater refreshing retreat and the flowers totally sweetened the deal.

For more information on Montana Native Plants, I seriously recommend the Montana Native Plant Society. It has been years since I made it to a weed pull, but I've been a member for years and no doubt, I will get more involved again. All of the people affiliated with them that I have met are enthusiastic and generous about plants and are a great resource. They have annual garden tours and plant sales at the Farmer's Market. Even if you aren't in Montana, check out their links page for other states and especially the Native Plant Landscaping link for great information.

Montana Native Flowers Snaps:

arrowleaf balsamroot

pussy toes

lupine

watch out for handsome wild animals sneaking up on you

indian paintbrush

beargrass

nodding onions about to bloom, pointing up among the shrubs

We saw a lot more that I didn't get very good photos of too.

all the color demands an even more cheerful, playful hike than usual. I think B was trying to help by dodging the camera here.

And finally......(drum roll, please)

lady slippers are bad-ass

Lady slippers knock me down they are so discreetly bold and elegant.

Native plant related resources:
Blackfoot Native Plants
Native Ideals Seed Company
Great Bear Restoration
Montana Native Plant Society

dancing under umbrellas

2011-06-17T07:28:00.002-06:00

At the end of May we went to Tennessee to attend my long, long-time friend and college roommate, Trena’s, wedding. Trena and I became friends at a key time. That time in life when it feels that the world is pushing you along into whatever you are supposed to do and you fear as deep as your bones that the world can’t really see who you are and what you want. Trena was a scholarly marvel and I was a reckless wannabe artist/actress. We discovered in one another a friend that would help you see the truth when it was hard and ugly, yet a friend that didn’t abuse their insights into you. And so we built a trust. We became friends and remained friends.

part of the set for photo sessions

What kept, and I expect will keep, our friendship together is more than the circumstances of how and when we became friends. It’s that we share an umbrella of irony. It shields us from the rain and breaks the light when it’s too bright. It’s how you view the world and measure your expectations.

bravo!

Under the umbrella, we share our copious notes of research in our lives; we discuss and debate. We do a lot of laughing and crying as one might expect, too. With this kind of friend, you believe the other sees you as you see yourself including your flaws, but really they see you as better, as how you want to see yourself. And they encourage and push you accordingly. Over time, even if you don’t talk for weeks or months, you still count on this person to raise the bar where you want it.

So, fast forward already... While we’ve been busily raising and testing the bar under this umbrella, along came David. David strolls under the umbrella of irony, apparently right at home, and does a graceful, smart, humorous dance that charmed the socks of Trena. I sensed the match before I ever met him in person. Something different was in her voice, her perspective. Woo-hoo! It made me burst into my own jig.

When I gave a toast, I meant to say all of this but I panicked. I blurted out something resembling it, I hope.

Again, raising my glass, here’s to a lifetime of dancing under umbrellas!

quilts and cake

The Three T's

Mic Harrison and the High Score

The band was perfect in the barn and fittingly pretty much everyone kicked up their heels. Click here for an article on the band.

Guests enjoyed sunset by the campfire

The day after the wedding, a group of us went on a lush and gentle hike.

Anyone who has hiked with Trena is familiar with this sight (above).

a lot of laughs

David and Bruce

bruce&toni

Did I mention how lush it was? Compared to where we live in the Rockies, it's overwhelming how much vegetation there is. Everything is dripping in ivy and moss.

b playing in tiny waterfall

a Smoky Mountain getaway

2011-06-16T15:05:00.001-06:00

Gone for only five days, we had a fantastic relaxing break in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. We stayed at the Pioneer Cabins and Guest Farm down Boat Gunnel Road in Townsend. The proprietors, Diane and Roger (pictured above) gave us just the right amount of helpful and leave-you-alone.

chicken coup

Past the owner's main house, there are six cabins tucked into the wooded hillside. We stayed in the Hide Out which was perfect for us.

Especially the swing.

In addition to Green Cleaning, I appreciated Diane's elaborate gardens. She kindly and generously allowed me to clip flowers to arrange a bridal bouquet for my friend's wedding. I used crisp white calla lilies and blue hydrangea as the foundation. (Unfortunately, in my frenzy to prepare the bouquets, I forgot to photograph the flowers or the finished bundles. I think they turned out quite well for a novice flower arranger such as myself, but you'll have to trust me on this.)

The creatures enjoyed it all, too. Flower beds were buzzing with pollinators.

unidentified bird with a good tail- do you know what it is?

And just up the road on the property next to our cabins, we went to one of the best weddings. Ever.

springing along

2011-06-12T19:08:00.004-06:00

Spring Snaps:

A very lush, more lush than we usually get, Spring build-up has been happening here and from the looks of it, isn't going to let up soon.


Cherry blossom

The young cherry trees will hopefully produce a bowlfull of cherries this year. Bruce counts enough for a tart.

Carrot slaw

Carrots in any variation are brightening up our dinner plates.

Chives

Rocketing chive blossoms.

Basil strawberry spritzer

Apple tree about to blossom

I inherited these apple trees at an old house I bought and fixed up. I rent the house out and in the last few years have hired professionals to gradually reshape the tree to better health and to produce more fruit. It's working.

Apple tree exploding with blossoms and its new bird house ready for guests

Next I need to get in the habit of annually protecting the fruit from insects. We are figuring on an insecticidal soap, but I'm open to any non-toxic and creative suggestions if you have them. Also, for suggestions on bird houses, what kind to get and where to place them, I recommend this link to Cornell's lab of Ornithology and also check out a local blogger, Montana Wildlife Gardener, for informative and often amusing writings about gardening applicable wherever you are.

sneakers in a tree

Our evening walks through the neighborhood into town are dotted with youthful amusing expressions like these.

*** Oops, some of my photos didn't make it in the first upload yesterday, so I'm adding them now (on Monday). Here they are!

With so much rain, the lawn and its weedy companions are hard to keep managed. I snapped this just before B mowed it all down.

Chive rockets exploding.

Our thyme patio is thriving.

Remember the grid patio we put in? (If you want to see more on how to create your own patio with thyme, click the tag at the bottom of the blog post titled "living patio.") It's soft, spreading, colorful and amazing. I highly recommend it.

Lilacs from our front porch.

Missoula is dripping with Lilac flowers right now. It's intoxicating.

What Spring happenings are in your backyard?

a letter from Sol redux

2011-05-21T14:05:00.000-06:00

VXSP3PS3YT6H

Remember my post "a letter from Sol"? Well, apparently Sol's letter is trending a bit. That video was made in 2004 (according to its credits) and uploaded in 2007 by Joao Leonardo. Here (below) is another video made by someone else inspired by the famed letter to Eva Hesse. I found it via my friend and photographer, Doug Ness, who posted it on facebook and apparently picked it up from Jane Fulton Alt.

Sheesh, the art world can be so... incestuously small and repetitive sometimes, eh? Even so, I still maintain that every artist could use hearing this advice and repeatedly.

Plus, I appreciate the different tone of this video. Joao's is more minimalist and post-modern, in keeping with Sol Lewitt and Eva Hesse's sensibilities. This newer one (2011) by animator Levni Yilmaz is a refreshing departure; it is arranged differently, less intense in its energy, and incorporates hand-drawn imagery. And the message feels more youthful and human because of it.

To read the letter which begins "Dear Eva, It will be almost a month since you wrote to me and you have possibly forgotten your state of mind (I doubt it though)" in its supposed original content and order, go to this blog.

If you find more interpretations of Sol's letter out there, let me know. Perhaps I'll make my own video version of the letter. Who knows?

penguins on the move

2011-05-19T18:55:00.000-06:00

penguin with bag, artist unknown

I stumbled into these little guys on the pedestrian bridge that crosses the railroad tracks from the Missoula Northside to downtown. The titles are my own and I don't know the artist. Yet. (If you do, send 'em my way, eh?)

The penguins were sweet little discoveries for me on a very cool breezy winter day. I went back to photo them. The one pictured above is on the ramp on the downtown side and the one shown below is in the middle, facing out to the West, looking at the tracks, perhaps longing for the motion of travel. Or maybe I'm projecting?

penguin with words, artist unknown

Location: On the Northside the bridge entrance is at Grand Ave and N 1st St West and on the downtown side the entrance is at Owen Street and Toole Street.

waste land: vic muniz

2011-05-13T16:01:00.000-06:00

Waste Land is simply a wonderful documentary that I think everyone should see. Filmmaker Lucy Walker follows artist Vic Muniz from New York back to his homeland in Brazil to create an art project that incorporates materials picked out of the garbage with the help of workers at a massive dump. The story is about more than art or the process of art or efforts to make change and because Muniz is such a positive character to follow, the sobering topic of poverty is handled with grace and often illustrates levity.

Here is a link to the movie website.

Here is a link to the movie on Netflix.

Watch the movie's trailer here:

man with a tail and a halo

2011-05-05T07:53:00.001-06:00

On E. Placer Ave. off E. Lawrence, Helena, MT, 2011

I found this little guy sneaking around the corner from the Holter Museum of Art.

keep the Princess rolling

2011-05-02T18:31:00.000-06:00

Today I broke out my bike, zipped over to a gas station and pumped my tires full of air, then rode downtown. Within four blocks my front tire was almost flat. Uh-oh. I'm a fair weather bike rider, I'll admit it. And I'm impatient with small hassles that mess with my plan for a day. Oh, and forget about me fixing the tire myself. I'll get my hands dirty with plenty of things, but this really isn't one of them. At least not at this point in my life. I guess it's a Princess point for me.

Anyway, the weather was nice, so I figured I could walk my bike around. I made it to Biga Pizza for my lunch date then went on to finish my errands. I stopped in and saw my pal H-bomb at The Red Rooster, who reminded me that conveniently, Missoula has bike shops all around town and one is literally in the middle of downtown. So, I pushed over to Hellgate Cyclery for a tire repair. They had my bike ready and rolling again in thirty minutes. Zippety-do! Now, that's living like a Princess!

on the beach

2011-04-29T08:59:00.009-06:00

This well-crafted 1959 post-apocalyptic fictional film is set in Australia five years into the future. Posing a 'what if' scenario after a nuclear war, the film's main characters play out varying reactions to the tragic situation. Based on Nevil Shute's novel of the same name, Stanley Kramer thoughtfully directs the story with elegant camera choices and long takes with stars Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire (very different from how you usually see Fred) and Anthony Perkins all performing at their best.

Even though the topic is obviously grim, I appreciate how the film maintains a sense of hope and confidence in humanity. The complex sentiment felt appropriate for marking Earth Week. Kramer, the director, (known for other great films like High Noon - though apparently an uncredited Producer of it) is quoted saying, "I'm always pursuing the next dream, hunting for the next truth." I clearly felt his passionate pursuit in On The Beach. He also directed 14 different actors in Oscar-nominated performances in his career which is no surprise after watching this film.

Here is a scene from the film.

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a letter from Sol

2011-04-21T09:05:00.003-06:00

Every artist should watch this video by João Leonardo.

Based on a letter from Sol Lewitt to Eva Hesse in April, 1965.