Water and Weed Wednesday - Strawberries & Coop Dreams

Wednesday's fresh strawberries- whipped cream anyone?? My yard and where the chicken coop is going to go! an original sketch of a shape that is as close a proximity to what is in my head for a coop that I want

Chelsea Gallery Tour Part II

Baby Chick Starter kit by My Pet Chicken

Ok so- the performance that I am in is only 48 hours away! I hope I don't get stage-fright! I'm still on antibiotics, I'm lusting to get some new drawings done AND I ordered the baby chick starter kit! WOO HOO!!!

Soon I will show you the locale for the coop that I'm going to design and build so stay tuned. Tomorrow will be a full dress rehearsal and Thursday and Friday we're on. I play Betty Chumley (Doctor Chumley's wife) in Harvey (yes the same 1950 Harvey film with Jimmy Stewart).

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During the Chelsea tour I just so happened to stop in front of the Claire Oliver Gallery in which I had seen Judith Schaechter's work before and to my surprise there was a new, freshly mounted Judith Schaechter exhibit entitled Beauty and the Beef just mounted!! I hope you like my pics!

Using traditional copper foil and soldering techniques, Schaechter balances tradition and medium that harken back to the middle ages with an unmistakably contemporary style, aligned with those of underground comics and political satirists.

-The Claire Oliver Gallery

Judith Schaechter's You Are Here Stained Glass Lightbox Judith Schaechter's The Cold Genius (detail) Judith Schaechter's Widow Graphite on Paper Judith Schaechter's The Minotaur (detail) Judith Schaechter's Lockdown Stained Glass Lightbox

Chelsea Gallery Tour Part I

THANK YOU all for my get well wishes! I'm anxious to de-throne the bronchitis and get back to my art-full life, so lets get started!

We took a group of our seniors on a Chelsea gallery tour as we do every year. However this trip was an exceptional one for me, some of my favorite artists were on exhibit and some new ones (at least for me) that I am so excited to introduce you all to in the next few posts.

One of my all-time favorite painters for the last five years, Mark Ryden is currently having an exhibit in the Paul Kasmin, Chelsea NY gallery, entitled The Gay 90's: Olde Tyme Art Show.

The gallery is on 293 Tenth Avenue and the show is on exhibit from April 29 to June 5, 2010.

The central theme of The Gay 90s: Old Tyme Art Show references the idealism of the 1890s while addressing the role of kitsch and nostalgia in our current culture.

Josephine, 2010, graphite on paper with watercolor washes

This will be Ryden's first significant solo show in New York since 2003, as well as his first with the gallery. In his hauntingly beautiful and masterfully executed oil paintings, Ryden creates his own contemporary mythologies whose archetypes include fairy tale creatures, historical figures, and pop cultural icons. Seamlessly juxtaposing macabre motifs like meat grinders and disembodied presidents with eye-pleasing ingénues and seductive landscapes, the artist produces a vision of society in which menace and comfort are inseparably interwoven. These labor-intensive canvasses deftly rework centuries of art history, combining the grandeur of Spanish and Italian religious painting with the decorative richness of Old Master compositions and the lush textures of French Neo-Classicism.

-Paul Kasmin Gallery

The Grinder (#95) study/drawing, 2010The Grinder (#95), 2010 "Virgin and Child" (#93), 2010 oil on canvas drawing study for the Incarnation (#100), 2009 Incarnation (#100), 2009 Incarnation (#100), 2009

-Ciao Amarettogirl

Recovery

Ahh the cost of meds...and breath.

So I broke down today in a non-breathing fit hacking up my lungs and called the doctor's office barely being able to speak and hoped they'd fit me in.

Alas they did and I forced myself up rinsed myself off and went to the doctor. I had to inhale into one of those steamy medicated respirators for five minutes, get a whole lot of prescriptions tossed at me 'the kitchen sink', as my doctor called it, including a mega-antibiotic and a third inhaler. $130 big bucks later, I should be on the road to recovery.

Simply annoyed because I feel that the paper trail I've left of the countless respiratory infections I get in single year should be a red flag to someone to look into what's going on...but its just a band-aid fix always. Remember folks we have to be our own heroes in this life.

hipstamatic - breathe

So you remember when you were young and had a doctor or dentist appointment that hurt and you got a gift afterwards as a treat?? Well My hub and I do that for each-other and so I got some presents today!

my sorry your sick gifts from my hub!

-Ciao Amarettogirl

Feeling a Little Defeated...Influenza Anyone?

sad sick me

I've gotten terribly sick AGAIN with a wicked cold that is taunting my chronic bronchitis. I haven't been able to check on my blogosphere friends- haven't even been able to turn the computer on.

I don't understand how one single 5ft and 1 and 1/2 inch person can produce so much mucus!!

I have so much on my plate right now it is the worst time to get sick!

Well I've been up to many a senior event and courses at school (like the Focus program) that have me stretched pretty thin. Now I have to do last minute practice for the role in dinner theater that I play (Betty Chumley, hey-thats already next week!) and finish the painting prop! I need to start planning the chicken coop locale & design and the August Woman's Art Retreat that I want to host this summer! and so much school work...

one of my Paris '08 pics- from the D'Orsay - This is how I'm feelin'

Yet, the only thing I seem to want to do the most is SLEEP and maybe illustrate a certain poem and if I could get up the energy, perhaps sew. Where did the hours in the day go?

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Ciao Amarettogirl

Monday Morning & My Fav Mags

The Day after Prom

Morning Fog lifting off of Cozy Lake at the onset of my morning commute My Faves Artful Blogger, Where Women Create & Somerset Studio Prom at Capitale in NYC

-Ciao Amarettogirl

Stained Glass Class

Here are a few visual samples of my sculpture class and their up and coming work! Stained Glass is the simplest process to bring to beginning high school students because its cold connection. The next simplest would be warm glass which is fusing and slumping in a kiln.

I hope to bring warm glass to my school in the next few years. I'm afraid teaching any kind of hot glass is still too far in the future since it requires quite a few costly facilities. But this is a great start! In fact, stained glass is often called the gateway drug into working with glass as an art material.

Beginning star light fixture by Jen Beginning of a glass soccer ball-inspired light fixture by Matt Beginning Rocketship light fixture by Rammy Beginning of a boat by Wally

-Ciao Amarettogirl

New Music Find & A Day in My Life

Water and Weed Wednesday was a washout today because of our cold front, gray clouds and perpetual rain.

I've finally determined the perfect spot to build the coop on and can't wait to show the space, but I'll do that on a clear day.

While over at my friend Sal's blog LOVE QUIRKY I discovered some new music. I have picky music tastes so when I find music I like its always love a good thing, but to top it off, the video that acccompanies the song is visually stunning! It was done in a cool bluish palette with dark somber and simple forms that are just beautiful. There are some art historical references in it too, like a Dutch master-inspired still life.

Though the video is a bit conceptual, I still think it's really sequential and fascinating all the while. My favorite visuals are the german shepherd and the floating house slowly eroding and decomposing. I hope you all enjoy it as much as Sal and I did!

The song is called "What else is there?" by Royksopp featuring Karin Dreijer Andersson of 'The Knife' an electro pop duo from Sweden (thanks Sal!)

Oh BTW, click off that ad on the bottom right as soon as the video starts so that it doesn't distract your experience!

A Day in My Life

On my long, traffic-filled drive home from work today, I realized my days may seem average and 'normal' to me, but really are a bit out of the oridinary to others.

And since I have yet to start tweeting, I thought I might share a 5 point bullet synopsis of my day with you all.

a soldering gun

• met with my personal advisees and discussed their concerns which at this moment are prom and dj related

• downloaded the murder mystery game materials for the senior student workshop/selective I'm teaching/hosting next week- got the sign up sheet and began assigning character roles to each student

• Taught sculpture class and assisted my students to cut glass, wrap copper tape and solder with smokin'hot soldering guns. I did this all while keeping them excited despite the lack-of-instant-gratification they're experiencing (unlike the rest of their lives). They're making three-dimensional cold-connection, Stained glass sculptures.

• have a one hour lunch meeting (not usual) with a prospective new administrative leader asking pertinent and viable questions about arts and, in and with education

• teach a graphic design course in which I introduce the interior design catalog project and motivate students to finish their business card assignment

The Ash Grove Doll House

Thanks to all you supporters of my Chicken venture! This city girl turning country is sure to meet some bumps in the road so stay tuned!

Its been a bizarre week and yesterday was no exception. I received notice from My Pet Chicken that the chicks won't be shipped now until the 14th of June (as opposed to the 7th) so that sets my summer plans back a week (but thats ok). I smacked my ankle into a metal easel that was sitting on the classroom floor and got sea-sick from a particular onion and potato soup. All that said, I've been feeling really fatigued and think I may not have caught up with myself from the frenzy of last week.

Like I've mentioned here before, some of the best medicine is simply having a new creative project to sink my teeth into. And though I have more than my share of those right now, one in particular that I'm anxious to share with you all is a real honor that has just been bestowed upon me.

My mother-in law, Ellen Emery's doll house handmade by her grandfather George H. Clarkson

I've been named the family shepherd/ guardian of a priceless family heirloom, my mother-in-law's childhood dollhouse. My mother-in-law is Ellen Emery, and this dollhouse was hand-made by her grand-father George H. Clarkson. George was a wonderful wood-worker. For most of Ellen's life the dollhouse has been in her parents home, the Ash Grove in Ithaca NY. It arrived to my home this weekend straight from the Ash Grove and it is in need of some serious TLC, which is exactly what I plan to give it.

The house survived the four hour car drive and some years of dust-collecting. It is fully wired for electronic lights. I'm so excited to get in there replace some badly aged carpets, clean up all the furniture, revive, and refresh everything. I'll be sure share my breathing some new life into this beautiful handmade structure with you all - and try to maintain its original integrity and authenticity for its true owner.

untouched dollhouse residents and furniture a stove from the original set of furniture in the houseAn Organ in need of some TLC a ramshackled room a magnetic chessboard set the second floor stairwell

-Ciao Amarettogirl

Getting Ready to Raise Some Chickens!

As soon as my seniors graduate this year I am going to console my achy breaky heart by beginning a new venture - Raising Chickens! I've given this a whole lot of thought for almost a year now and it took about a year and half of convincing my hub!

Keeping Pet Chicken by William Windham & Joe Stahlkuppe

Thanks to an awesome informative site like My Pet Chicken and one spontaneous episode of Martha Stewart on raising chickens when both the hub and I happened to be home and watching...the decision has been finalized.

As of two minutes ago - I just clicked purchase and have placed an order with MyPetChicken for a dozen chicks (knowing I will most likely have only 8-10 to raise since they all don't always make it). They are scheduled for shipping on June 7th and graduation is June 6th.

One of the great aspects of this venture is that I'm a blogger - so if you ever wondered if you could venture into raising chickens you can follow this chicken novice (moi) here on my blog- from delivery, to creating the initial brooder to building a coop - in June its all going to happen right here!

Now check out the new soon to be members of my fam:

4 Easter Eggers - ©2005-2010 MY PET CHICKEN, LLC. 2 SL Wyandottes ©2005-2010 MY PET CHICKEN, LLC. 2 RhodeIlse Reds ©2005-2010 MY PET CHICKEN, LLC. 2 Australorps ©2005-2010 MY PET CHICKEN, LLC. 2 Buff Orpingtons as Chicks ©2005-2010 MY PET CHICKEN, LLC.

All the chickens will arrive as 72 hour old chicks, and I am so excited and nervous (whenever another living creature is involved I think its wise to be a bit of both).

I can't wait to start building the coop. I found another blogger that is a serious inspiration for a beginning chicken caretaker like me- her blog is Vintage Garden Gal and I urge you to check out her stunning coops!

You know with the bee-keeping laws lifted off of NYC and quite a few people finding creative ways to raise chickens in urban dwellings - it seems remiss to not utilize my Jersey yard like this! The hub and I have decided this is the BEST anniversary gift, one that keeps on giving!

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Ciao Amarettogirl