the view from here

"Designing Obama" is finally here. And I'm in it!

Over a year ago I was contacted by Scott Thompson who worked on the web/design for the Obama campaign. He had seen my Obama cross-stitch portrait in one of the flickr groups and invited me to send in a hi-res images of my project for a book he was writing on the design and creativity generated by the Obama campaign, as well as the ensuing grassroots movement it inspired. It was to be called "Designing Obama." I promptly obliged and heard nothing for almost a year. 

I had very modest expectations -- I was just hoping to be included in the book; I thought I might have a little corner in this vast compendium of artists -- something like the size of a yearbook picture or maybe a postage stamp. 

I received the book last week and what I got was a double-page spread alongside the likes of David Carson, Ron English, Michael Bierut and Paula Scher. I do not exaggerate when I say that in comparison to these people's careers and accomplishments, I am but a dust mote floating aimlessly on a beam of sunshine. But my little cross-stitch portrait can certainly hold a candle to any of their projects. I am humbled and amazed by it all.  

Spring Fever 2010

Every year I come down with a case of Spring Fever -- it's like the flu, but without the aches, pains, respiratoy distress and malaise. So it's not like the flu. However, when I see these snowdrops making the tentative announcement of spring, I am just beside myself with excitement. 

A walk around the Arnold Arboretum indicates that spring really is on the way. These witch hazel blossoms attest to that. 

Red witch hazel blossoms' scent reminded me of a smell of a newly opened deck of playing cards. 

Winter was long, as it always is. Here in Boston, we seem to have gotten off with a less-than-severe winter. It lingered more than anything. But soon Spring will be here with its boughs bending from the weight of blossoms. I just have to sit tight and enjoy the parade.

Saying Goodbye to the R-word

I'm not sad to see the word "RETARD" go. It's never had acceptance in polite conversation and I'm glad that Down Syndrome advocates are making themselves heard. That being said, I'm not here to discuss political correctness or anything resembling moral rectitude. Others more learned and more accomplished than myself are doing just that.

But what about RETARD's confreres: IDIOT, IMBECILE, and MORON? These words are synonymous to RETARD in that they describe different levels in a defunct classification system of mental retardation. Surely, these words, though not as popular in usage, are just as hurtful in meaning? I suspect IMBECILE, along with CRETIN will be with us for some time -- these words aren't perceived as insulting, they're just French.

With the shelving of RETARD, we as a society will still need words to describe the STUPID among us, even as we refer to ourselves. Fortunately, English has a wealth of words to describe these poor UNWITTING offenders. Look at it this way, we're not losing RETARD. OK, we are. But by abandoning its use, we can embrace the panoply of words that more accurately capture the INANITY of daily life. The clerk who gave you the wrong change at the convenience store is a DOLT. The driver who cut you off in traffic is a KNUCKLEHEAD. The next time you're in line at the DMV you can fume about having to waste your time surrounded by CHURLS and OAFS. When you run out of gas on your way to a job interview, just rest your head on the steering wheel and say, "God, I'm such a BLOCKHEAD." 

Look, any NIMROD can launch the R-word as an insult. You just have to be thoughtless and cruel. And a little immature. It's time to stop using the R-word already. Don't be such a NUMBSKULL.  

Happy Birthday, Mr. President!

Here are my US Presidents in cross-stitch thus far -- all 22 of them. I have about 2 or 3 that need to be photographed, and another 3 that are already drawn, graphed and waiting to be stitched. The portraits are arranged randomly.

Time for a POP QUIZ! See how many presidents you can identify. Don't feel bad if you don't recognize more than a few -- the likenesses are pretty solid but some presidents are pretty obscure -- through no fault of their own. I've included the key below. 

Once all the presidential cross-stitch are completed, I'm hoping to have kits available on my Etsy store. I'll probably start a new Etsy store as the stitchery doesn't really go with the stationery I'm hawking. More on that later.

Such a tool (1)

I scanned this drawing from my sketchbook. I thought it might be fun to do a series on tools. But I got busy and stopped after a pair of scissors and this pair of pliers. Still a good idea though -- it gives me a chance to look at something analytically and it doesn't take that long to do. 30 minutes tops. 

I like drawing with a fine point pen as a matter of convenience -- I have fine point pens laying about everywhere -- in my home, studio and purse. You could say it's my go-to drawing implement. 

Every time I finish one of these quick studies, I wonder why I don't do this more often. 

Did somebody say "funnel"?

As a Graphic Design major, I was required to take Object Drawing as a core course. It was really quite different from the drawing courses I had taken during my freshman year where we drew mostly from nude models. In object drawing, we concentrated on manufactured items -- bottles, blocks, funnels, etc. -- and we all drew from a limited selection of objects. I remember this class had a slow, methodical, analytic pace. I was sometimes impatient to get on to the next more complex object but our teacher did a good job getting us to slow down, focus, and think about what we were drawing.

  

 

Sketching

 I'm trying to get into the habit of sketching. I carry a small sketch book and pen with me so I can get some sketching in while waiting for the bus, standing in line at the Post Office -- sitting in the subway in this instance. I drew these two Red Line passengers during the 15-20 minute ride from Downtown Boston to Harvard Square. These guys were such good sports for letting me draw them. I try to be discreet but after a while, my subjects get the feeling they're being watched. 

I'm noticing a lot of hesitation marks when I sketch. Maybe I'm just building up surfaces or maybe I'm just rusty. It will be interesting to see how my drawings change over time -- if they do change, that is. Only time (and drawing) will tell.

 

Here we are

Well it sure has been a while since the last post.  

I want to try something new. I thought I'd post one of my drawings every week. I've always enjoyed drawing so I thought I'd share some of my work. I've also been going through my files and have unearthed a few old chestnuts -- please don't mind the mixed metaphor.

I did this drawing in my sophomore year at RISD. I think I copied it from a newspaper clipping from the 1930s. It's graphite pencil on paper, measuring about 9 x 12 inches. 

When I went to RISD we used to have a room called the the Clipping File and it was a treasure trove of visual references clipped from newspapers and magazines. I'm trying to remember the organizational system the keepers of the clipping file employed but it's all a mystery now. I do remember the folks who worked there insisting on re-filing everything themselves -- they pretty much didn't trust us students to file our clippings back into the appropriate files. You could check out the clippings, much like a library book. And you returned it when you were done, or when it was due. 

Now we have Google Images. I harvest images from my searches -- I like to keep my own digital clipping file; nothing spectacular -- just a few folders containing images birds, hedgehogs, dogs, hamsters, sailboats and arrows. I do miss the Clipping File. Sometimes I would just walk in, stroll by a stack of hanging folders and start browsing. I never knew what was going to catch my fancy and spark my imagination.

Presidential Cross-Stitch

Remember that Obama portrait I stitched a few months ago? I liked stitching it so much that I decided to stitch portraits of all the US Presidents. It's a good way of combining my love of craft and passion for history.

I had to make some key decisions up front. First, I had to decide what color floss to use -- blue was too partisan, and this exercise is about celebrating the entirety of US presidential history. Black seemed too severe. I hit on dark brown as a good compromise -- it lent each portrait a warm, somewhat nostalgic feel.

Second, I stained the hoops -- they were originally just plain, unfinished wood. I thought the Golden Pecan stain would add a little more gravitas to the enterprise.

Third, I decided to base all my cross-stitch portraits on each president's official portrait -- you know, the one that hangs in federal offices during each president's tenure. Because of this decision, I actually had to re-do the Obama portrait I had stitched in 2008 because it was taken when he was a senator. I'll post that portrait later -- I have some finishing work to do on it.

My mom introduced me to cross-stitch. I don't remember when exactly -- I think she was just waiting for me to get old enough so I wouldn't stab myself with the scissors. She taught me and my sisters how to stitch properly. She didn't teach us out of some notion that this is what girls are supposed to do -- she taught us because it was a fun activity we could do together. During the summer my sisters and I would sit together, quietly working on executing birds or flowers, pixel by pixel, color by color. Once Ellen complained that her bird looked weird; Effie took a look at her work and consulted the chart and figured out that Ellen had skipped two rows of stitches around the bird's neck. "You're bird has no neck -- that's why it looks weird."

Stitching can turn into a pretty haphazard enterprise. My mom taught us how to do it methodically, planning what portion of the image to stitch next, saving thread and time. She always said the back should look as much like the front as possible. It's a good thing to remember in conducting one's daily affairs -- our outer actions should reflect our inner selves. It's called integrity. It's something to aspire to, at any rate.

I'll make these patterns available at my Etsy store where I've been selling Obama patterns. I think it's time to introduce some of the other presidents into the mix.

It's been quite a challenge trying to stitch likenesses of these presidents working with only one color, one x at a time. I have no problem resisting the impulse to make caricatures of any of them. In fact I've gone out of my way to show each man in the best possible light -- as far as reality will allow. If there's one thing I've learned from West Wing, it's to always respect the office even when you don't agree with the occupant. Thanks, President Bartlet.

Steel Ring Cozies

This past weekend I was walking down West Newton Street from the South End to the Prudential Center when these cozies caught me eye.

There were 7 steel rings sticking out of these concrete traffic barriers at the Southwest Corridor. The rings were covered with cozies -- for lack of a better word. It's absurd, impractical, and totally fun. The person who did this had fun going through their stash of yarn and designing each cozy. I like the fact that it is easy to miss if you are not paying attention to your surroundings. I feel like I just got a gold star for for having my wits about me. 

No, this isn't one of my hare-brained schemes. I wish it was, though. 

If you know who did this project -- let them know it brightened my day.