because life is awesome this way... i am doing a show in portland in october... the opening is september 30th at the know... http://www.theknowpdx.com/photos/

a club my cousin joey organizes the artwork for... joe is an amazing artist himself.... you should check out his stuff... http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1067438387#!/joeymaas?ref=ts


i am very excited for this show... for many reasons... i have always needed an excuse to get to portland... and i have friends there... as well as friends of friends... 
i am thinking about doing an entire series of portland themed paintings just for this show... if you know of amazing places or people in the portland area... please send the information my way... 

i have good news! 


my show went up at seoul salon today

Seoul Salonwww.seoulsaloninc.com
Snelling Avenue South
St Paul, MN 55105-2045
(651) 699-6441
and it was the perfect morning for a slow and easy drive down snelling avenue.

first thursday at casket arts is this thursday, july 1st. from 5-9pm. I will be in the 3rd floor lobby again... i heard a rumor there is some live music. i am looking for some people that might be interested in playing for the next first thursday event in the 3rd floor lobby... (by me!)
acoustic music is preferred... let me know if you're interested or if you know someone that would be interested.

i sold my painting in the visual jazz show! and i am excited about the prospect of hanging more pieces at the artists mercantile as well. 
i am also participating in the show presented by urban arts on august 14th!... "strip down your art" a night of art and burlesque at lyric living 765 hampden ave south, st. paul on august 14th. i will send out an event invite for that also. 

i can't believe it's almost july! red hot arts festival is just a few weeks away!

alison tyler- "Erotica's Own Superwoman"

erotica author alison tyler approached me about using one of my paintings for the cover of her new e-book. you can find it here: http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-tightlytucked-439476-144.html
i am very flattered and found it ironic that i own one of her other books :)
she also keeps a colorful blog here:
http://alisontyler.blogspot.com/?zx=4fb6ae5f33824090


check it out!

i have a collected book of poems ~ a fine frenzy ... i bought at a library book sale when i lived in las vegas i believe... i have been trying to remember a poem for about a year now... and finally i found the poem today... i opened the book to the inside cover and found 3 of my previous addresses inside. it seems, based on the timeline... that i take this particular poetry book out every 5 years or so... i've also found, i haven't changed that much, i have bent the pages of all my favorite poems... and reading them again tonight... they still grab me. there's also the lyrics to the song old friend by paul simon on a sheet of paper inside... that my friend andy gave to me when i moved away about 12 years ago now...  here's one i just flipped to:


my own epitaph by john gay
"life is a jest; and all things show it. i thought so once; but now i know it"

tango til their sore... by tom waits... that's my epitaph

oh, and about art... i surveyed the newest location seoul salon in st. paul on snelling. i am hanging everything next week. a bright little salon... 

i have an idea for a new series of drawings... that i am really excited about... i have decided to spend more time playing with line art and watercolors over the summer... i even put my crayons and coloring books on the top (as opposed to the bottom) shelf in prep for extra playtime.... this summer for me, despite my fairly hefty show schedule... is devoted to spending more time playing... i have really been pushing myself to do as many shows as possible... mostly, because i am crazy... but also because i want to see just how far i can push it... and i have realized recently... that it's time to go back to the beginning... pencils, crayons... fingerpaint... fun fun fun... 

see earlier blog about my nightmare... my life is just too ironic sometimes... i saw this while walking this afternoon...

i can only remember my dreams when they are nightmares... sad but true... last night i had a very vivid dream... that i was stuck in a very small hallway... every time i tried to open a door to get out... there was a large hairy spider... on the handle... i tried about 6 doors before i woke up...

now for my usual googled dream interpretation:

Dream spiders are enigmatic, much like their waking life counterparts. On one hand, a spider may be seen as venomous, poisonous and as such may indicate a poisonous aspect of yourself, something causing you to engage in self-sabotage. Or it may indicate a toxic relationship, one that has an insidious hold one you, draining away your life force. It may also indicate that you feel trapped in a situation or relationship. On the other hand, spiders are stealthy creatures who patiently wait for the right moment to take action. In this case a spider may be urging you to follow its example and hold off taking action until you have carefully gathered all the facts 

Look at the action of your dream spider and your own associations with spiders. If you fear them intensely, it is likely that the spider is appearing as a warning or it is appearing in its negative context.

Spiders in dream symbolism - Some believe the spider to be symbolic of an unkind and sneaky individual. Are you the spider building a web? Are you being dragged into the spiders web? A spider web might represent entanglement and the general complexities in life. 

Dream spiders and the spider dreams -  The weaving symbolism of a spider can be extended to the Fates, the demigods in Greek mythology which weave the fate of our lives. This can indicate a connection between the past and the future. It may also be telling you that you are the master of your own destiny, and should take charge in weaving the future you desire.

Alternatively, a spider may refer to a powerful force protecting you against your self-destructive behavior. If you kill a spider, it symbolizes misfortune and general bad luck. 

 Spiders are a symbol of creativity due to the intricate webs they spin. On a negative note, spiders may indicate a feeling of being entangled or trapped in a sticky or clingy relationship. It represents some ensnaring and controlling force. You may feel that someone or some situation is sucking the life right out of you.

To see a spider climbing up a wall in your dream, denotes that your desires will be soon be realized. To dream that you are bitten by a spider, represents a conflict with your mother or some dominant female figure in your life. The dream may be a metaphor for a devouring mother or the feminine power to possess and entrap. Perhaps you are feeling trapped by some relationship.

 

a few things about today...


i received confirmation that i have a spot in the red hot arts festival! http://redhotart.org/about/ this is my first year participating and i am really excited about it!

i went for  a walk today along the railroad tracks. i found a rocket on the ground and scrawled on the side in sloppy printing was the message "if found please call ###-####" i can't wait to call the little rocket enthusiast! also this beautiful train made a brief stop for me to photograph... ah it's the little things...

opening went well last night... driving home the clouds rolled in over the city... so ominous and beautiful...

i just received an email acceptance to the starkweather tattoo show!!! I have 2 pieces in the show in romeo mi, just outside of detroit.
i love this piece by Amanda Atkins

come by and say hello to me tonight... 


On Thursday, June 17th from 6-9pm the Artist Mercantile will host the art opening for the Visual Jazz Show. During the show you can feast your eyes paintings, sculptures and mixed media all inspired by all things jazz. The Visual Jazz Show is an event working in conjunction with the Twin Cities Jazz Festival and KBEM-FM. The event is free and open to the public. The Artist Mercantile is centrally located in downtown St. Paul which makes it easy to stop in and browse the Visual Jazz before going to hear the live version taking place in Mears Park, the Artists Quarter, or one of the other many other locations. Each original piece in the Visual Jazz show has been hand selected by a three piece jury. Sculptor Frank J Brown is included in this jury. You may have seen some of Franks work in the permanent collection at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Frank will be providing the Artist Mercantile his musician sculptures series. This series will be up and for sale for the duration of the show. The other two jurors are Jazz connoisseur Davis Wilson of the Artist Quarter along with Jennifer Bisch, Proprietor of the Artist Mercantile. Show runs from June 14th through July 3rd 2010. Photo: Strange Fruit by Kris Nelson

http://www.artistmerc.com/news.cfm