A Fond Farewell

Our friend, Heidi Owens, passed away yesterday. I'd like to say all of the usual things that people say in these situations - Heidi was generous, Heidi was compassionate, Heidi cared about animals - but it doesn't quite sum up how truly cool Heidi was. She was definitely all of those things. But she combined it with a personal style that was unmistakable. She was one of those rare people who, if you were pressed to think of someone else who was even remotely like her, you would be at a loss.
We will remember Heidi for many things, but at the top of the list, we will remember Heidi for giving us a cat. Ernie. Robrt met Ernie in a little boutique. Heidi was carrying him around (I think she was just keeping him company), hoping that someone would take a liking to him and bring him home. It's a good thing Robrt was in the store that day, because he's a sucker for male cats and Ernie was right up his alley. Of course, he wasn't Ernie then. He was Charlie. And sometimes "Boy Kitty." But he's Ernie now, and he is one of the most charming creatures ever created. Made even more charming now that he carries with him the memory of our dear, sorely missed, and much-loved friend, Heidi Owens.

Insect Aside

I was really going strong as a blogger. For a while. Then I became a little distracted with some uac events (urban artists collective - a group I co-founded with Patricia Sahertian). We dabbled in the art of silk painting a few weeks ago. I painted some houseflies onto my piece of silk, not because I thought it would be pretty, but because I thought flies were sort of the antithesis of silky material. Mostly, however, I've been focused on uac's first gallery show. SPOILER ALERT: I'm going to do some shameless self-promotion now. The show opens Friday, June 4 and runs through the end of July (but try to come to the opening reception on First Friday) at Willo North Gallery, south of Thomas Road on the east side of 7th Avenue (in Phoenix - just in case my following has gone outside the city limits). There are seven artists, including myself, who are featured along with the creations of uac sponsored events. You've seen my art here (if you follow this blog, which is doubtful since I haven't updated in weeks), so there's nothing new there. But come see this show. It is truly a beautiful exhibition. And I never say things like that. Plus, if you don't show up, I'll force you to wear a silk scarf covered in insects.

Got Wood?

A good friend (I'll call him "John," mainly because his name is John) is a fine woodworker. His latest creations are cylindrical containers made out of cocobolo wood, which is not related, as far as I know,* to cocoa or bolo ties. He recently gave me this beautiful piece with the caveat that I find a use for it. The hollow is about a quarter inch shy of holding toothpicks, which was my first inclination. Now, I'm at a loss and I really must report back with a use for this tubular container. I've thought about filling it with after-dinner mints and keeping it on the table during dinner parties, but this seems a little forced. So I am taking suggestions.

*Yes. This is actually a footnote. I had one of those moments, only possible in the Google Age (I'm sure this will become part of the lexicon, which is unfortunate since it doesn't have the same ring as the Golden Age or even the Ice Age). As soon as I stated that cocobolo wood is not related to bolo ties, I googled "cocobolo bolo ties" and immediately came across a woodworker who creates bolo ties out of cocobolo. There is no such thing as an original thought. Not that I thought cocobolo ties hadn't been considered before. On the other hand, I may have just been the first person ever to use the word cocobolo three times in a single sentence.

Red Red Whine

Let me once again state, as a disclaimer, that I am not an abstract artist. That said, I have probably spent more time on this painting than almost any other work I've completed recently. The primary colors were not working for me (or anyone, as far as I can tell). So in an effort to match our living room sofa, I glazed over the original colors with various shades of red. This, of course, is another strike against me as an artist - I'm sacrificing my vision in order to coordinate with existing furniture. This is the artistic equivalent of Garanimals. Still, one has to admit that the painting is vastly improved. If you have a burgundy wingback chair, a wall screaming for some décor, and $15.99 (not a cruddy cent less) you might consider taking this piece home.
UPDATE May 12, 2010: Save your money. This piece has been sold to the lowest bidder.

Quick Change Artist

I dragged my sack of corroded coins to the local Safeway and, despite the voice of reason telling me that I would break the Coinstar machine with my dirty money, spent about twenty minutes pushing coins through a metal slot. Coinstar is not picky. Aside from rejecting a few objects that didn't even look like pennies to me, it took everything but a euro and two Canadian coins. And my grand total? After taking its 8.9% cut, I walked away with 351 dollars! Just for throwing loose change in a jar for a few years. After a receipt prints, you have to proceed to customer service to actually get your cash. I just wanted the clerk to smile politely and maybe throw in a reassuring "there you go!" or "nice work saving coins!" Instead, they tossed out "I think this is a new record...you were at that machine for a long time." Ugh. I wonder if they noticed me pulling out the rejected coins and trying them over and over until I had milked every last acceptable coin? Or clenching my fists in victory every time I passed another hundred dollar mark? I'm sure they did.

I obviously don't have a photo of myself at the Coinstar machine (although I could probably obtain one from the Safeway security camera), so I'm decorating this blog entry with a terrible piece of abstract art. My own terrible piece of abstract art. I'm not an abstract artist, but I'm leading a children's art group tomorrow and am teaching them color theory and abstract art (I didn't think eight-year olds would be interested in painting watercolor miniatures). I wanted to create a painting that was both abstract and used primary colors. This piece is called "Mourners." Did I mention that it is terrible? Did I also mention that it is for sale? Ten dollars. I take change.

Fear of Change

Cuprolaminophobia is the fear of coins. I don't have it, but after yesterday I don't think it would be completely unreasonable to possess this phobia. We have been throwing our coins into a vase for quite a few years. Along the way, we threw in a few other things (coin wrappers, a rubber band) and apparently a sizable amount of some liquid. I'm just going to go with water, for the sake of my sanity. At any rate, the paper coin wrappers partially disintegrated, the pennies oxidized together, and the rubber band fused to any coin that it touched.


Confident that the nice people at Coinstar wouldn't appreciate having our "coin stew" tossed into their machines, I've set about washing the coins. There is nothing more disgusting than washing money. If I get some incurable nail fungus, or some sort of staph infection, please know that this was the moment it happened, and I'll never prepare food for you again. Some of the coins are just ruined. Others have maintained the shape of their former selves, but have no identifying features. I'm hoping the coin counting machine goes by size and weight, but I will have to get back to you on the results. Right now, the coins are spread out on cookie sheets and are drying in the sun like metallic raisins. I'm hand washing change. I keep thinking, "It's okay...there must be about a thousand dollars here." I think we all know where this is going. I'll report back on the total as well. It had better be more than 25 bucks.

Loafing About

This, I'm happy to report, is my final post regarding leavened bread. I couldn't rest until I had made a loaf of bread that could be sliced and enjoyed with some peanut butter and jelly, or as luck may have it, some homemade strawberry preserves made with French rosé. It sounds snootier than it is. I was just trying not to use sugar in the preserves, and wine seemed like a good alternative. Here are some baguettes I made a few days ago as well. Only the photo exists now - the baguettes are history, thanks to a pot of cheese fondue and the company of friends.
With all of this loafing about, you must think I'm as big as a house (I am, and you do), but I am back on a strict walking regime. Of course, one has to walk the equivalent of the Great Wall to work off this much starch. And I probably should not bring a baguette with me when I'm out strolling.