Painting Horses

i've been working on developing ideas for a mural at a private residence.  horses seemed appropriate, but i suck at drawing horses.  so the challenge ensued.

i scrawled through a half a roll of newsprint playing around with ink, trying to get the shapes, lines, and gait right.  then i burned through another 10 cans of paint trying to replicate the idea on the wall of my studio, but nothing was working.  finally i got the hang of what i was doing, and simplified my drawing into a few short strokes with the brush.

i painted a series of 8 on paper i picked up at a shop in insadong, in seoul.  then i decided i wanted to create a printed pattern layer for the background.  one of my friends collects japanese woodblock prints, and the thing i always find most fascinating about them is the layers of patterns that meander around the narratives.  i've copied many of the patterns that i've found in his prints, so i used a couple of those blocks to create the background for the horse.

up next, is getting this image painted on the wall!

Recipe of the Week: Slow Cooker Beef Stew with Root Vegetables

I go to school on Thursday afternoons and get home either too late to cook dinner, or too zapped to want to cook dinner. This wouldn't be a big problem if Zach and I love eating out. But we don't. We actually have a list of less than ten places in town where we'd eat. So for us, it's slow cooker to the rescue for busy Thursdays!

This week, we made a balsamic vinegar-based beef stew with carrots, beets, parsnips, turnips, onions, and mushrooms. So very season-appropriate, and so very delicious. Here's what you need:

Ingredients
2lb beef stew meat
2 large carrots, chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 large beets, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 parsnip, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 cup white mushrooms
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced finely
1 sprig rosemary
3-4 sprigs thyme
1/2 cup red wine
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 cups beef broth
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
You can choose to coat the meat in flour and sear them before putting in the slow cooker, but I did not do that for this recipe. Instead, I placed the meat in the bottom of the slow cooker and arranged all the herbs and vegetables around it.
Mix together red wine, balsamic vinegar, and beef broth, then drizzle over meat and veggies.
Cover and cook on high for 5-6 hours, or until meat is tender.
Season with salt and pepper.

Button Madness!

I think I might be on Santa's naughty list. I broke into my Christmas gift 2 weeks early. There isn't even a good excuse for my doing so. I just couldn't wait to test out the new button-making machine. I've been collecting buttons and badges since I was 12, so having a button machine to make my own has always been my dream ...  

The button maker arrived at our house on Thursday. I was supposed to take it to Zach's mom so she can wrap it up for Christmas. Instead, egged on by Zach, I tore into the box and took everything out. I told myself I was just going to take a look at the machine. Alas, admiring the machine quickly turned into experimenting with it, which, by the end of Thursday night, became unabashedly working with it. The first thing I did, of course, was make kitty cat buttons. I hand-drew and colored each button.

The next thing I did, was AlphaCats. I drew a total of 4 sets of these on magazine pages.

Zach saw all the fun I was having and decided to join in. He spent all of Friday carving 1-inch stamps. I think he ended up with 60+ stamps. Today, he sat down to turn his stamps into buttons.

See anything you fancy? We'll be packaging some of these for the studio open house next Sunday (December 14th) where you'll be able to pick these up for a steal. And speaking of the open house, stay tuned to Facebook if you'd like some sneak peeks of what else we'll have!

Small Spaces: One Dimensional Odalisque

The nice weather on Monday allowed Zach to get one more painting in for the Small Spaces project. He continued his art history series with this one inspired by Ingres:

He titled this new painting One Dimensional Odalisque. If you'd like to see it, it's on the backside of One Earth Gallery and Gifts on Main Street.

Free Parking in Humboldt Park!

Zach and I had the best experience dining omakase at Sushi Yasuda when we were in New York earlier this year. We wanted to relive that experience, so we made a reservation at the renowned Chicago Japanese fusion restaurant, KaiZan, for dinner. I am always overly excited by the fact that we can park for free in the Humboldt Park neighborhood! For me, it's one little perk of dining at KaiZan!

tuna and escolar with soy and truffle oil-soaked scallions

oyster shooter served in ponzu sauce with black tobiko, quail egg

uni shooter served in ponzu sauce with black tobiko, quail egg

"madai carpaccio" - red snapper topped with black tobiko and basil miso

"angry crab" - spicy crab wrapped in fresh tuna, topped with tempura crunch

shiitake mushroom broth with a piece of seared tuna

grilled escolar with black tobiko topping

tako yaki - fried octopus dumpling with tako yaki sauce and bonito flakes

"char siu" - grilled pork belly with broccolini

tako wasabi salad

"fiesta maki" - tuna, salmon, jalapeno, avocado cilantro, masago, chili oil, and lime juice

sake-steamed New Zealand mussel topped with black tobiko and negi mayo

10 courses. We both stumbled out of the tiny restaurant with our bellies full. Kai Zan's version of "omakase" is really more like a prix fixe. We were served the same dishes we had before when we dined there almost 2 years ago. Chefs Melvin and Carlo Vizconde are masters at blending flavors and textures. You eat there because you want something creative and adventurous.

Tuesday in Chicago

We spent yesterday in Chicago. I had some important documents that I had to pick up in person, so Zach and I decided to make it a fun little day trip.

milwaukee ave. wicker park

As usual, we went in search of some street art. We saw some cool ones,

mindy's new favorite....penny pinch!

and left a "throwie" of our own!

We wandered back to Logan Square and found our way into Galerie F which houses an eclectic collection of art prints and street art merchandise. The outside of the gallery was adorned with new works.

I had wanted to go there the last time we were in town but they are not open on Mondays. So this time, I skipped in with glee ...

penny pinch 'crowds' original painting

chema skandal...a print reminder of the awfulness of last winter

don't fret...a chi favorite...this one seemed appropriate for us

jc rivera...aka the bearchamp...we picked up this print along with a limited edition figurine called 'dead as fuck'...this guy is all over logan square right now...

and skipped out with four original prints. Zach and I couldn't resist. These signed and numbered prints are an inexpensive way to invest in pieces of art that are otherwise unobtainable, and also such a cool way to support street artists whose works we enjoy!


p.s. pictures captioned by Zach!

studio open house and sale

on december 14th i will be hosting an open house at my studio at 208 n. 6th st.  we've wrapped up small spaces for 2014, and i've made several limited edition prints and paintings based on the murals and street art that i produced for the project.

@ Lafayette Theater and Events Center

Crow in the Winter

@ N. 6th Street

Pigeons on a Ledge

across from the Haywood Printing Building

Turkey Vulture

@ Sylvia's Brick Oven

Whistler's Mother Sewing Sol LeWitt's Quilt

each print is archival and will far outlast any of the murals i created.  think of these prints as own-able editions of the ephemeral works in public.  each piece is an original work handmade in my studio, not reproduced by some printshop machine.  these are not mass-commercial products.  they are limited run handmade prints, each with hand-painted finishes, numbered and signed.

i will also have many older works available in my studio at discounted prices.  there are assemblages, cardboard robots, sculpture, paintings, prints, and even some of my pottery.  there are large and small works.  there are many great pieces i've produced over the past couple of years that i would like to find permanent homes for.  if you've had your eye on something, this is your chance to get your hands on it at a much cheaper price.  this is my studio, there's no gallery or curator's cut coming out of the works, so works can be attained closer to wholesale prices.


p.s. If you are unable to come to the studio open house and sale but would still like to purchase some work, please visit my Etsy shop here.