April 9, 2009 - Happy Birthday Terry!

As I said, lots of birthdays this month. This is best wishes to my sister Terry in California. My sisters and I all grew up in a house full of art. We all went our separate ways but art is something that ties us all together. Terry has a particular love of quilts. So I found a web site full of beautiful contemporary quilts as a treat for her. These are quilts from Studio Art Quilts Associates. Check out the many quilting artists represented. The diversity and creativity are rather astounding.

And…birthday wishes to Kathy and Carrie. Enjoy the day. m

April 8, 2009 - Happy Birthday Dad!

Best wishes to my father on his birthday. I had wanted to put a picture of him on the site but my scanner decided to break today (sigh). I don't even use it that much. I talked to my father this morning and he regaled me with tales of me as a 3-year-old playing tag with the family dog. The beginnings of an animal teasing phase that stills remains to this day. Just can't help myself. And they love it (LOL). In honor of my dad and his love of the arts I'm including photos of one of his favorite artists, Henry Moore. If you want to know where my artistic influences came from you can look to my dad. A friend and I had lunch today and talked about how early influences definitely set you on a path in life.

Lot's of birthdays this month. I also want to wish a happy birthday to Cindy. Enjoy. m

April 4, 2009 - New Lamps

I've been working on lamps for the show in St. Paul, April 17-19. Here's some current lamp styles in some new papers. I thought these three made a nice grouping. I'll try to get some other new ones photographed before I leave for the show

Saturday night I went to an African restaurant to celebrate Carol's birthday with a group of friends. Not many of us were well aquainted with African food so we all experimented a bit. The food was very good, including unique spices and sauces, but I suggest you skip the Fufu if you ever see it on the menu. It's a hard lump of white yam. Very bland. No amount of sauce seemed to add enough to the flavor to make it worthwhile. An opinion echoed by several at the table.

I also got to see "Slumdog Millionaire" for the first time. Although I enjoyed the movie I'm afraid all the hype kind of ruined it for me. I had come close to working out the story line before I saw the film. I assumed he got the girl and possibly the money too. And I didn't anticipate the twist of the police being involved but once the movie got going the plot seemed a little contrived. None-the-less it was fascinating to be immersed in the culture of India. Although not a particularly positive view and laced with a lot of violence and disturbing images. For many years movies and books about India—and even China—have been limited in the mainstream media. I recently read a book called "White Tiger" which delved into the modern caste system in India. I also found the movie "Outsourced" a pleasant distraction. It's about an American businessman who is sent to India to set up a Call Center for a company that sells american kitch, usually with a patriotic theme. Definitely a clash of cultures. All of which seems to be steps toward a world becoming a more blended world, no doubt helped along by the boundless internet.

Which brings up a question that has come up fairly often in my mind: Do you think there will be a time when there are no boundaries between countries and we live under one government? Even if this is only answered in the realm of science fiction, it seems inevitable to me. Be it hundreds or thousands of years from now. And of course it brings up many disturbing thoughts of the many wars and conflicts that may be inevitable to reach this end (or new beginning). Just a thought to contemplate. Take care. m

April 1, 2009 - Blagojevich: The Musical

First I want to wish a very happy birthday to 2-year-old Mia Kramer. I think Mia is going to be a star someday. She's already fashion conscious with an attitude. But no less cute. And she's got an auspicious date for her birthday.

Last Sunday on me birthday, 4 of us took a quick trip to Chi-town to see "Rod Blagojevich Superstar," an irreverent musical about Blago's life and times performed by a Second City comedy troupe. The day started with a lovely spring snow but luckily it didn't hinder us from making the trip. Our first stop was the Grand Lux Cafe with an amazing view down Michigan Avenue, and we got a window seat. The place is huge along with the menu, and the portions. Perhaps a little too big but tasty. And on top of a huge meal we got some freshly made Beignets, basically a square of dough deep fried and dusted with powdered sugar. If you're ever in New Orleans they are known for the best. Let's just say we were stuffed to the gills.

Then we were off to The Chicago Shakespeare Theater on the Navy Pier. We got there early and wandered through the Stained Glass Museum before heading to the show. The play was in a very cozy theater with a total of five performers on a postage stamp stage and one prop, a stool. But it was great fun. I guess the script is updated as the real-life saga continues. We learned some new tid-bits about Blago's brother, his $100,000 book deal and Roland Burris's son. The music followed closely on the strains of, you guessed it, "Jesus Christ Superstar." It was well worth the trip.

Oh, and the cookies pictured below were a souvenir we just couldn't resist. From what I'm told the taste didn't own up to their uniqueness. Happy April Fools. (It was a boring day for me. Hope yours was a little more fun.) m.

As an added bonus, check out how they make "Peeps" on the Chicago Tribune site.

March 27, 2009 - Happy Birthday Chase!

My grand nephew Chase is now 3 years old. My niece mentioned having had to put him to bed 5 times last night so he's hanging onto the terrible two's status as long as he can. What are the three's known for? Thunderous Three's? Thrifty Three's? Thoughtful Three's? I'm sure I'll find out. Anyway, here's his latest pic from his mom.

It's been a boring week. Not that I haven't had things to do. Nothing has much inspired me this week. I tried to make a new lamp design yesterday but it just didn't fly. Have to start again. I always learn something in the process so it's not without benefit. It's been very cool and rainy for a few days but the sun may visit us today. Not any warmer though. And a mix or rain and snow is predicted for next week. Well we had a short break at least. All in all I can't complain. It's a typical spring in Wisconsin.

My friend Katie send me a bunch of cool photos yesterday. Here's a sampling:

March 21, 2009 - A disturbing movie

I loved Ellen Page's performance in the movie "Juno." So I did a quick search on Netflix to see what other movies she's done. She's very young so I didn't expect a lot of choices. I ran across "Hard Candy." Looked interesting. Liked the actors. Put it in the queue.

I started watching and was immediately uncomfortable. Basically it starts with a close-up of on-line texting, setting up a date. You quickly learn that the "date" is between a 14 year-old girl and an older man. She seems incredibly innocent and gullible. He's handsome, charming, and reeling her in. And so you cringe knowing this can't end well. And it gets worse. She gets in his car and goes home with him. At this point I'm ready to call it quits but I stick around a bit more and the movie takes a sudden 180 degree turn. And even saying that may give something away. That's the problem with writing about this movie. It's too easy to give something away. But there's more than one twist and if you stick it out you'll probably find it hard to stop watching even though it's definitely disturbing, gut wrenching, provocative, and controversial. In this day of on-line preditors this will definitely get a discussion going about who's the real victim.

This is a movie that you will love or hate but it can't help but make you think. Watch at your own risk. And Ellen Page is excellent.

March 16, 2009 - Springtime in Madison

Here in Wisconsin we're in that very unpredictable time between winter and spring. But finally, this past weekend we had a big dose of warmth and sun. And everyone was outside. Even though it wasn't much above 50 it felt almost hot. I believe our internal temperature tolerance gradually goes down as the winter progresses and when a day in the 50s and 60s comes along it's time for shorts and sandals. The windows go up, bikes come out, the gardeners are in a premature frenzy, the kids are yelling and playing in the yards. And neighbors actually stop and talk to each other. Everyone is coming out of their caves. Everyone is optimistic and making plans.

Of course this can all come crashing down with a spring snow or ice storm. But you just have to take them in stride and live in the spirit that the days are getting longer and the warm days are more frequent than not. It's inevitable. Spring is truly coming. Ahhhh. There's just nothing like it. Especially for those of us who have a severe winter. I think we actually enjoy spring more because of what we have dealt with.

Now once you get out there and wander around you realize that this is not an attractive time of the year. Not yet. Isolated snow piles dot the landscape like small beached whales. They just don't belong anymore. When will they melt for God's sake! And underneath that snow is revealed a kind of time capsule of "stuff" that last appeared on the day of the fist snow storm—a flattened pair of gardening gloves, the hose you never got around to storing for the winter, an odd toy or bike that the kids just never got around to picking up, and flattened dead flora and fauna. All compressed as if having been under a stack of heavy books. There's a kind a scum on everything. It is not pretty. This you must ignore or there is danger you will succumb to melancholy. It's best to wander about with your head held high facing the sun, sucking in that vitamin D. It will all change soon enough. One must be patient. (But of course we are not patient. We can't wait.)

And what's coming for my birthday you ask?

"a must see"

"the laughs unspool like wavy stands of thick, dark hair traveling through the infamousBlogojevich hairbrush"

"just the anti-Blogo catharsis you need"

What can it be? Why it's "Rod Blogojevich Superstar." Second City's ripped-from-the-headlines, rushed-to-the-stage parody on guess who. I'll be heading down to Chi-town with friends for a rip roaring hilarious experience. What a great way to get out of a winter rut and ignore the aging process but to laugh out loud and enjoy good friends. I can't wait.

And on the more well lit side of my life, I'm making lots of lamps for the American Craft Council show in St. Paul, Minnesota on April 17-19. I don't look forward to the grueling set-up and take down but it's always nice to experience a new show, meet new artists, and hopefully sell a few lamps. Not to mention spend some time with friends whom I don't see often enough. If you're in the area please stop in and say hello. And open up those pocketbooks. You've got to reward yourself for surviving the winter at the very least.

Hang in there. Spring is on it's way and happier times are ahead. Trust me. m