Smithsonian Online

Alex and Ada Katz ca. 1969

Fairfield Porter ca. 1970

Paul Wonner ca. 1970

My aunt recently let me on to a great resource. The archives of American Art by the Smithsonian is like picking through my idols' diary. Pictures of so many of my favorite artists, their sketchbooks (david park's is especially great) and letters to friends, family and others. It's so easy to get lost in these as they seem to make the artists shrink from their larger than life status in my head to people I could know and talk about art with, which makes them that much more inspiring.

Good Find

There is a little gem of a store a few blocks away that I thought I should share. Its called Woven Treasures but I know it as the corner store with a lot of cool old looking stuff in the window. Its at 23rd and South across from the grocery store and I just picked up this beauty there last week. It looks quite fancy but rest assured did not break the bank, and I have a small bank.

In addition to some nice jewelry, they have a ton of imported textiles and housewares including turkish rugs, tiles and ceramic. You must see for yourself or visit their website here but be warned the in-person experience is much more gratifying than the online equivalent.

Ordinary Things I Can't Live Without

These two grocery store items are so helpful in my prep work. The first is an upgraded toothpaste squeezer that gets so much extra paint out of every nearly finished tube. The second is a shower squeegee which a friend at school told me to use when applying gesso to panel. Works like a charm. They are each like 5-8 dollars too. I keep wondering what other household products out there could be of such use to me...

I like my things like I like my art...

Marimekko Pillow from Crate and Barrel

Original Collage from Harry Stooshinoff on Etsy

Two things I want to own and love to look at.

Miranda July

still from The Future

I'm so excited that Miranda July's new movie The Future is playing soon

in Philadelphia. I loved her first movie, You, Me and Everyone We Know and have read this one is great too.

Here's a moving quote from an interview with her:

"Life is so ridiculously gorgeous, heartbreaking, horrific, etc, that we are compelled to describe it to ourselves, but we can't! We cannot do it! And so we make art."