Megan Whitmarsh's Soft Sculptures

Color Work Station (installation detail), 2010
fabric, cardboard, luan, wood, embroidery, marker, vinyl, wire, stuffing, paint

How fantastic is this sewn world of paraphernalia by Megan Whitmarsh?  I would love to own even one of these objects and paint from it.  There is something about the soft, clumsy, overstuffed aesthetic that counters the expected hard edges of a wall outlet or clock or radio.  

This image feels like if two of my favorite things to look at; Oldenburg's store and Jonas Woods' plant paintings were mashed together.  So great.  And she has a ton more, be sure to check out her website here.

Sunday Pick: Daniel Heidkamp

I think Daniel Heidkamp is the perfect artist to bid adieu to the carefree and joyful season of summer.  His paintings possess those qualities along with a beautiful sense of light.  His work touches on some of my personal favorite painters from Porter to Hockney to Guston, while feeling very much his own and of this particular time in painting.

As for summer, I am sorry to see it go with Labor Day each year, but this year as things are changing for me (new jobs, new studio...) I am looking forward to fall and the different landscape and shape of things it brings:

Daniel Heidkamp is an artist who works in Brooklyn, New York, more of his work and info on shows etc can be found at his website here.

Sunday Pick: Alberto Morrocco

Alberto Morrocco (1917-1998) was a wonderful painter of color and poetry.  He was from Scotland, but spent a lot of time near the Mediterranean which may contribute to the vibrancy of his work.  He painted from drawings and memory and the paired down direct experience of place is palpable to me in these works.

I feel like a kindred spirit to him, the way he cares about the shape of a bottle and the edge of a leaf.  Anyone who paints as many watermelons and bananas as Morrocco is my painting ally.  

He was incredibly prolific, painting seriously for over 60 years.  Just putting his name into google pulls up a ton more paintings to enjoy.

Student Work: Simple Shapes

Isn't this an exquisite painting?  It is by a five year old and reminds me how simplifying shape and color can be everything in expressing the character of a thing.  I want to walk through a sea of 'rassbery' bushes that looks just like this.

Sunday Pick: Gérard Gasiorowski's Flowers

                

 

 I saw a poster print of Gérard Gasiorowski flowers hanging in a medical researcher's office (weirdly enough) and quickly texted the spelling of his name to myself to look into later.  Turns out there isn't much to find out online, biographies and images are in short order.  I did manage to find out he lived from 1930-1986 in France and that his work spanned a spectrum of paintings, drawings, photographs and sculpture of all sorts.  However, none was as captivating and rich to me as his simple paintings of flowers in pots and so today they are my pick.

Summer Greens Make Me Feel Fine...

Okay, so what do you do when your dog has surgery rendering your living room (2/3 of your space) unlivable and you an indentured servant and your meat-loving gluten-free husband goes on a work trip for three days (you are neither of those things)?

I actually don't know what you would do.  I first had about six pity parties for myself.  Then I watched a seriously disturbing and depressing documentary and started to feel myself spiraling down into the abyss -- you may know it-- "I have no purpose, life is so mundane etc etc...".

Then I had a brief moment of clarity (probably brought on by too many hours online accidentally coming across those god awful tumblr inspirational sayings)  in which I said, snap out of this.  Use your creativity.  Things you have: an empty house that you must stay in, a relatively empty pantry and an empty stomach.

Yes, I had this much time to photograph these products.

BUT, you do not have to eat the things pictured above for one glorious weekend.  

Because I have the ability (which Alex doesn't have) to occasionally taste non-gluten free brownies, pasta, pizza and cereal, I remember that they in fact taste way more amazing in their true form (counter to his insistence that they are the same if not better gf).  And on top of that, I can eat all the vegetables and meat-free ingredients I want.  (I don't mean to sound resentful or insensitive but its the little things at this point.)

So I thought of the last really delicious meal that I had.  And it happened to be in New York at a little restaurant called Exchange Alley and the dish was called lasagna edges, which was the edge of this noodle in a delicious mushroom broth.

Being that I didn't have mushrooms and can't leave to get them, the dish totally deviated but the initial inspiration was there.

I came up with this dish that I am calling Summer Greens Pappardelle. 

In which I cooked lasagna noodles and cut them in strips to form a pappardelle type pasta -- my favorite.

Then, simmer together these...

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup peas

1 cup edamame, shelled

1/2 cup green beans

1 tbsp mint (from my back 'garden')

1 scallion, chopped

1 hearty portion of parmesan

cracked black pepper

 ...and toss with pasta.

I was so damn proud of myself for pulling this meal together and pulling myself out of the pathetic pity fiesta I was involved in that I decided to celebrate with a dirty martini.  I even redownloaded netflix so I could watch Orange is the New Black which I keep hearing about.  And now I want to be done with this post so I can go watch episode 4.  

Only 3 more weeks until Nugget can leave the living room.