Yesterday I took my new-found enthusiasm for tattoos and went to the Seattle Tattoo Expo at the Seattle Center. Lots to look at. Pictured here are my friend Sarah (right) and her friend Steph, working Madame Lazonga's booth.

The Swedish Legal System were fortunate enough to be able to film their latest video in the now-closed Lusty Lady, one of the last of the classic peep shows in Seattle. Filming took place during the last week the venue was open, and was made with the help of several "Lusties", all of whom volunteered, AND showed up at 5AM for shooting, two days in a row. We are very happy to present to you, the valued customer, SLS' version of Carly Simon's "You're So Vain"

Monkey the wiener dog came to Verkstad last night, and spread his jump-up-and-down-say-hi-to-everyone brand of happiness all over the joint.

Animals set on Flickr

 

 

To read more about SLS, check out their blog

The Verkstad upgrade continues. Help yourself to a swell new gallery of scribbles made during boring meetings!

I don't know if Lee Greenwood is gonna like this, when he sees it....

Monika and I shipped off our drawings to the annual DrawProject show in Valdosta, Georgia.

This September, we were lucky to host second-cousin Leif Lidman, who visited from Piteå, Sweden. After 25 hours of travel, he arrived in Seattle around midnight. Early the next morning, we looked out the window and saw him below, taking photographs of our downtown neighborhood. He had only 12 golden days to experience our city and "no time to waste, sleeping." Leif is a veritable powerhouse of energy and enthusiasm - outgoing, friendly and always open to new experiences and ideas. What a guest!

Of special interest to him - the Seattle programs and interactive events, parks and venues designed to showcase the arts. He is the program director for Badhusparken in his town, a park that functions as the living core of Piteå. He schedules all events that occur there, from the big names that travel to perform at their outdoor stage, to folk dancing and storytelling sessions in the round house, to the Saturday morning flea market, to the oversight of the popular hostel, housed in what was the town's oldest hospital. He's an ambitious guy with lots of great ideas.

In the short days that he was with us, we covered a lot of ground. Family, friends and the artists of the Diller Hotel will remember him well. Hats off to Leif, the best ambassador and enthusiast that Piteå has to offer! Thanks for the memories!

Our good friends George Ferrandi and Miguel Luciano recently painted a Barack Obama mural on her building in Brooklyn. This inspired Monika to make a banner we could hang out our window. George emailed her graphic, and Monika got to work. So what are you waiting for?

Photo by Kevin Daniel

Photo by Kevin Daniel

This past Sunday, April 16, Diane Haithman wrote a great story in the Los Angeles Times about art museum security guards who are themselves artists. I was lucky enough to be included in this piece, in both word and image.

The online version doesn't include the photos. If you'd like to see those, as well, click on this handy little PDF file.

I've uploaded some more of the rock sticker photos people have sent me. Palm Springs - sweet. Keep 'em coming...

I've finally gotten around to fleshing out the story behind my series of museum guard photos.

I've just posted images of some of the many small square paintings I've done over the years. Enjoy!

What does a big dog have to do with a famous, dead artist? I'm glad you asked...

Way back in 1995, I was briefly affiliated with the SOIL artist cooperative in Seattle, WA. Now, 10 years later, they are having a retrospective exhibit, in which I will be showing two new paintings.

Meanwhile, the show runs through October 30, with the opening reception occurring this Thursday, October 6.

SOIL is at 112 3rd Ave. South in the Tashiro Kaplan Building in Pioneer Square, Seattle, WA. See ya there!

A group of musicians at Microsoft has created a compilation CD of music called Songs For The South. 100% of all proceeds from the sale of this CD go directly to the American Red Cross in support of the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Not only that, but Microsoft will match your purchase 100%.

I'm proud to have designed the cover for this disc, as well as having contributed a Regular song. Please visit their web site and pick up a copy.

The building we live in is about 125 years old. It's crooked and creaky and dusty and wonderful. This weekend, as I puttered in my studio, I found myself looking at the wall that had at one time experienced severe water damage. The paint was buckled and stained, and starting to peel. So I idly pulled a piece off. There was a flowery bit of wallpaper underneath. I pulled some more, and uncovered older layers of wallpaper. By the time I had finished, the entire wall had been uncovered, and I had revealed bits and pieces of 125 years worth of wallpaper. So, I did what came naturally - I took a picture of Monika.

It's a bike. It's a sculpture. It's a musical instrument. It's all three! Read about The Duchamp...

The process of making something special is the practice of art. True, I have been astonished by the muse that flies in the window, producing a dazzling product to greet the dawn. More often, though, I have favored "component art" - the practice of making art in which smaller components are readied and assembled over time. Whether in the fine or the applied arts, this type of making is especially suited to patient artists working toward a large vision with only interrupted slots of time. Though some men create in this way, component art is more often the domain of women juggling daily demands with the need to create a lovely and lasting artifact.
 
Thirty months ago, I began to make "yo-yos" for a yo-yo quilt. At that time, my grandson was the size of a pencil eraser. I so hoped that things would go well for my dears ones, so I paired a hopeful mantra with a tangible product - the making of small cloth yo-yos. I made small yo-yos wherever I went. Hundreds. Yo-yo making became addictive, compulsive and, in some way, a ritual much like praying. I recently sewed the 1,000th yo-yo onto a quilt and gave it to the young family. Expressing the wishes and sentiments of mothers and grandmothers throughout the ages, I embroidered on the back, "To comfort, cover and protect you..." As I reflect on the experience of making it, I see that it was more powerful and satisfying than any art I'd made to date. Go figure.
 

I once read a book entitled Artists Beware. It addressed the good number of hazards artists encounter- all in their own studios. Last night, however, I was not thinking of hazards when I volunteered to help John with a photographic series. He's been compiling stunning images for a calendar combining his two favorite things - cats and vintage guitars. Like all calendar candidates, Billy has been enjoying our posh "sleep-away" camp for photogenic cats. When I reached down to greet him, this furry fellow scored six deep puncture wounds. I can tell you that it wasn't such a great idea to go on the web looking for information about cat bites, either. Yikes! A Billybite! Well, I've had a good life... As instructed, I drew a circle around each reddened area to note if the infection grows or subsides. John later confided, "Billy says he's sorry..." 

 

MOMO, a life-sized doll, has had an interesting life.