well, perfect timing for my walk down 80s memory lane with rdj last week… i’m going to the kick-off show for duran duran’s north american tour tonight!

the new cd from duran duran is pretty damn cool. it’s like old dd got a kick in the pants by the likes of timbaland and pharrell. very cool, but still recognizable as the band i loved in my youth.

i used to worship at the altar of duran duran in the 80s and very early 90s. much of my worship directed squarely at the tall, dark [not so dark now], very handsome john taylor. yes… he made me swoon. i have seen dd in concert twice and tonight will be my third. i have never cried at a concert [i just don’t get it when screaming girls cry for their idols] and i don’t plan on any tears being shed tonight. but… as i’m getting older and hormonal, weird things are making me weepy, so you never know…

i’m going to the show with my friend and co-worker [from the loony bin i call my office] kathy. tonight, i fully expect that we will we shake our booties to old faves like hungry like a wolf and the reflex and will both be very tired tomorrow morning at work. we both love duran duran and each have a favorite ‘taylor’ … john is mine and roger is hers. luckily, we won’t be fighting over them tonight LOL!

i also fully expect to feel like an old-fart at the show, but at least i’m younger than the band! i’m not THAT old, only 38… but many of my current musical faves are considerably younger than that. it’s refreshing change =)

i’m going to bring my flip and my camera with me, if i get any decent pics, i’ll post tomorrow. so off i go… to nostalgia-land with a modern edge. re-fle-fle-fle-fle-flex!

update: 2:00am

back from the show and a couple of hours at the river rock casino. it was awesome! simon le bon can still shake his moneymaker and john taylor was dreamy, albeit a little older, but still… dreamy. i took over 500 photos! a lot slightly out of focus and overexposed with the lighting flares, but overall i think i have at least 100 really good shots. also… i’ve got video! will be posting that later today in the afternoon/evening

kal and i have been hunting down the elusive and oh so desireable ‘calendared vinyl’ from her bulletproof class at inspired.

we think we’ve found the perfect [or nearly perfect] match here in vancouver and you lucky ducks… i’m going to be stocking it in my online store! the material has been ordered, i’m just waiting to receive it later this week then the cutting down of the big sheets will begin.

the vinyl will be available in the following sizes:

• 5×7
• 8×8
• 8×10
• and custom upon request - email for a quote

the material was categorized under our see-throughs© clear albums since, well, calendared vinyl is pretty clear ;^) here is the link to the online store to pre-order from the first batch of material.

i expect to start shipping this yummy art material in early next week.

hope everyone is having a great weekend so far =)

I’m just finishing off some cool new digital mixed media collages featuring my latest spring floral photos. i’ll be posting these on etsy as limited edition reproductions on canvas soon, but i thought i’d give you, my loyal blog readers, a sneak peek…

there are two more pieces in the works and should be listed in my etsy shop later on this week. i’ll also be re-listing my first 6 digital mixed media collages, editions 3 of 25, at the same time. so watch for those by thursday…

have a few more textile anthology kits to finish off today then shipping early next week… whew! who knew those yummy fabric kits would be so popular? here’s what’s on deck for this afternoon:

• finish transferring images for the kits to be shipped
• order more grosgrain and velvet ribbon for kits
• finish bottling the 200 vials of new, gorgeous 6/0 seed beads i purchased on thursday - anyone interested in just purchasing beads for their projects? let me know and i’ll post a few sets in etsy.
• my new amy butler fabric arrived on friday and it is pure fabulousness. i will be cutting this down later today or tomorrow once i’ve finished my kit packing
• post a new image transfer online video - this will feature inkjet prints and alcohol. very cool!
• start a new textile anthology project for my friend [if i get the chance]

so my peeps… i’m off to shower, get my hair cut, drop off some artwork at a collector’s home and then back down to the studio for some kitting and cutting.

have a great afternoon… catch you tomorrow!

confession time… i am a HUGE fan robert downey jr fan. have been for years - since the mid-80s when he was in a very small, very random movie called ‘tuff turf‘ with james spader and the girl from disney’s witch mountain.

rdj has had a rough time with drugs and alcohol over the years and i’m so glad to see that he’s finally grown up into the amazing actor and man he’s become.

gotta say after cleaning his sh*t up from years of addiction, the man is none the worse for wear. in fact, he’s a better actor and way hotter now than he was 10 years ago. gone is the babyfat and soft cheeks of his youth… now we’ve got a chiselled face with a bit of grey tinged stubble; amazing eyes full of intelligence and life experience; that smattering of grey in the temples and that sardonic sense of humor. it’s all out there in full force. i tell you, this is a guy who only improves with age. <sigh> his recent movies didn’t make huge amounts of money… but they were critically praised and well-reviewed. a new favorite is kiss kiss bang bang, if you haven’t seen this… rent it today!! he is fabulous and val kilmer is a great comedic foil to rdj’s character. his acting chops have certainly improved with experience and hey, a non-hazy drug-free brain can only help an actor, right?

anyways… i have to tell you how excited and how much i’m looking forward to his new movie ironman. yup, another marvel comic book comes to life. the casting is perfect. who else but rdj could inhabit the skin of the sarcastic lead character tony stark? gwneyth paltrow is the female lead virginia ‘pepper’ potts and terrance howard is stark’s/rdj co-star and military friend jim rhodes.

for me, the reality is i could care less who were in the supporting roles… this movie is a vehicle for rdj and i have to say, that the possibility of more rdj in future sequels doesn’t disappoint me one little bit LOL! in fact… i hope he has to make at least two more! i mean really… isn’t he just a little hot? in that disheveled ‘i’m a tortured artist’ kinda way? i love this guy. there aren’t a ton of actors i worship but this guy… yep this is one of my few movie gods. <le sigh>

the movie opens on may 2 and you better believe that i will be there opening night. popcorn in hand… in the meantime, i bring you the trailer for ironman. enjoy!

finally posted some new original artwork in my etsy shop.

i did these about 6 weeks ago for my first portobello west show of the year. truth be told, i’m happy they didn’t sell right away lol! with all the crazy weather we’ve been having, the miami beach/pool-side vibe of these pieces have been a bright light in a weird weather tunnel.

looking at them is like looking at the best part of miami… that art deco influence combined with a tropical pinks, aqua and violet color palette so bright you almost need to squint at it. yummy! and i did something different… instead of my usual black painted side panels, i painted the sides bright, light magenta. so cool looking! i’ll definitely do this again! the artwork just pops off the walls at home where they have been temporarily hung. looks so cool…

oh! one more thing… i think i have located a source for kal’s famous “calendared vinyl”. once i have confirmed the product, i’ll be listing some in our online store in case anyone is interested.

anyways… that’s it. i’m off to bed. have a great day tomorrow [or actually later today LOL]
night!

i’ve just started another print run of my book iconography, so exciting! soon there will be another lovely stack of books in my hands, ready for the website and ready for my next portobello west show in may.

it’s so hard for me to explain how wonderfully this book turned out, without it sounding fake and hollow. after all, who believes an author touting how great their book is? it sounds so false coming from the book artist doesn’t it?

well, earlier today i received a really kind email from a customer who had gotten my book this month. she was very enthusiastic about the publication and with her permission, i’m posting her critique of the book here:

“Your book is awesome. You have captured the true beauty of women, your botanical imagery …wonderful. The two combined with the use of street poetry makes this book my favorite.

Your dedication for your husband and your Dad and Mom is lovely. I like when artists include something personal in their books relating to family.

I have studied the book cover to cover a few times this week. I will go to your etsy shop soon and purchase one of your originals. Thank you so much for the book. I shall treasure it.”

~ Pamela Barnes, Ontario CANADA

thank you pam for your kind and generous review of my work. it warms my heart knowing that you will treasure this book for years to come.

if you are interested in purchasing a signed edition of iconography: a collection of mixed media beauties, please visit my website. you may also purchase directly through my book production house lulu.com by clicking here.

hey gang…

anyone interested in taking my textile anthology workshop in the vancouver area? if so… i’m teaching at clipper street in coquitlam on saturday april 26 from 11am to 3pm.

this class will be kitted with the floragraphix fabric seen in the sample below and will include a super cool image transfer technique that can be later used with your own photos!

there are a few seats left in the class, so if you’re interested, please contact clipper street today and register. see you on saturday =)

colour me happy!

the amazing and talented ali edwards’ latest blog post mentions me and my textile anthology class from inspired. can i just say one thing… woot!!

it’s so cool to get mention on the creative miss ali’s blog. thank you, thank you, thank you!

ali also posted about my etsy kits. there are only a few left at the moment, but never fear… more are on their way! i just have to figure out how many additional ones i can squeak out of my current fabric stash [there will be lots of the floragraphix ones very soon…] and will post them throughout the week. i also just restocked on all my seed beads - 200 vials in 8 yummy colours - so kits will be hitting etsy very soon!

thanks for looking and checking out the blog… have a great day =)

two very good things are happening today…

it’s earth day for one. yay! free coffee at starbucks if you bring your own cup =)

and second but more importantly… it’s my 8th wedding anniversary to the best guy in the world - terry schuler.  happy anniversary honey! it’s been 8 amazing years and i love you more each day.

xoxo

i did another photo shoot in our friend’s store late this afternoon. they sell the most amazing indian and pakistani antiques.

the cool thing about this photo shoot is that the images are going to be used on a local tv station called ‘channel m’ [multicultural channel] as part of an interview my friend ray did for their home decor segment. how cool is that??

recently, my buddy ray also used my photography in a national indo-canadian magazine called ‘mehfil’. i ended up being the official photographer for this article on home decor since ray really wanted MY photos used vs. the magazine photographer’s. consequently, i got 100% photo credit in the magazine for the images used. wicked!

here are the pages my photos were used in…