He's Mine!

From me to you from the archives for Valentines day.


Milwaukee, WI Neighbors Gallery (RIP) February 2007


Los Angeles, CA July 2008


Pittsburgh, PA April 2007

Long Beach Unwind

Nothing like a cashing in some frequent flyer miles to go warm up and unwind for a few days. My mom rents a beach cottage every winter to escape the Seattle gray. Lucky for me she just happen to mention she would be gone for a week and offered me the space. I arrived welcomed with 70 degree Long Beach weather and kept an eye on the sandpipers, waves and seashells. Most of my time was spent walking on the beach, scouring local thrift spots and working on some upcoming projects including a foreward for a book being published in 2012 by the Smithsonian and a photo zine for Hamburger Eyes.

Smell Ya' Later 2011!!

A recap of 2011 seems like just another thing on the "to do" list but if it doesn't happen today, it never will. I feel like this year I was busier than ever although I think I traveled less then the past two years. When I just looked at my calendar to mimic last years recap I found I was home in Milwaukee 3 full (separate) months, but it really doesn't feel that way at all.

Some off the top of my head stand-out highlights from 2011 include: marking off visiting all 50 states by starting the year with a trip to Alaska, getting nominated although not selected for a United States Artists fellowship, continuing to shoot the Sign Painter movie, signing a second book deal with Princeton Architectural Press, taking time off to go on some great trips with my love Aaron including a great time in Mexico with our good friends Andrea & Derek, an around the world flight to Bali and a visit with our friends off the grid in North Carolina. I turned 34, had another successful Art vs. Craft event and hosted another year of amazing shows + the second annual pop-up shop at Sky High Gallery. I guess that's plenty.

In 2012 I am looking forward to completing the Sign Painter movie & the release of our book in the fall, having a zine of my Thailand photos released by Hamburger Eyes and attempting to take some time off to work on my personal artwork.

Here is my year in photos, a single shot to highlight each month. It's really hard to pick these & this year I failed to shoot as much as last- a mistake I'll remedy this year.


January: I marked off visiting all 50 states when the Alaska Design Forum brought me to lecture in Anchorage, Fairbanks + Juneau.


February: I left the first day of the month on a plane alone to Thailand where I had a screening of Handmade Nation. I met two new great friends there Sandy & Logan Bay + fell in love with Bangkok & vow to return soon, maybe this year most likely next.


March: I was home working all month & didn't take many photos but I did post this video shot from the car Pittsburgh Ave & First St.


April: We went to Bali to relax, explore & celebrate Aaron's 38th birthday.


May: We went to visit the Treasure Nest in Detroit and found Silvio's Botanical Explosion.


June: I went home to help my mom out & did a studio visit with Aaron & Kate Murray in Seattle.


July: I scheduled myself home for work & met Marko who's since been evicted from this magical kingdom he had built to share.


August: Hannah found this weed in the alley in Milwaukee when I shot my first round of photos for Bona Drag.


September: So much happened this month it's mind melting but seeing Salvation Mountain takes the visual cake hands down.


October: Dressed up as "all seeing" for Halloween.


November: Aaron took me to Chicago to celebrate my 34th birthday followed up by a thrifting adventure on the way home in Racine.


December: We went to Minneapolis to interview some last subjects to include in the book including Phil Vandervaart, who's influence in a way is the reason the entire project is happening, this is his back yard fence.

Here's to 2012, an already very busy & booked year in my calendar. I look forward to taking advantage of every single minute to it's fullest.

End of the Season SALE

This month flew by like the rest. I'm spending the next 5 days wrapping things up at the Gallery. You may want to take advantage of this sale if your in the neighborhood we have a lot of beautiful things left that need homes.

Temporary Mural Project Editon #6: Amanda Tollefson

Normally, I post about Sky High business over on the gallery blog, but I'm trying to stay focused on the pop-up shop through the end of the season over there so I decided to post this here.

For those of you who may not be familiar the Temporary Mural Project is an ongoing outside gallery that Aaron and I curate together. We invite Milwaukee based artists to create an 8'x 8' painting in their studio that is then installed on the East facing wall of our building where Sky High is located. Each mural runs for a duration of about 3 months with the idea that instead of a blank brown spot on our building, the rotating murals would brighten the community, promote growth and creativity in our neighborhood and give the artist street side exposure.

As of this afternoon I'm pleased to bring you the newest addition to the Temporary Mural Project- Edition #6: Amanda Tollefson, December 2011 - March 2012

Amanda tells us in her own words about this mural:

"The design was inspired by a "Bird of Paradise" bride's quilt from the 1850's, and I wanted to explore my sign painting style in combination with the aesthetic of quilt making. I have always been inspired by visionary sculpture environments, and I wanted to honor all the great ones that Wisconsin has. Represented on the mural are: Albert Zahn - "Birds Park" in Bailey's Harbor (not there anymore), Nick Engelbert - "Grandview" in Holland, Mary Nohl - cottage yard in Fox Point, Herman Rusch - "Prarie Moon Sculpture Park" in Cochrane, Tom Every - "The Forevertron" in Sauk City, Fred Smith - "Fred Smith Concrete Park" in Phillips, James Tellen, "Woodland Sculpture Park" in Sheboygan, Father Mathias Wernerus - "Holy Ghost Park" in Dickeyville, and Paul and Matilda Wegner - "Wegner Grotto" in Cataract. I chose works by these artist that are iconic and reduced the images to simple shapes. I also included other Wisconsin symbols like the state flower and state tree."


Mural detail


Goodbye beautiful Vanessa Andrew mural









Special thanks to John for taking a break from Bona Drag construction and coming by to help install today.

Book #2 is a GO!

It's official. We've been sitting on this news for a bit- but you always have to wait until the paper work is signed to announce exciting news so you don't jinx yourself. Princeton Architectural Press who published my last book Handmade Nation, will be releasing a book I am co-authoring with Sam Macon, my collaborator for the Sign Painter movie.

You can follow our progress on the film on our site and I'm sure I'll have more updates soon. For now I have my nose to the grindstone and am just staying focused.

Leif Goldberg: 2012 Terminal Fuze

For the past 5 years, maybe 6 even, I have been lucky enough to get my hands on the very limited Leif Goldberg calendars and bring them to Milwaukee.

If your not already familiar with Leif's silk screen work, it is a psychedelic mash-up of his dark humor, social awareness and ability to layer colors like no other. If you'd like to see more of his stuff, we had a show with him and his partner Erin Rosenthal at Paper Boat (my old gallery down the way) in 2008.

For now I'd get in gear and grab a copy of this year's Calendar TERMINAL FUZE. Silk screened edition of only 240 that just arrived today to the gallery. I only ordered 10, which means 9 because I obviously swiped one for our house. Calendars are $22 [tax included] and in my option worth much more. Like anything in the shop, I'll ship for an additional charge, holler.












Leif Goldberg: 2012 Terminal Fuze
Available now at Sky High Gallery
silkscreen edition of 240
16 pages // screened on both sides
Hangs flat: 16" x 5.5"
Ships flat: 8 x 5.5
A $22 color joy ride