Hallowed End

8 years ago, maybe it was 6, I was in this town called Xoxocotlán outside of Oaxaca in Mexico for Day of the Dead with Matt Himes. We got dropped of in the middle of the city center, nothing was open and no one was around. All the sudden a grip of kids appeared and I asked to take their picture. One of my all time fav's.......


Besides finishing up some promo work for Art vs. Craft today, I am refining my cave girl costume for tonight's festivities. We'll see if my elaborate plans pan out, most likely things will be much more simple than imagined. I am on my way out to get bones and tooth black make-up. I did find some sweet cave girl images while looking for source material though as well as this video which left me totally confused after it really kicked in.

A must see movie to add to your seasonal list to watch is NEAR DARK.
A fantastic 1980's proper vampire love story.

take me to the place of sighs

reminders & tasty spots

"Here's to the land you have torn out the heart of!"

I was recently reminded of one of my favorite movies ever Time of the Gypsies. Filmed in Romania and full of all the best types confusing beauty imaginable. I couldn't find a bigger image but this river scene is straight out of dreamland........

Get the soundtrack and loose yourself in it.
If you like it, Black Cat White Cat is also tops.

Something else you should look at is the work of Denmark based photographer and travler Jacob Holt .At some point or another I got a hold of his book American Pictures. It is so good. You can actually read it online on his site, but I think it's better in print.

"I had arrived in one plantation home with my wig on, but as the hostess had increasingly fallen in love with me, one night I surprised the dinner party by suddenly displaying all my hair. The hostess burst out "I know you are a communist, but I like you anyway."


(Jacob Holt photos pulled from his site)


AND....Tomorrow, go to this show

They Saw Hope Pass By......

I was watching a special on LBJ last night while eating roasted beets, brussel sprouts and butternut squash ravioli--- fall time dinners are best. Then when to get some work done for Art vs. Craft and was checking out Daniel's blog per my daily routine and came across this........

Amazing. Paul Fusco is now in my tops of photographers.

My dad comes home from Bali tonight, welcome home pops. He told me that Bali is the Ancient Motherland of Handmade and we are going there together at some point. Sounds good about now.

About ten years ago my dad gave me this Robert Hunter Album Tales of the Great Rum Runners. I'm not super into it but there is one keeper on the album called Boys In the Barroom. The lyrics are pretty epic and I'm especially fond of them because there is a shout-out to the the musical saw which is so random. Listen to it if you can.

Boys In the Barroom
Does God look down on the boys in the barroom
Mainly forsaken but surely not judged?
Jacks, kings, and aces, their faces in wine
Do Lord deliver our kind

From singing for whiskey, three strings on a fiddle
Four on the guitar and a song that I love
Many's the night we spent picking and singing
In hopes it be pleasing both here and above

Jack string fiddle to my sawtooth bow
Who loves loneliness, loves it alone
I love the dim lights like some love the dew
Only thing I wonder sometimes

Does God look down on the boys in the barroom
Mainly forsaken but surely not judged?
Jacks, kings, and aces, their faces in wine
Do Lord deliver our kind

Orange Flavor Dust

It was the first really chilly night out in Milwaukee last night. We saw some snow on Michigan Street where we shot from 6pm-2am. I just ran around and took stills while Doritos were exploded out of cannons and SWAT cops chased chip stealing burglars. Here are some goodies from last night the rest (there are a lot) are HERE. Director Sam Macon & crew will be entering in the CRASH THE SUPER BOWL CONTEST with the footage.....

I made Annie take a photo of me since like most weddings it's like I'm never there since I'm the one behind the camera.

Director: Sam Macon
Producer: Jonah Mueller
Producer: Timm Gable
Producer: Adam Loeb
Producer: Ryan Dembroski
AD: Ryan Dembroski
2nd AD: Timm Gable

Camera Dept
Grant Cheney
Travis Auchair
Ben Krutzik
Dave Kiehl

Art Dept
Wardrobe: Annie Simeone
Wardrobe #2: Rob Schoonover
Cannons: Travis Huss

Crew
Sound: Sean Egan
Still Photographer: Faythe Levine
SWAT Consultant: Officer Kent Schoonover
PA's: Matt Batta, Ashley Donaldson, MAx Donahue, Jame Saleska

Talent
Officer's: Josh Shindell, Mike Golzer, Andy Silverman, Brent Gohde
Detectives: Pete Capp, Andy Menchal, James
Robbers: Jim Neumeyer, Bob Purvis, Nathan Lilley
SWAT: Ed Horzuski, Andrew Williamson

Thanks to the Swinging Door for being open and getting us drunk.

I could not be more pleased (and surprised) with the turn-out at Cafe Lulu last night for our book release party.... here we are signing away. What a surreal experience.


I blogged about Gia's line UNEARTHEN in Nylon this month and without even knowing it, Handmade Nation has a review in the same issue. pretty rad.

Off to be outside for the next 10 hours to shoot a spot with Sam. It will involve a lot of cheese chips, cops and a helicopter if the wind permits. Photos soon.

<------- My Peeps -------->

Sunny Shokrae & Justin Thomas Kay made this lovely zine that you should pick up HERE.

If you have some dollars to blow on some fancy pants jewelry check out Gia Bahm's line UNEARTHEN.

If you happen to have the same free subscription to Nylon from Urban Outfitters as I do you can see her work on page 73. Otherwise ou can pick up one of her pieces in a number of fine shops listed on her site or support my bff's sister's site Bonadrag.com.

I visited Gia this fall at her studio in NY there are a few more photos HERE.

And I'm sure I've said it before but while I'm mentioning the peeps that do good stuff you should check out Daniel Arnold's blog Born To Be Nervous on a regular basis. Always something lovely to discover like this found image blogged about HERE..... Plus Daniel has a way with words that not everyone has.

sound waves, records and monkeys

When I first moved to Milwaukee almost 8 years ago I was obsessed with taking photos of the neighborhood roof tops. It was so different here then any other area I had lived. Today for some reason I felt compelled to take a few shots of my street, forgetting how Milwaukee my life has become. 
So, I have done a lot of  interviews for radio and podcasts, but when it's for something local like Lake Effect or WMSE it is always much more nerve racking since I know someone I know will hear it. Today it was pretty strange to be sitting having my morning cup of coffee while listening to an interview of myself on the radio. At first I turned the volume down really low because I got nervous, and though my stuffy nose sounded terrible to my ears,  I still wanted to hear what I was saying.  You never really know what words you are barfing out when an interview is going on. Anyhow, it all worked out, I didn't say um and like or "things like that" a 1,000 times or swear which I've been known to do now and again. A BIG thanks to Paul over at Lake Effect for doing the interview which aired this morning on WUWM,  you can listen to it HERE.

Today also marks the release of the new Parts & Labor album "Receivers" (Jagjaguwar) that 

our good friend Joe Wong (who happens to be the assistant editor on Handmade Nation and composed the theme song "Hands On" for the opening animated credits) plays drums on. They recorded the entire album in Milwaukee even though they are based out of Brooklyn. I had the pleasure of recording musical saw with them on the track titled "Mt. Misery". They got a great write-up in the NY Times today HERE. The album is available on CD and LP HERE.

Also got a surprise package from my dear friend Nick who lives and works in NY. Enclosed in the heavy package was this amazing cast iron speak no evil, see no evil, hear no evil bank in it that he found for me this summer at a flea market in Cape Cod. Thanks darling. 

Radio + Lecture= Bubo

This week......

Apparently my interview on WUWM will air on Tuesday. Not sure of the details but maybe it will pop up HERE.

Also doing a lecture that is a part of the Artist Now! series at UWM this Wednesday at 7pm information is HERE.

For some reason today I remembered the cute owl from Clash Of The Titans (Bubo). When I was a kid Clash of the Titans was always on when I was home sick from school. Shiny Bubo was burned in my brain, he makes the best whistling sound ever.

beautiful day doldrums.

Your entire day can be a drag then you can be watching TV on the couch and get two peanuts in one single red M&M. Band practice for the first time in two months today just in time for our house show tomorrow {
1956 n. holto​n st -6pm START​!​​ woode​n robot​ (​​mke)​​, the star fucki​ng hipst​ers (​​nyc)​​, versus the west (​​mke)​​, nanuc​hka (​​nyc)​​, audre​a (​​mke)​}.

Naked Mole rats have shead their hair forever.... The queen produces pheromones to keep her workers in line..... the TV is calling.

Mary Nohl reception, pictures here

Good Apples

Today was apple picking, tomorrow is apple sauce cooking.

Craftivism: UW Green Bay Lawton Gallery

Craftivism: UW Green Bay Lawton Gallery

I've uploaded the images from my week in Green Bay where I was overseeing the installation of the Craftivism show I guest curated at the Lawton Gallery on the campus of UW Green Bay.

Photos and information HERE

Green Bay: Inner Vision

This is one of my favorite things I've seen in awhile. I like to imagine sitting in that chair would take you to another place and time.

Sheboygan & Milwaukee

Many things unfolded over the past 4 days including my installation at Inova for the Mary Nohl Fellowship show that opens next Friday. I thought it would take me an afternoon, three visits later I am done. It looks something like this without the panels being hung yet.... that part the installer will do for me.






(Wool panels will hang on that white wall in the background)

Thursday- Saturday I did my artist residency at the Kohler Arts Center. It was a great experience. I taught an embroidery class, did a book signing with Cortney and screened my 20 minute clip of Handmade Nation a handful of times. The staff there is fantastic (special shout out to Elsa and Elizabeth) and the space is dreamy.







A side note is I got put up in the Windway Estate which was over the top amazing, it's in the Kohler family and often houses artists when they do programing there. The white room will always have such good memories of cable TV, lots of mirrors and no cell phone service.

The Windway Estate......







(This is a very orange picture of me in the white room where I stayed)