A Bright Future… Seriously

I was psyched for the iPad prior to the anticlimactic announcement in early February. My post-announcement emotions were mostly negative — I was disappointed that the iPad wasn’t as amazing as it was supposed to be according to my imagination. The past few weeks have seen a resurrection of my belief that the iPad is a wonderful, game changing technology that will ultimately improve our ability to socially interact with the phenomenally diverse cultural offerings of the world.

If you would like a less vague explanation of my newly established optimism, lets go down to the tavern and talk about all this over a drink. We’re living in exciting times, and I’m happy to be here!

+ www.wired.com

I Forget Who Did it, But it Sure is Good

Sorry. I forget who made this work, but it sure is good. I might remember some day. That’s surfing the internet without taking good enough notes I guess.

Evan Hecox

I’ve been admiring the work of Evan Hecox for about fifteen years. I grew up glued to skateboard magazines and a craving for west coast graphic artists. Evan Hecox and Twist (Barry McGee) just blew me away — I was completely in awe of their aesthetic. It is because of those two guys that I now live as a creative professional. What a pleasure it is to see their work continue to improve, particularly that of Hecox.

I was reminded of Hecox this evening so I decided to poke around the internet to see what he’s been up to lately. He’s still plugging away, producing wonderful work. It’s Friday, so you might like to take your time with a few links this morning…

+ www.flickr.com
+ www.vimeo.com
+ www.arkitip.com
+ www.artnet.com

Nice Office

What a great place to get some work done.

Harry Callahan & The Institute of Design

I have reserved every book on Harry Callahan available from the Chicago Public Library. Lately I’ve really been into the Institute of Design photographers, i.e. Callahan, Siskind, Siegel. There is one book (an incredible piece of work) that the CPL doesn’t have for some reason. That book is, Aaron Siskind and Louis Sullivan: The Institute of Design Photo Section Project by Jeffrey Plank. I have ordered it through Powell’s bookstore here in Chicago (not to be mistaken with Powell’s of Portland). I am planning on running around town photographing what remains of Louis Sullivan’s work, in order to provide a 21st century survey — and to see all of his glorious buildings in person. I will provide images as they are created.

+ www.5B4.com

Pony Corner Clamps

I ordered a box full of Pony corner clamps last week. These little guys will help me square up a bunch of frames for a show I’ll be hanging in March. I love the double slotted spline joint. I make my frames with a subtle inward bevel on the front face of the frame. The contrasting spline joinery not only makes them solid, but looks good too.

I prefer walnut, but I’ve got a bunch of premium pine lying around from a recently completed project. I think I’ll make a few in each type of wood. I intend to matte 8×8 inch photos with liberal white-space provided by creamy white museum board. A medium blonde Golden Oak or deep dark English Chestnut stain will do the trick. I will post some photos of the finished projects once they’re ready.

Rose Petal Wine

Our good friend Jonny-D brought over his rose petal wine because he needed an extra hand to bottle the drink. All in all, he ended up with four 750ml bottles and two 375ml “picnic” bottles of his creation. The rose petal wine tasted quite sweet at the time of bottling, but the sweetness will diminish over the next six months as the bottles mature on the shelf. Around mid-July of this year, the wine will be ready to enjoy.

Jonny-D created the wine from wild rose blossoms he foraged for throughout Chicago. He is interested in creating many more wildflower wines this year from wildflowers native to the Great Lakes region. He has several carboys of elderberry wine currently in the fermentation stage, soon to be bottled.

We’re eagerly looking forward to July!