Art in the Truck

Next time my husband Dan and I are in SF we are going to The Lost Horizon Night Market, a nocturnal carnival making its fifth appearance in NY where trucks transform into small theatres for entertainment.. I would be thrilled to take portraits of this art scene. I read a great story in the NY Times Sunday newspaper regarding this entertainment. There are people that go to these shows and call this pure events raw out of the back of trucks. My kind of thing. The time and place is set for an event and there is no admission fee and happens every three or four months. The Lost Horizon Night Market has already spread to San Francisco and on Dec 11, trucks appeared along the city's southern waterfront. These are pure art events, no advertising, no money. Pure fun.

Escape to Hitchcock

                      


Dan and I both loved this film. The film, directed by Sacha Gervasi, is a creative insight into the making of the film Psycho. It shows how Hitchcock and his wife Alma (played by Helen Mirren), managed to get this film made in Hollywood. Anthony Hopkins does a compelling job of playing  Hitchcock, capturing his eccentric ways. See this one. It is the true escape movie experience.

Divine Dark Chocolate Chews

                   

           
My dear friend Lisa and her family sent us a box of Danville Chocolates chews. I usually ignore the chews and I know this harms their self esteem. I dive for the dark chocolates and tend to forget about those lonely chews. Try the tasty little salty dark chocolate chews for some pow wow flavor. You will not be sorry.

A Royal Affair

We saw this film at the palm theatre in San Luis Obispo. It is a story set in the 18th century a the court of King Christian VII of Denmark. It focuses on the romance between the queen and the royal physician Struensee. It is a historical drama film directed by Nikolaj Arcel. See it on the big screen and count your blessings you live in 2012. The costumes, acting and jewelry are worth seeing on the big screen.

Snow Snow Snow....

                     




My sister and her hubby live in the Ozarks. They got snow on Christmas and had some fun marking Herbie their bug. The simple pleasures of a snow Holiday in the Ozarks.

Merry Creative Christmas

Meet Marissa and Nadia. They work at Bank of America in San Luis Obispo, Ca. They spent Sunday evening watching the 49ers play and designing their own Christmas sweaters. I love people that know how to make things, enjoy the things they make, and have fun. These young ladies are surely the spirit of the Holidays. Merry Christmas.

The Art of Nativity

             

          My friend Regina has an amazing Nativity collection. I have a set that I picked up at a flea market in Texas that dates back to the early 1920s. The  Metropolitan Museum of Art's Christmas Tree is beautiful. It is located at Fifth Ave and 82nd St in NYC. There is a vivid 18th century Neapolitan Nativity Scene embellished with lifelike silk-robed angels hovering above the candlelit spruce. It is dedicated to the late Loretta Hines Howard who began collecting creche figures in 1925 who conceived the idea of putting together the Roman Catholic custom of elaborate Nativity scenes with the tradition of decorated Christmas trees that developed among the Protestant people of Northern Europe.

The Brown Sisters

             


             

            

The Brown Sisters is one of my favorite photography shows I have seen on portrait photography. Nicholas Nixon did a series of black and white portraits of his wife Bebe and her three sisters taken every year since 1975. The sisters are lined up in the same order, Heather, Mimi, Bebe, and Laurie. The setting he uses is outside in natural light. Love his work. The book I have of this show has climbed up in value and well worth the price.

Tree Time at Hoppers Tree Farm

Every year Dan and I have the joy of hunting for a tree. It takes me back to those COLD winter days in Hazleton, Pennsylvania to a local tree farm. We would bundle up and go find a tree in the cold snowy Pa weather. We are lucky to have Hopper Farms come all the way from Oregon to supply our trees for our Christmas season. There is something about loading the Frontier with a real tree that makes me fondly remember those cold Christmas seasons in Pa. We bought a Abies procera (Noble fir), it is also called red fir and Christmas tree. The Noble is native to the mountains of the extreme NW US.

Time of Day

 Time of day. Look at this festive  Grover Beach Window dressing and check out the different feeling you get looking at this window at various times of the morning.  I did  manage to sneak out on my day off  during Christmas Week to take that first shot of the day.

24 Hour Church of Elvis Museum

 

Located in the Pearl District of Portand is the 24 Hour Church of Elvis Museum. It is fun to view from the street. It has been in operation for some time. Only in Portland, can you go up to a street sculpture, pay 25 cents and  have a good time.

Ode to Paris

Love the light in this photo. Shot with Hassey 1984 Portra 400S film taken mid day. Lots of shadows in the store. Love the contrast. Love when color photography borders on black and white.

A Friend Dreams of Paris

A friend is going to Paris for her Holiday. When I dream of Paris, I dream of coffee shops, cobblestone streets, small book stores, chocolate shops, bakeries, quaint restaurants, and stylish women wearing black turtleneck tops with Hermes scarves draped over their shoulders. One of my favorite Contessa Shows is the one where Ina and Jefferey go to Paris and they eat eggs for dinner. Sounds good to me.

Vintage Etc.

This photo was shot 3/2012 at Vintage Etc., in San Luis Obispo. This little area in the store harbors the marriage decor. The touch of old photos and colors of the display, makes you think of marriage and the good memories that go along with the idea of what it means to be married. Love marriage stuff.

Beach Decor

This interiors shot was taken March 2012 at Vintage Etc. in San Luis Obispo. I love the decor of Vintage Etc. The store owners keep a fresh look to the store and they create these little areas in the store that have themes. If you are a coffee table traveler like I am, visiting this store will take you to the beach and many other places.

For the Love of a Store Window

I love the pleasure of going into the city and shooting the storefront windows. Barneys always has the best displays along with hundreds of other creative dressings done by artists across the globe. If you stand for a moment in front of the window you will notice there is always a  great theme going on in that small area.

Loved the Sessions

                 

The Sessions tells the story of Mark O'Brien, a California based journalist and poet, who is confined to an iron lung, who is determined at age 38, to lose his virginity. This is a creative story told in a touching way. Two thumbs up. See it.           

Happy Thanksgiving Week

I have a great respect for family and friends that attack that big ol bird. They grab it. Clean it. Baste it. And Cook it. Some stuff it. Some cook the stuffing separate from the bird. Some use bread stuffing and others cornbread. The there are the side dishes, green beans, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, and cranberries. Then dessert. Pumpkin Pie. Apple Pie. The there are the others that escape the big day for a non traditional T Day. What ever you did. Whatever you believe. Happy Thanksgiving Week.

Louie On Fire

                              
 
Only an abstract painter could paint an image of a  ragdoll in this image. This is one of the abstract paintings that is for sale at the M2 Gallery in Little Rock. I love how artists see the outside world. They have the ability to turn a docile ragdoll cat into a ferocious creature. M2 is currently having their Holiday Show.

Glass Designs By Melissa

This is the storefront of the Glass Designs by Melissa at 908 E. Grand Avenue in Arroyo Grande. I love to shoot store front windows. I do use a light meter but usually begin with the sunny 8 rule, F8 125. Works all the time. Big Hassey was made for shooting storefronts and people. I have the feeling some art is happening behind those doors.

Dan's Abstracts for Sale at M2 Gallery

                 

Don't ya just love abstracts?  I do. They make me happy. These are two of Dan's abstracts for sale at the M2 Gallery Holiday Show that opened November 16, at 11525 Cantrell Rd. For the record, the names of the above paintings on the left are Your Choice and on the right is Late Spring.

M2 Gallery Holiday Show Opening

                                        



                                   

These are some of the figures that Dan will have at the M2 Gallery Holiday Show that opens this evening in Little Rock, Arkansas. The show opens this evening at 6 pm at M2 Gallery, located at 11525 Cantrell Rd. It looks like a great show featuring several talented artists. A great way to kick off the Holiday Season.

M2 Gallery Holiday Show

M2 Gallery in Little Rock is having their Holiday Show. Dan's work will be featured with other talented artists. These are some of his new watercolors that will be for sale at M2 Gallery beginning Friday, November 16. Mac will have these and others available for sale. The M2 Gallery is the place to be tomorrow evening. I think I will get that private plane fired up for the trip to Little Rock. The Holiday show is at 6 pm Friday, November 16, at  M2 Gallery located at 11525 Cantrell Rd., Little Rock.

Lorie's Cards Hit Vintage Etc.

Lorie's Beach Hand Embossed Cards have a life in the store Vintage Etc., at 800 Palm St., San Luis Obispo. Her cards have had a life of their own on the Central Coast. I was so taken with how the store keepers placed her Beach Art Cards. I am honored to shop where people care about what they put out on their shelves for us shoppers to carefully pick out. Lorie's Beach series is a marriage for Vintage Etc.

The Amazing Lotusland

            

                   

Lotusland is an amazing place in Montecito, California. I love to take family and friends to Lotusland to see the marvelous gardens. It is a photographers dream to walk through the gardens and take in this magical place. Ganna Walska was ahead of her time. You will not regret this trip to Santa Barbara, California.