Travel blog, Cuba, girls who travel, art, artist
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Artwalk in the Astor Hotel Ruins, February Photography Show, and Hawaii TV Series
I am starting the new year with a solo show at the Astor Ruins in Astoria... this space is epic!! The many design elements of this crumbling hotel lobby will transport you back to the early 1920’s when it was built. My generous hosts have provided this space and will be making sure you feel cozy with lots of room to socialize, a warm fire inside by the couch, and food and drinks for the evening. Please consider hosting an event here, it is amazing for weddings and live music. The host can be reached for booking and questions at www.theruinsattheastor.com.
The large space will be filled with floating tapestries of my local outdoor photographs taken in Washington and Oregon. On the battered walls you will find two sets of images from my early years of darkroom printing as well as my recent outdoor images. If you remember the Pixies album art from the late eighties, that was one of my inspirations for dipping into a style called “photo montage.” You will see layered back and white images with symbolic objects, like old railroad ties or rocks surrounding a photo within a photo. You’ll have to come see it if you’ve never experienced that style, and there’s a poetic story of love and loss behind it - it’s my first time showing these old beauties in Astoria. All my frames are handmade (by me) and are stately in substance, regal in appearance.
You won’t want to miss this one night show from 5 - 8pm Saturday night, January 12, 2019 at 1423 Commercial St. in Astoria, Oregon.
February Photography Invitational Show
Cannon Beach Arts Association will be hosting a photography invitational show in February and March that will include many artists you have probably heard of who sell their work around the Northwest. Please come to this beautiful beach early and check out the tide pools at Haystack Rock. At low tide, Haystack Rock Awareness Program volunteers will be out there to help guide you through naming the creatures you will find and update you on the latest marine biology studies on local species.
Join us for the opening on the evening of February 16 from 5 - 8pm at the gallery located at 1064 S. Hemlock St in Cannon Beach, Oregon. The show runs from February 13 through March 27, if you can’t make it to the opening. I will have several framed prints hung for sale.
Television Set Design
Aloha friends, Astoria take note! You know those old cedar wood floats that get around to half the places you know in town? Well I did a little project with the set designers of the remade television series Hawaii Five-0, which will be airing on February 22. They have not disclosed the details to me, but check out the scenes in that show and see if you can spot the old Astoria floats!
The Hawaii-Oregon connection is real, from one end of the rainbow to the other. I need to see the islands sometime, but for now Cuba is in my sights! More about that later, or just follow my Instagram account link below to see my journey through four cities in the Western part of the island.
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From Acadia to Cascadia
From Acadia
Maybe you've wondered what my origin story is as a photographer. I, for one, am an "origins" person. I like history, genealogy, geology, and the timing of "firsts" and "lasts." It all comes together to make us known on a deeper level as individuals and as a people.
Half of my lineage comes from northern France by way of Acadia, the other half comes from Sicily and Italy in the Mediterranean. Hence, I ended up with a funny shade of pale olive skin and freckles that doesn't tan well, and I'm only 5'2".
The French came by boat to Acadia in the 1600's to be fur trappers and settle new land. These Acadians made their way to southern Louisiana through escape and expulsion after some unpopular rules were enforced by the British crown during their claim to these northern French lands by way of several wars. My ancestors from warmer climates came in the 1800's to areas outside of and within New Orleans that were already American. These two bloods, the Mediterranean and Acadian, mixed in the Deep South, where I became a known as Cajun.
Through Katrina
I began studying photography at the University of New Orleans in 2001 and was one of the last few generations of students before the digital wave, meaning every roll of film I shot was reeled in a pitch-black closet and printed under the amber light in a darkroom. I was one of the midnight warriors, making my way in the darkness to have the place all to myself late at night to make prints on silver halide paper. Only a couple of other determined warriors joined me at this time of day.
I was on the slow path to graduation, working two jobs while studying with a goal of graduating debt free, and by 2005 I was only a junior at age 24. That August, Katrina sent us out of class and her destructive forces were the beginning of a really cool and empowering survival experience for me that began with swimming out of my front door in fins and towing my two roommates from India out with me on a Home Depot extension cord. It ended with me getting a plane ticket from Salt Lake City to Eugene as part of payment for working with a New Orleans record store's van that followed the Warped Tour. We set up big tents at each new city from Arizona to Utah. I stood outside selling punk chains and hemp necklaces, while the rest of the crew sold custom band t-shirts made on the spot under the tent.
I had fallen in love with what little I knew about Oregon the year prior, having been a skateboarder and wanderer in a state where wandering meant you needed a boat to get to the best spots and skating meant riding pot-hole-ridden streets, giant oak tree roots lifting up sidewalks over 6 inches in some places, and absolutely no outdoor skate parks. So I took the chance to get myself out to Oregon on a "refugee" status that offered me in-state tuition to the University of Oregon in Eugene. Living through Martial Law was not fun, and I'm glad Oregon stepped up for us!! I was exited to head for a state that had rocky basalt cliffs and desert, all in one.
At that point, I was getting around mostly on foot and by bike. I got my New Orleans bike as a rescue from a garbage heap in Baton Rouge on a family visit prior to the hurricane. It had a sweet custom bandanna seat that I designed and a Little Rascals sticker on the stem. Sadly, Buckwheat drowned in the flood waters, chained to my porch. When I got to college in Oregon, I borrowed a bike from my driving college roommate until I got Fiend. Fiend was designed by the Cadillac car company (strange, I know) and had some really crazy structure that only fitted BMX fenders, so I felt like I was on a half-motorcycle on the road.
To Cascadia
Oregon was more than the beauty I could conjure in my head. I knew I had come to where I wanted to be when I started to check out my surroundings between classwork. The sensations I experienced being around my first Northwest waterfall were of total relaxation and triggered some sort of animal sensuality. We were barefoot, we jumped from the top, we were free.
Oregon became forest hiking, mountain climbing, sea cave exploring, and beach camping on the weekends with my house-mates. I found out beer tasted better in these places, but I still drank the cheap stuff a couple more years until I tried PNW craft beer. There were so many choices!
After living here now for over ten years, I can say I've seen a lot of the Cascadian coast and hiked many trails, but I feel like I've only tapped into a tiny bit of the natural beauty it has to share with us, and I am so glad to live here with the purpose and intention of exploring as much as I can with a camera and bringing that beauty into our everyday lives. I live for those moments, being out there. And I am greatly satisfied when my image pleases you!
New Arcadia Beach Print Release | April Shows & Magazine Release | Shop at Sea Gypsy Gifts in Astoria
Arcadia Beach Print Release
Winter storms are nothing short of exciting here on the Oregon Coast. We are young and we are old... in geological terms. The Northwest coast of the United States is the newer edge of land on the North American continent compared to the Atlantic side, thanks to the slow force of the Juan de Fuca plate, Ice Age glacier movement, and volcano eruptions in the Cascade Range! While we are talking millions of years and many Ice Ages of lapsed time in terms of it being "new," the coast has been actively changing in dramatic amounts since our beautiful basalt boulders were hardened from magma on the shores of the Pacific, such as this Lion Rock on Arcadia Beach.
Stormy weather brings in pounding surf and dramatic King Tides that bombard softer cliff rock called 'mudstone' which has a lot of clay and slips down in boulder-sized chunks. Thus our landscape is altered and different each time this happens, but it makes exploring fun and the discovery of fossils more likely! Just behind me in the photo above, I was standing on top of a finger of rock protruding towards the ocean away from a cliff that lost huge amounts of its content in a clean 'slip' down the cliff-side. The cove got smaller!
Ask for a signed print from my studio if you wish. A proof will be on its way shortly, and the photograph will then be available on Etsy.
April Show at Cannon Beach Art Gallery
April is officially my month at the Cannon Beach Art Gallery! Well, dang it, I've been a volunteer here for almost a year, and it is finally time I get a chunk of their real estate all to myself! Images of Washington and Oregon will be for sale at very reasonable prices till the end of the month. Your purchases here dually support my continued work and this non-profit gallery, which offers scholarships and grants to our coastal community, as well as workshops for hands-on art education throughout the year.
Cannon Beach Art Gallery is located at 1064 Hemlock Street in Cannon Beach and is open Wednesday thru Sunday, 11am to 4pm. (503.436.0744)
Squid Magazine Release in Manzanita
Just like we have our RAIN Magazine in Astoria, Manzanita produces Squid Magazine, a collection of poetry, prose, and art from coastal residents. Included works, such as my photograph 'On the Bellingham Tracks' above, are on display at the Hoffman Center for the Arts in Manzanita for the month of April. When you visit, you will see three large framed prints of my work for sale. Thanks for your patronage to this gallery as well, because your purchases support the continuance of my work as well as this non-profit community center.
Hoffman Center for the Arts is located at 594 Laneda Avenue in Manzanita and is open April 6 through April 28, every Friday and Saturday from 2-5 pm. (503.368.3846)
Shop My Photo Goods at Sea Gypsy Gifts in Astoria
There's a new kid in town at an oceanic shop in downtown Astoria! Sea Gypsy Gifts is an immediate 'POW' of everything mermaid and seashells, as soon as you walk in the door. You will feel like nothing less than a sea goddess when you dangle their bangles from your wrists and twirl the driftwood, seashell, and glass chimes that hang throughout the store. The shop owner is known for her mermaid tail costumes that she makes on-site. I am happy to say that she will be carrying items that cannot be found in other shops in Astoria, namely the canvas Storm Water zipper pouches, 5" tabletop wood panel photos of local scenes, 5 x 5 loose prints to frame yourself, and vinyl magnets. Check her out for some of the most authentic beach gifts in town.
Sea Gypsy Gifts is located at 1001 Commercial Street in Astoria and is open 11 to 5:30 daily, and closes at 4 on Sundays. (360.510.2488)
Apple News Publishing | New Ecola Print | Studio Visit
Apple News Publishing: Get Local | Travel Far
After three arduous days of upgrading my decade-old Mac to be ready for publishing this blog, it is finally available on the Apple News app all over the world! It was a very long three days of getting to know my computer in ways I never thought I'd have to... but some things are just worth the struggle, and this was one. My blog will immediately publish on all Mac devices, including a desktop that is running on at least iOS 9. I cover the 'Get Local' portion pretty well, as I keep myself very busy here on the north coast of Oregon planning shows, running two online shops (Etsy and Society 6), and seeking out wholesale opportunities and commissions of my creative work. I'd like to 'Travel Far,' and for now that will probably just be Mexico, Canada, and other parts of the U.S. until I can afford more, so buy some of my work if you haven't! Do you think I'd get a great shot at Banff? Yeah, send me there with a purchase! Want me to document Costa Rica ethnic carvings in process? I do! Yep, buy a print or two from my shop! Spread the word to your friends and family that I produce fine quality landscape photography as my main focus, and send them over. I also give great service!
New Ecola Point Print
This winter, the Oregon Coast felt some strong storm weather. On my drive south from Astoria, I witnessed waves and full-on ocean pounding right into the Arcadia dunes! This is normal stuff that happens out here, but it is still breath-taking to see places which are normally dry become inundated with water. What happens after all of this is we begin living with a dramatically changed coastline. Each shot I create of the same area will be different from then on. Loose soil slides down basalt rock into the ocean, and trees fall in every direction like pick-up-sticks. Small dark boulders tumble and pile on the sand as the softer, lighter sediment is washed away in the following tides. And thus every year, we have a new beach to admire and some to miss.
My last hike was at Ecola Point, just north of Cannon Beach (famous for the Haystack Rock where puffins breed). The trail was a fun and challenging one that took me through deep grass and across a fresh stream, and I dared myself to go to the wide part of the bluff by hiking a narrow path of dirt above a bush whose roots were exposed and hanging off the cliff-side already. Well, I took my chances to get this shot, and it was worth it! The print will soon be available on Etsy, and my first proof looks so dreamy in person!
Studio Visit
I would like to formally invite you to reach out to me via the Contact page and visit my studio! I handle this by private visitation only, for those who are interested in purchasing some of my work. If you are in the north coast area and want to see the prints and products that I have on hand, you are welcome to arrange that with me.
Thanks for all of your support! It helps keep me going on this journey to bring the outdoors into your home, so that you can revel in the beauty of our beautiful earth when you are in your sanctuary away from the craziness of the world. And please leave a comment on my site. My blog feels pretty lonely there without you!
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Sunday
February 18, 2018 at the Seaside Convention Center from 10 to 4pm
Oregon Coast Women's Expo | Three Cups Astoria Show | Wholesale Newsletter
Oregon Coast Women's Expo
Hey hey! Well if you haven't heard yet, there is a new event on the coast for female business owners to showcase their work and talents. Come to the Seaside Convention Center this Sunday to hear about the goods and services that are offered on the North Coast of Oregon. You will discover hidden talent! Follow this link to find out more: OCWE. I will have a vendor booth with lots of my landscape photography and photo good for you to purchase and ask about. You will be able to ask me questions first-hand about custom tailoring of my product lines for your event, wedding, or business. My work is available for wholesale, and my images are available for licensing.
Three Cups: Spring 2018 Art Show in Astoria, OR
If you are in Astoria, you can view my current two month show, which will be up through the end of March. Hanging there are several large framed prints of my photographs, as well as some smaller photo wood panels, marble magnets, marble coasters, and tote bags. All are for sale and available for you to take home immediately with payment!
Wholesale Newsletter
Lastly, if you are a retailer or hotel, send me your contact info via my Contact page so I can get you on my wholesale newsletter! Anything you could want to know about my products and their pricing is there.
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Our Big Backyard, Spirograph Landscapes, Spring Shows, and Wholesale Newsletter
Our Big Backyard
If I could make it my job to play outside all day... I would. I'm trying. I suppose the best moments in my process are when I am discovering new vistas, soaking in the details, and wondering in awe over the geological clues of our very existence, present namely in rocks that I can observe with my naked eyes. I am no scientist, so I don't do air samples, core samples, water samples.... I'm no Ansel Adams with developing equipment in the back of a van, so I'm not gone weeks at a time making prints on the road. I just use my two eyes and dig into my curiosity using all the resources made available to me by scientists, researchers, and practicing photographers to do what I do and learn about my environment. It is a great, joyful method for me, and the real fun is in making a satisfying print that represents a place and becomes a definition of "place." That's my only job I give myself. I then share this with others in the form of products I design and traditional wall art, hoping that my images of the places you live in become the "spirit" of objects when you invest in my work.
Cape Lookout
Funny thing that I realized on a recent hike where we took the wrong entry and ended up at the beach... is how temporary most of our landscapes really are here on the northwest coast! I took a trip to circle the entire Olympic Peninsula in November and later learned that that region is relatively new land on a geological timescale! This made me think more deeply about rock formations, and I love to look at rocks and even collect them. Well, on the more recent beach hike, which was actually a failed Cape hike (silly me, I led the expedition), I noticed something in the heaping cliff-side that rose high above us on the beach. A sediment layer of blackened everything - blackened soft sediment with hard rocks falling out and blackened tree roots. I looked up at the forest on the hiking trails, meters and meters above me, and noticed a living tree barely hanging onto the precipice, which was perfect for observing root length - they didn't go very deep! What this made me think was that the roots of the tree that I was looking at at my eye level had been buried by new sediment and were very old roots! I guessed first that maybe there was a fire and an earthquake that made this chunk of forest slide down into the ocean and turn black... had to wait till I drove home to do some research.
Well, I found two articles written about an area just a few miles up, as well as another Cape farther south, and I was onto something! It turns out that Oregon's sometimes extreme tidal erosion, of course, was responsible for these roots even being visible, but what was even cooler to learn was that landslides did in fact occur here, exposing "paleosols" (ancient soil deposits) with well-preserved tree trunks in just the right conditions. Scientists believe that these landslides occurred during a previous Ice Age, and just up the coast, similar preserved trees were carbon dated to over 38,000 years old. OMG! What a find! I got to touch them. I saw similar dramatic beach erosion when I lived on the southern coast of South Carolina in my early twenties, and it seems I find myself still attracted to some of the same things.
Spirograph Landscapes
Over the winter, the thought of doing Spirograph designs crept into me, and I went for it head on! It was fun to reconnect with a childhood "toy"... or really an engineer's "drafting aid" is what it was meant to be. These were originally designed in the 1880's by a British engineer, and they soon after were marketed as a toy! Boy would I love to see one of those, if I ever got to search some old attics in England! I drew spiro designs that stand alone on my newest handmade coasters and magnets, and I have just begun to incorporate them into my landscapes, too. I'm pushing out my first "test" designs of the mixed mediums on Facebook (here), and we will see where this goes! I'm curious to hear feedback on these designs... what do you think? Would anyone want them as record covers? Art prints? Pillows?
Spring Shows
January through April will be months for lots of social networking time, if you'd like to discuss my artwork in person. I will be showing for four solid months in Astoria, OR at Good to Go in January, at Three Cups during February and March, and at Cannon Beach Art Gallery in April. THEN it's time for spring shooting, so exciting!
Good to Go is at 1132 Commercial Street, Astoria, OR (thru Jan 31)
Three Cups is at 279 West Marine Drive, Astoria, OR (Feb 2 thru March 26)
Cannon Beach Art Gallery is at 1064 S. Hemlock Street, Cannon Beach, OR (March 29 thru April 30)
Wholesale Newsletter
I am also releasing my first wholesale newsletter-slash-catalog in late February, so if you are a retailer, gallery, hotelier, or business interested in adding my design products to your retail, go to the contact page and let me know with a quick email! I'm happy to do custom projects with my designs and photography.
As always, my work can be found on ETSY. You can contact me and follow my latest using Facebook or Instagram.
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Going Pro in Photography & The Art of Pattern Design
Going Pro in Photography
Well, if it didn't take a decade, I finally invested in a professional full frame camera. C'mon already! And in that process I learned some great advice for independent creators - first, don't take it outside until it is insured, of course. "Scheduling" a specific professional item such as a camera is the way to go! Scheduled items are protected through your insurance company outside of your annual deductible for a small additional cost. In return, you get world-wide life-long coverage as long as you own it. I highly recommend doing this for any other valuable tools you may own, too.
Having a full frame camera is so exciting! It's not the brand that matters to me, it's the better quality of lens construction as well as the option to get everything I see in my "vision" in the full frame when I take the shot. I have been operating on "crop frame" sensors for the past decade, ever since the time I shot on 35mm film in college. I'm so excited to do some island-hopping in the Pacific Northwest for some killer shots and serene soul-quenching experiences.
Here is a mini slideshow of a few of my newer prints that I have released on Etsy tonight (click here to shop).
There's so much inspiration in my surroundings that I'm sparked with ideas every day, but I couldn't chase them all! That's part of my favorite aspect of the beauty of working for one's self ... you get to create the vision as you go and see what draws you strongest. It's an invigorating experience of getting to know yourself better, as well as seeing the world around you with completely different eyes!
The Art of Pattern Design
In the medium of design (since I do photography as well as product design...), I took a course through Sitka College of Art and Ecology over the summer and learned to make patterns. This is exciting because patterns can be applied to so many things, beyond even the printed image and cloth, which are probably the first two surfaces that most people think of when they think of "patterns." I can already think of an application where the pattern is not being used, and I've done market research on it... things could explode!
Here is my first one, titled "Baja Breeze," which has elements from my trip to Mexico last winter.
And if you are wondering, that's a bottle of Pacifico, not Corona! So stop drinking Corona already - Pacifico is much better! My design is already available on a variety of products, including floor cushions, rugs, coffee mugs, zipper pouches, and more over at Society 6 (click here to shop). It's been fun to play with! This image was originally created as a pencil drawing, then arranged into a pattern and carved onto linoleum, hence the handmade look. The knowledge I gained in that class blew my mind! I felt like I was learning some "ancient secret" on how to make patterns.
Winter Workshop Potential
Speaking of which, is anyone out there interested in taking a class from me this winter? I have a few topics in mind that I'd like to teach, namely, how to put your art on products as well as how to market yourself on a budget. Please use the Contact page HERE to give me your name and email to put together an idea if there is interest in learning.
Thanks for reading my blog! I hope you learned something or were inspired, or maybe you'll even want to buy some of my art over in my Etsy store, who knows! Please "like" this blog post below to let me know I have readers out there.
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KALA Hipfish Gallery Opening, Summer at Reach Break Brewing, and July 'Open Studio' in Astoria!
Things are rolling along with lots of road trips and new landscape images, and I can't really say I'm ever bored working for myself as an artist! It's been ten weeks since I struck out on my own, and I actually paid rent last month... can you believe it! Click HERE to begin following my Instagram for adventures and art projects. Click HERE to shop my newest designs on Etsy.
Many great things are keeping me busy this summer. I'll get you all caught up...
KALA Hipfish Gallery Opening
This Saturday, July 8, is Astoria's own Second Saturday Artwalk. I will have two walls in a group show with a few other local artists at KALA Gallery at 1017 Marine Drive. Artists will be there in person from 5pm to 8pm. They have a mini bar and a stage for live music. I'm showing a collection of north coast Oregon and southwest Washington photographs on wood panel, and as a special treat, I'm pulling some old paintings out of the vault! I recently began painting again after about 8 years absence doing other things, and I finally got back into it! So there will be these two new 'Succulent Mandala' paintings to add to the older works from 2009.
Summer Show at reach Break Brewing
Summer is happening, and Reach Break Brewing is generously hosting my work in a long extension. It's been really fun finding out which pieces sell and to whom they now belong... I like to get to know my fans, so don't be surprised if I look you up on social media with a friend request after you have purchased a piece! New works are added each time one sells, so it's always freshened up.
July 'Open Studio' in Astoria
July 29 thru 30 is Open Studio (event map to be posted soon), a huge artist event in Astoria, which I am participating in this year for the first time. HiiH Lights barn in the Lewis and Clark area will be hosting me along with a bunch of other artists... this should be fun! I'll have a new tote bag display I built recently, so lots of totes will be for sale. I'll also have a few pillows with my designs, as well as some zippered pouches, my last few sets of the limited edition cherry wood 'Astoria Storm Drain' coasters, and a slew of mini desktop wood panels set on my table with some larger wall-hanging photo panels. Oh yeah, and I guess I'll tote down my painted rock collection for gifts under $20! Most of my work will range from $25 to $80, and I'll be able to take cash or charge on my new Square card reader.
There's lots more to share in the future about some upcoming shows, but then this post would be even longer, so I'll save that for the next one.
Come say 'hi' at any of these events or venues!
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Open Studio, Gallery Work, and Reach Break Brewery Show Extension
in photography, art, Astoria Oregon
Open Studio in July 2017
My my, it's been a busy month! I got the balls rolling in a few directions, and they seemed to have fallen into deep prolific canyons of adventure!
Well, let me tell you what that poetic talk means...
Every summer in Astoria for the past six years, our esteemed Astoria Visual Arts (AVA) group has welcomed and encouraged visual artists to open up their studio doors and gather collectively to show and tell about what we do (and hopefully make a little money and new fans in the process!). This will be my first year joining a bunch of artists at the HiiH Lights Gallery/ Barn in rural Astoria. I will have a table full of my photographs and designed goods to show you a spectrum of my work. As with other artists, I will be there to talk about my creative process and hopefully get to answer some mind-expanding questions from you all that will help me learn even more about myself and my community!
AVA is currently building their page for this year's included artists, and we will know very soon, since deadline is May 15. For now, HERE are the current AVA members.
Cannon Beach Gallery Work
Secondly, I entered one of my screen-prints into a group show themed 'Text + Image' with the Cannon Beach Arts Association, and I came away with great news as well as an opportunity that has got me super excited. They did accept my piece into the show, which is up through June 12 at their gallery at 1064 S. Hemlock St. HERE is a link with more info about the show. I missed the opening night due to a really rocky, late plane landing in SLC ... let's not talk about it, or I may get queasy again.
Best thing is, I was asked by a gallery docent to join their team of volunteers, and I start next week! I have been pushing myself farther in the direction of art since I left my day job a month ago, and I am so excited to be able to learn the ropes of gallery sales and representation of other artists. I get all starry eyed when I think of all the great stories and histories I will get to learn about each individual and their creative processes. Plus, the gallery shares the building with a popular local coffee shop, and it can't hurt to have espresso when expressing my enthusiasm for art!
Reach Break Show Extension
At home in Astoria, Reach Break Brewery has extended my coastal photography show another month, and I've been super grateful to have sold a piece just about very week. They have extended their business hours to five days a week now, and the sun is coming out, so it's time to go on over and check out their beer, the food carts, and my art if you haven't yet. All pieces are under $100. Artwalk is Saturday, May 13th from 5 to 8pm.
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Helping the Music Scene: Tapestry Design for Stage Presence
Just when I'm busy making headway in one artistic direction, life presents an unexpected use of my skills that hopefully opens up more doors of opportunity. Over a year ago, I was approached by an Olympia, WA band to help them with the design of a large cloth tapestry that they wanted to hang as a backdrop for their live shows... I had honestly not thought of this, and was like, "Wow, that's a really good use of these huge cloth prints!"
I hope you enjoy the following interview I did with Robert and Shawna of Birds of a Feather about their imagery and ideas behind the design of this tapestry we collabed on.
Robert and Shawna, you travel as a married singing duo… do you mind sharing the story of how you met? We met at church, we were 15...I remember Shawna flirting with me...she was untying my shoe. Her eyes looked up at me, so beautiful.
How did your band ‘Birds of a Feather’ come to be? Our name originated in a song I wrote for Shawna, the song was called 'Be my Marie' (named after her middle name). There was a line in it that said, "birds of a feather, crash together." We did a Vaudeville show seven years ago and we needed a name; Shawna remembered the line from the song, and since we both loved ravens and crows, it seemed like the perfect fit. We truly came together as a duo during that Vaudeville series. We played 6 nights in two weeks. It really brought us together as a singing duo...a much stronger bond musically. Trusting in each other night after night with only our voices and a guitar.
What kind of things does your band like to accomplish with its performances? There seems to be an emotional response you'd like to illicit in your choice of performance attire and dramatic black eye make-up. Our goal is to be able to help people feel something, to be touched emotionally by a song, melody, or our love for each other.
The "crow" and the "raven" are a symbolic part of your band imagery... what do they mean to you? Both the Crow and Raven are very intelligent birds which intrigue us very much so. They have a language with each other and can also be taught to speak actual words. As for the black eye make up and attire, that came from the Vaudeville shows. We were trying to find a twenties look... back then men and women wore very dramatic make up for performances, so it seemed perfect for Vaudeville... so it stuck after that. Plus it does work with the whole "bird" theme.
(For some fun facts about interesting Vaudeville performances of the past, click here. For a more linear historical article on Vaudeville, click here.)
You've mentioned the city of Astoria is one of your favorite places to play... what about the area attracts you? How do the visual vibes of the 1920's urban architecture and the surrounding county lands move you? Astoria was a place we fell in love with back in 1998... we first visited then on our honeymoon. We stayed a week and fell in love with the beauty of the city and the people. We someday hope to move to Astoria. As for the 20's building structures... well that makes a full circle with our love for the 20's art and style.
Got any interesting hobbies outside of music you'd like to share? Music is our true joy, it's something we focus on. We love photography and might take up painting soon.
These two lovebirds also enjoy working together at a famous northwest coffee roaster. So if you are in Olympia, I should mention to stop in for a great cup of northwest coffee at Raven's Brew, creators of the famous 'Deadman's Reach' dark roast sold on Amazon. Just don't try to push the human limits here on your dose... according to an interesting fact from the roaster's website, 100 cups of coffee in succession will in fact make you a dead man! On another thought, they also mention that the coffee bean originated from the same Rift Valley area of Ethiopia, the birthplace of humans! So it's perfectly natural to partake of this gift from nature... I imagine it helped our early ancestors outrun a hungry lioness or two.
For a look at more tapestries I have designed, you can view the Product Design portion of my website. Many of my existing photos of the north coast can be made into tapestries for your home or creative use, and you can find a few for sale in my Etsy shop (click here).
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A Designer's Saga: From Foundation to Destruction
Well, that title sounds really foreboding, so let me just roll into this story of how a new design project/ line of product/ effort at making a bit of scratch this summer all went to a quick grave. It's been quite the journey.
As an illustrator-designer, it all starts with having a multi-sensory 'vision' of what a dreamed up THING will look like in the flesh. So, two years ago, a sweet Astoria public works project caught my eye, and I began popularizing and celebrating it through art and design. This is the newer storm drain cover that graces the re-paved streets of Astoria. You know, look down below your shoes, it's the one with the native salmon jumping up to catch a dragonfly - that's right, a nice lady made dang sure that the adipose fin on the fish was present in the design.
After I got approval to use it, I drew it in two dimensional form with pen and paper. It was really gratifying. Then, I sent that design off to an Oregon engraver/ manufacturer to decorate little pieces of wood with it! That worked out swell, as the proofing process began, wood choices were made and stain colors were tested, and it all came out so nicely.
As time went on, I created interest in my product through social media, in-person conversations, and cold, hard marketing by pounding the pavement. And you know what happened after all that? The company wouldn't supply the wood anymore. Followed by, "we're ceasing operations soon, so we can't fill any more orders."
So as an artist who has already seen some profit on all this effort, do I look for another manufacturing company or move on to another inspiration? Because the journey is certainly fun and rewarding when I make people happy with my work, but I'm also one to change directions when I feel the pull.
And I feel the pull. So what's the great dilemma as an artist/ designer? Do I jump into the next thing to make money? Or do I satisfy myself, making art for my own sake, for the sake of purging my soul and expressing the beauty I see in my inner eye? It's a toughie for sure, since we all have those "bills" that need to be paid.
Well, stay tuned for the next big thing if you want to see where I go, and thanks for coming along this far with me. And if you want one of the remaining, now SUPER LIMITED EDITION coasters sets, you can buy them HERE in my Etsy Shop. Sorry, but the aqua stained sets have been sold out for a month now! Thanks to a nice city councilwoman who bought the last set ;)
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Simple Clocks I Designed, How Fun!
Hey, it is pretty fun to be an artist these days, with all the options there are out there for designing practical goods while using my photography and illustrations. There are now 20 of my new wall clock designs available to ship directly to your lil' ole crash pad by ordering from my Society 6 artist collective site (click here). Available in natural wood, black, or white frames, the 10" diameter clocks feature a high-impact plexi-glass crystal face and a backside hook for easy hanging. Choose black or white hands to mix or match your wall clock frame and art design choice. Clock sits 1.75" deep and requires 1 AA battery (not included).
A clock will run you $30 in any color combo, but the site often does a good sale every month for free shipping or discounted pricing. Sign up for their newsletter to be the first to hear about it at https://society6.com.
Oregon Coast's Neahkahnie Mountain and Astoria's Old Red net shed wall clocks
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Sou'wester is Stacked with Goodness!
Last spring, a beautiful thing started between me and Sou'wester Lodge. I had heard of this strange place that seemed to be a time warp into the seventies. Vintage trailers co-habitate around the 1892 lodge with marks of history everywhere, nothing seeming to be new.
I discovered the wrap-around porch where an honor store exists. Bands that have played there leave behind a few records or cassette tapes to sell. Crafters leave hand-made wares huddled all cozy in baskets and arranged on shelves. Artists leave prints and photographs for others to discover. I was happily welcomed into that family of vendors when I presented my photo tote bags last year, and this year, I have revamped the stock to include some photo prints on archival paper as well.
If you have not been to this place yet, you will stop in your tracks when you first get there. I promise. It feels like nowhere else I have been in the northwest. Lots of discoveries await you here, not to mention it is right at the entrance to the Seaview beach and just down the road from a 3rd floor bar/ restaurant/ music venue called the Pickled Fish (where they serve a delicious "illegal" drink called a Pisco Sour.) Be sure to also stop at the Cottage Bakery in the midst of Long Beach tourist shops (it's worth it!) to be dropped back into the eighties with some great pastries and decorated cupcakes that have plastic trees and deer stuck on them, and swing back into the present moment by filling your growler at North Jetty Brewing with some Leadbetter Red Scottish Ale, a reminder of the beautiful solace I found at the top of the peninsula.
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Dreamy Beachy Product Photos
in art, Astoria, product design, photography
The time of the winter has come when daylight is staying longer, and I start daydreaming about what I want to do in the warming months. Staying busy as an artist paired with carefree exploring are occupying my mind. The Oregon beach is a little friendlier without freezing winds, but I try to still see it anyway. This year, I am reaching out to more shops as I get deeper into wholesale. I am also looking for custom design projects. Personal art projects float around in the back of my mind, pinching me into paying attention to their expression.
To better show you some of the things I have been doing, I have taken a few product photos recently in my studio. Pillows come with down alternative inserts and have a hidden zipper at the bottom. I have also made some of my photos into blank stationery cards on heavy stock that come with nice Mohawk envelopes. Since I am branching out into a couple more art spaces this year, I have begun mounting photos on wood panel, which is my new favorite way to show off my prints and digital art. Pillows and cards are available at www.sweetsere.etsy.com.
If you are in the north coast area, I am offering limited studio visits for those interested in purchasing my work and products directly. I have lots to choose from, including fine art prints of many of my photos and illustrations. I can also custom order prints in a range of sizes, or you can order them online at www.society6.com/kimroseadams.
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Buoy Beer Co. tote bag release from designer Kim Rose Adams
in art, photography, product design, shopping, Oregon, northwest, Astoria
The new tote bags have arrived! Check out Buoy Beer's merchandise website at http://store.buoybeer.com/ very soon to be able to purchase one of the bags I designed for them. Also, they will be for sale right in the brewery so you can stumble away happy with a memento in your arms.
Each 16" x 16" bag has the Buoy logo on both sides paired with my photo of a silhouetted pier on the Columbia River. These are durable and washable - but enough already, just watch the video! Stay tuned for more great things!! Go get some functional art.
I love you, Astoria.
Hello!
in art, photography, travel, northwest, Oregon
It has finally come time to introduce you to all the current features of my new site! Lots of years of exploring my creativity and the outside world have gone into these images. My categorized artworks are often accompanied by links to educational content about what you see in the images, so be sure to roll over the slightly-bolder words in descriptions to satisfy your curiosity. I hope that you become inspired to visit some of these beautiful places yourself!
Also, there are many (Buy) links in image descriptions to outside sites where you can purchase my art prints or designed goods. Original works of art are accompanied by a (Buy) link that goes directly to my PayPal, which asks for your contact info and includes shipping costs within the continental U.S. We will have to chat if you live farther away! For further reading on each image, be sure to visit my page in the collective artist group, Society 6, at https://society6.com/kimroseadams. I have stories to go with most of my photos there, as well as lots of different sizes of fine art giclee prints.
Both older and newer works will be posted in the future as they surface, along with photos directly from my sketchbook. And I have lots more ideas for videos and products that are just in the envisioning process, so stay tuned! It has been a very busy time for me of gathering thoughts and getting this out to the world as my virtual portfolio, as there has recently been a growing demand for both my work and my creative services, which I offer to help you with your own business or personal needs. I truly appreciate every single heart, like, notice, and recommendation you give to my work. Thank you all so much!
Lastly, if you feel like making a contribution to my future education as an artist, financial help with studio up-keep, or art-related travel expenses, I have a special 'Donate' button for that at the bottom of my contact page. Hey, it never hurts to put it out there!