Cool News! ROAD TRIP

Esther Pearl Watson and I applied for a research & development grant and we got it! Starting on August 15 we are driving across the country to interview people about their personal ideas of beauty. We are going to let what people tell us drive the images and direction of the project, trying to not have too many preconceived notions. This came about because living in L.A. can warp your sense of what is beautiful. You can lose your idea of what is "real" here.

We'll be taping, filming, writing, drawing and painting for a month from Los Angeles to Maine thru the middle of the country, then down the east coast to Atlanta and back across the country via the southern route and ending up at home in September. When we get back we plan to produce a multi-media exhibit about what we found.

If you are interested in being interviewed, let us know and if we come thru your town we'll look you up. We want to talk to men, women, teens, kids, from all nationalities, artists, business people, student...as many different people as we can. Cool beans!!!

Palm trees and foolish shoes

Even though I have lived here for almost 13 years, there are days when I am shocked to realize that I live in frickin' California. What the hell? There is a dang lemon tree in my yard. Free damn lemons! When you grow up in Philly this is a big deal.

Yesterday was one of those days. Somehow Robert Festino (recent ditcher of the east coast) got me to go running with him at the freakin' beach and he got me to run faster and farther. How he do dat? It must have been his crazy yeller shoes. So very coolio. After running, we grabbed brunch in Venice beach, sat outside on the breezy sunny patio, watched the hipsters (including Tom Hanks) walk down the palm tree lined street and (nerd alert!) critiqued the use of arial on a gallery sign.

AND right now I am dog sitting for Mark Todd and Esther Pearl Watson. I'm using their house studio to work so the dogs will have some company. The window of their studio overlooks their POOL and a bunch of banana trees and there is a flock of wild parakeets flying around so I am still freakin' out a little. Sometimes life is very good. You dig?

More chemistry

I had to share these I got today. These are verbatim. I didn't correct anything.

nice,sweetguy knows how to treat awomen with respect.she has to be beautiful and attractive,as long she knows to respect
im simple guy ,attractive,nice,family oriented,honest,sense of humor,sensitive,loooking for a simple girl that i want to spent the rest of my life,hopefully she knows how to cooks,house experienced prefered.

Horny and looking for sex without committment
Just an average guy looking for an average lady who needs more sex than she is getting. Not looking for a permanent relationship although it's not out of the question. Prefer someone who is a good conversationalist and can start up the conversation (I'm not good at starting, but can hold my own once my partner indicates an interest in any subject).

Crocodile Tears

Hey I am in a show in NYC this weekend. Here are my pieces. If you live in NYC check it out at Giant Robot.

There are a ton of good artists in the show. Everything is 5 x 7 and smaller, so should be affordable.

So buy some ART! Recession Shmesession. These are each $400 buck-a-roonies and are 5 x 7 mixed media on wood. They have sparkles on them (the words) which you cannot tell from the scans I did. They would totally look great on your wall, especially together!

Also I started doing a painting-a-day again, but only Monday thru Friday. Check it out on Freedomwig.com. Thanks.

My soulmate

The ice cream picture is random. I took it when I went to Coney Island on Monday.

I know I said I'd write about the Illustration conference but I don't feel like it. Sorry. Go to Drawger and you can see what people had to say about it. It was good thing. I might write something next week.

OK so I am still doing the online dating thing for another month (They don't give refunds). There seem to be a few normal nice guys amongst the countless FREAKS, but I don't think it is where I will find someone groovy to hang out with. Thankfully the freaks are providing me with hours of amusement. Yes I feel a little bad making fun of the profiles I get, but I can't help it. They make me sad and amazed and a little scared.

One more thing, what is the deal with the obsession with "soulmates?" Did I tell you I can't stand it when people say they are looking for a "soulmate." Jeez-loo-EEZE.

OK so which one of these fellas should I date? I have so many to share. I'll post more later.

"I am handsome, attractive, self confident, charming, spontaneous, young at heart, fun, outgoing, witty, established, focused, and strong willed rolled into one. But, who doesn’t claim to be all these things on this site? The truth i that I do possess all of these qualities; although I am human and they may not all be apparent all of the time. Your friends and family will love me, and I believe you could grow to love me too. But, let’s not rush things. I don’t even know your name yet?" Enough about me. So what do you think about me?

"Gifted Man seeks Gifted Woman. I'm an easy going debonair man of many talents. But I don't take myself too seriously. I am passionate about passionate people. I love to have fun and I’m very spontaneous as well as a great dancer. I can dance to any style of music, but being from Chicago, I truly love a strong ballad to slow dance too." Is Chicago known for men slow dancing to strong ballads they truly love?

"Don't worry, be happy! Lets see I'm a single hispanic guy. I have NO skeletons in the closet and NO criminal record. I like going to the movies, the theatre, traveling, outdoors, wine tasting. I don't like smokers, lies, confrontations. I collect coins and cookbooks (Yesssss I like to cook). I like music, pretty much all types, but classic rock is my alltime favorite. Simple guy huuu!" Thank god, NO criminal record huuuu!

"I love children and have adopted a kind and gentle princess (see pic) who is 6 yo. My princess’ royal court includes a nanny and grandma, who lives a mile away. I’m looking for a nurturing, slender, sensual, intellectually curious woman, who will be my life partner. My idea of fulfillment is connecting with my soul mate, working on my research, spending time with family, and eating hot apple pie with mounds of half-melted vanilla ice cream. You, my future partner, understand that your support and passion allow my creativity and productivity to soar, making you a partner in the successes of my research and clinical programs. In turn I try to take care of you in the ways important to you. What quirks do I have? Well…..I love hot, steamy showers. I deal with whatever issues bubble up. It’s also my most creative time. If the womb was any thing this, it’s no wonder that I was two weeks late!"
What the HELL? This one scares me the MOST. You should see his picture. Truly disturbing.

Home

I just got home today after being in NYC since last Sunday. I plan to write some stuff about the Illustration Conference tomorrow. Need to get back on Cally time today.