Two Favorite Things

Jazz music

Abstract Expressionist painting

John Coltrane recording album cover, ca. 1957

Coltrane at the Guggenheim Museum in NYC, ca. 1957

Franz Kline, Mural ca. 1940's

Chief, Franz Kline, 1950 (Museum of Modern Art)

Coltrane "playing"

Coltrane in thought...(wife, Alice in background was a professional pianist), 1962.

Franz Kline, Street Scene, 1949

Franz Kline, Main, ca. 1949

Coltrane stretch, ca. 1957

Franz Kline, Figure 8, 1952

Coltrane was capable of playing melody...

Kline was capable of skilled representation...

But, I'm glad they ventured beyond conventions...

TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY!

My first cake decorating attempt during a group cake decorating "workshop" a few years ago.

I am celebrating the day by focusing on pulling together application materials for exhibits of my art work at four venues in the upcoming year!

Take the Bunny Shopping...

I already have a collection of my own shopping bags so that I don't bring home the groceries in plastic anymore.  But I just ran across this shopping bag here, and had to share, because I think it is just the cutest darn little thing!

 Bunny Bags!

 from the online shop, Twine...

 The shopping bag stuffs into a little zippered bunny shape!

I love them!

Hmmm...this may not be the best bag for me to take on a shopping trip accompanied by my greyhounds... 

topresson.blogspot.com

Count Down: Two days remaining...

Above:  Corner junction of Benjamin Moore's Cloud White ceiling and (Benjamin Moore's match of) Ralph Lauren's Montauk Driftwood walls.  This Regal line of Benjamin Moore interior paint is a dream to work with, by the way!

Above:  Last night I spent cleaning the wall board mud off the brick where the new walls came in contact with the old brick wall.  I used a scraper then went back with a damp toothbrush.  In case you are wondering---I didn't think this was very much fun.

Yesterday, we (Mark the builder) replaced the old door (that had a big hole in it from where the previous owners had run their flexible clothes dryer vent hose through it) that leads into the adjacent bedroom (used to be a laundry room???  Old houses have long checkered histories.).  The trim work for windows and doors has been delivered and now needs to be cut and installed and painted with the final paint color (Benji Moore's Cloud White in pearl finish) along with the old existing trim work around the kitchen door and transom window.

Above:  The entire load of pre-finished maple flooring is here.  Prior to installation of the flooring, we need to clean the sub-floor and lay down the craft paper.

Above:  Patient vintage crystal chandelier waits to be hung over the breakfast table when the room is completed.

OK, so it looks like my birthday "present" (completion of the building project by February 25) will be late.  But at least progress is accelerating over what it was before!

A Creative Life...

This month we lost a creative soul, whose work in many areas will be remembered and enjoyed for a long, long time.  Kenvin Lyman was an artist, graphic artist, musician, food and wine aficionado, organic farmer...

Above: Led Zeppelin Concert Poster design by Kenvin Lyman, featured on Salt Lake Concert Posters blog.

Salt Lake Concert Posters features concert posters Kenvin Lyman designed for musical performances in the 1960's, mentions light shows he produced for many of these events, and speaks about the 1998 exhibit of  Salt Lake Sixties.  Read a tribute to Kenvin Lyman from his memorial here.

This Friday's Gallery Stroll - February 18, 2011

Above:  Alien Babies, Deral Barton, ceramic 

Above:  Digital Collage, Steve Jerman

Charley Hafen Jewelers - Gallery  features two artists this month:  Recent Ceramic Pieces by Deral E. Barton and Steve Jerman’s exhibit, “Mergings”, provocative fine art imagery using digital collage. 

A reception for the artists will be held during Gallery Stroll evening from 6:00 till 9:00 p.m.


Charley Hafen Jewelers - Gallery
1409 South 900 East
Salt Lake City, UT 84105 
Telephone: 801-521-7711 
http://www.charleyhafen.com/
Hours: Monday - Friday 12 – 7,
Saturday 10 – 2, Closed Sunday

For a complete list of participating galleries in this month's Gallery Stroll go here.

A special thank you note to my new followers!  I'm hoping to have 50 followers show up in my Followers list by the end of 2011.  If you are a regular reader (By the stats, I can tell you are out there---by the way---Welcome to you, too!), I'd love it if you become a follower, too.  It's easy---just click on the "FOLLOW" button and follow the directions.  ;o)

Happy Valentine's Day - LOVE, PEACE and HOPE...

credit: marissaneave.com


Above is Robert Indiana's famous and popular LOVE sculpture in New York City.  Did you know he also created a LOVE sculpture for the same word in Hebrew?

Ahava (אהבה "love" in Hebrew), Cor-ten steel,  Robert Indiana American Sculptor, Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel


"Indiana's work often consists of bold, simple, iconic images, especially numbers and short words like EAT, HUG, and, his best known example, LOVE."  from Wikipedia

His "iconic work LOVE was first created for a Christmas card for the Museum of Modern Art in 1964 and later was included on an eight-cent United States Postal Service postage stamp in 1973, the first of their regular series of 'love stamps.' The first serigraph/silk screen of 'Love' was printed as part of an exhibition poster for Stable Gallery in 1966 (See Love and The American Dream. The Art of Robert Indiana, page 87)." from Wikipedia


For a quick background on the artist visit Wikipedia, Robert Indiana.

Check out "Google" today and, most importantly, remember to love the ones you're with!  

<3     <3   <3

Bright Cozy Room available February 14, 2011

Learn more here.

Last minute Valentine's Day card...

Above:  Love you with all my heART, Toni Youngblood   ©

Remember this coming Monday, February 14th is Valentine's Day! You can purchase the card shown above by going here.

Wonder: Dr. Leila Denmark turns 113 on February 1, 2011!

A happy update to this post on Dr. Denmark.

Above:  Boston Cream Cupcake, Toni Youngblood, 2010

Happy 113th Birthday, Dr. Denmark!!!

20 days left and counting down...

 Ceiling and walls primed and ready for paint!!!  (Looking Southeast)

Above:  Original outside wall (which is now inside the room) of the 99 year-old house will be cleaned but not painted---allowing it to tell its story.

Above:  The maple flooring, with graining of subtle greys

Above:  Montauk Driftwood

Above:  Cloud White

Above:  I had the gentlemen at Benjamin Moore match Ralph Lauren's Montauk Driftwood for the wall color.  The ceiling will be painted with Benjamin Moore Cloud White.  I selected Benjamin Moore's Interior Regal line in "pearl" finish.

Below:  Reminders of the "Before" 

condition of the never completed "room" with its irregular spacing of studs and ceiling joists, and questionable salvaged materials had been used for its construction.  When I moved into the house, this room had a leaking roof, rotten floor, only one tiny window and smelled pretty bad. Unfortunately we could save nothing of the original, but the foundation. And the foundation needed a little work, too.  The existence of this nasty room added on the back was almost enough to prevent me from even considering looking at this otherwise-wonderful house, while I was house shopping!

Above:  Before - Looking South

Above:  Before - Looking Southeast at the only window in the original space

Above:  Otherwise-wonderful house from the front!

Sunny Day Teaser

Toni Youngblood, Pen and ink sketch on paper

Above:  Last week's weather---or at least, my vision of last week's weather, while walking my hounds!

Today the sun is shining and we have clear blue skies.  This type of day teases us into thinking Spring is just around the corner here in the Mountain West.  I'm hoping the ground hog is right on, and I'll take these days whenever we get them and hold out for the hope of an early Spring!

February...

Above:  Pieces:  My (chopstick) paintbrush holders - T. Youngblood

February is my favorite month.  My birthday is the 25th.  And I've loved Valentine's Day since I was a child, when on that day friends and neighbors would ring our doorbell and run, leaving sweets and sweet notes for our family.  A little mystery, magic and sentiment.  And of course, there's the water sign Pieces (the Sun is in Pisces roughly from February 20 to March 20, ending on the moment of vernal equinox by definition), the two fish swimming in opposing directions, the wise old man of the universe and the mutable dreamy romantic.

Above:  The back room last winter - insulated and furnished, but construction not complete! T. Youngblood

We are shooting (like cupid) to have the back room interiors done by my birthday (on the 25th).  Yesterday I purchased the paint for walls and ceiling.  I think the accomplishment of having the room completed for occupancy is reason for celebration and if it is done in time for my birthday---I want to have a blowout---and everyone is invited!

An art history professor of mine once said that "romantic, is anything of another time, not the present---and any other place, not where we are now."  I kind of get what he was saying, in that we tend to romanticize the past and sometimes the future, and we tend to romanticize other places...probably the reason we want to take vacations there.

Today I'm posting photos of romantic sofas (like my drop cloth covered old sofa "Rosie" shown in the photo above) to celebrate design of the past and the first day of February, the month of romance.  (Oh!  And did I mention that my birthday is on the 25th?)  P.S.  Does anyone know who the nice person is who gave me a year's subscription to Veranda magazine, the first issue of which I received in yesterday's mail?  :o)

Above:  "Rosie" patiently awaiting her room...