Friday, October 30, 2009

Naughty: Coming out! A little message for Halloween.

Confession time! Yes, it's about darned time!
It was I who drew the eyes on the temporary construction wall during remodeling in the office at the "firm"!!! Me, me, me!!! And for those who couldn't take it in the right spirit---saying it was "unprofessional" and worrying about what clients may think about it, you can go straight to the devil in your miserable little tightly wound up unimaginative 'fraidy-cat puny world!!! I'm so sorry for the anxiety this may have caused you in your efforts to project the image of the boring and sterile and uncreative office that you desired.  Construction zones are a mess, stressful, noisy, disruptive to all normal daily functions. People who have to live/work/function within those spaces need a blessed break-relief-outlet! to just keep calm and carry on.  I dare say there is almost no temporary construction wall that remains blank of graffiti, art, commentary, cartoons (yes, so some of them are a bit obscene, especially the ones that the construction workers draw themselves), poetry, musings, caricatures (at least I didn't draw a caricature of Mr. C.--- whose last name has a little zu"chinni" in it---the biggest complainer---now that would have been a fun one and there's no doubt everyone would have recognized the caricature-ee).  I really loved everyone who worked there, especially the very sensitive and open-minded nice bald people among those in charge.  We could have had an office game of touch football as a stress reliever or a game of golf in the office, like we did at Starbucks World Headquarters Big Green Mothership on the newly sloping floor during reconstruction after the earthquake with a really nice prize going to the closest putter. But, no, nada, niente, nothing that was not presented as an option---so I consider that I did a public service by drawing the pair of eyes on the temporary construction wall. And when others came along and added their own marks, it indicated the need was there. Do architects not draw anymore or is it expected that sketching is no longer used as a tool to express ideas? And while we're here "confessing": Yes, it was I who cut the two pairs of eyes out of the wall of black plastic covering the construction zone at Starbucks World Headquarters Big Green Mothership, with my sharp little No. 11 X-Acto blade, too. One pair of eyes was at average female eye level and the other was at average male eye level. All the people working in the adjacent open office space LOVED it. And though the facilities people there were whining about it had some concerns, did you happen to notice that I attached transparent plastic over the cutouts so that dust could not possibly migrate into our adjacent work spaces?!!! How can a normal human being work right next to a noisy construction zone without being able to peer inside at the source of the noise and check on progress? And all these people working in the space are in the design and construction industry---like they really aren't curious???? Well, they cannot work right next to or in the middle of a noisy construction zone without being able to peer inside!!! Even huge construction sites that resemble blasted out craters to make way for foundation work for sky scrapers have peep holes for the average passerby to look through from the street. And I consider it cruel and unusual punishment not to allow those living/working daily adjacent to a construction zone to have a LOOK at things if they are normal, and I can't think of anyone there I worked with who was not normal, except perhaps the facilities people who somehow felt they needed to keep everything under cover  :o). And, another thing: All that pounding on the roof at Starbucks World Headquarters Big Green Mothership during post-earthquake reconstruction caused similar vibrations as the earthquake itself, which scared the beegeezus out of all of us frightened us terribly and was the reason for the months of reconstruction in the first place!!! We had to relive the earthquake trauma with every vibrating construction thump! If you want people to occupy a construction zone and "maintain" business as usual (which I say is pretty near impossible), then cut the blessed personnel (in the case of Starbucks World Headquarters Big Green Mothership , the "partners") a little slack. OK, I think I'm done. Ahhhhhh . . . I feel wonderful and just want to let you know, in case you are wondering, it's highly unlikely that in this lifetime (and the next one . . . if there is one) I will stop drawing on walls. - Sparky ;o)




More than anyone else, I enjoy being myself! - Sparky

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Architectural boxes up close

Available for holiday gifts in two local shops or directly from me...email me with inquiries.










Monday, October 26, 2009

Watercolors...


Above:  Seattle Winter Table, Toni Youngblood© ,  12"x15"  watercolor on Fabriano paper $675 framed.


Above:  The portability of watercolor paints makes them perfect for catching stunning scenes while traveling. 



Above:  Judy's Tangerines - Toni Youngblood © 12"x16" watercolor and ink.

Above:  Refill Please - Toni Youngblood©, 6"x4" watercolor & mixed media on paper,
 Under Wraps - Toni Youngblood,© 6"x4" watercolor & mixed media on paper, Not for Sale.
 Catrina Ecuestre - Toni Youngblood©, 16"x12" watercolor & mixed media on paper.
 Figs! - Toni Youngblood© , 6"x4" watercolor & mixed media on paper.
Cowl - Toni Youngblood© , 6"x4" watercolor & mixed media on paper, SOLD.
 Tulip Tabletop Topography - Toni Youngblood 30"x22" watercolor, $195 unframed


 Tetons - Toni Youngblood 30"x22" watercolor, $195 unframed


 Montepulciano Dusk - Toni Youngblood 30"x22" watercolor, $195 unframed


Expecting to Fly - Toni Youngblood 30"x22" watercolor, $150 unframed

Everything you need will fit into a bag about the size of a small to medium purse and you just need a bottle of water and a couple of collapsible cups and you're equipped. Many of the paintings in this post were done on-site while I was traveling through the Mediterranean in Italy, Greece and Turkey. 
 
 Above:  View on the Island of Santorini, Greece©  SOLD

 Santorini Revisited, Watercolor on Arches paper, 18"x15" - Toni Youngblood©  SOLD

Amalfi Hillside, Watercolor on Arches paper, 5"x7" - Toni Youngblood 2013© $200 unframed.

Others are inspired by what I see closer to home.
 Edge of the Pond (Morris Graves Estate Woodway, Washington) Toni Youngblood 2012©  $600 framed.

Fred's Birthday Dessert, 4"x6" watercolor, Toni Youngblood © NFS


Seattle Winter Table, Toni Youngblood©  SOLD.

Croquet Balls, 9"x 9", Toni Youngblood ©  $350 framed.

 Pisces Girl, Watercolor on Arches paper, Toni Youngblood©  NFS

Aussie Skier, Watercolor on Arches paper, Toni Youngblood© , NFS
The images directly below were commissioned a few years ago by Scott Hale, owner of the Pub Group Restaurants in Salt Lake City for use in advertising on programs for the Salt Lake Acting Company and for the local PBS TV station. The paintings toward the end include subjects from nature, short-pose portraits and book illustration.

Martin SOLD
The Desert Edge  SOLD

Taormina Afternoon SOLD
Theater at Ephesus SOLD

Amalfi View from Villa Cimbrone SOLD
Temple of Neptune SOLD
Expecting to Fly, 15"x12"  Toni Youngblood©, framed SOLD

Anna's Sunflower 7"x 5" SOLD

ala Zubaran 7"x5" SOLD                       



Peace 7"x5" SOLD
Villa Chimbrone SOLD


Heartfelt Letter  12"x9"  SOLD


Untangling Thoughts  15"x12", Toni Youngblood © $150 unframed

Onion Bouquet 7"x5"  SOLD























Caye, 12"x 9" Toni Youngblood © $30 unframed



Saturday, October 24, 2009

I can see clearly now...


Looking at the dogs through the new glazed back door.

The new glazed back door.
Current view of the east wall.

"Before" view of the east wall.
Current view of the south wall.
"Before" view of the south wall.
I'm thrilled that I can stand at my kitchen door and look out through the backroom door (Pre-hung Therma-Tru door found on ksl.com for less than 40% of the in the store cost---just installed today) and see my back walkway, yard, garage and pups waiting to come inside. The old solid-core door can be seen leaning against the garage in the doggie photo. I can also look through six new large windows and see gorgeous leaves turning colors on the trees and a peek-a-boo teaser of Mt. Olympus. After the leaves have fallen, I will be able to see a panoramic view of all the mountains to the east---Yippee! I've included a couple of "before" pictures (third from the top) of the same window wall in the room as it was originally built, with one microscopic window for the entire space and terrifyingly under-sized and randomly-spaced framing members!

LIKE

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...