poorworm

It’s hard to know what to do in times when disaster strikes. One artist, Diem Chau has created a fabulous way to contribute, plus you could win a fabulous portrait carved from Crayons! Go to Diem’s blog here, donate $ and sign up for the raffle.

Also come, next weekend March 26-27, to a giant art sale at KOBO at HIGO in the International Distract, all proceeds to benefit the International Red Cross. For more info on participating artists, how to get involved through volunteering and details on where and when click on the logo below.

Erin Toale, artist and curator who now resides in Chicago to earn a masters degree, organized a print exchange for almost 20 folks. Artists from the east and west coast will be mailing prints to each other and I am so excited to be a part of it. Here’s a peak at what people will receive from me.

Can you tell which are the real potatoes?

I am trying to make a dozen. Below is a real potato and a clay potato side by side.

Both are real, but only one is edible.

Uh, yeah, am I crazy for doing so much? Uh why yes Ms. Shafkind, we believe you are. She talks to herself and writes in the 3rd person.

This Thursday, come check out an interactive installation at the TK Building in Pioneer Square on Gallery 40, Post on Your Wall. More info coming soon.

And then the following week: 2 shows -

SOIL Auction, see below for my contribution. These mugs are from my performance piece at On the Boards, My Life in Pictures, most people don’t know that I was a child actor in the late 70′s and early 80′s.

And opening October 15th, Picture Us, a show of work from the faculty at the Photo Center Northwest.

In honor of the 30th anniversary of the film Xanadu, released in August of 1980, I have curated a show at SOIL, written an essay for City Arts magazine, and on August 8th there will be a screening at Print Zero Studios. I hope you can check out some of the crazy magical fun going on this month!

End of June I finished my MFA in Visual Art through the Art Institute of Boston @ Lesley University. This past residency I presented work, defended my thesis and gave a final talk/lecture/performance that included a sing along. There were many fine aspects on this final visit, one of the highlights was an elective seminar with Cesare Peitroiusti, a brilliant artist/thinker/person who challenged us to re-think the USE of items/ideas/encounters and as a class we discussed all sorts of notions in relation to art/life/everything. Other highlights included some wonderful objects created by my colleagues. See below for a few images from the residency. And check the gallery link to the side for more.

Last weekend it was a tiny bone hand, yesterday three mystery shoes. My dear friend Todd J. witnessed the entirety of The Shoe Story, so if this sounds like the ramblings of a loon, you can verify with him. The first one appeared at my middle school. Just a little lonely green shoe, stuck outside a locker. Waiting, wanting, curious perhaps. I saw it on the floor as we walked down the music hallway. We came to school on saturday to get a few things from my classroom. I am leaving my teaching position in middle school to move to a high school in the fall. I thought the shoe was poignant and a little sad.

After clearing out a car load of things (and there will be more sessions for clearing out, but not until early July) we headed over to Belltown to the Form/Space Atelier run by Paul Pauper. He gave us a tour of the show and then we visited The Underground, a fabulous venue for The Punk Rock Flea Market and various other shows. It was there that I saw this little blue shoe hanging from the latch to the back door. Odd, lovely still life, and it’s curious visual similarity to the first shoe, left me wandering, is this a sign?

Then a bit later, we’re in Georgetown for Art Attack, the super-great 2nd Saturday Art Walk in the heart of the Georgetown neighborhood of Seattle. Now, the third shoe was even more mysterious. When I saw it, I knew this had to be about something. Three little lonely shoes in one day? This one was high up on a pole, on a nail, that pierced a book onto a phone pole. A little black Converse, hanging in the air. Todd lifted me onto his shoulders to snap the photo. What could all the shoes mean?

all images taken with my cellphone.

I found this tiny bone hand in my driveway yesterday. Some friends were outside working and I spotted it in the dirt. At first it scared me and I didn’t want to touch it. One friend dug it out, as he released it from the soil I stuck out my hand to take it and then I knew it was sign. So many hands have helped me, so many connections, like tiny bones we are forever linked. I know it must seem morbid…but I think it’s beautiful too.

Asking friends to take pictures, minus props and costumes, but still playing with posing – here’s some of the latest results.

This is from a negative that my grandfather sent a few months ago. Aren’t they dashing?