heartbreak.

when I wake up in the morning
when I step out of the shower, wrapped in my towel
when I hear the door open and close
and footsteps in the hall
when I glance down that hall to the living room

when I step in the bedroom
when I see a pile of blankets there
when I turn on the radio
and pick out my clothes for the day
when I switch off the light

when I put on my shoes and socks
when I walk out the door
when I pull into the parking spot
and beep the alarm
when I turn the key and walk back in

when I watch tv
or read a book
when I put on pajamas
and tuck myself in at night

there is a split second
when I expect to see you there
waiting for me

for a hug
for a snack
for a walk
for a chat

cold nose
tail wagging
ears flopping
whiskers turned upwards like some surrealist painter
paws crossed like a gentleman.

Architecture

I recently had the opportunity to do a photo shoot with the Chicago-based band, Architecture. Comprised of three women: Erin Dorr, Melissa Harris, and Rebecca Scott, Architecture has a psychedelic, layered, sound, that is both charming and whimsical.

Erin Dorr

Rebecca Scott

Melissa Harris

Their sound and energy pushed me to go for a Bohemian-inspired, youthful photo shoot. Rebecca also shared with me that they love the '70s photographic style, and they are inspired by the look of films from that era. Keeping that in mind, I bounced some amber light around during some of the interior shots to get a warm, unique, tone in some of the images. I also applied some filters and distressing to some of the images in post-production.


Overall, I'm really happy with the series, and thank the ladies of Architecture for the opportunity to work with them.

Check out the music here: http://architectureband.com/ and keep your eyes peeled for shows!

Torch Singer: These Remote Places EP

These Remote Places is finally complete, and available for listening/downloading/purchasing. The band can't wait to get started on a new batch of songs. Cover art is by Donovan, and the little boat and house images did end up being used as stickers. We played a little show on Sunday, the 13th, to release this recording.

these places

A couple of ideas occurred to me in the early morning hours, and these two images are the results. I was thinking about creating landscapes out of different materials, with lone objects/places in them. The band is almost finished wrapping up our second EP, which we are calling These Remote Places. Donovan had created a series of works by the same name a while ago (you can see them on his blog, here).


I am really happy with the boat on the water, and maybe should just leave it at that. It all flowed so naturally...it's always a bit of a blessing when that happens with work for me. When I am still half-asleep, the work turns out better. Less self-consciousness in my hands, maybe.

Anyhow, I'm feeling good about this as a series overall. Working on some more ideas to add to it, but we'll see. Sometimes, ideas have brief lives.

grandma's wisdom

“Art used to be a mystery to me. Then it seemed to be simply hard work. Now, I think it is both of these. Anything that includes learning appeals to me. As a mother, teacher, in various occupations, through community service and especially through quilting, I have been able to continue learning. The opportunities to experiment with color, fabric, design, scale and dimension are endless; I never expect to get tired of quilting.”

--Barbara Kapost, my grandmother.
Excerpted from her Quilting Autobiography, written for The Ontario Bicentennial Quilt Symposium, 1984.

Missing you and loving you, Grandma.