Photo Love.

Mariko's new work blew me away this month! The show is a mix of her cloud project and a brand new unnamed (as of yet) series she has started; of which we have been promised much more to come. You can check out her and Nathan's show at the Caterina this month (I posted about them a while ago...here). They also have an article in the Inlander that comes out today!!!!

....and - I wanted to share some photo love from the opening night. Eye candy for sure!Keep your eye on this one! Contact Mariko through www.marikosullivan.carbonmade.com

Gifting 10

1. yellena (I gave Jacinda one of her flower prints last Spring)
I have been doing all my holiday shopping on Etsy this year...and my gifts are starting to arrive. It feels great I love supporting handmade. The adorable packaging and personal touches make it absolutely worth it. I have to confess though....it is extremely hard not to just buy all kinds of lovelies for myself.

(I have done well...not a single thing for me)

So, today in all of it's hecticness I wanted to share some tempting favorites from Etsy. We'll call it pretty gifting tuesday.

2. the good machinery
3. common decency4. spinthread
5. betsy walton
6. kissa design7. smock8. elle moss9. pretty little thieves10. Salty and Sweet
Happy Holidays.

word.

My new happy word cloud by by: Wordle.

I found this today....I had it take words from a link to my blog.
(It is kinda addicting - so beware!)

Snowglobe

Spokane is tumbling. It seems as if all at once things got shook up and jarred loose...and how perfect is it that the snow has followed?What do artists James Pants and Kaylee Cole, the Lorinda Knight Gallery, and the Empyrean Coffee House have in common? A fork (in their path).

Have you ever been underwater while someone is shouting at you? The racket is unmistakable yet the message fails to be comprehended. With all the buzz around town I managed to miss both the James Pants and Kaylee Cole farewell shows. Spokane has lost two noteworthy young performers.

Spokane knows the Lorinda Knight Gallery as the most prestigious (hoity-toity) gallery around. Our only "Big City" (not that Spokane isn't) gallery. As an artist when you signed on with Lorinda Knight that meant that all other Spokane galleries were out, you were in contract and could only show there. This is where all of our "Professional Artists" from this area showed. It was also the place to go and see the amazing talent brought in from outside our area. One problem...Lorinda is retiring and there is a bit of an upset with the art community.
The Empyrean, this might be the best of my Spokane Snow Globe news. The Empyrean will be relocating. After a horrible landlord, sprinkler laws threatening their demise, and countless other obstacles the beloved Empyrean will be moving seven blocks East on Washington and Second in the newly coined SoDo district. The former Big Dipper will now become the Empyrean concert Venue.

I have lived in Spokane for 7 years now. In this past year I have met more people than the other 6 that I have been here. Spokane arts and music are organizing and starting to come together. The Empyrean and Neato/Baby Bar are the downtown concert spots for emerging artists. Not only do they have monthly art shows, but have local artists do their concert posters. Riverspeak is a brand new arts collective that has been started. It's an outlet for artists, musicians, and writers to work together (there is a meeting on Tues if anyone is interested). Here is an example from a couple weeks ago of a perfectly executed idea....Mariah of the Spovangelist writes a post about street fashion and the need for its documentation to fight the stereotype of an unfashionable Spokane. Tyson Habein of SPOKE(a)n(e) Magazine and Yellow House Photography reads and immediately posts a link to it on Facebook. Then Riverspeak takes it one step further making it into a call for submissions to photographers for an online art show. The deadline is Wednesday if you would still like to participate.

Where does this leave us? Is it half empty or full? I say the second. With The Pants and Kaylee moving away it will be nice to have them out there spreading love for Spokane and defending us from the bigger cities. I'm not sure what James is up to, but Kaylee Cole is off recording in Cali with her favorite producer (of all times!) and doing wonderfully new and exciting things. There is no doubt that when they return to play here we will be patiently waiting to accept them with open arms. Speaking of which Kaylee will be back in town next week and I had the honor of making the poster: (notice the states)As for Lorinda Knight it was a wonderful gallery and an asset to our community. I wish her the best in retirement. I am hoping that this may force our more conservative professional artists into less traditional settings. This situation seems to add to the void of serious venues, but hope is not lost. Hell, this is inspiring and challenging...be creative in your solutions...(enjoy it)! Good news is, there are dreams out there. A certain active member of our community has lofty, yet completely attainable, goals for a new type of gallery/venue in Spokane. That sounds like a cryptic message, but I guess we just need to remember that with this slot opening it is our turn as artists to support those who usually provide shelter for our works. Again cryptic - sorry. It would be a shame not to mention that there has also been some talk of a Phantom Gallery project for next year. I don't have nearly enough information on this to do it justice - so that is an entirely different post to come.

The Empyrean, as a concert venue, will be in a fun new space with a full kitchen and pizza ovens...I don't even need to say more (but I will). Help us support Chrissy and Michelle as they undertake this enormous task of relocating. I am excited to say I will get to be the first artist to show in their new space!...IN JANUARY - eek- I have a lot of work to do.

Things in Spokane have been shaken, but we in no means are lacking. If you still don't believe me hop over to Riverspeaks blog and read Brook's post (I just found) - a sister to mine (but maybe a little more inspirational!!!) lol - take that Spokane.

p.s. Brook included the Phantom Gallery info that I was lacking...go check it out.

Wanna draw on my floor?

This seems like a nice present to find underneath your floor...many many years in the future!

I have to tell you, this was not planned. One minute I am asking Mariko if she wants to drawn on the floor with me, and maybe five minutes later the camera is set up and things are coming alive....like dirt clods and little ghosty bird spermys. This was a nice pre pre test with the stop motion, we actually learned a ton!


Just wait for the next one....

a friend...

I was debating what to post about today checking out Spokane artists on Flickr. Side note: I think I have to break down and finally start a Flikr page. (sorry) Anyways, I found a photo of my new friend Asha...and then another and another. I had been meaning to call her today about something else all together...and then I knew what to write about. Funny how things work! ♥

Asha is a pretty pretty tattooed Lady and a perfect model. All these photos are by local photographer John Austin.

I have been slowly edging back into photography lately (hence all the Flikr activity) and couldn't imagine a better subject! Spokane it seems has an abundance of up and coming photographers. If you would like to contact Asha about modeling via email: asha.linn@gmail.com

Also, it would be a shame not to mention that she has an extremely talented artist for a boyfriend, and I am sure sooner than later you will see his work gracing the pages of the Ugly Yellow!

Have a lovely weekend!

Bee Hive

First - I know, two post in one day...oh my. Jacinda said my last post was depressing and she thought I might need a hug. Well, here is some HAPPY to cheer everyone up.

Bee Hive on flicker, blue cocoon on Etsy....Cassie Kammerzell I ♥ your world.

I can't say which place I found her work first, but it makes me smile. A Spokane artist is all I know... so I'll let the images speak.

Greetings

The other day I ran into two old friends I haven't seen in years (different times, same day). It was strange to tell these long lost drifters of my new found roots planted so very deeply in this place. I've been in an interesting mood ever since. For some reason I can't stop thinking about when I first arrived in this fine city...and the things I fell in love with.The Downtowner Motel - once upon a while ago.

I was searching for the mysterious Tiffany's Roller Skating Rink which I was once informed of by a neighbor (who smoked on my porch every single day). Instead I found this great archive of vintage photos on SportSuburban's photostream. There is a wealth of imagery from Spokane's past on Flicker. Unfortunately none of my rink. I knew this one immediately when I saw it:
I work in a Motel converted office building in the heart of the downtown...Spokane's Davenport district. It was one of Spokane's finest in its day (or so I've heard). Sitting in my 4th floor windowed office I overlook the raised pool planter box. I can't help but wonder what it must have been like.

Will we look back in 40 years and appreciate what surrounded us day to day? Will we be reminded of the good ole days by decaying pieces of our youth tucked deeply into the city around us? Will we sit smoking on the porch reminiscing with the youngsters that flock to us for our wisdom? Will we leave our mark?

such pretty pretty art I see

I'm deep in commission work, painting portraits, t-shirt illustrations, cd and poster designs....not to mention a half made 'alloween costume! Do you get seasonal depression? Jacinda says we are like this every year, though I am not sure. I feel as if my emotions got stored in a pumpkin and rolled down S. Lincoln. It's random though; I am happy a lot too in an insane kind of way.

Enough about me, what about you? ...or maybe NATHAN ELLEFSON?

Terrain 2009. (If you live in Spokane and do not know of such Terrains it's time you jump on the art bus, if you do not reside in Spokane consider this is a free pass for now) This year at Terrain there were (approximately - exacts are difficult) 3,100 attendees, and tons and tons of great local talent. I found my pieces mingling between two of my favorite emerging local artists; one new found and the other a good friend...Nathan Ellefson and Mariko Sullivan.

Oh Nathan...
Our unofficial audience favorite of Terrain 2009: Nate Ellefson. Originally from Richland WA he found his way to the 'Can' via Whitworth Collage where he is studying Printmaking and will be graduating in May this coming year. Crossing my fingers I ventured to ask the golden question...shall you be staying? I got a maybe, as he is still considering Grad School...saying "If I don't get into somewhere I'm excited about I can definitely see myself sticking around." The Printmakers that have been coming out of Whitworth are something to keep your eye on. Nate is only one of several who have my attention.

Email contact info for Nathan is: nellefson10@my.whitworth.edu ...in case you may want to contact him? You can check out his work this coming December 4th at the Caterina Winery along side my old pal Mariko Sullivan's. A perfectly splendid duet put together by Sasha Turner the gallery manager of Caterina.

Oh Mariko....These are two of my favorite images from Mariko's show currently hanging at the Empyrean Coffee House (only for a day or so more though). She found her way to Spokane after attending Evergreen in Olympia studying Art and Writing. I got to know Mariko in a very interesting way this past Spring. Almost complete strangers starting out, we created art together in the kitchen of my very small apt for a show at the very same Empyrean earlier this year. In a way she helped me get comfortable working in front of others. It was a productive yet trying month and I came to LOVE and adore her work from an insiders point of view. I simply cannot wait to see her show at Caterina with Nate. Their characters will hold an intriguing dialog and play well off each other.

You can check out more of Mariko's work in her Carbonmade portfolio at www.MarikoSullivan.carbonmade.com.
If you are an artist and in need of a portfolio check out Carbonmade. It is an extremely simple, uncluttered, easy to use, and free (unless you want the Whoo!) way to show off your work. Dang, that was a lot of love in one sentence. In fact it was Mariko who introduced us...check out mine: www.TiffanyPatterson.carbonmade.com.

It's the real love, I see so in your eyes.

I have pledged my eternal love and dedication to the Ugly Yellows (at least until we repaint).

My partner puts up with a lot. This is our future craft room (first coat of paint). Imagine beautiful dark bamboo floors, clean white molding and thin white cotton curtains with the sun shinning in. I have been cheating on my blog with our new house. It was purchased and then gutted, so I have been a little busy.

We have slowed down and are only visiting the hardware store about 3-4 times a week now. I have developed a slight crush on paint samples. I can't leave without a handful (I have a favorite paint guy too...Tom). Their names make me smile and I dream of having the job of naming paints, finding inspiration in anything and everything. Our living room is Playful Pool, with Sea Tickle for the ceiling (white crown molding to come). The gray in our bathroom is City Storm, and that oh so lovely orangey mustard of the craft room is Golden Avocado. Since I mixed the color for the top wall and ceiling myself (there was no perfect hue) I get to name it....so I am calling it Green Mamba Stellified.

A co-worker introduced me to the music of Ian Brown; of which I am now hopelessly obsessed with his song Stellify (it might also be my new favorite descriptive word). The tune has been looping in my head over and over ever since. Jacinda even caught me full out dancing to it and yelled at me like I was 5 years old..."Tiffany! Stop dancing and go get the extension cord!" I feel like I am 5 a lot. Doo doo doo "I stellify. I'm miles high...Shinning like a diamond in the darkness of the sky. "