24 days away:

Here is some visual love for this cold, snowy Saturday. Enjoy your weekend!

I am off to feed the birds some breadcrumbs & then it is off to the city to learn a little about knitting & spend time with family.

25 days away

Valentines Day is 25 days away. Soon, it will be time to spread the love as far & as wide as possible. While love is important every day of the year, on this day there is a focus like no other. Playing around with photo booth yesterday, I began getting ready for this day of love, playing with some images of my favorite symbol of all: the heart.

Lost Cat alert

This popped up this week on light posts in the neighborhood. I actually had a cat come over to me on my way to vote today. I called out "Fuzz"? but got not response. Noticing a collar and tag I reached down and read the name "Juno". Wishing Juno well, I began walking away, only to find my leg cat tackled! I guess Juno was offended my only interest in him was if he was lost, not found. 

If you see Fuzz, call his family-it sounds like they miss him. 

A real winner

I saw this today & had to share it. My only regret-I missed this sale. Would have loved to pick me up some pink flamingos! (In all seriousness = very nice design & a definite winner for the best yard sale sign category. I do hope this inspires folks in the neighborhood to kick it up a notch when it comes to their yard & garage sale design...a girl can wish, can't she? )

The origin of "spread the love"

This may have been where it all began. An attempt to send love across the pond...

In summer of 2008 while enjoying my favorite NYC bridge I happened upon the "telectroscope"  set up by English artist Paul St George- & the group Artichoke . I was so inspired when I saw this visual link to London (& N.Y.C. via the Brooklyn base of the Brooklyn Bridge)  I excitedly ran home & created some signs to hold up for the people of London to see.  ( There was only the visual to rely on for communication-no audio-so signs seemed the perfect idea...)

Having taught classes in map and mobility skills to blind and visually impaired children I have long had a love of symbols. Simple, well designed symbols that are meant to convey so much. The heart has long been a favorite of mine-showing up in almost every Valentine card design I have ever created & many of my silkscreen prints & cut paper art. Of course, the heart was what I chose to draw for this special message.
One interesting note: I recently worked with pediatric patients at a N.Y. hospital and had an interesting conversation with one young patient who told me of her disappointment at learning one's actual heart looked nothing like the image/ symbol we use so often to depict the heart. She thought one's real heart looked ugly in comparison. She was truly disillusioned that the image we all embrace is so disconnected from the heart that resides within each one of us. I'll never forget this idea of hers & I think about it as I create my heart images. 
Last weekend I saw the "Afghanistan:Hidden Treasures From the National Museum" show at the Metropolitan Museum . In many of the amazing pieces on display I spotted heart motifs. One of the most mesmerizing was a thin gold crown...it again got me thinking about how the heart motif came into being...does anyone out there know?

If you are curious about the telectroscope you can go here for more info.

One and Other

One and Other

Some images from the plinther project "One & Other" by Anthony Gormley . You can upload images to create your own plinther by going here.

This art piece is somewhat similar to the one Artichoke brought to Brooklyn last summer .One very wonderful aspect of this type of art is the excitement, enthusiasm & sense of connection it creates in those that come upon it & participate in it. I vividly  recall how wondrous this felt, as if we all were connected in some real and deep way. So I watch the "One & Other" plinth participants knowing a little of what they might be feeling. Exited. Wondrous. Connected. ART.