The Collective

A group of artists were approached by the local bed and breakfast group to be available to have our studios open for visitors coming to Trumansburg. It would be a nice marketing hook for this group and made sense except to her crankiness, me. My big beef is that these nice studio tours that would be tagged into a marketing plan for the B&Bs would hold me hostage to being open (even on the weekends) and manifest itself in someone buying a box of cards to be "nice". Profit to the B&Bs (free programming) and profit to the visitor (free stuff to do)--but it made me cranky. So, when approached, I said NO, no no...but. It's the Buts that always get me into trouble. I said, what if we posted a site of artists in the area and if, just if, your visitor wanted to see the stuff live, they could call or email (which is part of the site) and we could accomodate. We, the artists, get our work out to a larger group. They, the Bed and Breakfasts have a gumdrop to offer to their guests. And, we get to portray a group of artists that are in our little town, on our quiet plateau, to not just the visitors but to those who live and work in Tburg. A letter went out to around forty people and we are putting up mini sites (Luckystone providing gratis), and we have gone live. It is nice to see the range of work, of artists, of people--and from what I can see coming in through email and snail mail, this should be a nice offering. Now, I need to think about how we get the URL out to the broader world so we can begin to get some hits. Today, it's sending it out to you all. Then, mid May, a note to the Chamber of Commerce, Community Arts Partnership and a few other arts organizations in Tompkins, Broome, Chemung, Schuyler and Steuben Counties. Need to see if there are any freebie places to site the site. We'll see.

check it out>> The Trumansburg Art Collective>>

IF Primitive [Fear]


I fear me you but warm the starvèd snake,
Who, cherished in your breasts, will sting your hearts.
William Shakespeare (1564–1616)

Snakes strike primitive fear in most of us--one of the most primitive creatures striking an ancient chord. Especially me (down to the garden snakes that nestle against our stone foundation that startle me while I pull weeds and hack at the nasty sumac that establishes roots where it's warm).

From the Ape, Little Chimp Society

Just a short and sweet newsletter. Although a number of you already know, I just wanted to bring to the attention to those who don't that recently the LCS was plagiarized (images and LCS interviews) and published as a book called Colorful Illustrations 93 degrees C! This was done with the knowledge or permission of me or anyone involved.

For more information read my blog post about it...
http://apefluff.com/colorful-illustrations-93c-please-do-not-buy-this-book/

What can you do to help? :)

Please make as many people aware of this as possible by linking to the above post from any social networks, blogs, portal, or news submission sites you can get to. This will bring awareness to the situation and hopeful shame the resellers into removing it from there stock and sites.

And if anyone is feeling brave please ring Index Book on (+34) 93 454 55 47 and ask them POLITELY to stop selling it :) Please they are Spanish, but have English speaking staff.

I personally use http://www.jajah.com/ for long distance calls.

Thanks for your time and I appreciate your continued support.

Geekin' oh girl


Today is the end of week of travel, visiting and work.

I got some good direction on a calendar publication I am doing for the Museum of Glass. We have been working with the inspiration of the calendar being the front section of the New Yorker, the same from New York Magazine and a children's magazine...I think Time Out. So the theme is packed copy...tight tight, everything columnar and gridded--limited silhouettes and run-arounds. I found a cool font, Conduit, that is a workhorse in this pub as its a bit condensed and fresh (not overused), so with a bit of negative spacing, and slightly tighter leading, I am able to make the graphs relatively black looking. The real trick here is that the client needs multiple layers of headlines (about 4 treatments) ---that tier...and after yesterday, I think we are there. The other nice thing about this pub is that it is 6" x 12" ( a one by two unit page--which becomes a square or a one by one unit in the spreads). So the size is cool too. I hope to get this sharpened up today.

We also have a bunch of other publications in the mix that need to be resolved. Additionally, I need to comb through an identity manual for use in India. Erich and I reviewed a manual out of Sweden yesterday and was scratching our heads as the color aspect of the manual was a bit more than we usually provide or even read...showing cmyk, rgb, pantone color--all the known world. However, this team insists that designers work with LAB colors, which essentially is a photoshop color-space that is just that--a color-space--that in order to output(read print or display) needs to be translated to cmyk or rgb. It does provide a consistent way to deal with files--Wiki talks about the advantages of Lab:

Advantages of Lab

Unlike the RGB and CMYK color models, Lab color is designed to approximate human vision. It aspires to perceptual uniformity, and its L component closely matches human perception of lightness. It can thus be used to make accurate color balance corrections by modifying output curves in the a and b components, or to adjust the lightness contrast using the L component. In RGB or CMYK spaces, which model the output of physical devices rather than human visual perception, these transformations can only be done with the help of appropriate blend modes in the editing application.
Because Lab space is much larger than the gamut of computer displays, printers, or even human vision, a bitmap image represented as Lab requires more data per pixel to obtain the same precision as an RGB or CMYK bitmap. In the 1990s, when computer hardware and software was mostly limited to storing and manipulating 8 bit/channel bitmaps, converting an RGB image to Lab and back was a lossy operation. With 16 bit/channel support now common, this is no longer such a problem.
Additionally, many of the “colors” within Lab space fall outside the gamut of human vision, and are therefore purely imaginary; these “colors” cannot be reproduced in the physical world. Though color management software, such as that built in to image editing applications, will pick the closest in-gamut approximation, changing lightness, colorfulness, and sometimes hue in the process, author Dan Margulis claims that this access to imaginary colors is useful going between several steps in the manipulation of a picture

Hewlett Packard describes Lab color this way:
Lab Color Space Model

Lab is a theoretical color model that describes color in three planes: L, a, and b. This color model is not tied to any display/output device, as is the case with RGB and CMYK. This color model is consequently considered a 'device-independent' color model, and does not carry with it the inherent gamut limitations of monitors or printers. The three planes of Lab describe the following:

L = describes how light a color is (range = 0 to 100; higher numbers are lighter)
a = describes how red/green a color is (range = -128 to 127; + values are more red; - values are more green)
b = describes how yellow/blue a color is (range = -128 to 127; + values are more yellow; - values are more blue)

I love it --color you cannot see...the land of the it's there, believe me... the land of the imagination. Maybe the secret sauce?As you can see...this is a party that we need to better understand. It could be a nice tool to understand to establish a more consistent approach to our work and files depending of course on the end use(s) which often gets parsed to a wider range of uses that no one anticipates.

I need to finish up the first of my pics for Hartford. First one is a Buffalo head surrounded by yellow roses and a lone-star. Next is an image (or two) around the Cow-town designation that Fort Worth happily claims. And then, I need to jump into a chicken illustration and one of a very cute dog that I just met!

We are up at Sheldrake for sleeping and living after work for the next few days. The little day lilies are bright green promises, the forsythia is in bud but no bursting branches. Its going to be cut those bushes down to nubbins after they bloom as they are enormous and we will have to strain to see the water if we don't do some massive chopping. No daffodils yet though the snowdrops have come and gone. Tiny tips of our fragrant hostas are pushing up--but just. It is such a privilege to see the sky colored water stretching out in front of us with the world waiting to burst with leaves and colors. And we are not talking LAB color. The real thing, please.

Memories






We walked through the Salem cemetery in the midst of all the museums and historical sites to find some portraits (Abigail Very at the top and next), some nice spirit effigies and a wide range on the variation of urn and willow tree. This was a stark cemetery of stones and dry grass with erratically placed stones within a wire fence. Not associated with any church, surprisingly unless it was moved (which could have been possible). Abutting the cemetery is the memorial to the slain who were convicted of witchcraft who were, in the large part, were murdered on a day in August and one in September of 1692. It was a striking monument as it was a medium height granite wall with stones jutting out as benches, with each of the slain person's name, date of death and cause of death (hanging or pressed by stones), This wall surrounds a small rectangle of land with trees and grass--a place of contemplation and by the strength of the material and the two quotations embedded in the ground--a place of humiliation and grief that such cruelty can be visited on others. It's simplicity was perfect for the expression of place, of nature and the gravity of the culture that supported the death and tragedy visited on these people. These accused people, accused of being witches, were probably also, not buried in a churchyard, but in this memorial--live alongside those that may have had a hand in their death or quietly went about their lives while this swirl of lies surrounded others in this small community. These people with the carved gravemarkers had the means to have portraits (like Abigail) to remind people of their existence, their humanity, their contribution to their community--others with messages of the future and their link to the people they leave behind. But these accused witches were left with accusations and their cruel deaths to remind us of their tie to these people and place. It is only today that they are remembered as individuals, as people and not as the condemned--condemned by fear, greed and human stupidity memorialized by the solid, silent and cold New England granite, sparkling in the sunlight.

Salem Yesterday





We left our hosts and hostesses early on another perfect seaside day and decided to go to Salem to walk around and see what's what. It reminded me of Baltimore with the big captains houses with the widows' walks...not little salt boxes but big houses that are the oceanside town version of the posh brownstones. Henry James on the water. There was a lovely quadrangle surrounded by these glorious things that led us to the water--and the National Park presence--highlighting certain houses and the way of life in the 1700s. It was great to see the way the water interfaces with the land and the living--and how one drove the other--very Bath, England etc. I can imagine that there was a great deal of society and living that happened here...far wilder than the scene in Nantucket. We learned a bit about the pirates, the privateers and all that terrific Jane Austen/ Horatio Hornblower lore that is so rich and thanks to those books and movies, so visual (at least for me). It was a very quiet morning in Salem so my imagination had a bit of space to go...which I would think might be hindered with the tourbuses and interested parties coming just for the witches, which have historical relevance--particularly in best understanding the culture and people at the time...but the wax museums? and palmistry centers? and witch gear seems to abuse something that was a sad colonial moment of people maligning and mistreating other people out of fear and greed. It is not about Harry Potter, or witchcraft or fairies or spells ( you get the idea)--so that end of the tourist trap of Salem is unfortunate (but thankfully, not overwhelming).

We visited the House of Seven Gables and Nathaniel Hawthorns birth house and toured them. Interesting but not really impressive colonial architecture (unlike Philadelphia)--but interesting none the less. The lady that rennovated the House of Seven Gables put her spin on the property and installed (among the real features) a cent or Penny Shop which I had never heard of. It was impressive how this establishment preserved other buildings and with their profits support community outreach in Salem. Additionally, the Peabody Essex Museum is a must we did not attend. Looks spectacular--and along with the Museum, they own and operate many grand houses in it's neighborhood which to my thinking is inspired in many ways (ownership, maintenance, taxes, control to name a few).

I love the all red houses (detail shown of the Hawthorn birth house), the all black houses and the severity beyond that of colonial brick or clapboard structures. Imagine entering under this bold eagle and terrific lettering--up the steps and into the custom house--a way to enter America--dead smack on the center of the water access. It's impressive now...imagine 300 years ago before illuminated signage and strip malls.

Stones



R and I wandered down to town to see one of the old cemetaries in search of good Memento Mori images. This cemetary was very random and tippy with some of the stones on the ground, some broken off which somehow left me feeling sad and angry at the same time. This is history. Why doesn't anyone care? The town? the boyscouts? the local historians? We saw a few spirit effigies, even more willows and a few beautifully lettered stones that reflected perhaps the carver letterer who rendered the face of the stone. The backs of the stones in some cases were even better than the detailled fronts, with the rough carving--stone work--to straighten and flatten the backs. Some of the stones had simple initials--and in some cases with a 6 pointed star.

Houses for Turtles



After lunch, we visited Gloucester, home of Gortons Frozen Fish and other fab fish brands along with a big harbor filled with gargantuan fishing boats. Gloucester is very rough and ready with lots going on--and the main street opening onto views of the harbor. We then drove up to Rocky Neck Art Colony ( just a hop and a skip from Gloucester downtown) to see the galleries and shops that buzz in the summertime. Its kind of an Ithaca Art Trail, only all the shops are walkable and not in people's houses or studios. Jenny surprised us and presented us with a choice of wooden fish offered at a shop en route to the actually Rocky Neck area and got a cute white carved dog complete with a dog bone in it's mouth (seemingly fitting given the Dogs Gone Wild experiences that happen daily). Then off to Rockport MA that had filming for a Sandra Bullock "light comedy" in Alaska--with many of the shops in town with ersatz signage and the town square with fake totem poles suggesting that this part of Massachusetts was really Alaska. It was very odd and funny.

Then back to Manchester to pick up our girl cousins at their school. It was cute as there is this turtle house that floats in a pond in front of the school that I have depicted on top.

More later.

Old Mac Jenny had a Farm






We visited Jenny at her farm--Freerange Farm--with close attention to the strutting rooster and the polish chickens nesting in the leaves under the bushes. It is a beautiful farm with healthy horses and active chickens. She has built a riding ring with a fabric ceiling(!) that makes the interior space light and beautiful (the picture of Jenny riding Courtland is in the ring). I have great strutting bird pictures for reference so it was a ton of fun and nice to be outside in the high blue sky morning we had.

We visited Appleton Farm in Ipswitch later to see the cows, the property and the buildings to learn about the Foundation that supports this ancient American farm--its organic vegetable and flower gardens and the grassfed cows. It was enormous and beautiful with lots of stone walls.

meet Max



Beeper met Max at the beach this morning--when the dogs were getting wild. Beeper and Max were immediate friends despite their differences in size and points of view. And so, they had a special moment...walking on the beach, exchanging pleasantries. It was a delight to behold.

Tuesday




I was struck at how English, how civilized and how perfect aspects of Boston is. Even the rough and ready parts still are maintained, neat and tidy, no trash, no rough edges--very on the up and up. Being in Cambridge, surrounded by the walls of brick with stone accents, the 12 over 12s or the 12 over 16 panels of glass in the white mullioned windows, the grooved granite slab sidewalks, the perfectly pointed brick, and clean roofs seemed calming--but almost too calm for an atmosphere of learning and intellectual study. It seems a very straight path, very organized and orderly where people don't raise their voices too much, quietly purusing books and publications, and silently accessing the world wide web. It is not the shaggy north we inhabit where there are lots of edges, lots of loud talk and lots of people who are not tucked in, not clean and straight. I didn't see one tattoo parlour in Cambridge unlike Ithaca where you can get ritually decorated on every street corner. It was interesting walking a bit on the campus with Tom who is an HBS graduate. Tom waxed eloquently about the Harvard track--and those who are accepted are honored, but once they get into the "mill" they study hard, live quietly and move through the system until graduation. And after being through the mill, I would surmise, they look to continue this quiet, orderly existence--in panelled clubs with perfect brick and mullioned windows, perhaps moving to Washington or Philadelphia to move the world in small (and large ways) versus the wild haired, loud talking folk from Cornell where the world is your oyster and you can solve a lot of things through feeding the world (with ground peanuts)--prefereably with illustrations winding up your arms and legs and an offbeat tune in your heart. I didn't come to Boston for comparisons--but somehow it seemed obvious and necessary to do.

North Shore con style







North Shore italian bakeries and salami shops. Trays and trays of martzipan in the shapes of eggs on toast, salami on toast, loaves of bread, vegetables--all brilliantly colored and glossy. We had cups of cappuchino and lattes while we admired all the goodies, bottles of olive oil all cloudy and promising, salamis and cheese, foccacias and bread. Don't you love the Modern Pastry sign? The restaurants looked great, affordable and the scene. And the other stuff like shopping! No reason to go anywhere else.

Cambridge





We went to Harvard early this morning. We saw the Appleton Chapel (built by a way back relative--see top and second from top)-- It was beautiful--a colonial design embellished and frosted with war memorials (and a room devoted to war dead with the representative dead having his feet on the Harvard emblem). There were gold cupolas and domes galore. Lots of brick and weathervanes. Mullioned windows and shutter All sorts of terrific old details on beautifullly maintained buildings. Everyone and everything is quite civilized and staid (unlike the scene on Lake Cayuga). The building third down is the Harvard Lampoon which we all love with it's eyes, nose and mouth (and the steam coming out of it's ears).

Dogs gone wild!






The piccolo palazzo has a yard down to the beach, Singing Beach--and the dogs were on the beach! Dogs gone wild. As you can see...Singing Beach is beautiful, almost tropical in it's sparkle and blueness. All sorts of people and their dogs were on the perfect sand walking and enjoying the clear morning. There were corgis and scotties, bernese mountain dogs, shaved standard poodles, newfoundlands--the shot and our new little pal, Beeper (at top) a puggle (cross between pug and beagle). She is a little treat, chasing ice cubes and regaling us with all sorts of high pitched sounds and beeps. Imagine!

Monday a.m.

long day in the car yesterday--driving up to Albany and then across to Manchester MA. It was a day full of talk--of this of that, do you want to stop? what should we do? pretty much the chatter around men and machines, man and dreams, death and taxes. Pretty much the world of chat. We arrived to a wonderful group of people who live in a delightful house filled with happy pets and color--sometimes unexpected color--sometimes planned with images of chickens (the choker poster central) needlepointed, sculpted, formed and shaped, in photographs, paintings. Chickens galore. I need to get going on more. We can see the ocean--
and hope to now.