Rachel Whiteread

Photos from top: Drawing for Water Tower VI 1997, Water Tower courtesy the Public Art Fund, Vitrine Objects (first and second images via Hammer website).

The UCLA Hammer has a really great show of Rachel Whiteread's drawings and a few sculptures. It was nice to see the work in such a different scale- the small intimacy of drawing versus the monumentality of her sculpture. The catalogue is pretty great too.

Oscars

Congratulations is due to Paul Ottosson for his TWO Oscars for the sound mixing and design in The Hurt Locker. He came over from Sweden many years ago with my husband- they were going to be rock stars... Looks like he made it! Congrats Paul! Thank you for showing us the American dream still survives!

Art Shows

Jonas Wood The Still Life, 2007

Mark Grotjahn Untutled, 1997

I can't wait to get to the Hammer for the Jonas Wood paintings as well as Blum and Poe for Mark Grotjahn paintings...

Good Read

While reading old Sunday New York Times that have accumulated in the house, I came across this excellent article by Roberta Smith. It's a rant on what is being shown in museums these days and what is left out. Interesting artists to look at (and re-look). Glad I didn't miss it.

Ash Francomb

I'm a sucker for nostalgic surf and California stuff. I found this line by Ash Francomb at a nice little shop in Santa Monica called The Golden State.

New in Shop...

New stuff. More soon.

Vintage Fruit Crate Labels

I found some cool copper framed vintage fruit crate labels this weekend (in my Etsy shop now). When I turned one over and googled the label, I found that the company that frames them is still around. The Antique Label Company has been around since 1976 and makes some nice little nostalgic pieces for the right wall. They also include some colorful history in their descriptions that's fun to read.

Ocean Painting

Henry Varnum Poor (courtesy of Reference Library).

I was gathering finds for my little shop today (which should be in store tomorrow) and I was thinking about paintings of the sea. Then I stumbled across Reference Library's blog and saw this perfect depiction there. Great blog to check out too.

Speaking of Tubtrugs...

Photos courtesy General Store website.

While I was in SF last week, I got a chance to visit the lovely General Store. It's a beautiful collection of things housed in a wonderful space in a great neighborhood. Looking forward to watching it grow... (And if you go, be sure to check out these rad blocks (above) by Serena Mitnik-Miller and the Stymie t-shirts by Claire Nereim and Julie Cloutier)

Tubtrugs

Photo from the Tubtrugs website

I love these things- the color, the design, the functionality. I use one to keep out the sand when I am changing out of my wetsuit, one to catch rainwater in the backyard for watering the plants and one just to have around- throw the laundry in whatever. Their splash of color works in lots of places...

Mavericks 0910

I happened to be in the Half Moon Bay area visiting family and seeing the Luc Tuymans show at the SFMOMA this past week and the Mavericks big wave contest was called. Watching the action up close was super exciting, as was watching spectators who didn't pay attention to the new moon el nino 7.4 pineapple express high tide almost get swept away... I took some IPhone pics of some good parts of the show... And not to be forgotten- a visit to the Heath Sausalito factory and store is always in order when near the bay area...

Best Wetsuit Ever...

I bought a new Nineplus wetsuit from the sweet people at Shelter Surf Shop in Long Beach last month. It had it's first real winter action on a cloudy windy day at San O last week and passed with super flying colors. So warm in any stray sun and stretchy comfortable paddling all the day... Not to mention the fly front zipper and old school look. Highly recommended!

Waiting for these books to arrive...

Patty Smith, Just Kids, and Jerry Saltz Seeing Out Louder...

It's raining here...

Lina Rennell wool "sheepskin" blanket at Beklina.

Hudson Bay Point Blanket (new) and Jonathan Adler fruit pillows at Toast. (Of course, look for the vintage versions of this blanket at fleas and ebay!)

So more wonderful blankets...

Kitchen shelf and hang out couch...

Newest furniture experiments... It's been too wet to have the outdoor lounge area, so I thought we might like it in the kitchen.

Surfing Cowboys blankets

I am sort of obsessing over these blankets right now. They remind me of blankets that keep you warm on the couch after traveling down to Baja with you making the perfect picnic spot on the beach and wrapping up cold post surf bodies to watch the sunset in. Family heirlooms... Here is the description via Surfing Cowboys website: The patterns and color combinations are original designs by a local California artisan inspired by his youth in West Coast beach towns, and his travels around the world. The incredibly soft, sweater-quality merino wool is spun and hand-dyed in New Zealand by experienced experts. And finally, the wool is then sent to craftspeople in Oaxaca, Mexico who have been weaving these traditional blankets for generations.

Happy Holidays!

Photo from YoVenice. Perfect lights by a neighbor in Venice Beach... (Who did the nicest rehab ever of the last classic ocean front beach house in the neighborhood.)

One more spacey thing...

Trails and Space- yellow and blue, 2008 watercolor and colored pencil on paper 50 1/4" x 38"

Two Widths of the Epsilon Ring- green version, 2007 oil on canvas 45" x 50"

If I am going to talk about space, I can't overlook one of my favorite artists- Cary Gundersdorf.

Amazing consistently. Even better work on her website.

The things I am attracted to all seem to remind me of space these days...

From The Astronomy Photo of the Day...

A random rv for sale near my house...

This is from Lena Corwin's blog, not sure if the photo is from Shabd Simon-Alexander (check out the artwork and design pieces on the website- excellent) or her class at Lena's studio, but I love it...

ps I want the new Lines and Shapes with Claire Nereim and Matt Rich- Volume 10- Color...

Mociun and Bodkin

Bodkin photos via Wikstenmade via Bodkin's website, taken by Tina Tyrell

Mociun images from Beklina

Mociun and Bodkin are two brands that get blogged about a lot and the pictures here are no exception. I had to add them because between the styling, designing and aspirations - these women continue to blow me away, even after I have seen the images over and over. They just get better. Hoping to buy Mociun's book Journal of a Collection Fall 2009 at Lines and Shapes before it sells out...

PineappleLuv and Pet Cemeteries

Inscription reads:
TROUBLE
1956-1965
He was no trouble.

Stumbled on this blog after checking out Liz Cockrum's blog... Two very cool women surfer artist's blogs... This photograph taken by PineappleLuv's Jamie at the Presidio pet cemetery caught my eye as we recently lost our beloved dog, Monster to cancer. Now we have his ashes next to my long lost Sequoyah's in our bedroom, but I have often wondered what we should do with them as the years go by... I don't want to be buried and take up space, but somehow for a little doggie, this little tombstone and epitaph seem a beautiful use of space on this earth.

Dear and Yonder

Looking forward to seeing the new surf film Dear & Yonder. I seem to have missed the previews, hopefully I will get the DVD for Christmas? (hint hint...)

Cynthia Rowley for Roxy

Image via WWD

I've been wanting to make an interesting wetsuit for awhile, but never could find cool colored neoprene (nor had any idea how to make it well enough to bother!). This collaboration, for sale in March at Barneys will be fun to see, although being at Barneys NY and designed by Rowley, seeing is probably all I will do...

Moon River Chattel

Bottom Photo: Noah Sheldon for New York Magazine

We were wandering around Williamsburg last weekend and after visiting a lovely little park at the end of Grand with a pretty view of Manhattan, we wandered into Moon River Chattel. No real website, (Apartment Therapy has a nice description) but a store I would like to return to often and pick up the stray curio, some salvaged and repurposed furniture, rustic linen towel by Transylvanian Images and bedding by Matteo etc etc. They even do wide plank wood floors. Sigh.

New York

Ree Morton, Untitled, 1973. Watercolor, pencil and crayon on canvas,

96 x 68 1/2 inches. Courtesy of Alexander and Bonin, New York.

I was in for my yearly trip to New York and Brooklyn last week and I have to say, art wise, there was not so much to be inspired by. Exceptions are the previously mentioned Rosy Keyser show which lived up to and surpassed my expectations, the crazy Guston-meets-Hockney-bastard-child paintings (at PaceWildenstein) Hockney is doing now and the lovely quiet (and from Chicago) Ree Morton posthumous retrospective at the Drawing center (above).

Liberty Prints

I'm sort of obsessed with liberty prints right now... First photo my dream shoes back in the day (don't know where this photo is from- would like to- amazing styling.) Second photo Isabel Marant collection S/S 2009. )