Lina Rennell

I've mentioned Lina Rennell's great wool "sheep skin" blankets before, but I keep falling for a myriad of her wares- retro swim suits, beautiful sun hats and story lines to her collections that capture the imagination... Beklina has lots of her work but be sure to stop by her website too.

Enormous Champion

I think it is extremely difficult to represent whales in a way that isn't done and well, cheesy. That said, the designers from Enormous Champion managed to do it in a way I love...

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.