Olivia's Birds: A Commercial By Adam G

Bayshore: In the Details

Building trim is a lot like a necktie. By covering joined edges, it gives a building a polished finish. Here, James is looking at the mockup of a bracket design for the exterior trim on this waterfront Bayshore residence. Interior trim is equally important in the aesthetics of a space. Crown moulding and base trim, once intended to protect the fragile edges of paster walls, now give a complete look to a space, a framing detail to a blank wall. As to the efficiency of this building, it took a giant leap forward recently when its ground-mounted array of photovoltaic panels, which will provide solar energy for the geothermal heating system, was approved by the town board.

Janet Simpson: Northport Artist

While I was away this week, I regretfully missed an opportunity to be at the opening of artist Janet Simpson's art exhibition. Fortunately, collage artist and photographer Louise Millmann was on hand to provide a full report and to purchase a drawing for me before they were all snatched up. Hosted by the Tasting Room in downtown Northport, the place was packed with local artists, who were not only paying tribute to a tireless and talented woman, but to purchase some of the finest landscape art on Long Island. Simpson, who grew up on the east end in Amagansett, always appreciated the natural world. Whether working in pastel, paint, or fabric, her images capture the essence of light, line, and color, creating artwork that brought the outdoors inside. I was fortunate to have been Janet Simpson's student, during which time she served as a mentor and confidante, all the while still making artwork. She taught me that being a great teacher includes being a lifelong student, for our own exploration becomes an example for others. Fortunately for us all, Ripe Gallery owner Cherie Via was also at the opening and has plans in the works for another show of Janet's work. Will keep you posted!

Potic Afternoon

Basking in the afternoon sunshine, we celebrated four luxurious days of doing very little except reading, making art, playing yahtzee, and drinking wine. Needless to say, it was sheer perfection.

Tongass: A National Treasure

As Olivia and James head off to the US Wildlife and Fisheries conference in Baltimore, the federal budget battle rages on in Washington DC. I am aghast at some of the suggestions. Do away with the EPA? I don't even know what to say to that kind of idea, especially when lax regulation paved the way for the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Continue subsidising the oil industry? C'mon people, you can't be serious.
Meanwhile, Cornell Lab of Ornithology's winter publication of LIVING BIRD proposed a great way to save the government $30 million dollars. Stop subsidizing the logging of old-growth forest in Tongass, Alaska. This 17 million acre national forest is home to a beautiful and ancient ecosystem that once lost, cannot be replaced. Now why didn't Congress think of that?

Potic: Full of Surprises

Here's Potic Cottage on sunnier, summer days. Ah, yes, I remember them well.
This Valentine's weekend started with the sad news of the demise of our pickup truck, Ol' Blue. Wolfie cited extensive frame rust, a sketchy transmission situation, and a dead water pump. We took it on the chin, but kept our heads up, knowing we would be one with Potic for the first time in three months.
Upon arrival, the mountains of ice-crusted snow glistened in the moonlight, all the way up to the front of the house. Carving a sliver of a parking spot, we then trekked all of our weekend gear up to the house by foot, a task made all the more challenging as James and I sank up to our knees with each step. But no matter, we would be toasty warm inside once we got the fire going, well after James defied death and climbed out onto the roof with a broom to clear the chimney cap.
It was as cold in the house as it was outside, so we waited til morning for the house to come up to temperature to turn on the water. Alas, it was not to be. The well pump, caput. Armed with every bucket and pot in the house, we melted enough snow to wash dishes and make coffee. It's amazing how little water you can get away with when you have to melt it first. And let me say standards of cleanliness become a little lower.
After three months away, we also had unforeseen new friends move in, leaving cobwebs, empty birdseed kernels and droppings in their wake. With rags and white vinegar, I got busy. Mold in the freezer, gone. Burst soda cans in the fridge, gone. Dust along the ceiling, gone. But it wasn't until I opened the oven that I had to call in reinforcements. Four mice, in different stages of decomposure, trapped themselves inside, their carcasses revealing a cannibal among them. I'll spare you the details, but yes, eventually thanks to James' mortuary services, they were gone too.
With the house returned to its clean, if waterless, state, we popped the cork on the champagne, and raised a glass or two. It was, after all, still Potic.

Roses: 2.0

So Ripe: Rose Colored Glasses

Here's a pastel sketch I did tonight planning out an image for Ripe Art Gallery's Valentine's day show, which is freshly renovated for the occasion. The topic: Rose Colored Glasses. Tricky for my 'Angry Landscape' motif, but I figured with my life coming up roses right now, I could muster up the positive spirit required-- seeing the rosy, romantic side of of the garden. With Redon in mind, I dove into the pastels. The results are a bit creepy, but I hope to have time this week to render it with more success in a painting. As for the Valentine's show, it is usually a standing room only affair, so slip in the back to check out the 'backroom gallery' of selections from my last show at Ripe with Honey Millmann.

(Re)Recycling

Jericho High School had established a water bottle recycling program several years ago; however the program was discontinued in September. Unfortunately our recycling bins weren't distinct enough from our garbage cans, causing too many food scraps to make their way into the bins. Although more and more students are using reusable stainless bottles, many are still reliant on plastic water bottles. Here is a pic of discarded water bottles on stage after middle school graduation.

With 52,000 water bottles sold annually through our school cafeteria, not to mention the scores of bottles brought in via backpacks, the Senior Experience class made restarting the recycling program our number one priority. Thanks to the fundraising efforts of several clubs, the input of East Coast Recycling and the Eco Action Network, and the support of our district's administration, it looks as if we'll make our March 4th deadline, just in time for a pep rally kick-off event. The students are planning a multimedia campaign to educate our student population on both the need for and the method of proper recycling. While some students were shooting a video, others reused the backs of Bouler Architecture blueprints to make 'coming soon' signs. Their enthusiasm for getting this eco-friendly project off the ground was contagious. As I walked out of the room with Tim, a student who plans to become a chef, he looked out at the snow-filled courtyard and asked if he could turn part of it into an organic garden with a compost. Absolutely!

Animation: An Eye for Annai

I fell in love with both the graphics and the message of this charming animated short shared at the SCBWI conference by Lucy Ruth Cummins, an art director for Simon and Schuster.