EWWWW!

I just became sick to my stomach because of this website, This is why you're fat.

Check out some of the disgustingly unhealthy food that people are making and eating around the world. I sent the link to Luke and he said, "i thought it looked good!"

Speaking of another funny food site, check out Pimp My Snack. These guys pimp things like Kit Kats, gingerbread men, etc. Here's one of the pimped gummy bears, and another one of pimped Creme Egg.

Make My Logo Bigger Cream

This was on my friend Ryan's facebook page. Go to the link and watch the video. I love it.

Barbie show Part 2

I found a video (and here's another one) that covered part of the show. Pretty cool!! I wonder who designed the opening of the show? I love the old footage and pics.


Here's the second video.. went ahead and posted it here:

Barbie fashion 2009

Preview mages of the barbie fashion show at NY Fashion Week. It will take place this Sat, Feb 14 at 3 pm. See more here and here. Read about barbie's fashion history here.

Designers created outfits for Barbie and made human-size equivalents for the runway. Read more about the 50 outfits created.

I also read a little blurb in Glamour, I think, about Tim Gunn and other fashion icons commenting on Barbie's look. I can't find it now, though!

Grandma Moses

I can't believe that until now I have not posted about Grandma Moses, one of my favorite folk artists, introduced to me by my mom years and years ago when I was little. 

Grandma Moses (Anna Mary Robertson Moses, 1860-1961) began her painting career late in life after leaving a career in embroidery because of arthritis. Before she became famous, she would charge $3 for large paintings and $2 for small ones. 

Most of her work features distorted or lack of perspective and flat color. 

Read more about her life here.

I just ordered some stamps with one of her paintings on them, and I am so excited. (I collect stamps!)

New painting

Last weekend I started on a landscape painting for Stephen to go over his sofa. It's 42 x 50". On saturday I built the frame, stretched the canvas, and started the underpainting, and this weekend I'm planning on working on it some more. I really want to keep it simple, atmospheric, and pretty abstracted...broken down into color fields, almost like a Rothko or a Diebenkorn, although not abstracted to quite that degree.


Here's the original photo that Stephen took in Scotland.

And here is the canvas. (I'm doing a smaller one to keep for myself)

And here is a Diebenkorn. I love his Ocean Park paintings.

And of course some pieces by Rothko, love of my life and art idol.

The Winter of Our Discontent

Hello, World--and I mean that literally. All 6,706,993,152 of you that have access to these thoughts of mine right now, I've been thinking, and I'm not so sure I would like to share them quite as much any more.

The other morning I was trying to do a Bible study, and I was flustered at the realization that I had an NIV Bible, an ESV Bible, a New Members Bible study organizer notebook from church, a study on 2 Corinthians notebook, a prayer journal, and a regular journal. I need them to all be in one place! It got me thinking about how exhausted I am from all these networks I am part of: Facebook, LinkedIn, this blog, Gmail, more mailing lists than anyone could want in his lifetime, etc. I am an introvert, and I am tired of being hooked up. I am tired of updating my Facebook status, posting about art that I want to do but don't do, and thinking about how to downplay real thoughts to be palatable to others via the aforementioned means of global communication, rather than reaching for my journal. In short, I am tired of broadcasting myself. I find myself trivializing, glossing over, humorously translating, or completely ignoring my thoughts and feelings, however triumphant or despondent they may be, so that I can post them on my Facebook status, rather than default to an emotionless and evasive action-oriented, "Sarah Robins is reading."

When did my journal lose its place in my thought process? I have journaled since 3rd grade and I believe I'm now on book number twenty-something. I suppose that with adulthood and digital technology came transient thought-sharing...but instead of true ideas and even ruminations or raw emotions shared through a pen with a book or one's closest friends, we now tell the world. We either recklessly bare our minds and hearts to the quick and chapping wind of the entire earth whirling through space, and all its population, (or, contrarily, a lack of audience, and resulting hollow echo) and suffer the self-induced loss of our privacy, or we mute our ideas so much that no one really hears them in their original states, and we're left desparate and dissatisfied.

So perhaps the solution is to treat these things as they are, and render to them what is theirs... but nothing more. I think I will save my private thoughts for my journal, save the art for the blog, and Facebook status? "Sarah Robins is reading."

I'd love to hear some thoughts on this... speaking of broadcasting!

The Votes are In!

In our latest poll, 75% of you said that Michelle Obama's inauguration ball gown was not quite right for her, or the event (but it was better than her black widow election day dress). I think I agree. While I liked the white on her, I felt like it was too young. It was a little too prom-queen looking for me.

The Carrot Peeler Seller

Via my friend LeeAnne's gmail status (thanks LA!), I found out that Joe Ades, the peeler seller, who we saw in Union Square when we were in NYC in December, died Sunday of a heart attack. He is very talkative, sold peelers for carrots & potatoes for $5 and ate on the Upper East Side. Sounds like an interesting man. Here is the full article.

Supermarket

Supermarket looks like a really cool website--a shopping place for cool stuff by designers. I discovered it today via Dara Diliegro's interactive work for thinkso via UPPERCASE gallery blog.

Below is the home page for Supermarket.




and here are some images from Dara Diliegro's project for thinkso. Definitely check it out.

Wired mag: The Burden of Twitter

I was reading my Wired magazine yesterday on the elliptical (where else?) and loved this article. Check it out.

Cool New Artist: Marco Wagner

German illustrator Marco Wagner was featured in CA 2008 Illustration Annual. I love his surreal, kind of primitive style.

Cool New Artist: Darren Booth

While researching hand-lettered and illustrated type treatments for magazine titles today (not many of them, by the way), I came across illustrator Darren Booth's expressive hand-lettering work on the typography sections of the How design blog.

I knew I had seen his work somewhere else, but I couldn't place it. Then, going through his portfolio, I realized it was on the Work/Life cover, a book published by UPPERCASE Gallery and one that I had wanted for Christmas.

Nubby Twiglet calendar

I love this calendar by Nubby Twiglet. It's downloadable and printable, so I think I might just like to print myself a copy of the entire year.

HOW conference, etc

Yesterday I got a mailer for the HOW design conference in Austin (great mailer, too, by the way). It looks like a really great event. Too bad it costs so much $$$!

In other news, I've been feeling a little non-creative and non-talented and am trying to work in these areas because I hate feeling that way. It's the new year and I've got a few new ideas perculating and new resolutions, some art-related, but some life-related. Here they are....

1. I want to shoot my work and finally get my website up. It's designed, just needs the photos and I need to write a little copy for a few areas on the site.
2. I'd like to buy a screen and start exploring screenprinting as well as continue working with lino block printing and watercolor. In general, I'd like to explore and improve my illustration skills and techniques. I'd also like some more freelance work and feel like Huntsville might be a good place to start talking to people, since that's where I'm from and people know me there. (Good suggestion, Luke)
3. I want to hang our new hammock in the backyard and go outside a lot when spring gets here.
4. I want to spend more time with the Lord in the morning. So far I've been making my own cappuccinos in the a.m. and thus saving money at the coffeeshop and saving time to pray and read the Bible.
5. I want to lose 10 pounds and so far it's going good!

New Poll

..to the right. Vote!

Brava!

Well, ladies & gents, here is the unveiling of the new header for our blog!
Although I did prefer the puns of Pulp and Palate/Palette, it seems as though Molars & Margins has won out.
(at least for now!!)

And how perfect that the white background is so appropriate for both words, referencing both a shiny white tooth and a clean piece of paper.

Enjoy!

Sweet Sculpture of Al Gore

I love the idea of this sculpture of Al Gore shivering that was carved recently in Alaska. Although I must admit the sculpture itself could be more inspired, I love the message. I'm so wonderfully inspired by the hundreds upon hundreds of scientists (including legitimate Nobel Prize winners) who are coming out against the outlandish claims of the climate elite that are attempting to bring about socialist change through the guise of the environment.

FYI I'm not against "green" activities. I'd LOVE to reduce pollution, stop deforestation, and create renewables. Let's do THOSE things rather than waste time worrying about CO2!