Saturday, January 31, 2009

Save~the~Date: February 7th

Photo by Sarah Hearld
Photo by Elizabeth Streight
The Holiday
An escape into the everyday
An art show

A 10-year-old's birthday party, a couple's embrace, a woman's toil in domesticity, life on the street in Delhi—all are expressions of the everyday, the commonplace, and the holidays that can be found in the images that capture them.

In an exhibition to be held February 7-28, Photographers Elizabeth Streight and Sarah Hearld invite you to explore two very different worlds and the correlations between them in photographs that range from affectionate portraits to psychologically challenging images. Hearld will show photographs of street children and the humanity of the streets themselves in Delhi, India. Streight's works explore her own immediate American environment, in which she focuses her camera on her own friends, families, and personal histories.

In October 2008, Hearld traveled to India to work with Street Children through an organization called Project Concern International. As a photographer, she found a lot of inspiration to pick up the camera on the trip. "As time passes and the distance between my days in Delhi and the present grows, the louder these images speak to me as captured moments and important reminders," said Hearld.

Streight's works explore our needs for human connection as well as the universal sweetness, sanctuary, and joys of daily life. "I compose and capture images in ways that reveal the intensity of the moments that bring everyday holidays to life," said Streight.

Nashville-based photographers Elizabeth Streight and Sarah Hearld are pleased to present their exhibition at the Downtown Presbyterian Church, from February 7-28. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, Feb. 7, from 6 – 9 p.m., in conjunction with the First Saturday Art Crawl.

The Downtown Presbyterian Church is located at the corner of 5th Ave. North and Church Street in downtown Nashville.
154 5th Ave. North Nashville, TN 37209 615-254-7584 www.dpchurch.com




***This is the press release for the show opening this Saturday, February 7th. It's gonna be good! ***

I'll Take It!


Upon perusing some of my favorite funny blogs, I came across this gem on lovelylisting.com and it made me laugh out loud. It's a property listing in Baltimore, and I just love it. You really should check it out if your in the market for something like this:

"What is nestled next to a grave yard, a rundown eye sore and pink all over? Your next Hampden home. Location, charm, affordability. This baby has it all. Engineer specs for duplex homes, plat, info from zoning and appeals, 2 lots. Previously zoned for commercial. Now is R7. Turn this dump into your dream with owner financing, FHA 203K, CASH. She is pink and she is a beauty. Priceless."

Thursday, January 29, 2009

She Sleeps With Dogs

Let sleeping dogs lie?

Or just sleep with them...

I found a bit of reassuring info in the news today ( yeah you read that right-maybe it's the only reassuring news out there so I have to blog about it). Depending on how well you know me, you might know this fact: I sleep with dogs. And, it's not just one- it's two. Some people get it. Some people silently judge me. Some people should read this article in the U.S. News & World Report. My favorite excerpt is this:
"She said the finding that close human-dog bonding behaviors aren't more likely to spread germs is good news because of the physical and psychological benefits of pet ownership. Surveys show that nearly half of all dog owners share their food with their dogs, and more than half allow their dogs to sleep with them and lick their face."
I tend to avoid any and all facial licking (especially from dogs) and food sharing (any species), but will I stop sleeping with dogs? Never.

Let This Be a Lesson to Me

I have a little story about something that happened to me recently. I'm going to make a long story short, and try not to be overcome with rage as I type. As you may have heard, I am an artist. As many creative and thrifty people do, sometimes I trade goods/services in exchange for other goods/services. In this instance of trading I face painted for quite a few special events at a local restaurant. In exchange for the face painting I received credit, a "tab", from this (not so fine) establishment. Well, the last event was January 10th, and as I was leaving I chatted with the owner, telling him it had been a good experience, clarifying that this was the last event, and that we were on the same page as far as the status of my credit- I still had some outstanding. SOOOO, fast forward to last night when I stop by the (not so fine) establishment. My father was in town for the evening, and I wanted to take him out for dinner, so we headed there. It all was lovely until the time came to settle the check, which should have gone like this: get the check, write down the total in my planner where I keep a tally, give it back to be comped, and leave a tip for the usually pleasant service. Not so much. Upon getting the check the server informed me they weren't going to comp my check. It wasn't her issue, so I asked who told her to say that and then confronted him. By the way, I don't even know what gave him the authority to make this decision; he's not one of the owners and hasn't been a part of the arrangement. He told me they were "done with me" and aren't doing my tab anymore because the face painting gig is over, and then gave me the run around when I demanded an explanation. I asked him to call the owner, and he didn't. I left a note for the owner, asking for explanation but haven't heard back. Basically, I just got treated like a piece of crap AND ripped off for the work I did. OH, and on top of that it kind ruined the nice evening I was spending visiting with my father.
Today and then this evening I hoped I 'd hear something from one of the owners; I want to think they'd try to make things right. We'll see. At this point in the evening I'm done thinking about it, but it's not over. I intend to get a full apology and compensation; it's just ridiculous that I will likely have to fight for something that is rightfully mine. I held up my end of the deal. The lesson in this for me is: no more verbal only trade agreements. From now on it's details in writing.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Window for Rodney Mitchell Salon in Hillsboro Village




Last week I installed a window display for Rodney Mitchell's Salon in Hillsboro Village. I'd been working on the pieces for it in the studio, and seeing it all come together the way I'd envisioned was very rewarding. The salon stylists loved it, too, which made me smile even more. It's such an awesome feeling to be excited about what you're creating in private and then see other people share that excitement when you display it publicly. If you're in the Village, look for it in the window directly across from Bosco's.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

A Kissproof World

Only further from home
On freeways 50 lanes wide
On a concrete continent
Spaced with bland billboards illustrating imbecile illusions of happiness
Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Paint Made Flesh

Only 2 more days till the new exhibit, Paint Made Flesh, opens at the Frist. I must say, it looks preeeetty cool. There are symposiums with guest speakers and other fancy what-nots over the weekend. John Currin 's work (among of course quite a few others) will be in it, which I have an ongoing fascination with. I don't love all of his stuff, but I do love how it seems like he was pretty influential in bringing the art world's focus to figurative painting after long period of....non- focus. Ha. I'm tired and can't think of the right word, so I'll go with non- focus. Also, I'll take that as a sign that I should get some sleep, so night night.

Work in Progress

Will debut on thursday!

Monday, January 19, 2009

The Sun Came Out

Just in time to shine on my freshly painted roses. All morning snow flurried and the sky was gray; just looking through the window made me feel so cold. However, I did venture out to Gas Lamp Antiques where I found a cool bird cage which I will use in an upcoming project, along with my new silver flowers.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Great Sucess

Mobile blogger you DO work!!!Glad I finally got it worked out on this cold,cold winter evening in the stuio.

IMG00116.jpg

Testing, testing: mobile blogger are you working?

Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Outside the leaves were falling as they died
A wind had blown away the sun...
Outside the leaves were falling and they cried
Too soon! Too soon!

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Wii Are the Champions of the World

Seth & Blake

Blake, Me, Seth



Blake & Della



My youngest brother Seth was in town for a night, and we Wii'd like champs with Blake, Luke, Scott, and Della. It was a blast. I 'm not especially crazy about video game type thingies, but I have to admit I could become quite addicted to the Wii. Except for the part when the little Wii Fit woman judges me when she finds out my weight/ height ratio. Seriously tiny lady, back off.

Three Years Old!

Happy Birthday !
Blake turned three last week; I can hardly believe it. It's probably no surprise to hear this but, he's grown soooo much in the past year. He's definitely coming into his own little personality which, as it turns out, is pretty hilarious. As is his rendition of "Deep and Wide"!

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Word Count Journal

A new year experiment ? “Word count journal is a new blog format where you write one word your first day, two words the second, three words the third, etc.. By the end of a non-leap year you’ll have written a total of 66, 795 words, more words than most novels. Copied post from this blog.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Jodi, When Will Be BFF's?

Jodi + Sarah= 4 ever?

I've Been Reading for Hours Now...


I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.
-unknown

The goal isn’t to live forever. The goal is to create something that will.
-unknown

What you do, the way you think, makes you beautiful.
— Scott Westerfeld

What Should Michelle Have Picked?

I just came across this collection of sketches- designs that Michelle Obama's might wear -for her husband's acceptance speech. You can't help but love Betsey Johnson's sketch! Out of these designs though, I think I would pick Karl Lagerfeld (for Chanel) or one of Diane Von Furstenberg's for her. I think I would've liked them better than what she actually chose. Hmm. I can't believe she didn't call and ask for my opinion!

Thursday, January 1, 2009

the New Year

Happy 2009







What a lucky woman I am to have spent this New Year's Eve next to my husband, and a group of friends who could make even the coldest, darkest winter night feel like a happy summer day- like Christmas in July! Thank you all. I love you Jon (I'm sorry I ripped out that patch of hair in your beard- it was an honest mistake). May the new year be one of hope, peace, and grace. Many things in our world seem shaky, and who knows what changes we will see this year. Something I've been reminding myself of lately is that fear is not the heart of love. This year I want to love fearlessly, to make no room for selfishness or worry.
Happy New Year!