princely medicine

(artwork by Richard Prince)

Fans of Sonic Youth may think this looks familiar. With good reason. Their 2004 album Sonic Nurse sported modified cover art from Richard Prince's Nurse Paintings series. I couldn't write a legitimate art review to save my life so I'm not going to embarrass myself and try. I will say I am fascinated by Prince's controversial style which unabashedly takes from other artist's work and morphs it into something new; I am especially drawn in by this specific body of work. I love his use of dirty jewel tones and the fact that his canvas begins with actual pulp romance novel imagery. Dark, creepy, campy. From seductive vamp to near vampiric.

heaven

(photo by Tony Longoria)

muppet jewelry

It's no secret, I have a pretty unhealthy obsession with felt. Something about it makes me smile and automatically feel better when I see it. Many of my tastes and preferences seem to be rooted in my upbringing. What exactly happened, I have no idea. In this case I can only speculate that Sesame Street was involved somehow. I don't think a fondness for "puppet skin" counts as emotional scarring right? So I may be weird, but at least not traumatized.

Colleen Baran makes jewelry that was made with me in mind (unintentionally of course). Fuzzy bold colors paired with rings, earrings, and necklaces. You can check out her Etsy shop here. Not for everyone, but perfect for those with particular tastes.

simple perfection

(artwork by Dirk Fowler)

Lubbock local makes beautiful posters. I want to be him when I grow up. In the mean time I will sit back and admire.

cops: always connecting the dots

(artwork by Brandon Bird)

The trifecta. Law & Order, dot to dot, and Brandon Bird.

Step 1: Turn on TNT (or USA, or Bravo, or NBC...) while scanning through the on-line wonderfullness of "Law and Order: An Adventure to Color".

Step 2: Pour out a little coffee for your homie Lennie (aka Jerry Orbach).

Step 3: After the latest L&O marathon is over stay for a spell on Bird's website and check out his reimaginings of actors in various situations. Personal favorites, "Lazy Sunday" and "Jerry Seinfeld".

santa vs. jesus

It's that time of year. Christmas is upon us and I find myself wondering what the holiday really means to me. Honestly, in my world, it can be reduced to a few simple ideas and activities, many of which are rooted in my childhood. I like the weather, the colorful lights, spending time with family and friends, and getting a tree. Done. For many (most) others it goes a little deeper, whether grounded in religion or the consumerism of it all. Being fairly unbiased (yes, I pleaded to Santa's cyber-ears just yesterday... ignore) I decided to pit beard against beard and see who comes out ahead.

1. He's Jesus. I went with my gut.

2. I have to be fair. This would have been a draw if not for the photo I decided to use. A Mexican werewolf man named Jesus can't play this game. Now if it was a beard contest, one word... landslide.

3. Again, the examples swayed me a bit. Santa looks a bit tired (read: messed up) and Jesus a little sad, plus only winners are surrounded by montages.

4. The son of God. Good genes. Santa's job demands he carry one giant bag of toys that serves the world's children. BUT Jesus carries a little more... and he doesn't get to take a 364 day vacation.

5. Jesus has his bros with him. Quantity over quality.

6. Jolly St. Nick. I seem to recall Jesus faced a few personal challenges, one of which may have created a little animosity.

7. Jesus- isn't he kind of a zombie? Exception... people eat him, he doesn't eat people.

8. Jesus is "everywhere". Santa gets out once a year. A little out of touch.

9. This was tough. Never saw Passion of the Christ. Vaguely remember Last Temptation of Christ and love Willem Dafoe. The only other thing I could think of was Jesus Christ Super Star, and well... not a contender. Movie Santas over the years don't do much for me either, but 'ole Billy Bob garnered the win for his unmatchable crude awesomeness.

10. Elves edge out the Apostles because they are crafty and fun loving.

11. Lady Claus has stuck with her man for quite a while, through overexposure and then long business trips away. It's a hectic life. She shows her adoration by dressing just like him. If that's not love, what is... what is.

12. WWJD; concise, appropriate, and so easy to text or IM. Bonus, ho ho ho is only open to negative reinterpretation whereas the former, sky's the limit. Even if you're not working the slogan for Jesus, he's letting it work for you.

13. Jesus has Iron Man written all over him.

14. Crown of thorns. No thanks. Fake fur and felt. Yes please.

15. It's like choosing between salt and sugar. There is no right answer.

16. Santa peddles Coke in his. Enough said.

This list is potentially endless, but I had to draw the line somewhere. For this particular evaluation, Jesus-9; Santa-6; 1 Draw. Pop the champagne for Christ! What this means for Christmas... nothing really. It is what it is to you. However keep in mind that if you're looking for a workout buddy, choose religion. For a few laughs with a semi-lazy, but big hearted lug, choose Mr. Claus.

i need this

(artwork by J. Richel)

Dear Santa,

These are Talking Paintings-- hand painted designs with a movable mouth courtesy of artist J. Richel. They are for sale at the Curiosity Shoppe. I don't why but they remind of Scooby Doo... in a much better way. Sorry... sidetracked. I've been good; help a girl out.

Love,
Erin

P.S. I don't care what they say. I believe in you.

testosterone paradise

(artwork by Luther Himes)

This doesn't even require a build up; this awesome poster should be enough, however I can't contain my glee. What a package deal! It's like the 90's, when flannel ruled, but with free hot dogs, knife throwing, and more musk.

Birds Barbershop and my favorite social coordinators, John Gross and Luther Himes of Party Ends, are teaming up for this afternoon Man Fest. The rugged shindig kicks off at 2pm, Saturday, Dec. 1st. And did I mention, it's FREE.

I'll be the girl staring at all the facial hair, afraid to arm wrestle, but singing the words to "Winner Takes it All". See you there.

mood chips

(artwork by John Baldessari)

all in a day's work

(photos by Mark Sebastian)

the vortex that cardstock made

(link to Jen Stark)

please, no pictures, no pictures

Breaking the rules sometimes works out quite nicely, especially when you're not the one taking the risk and can benefit in someone else's thrill seeking ways. "Thrill seeking" might be a bit of a stretch where this website is concerned, but come on, doesn't the thought of some disgruntled security guard chasing you out of a no-photo zone insight just a small amount of fear. At the minimum the idea of taking an unwanted stroll down reprimand avenue may give one pause.

Strictly No Photography is a photo sharing site that allows folks an opportunity to upload their forbidden snapshots. The majority are taken in museums and galleries, but there are other categories such as "Government", "Music (Live)", and "Theatre" in which you will find various offerings. It's an unauthorized scrapbook for the things you've never seen and the things that you have, and can't quite recall.

cable knit deer

(link to Rachel Denny)

trespassing: thanksgiving

I am thankful

this is not

where I live.

winter envy

(link to Kitsune Noir)

turn to the left

Last Saturday Austin fashion ladies-at-large, Team Fabrication, showed their latest designs at Mohawk. Made up by Jenifer Rea (Jen Rea Designs) and Erin Mikulenka (Elfgirl Designs), the gals and their models were backed and enlivened by a bevy of local musicians. The Laughing, Til We're Blue or Destroy, and Prom Nite all performed as well as Car Stereo Wars.

It was a great time, although a reminder of how sadly unsavy my wardrobe is... but also how much I don't care. I also scaled a nearby building that is under construction. "Scaled" is probably a bold choice of words, but wooden ladders from one story the next are, let's admit, pretty low-tech. At any rate when all is said and done I was blessed with some super views, a fun experience, and met some new folks... and topped it off with biscuits and gravy (and then some) courtesy of Star Seeds. Who needs a cherry when there is gravy.

trial beard

(link to Secret Shop)

nature wheel

(photo by Chris Glass)

boo: the evolution of bromance

1. Boo: I'm shy; I just want to be alone.

2. Biggie: Well, hello there. You look like you could use some company.

3. Boo: Get lost creep. You're not my type.
Biggie: Fine, I didn't really like you anyway. Nice spots by the way mini britches.

4. Boo: You don't have to be a dick about it.

5. Boo: Oooh, I kind of like this.

6. Boo: Sigh... You know, you're actually not so bad. In fact, I think I love you.

7. Boo & Biggie: Do you mind... a little privacy would be nice.

There you have it. And yes, I have turned into one of those people, personifying my pets and being nauseatingly cutesy in the process. I'm just excited... can you blame me. Boo is my new puppy rescued from the Central Texas Dachshund Rescue organization. I was nervous about getting another dog for several reasons, but that's pretty much washed away at this point.

You may run to your toilet and vomit now.

dead 600

What was not intended as a cruel joke became one as I found myself in an awkward position after taking this picture. A gaggle of drunk women, heads adorned with ridiculous hats (I had one too... so no stone throwing here), went to the "Jailhaus" to have their novelty photo taken. I couldn't resist the urge to take one myself and when I did they started to wander off thinking they were done. They thought I, some girl with a dead muppet on her head and behind a wall, was the official photographer.

I ran off pitcher in hand feeling like a jerk (um, but laughing... I'll be honest). Shortly thereafter my camera fell to the ground and broke. This was the last picture my 600 took. Karma is indeed a bitch. To further highlight my lameness you can check me out with some young bucks sporting previously mentioned puppet corpse.

fun fun fun fest

Let me start off by saying this. I'm so glad this is over, only because I'm pretty much tired of the letter "f" and repeatedly saying "fun". While the name of this new-ish festival (this was year #2) is apt, speaking of it felt pretty unnatural to the tongue after a short while. I feared my mouth would keep going (rattling "fun" to the point of insanity and/or speculation of it) or want to stop working altogether. At any rate, nothing will be vocalized as "fun" any time soon. "Exciting", "entertaining", "enjoyable", even "neat" will work in a pinch.


Now that I have that over with... this past weekend Austin saw the likes of Explosions in the Sky, Mates of State, MC Chris, New Pornographers, and countless others perform. I'm rattling off some of my personal favorites, but what I'm mentioning doesn't even begin to cover the number of acts or the diversity (local and national). This year's fest not only grew since last year in terms of the amount of bands that performed, but also in how it attracted higher profile artists and really established itself as the fest for everyone.


FFF will assuredly attract the ACL comparisons. In many ways I almost enjoyed this more (not all ways mind you). While many folks were in attendance, the crowds were not overbearing. If you wanted to see a band, you pretty much could and if you wanted to go to the front you didn't have to fight too hard. A quick jaunt across Waterloo Park enabled you to check out dj's on one end, metal on the other, and some indie favs in the middle... and that's reducing the kind of music that was offered to the simplest of terms. And it wouldn't be a music fest without tons of dust and artery clogging food, which I became covered in (inside and out).


Stand outs to me, aside from what I previously mentioned, were Busdriver (shown above), Celebration, Diplo, and locals Clap! Clap!, Car Stereo (Wars), and Mothfight. It was hard to see everything and I caught what I could. Low points... getting wedged out of Girl Talk (I was waaaay too tired to fight), wearing boots for 12 hours day 1 (stupid), not having a better lens for my camera (camera fairy feel free to leave under my pillow or give me some $$$), and texting my friends more than actually seeing them (eh, such is life).


Check out the rest of the photos here and the Fun Fun Fun site to see what you missed.