ste!!a gassaway: unpredictable thoughts

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the intersection of work + play

one square mile across the Hudson

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Stopped to visit my sister in her new digs in Hoboken arrived early. So, we took a walk down to the river. A wonderful view. Not much time to spend checking out town — Not a very diverse place in economic strata or ethnicity.

Made me think about living in or near NYC again though.

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Adirondack Bound and the big pond next door.

the pond up north

Getting ready for the trip to the little pond, not far away from that big pond — that sits between Vermont and New York. I’ve been watching my weather widgets that report conditions at key points along the way. This morning it is likely that it is about 50 degrees at our little Adirondack Camp. That’s 20 degrees cooler than here in Philadelphia. I am so ready to feel a shiver.

Going on this pilgrimage away from the city, technology, and connectivity is always a joy.

Everything that I am doing now is colored by the trip. What I need to do before I go away, what I need to pack, what I want to cook, what books will we read, what art supplies do I want to carry… Thinking about it all brings the thoughts of being deep inside the woods… the animal sounds and the refreshing smells of the pines and moisture on the leaves early in the morning.

This is a time of rest and renewal. Where the time passes slowly.

A little Beatles memory 1968

Sometimes it’s just fun to remember what we all were thinking. Enjoy.

the mountains bekon

moleskine sketches

The cool nights have me imagining sitting by the lake, a too hot cup of coffee cradled in my hands. I look out onto the glass-like lake. I can see my breath it’s like the mist on the water. I hold the silence and if I’m going to speak I know I’ll only whisper.

It’s often like that for hours. Sometimes I only sketch in my Moleskine. I don’t want to disturb the quiet with the rustling of paper and getting drawing supplies organized on the deck. Sometimes I close my eyes to feel the morning sun on my face while I enjoy the smell of the trees and the pillowed sound of a birch leaf landing on the moss.

The seven hours driving with the traffic becoming less dense each hour until you only see a truck or two from Canada prepares one for the solitude. The mountains shock you with their colored leaves and the sky bright blue.

Only a few more days now and I’ll be on the trip north.

Thrird Street Gallery : Summer Sizzler Invitational Group Show

Got a few pics at the Reception. Thought I’d do a bit of cross-posting. Wanna know more about my art check out my studio journal. Enjoy.

iPhone app planning : wish list

AppleiPhone

Ok, I don’t have an iPhone yet. Basically because I wasn’t willing to be an early adopter this time. Now I’m more interested. Video capabilities and the addition of interfacing with third party devices is very compelling. My almost dead Razr is another.

I have a love/hate relationship with my Razr. I love that it is a flip phone. I hate that my contacts have a different entry for each number rather than grouped by person. I love that my phone is small and sturdy. I hate that I can’t read the keys in the bright sun. I love that my phone can take being dropped. I hate that I have to listen to a whole message before I can delete it. I hate that texting is impossible.

I love that it has the Motorolla logo – the bat signal on it. And most of all I love that Jack the Cingular logo is still on my phone. I hate ATT.

So, I’m sure I will have the same relationship with my iPhone. I’ll love my iPhone but I will still hate ATT.

But, I’ll have lots of apps that I can’t wait to get my hands on.
Koi Pond, Bloom, Spore, Level, Compass, Pandora, iTunes, Tweetie, Bloom, Shazamm …

That’s a start.

Anything I’m missing?

Packing with Craig is a team effort.

Craig is here for the month. My brother is happy to be on vacation from his sheltered workshop. Three whole weeks! That doesn’t mean there isn’t work to do.

Yesterday Mr C. did lots of labels for moving our office.

Craig making labels.

A sharpie is a labeler’s best friend.

Half way there.

Half way there.

Craigs labels put to work

Done.

Awesome!

textures of moving : boxes for the art studio

In case you haven’t visited my art journal you might not know that I’m moving my studio. Packing is still going on and the fun of documenting it is something I thought might be fun to share. This slideshow will update with the new images that I’ll be sharing so check back to see what’s new.

If you would like to keep in touch with my studio changes, art openings, special projects, and new work there are many way to do it. You can FAN ME on Facebook. You can visit my heavybubble art website. Visit my studio artLOG. Subscribe to my e-mail list for notifications.

Iran : Post-Election Uprising

Irans Post-Election Uprising

Iran is ready for change. The Green Tsunami continues today despite the crackdown on protesters. There is a true revolution going on in Iran and we need to keep the story alive. If you tweet look for #iranelection and stay informed and spread the news. The movement continues from within and outside government even though the media sees it as less of a story.

The result of this movement can bring a change that will have impact on the entire Middle East and world policy. Iranians are forcing change. Let’ hope they will create an new environment that will push the restrictive regime from power.

Here’s a quote from the intro to the graphic novel. You can read it online or download it. Most importantly share it with your friends.

http://www.spreadpersepolis.com/download-and-spread-the-word/

“The campaign of former Prime Minister Mir Hussein Moussavi galvanized voters hoping for change, especially among the youth – two thirds of Iran’s population is younger than 32. On June 12th 85% of eligible voters cast their ballots and what happened next changed Iran forever…”

http://www.spreadpersepolis.com/

Follow:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/iran

Iran uprising : Live Blogging

Iran green on Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia

everyone

In solidarity with our Iranian friends.

June 17 / 5 – 8pm

Rittenhouse square (North Side), Between 18th and 19th on Walnut Street

We stood quietly and our friends translated the Farsi chants.

more images > here

Kindle – kardboard prototype

Do you usually pay to be a beta tester? Not me. I usually get something free for debugging somone’s product.

Well today Amazon released the bigger dog of their reader and will charge you about $500 bucks for a device that looks like a cardboard prototype of a technology product from the 80′s.

Expectations for electronic devices are considerably more sophisticated than what the Kindle offers. Now of course Amazon is just warming up the market for a smart innovative company like Apple or a smart startup to take over much like Apple did with the iPod. I actually think that Amazon doesn’t care. Amazon is all about the distribution chain. They want to sell you the content not the device. They just created the device to create more interest in reading. Certainly the publishing industry doesn’t understand how to do that. But will this actually reinvigorate the reading market? That remains to be seen.

Haven’t you always wanted to walk on water?

Haven’t you always wanted to walk on water?

I have admired Maya Lin’s work for two decades. The thoughtfulness, the scale, and the amazing balance of the discipline of architecture and the emotional vocabulary are controlled yet create both visceral reactions that then trigger intellectual responses.
Her investigation of water/waves and their distinct states have created internal conversations that have manifest themselves in my hieroglyphics that have come after Egyptian Waters.

I dream of walking on the waters, floating in the space between the waves.

Now I will make the equivalent of a pilgrimage to the Wave Field at Storm King. I will walk on the waves, I will lie and stand between the waves unable to see beyond the lead wave or the following one. I will photograph my point of view. I will capture video of the changing light. I will stand on the waters suspended in time.

THE ARTIST : Maya Lin
THE SPACE : Storm King
EXHIBITION : Wave Field

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A grocery list forever: The beauty of everyday things.

On Thursday April 2nd I saw this tweet:

The Grocery List Collection http://www.grocerylists.org/lists/100/

Instantly I thought of the grocery list I had used for years. It was in a sketchbook that I had ultimately filled. (I don’t fill them all.) I then tore the list gently from the book and used a paperclip to keep it attached to the next book. I did this repeated times. I try to recall which book it may be clipped to now. I haven’t seen it since the last move; that was when I moved my art studio out of the living space.

I was hoping to scan or photograph the list for this post. I thought I could put my hands on it easily. Then I hesitated.

I don’t know where the list is.

I’m trying to recall what it looked like now, comparing it to the images I saw at the link above. But my list wasn’t like these lists at all. My printing is disciplined from many years of design and drafting. I write straight and even on unlined paper. I use a fountain pen which leaves the telltale puddles based upon the speed in which one writes the stroke. It was on a piece of paper which barely showed the wear.

The organization of the items had been typical for me. Dairy together, fruits, vegetables, fish, yummy spices, cheeses, bread. It was ordered by my serpentine route through the isles. Items grouped geographically, creating their own special cartographic experience.

I can see the map in my minds eye now. The small dots next to the objects the corresponded to the items in the cart.

tweet from
web: http://www.projectb.com
twitter: http://www.twitter.com/barbaralevine

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