Stoked Sessions LA this weekend

This just in from some friends in LA. Looks like a fun arty event and fundraiser. I'm sorry we can't make it! Click here to read more about Stoked Mentoring, looks like a really cool organization!

Korakia in Palm Springs

I SO love staying at the Korakia in Palm Springs. It's incredibly peaceful. We first went for our honeymoon and try to make it back once a year. It's amazing that it's only a two hour drive from LA. It was nice to be back for our fifth anniversary - our last without a little one in tow!

I always turn into even more of a shutterbug than usual when we're there. Between the architecture and that unusual desert light, it's very inspiring for photography. Thought I'd share a few photos I snapped around the hotel...

Daniel Wheeler's "Gulp" in the LA Times

It was so great to actually see arts coverage in the front section of the LA Times yesterday (part of the California section, now that it has been folded into the front). There was a piece about Daniel Wheeler's "Gulp" series of photographs. I love Daniel's work - he's on the board of the University Art Museum at CSULB and donated a "Gulp" photo to an auction I curated there. He shoots the photos from under water in various swimming pools around Los Angeles (sometimes surreptitiously, chasing a good photo wearing a wetsuit!). What he captures are ghostly and, sometimes, eery visions of canopies of trees, clouds, smoke...whatever may be in the sky that day. Click here to view the LA Times piece (which includes a nifty slide show of images), and click here to view Daniel's site, where you can view more "Gulp" images plus his wide range of other types of artwork.

Happy Five-Twelve to Us!

Happy Anniversary to us! Hard to believe it has been five years since that amazing day in Austin. We actually call this our "five-twelve" - five years married, but 12 years together. The best 5/12 of my life! We're off to celebrate this weekend in Palm Springs - our honeymoon spot.

Shop Whole Foods to Support KCRW!

A heads up that all Whole Foods stores in LA and Orange Counties will donate 5% of Wednesday's (tomorrow) proceeds to the world's greatest (IMHO) radio station, KCRW. So hit Whole Foods tomorrow and support all of their great public programming! Click here for more info.

April 4 - a date I'll always remember

As my friends know, I have this weird calendar brain - if you tell me your birthdate, I can tell you what day of the week your next birthday will fall on. Completely useless and pointless, but a good party trick. I also remember key dates in my life, and I'll always remember today's date - April 4 - for two events.

Five years ago on April 4, 2004, I departed with about a dozen girlfriends for the Dabbs Railroad Hotel in Llano, a couple hours from Austin, for the best bachelorette party/bridal shower ever. We had the whole place to ourselves for 24 hours, and we had such a blast. I had friends there from Austin, Houston, New York, Amsterdam and Long Beach, and I'll never forget what a special time it was. I can't believe we didn't get a pic of the full group, but here are several of us with Gary, the greatest host ever (on the left, sharing my feather boa). That's Bubba in back. No seriously, his name really is Bubba. And yes, I'm wearing pajama bottoms, a red slip and a blue feather boa. It's funny to think that four ladies here are either currently pregnant or just had a baby. There must have been something in that cowgirl coffee that Gary prepared!

Thank you again to Christine and Tammy for such a great outing! Here they are in their honorary bridesmaid hats.







And five years before that, on April 4, 1999, I departed Austin on an Amtrak train bound for New York City. It really doesn't seem possible that it has been ten years since I left Austin. It remains probably the saddest day of my life, because I left Eric on the station platform, and I was a sobbing mess. But it was an amazing two-day journey, and disembarking in Penn Station in NYC was one of the most thrilling events I've ever experienced. Fortunately, Eric joined me full time in NYC within six months, and the rest, as they say, is history. I don't have any shots from the big departure, but I did find the invite to my going away party.

Closing day and final flurry of visitors

I can't believe it's already a "wrap," but I'm so happy with the exhibition, and it was such fun working on it simultaneous with being pregnant with Junebug. I started working on the show the same month I found out I was pregnant, so it has been a really interesting experience, expecting a girl while immersing myself in the feminist issues explored here. Thanks for all your inspiration, Junebug!

The final visitorship was 1,570 - a pretty remarkable number considering it was only open three weeks, and for only 18 hours per week. I'm happy!

During the last two days of the exhibition, six more friends (plus one wee baby) came to visit! I have to say I think I have the most amazing group of girlfriends, who found time in their busy week to trek to Cypress. Thank you so much, ladies! And now, for the final "gallery" of visitors with their faves:

Brenda with Moira Hahn's "Staycation." I think this piece helped trigger a little spring fever in everyone.








...and Brenda with DJ Hall's "Giggle." She was about to take off for a reunion with her college girlfriends, and found this piece inspiring.







Jen with Selina Trieff's "The Travelers." I was happy to see people connect with Selina's work - her figures are so mysterious that I think some folks find them unsettling, but three visitors today really gravitated to them. Which bring us to...






Sophie with Selina's "Two Women in Red." I love how the figure on the right is seemlingly staring at Sophie.









Kristen (with wee Isla) and Moira's "Staycation." I'm so glad Kristen was able to make it. She's a terrific artist and can capture the human figure so beautifully - I should have included her work! Funny that the last two baby visitors were named Isla (the Scottish pronunciation!).





Myriam with DJ Hall's "Giggle." She said the ladies made her feel "uneasy." I heard that a lot with DJ's figures. They are kind of unsettling, looking both estactic and melancholy at the same time. The blond is totally checking out Myriam.







And, last but certainly not least, Kelly with Selina's "Two Women in Red." Poor Kelly had to navigate around the crew, who were holding off on deinstallation until after her visit. Sorry for the rush, Kelly!

Thanks again everyone!

LBMA peeps visit "Femme on Femme"

My friend Margie, accompanied by a bunch of her colleagues from Long Beach Museum of Art (my professional alma mater), visited the exhibition yesterday. I asked her to take a pic of each gal with her favorite painting - it looks like they had a lot of fun! Here we go...

Margie with Moira Hahn's "Staycation" (one of my personal faves)...






Bianca with DJ Hall's "I've Gotta Secret"...







Candice also loved the secret...








Haley with Regina Allen's "Eye of God"...








Elissa with Moira Hahn's "Logic"...







Sandy with DJ Hall's "Twinkle"...







Megan with Taravat Talepasand's "The Order of the Sun and Lion"...







...and Megan in the Regina Allen gallery. Everyone's entitled to more than one favorite! Thanks so much for visiting, ladies!