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by Robbi on 09.06.10
I have been waiting and waiting to post the winner here to give you last-minute stragglers a chance to win some art. Given that there were only 15 comments to choose from (4 of which originated in the barn) your odds were darn good. That being said, I have to say that it was not an easy choice. I really wish I had 15 (er, ahem, 11, rather) to give away, but I only have one. I guess I need to be more prolific, and then equally sloppy when it comes time to spray on the Super 77. There’s hope yet for the rest of you.
For a refresher, here’s the item in question:
I chose the winner because of her beautifully written description of how this piece feels like a where and not just a what. It reminded me of a place I must want to be, since I did, after all, draw it myself. I will have to make my own way to Penobscot Bay to have a look, and see if it feels the same way to me, or if it is something you have to have steeped in for years to feel.
And now, drumroll please, the winner is:
Ms. Abby, who wrote:
Your image reminds me of the blues and greens that I delight in when I am on the coast of Maine. The islands of Penobscot Bay line up one after another, floating between water and sky; with all the seaweed and rocks and trees and fogbanks, those islands sometimes seem to fade into a series of washes, lines, blotches, and curves. I love these hills, these knobbly and almost whimsical tree-covered lumps, and wish I could always linger here where land and water meet. I have this white stairwell that is just begging for some color on the walls to juxtapose against forest and hills, just inland from the water, and that would be perfect.
I would treasure that drawing as a reminder of this place, because you have abstractly captured so much of the joy of landscape that I adore, even though you’ve never seen it. Your piece strikes me as a perfect blend of whimsy and high design, so I could dress it up quite nicely but I could also put it next to all my well-loved (read: not so new) furnishings.
It’s a damn fine piece of art, and I think it would look mighty handsome at my house.
Please contact us with directions on the where to, Abby!
And please note, for the record, that I think it would look mighty handsome at my house, too.
Congratulations!
Today is your day!
You’re off to great places!
You’re off and away!
These are the opening lines to Dr. Suess’s “Oh the Places You’ll Go,” which is Alden’s current favorite, which she (and I) have memorized pretty well. They seemed more appropriate than the opening lines to “The Gulag Archipelago,” which is the other book she’s been reading lately, and which I haven’t memorized quite as well.
by Robbi on 08.30.10
I realize I haven’t said a peep about it before, but next month (or, later this week) some of my art will be on display at the Chestertown Arts League. I will be part of a four-person show titled “Four Under Forty.” Thankfully, I still qualify. The show will go up today, and is opening on Friday, September 3. Reception is from 5-8pm. I will be there, with a new haircut and pretty clean clothes on. Not to be missed, if you happen to be in Chestertown on Friday evening. I will be sharing the walls with Emily Kalwaitis, Angela Ranzoni, and Joe Karlik. Angela did a nice write-up of us all on her blog, see here.
I am including some of my illustration work in the show, but felt a little bad that I didn’t want to sell any of it (Matthew and I are counting on the originals from Idiots’Books being worth enough to retire on in 400 years), so also wanted to include some more “fine art” pieces. I know, I know, we can go into a whole thing about “fine art” and “illustration” and “craft” and “whatever” but I’m not going to do that here. Because, this is all a lead-up to the fact that I’m going to be GIVING AWAY SOME FREE ART ANY MINUTE NOW.
But read on.
I have recently been doing some simple line drawings on this pastel paper I ordered online. It’s called “velour” paper, which makes it sound like grandma’s track suit. And, well, I hated it when I first got it. But drawing on it with ink does wonderful things because of how absorbent it is (just like grandma’s track suit). I really love the simplicity.
Without further ado, for all you auction bidders and non-bidders out there (I’m offering free art this week instead of the auction, because why would you bid on something when you could have something else for free?), here’s the piece that you could have for free, if you leave a comment that is clever or witty or in some other way makes me want to send it to you:
and a close-up:
I know in these giveaways I’m supposed to be all fair and even-handed and random, but I say what the hell. Make these people work for their free stuff. (To be fair, I will say that if you don’t feel that you are clever or witty, being extremely unctuous will surely catch my attention). But before you start sharpening your grovelling skills, I have a couple disclaimers:
1. Part of the reason I am giving this one away is because I tried to mount it and it got some wrinkles in it. You can’t see them in the photo here, and unless you’re looking you can’t really see them in real life. But they are there, and they make me sad.
2. The color in these photos don’t really match what it looks like. It’s a greeny blue. Closer to the top pic than the bottom one.
3. These photos don’t really give you a good idea of what they feel like, texturally. They’re pretty yummy.
This is one of the very first ones I did. Though I like it a lot, I think I got better as I started figuring things out. This is a later favorite (not for free):
And this one is the most similar to the monochromatic ones that I will hang in the show (also not for free):
Unfortunately, I forgot to take photos of the ones that are hanging, so you’ll just have to come see them in person (though surely I will blog about the opening when the time comes).
So – all that said, post a comment here and enter to win. And if you’re lucky, everyone will hate these track-suity inky washy simple line studies and you will make out like a bandit. I will announce the winner next Monday, so you have a whole week to figure out what my Achilles heel is (hint: think ice cream).
by Robbi on 06.23.10
Thanks to the hard work of my sister and Barb, the hot-and-heavy moths have been identified. Looks like they are Hyalophora columbia, the Columbia silkmoth.
Our new friends are going to be parents in less than two weeks – I hope they’ve decorated the nursery.
Since my sister has all-time all-access to any of my prints anyway, I’m going to award Barb a runner-up print. So please email me your snail mail address and I’ll send it off to you. And since I’m feeling generous, if you send me your address, Jennifer, I’ll also send you one, even though I couldn’t find anything about “Mark & Molly Moths” anywhere. You suckered me by suggesting that your offspring would “love it”. If it turns out she hates it, you’ll have to promise to give it to some other kid with better taste.
by Robbi on 06.23.10
We have returned from our whirlwind vacation in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota. Though we were relaxing the whole time, we were also constantly on the go. We realized as we were leaving that we never once turned on the TV, and that since our cell phone reception and internet were spotty, we hardly spent any time online either. (AT&T, btw, does not have any blue dots in South Dakota). Alden and Kato instantly fell asleep when we got back to our room at night. It was lovely.
We will go through the whole vacation in lurid detail in the coming weeks, I’m sure, but for the time being, I’m going to appeal to you all for help. While we were having dinner one evening, Alden discovered some moths in the throes of moth love. I’m sure the moths will be scandalized, but I’m going to post a picture anyway.
(I also have a sex tape, but I’m saving it to blackmail them with later on.)
For all you lepidopterists out there, I am giving away a Frog and Butterfly print to whoever is the first commenter to identify these guys (or rather, this guy and gal). If no one comments, I will also know where to focus our future efforts at demographic expansion.
Alden insisted they were butterflies, but someone older and wiser kindly suggested that they were, in fact, moths. That didn’t sit well. So, whoever identifies these, be prepared to be shot down by Alden. She pretty much shoots everything down these days. “No” is the new black.
That being said, she really liked hiking. For some reason, whenever anyone said, “We’re hiking,” Alden would enthusiastically repeat “we’re HIKE-ing” and give the double thumbs up.
Sure – it’s easy to be enthusiastic about hiking if someone is carrying you on his back the whole time.
But all that enthusiasm has turned to exhaustion upon our return. Alden has had a pretty high fever since we got home and has spent all day in bed watching movies. Actually, just one movie. Again and again and again.
Luckily it’s a good one.
So, for those of you who don’t really like to get bogged down with the details:
1. South Dakota = Awesome.
2. Do you know anything about moths?
3. Alden is two years old.
4. Being carried around like a princess with two broken legs all day can make you sick.
by Matthew on 05.25.10
Last Tuesday we posted about our plans to give away an original Robbi illustration, choosing at random among all those who commented on the post.
To refresh your memory, here’s But It Feels Like Autumn.
A week has passed, many of you joined the fun by commenting, and now is the time to reveal the winner.
Many congratulations to Rachel H., who was the eighth to comment. The number 8 (of 42) was chosen at random using the random integer generator developed by the good folks at random.org, so if you have a complaint, send it to them (Actually, don’t. If you have a complaint, send it to Robbi, and she will tell you to stop being a sissy.)
In three weeks or so (or sooner, if we feel like it), we’ll be posting another free piece for the taking. For now, congrats to Rachel H. And thanks to all who posted. This was fun.
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