a m y s a c k s t e d e r --> b l o g » cats

best of the best

amy — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 15:16:29 +0000

People keep asking me about my trip, so I thought I would post some photos. I mean, it’s hard to describe chicken pants…it’s something you just have to see for yourself.

a typical beutiful day in Budapest, gorgeous statuary and all...

strangely, wearing chicken pants and being hoisted in the air was very soothing to these little gals

a sweet courtyard in an atists' complex

the courtyard has some pretty wonderful murals on the walls

Mitsy the Hungarian forest cat, friend to human and chickens alike

Nannette in our "office"

Nem nem... what???

chickens are inside the castle walls! (when I give Nannette my jump drive to transfer video stuff, it comes back with some extra little gifts- like this photo)

the courtyard at David's studio

Happy Gum

my little studio corner with David's mini statue park

a close-up of the statue park

opening night

because I can

amy — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 22:41:47 +0000

If I’ve been remiss in blogging, it’s only because I’ve been blogging. I’ve been helping Mark with Irreverent Vegan a lot lately. There’s so much food-related stuff to do this time of year, what with putting the gardens to bed, buying up boatloads of tomatoes at the farmer’s market for canning, making pesto from end-of-season basil, etc. Mark made swoon-worthy pesto and tomato pasta and baked green tomatoes last night. Check out our action on that blog and let us know what you think.

So, some stuff has been happening on the art front as well. Mark and I stretched this monster last week:

Though sadly it was a rainy day when we stretched it and the humidity affected it. It was tight as a drum when I left the studio last Thursday. When I returned to the studio, it was as wrinkly and saggy as all get-out. Great sadness ensued. For me. Then after about ten minutes of moping, (and since I have a painting due for a show in December) I got my stuff together and started painting on a different canvas. I altered my Photoshop mock-up to be suited for a vertical rather than a horizontal format and shazam! I’m back in business. This painting involves big circles, for which I fashioned a very high-tech compass out of a brooch, some string and a sponge brush. Macgyver, eat your heart out.

I also co-curated an exhibition at EMU called Contemporary Painting, which I’m really happy with. More on that later.

And, because our cats have been so dang photogenic lately, a bunch of cat photos. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

people got a lot of nerve

amy — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 17:20:09 +0000

So last night I got to go see this pretty lady:

Neko Case

and her misfit crew including Kelly Hogan and Jon Rauhouse. It was a marvelous, colorful, complete show. They blended a lot off of the new album, Middle Cyclone and Blacklisted, which felt wonderfully dark, and played some favorites from The Tigers Have Spoken and Fox Confessor Brings the Flood. There were a few songs I love that I didn’t hear, but that makes me want to go back and see more shows, which is how it goes.

She played at Crofoot in Pontiac, Michigan, which is an intimate venue with a great set-up and a fantastic sound-system. We were on the floor in the middle and could see the band pretty well for the whole show. The balcony is a nice place to be as you can sit at a table while overlooking the floor and stage, but we didn’t get there early enough for that. We saw Neko play there once before with The New Pornographers. Okkervil River opened for them on that occasion and that made it an even more awesome show.

But back to last night. The set was brilliant. It was simple, but there was a giant screen behind the band projected with images and videos synced to each song they played. Presiding over the screen was a giant owl wearing a crown. There were also these primitive-looking gnarly tree banners on either side of the screen. Of course the lights really enhanced the show as in the song I Wish I Was the Moon where the lights simulated bright moonlight shining on everyone on the floor. Let me see if I can find a good photo of the set online… hmmm… here’s one from flickr:

thanks Christeena!

This image is from a show in Toronto, but this is pretty much what it looked like last night, but the Crofoot is much smaller than the venue pictured and we were really close to the band.

In other Neko news, she happens to be a fellow animal lover, so she and her record label ANTI- are donating five dollars to Best Friends Animal Society for every blog that posts the mp3 for the song People Got a Lot of Nerve from Middle Cyclone (which we heard last night, I might add). So here goes, for the betterment of people and critters alike:

People Got a Lot of Nerve

Download: http://www.anti.com/media/download/708

Indie in Ypsi: Shadow Art Fair (part 1: the loot!)

amy — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:53:56 +0000

So like a carnival sweeping through town, the Shadow Art Fair descends on Ypsilanti, Michigan twice yearly. The summer SAF in July always has an especially festive air, as there are longer daylight hours (as opposed to the December SAF) in which to enjoy it and the opportunity to spill into the Corner Brewery‘s outdoor beer garden after supporting local and regional craftsters, artists, and creative peoples. So, of course “supporting” means buying up a bunch of stuff, and if one is going to “go consumer”, the SAF is the place to do it. I go a little bit nuts each time I go, buying gifts for others, but mostly for our home…and for me. I deserve it, right? So, this post is about the spoils I plundered this time around and is an opportunity to give a shout-out to those artists who caught my eye long enough to catch me digging into my wallet. Props to Mark for picking out cool stuff with me and being patient with my spendy self.From left to right, the ceramic pieces of Christina DeAngleo are so lovely we bought four exquisite little shot glasses and one stein with a bug drawn onto it. Never underestimate the importance of a large mug for holding lotsa steaming hot droughts come the cold Michigan winter. The earrings are handmade by the b-line, a jewelry designer who uses mostly polymer clay, but I snapped up these beaded little brassy bluebells. The t-shirt is by Great Lakes Shirts. Mark got one last year and this year, it was my turn. Now I can pay tribute to the more watery parts of these northern mid-western states of ours. The painting is by Jason Wright. Mark and I have wanted one of his pieces for a long time now, and finally have brought one home. Jason runs Swipple!, an online and often actual art exhibition space where he features artists from all over, but especially regional artists and sometimes outsider artists. Jason also works closely with Michigan prisons. He works to get the inmates’ artwork seen and has curated several successful exhibitions of prison art.

Whenever we bring home new stuff, the cats get into investigatory mode. Ramona wanted to be sure that I feature a close-up of some of the stuffz:

Wobbly Bob doesn’t care about the stuff, he just likes the paper it’s wrapped in. He favors hunkering down in a little nest of it.

After speaking to a bunch of people at our vegan brunch yesterday (more on that later), it was agreed that a highlight of the fair was the booth of Broad Street: “jewelry for the eco-fabulous.” And man is it ever! I bought an amazing chainmail neckercheif creation off the neck of some poor girl who was trying it on, but karmicly, another girl snatched a necklace out from under me a little later, so the universe is working as it should. If you ever see Sarah Bradstreet selling her wares, be sure to snap up what you want early on, because it gets gone! Here’s a photo of me modeling the first item I bought:

Two more sellers deserve some props. Sally England of SED (Sally England Design) had a really eclectic booth with faux bois printed plush logs, felt Michael Jackson portraits and these amazing golden t-rexes, one of which had to come home and join the menagerie in the kitchen window box:

The other artist is is Lori Brown, who as Morninglori, makes up wonderful stories about imaginary beings and makes them come to life in her sculpted and plush creations. We bought some as gifts, so I can only show the tippity tip of an ear so’s not to blow any surprises, but if you visit her etsy site, you’ll get the idea.

Now that we’ve indulged me by reveling in my post consumer bliss, next up: the people and place of the Shadow Art Fair. I haven’t even mentioned the Chips and Cheeeze yet!

back to life, back to reality

amy — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:29:40 +0000

Within hours I went from hanging out in wonderful, wacky Budapest in clubs like Szimpla Kert:

(…this is where Michael and I spent our last night in Budapest and had to say goodbye to some fantastic new friends, who we’re sure to meet again. There’s a Halloween trip to NYC afoot!…)

…to my peaceful, breezy life in Michigan. Here are some scenes from my domestic eden:

gladiolas from my welcome back party hosted by Mark

Juni asleep. Chandelier pillow compliments of Mary Elise Bolam.

laundry time

the beast! (aka Wobbly Bob)

the kitchen window box

And since too much peace in my life is unsettling, I decided that my home studio isn’t arranged quite right, so now I am grappling with this mess:

But thanks to my amazing fellow, there’s a fridge stocked full of my favorite things to fuel me. I also made sun tea. Thankfully right now, wherever I am, there is glorious summer!