Didja Leap?

Leaps and Hounds
You'll surely want to now! The above collage is by Scrapatorium. I really enjoy her work. She even gives an exercise or two to try. See all those 'portfolios' on the left hand side of her site? Oh, peruse them!

King Lines

"The line that's just calling out to you, beckoning to be climbed. That's the king line."
I don't really know why, but before I begin, I feel the need to let you know that I'm no rock climber. I've climbed three times, the same day, the same rock. I've heard myself say that it was the scariest thing I've ever done. I'm not sure if that's entirely true, but it very well could be. Every cell from the top of my head to the bottoms of my feet was shaking. And yes, it was also thrilling, to survive. I was literally clinging to the rock by sheer friction. I say all this, yet one of the most memorable films I've seen in the past couple of years was a climbing film by Peter Mortimer. It was called Return2Sender. It was a little caffeinated and CooCooBananas, but in an entertaining and inspiring sort of way. There was a super doggie climber and an amazing 10 year old girl climber in it; and did you know climbers use their elbows to wedge themselves in cracks in the rock?!

Last week was the Boulder International Film Festival (BIFF) and Peter Mortimer showed a new film titled King Lines. I'm not about to write a film review, but I'm still inspired by Chris Sharma who came onto the climbing scene as a young teenager and zipped up some crazy hard routes with which experienced climbers were struggling. He's now 26 years old and has been at it for just over a decade. King Lines documents his quest to find the world's most difficult and beautiful LINE. Sharma mentions beauty many times. That's part of what makes his person interesting to me. He isn't just a climber, even though that is who he is, all of what he does. This quote, from the article linked below, says it well, "The struggle crushes many, weeding out the strong-fingered charlatans from the lifers." Lifers, an interesting distinction. Sharma was at the showing of King Lines in person and answered a few questions after the film. He's definitely a 'Lifer'. Even if you're not able to catch the film in your part of the world, you can get a sense of his being, and perhaps be inspired by watching this short video or reading this good long interview with him. Both are excellent.

As is the film ... superb cinematography and good balance between words, climbing scenes and story.

Bubble, In Your Face

If I came face to face with this in a magazine, I'd be quite amused! It's an ad for Arcor Bubble gum. I like it! The other reason this caught my eye was that it was designed by Leo Burnett in Sao Paulo. Well, Sao Paulo happens to be the city in which I was born and grew up. I'll be posting some good photos of Sampa sometime soon, but for now, you can see a small photo on the side bar, on the right. Anyway, I figured Leo Burnett was a designer in SP, so I googled his name to find out more. Well, friends, Leo Burnett is a huge design company with branches all over our world. Maybe you already knew that. Not me though. So yes, the Arcor ad was more than likely designed by a, or a few, Brazilian designers in SP. Their main site is definitely worth checking out. The work really IS superbly creative. Plus, where else can you draw and surf elegantly at the same time? Make sure to find and click on the teeny red apples too!

Peg Pencil

And now, for something ... completely different. The coolest mechanical pencil I've ever seen. I wonder how comfy it is between the fingers. It looks like it could be quite. Functional, elegant, creative and unique ... this fabulousness was designed by Yuta Watanabe. A Japanese designer who also studied in London. See more of his product design here.

Today is ...

and
day!
As it is everyday. They're both all over the place!
in a bottle of sunscreen
as a seed pod
on a sidewalk
a smeared locker
even in a tree stump
although that one had to be pointed out to me ... twice! MyDar and I were walking someplace when of a sudden he pulled me back in order to stop and show me something. Something on the ground. I said, "What, a stump, it was once a tree" and attempted to keep walking! Really, I really said that. It was soon hilarious to me (& to him) as he looked at me in disbelief! Then I saw it, it was a HEART! One of those things I see and point out all the time! Here's to hoping your life today and everyday is filled with love, of the most fabulous variety to you. May you see and enjoy your life, as there is love and there are hearts all over this land and in our own and shared inner lands as well. Really! Tons of LOVE! Happy Love day.

Bring all your friends!

Cakes are funny to me. They're colorful and sweet and we always wonder what the inside looks, feels and tastes like too. I haven't met anyone who accepts a piece of cake like they do, say, the salt shaker. 'Oh yeah, thanks.' nah. I've seen a piece of cake be rejected, but even then, it's not turned down like the salt shaker might be. nah. There's usually a twinge of drama, the decision and experience layered with story.

Life is often humourous to me. Imagining and painting cakes has made me laugh, and joyous.

Bring all your friends! We're having cake!

Stacks o'

Stack o' crackers.
Stack o' paintings.
Stack o' papers. Pile o' clothes. Stack o' magazines. Pile o' leaves. Some things are piled, some things are stacked.

There's something aesthetically and conceptually interesting to me about things stacked on top of other things. There will be more stacks o' paintings and paintings o' stacks coming soon. See just a few here right now.

Is it Time for Cake Yet?

Well, it's February. I think it very well could be. Time. For Cake. Right now. I added a few more paintings to my portfolio. Check 'em out. I'll be adding more this week. Really, THIS week! I know, I've been away from my Blog for a while. I'm on my way back with some Cakes, Stacks, and maybe some more cakes!