d i m i n u t i v o c a t i o n s

Ocean Capital

2010-04-26T13:56:00.001-07:00

Somerville Open Studios is this weekend, May 1, 2! LINK
Drop on by and say hi - I'll be around from 12 - 6 both days.

2010-01-17T02:46:00.001-08:00

Hi Blog Readers - I have posted several 'Self Portraits' online and would love for you to vote for them! Follow this link and scroll to the bottom of the page - use the 5 star rating system - I very much appreciate your clicking.

2010-01-13T18:07:00.001-08:00

2009-11-24T07:26:00.001-08:00

2009-10-05T13:53:00.000-07:00

Beautiful works by Kieth Tyson - More to see and read
His Show: Cloud Choreography and Other Emergent Systems

2009-09-29T19:55:00.001-07:00

Tobias and the Enormous Tiny Art Show!

2009-09-05T06:38:00.001-07:00

Here is a link to my Page

2009-08-09T17:51:00.000-07:00

2009-08-05T18:13:00.001-07:00

2009-06-11T20:13:00.000-07:00

my studio

2009-06-11T20:11:00.001-07:00

2009-06-01T20:12:00.001-07:00

2009-05-16T07:34:00.001-07:00

2009-05-01T06:46:00.000-07:00

Somerville Open Studios! 12 - 5 on Saturday and Sunday
More info and directions here - I'm number 72 on the map!

2009-04-02T06:22:00.000-07:00

2009-03-20T07:15:00.001-07:00

2009-03-18T10:26:00.001-07:00

Art by Sergey

2009-02-17T17:25:00.000-08:00

January and February - 2009

01. Dance, Dance, Dance - Lykke Li
02. The Storm - High Places
03. Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second - Starf***er
04. Camel (Nosaj Thing Remix) - Flying Lotus
05. A Mountain of Ice - Helios
06. Demonic with Horns - boy eats drum machine
07. Red Still - Eureka Gold
08. Green Rain - Shugo Tokumaru
09. Teenagers - Department of Eagles
10. Around the Lion's Legs - DM Stith
11. The Sun's Coming Up And My Plane is Going Down - Young Galaxy
12. The World - Empire of the Sun

2009-02-13T18:52:00.000-08:00

2009-01-24T09:15:00.001-08:00

3 New Pieces I just added to my ETSY shop - enjoy!

2009-01-20T05:55:00.000-08:00

In honor of today's inauguration of Mr. Obama - here is Mr. Ghost Monster - at his own inauguration!

2009-01-19T05:57:00.001-08:00

A recently completed triptych for commission.

2009-01-17T19:50:00.000-08:00

2009-01-17T19:45:00.001-08:00

2009-01-14T20:28:00.001-08:00

I was reading a minimalist blog post about this year's Tournament of Books being hosted by the Morning News - and as always they have a wonderful gallery + interview with an unusual artist. This menagerie scene was curated by my consumate eye from the collection - I love the color, Victorian era costumes, Zebra-Tigers, and the disproportionately short trees. Oh, and that sneaky looking raccoon.

2009-01-11T19:35:00.000-08:00

November and December - 2008

01. Test Your Dreams - Populous w/ Short Stories
02. Light Saber Sound Effect 4 - Industrial Light & Magic
03. Opposite Sides - The Epochs
04. Connjur - School Of Seven Bells
05. Sense On Fire (Fujiya & Miyagi Remix) - Mercury Rev
06. Faraway from Cars - Mercury Rev
07. Sad Song (Pacific Remix) - Au Revoir Simone
08. Came A Storm - Frida Hyvonen
09. Make the Road by Walking - Menahan Street Band
10. Love Complete - The Epochs
11. Black Fur - Fredrik
12. Let It Go (Flying Lotus Remix) - Reefer
13. Oh! (Micachu Remix) - We Have Band
14. World War II (Pt. 2) - Wax Fang
15. There Are Maybe Ten or Twelve - A.C. Newman

2008-12-30T20:37:00.001-08:00

Happy Holidays!

2008-11-28T06:38:00.001-08:00

While most people were thinking about Turkey yesterday... I was thinking about sushi! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

2008-11-24T18:28:00.001-08:00

2008-11-15T17:22:00.001-08:00

Little t ran in a 5K early in September - these are the pics of the event. A true athlete. I think this could be a Nike commercial - but I think she prefers Asics.

2008-11-11T17:03:00.001-08:00

OCTOBER MIX - posted on MixWit - LINK

01. Satt Att Se - Dungen
02. Cockies - These are Powers
03. The Ghost of Old Bull Lee - Arthur and Yu
04. Un Dia - Juana Molina
05. Under the Water it Glowed - Eluvium
06. Only Hope - Populous & Short Stories
07. You've Never Lived a Day in Your Life - Sunset
08. Dreams (Ft. Mystic Chords of Memory) - Dntel
09. Glory B - Castanets
10. A Thousand Eyes - Crystal Antlers
11. Sunshine City - Forest Fire

2008-10-29T10:19:00.001-07:00

another WIRED photo gallery - this pic comes from 'Halloween in the time of Cholera' - very cute - very vintage.

2008-10-21T10:35:00.001-07:00

Look at those awesome Jelly Fish! pic from a WIRED article on the Monterey Bay Aquarium: "The aquarium is home to the largest jellyfish exhibit of its kind. Currently, Black Sea nettles, seen here, call this 2500-gallon tank home. The apparatus includes a circulating water flow that mimics ocean currents and keeps the nettle’s delicate skin from rubbing against the acrylic walls" Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

2008-10-13T17:32:00.001-07:00

The latest in my monster series - this is Mr. Ghost Monster being sworn into office. I guess the political climate is influencing me on a deep, deep level - I bet that Mr. Ghost Monster has some interesting policies - drilling for oil in the haunted forest; reforming Healthcare to include grooming and nail sharpening; and I believe he encourages pork-barrel spending as long as he gets to inspect the contents.of every barrel. btw - SOLD!

2008-10-12T16:14:00.001-07:00

more of my recent trip to western Mass on Flickr

2008-10-07T18:57:00.000-07:00

I painted a couple of Octopi this weekend - I think they are in love - trolling the ancient deep together, on a quest for shellfish to split - or - They could be on a lazy Sunday afternoon walk through the deeper waters of the unexplored down town - regardless, I think even squid need companionship.

2008-10-05T15:35:00.001-07:00

2008-10-04T09:37:00.000-07:00

September - 2008

01. Banana Slugs / Cosmonaut - High Places
02. Tech Romance (Matmos Remix) - Her Space Holiday
03. Blasphemy - Miracle Fortress
04. Have a Talk With God - Stevie Wonder
05. It's All Blooming Now Mt. Heart Attack - Liars
06. The Northwind - Hanne Hukkelberg
07. Five Roses - Miracle Fortress
08. Hold You, Drum - Liars
09. Blue Calx - Alarm Will Sound
10. Festival - Sigur Ros
11. The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack - Liars

As noted in a previous post - Muxtape is DOWN - so the easiest way for me to share music with you is through Mixwit - a somewhat limited site with a limited well from which to draw mp3's - so not all of the below listed gems are on the mix - however - some are. So enjoy the truncated, scalpeled mix - and if you're into great music for the transitional moments between Summer and Fall, visit i-tunes and spring for the other songs.

Allied WORKS

2008-10-02T11:43:00.000-07:00

I love this architect and I love his webpage.

Design + Diagrams + Process Photos + Shimmering finished product = Approved by 5.
I can't wait to see it in person.
alliedworks

.
(this last diagram is extra because I love it)

Muxtaped

2008-09-27T07:15:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post a recent muxtape - so that I could re-introduce my musical blog to my everything else blog - but I just realized there is no more muxtape!!! There is a long letter covering the back ground, history, politics and resolution - below is an excerpt - but suffice it to say that one of the most graphically enthralling sites any music aficionado has known is defunct - instead of being de funk! Bummer.

relaunching soon, in the service of bands

And so I made one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever faced: I walked away from the licensing deals. They had become too complex for a site founded on simplicity, too restrictive and hostile to continue to innovate the way I wanted to. They’d already taken so much attention away from development that I started to question my own motivations. I didn’t get into this to build a big company as fast as I could no matter what the cost, I got into this to make something simple and beautiful for people who love music, and I plan to continue doing that. As promised, the site is coming back, but not as you’ve known. I’m taking a feature that was in development in the early stages and making it the new central focus.

Jib Jab Presents...Election 2008 !!!

2008-09-26T13:11:00.001-07:00

About this time of year... everyone is sick of politics. Me included. So to bring some fun back into the "system" let's all head over to JIB JAB for their latest parody of the Presidential Election!!!

This year you can upload a photo of yourself and participate in the antics. This is the type of bi-partisan shenanigans that I can really get behind! Grand ol' party indeed... Try it out!

SUPER dove!!!

2008-09-25T11:02:00.000-07:00

I will be attending the "Release" Party for a newly written book "Super Dove" on Friday - the review of which was recently published in the NY Times - The book was quite well received and I can't wait to try the "squab" appetizer sure to be served on Friday! - Excerpt and Article below!

The Un-Bird

"The chapter on “pigeon people” — you know the type [...] is priceless. Here, pigeon advocates meeting in South Brooklyn debate the morality of feeding the birds: “They’ve got two babies coming every four weeks,” a proponent of birth control shouts. “There’s too many babies for them to feed, and it keeps them in poverty, a cycle of poverty!” A pigeon hotline nearly falls apart when Al, a responder, decides to take calls about other birds. “Al, the power’s gone to your head,” a rehabber scolds him. As “compassion turns to paranoia” and “nobility turns to self-righteousness,” one woman rebukes another in a Listserv exchange: “Don’t poop on me from your high perch.” Humphries admires the pigeon activists, who “argue for a sense of responsibility toward our environment that runs deeper than the latest popular cause, and that perspective is worth considering.” But ultimately, she says, “it’s difficult to get behind saving an animal that is one of the least endangered birds on the planet.”

new work!

2008-08-14T19:31:00.001-07:00

SOLD!

My Liittle Sister is Married

2008-07-30T13:10:00.001-07:00

Tessa and I travelled to Denver to see my baby sister Beth marry a fine young gentleman named Scott. The service was lovely, her dress was awesome, and the dinner had a vegetarian option. (Thanks Beth!) The whole weekend was beautiful - including swimming pool lazes, butterfly pavillion visits and Denver Museum of Contemporary art perusals. Enjoy above and see more here. Best wishes for many magical moments Sister!

mini friends in the big apple

2008-07-15T06:38:00.000-07:00

So little t and i visited manhattan last weekend - photos are up on flickr - this is my lame attempt at some brady bunch style collage - Thanks to our generous New York friends!

who needs a car when you have a bicycle?

2008-07-08T17:33:00.000-07:00

Tessa rides off to get groceries... My Hero!

pedro the artist

2008-07-07T19:42:00.000-07:00

wow - enjoy!

WEBSITE

Fireworks

2008-07-06T20:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Independence Day Will Smith!

Not a UFO! Just the proud sponsor of July 4th on the Esplanade!

Boston is famous for its Fireworks Spectacular - Here is a taste...

Photos are posted individually on my Flickr page

Photos of...

2008-06-30T13:08:00.001-07:00

...my recent sojourn to Toronto! are now up on Flickr... some of my favorites are...

Bad Day on the High Seas

2008-06-30T12:19:00.000-07:00

This wonderful piece created by Brandon Bird. See more here!

my Astronaut ambitions

2008-05-27T17:55:00.000-07:00

Geometry wars - that is all.

Somerville Open Studios - This weekend!

2008-04-30T11:46:00.000-07:00

May 3, 4 + SOS + 12-6pm

Also, I updated my ETSY shop

MIX - April 2008 - the FLOOD

2008-04-24T18:34:00.001-07:00

A History of Game Controllers... MoMA

2008-04-03T12:48:00.001-07:00

I found this great graphic entitled "A History of the Game Controller" created by Damien Lopez at the MoMA website dedicated to its current exhibition - Design and the Elastic Mind - Take a look at the other exhibits - the interface is wonderful and it could save you a trip to NYC.

La Linea

2008-03-25T14:52:00.000-07:00

What can be done with a simple line and some jibberish italian?!

La Linea

In the United States, the cartoons were featured on the children's TV series The Great Space Coaster, although La Linea was given different names by the show's characters, Roy, Goriddle Gorilla and Knock Knock, before the cartoon was played. Not all La Linea cartoons were featured on this show as a few of them featured some rather suggestive content that children would not have understood. In 2005, the video for the Jamiroquai song (Don't) Give Hate a Chance paid homage to La Linea. The video is an animated commentary on the War on Terrorism and features 3D representations of the familiar La Linea character, as well as the animator's hand and pencil. A similar concept was used in the final introduction for the British version of Whose Line is it Anyway? Cavandoli drew La Linea for the last time, just before his death, for use in advertisements of an Icelandic bank called Kaupthing.

Recent Works 03-17

2008-03-17T19:19:00.001-07:00

SOLD!

Toys are Evil!!!

2008-03-15T07:45:00.000-07:00

NICE!!!! - to see more like him - visit TOYSREVIL !

We Built This City on Nouns and Verbs!!!

2008-03-11T12:10:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my dream city - where buildings are made of fonts... TYPE CITY

....and elephants too!

Relax in a living room made of letters repeated over and over -

Modern Mantra

please remove your shoes first though...

AHEM... speaking of thumbs...

2008-03-06T16:44:00.000-08:00

For any and all adult video game players - give me a thumbs up - ok.

Here's an article to let you know... YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

Three Thousand Head Butts

Onwards and Up-words

2008-02-10T11:27:00.000-08:00

Hi There,

So while winter is wintering away - I am typing away

My finished art projectst are piling up,

I need to photgraph them and upload them...

I got this octopus article from Derek - 3 thumbs up!

...feel free to send me any other octopus press as it pops up.

Much love to anyone still checking up on my activities!

Sake lovers can drink like a fish from dried squid cups

The production of liquor containers made of sun-dried squid skins is bubbling over here...

squids are our friends...

2007-12-08T19:38:00.000-08:00

Hi anyone / everyone - it's been a while - until I can post something more "meaningful" - (tho I'd be hard pressed to come up with something more meaningful than this...) - Here is an appropo pic from cheezburger... LOL - Happy Caturday!!1!

Octopus Revisited

2007-11-11T18:25:00.000-08:00

Since blogging my affinity for all things eight legged, I've received tentacles of feedback in the form of: house scouring cephalopods; leads to literary links; diamond encrusted pinky rings... I thought it only fitting to share these hilarious and fashionable tidbits with you all. Enjoi the Octopi.

Octopus Scrubbing Buddy - from Animalhouse - Thanks Brad and Bekka!

Squid Ring - Bring da bling to an Octopus' Garden party - Thanks Audrey!

Poor Mojo's Squid! - An advice column written by a squid - Thank you Kirk!

"...And then, down the slick black stone slithered the serpent, glinting and foul, and if the creature had not tested the dry air of the terrible upspace with a glittering tongue, even the perfection of my eye would have missed it before it was too late.

But just then, Rexford he did moan and roll to the side, his hand falling into the silvery glare of the lunar light, and I was able to swing a steel-encased tentacle across the rock, splitting the wyrm in twain so that its burning ichor could hiss against the shining rock and fall to the ground by Rexford's ear..."

Canadian Stuffed Animals - I saw these at the airport - Thank you Canada!

Pre-O-wee

2007-10-29T18:39:00.000-07:00

My friend Cindy forwarded these adorab... errr, SCARY monsters! The giraffe is just insane, that poor kid's neck must be pretty strong. The Cobra has "spare tire" coils. And is that a gator or a dragon?! Look out chocolate! More Tom Arma Designs here... http://www.tomarma.com/

October Pastimes

2007-10-27T08:52:00.000-07:00

Three ways I've been spending my time in October

1) The Red Sox are in the world series, I'm cheering for them. The Red Sox are ahead in the series, so the momentum is keeping me glued to every second of televised action. On the East Coast the games don't start until the tardy hour of 8:30 and don't end until the jarringly late hour of 11:30 (+/-).

2) I purchased a wicked little time sink in SimCity for my DS. I decided to call my City Danvers, and I took the name of Mayor Pena. Some familiar with Colorado will recognize this as a nod to the Mayor of my youth. I always thought he looked like an odd duck - but I recall his politics leading Denver out of the Stapleton airport era smog and into the future of Denver International Airport.

Federico Peña proved to be one of Denver’s most ambitious, energetic and able mayors. He worked to give Denver a new airport, a major league baseball team, a grand new central library, a new convention center and restored many parks, parkways and public buildings, resurrecting the City Beautiful-era dreams of Mayor Robert W. Speer. Peña set aside one percent of the cost of all municipal building projects (over $1 million) for art.

3) And last but not least, I've been making some small watercolors at coffee shops. I'm glad that some things never change. Here is one I just did this morning. Enjoy and Happy Halloween!

October Showers bring ...

2007-10-18T13:29:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was a whirlwind adventure into Kansas. My fiance and I were escorted from Airport to Highland to Golden Bear Road to Highland to KC to WB to Airport. The occasions were wedding related:

Gift Showers, meeting with minister, Invitation approvals...

Thank you to our hosts and all that took the time to come!

Lorne "Moose" Carroll

best gifts EVER: these are embroidered with T and t on them

t's family and our hosts the Maxwells

Etsy Shop is Open

2007-10-11T17:13:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends, this is your friend Tobias writing. Tobias the artist. I don't want to get too philosophical about what a blog should be but... After Octopus week ended I found myself thinking, "I don't want this blog to be all about my art". So, in the interest of my self, I've decided to expand the content of my posts to include ANY TOPIC I FEEL LIKE. This will probably include Art, artists, pretty images, strange factual stories, ruminations... and probably Octopi.

If you're only here for my art, then God bless you. There is a way for you to view it and purchase it! I recently took down the remainder of my Diesel Art Show, (which was a smashing success, thank you for asking!) and have posted those pieces on my ETSY page. (See my revised links at right if you'd be so kind). The website is basically an online gallery, I have yet to sell anything there, so I can't tell you if it's easy to use or a pain in the keister. However, it reminds me of Ebay - but much, much cuddlier.

Cephalomania Send Off

2007-09-30T06:44:00.000-07:00

The end of Octopus Week is finally here. I didn't post last night - (and now I'm glad I didn't) - I had a dream about an Octopus!!! I won't bore you psuedo Fruedians with the details, but suffice it to say, a giant Octopus Kite represented the finale of a rather elaborate and cartoonish production. Upon waking, I hurried to a computer and looked up Octopus Kites. It looks like I have one man to thank for manifesting my dream image into reality. Thank you, Peter Lynn, Thank you.

Day Nine - Reason #9 - From the heights to the depths - the Octopus continues to marvel.

I know, this is the ninth reason and I only promised eight - so consider this an octopus post script (and consider that a tongue twister). Basically, in closing, I want to show the weirdness that is the cephalopod family - enjoy these two pictures taken at the depth of the dark ocean - a worthy complement to the soaring puffy kites above.

Octopaparazzi

2007-09-28T20:35:00.000-07:00

Poor Octopi. I can't help feeling like I'm invading their privacy. This whole week has been nothing but my probing, curious eye exploring their personal life. I'm not the only one though. Where do you think I get these pictures? The undersea paparazzi of course! Sure, researchers explore under the guise of Science - but I know they're digging up the dirt on my favorite cephalopods. Take the above photo for instance...To me, this pic is the equivalent of seeing Russell Crowe throw a punch at prying photographers. Below, we have the oceanic version of baby Suri, how cute! Don't worry folks, she was returned to the sea unharmed by scientology.

Day Eight - Reason #8 - The Octopus is SOOOO Photogenic.

If there is one thing I know now, that I didn't know before Octopus week began - It's that the octopus looks GOOD on film. I can see why crews with cameras would dive deep to spot them. I now see why artists continue to illustrate the squid - creepy beauty. Like Kate Moss and Jack White the Octopus has allure we can't deny and a dark side that keeps us enthralled.

Optopi in disguise!

2007-09-27T19:20:00.000-07:00

Some links to Octopus Gear as we begin the twilight of Octopus Week...

Octopus Soda

Octopus Chips

Octopus on a plate

Octopus T-shirt

Octopus Shoes

Octopus Hat

Octopus Pen

Octopus Ink

Octopus Poem - Kansas City

Day Seven - Reason #7 - The Octopus can be consumed.

So whether we like it or not, the Octopus is just another of many consumable products that we, as consumers, consume. Whether they are delicious snack chips which are anything but delicious, or cola type concoctions - the cephalopods are merely a means to an end... There are innumerable t-shirts that sporty kids can stylishly parade about in. There are untold number of recipes that we can all endeavor to devour. We can write about an octopus with a pen that resembles an octopus, with ink that imitates what Octopi spurt. The Octopus is none other than a facet of our desire. Our desire to have eight arms!!!

Sounds of the Octopus Octopussing

2007-09-26T15:50:00.000-07:00

I have to ask a simple question - where would we be without synchronicity? Take a minute, let that sync in. Yesterday, in my fair city of Boston, a little band named Yo La Tengo performed music from a commissioned concept CD they released in 2002 - The Sound of the Sound of Science. One of the most outstanding tracks is titled "The Love Life of the Octopus". No, I didn't make that up. But I did excerpt this from the Pitchfork Review of the album:

Each track was written to accompany a specific piece of Painleve's work, and Yo la Tengo's level of success ranges from impressive to downright incredible. For the few of these films that I've been fortunate enough to see, the Hoboken three captured the feel of each short damn near perfectly, and crafted songs so moving and evocative for the remainder that by the end of the album I felt as though I'd seen them all. Even when the album 'picks up,' it still never strays far from a relaxed exploration of the lush organics they're able to draw from their standard rock setup, aided here by assorted percussive oddities (vibraphones, chimes, etc).

Day Six - Reason #6 - The Octopus inspires myriad of projects.

Not just an entire Octopus week. Not just a 78 minute opus from indie rockers Yo La Tengo. The Octopus has inspired the creation of whole rock and roll bands! Take for instance... The Octopus Project, from Austin, Texas. Maybe the band visited the Austin Aquarium and saw a squid and BAM! EUREKA! OMG! Octopus ATTACK!!! Well... maybe not - hear for yourself - an immersive song from their new album Hello, Avalanche... I Saw the Bright Shinies.

blog-topus FIVE

2007-09-25T13:58:00.000-07:00

Day Five - Reason #5 - The Octopus has an archetypal shape.

I don't want to say too much about these two images, (since the ideal of an archetype is to communicate without explanation) but it's kind of amazing the way that an artist evokes "octopus" with little effort, detail or accuracy.

Octopus - Gourmet or Grotesque?

2007-09-24T12:58:00.000-07:00

It's the middle of Octopus week and if you're hungry then you might enjoy a little snack. I found this pic and recipe for "baby octopus salad" on Epicurious, a favorite food site of mine. No longer hungry? Good. Now let's feed the mind! Ever wonder where Octopi rank on the food chain? So did a little girl named Desiree -

Question: If an octopus is part of a food chain, what does it feed on? What feeds on it? D C Whitbeck

Answer: Desiree, An octopus is a very active part of the ocean food chain. Its food includes clams, crabs, lobsters, mussels, and other shell fish. It catches food with it arms and pulls them apart or crushes them. Some octopi can inject poison to paralyze its prey. Sharks and whales (and humans_th) enjoy snacking on octopi. Thanks for your curiosity,

Your teacher, Mr. Whitbeck

Day Four - Reason #4 - The Octopus has good taste.

I'm beginning to realize why Octopus Week has so much apeal for me. The eight legged epicurean has a verrrrrrrry sophisticated palette, just like me! I love lobster, I love crab and I love clams! I don't exactly catch my own crustaceans though. Maybe I should go snorkeling and see how I do?

Octopus Defense!

2007-09-23T16:31:00.000-07:00

Continuing with day three of Octopus week, we'll talk about Octopus defense strategies. It's not all INK and mirrors - there's also Camoflauge! Can you spot the cephalopod in this video?!

Day Three - Reason #3 - Octopi can look like alot of things.

Can you make yourself invisible using the magic of camoflauge?! Unless your name is David Copperfield or David Blaine then the answer is NO, so octopi have a leg up on you (8 of them). It's pretty amazing that we even know they exist. I guess they're shy, but they're not THAT shy. If they were, then Jules Verne wouldn't have written Squiddly Diddly's biography. They'd still be the stuff science fiction is made of. Instead of the stuff that is too ridiculous not to make fun of.

Reality shines on - Octopus

2007-09-22T17:44:00.000-07:00

Some hard facts about the squishy squid - here's some raw data:

The octopus, which is also called "devilfish," is a predatory mollusc with a pouch-shaped body and eight powerful arms (I thought they were called tentacles? Can you have arms if you don't have legs!? _th) with two rows of suction discs on each. It also has an ink sac, which it uses to darken the water when it senses danger. Octopuses (C'mon - where's the editor?! OCTOPI! _th) are related to squids, cuttlefish, nautiloid, and other molluscs such as snails, mussels and clams. They can creep over hard surfaces using their arms; when they travel through water they move by jet propulsion, taking in water and ejecting it forcibly through a funnel as their muscular mantle contracts. They vary in size from a few centimetres to the giant octopus of the Pacific Ocean which can grow to over 10 m. Some species are edible, including the ink!

Day Two - Reason #2 - Octopi have many nicknames.

Much like Las Vegas, Taco Bell and Senator Obama, the Octopus is a creature with beaucoup nom de guerres. As witnessed in the above passage there are at least 5 legitimate ways of naming this mysterious creature of the deep. I should be so lucky. I have no known alias' aside from my blogger identity, and let's face it, I am hardly a deep creature.

Pic found on Flickr

Octopus Week = 8 Wacky days!

2007-09-21T20:53:00.000-07:00

OCTOPUS ATTACK!!!

I have just kicked off Octopus week! This very unofficial (and here to fore unheard of) 8 day week celebrates our 8 tentacled friends. Why should we celebrate? and what's so special about octopi anyway?! Great questions - let's see if we can come up with 8 good reasons. I'll do my best to provide one a day...

Day One - Reason #1 - Octopi have very large heads.

This is a relatively true and obvious statement, though I can't think of what they need big heads for. Maybe if my head was bigger, I could come up with something. I'll give credit to craniums when it's due - and with the octopus, I think my unabashed awe is warranted. In fact - I can't think of another creature with a head as drastically disproportionate to it's remaining appendages.

Kudos to new found artist Jason Sho Green - more on Popcling!

privelaged vantages

2007-09-20T19:39:00.000-07:00

The above image is from an incredible collection titled "wee planets" by the artist Gadl.
The below image is from international artist David Hockney, and was harvested here.
Both construct an impossible yet fantastic representation of outdoor, natural space.
Gadl zips his planet up as a full circle; Hockney seamingly unwraps his river.

The Red Studio

2007-09-12T07:15:00.000-07:00

I've always been extremely fond of Matisse - and this piece in particular.

With zeal and elan - I found myself confronted with 'The Red Studio' at MoMA.

I couldn't help feeling like a tourist / tortoise as I snapped up this picture.

Looking at it now - I'm most impressed by the vivid impact of the greens on red.

Old Friends

2007-09-10T11:46:00.001-07:00

I thought I had lost these two old post cards!
I was so thrilled to have found them...
(while I was unpacking from my recent move)
...that I wanted to post them here.

4 Reasons for not posting for the last 4 weeks

2007-09-06T13:37:00.000-07:00

1. a Trip to New York with Friends.

2. a Trip to Kansas for a Funeral.

3. a Lease Expired and I had to move out.

4. a Trip to Kansas for Wedding Preparations.

Photo Credit to Anna Neilsen

Show at Diesel

2007-08-07T10:37:00.001-07:00

Last night, my beautiful assistant (and Fiance) Tessa & I hung my most recent painting exhibition at Diesel Cafe in Davis Square in Somerville, Mass. The show is going to be up throughout August and September. For those who can't come by and see it - here are some photos...

SOLD!

DONE!!!

time for moon rise

2007-07-27T08:05:00.000-07:00

I worked out this small collage remembering the way the sun set into the Pacific when I was a youngster visiting California. I'm always happy when I get to see the Sun and the Moon co-existing in the sky.

one word poem

2007-07-23T11:32:00.000-07:00

agape

camofamily

2007-06-26T06:43:00.001-07:00

aPartment in Portland

2007-06-19T06:42:00.001-07:00

This Watercolor was created before an adventure to the Great North West

While considering residence there, I never did decide to

In a sense, I rejected the idea of a Seafaring life.

(this piece is now sold!)

Pop Musical

2007-06-14T11:11:00.000-07:00

I say hello to an old friend...

One that I dug out to include in a new show.

This collage was created while living on Jefferson St. in KC

One hung over morning - in about 30 minutes.

(This piece is now Sold!)

Jesse RenO.vation

2007-06-12T12:15:00.001-07:00

this is an homage to one of my favorite (living) artists.

"Good Foot" by Jesse Reno

Lion's Lair

2007-06-12T11:59:00.000-07:00

hello, I'm back from vacation.

Polar Spring Petal

2007-04-23T06:42:00.000-07:00

This piece is inspired by the advent of spring

[which just sprung this weekend in Boston]

I spent the weekend shedding the polar nature of winter

with my fondest...

monsterepresentative

2007-04-18T09:35:00.000-07:00

I needed an image for my blogger identity - I love this guy...

cerebellabounty

2007-04-17T09:16:00.000-07:00

greenone

2007-04-09T06:20:00.000-07:00

plantains

2007-03-30T10:03:00.000-07:00

another new painting...

this one meant to evoke

the duvet cover of my bed

and the organic rug on my floor.

I subscribe to the theory of osmosis.

(This piece is now Sold!)

ghostel

2007-03-28T12:53:00.000-07:00

siting: ghost / monster

location: my studio

demeanor: irritated

friend / foe: neutral

pleased to cite you

2007-03-04T07:31:00.000-08:00

my Kansan friends may know her;
I have always admired her;
a little Joan Mitchell influence...
a little poetic reference...
a messy elegance
Jane Booth

domonster

2007-02-21T14:52:00.000-08:00

i'm suddenly fascinated with benevolent monsters.

they are popping up in my sketchbook,

they are appearing in my paintings.

.........

I'm going to start looking for them at coffee shoppes

Februartisan

2007-02-07T11:35:00.000-08:00

thanks to all who came to PI.

the Show is up

the rest of the month

so Please feel free to stop by

wintercession

2007-01-30T09:58:00.000-08:00

" the beginning at the end"

on display in KC

in PI gallery

through the month of February

(This piece is now Sold!)

reasons & seasons

2007-01-08T14:49:00.000-08:00

though they're blurry

and i've been in a hurry

these lines are still finding

and these colors still binding

(This piece is now Sold!)

dissolverbs

2006-08-20T14:35:00.000-07:00

the act of overlap + articulated movement =

synthesis in syntax

(This piece is now Sold!)

geneticket

2006-08-14T16:40:00.000-07:00

build on the wisdom of other wise others