ABCs of Art

2011-08-20T20:34:00.000-07:00

Brimble's Mercantile - Vintage Cakes & Clock!

Some of you already know that I like antiques. So to give our bakery some soul, I found some antique cakes dating from 1900 - 1950, and a Strombecker grandfather clock from 1931. The old cakes will mix beautifully with the cakes that Megan and Devon made.

While searching for the cakes, I came across an 1890s German dollhouse pastry shop fully restored by Tracy. Check it out - it is truly amazing.

2011-08-13T07:50:00.000-07:00

Ferris Wheel!

I am happy to report that Megan has finished building her Erector Set Ferris wheel. Bob installed the motor - click here to watch it turn! (The installation of the motor was a bit tricky - I did not record that process on video. Ahem.)

Congratulations, Megan!

2011-08-07T13:19:00.000-07:00

Brimble's Mercantile Week 10 - Completed Exterior!

Week 9 of our Brimble's Mercantile project was spent camping in Phoenicia, NY, so I will skip to Week 10. We have completed the exterior of the house, and the girls made some fabulous billboards. The first is a "Save the Animals" sign, which is a symptom of their current ostrich obsession. The second is the "Count Olaf Unwanted" poster from A Series of Unfortunate Events. Up next: the small but important final details!

2011-08-07T13:07:00.000-07:00

Real Cupcakes!

This week we made some real cupcakes to honor Devon's birthday. Happy Birthday, Devon!

2011-07-24T15:14:00.000-07:00

Brimble's Mercantile Week 8 - Shingles, Flower Boxes, & Cakes

I shingled three sides of the roof, and added window boxes to the front and back windows. I bought the window boxes to hide the excess superglue that I dripped on the windows and could not remove. I think they work swimmingly.

Devon made the "Groppe Bakery" sign using Word and Excel, and both girls made some fantastic cakes out of Crayola Model Magic clay. Almost finished!

2011-07-17T05:41:00.000-07:00

Brimble's Mercantile Week 7 - Roof

I will not describe the horror that was constructing the Brimble's Mercantile roof. I will only say that it is over now, and the roof is assembled.

We made curtains out of lace trim, and put up the Alice's Adventures under Ground pictures that I made before. We also made some pies using bottle caps, glue, and tissue paper. I found the instructions for the pies here. Thanks, Dollhouse Decorating!

2011-07-16T05:55:00.000-07:00

Back in Print!

I will briefly interrupt our Brimble's Mercantile construction saga to report that my Abstract Nouns alphabe t is now in print! Poster size = 24" x 36", printed on 100# paper. Click here to order!

2011-07-09T18:09:00.000-07:00

Brimble's Mercantile Week 6 - Doors & Trim

We added the doors, trim, and windows this week, and I patched the holes in the wallpaper (ahem). Megan also made some signs for the front store windows. She created them in Word, and I used our copier to shrink them down to 30% size. It's starting to look like a bakery!

2011-07-02T09:45:00.000-07:00

Brimble's Mercantile Week 5 - Dormers

I thought the roof was next, but apparently the dormers come first. The dormers fit together nicely. Unforutnately I now realize that all of the slots in the wallpaper that I carefully cut out with an exacta knife should not have been cut at all. For now I have unsightly holes in the wallpaper which I should probably patch with extra wallpaper.

However, a more interesting solution is to cover them with pictures:

I bought miniature frames and xeroxed Lewis Caroll's original illustrations from Alice's Adventures under Ground. I thought the pictures were perfect for the setting and the predicament.

Up next: exterior trim!

2011-06-26T07:43:00.000-07:00

Brimble's Mercantile Week 4- Porch & Replacement Staircase

If I knew how to do time lapse animation, I would use it to show the progression of the porch. Unfortunately I don't, so I will use my less dramatic slideshow instead. The porch assembly went quite smoothly, and the house is really starting to take shape. I also found a new staircase to replace the one that I destroyed. The new staircase is slightly bigger than the old one, so it doesn't exactly fit in the intended spot. I think I will have it coming out towards the front instead like so:

It will look better after I fully attach the posts and the railing.

Up next: the roof!

2011-06-18T06:30:00.000-07:00

Brimble's Mercantile Week 3 - Wallpaper, Floors, & Ceiling

The wallpaper, flooring and ceiling finally arrived. We decided on this wallpaper for the upstairs dining room, and white tin ceilings for both rooms. We originally wanted loden green and white checked flooring for the first floor bakery, but we received this message from the supplier:

Dear Deborah

We are having an industry wide shortage on flooring so I don’t have the exact ones you selected. I was wondering if these 2 patterns would be ok

Please advise

So black and white flooring it is.

I really love the added details of the floor and the ceiling. The only problem is that the vinyl sheets added thickness to the ceiling, so the staircase no longer fits in the pre-cut slot. I could probably fix this by sanding down the slot a bit, but really don't feel like doing this, so I've decided to junk the staircase and replace it either with a cake display stand or a different staircase. We have plenty of time to decide.

2011-06-12T05:49:00.000-07:00

Brimble's Mercantile Week 2 - Staircase

I was going to install the wallpaper and flooring this week, but the wallpaper didn't arrive yet so I moved on to the staircase. The staircase has no less than thirty eight (38) parts (see slideshow). The instructions were not very detailed, but the assembly went much smoother after I googled "staircase stringer."

The staircase has several tabs which are supposed to be inserted into the wall and floors to anchor it to the house. Ours came out a bit crooked, so the tabs didn't fit where they were supposed to. I considered junking the staircase altogether and replacing it with another cake display stand, but the girls wanted to keep the stairs. Bob figured out that we could simply cut off the tabs and rest the staircase against the walls, and few would know the difference. I will glue it in place after I install the flooring.

Up next (really!): wallpaper and flooring!

2011-06-10T17:57:00.000-07:00

Brimble's Mercantile Week 1

Our Brimble's kit arrived, and the assembly is going well so far. We decided to paint the downstairs room the same green as our bedroom. We also assembled the furniture, which I will eventually fill with miniature cakes.

I am looking for miniature cake molds so we can make our own cakes. However, I also found some amazing creations by Lola Originals. I especially love the fruit cake tin , fruit slices, and marzipan tin. I also found this clown ice cream cone which I will give Devon on her birthday - it looks very similar to the real clown cone that we got her from Baskin-Robbins last year.

Up next: wallpaper and flooring!

2011-05-30T14:08:00.001-07:00

New Projects!

I have two new projects that I am excited about. First, I am a starting an alphabet of adjectives, which will be the next installment of my Art and Grammar series. I haven't finalized my list yet, but I am definitely using "Asymmetrical" for A. Perhaps "Indescribable" for I, "Paradoxical" for P?

Second, I bought a Greenleaf Brimbles Mercantile kit to make with the girls. I really love the idea of a miniature store. We are going to make ours a bakery, but I also found a Brimbles flower shop and a Brimbles witches supply store. Our kit arrives next week - I will keep you posted on our progress.

2011-05-21T05:01:00.000-07:00

Guggenheim Show

Megan's class was fortunate enough to participate in the Guggenheim's Learning Through Art program this year. Through this program, teaching artists from the Guggenheim worked with Megan's class for 20 weeks to help the students create multimedia puppets. Megan loved the program, and her puppet is now on display at the Guggenheim's A Year with Children 2011 show. On display through June 15th!

2011-05-15T08:46:00.000-07:00

Finished!

At long last, I have completed my Abstract Nouns Alphabet. Here are the letters again:

A - Anarchy

B - Beauty

C - Curiosity

D - Deception

E - Ennui

F - Fun

G - Greed

H - Haste

I - Idea

J - Joy

K - Knowledge

L - Love

M - Mystery

N - Neutrality

O - Opinion

P - Peace

Q - Quirkiness

R - Resistance

S - Sustainability

T - Tradition

U - Unwillingness

V - Victory

W - Wit

X - Xenophobia

Y - Yesterday

Z - Zeal

Many thanks to everyone who helped! And special thanks to Megan, Devon, and Grace for their expert design of the letter "Q."

2011-05-15T08:38:00.000-07:00

Z is for Zeal

I used "Zeal" for the letter Z of my Abstract Nouns alphabet. I was going to use "Zilch" and leave the square blank, but I ultimately decided that I needed more color in the bottom right quadrant of the poster. "Zeal" balances it out nicely.

You can't quite tell from the picture, but I am especially happy with the texture of this square. I used bold scrubbing strokes for a zealous finish. And I am finally finished!

2011-05-14T17:29:00.000-07:00

New Purchase!

We went to Woodstock today, and I was lucky enough to find this etching hanging in the back of a thrift store. It was labeled simply as "Local Artist Lithograph from 20's - 30's." I asked the shopkeeper if she knew anything about the piece, and she replied "No. It's old, that's all I know." I bought it anyway, and looked up the artist when we got home. Here is the print I found:

Justin Murray, American, 1912–1987
Powell Street 5:30 p.m., ca. 1940–1945
Etching
17.7 x 12.4 cm (image)
California State Library long loan
L??.1966

Not on exhibit

Artist Biography:
Born in Minneapolis. Moved to California 1928. Studied art at Chouinard in Los Angeles. Federal Art Project in 1930's, theatrical scenes and murals. Moved to San Francisco 1938. Cartoons in SF Chronicle and Coast Magazine. Bought etching press in 1940 and made many etchings of local subjects. Moved to Mendocino in 1973 and died there. Also drummer with dance bands in San Francisco area.

There is also a book of Murray's etchings called Cable Car Daze in San Francisco (James Ladd Delkin, 1947). I will try to find this at the public library.

So the artist wasn't local to Woodstock, and the print wasn't from the 20s or 30s, but I love it just the same.

2011-05-01T13:35:00.000-07:00

Y is for Yesterday

Okay, back to Abstract Nouns. It took me a while to decide between Yesterday and Yearning for Y. I ultimately chose Yesterday, and settled on a traditional needlepoint sampler for the illustration. According to The Milwaukee Public Museum,

Every sampler is a historical record of one girl’s educational training and the type and value placed on that education. The overall design, materials used, and design motifs give evidence of her culture, religion, social class, and personal artistic accomplishments and abilities.

It is therefore appropriate that my sampler should include images from Space Invaders, another symbol of yesterday.

2011-04-30T12:41:00.000-07:00

Dollhouse Conservatory

I recently gave Megan and Devon the dollhouse I had when I was growing up. When I was younger, my favorite part of the dollhouse was a miniature conservatory which looked very much like this, only I stained the panels dark and painted the trim metallic gold. I filled the conservatory with strange collectibles that I found in museum shops, catalogues, and souvenir stands at the 1986 World's Fair in Vancouver. Alas, the conservatory did not survive the ten years of storage in my parents' garage. However, its contents did. I bought a new conservatory kit and put it together with the girls. It looks even better than before!

2011-04-24T05:54:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!

"Creme That Egg!" by Joseph Herscher.

2011-04-23T04:46:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter!

See here for the 2011 Washington Post Peeps Diorama Contest. I liked the Spider-Peep

The Musical and Peeps for a Cure.

2011-04-10T06:40:00.000-07:00

Bedroom Finished!

I got my Edward Gorey poster back from the framer, which means our bedroom walls are now complete. Here is a slideshow of the art in our bedroom.

2011-04-03T07:07:00.000-07:00

X is for Xenophobia

I used Xenophobia for X, illustrated with a "No Aliens" pictogram. I drew this as a sort of tribute to my pictogram series. I was going to make my own pictogram, but I discovered that one already exists. Thank you, World Alien Resistance Network!

2011-04-03T06:54:00.000-07:00

Dollhouse

This was my dollhouse when I was a kid. The girls are finally old enough for it, so I moved it from my parents house and set it up in Megan and Devon's room. It held up remarkably well, considering that it is thirty years old and sat in a crate in my parents' garage for ten years. I superglued the porch back together, which worked well, except that my fingers are now encrusted with superglue. A small price to pay.

2011-03-06T14:47:00.000-08:00

W is for Wit

"Wit" is the letter W of my Abstract Nouns alphabet. And what better example of wit then P.T. Barnum's "This Way to the Egress!" sign? Barnum reportedly hung these signs in Barnum 's American Museum because he felt that people were lingering too long at each exhibit. Not knowing what "egress" meant, people followed the signs..... all the way to the exit.

2011-02-27T09:01:00.000-08:00

V is for Victory

"Victory" is the letter V of my Abstract Nouns Alphabet. This particular V is from the WWI Victory Liberty Loan campaign. I included it as a tribute to my much cherished War Bond poster collection. This letter was especially fun for me, because I was able to match the font and colors to the original posters. (The text is dark indigo, and the background is ivory.)

2011-02-22T00:25:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Edward Gorey!

It has always pleased me that Edward Gorey's birthday is so close to mine. This year in honor of his birthday (and mine) I purchased a vintage copy of his Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Mystery! poster. It will go beautifully in our bedroom.

See here for more of his PBS Mystery! posters. I'm not sure why they are all suddenly available, but get them while supplies last!

2011-02-19T08:11:00.000-08:00

U is for Unwillingness

I definitely wanted an "un" for my U abstract noun. "Unwillingness" worked well because it gave me an opportunity to draw Dhelia, who is still one of my favorite characters. Dhelia's hair comes directly from 1984 Farnsworth Middle School in Guilderland, NY. So does her expression.

2011-01-30T08:26:00.000-08:00

T is for Tradition

I used "Tradition" for the letter T of my Abstract Nouns Alphabet. My friend Sarah suggested a maypole, which I liked, and I was most happy to find a picture of this vintage postcard from 1909. The postcard incorporates several traditions, was drawn in a traditional style, and was originally sent as an "Easter Greetings" card. I think it works perfectly. (Thanks, Sarah!)

2011-01-15T18:02:00.000-08:00

S is for Sustainability

I was going to use "Simplicity" for S, but my friend Greg suggested that I use "Sustainability" instead, and I decided he was right. The illustration was inspired by Chapter IX of The Little Prince. If you've read the book, you'll know why.

Thanks, Greg!

2011-01-15T05:18:00.000-08:00

Opening!

The girls had their opening last night at the Q Gardens Gallery. Many thanks to Carol Lacks for a wonderful show!

2011-01-09T15:29:00.000-08:00

Stupid Sock Creatures

The girls and I made these creatures from Bob's old socks. Well, we were supposed to use his old socks, but it is possible that we may have taken one or two new ones as well. Ahem.

Anyway, the designs came from John Murphy's book Stupid Sock Creatures. The instructions were clear, reasonably simple, and we love the end result. See here for John Murphy's website. I just may feel brave enough to try making the Horrid Little Oafs.

2011-01-08T19:05:00.000-08:00

R is for Resistance

I used "Resistance" for the letter R of my Abstract Nouns Alphabet. And true to form, I resisted completing this square, unnecessarily prolonging it for weeks. I call it method drawing.

I thought it was important for "Resistance" to be written in a backwards-leaning font. It was hard to find a left-leaning font that wasn't too flowery or stylized, but I was finally able to adapt this one.

2011-01-01T11:15:00.000-08:00

Kew Gardens Children's Photo Show

Megan and Devon each have photos in the Kew Gardens Children's Photo Show at Q Gardens Gallery. The opening reception will be held January 14th & 15th, and the photos will remain on display until February 5th. Here are the details of the opening:

Where: Q Gardens Gallery
80-61 Lefferts Boulevard
Kew Gardens, NY 11415

When: Friday, January 14, 4:00-8:00, and Saturday, January 15, 3:00-7:00.

Hope to see you there!

2010-12-26T07:11:00.000-08:00

Son of Man Tie

I gave Bob this tie for Christmas. I found it at the Grand Central Terminal craft fair, and it is made by Josh Bach. I actually loved several of the Josh Bach designs, including Mammoths, Space Invaders, Dinosaur Heads, and How to Tie a Tie. But the Son of Man was the obvious choice for Bob.

2010-12-24T10:50:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas!

Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics
Tags: SOUTH
PARK more...

2010-12-24T05:47:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

It is time for the annual posting of my Mondrian advent calendar. Medium = Microsoft Excel.

Happy Holidays!

2010-12-19T06:44:00.000-08:00

Drawing Number One

I was researching The Little Prince for my letter S,

and came across this link. I will not yet reveal how The Little Prince pertains to S, but you shall see soon enough. How long is this suspense sustainable?

2010-12-05T12:19:00.000-08:00

Q is for Quirkiness

"Quirkiness" is the letter Q of my Abstract Nouns Alphabet. My daughter Megan and her friend Grace directed this letter - they chose the fonts and the color scheme for the bird. Many thanks to both!

2010-11-28T05:41:00.000-08:00

Ms. Kilday's 5-8th Art Site

7th and 8th grade students at Seneca Grade School in Seneca, Illinois are making their own Artist Alphabet poster:

Artist Alphabet:

To encourage the students to explore the artwork of famous artists, we are making an "Artist Alphabet", inspired by the work of Deborah Grumet.

•Each student assigned a letter from the alphabet.
•They need to choose an artist whose name STARTS WITH THEIR ASSIGNED LETTER.
•They will design their letter using the style of their famous artist.
•They will also submit a bio of the artist which will include:
•Artists Name
•Media they used
•Movement or style they are known for
•Birthplace
•When they were born and when they died(if so)?
•At least 2 important pieces they created
•What are they best known for today?
**They need to find out about their artist, so you might see them looking up their artist & artwork online.

THEY CAN USE THE LINKS BELOW!!!

This is a great project. Thanks, Ms. Kilday!

2010-11-27T16:48:00.000-08:00

NYC Poster!

I Googled myself today and came across these posts. (I used the Google Translate function - the original posts were written in Chinese.)

2010-11-21T14:01:00.000-08:00

P is for Peace

I drew Peace for the letter P of my Abstract Nouns Alphabet. This is the last of the Peace, Joy, and Love letters that I modeled after my parents' hippie curtains from the 1970s.

Speaking of hippie curtains, I did a quick google search to see if I could find anything like my parents' curtains today. I found this.

Up next: Quirkiness!

2010-10-24T07:30:00.000-07:00

O is for Opinion

"Opinion" is the letter O of my Abstract Nouns Alphabet. I drew three protest signs, all with different opinions. I like that "Opinion" is right next to "Neutrality." The "Opinion" square is intentionally more interesting.

2010-09-12T09:43:00.000-07:00

N is for Neutrality

I used "Neutrality" for the letter N of my Abstract Nouns Alphabet. I was going to simply write the word "Neutrality" in grey, but I thought that might be too subtle, so I added the neutral emoticon. While researching the neutral emoticon, I found this discussion on whether the neutral emoticon is truly neutral.

2010-09-10T06:04:00.000-07:00

Back From Florida

We spent the week in Florida, and visited, among other things, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. Here are some of the highlights.

Universal did an excellent job of recreating the details from the book. The Hogwarts castle had the authentic feel of a medieval castle, complete with stone walls, low ceilings, and a dank, musty smell. We ate lunch at the Three Broomsticks pub, which served shepherd's pie, butterbeer, and pumpkin juice, and was decorated with 19th centuryish political cartoons of witches and wizards hanging on the walls. The butterbeer was not quite what I expected - I imagined it tasting like butterrum Lifesavers - but it was tasty nonetheless. It tasted like straight cream soda topped with a buttery/butterscotch froth.

I have since found several recipes for butterbeer. This recipe tastes much more like the butterbeer I imagined. Here are some other variations.

2010-08-29T15:14:00.000-07:00

August 29, 2010

The Parks Department offered a free boat making workshop for kids today at the Brooklyn Waterfront. We started off there, and ended up at one of our favorite spots on City Island. It was a good day all around.

And I am happy to report that the boats do indeed float (see last picture.)

2010-08-29T07:25:00.000-07:00

Fruit Cocktail Tree

One of my co-workers ordered a Fruit Cocktail Tree from Direct Gardening. I had never heard of such a tree, but here is the description:

Pick 6 delicious varieties from this unusual tree! Plant our Fruit Cocktail Tree when you don't have room for an orchard. Pick nectarines, peaches, plums, and apricots all from the same tree. Harvest bushels of fruit. Have plenty for jams, jellies, canning, eating fresh and freezing. Self-pollinating and grows about 10 feet tall. Reach fruit from this little one tree orchard standing right on the ground. And the first bushel of fruit will pay for the tree. Blossoms in spring -- fruit in fall. In spring your tree will be loaded with an abundance of blossoms. A spectacular sight for the whole neighborhood to enjoy. This is pretty enough to plant as a specimen tree right in your front yard. We send 2-3' trees.

It sounds like the perfect Willy Wanka concoction. Also available in 5-N-1 Apple and 5-N-1 Pear .

2010-08-21T07:09:00.000-07:00

The First 13

I am now halfway done with my Abstract Nouns alphabet. Here are the first 13 letters again:
Anarchy
Beauty
Curiosity
Deception
Ennui
Fun
Greed
Haste
Idea
Joy
Knowledge
Love
Mystery

Now on to "neutrality."

2010-08-21T06:51:00.000-07:00

M is for Mystery

I chose "Mystery" for the letter M of my Abstract Nouns alphabet. It was a tough choice between "mystery" and "misery", but ultimately "mystery" won out. I loved reading Nero Wolfe novels when I was a kid, and while researching "mystery" I found this. I had never heard the theory that Nero Wolfe might have been
the illegitimate offspring of Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler. I haven't decided yet how I feel about that.

2010-07-25T10:33:00.000-07:00

Pikachu!

We made Devon's Pikachu cake. The girls helped decorate this year, and I think they did quite well. Happy Birthday Devon!

2010-07-24T07:27:00.000-07:00

L is for Love

I drew Love for the letter L of my Abstract Nouns Alphabet. This was also fashioned after my parents' hippie Peace, Love, and Joy curtains from the early 1970s.

While researching hearts, I came across these Candy Heart generators via Candyaddict.com. Candyaddict.com has many interesting categories, such as Oddly-named Candy, Top 10 Grossest Candies, and Top 10 Simpsons Candy Moments. And here is my favorite, the Candy Wrapper Alphabet Quiz.

2010-07-17T06:08:00.001-07:00

K is for Knowledge

Knowledge is the letter K of my Abstract Nouns Alphabet. I was tempted to illustrate knowledge with something poetic, like a torch or flower, or symbolic, like the National Library symbol. In the end I decided to keep it simple and draw it imprinted in the convolutions of a brain.

2010-07-16T04:57:00.000-07:00

Octopus Cake

Speaking of cakes, my sister made an octopus cake for my niece's birthday using this Williams-Sonoma Octopus Cake Pan . The cake was supposed to look something like this (see left). Unfortunately my sister forgot to grease the pan, so it came out like this instead (see below). Anyway, it was delicious.

I noticed that the Octopus Cake Pan is no longer available at Williams-Somona, but perhaps recent events will prompt them to bring it back.

2010-07-12T19:53:00.000-07:00

Another Cake

Devon's birthday is coming up, and she has asked me to make her a Pikachu cake. I just looked up "Pikachu," and it seems fairly straight forward.

Of course this request may (will) change several times between now and the 25th, but that's fine. Here are some of the other cakes I have made over the years.

2010-07-11T05:50:00.000-07:00

Nagging Question Answered!

My coworker offered me a piece of Toffifay candy the other day. I had never tried Toffifay before, but the taste was instantly familiar. So familiar, in fact, that I asked all of my coworkers if they happened to remember a caramel chewey candy from the 1970s that tastes just like Toffifay. One had a vague recollection, but could not remember the name.

So I turned to Google, and searched for "caramel candies from the 1970s." After a few false starts, I found the answer: Rothchild's Candies. Here is the commercial they reference.

Now that that's answered, I can pay attention to my children again and enjoy the rest of the weekend. Happy Sunday!

2010-07-09T18:59:00.000-07:00

J is for Joy

I used J for Joy. The illustration was inspired by my parents' hippie "Peace, Love, Joy" curtains that hung in our kitchen in the early 1970s (see below). That's me in the high chair -possibly on my first birthday.

2010-07-05T11:36:00.000-07:00

I is for Idea

I used Idea for the letter I of my Abstract Nouns Alphabet. I decided to go with the cartoon thought bubble instead of the traditional light bulb. It ended up looking a bit vintage Electric Companyish, but I like it.

2010-07-03T05:28:00.000-07:00

Aunt Ethel's War

I found this site while searching for WWII political cartoons:

Aunt Ethel's War

At the beginning of World War II, a great aunt of mine, Miss Ethel Snoddy, began clipping political cartoons from newspapers. She faithfully kept this up for the next five years, pasting her cartoons into five large photo albums, one for each of the war years. By war’s end, she had compiled nearly 3,500 cartoons.

The purpose of this website is to bring a portion of those cartoons to light. I hope you find them interesting and I invite your feedback. Please click on Email Me below for any comments or questions you may have.

Thanks,

Bob Rice

Carmel Valley, CA

Happy 4th!

2010-06-30T16:50:00.000-07:00

Interjections Reposted

I noticed that a number of people have found my blog lately by searching for "comic book interjections." My first guess was a class project, but I'm not sure that makes sense since school just ended. Anyway, here is my ABCs of Interjections poster, which is part of my ongoing Art and Grammar series. Here are the answers.

2010-06-26T19:42:00.000-07:00

Lade Gaga

This is my daughter Devon's story about Lady Gaga. I should mention that Devon is in Kindergarten. She wrote it at school as part of a workshop that is run by Queens College. And it so happens that Queens College is using the story as the opening piece in the Teacher's College Writing Institutes next year. I think the piece speaks for itself.

2010-06-12T11:05:00.000-07:00

H is for Haste

I used "Haste" for the letter H of my Abstract Nouns alphabet. I was originally going to use "Happiness," but one of my daughter's friends accidentally scribbled on the square, so I had to improvise. I incorporated the scribble into the underscore.

2010-06-06T06:38:00.000-07:00

G is for Greed

"Greed" is the letter G of my Abstract Nouns Alphabet. I love the idea of a snake devouring letters. I tried this concept once before with my counting boa, but I never knew quite what to do with it. I am happy to incorporate it here.

My friend suggested "gluttony," which I actually like better as a word. Unfortunately "gluttony" was too long for the square, so I stuck with "greed."

2010-06-05T13:34:00.000-07:00

Craft Fair

We went to the Renegade Craft Fair today in Williamsburgh, which was hot, but fun. My favorite item by far was this tattooed circus man by Mimi Kirchner. Check out her other dolls, too.

2010-05-31T13:30:00.000-07:00

F is for Fun

"Fun" is the letter F of my Abstract Nouns Alphabet. I was going to use "Fortitude," but my daughter Devon asked me to draw "Fun" instead. Fair enough.

As I was thinking of how to illustrate "fun," it occurred to me how many fun things are spherical: gumballs, super balls, bubbles, marbles, balloons . . . so I decided to go with brightly colored circles. I like the purple because it reminds me of grape Bubble Yum.

2010-05-16T16:11:00.000-07:00

E is for Ennui

Ennui is the letter E of my Abstract Nouns Alphabet. I researched this letter by preparing the 990 tax return at work this week. I also consulted with fellow Gorey fans Sarah and Rosanne. Many thanks to both!

I chose a greyish-beige for the background because it was the most boring color I could think of. I also found a Berylium font which was very close to Gorey's.

Up next: either Flexibility or Fortitude - I still can't decide.

2010-05-15T05:20:00.000-07:00

Emmy Nomination!

I am happy to report that my cousin-in-law Ed received a Daytime Emmy Nomination for his writing in the Fairly OddParents series. Nominated OddParents writers include Will Schifrin, Kevin Sullivan, Ed Valentine, Butch Hartman, Joanna Lewis, Charlotte Fullerton, Amy Keating Rogers, Gary Conrad, and Tom Krajewski; also Scott Fellows, writer/story editor, and Ray Delaurentis, story editor. Congratulations!

2010-05-09T12:15:00.000-07:00

Snoodles

We had this drawing in our house when I was growing up, but I didn't really know or appreciate the story. It's a signed sketch by Cy Hungerford, the artist who drew the Snoodles cartoon in the 1920s. Apparently Hungerford lived in Pittsburgh, as did my mother's parents. My grandfather was at a conference in Pittsburgh just before my mother was born. Cy Hungerford was at the same conference, and learned that my grandfather was expecting a child, so he drew the sketch for my grandfather. We feared it was destroyed, but I found it today in my parents' attic, and now it is hanging safely in our newly-painted apple-green bedroom. (Thanks, Lisa!)

2010-05-09T05:21:00.001-07:00

Happy Mother's Day!

'Our Lady of Colombia' by Fernando Botero.

2010-05-02T08:34:00.000-07:00

D is for Deception

I chose Deception for the letter D of my Abstract Nouns Alphabet. I was originally going to illustrate this with a wolf in sheep's clothing, but then I thought it would be fun to draw a leaf bug instead. The leaf bug didn't quite work, mostly because it looks exactly like a leaf, and I was afraid that no one would understand the drawing. So I compromised and used the more recognizable praying mantis.

Here are some amazing examples of insect camouflage that I found while researching leaf bugs.

2010-04-24T13:20:00.000-07:00

A Near Spinal Tap Moment

A friend of mine forwarded me a Call for Submissions for an upcoming art show. When I first read the flier, I thought the call was for 2' x 3' pieces, which works well for me because most of my posters are 2' x 3'. Well, I read the flier again, and it turns out the call is for 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches. Ahem.

So I made these three portraits for the show, all the correct size. I'm glad I figured it out before I walked into the gallery with three oversized posters. (Thanks, Rosanne!)

2010-04-18T14:03:00.000-07:00

Personal Growth

When I was much younger my parents gave me a set of unpainted nesting dolls. I loved the gift, but I never painted them because I couldn't think of a design that was perfect enough. Since they were nesting dolls, I wanted to use the nesting factor in the design, i.e. different layers of the human body, an unraveling mummy, etc.

I kept the unpainted dolls for years in the bottom of an old wooden trunk. I recently found the set, and turned it over to my kids, ages five and seven. I love how they painted the dolls (see above). More importantly, I love how much fun they had with the project, and regret not completing it sooner!

2010-04-17T07:06:00.000-07:00

Vintage Grumet

This is the first piece I ever printed. It's a ballpoint pen drawing of a woman picnicking under a tree. There is a lizard in the tree, with a long, curved tail.

I did this piece just after college. I thought it would be fun to try and print it, so I took the original to Kinkos and asked them reduce it to 5" x 7" and make 100 xerox copies on white resume paper. It actually worked quite well, and the whole print run cost less than $50. (There was a one time reduction charge of a dollar, I think, plus ten cents a copy, plus 30 cents a copy for the resume paper). I gave them out as Christmas presents that year framed in deep red cardboard mats.

2010-04-15T16:09:00.000-07:00

All in the Family

Each year I enter Adam Cadre's Lyttle Lytton contest, which challenges entrants to write the worst possible introductory sentence to a novel in 30 words or less. I received honorable mentions in the 2007 and 2009 contests, which pleased me disproportionately. Well, my daughter entered this year, and she was won of the winners! Here is her entry:

"Once upon a time, there was a talking lamp whose lightbulb fell out and hit a person and the person got shocked and destroyed everything."

Megan Groppe

Cadre writes of her entry, "This is such an uncanny recreation of the way five-year-olds tell stories that I assume that the Axe Cop audience would buy up the entire first printing." Megan was actually six when she wrote this, not five, but close enough.

See here for the rest of the 2010 winners.

2010-04-11T13:52:00.000-07:00

C is for Curiosity

Curiosity is the letter C of my Abstract Nouns alphabet. I thought a picture of a dead cat was probably too graphic for a children's poster, so I drew the chalk outline instead.

Up next: Deception!

2010-04-10T16:35:00.000-07:00

Another Purchase!

I went to the Manhattan Vintage Book & Ephemera Fair on Friday night with my friend Helen. I went to many of these shows when I was in my twenties, and I have already mentioned that our entire apartment is decorated with ephemera (old printed matter such as posters or postcards that were never meant to be preserved).

Well, we have a wonderful addition to our collection. Inside a large cardboard box that was crammed full of vintage magazines and advertisements, I managed to find an 8" x 10" signed colored pencil drawing by puppeteer Bil Baird. I know of Baird because when I was a young child, my aunt used to take my sister and I to the Bil Baird Marionette Theater on Barrow Street. I was thrilled to find the drawing, and the man who sold it to me was equally happy to sell it to someone who loves it.

2010-03-28T14:10:00.000-07:00

B is for Beauty

I chose beauty for the letter B of my Abstract Nouns Alphabet. A single tulip seemed the perfect illustration. The tulip is my favorite flower. I originally wanted tulips at our wedding, but we were married in August, which (I discovered) is not tulip season. We used red and yellow roses instead.

2010-03-15T19:40:00.000-07:00

A is for Anarchy

I have finally started my alphabet of abstract nouns. I chose anarchy for A, illustrated with different sized letters in inconsistent fonts, all out of order. (The picture is a bit fuzzy - I am getting used to a new camera.)

Up next: Beauty!

2010-03-07T05:15:00.000-08:00

New Purchase!

I recently ordered a signed copy of this print by Seymour Chwast. Chwast is one of my favorite artists, probably because I grew up with this poster hanging in my parents' livingroom. We are going to hang the new print in our newly-painted apple-green bedroom. Almost there . . .

2010-02-28T06:49:00.000-08:00

The Koons Collection

This was an interesting article in today's Times about Jeff Koons' personal art collection. Among other things, I was delighted to learn that his bedroom walls are similar to the color that we painted Megan and Devon's room. See if you can guess which is which.

2010-02-22T07:42:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Edward Gorey!

It has always pleased me that Edward Gorey's birthday is so close to mine. He would be 85 today.

2010-02-08T17:39:00.000-08:00

Finished!

2010-02-06T14:22:00.000-08:00

Petition and Assembly

The full text of the First Amendment is as follows:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Here is my illustration for the last part.
This concludes my First Amendment illustrations! I will compile them into a slideshow as soon as I remember how.

2010-01-31T11:44:00.000-08:00

24 x 36

Well, I have come to the end of my 24" x 36" drawing pad. Here is a select number of projects that I or my children made with this pad. I hope the next pad is as good to us.

2010-01-30T12:02:00.000-08:00

LEGO Guggenheim

LEGO has introduced new line of architectural models called, appropriately, LEGO Architecture. My favorites are the LEGO Guggenheim and LEGO Falling Water. I didn't see an official LEGO Le Corbusier set, but I did find this example on-line. (Only my friend David will understand the Le Corbusier reference. Hi, David.)

2010-01-23T04:57:00.000-08:00

Subway Update

I did not see the Beatrice Coron poster on my commute yesterday - instead I saw ads for Budweiser and CUNY. However, it occurred to me that it would be fun to make my own Arts for Transit poster. Perhaps a bride on the way to her wedding, standing alone in a subway car while everyone else sits and reads their Kindles. Or maybe a full rat wedding being performed while everyone else sits and reads their Kindles. Did I mention that I've seen a lot of Kindles lately?

Regardless, I need to finish my First Amendment project first. Only one illustration left!

2010-01-20T17:13:00.000-08:00

Beatrice Coron

I really like the new Arts for Transit poster that I saw today on the subway. It appears to be a silhouette cutout of a most imaginative skyline. The train was crowded, so I wasn't able to examine it closely, but I did notice that it was by artist Beatrice Coron. See here for more about her work. I will try to get a closer look at the poster tomorrow.

2010-01-17T15:07:00.000-08:00

No Content-Based Regulation of the Press

In Miami Herald Publishing Co. v. Tornillo, the Supreme Court overturned a Florida state law which required newspapers that criticized political candidates to also publish the candidates' response. The state claimed it had passed the law to ensure journalistic responsibility. The court found that the First Amendment mandates freedom, not responsibility. This is my illustration of the ruling.

I have only one more First Amendment illustration to complete. Up next: Abstract Nouns!

2010-01-16T07:06:00.000-08:00

Bread Machine

Gallery 263 in Cambridgeport has opened its Bread Machine show, which is, as it sounds, an installation of bread machines. Twitter (g263bread) is providing updates on the breads. The show runs from January 9 - February 2, 2010. Hope to see you there!

2010-01-12T16:43:00.000-08:00

Thou Shalt Not Steal

Someone else has illustrated the Ten Commandments in the style of pictograms. I don't really think he stole it - this happens more often than you'd think. But please note that mine were first. Ahem.

2010-01-10T13:16:00.000-08:00

Freedom of Association

The First and Fourteenth Amendments together provide the "freedom to associate with others for the common advancement of political beliefs and ideas." Ironically, this has been used to help both the NAACP and the KKK. The Boy Scouts of America also cited freedom of association as a reason to expel an openly gay scoutmaster. It worked.

So here is my illustration for the freedom of association. In short, No Dogs Allowed.

2010-01-03T19:46:00.000-08:00

Idea

I am almost done with my First Amendment project, which means it is time to solidify my next idea. I am going to illustrate an alphabet of abstract nouns next, which will be a continuation of my Art and Grammar series. Abstract nouns are nouns that cannot be perceived by the five senses, i.e. "hope," pictured left. This project especially appeals to me because by definition, I should not be able to illustrate it.

If you have any suggestions for abstract nouns, please post them here. I am going to use "Anarchy" for the letter A, but the rest are wide open.

(Note: This "Hope" poster is by artist Shepard Fairey. I did not ask his permission to use this image. I hope he doesn't mind.)

2009-12-31T14:07:00.000-08:00

3. . . 2. . . 1. . .

I've been on a Norman Rockwell kick lately. This was the Saturday Evening Post cover from January 1, 1944. I especially like the expressions of the soldiers in the photographs.

Happy New Year!

2009-12-30T06:13:00.001-08:00

Publishing the Memoirs of Convicted Criminals Permitted

Some states have Son of Sam laws which prevent convicted criminals from publishing their memoirs for profit. New York State enacted such a law in 1977. However, in 1991 the Supreme Court struck down New York's law as a violation of the First Amendment in Simon & Schuster v. Crime Victims Board. Here is my illustration of this ruling.

State Supreme Courts struck down Son of Sam laws in California and Nevada as well, citing the Simon & Schuster case as precedent. New York State has since modified its Son of Sam law to make it constitutional (see Legislative Response to Simon & Schuster). However, I did not attempt to illustrate any subsequent changes to legislation.

2009-12-24T20:05:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-20T18:44:00.001-08:00

Fraud

Um, okay. This story almost competes with this one.

2009-12-12T14:42:00.000-08:00

Unflattering Headlines Permitted

In New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, the Supreme Court ruled that public officials could not recover damages for libel from a publisher unless they were able to prove that the publisher acted with actual malice. This means that headlines such as these are permissible.

I decided to illustrate this concept with an actual New York Post headline. In this example, the post disrespects not one, but three U.S. Presidents without fear of consequence. I suppose I could have used this headline as well. Or this. Or this.

2009-12-12T05:23:00.000-08:00

Pfft

I checked my web stats recently, and learned that the top referring keywords to my blog are "bill the cat pfft." And sure enough, when I googled "bill the cat pfft," I came up surprisingly high. So here is the post that started it all.

2009-12-03T18:40:00.000-08:00

A Room With a View

Well, we've largely settled into our new apartment in Kew Gardens. And I am happy to say that for the first time ever I have my very own art room. This means significantly less crap in our living room, where my art table was formerly housed. A win-win situation!

2009-11-26T07:43:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

I actually have this poster in my living room - it's one of my favorites. (The Rockwell poster is from WWII, not from WWI, but it's still one of my favorites.)

Happy holidays!