Fat Red Ant

Remarkable

2006-10-22T08:31:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow I will be mailing 8 pieces of mail art! I know - unbelievable! It's been a looong time. I hadn't realized how much I'd missed making the works and the mail art community. Looking forward to more...

Wow...it's been a while.

2006-07-01T09:06:00.000-04:00

I can't believe my last post was in April! It's been a little whacky lately with frantic schedules and lots of work. Most of which I've been too busy to post on any of my web sites but will try to soon. This is a peice I just finished that's a lot of fun...

I was invited to take part in an upcoming the Do Not Fold Bend Spindle or Mutilate exhibit at the Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Two computer punch cards were provided to each artist
with the only stipulation being that the final artwork had to fit in
the return envelope provided by the arts center. This envelope was
a standard reply envelope – a whopping 3.75 x 9 inches.

My piece, Eden, is a three dimensional construction
using digital photos and un-housed computer disks. The work measures
about 12 inches tall and varies in width. Unassembled it does fit into
the envelope and no fasteners are required to put it together. The required punch cards were used as leaves in one
of the potted plants from paradise.

This piece speaks was a great deal of fun to create
as it spoke to all my favorite muses, the digital age, the evolution
of creation, and the idea that something much larger than expected
can come out of a small container.

Reports of my demise...

2006-04-12T06:50:00.000-04:00

April 11, 2006

Dear Granville Rescue Squad,

Last Sunday morning I was in my front yard taking extreme close-ups of dew drops on blades of grass for a new series of photographs I am working on called Meditations. In order to get a clear image of the miniscule droplets I have to lay with the camera on the ground and stay unbelievably still while capturing the image.

Apparently a passer-by saw me sprawled flat, seemingly lifeless, on the lawn and worried I might have fallen or been otherwise injured or even...worse? So they (whoever they are) anonymously called for an ambulance.

It wasn’t until the first EMT arrived that I even looked up (though by then I could hear the ambulance sirens approaching.) You were coming to help me. Thankfully I didn’t need your assistance! And I was a little embarrassed by having been the cause of a false alarm. I didn’t get that first EMT’s name but it was clear he arrived ready to do whatever necessary, had I needed the help. After I stood up and assured him I was fine (and he assure me that I didn’t need to be embarrassed – he was happy I was okay), he cancelled the call and left me to my work. I found myself thinking for some time about how fortunate we are to have a dedicated group of people so ready and willing to help close by. You are all terrific.

I have created this small print from one of the images I had taken that morning and would like you to have it in appreciation for your coming to my rescue when I thankfully didn’t need it! And no offense but, hope I never do.

Kind regards,
(Fat Red Ant)

Ant Farm(ing)

2006-04-03T16:21:00.000-04:00

I was poking around my yard yesterday and snapped these shots of ants furiously working to relocate their herd of aphids after I lifted the rock under which they had built their farm. They're not great shots because these buggers were fast and I'm still getting used to the new macro lens - the focal plane is paper thin.

Still, since I'm they're name sake so to speak, it was fun to watch them do their thing.

The Big Art in Tiny Things

2006-03-26T19:36:00.000-05:00

Here are my first pieces using the new 100mm macro lens I just got for the Rebel XT. I love it.

Click here to see what these are photographs of...

New Photomicroscopy

2006-03-22T09:29:00.000-05:00

I've posted a couple new shots I took with the microscope. This one is of the eye/antenna portion of a Bright Pink Trimmed North American Real Moth. It's actually six images, stacked together and manually masked so that the different parts are in focus.

I am putting together a whole new body of work involving images of pond scum. And my new 1:1 Macro lens for my Rebel arrives Friday - look for new images of big small things!

Whew! Finished. (almost)

2006-03-12T20:21:00.000-05:00

I realize it's been ages since I've updated this blog (or my mail art site) and here's ONE of the reasons why. (Another is x365! Still going strong and enjoying it!)

I've been busy putting together my contribution to a statewide arts program called Palettes of Vermont. The basic idea is the state provided 7,000 16x12 inch maple palettes that are to be painted or somehow decorated by artists and other ne'er -do-wells throughout the state.

I received one of the wooden palettes but instead of using the palette itself I created this video installation piece that uses full-motion video of traditonal Vermont scenery, events and images (shown on the tv in the cabinet) and simultaneously projects a kaleidoscoping pattern in the shape of a palette on the wall that is based on the source video.

It was a lot of fun to put together. And applause and gratitude goes to Josh Burlingame of East Poultney, Vermont for crafting such an exquisite cabinet when I asked, "Can you build me a box?"

More details and other still frames of the video can be found in this PDF.

I'm still fussing with the video - I keep finding ways to "improve" it. When it's complete, I will post the palette video online so you can enjoy it too!

And soon, now that this one (big) project is winding down, you will start to get mail from me again! Both types: electronic and US Post!

The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show

2006-02-14T18:20:00.000-05:00

2/15/06 - Update!

The Squirrel: 0
The Ant - WON!

Finally - the little knawing beast has been captured and relocated! As he and I drove to the lake this evening I explained it was nothing personal, but he was not welcome back in our garage. I think he understood. He bolted the instant I opened the trap door and headed for his new home - wherever that might be as long as it's not my house!

For those of you following the "Squirrel in the Garage" Gold Medal Event, here are the latest standings:

Squirrel: 3
Humans: 0

The little bugger has thrice tripped the have-a-heart trap but somehow Houdinis his/her way out. We know it's still out there - we can hear it snickering.

If this keeps up we're going to have to call for back ups. Anyone have ane email address for Wile E Coyote?

Celebrate St. Hallmark's Day Properly

2006-02-11T08:54:00.000-05:00

Now let me go on record that I like Valentines’ Day. I'm all for every opportunity to tell someone they're loved, but I'm sick of the lengths companies go to consumerize affection and attempt to guilt or frighten us into action. This year I am especially disgusted by a certain drugstore chain that suggests in their advertising that it’s not really the thought that counts. Ugh.

So I am sharing with you and the world a tradition my husband and I devised a few years ago that allows us to recognize February 14th without filling the tills of chain-store hawkers.

It’s easy and fun. We do it every year.

We go to a card store together and browse the card racks until we each find a card we would like to give the other. We exchange cards. Read them. Kiss, laugh, or both! Then put them back and leave.

There you have it. It's fun and gets us out of the house! You try it!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Woodchuck Festival Mail Art

2006-02-01T06:47:00.000-05:00

2/12/06 - Finally - Here's some of the art!

Had a bunch of friends over last night for wine, cheese and collage. The purpose was to make mail art that will be mailed this weekend at our local Woodchuck Festival - yes, we Vermonters will find any excuse to go play in the snow. What's unique about this year's festival is that their having s a special postal cancellation for the event.

I took photos of some of the work that was created last night and will post them later. A couple of the women wanted to send them to mail artists so I had them close their eyes and select a card out of one of my bins of mail art. I'm not telling who the lucky recipents are...we'll have to wait and see!

Ps. - If you haven't tried Dan Waber's x365 project - you really should. I've been doing it a couple of weeks now and it's really a great way to recount your life. Check it out: 40x365

365 People

2006-01-15T10:53:00.000-05:00

This idea came from the very clever Dan Waber - and it's a blast. Essentially you make a list of 365 people who have touched your life in some way - people you have met - and then each day for a year you write 40* words about them.

Making the list, as Dan notes on his site, is the hard part. Paring down your memories about or feelings toward a person into a handful of words is the next trick, but it's actually fun.

So try it yourself. And let me know if you decide to give it a shot.

You can read my start at 44x365.blogspot.com.

*Dan's chose 40 because the idea was to celebrate his 40th birthday. Some of us get to use a few more words. ;-)

Stools

2006-01-07T07:24:00.000-05:00

I wrote Stools from a pile of notes scribbled on paper bags, receipts and napkins - scraps of conversations or situations that I collected or stole from places where people gather: coffee shops, bars, bowling alleys.

A few pieces were inspired by actual quotes or incidents, but mostly they're the imagined lives of the people seated in the stools beside me or across the counter. The language is simple with an unpredictable or non-existent meter because that's how I heard them, either when I first wrote them down or when I remembered them afterward.

Click here to read Stools

Particles of Microscopic Joy

2005-12-28T06:27:00.000-05:00

My husband may not get my work (see earlier posts), but he surely "gets" me. For Christmas he blew me away by surprising me with a lab-quality microscope with a digital camera attachment. To see some of my early attempts at finding art in even tinier places than I ever have before, click here.

I have the best life!

Jingle Bells!

2005-12-24T06:08:00.000-05:00

Let me say I've received some of the greatest mail art in the last few weeks that I will try to get posted after the holiday. There's a lot of it so it may have to go up in batches. I've only sent two things out in the recent past, a card to Latuff and a "Thank You" to my Postmistress for taking such good care of all the stuff I get - even the decorated Frisbees and paper plates.

Beyond that I've been busy dealing with family and life stuff. Most of my creative energy has gone into gifts and getting ready for the holidays. I love this time of year and I am married to Mr. Christmas - the man always manages to amaze me with surprises and thoughtfulness.

So happy Christmas, Hannukkah, Kwanza...and remember, the gift is never in the box.

Self Portrait Stamp

2005-11-28T06:56:00.000-05:00

I finally created my stamp for the AML Self Portrait Swap. Only a few weeks late. I think it captures my better side.

Mail Call: Your Deepest Fear

2005-11-12T18:08:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday I took my 40-year old sister to the hospital for surgery on her vocal cords - throat cancer. I share that detail with you because if you're reading this, and you smoke, I'd like to remind you that you're killing yourself. Don't think you're not. And don't get all fussy with me, I'm not telling you anything you don't know. Besides, I know what it's like. I'm an ex-smoker - quit in 1998 and still view it as the BEST thing I ever did. We are still waiting for her results but the surgeon told me he was "guardedly optimistic" that they got it all and she won't need additional treatment or lose her ability to speak. Bullet dodged? I hope so.

During the two hour drive to the hospital she was understandably nervous about the operation and I asked her if she could talk about what exactly scared her. From there we began talking about the things we are afraid of. I mean really afraid of - the things that terrify us. We really couldn't come up with much. We came up with a lot of things we don't like; she hates roller coasters, I'm not wild about bats; but very little that consumes us with fear.

My biggest fear is of tornados. I have no idea why - I've never even seen one except on film. Since childhood though I had tornado nightmares - until one night about twelve years ago when I had a tornado dream in which I wound up in the center of the twister. I have not had one since. Still, they terrify me. Even strong winds get me a little nervous.

But I asked myself, what else? I mean, c'mon, I know I am not that courageous to only be afraid of tornados. There must be more. I wondered as we drove for a while in silence, maybe we are too afraid to speak about what we are truly afraid of. Maybe giving it words scares us. Or maybe admitting it to someone else does.

So I am asking - what are you afraid of? What terrifies you? What keeps you awake or makes your skin crawl? What do you dread?

Send a postcard of the one thing that most frightens you. No deadline.

Deepest Fear
PO Box 147
Pawlet, VT 05761

Coffee Shop Poems

2005-11-07T20:25:00.000-05:00

Comes a time when you have to just stop worrying about him. He's locked up and getting three square a day.

How did you enjoy your birthday Millie?
Oh very much. Even bingo'd.

No Apology Necessary

2005-11-03T10:24:00.000-05:00

This morning I showed my husband the latest book I made. This one is entitled Screams in a Dream III and is similar in construction to the Sans Issue piece below.

He looked at it. Held it. After several seconds he said "It's rather horizontal," and handed it back. I laughed, agreed, and left the room to get another cup of coffee - thankful he didn't say it was "interesting."

A little while later as he was saying good-bye for the day he said "I'm sorry I don't get your art. I mean I appreciate that it's probably well thought out and well constructed. I know it has a message and I'm sure it's very wonderful. But I don't really get it."

I was really touched by his genuine sincerity. I assured him it was ok. After more than twenty years together I know my art isn't meant for a brain like his, and told him so.

To further let him off the hook I confessed that as much as I want to, I don't think I really get Concrete Poetry. I try, I seek it out, I enjoy much of it, and think I even generate some, but I can't say with any certainty that I "get it."

He answered that surely then it would be wasted on him - because everyone knows I like weird shit.

He's a really good husband. And my biggest fan.

Happy Birthday Torben Doose!

2005-11-02T10:36:00.000-05:00

I received a beautiful card from Torben today - thanking me for the Sans Issue piece I had sent him. He said the way it was wrapped made it feel like his first bithday present (which his card noted is today, Nov 2).

When I made that piece last week, which uses photos I had taken while in France (Paris and Loire Valley) in 2003, I didn't know where it was going but decided to send it to Torben after receiving a card from him. After all it was France, and he was in France and honestly, I just really like his name. It's one of those names that rolls out of your mouth just the right way. Torben sounds solid and capable; Doose sounds a little whimsical. Great name. There are a lot folks with good names in my network of artists and friends but something about his just sticks. Maybe I'm partial to three syllables. So Happy Birthday Torben Doose!

Thanks to everyone for all the great art I've received. Dan Waber's "Flock Of Wild Commas" lit me up and one of Laura Barletta's beautiful collages is sitting on a shelf in my newly renovated bathroom.

I've received tons of great mail art and stamps in the last weeks and will get some posted as soon as I can. I still need to finish up my stamps for the AML swaps I'd signed up for and hope I am correct in the belief that the earth will not tilt off its axis becuase I'm late on these. Life happens. Lately it's happening in large, demanding ways. Some good. Some not. But life is always a work in progress, so when I try to gauge its success or how well it might be going I borrow a method from the financial markets: I use a 200-day moving average. Luckily, using this measurement my life balances out to pretty damn good.

Does this even work?

2005-10-26T17:51:00.000-04:00

Mail Coming and Going

2005-10-22T12:38:00.000-04:00

I've updated my mail art site with some of the mail I've received and sent. Here's a taste:

What can happen when I'm allowed out in public unsupervised

2005-10-18T09:14:00.000-04:00

I drove out to Syracuse, New York this past weekend for a friend's wedding. My husband couldn't go because of business travel, so it was just me. In addition to the bride and groom, I knew only two people at the celebration. It was kind of a cool way to go to a wedding - almost anonymously.

At the reception I was a little fidgety so I went off and started taking pictures, remembering how much I loved receiving candid snapshots after my own wedding (way back in the day). I took over 200 photos - many were traditional candids, some were "my kind" of photos: half-eaten cake, the empty buffet trays, disassembled, ready for washing - stuff they would never have noticed.

In the process I began asking every man there if I could photograph his tie. Many raised eyebrows later, I got them all, including the DJ and the photographer. I've put all the photos together in an iPhoto book called Family Ties that's being produced by Apple. The plan is to have it waiting for the newlyweds when they return from their honeymoon. Jan & Chris will have the fun of trying to identify all the ties that were at their wedding. Since I am also creating a larger keepsake book of more "traditional" photos, they will have plenty of photos to which they can refer to confirm their answers.

Dumb as it seems it was a great way for me to spend the time - I got to talk to a lot of people I might not have otherwise. And I know Jan, and Jan knows me - I think she's going to like it. A lot.

The whole book can be viewed as a PDF file

The Latest

2005-10-09T21:02:00.000-04:00

Flummox U

2005-10-05T06:49:00.000-04:00

I've finally gotten around to creating some designs that have been in my head for a long time. These shirts don't mean a damn thing, but somehow you get them...and now the people are getting them! I started selling them as t-shirts and they're beginning to get attention which only proves what I've long suspected--I am not the only oddball who thinks this way. I can prove there are at least four others!

I've made several as postcards that I sent out to a handful of mail art friends...

There are more designs on my mail art site, and still more here...

Oh My Yo!

2005-10-02T10:22:00.000-04:00

Some time ago there was a girl who said "Oh My God!" all the time.

She said it whenever she saw something she couldn't believe or describe. Shocking things. Funny things. Idiotic things.

One day she figured out she didn't really mean "Oh My God!"

More likely she meant "Holy *#&@!"

While most people wouldn't care about such details, for her it posed quite a dilemma.

She didn't even believe in god. Why was she calling out to one? And some of the people she hung out with did believe in God (note the Capital G).

She wondered if they ever got offended that she called out the name of their higher power when something stupid or unexpected happened - like the time her friend said "I dare a bird to fly by and [poop] in my hand right now." and when she stuck out her palm a sparrow on a power line above crapped right in it. True story. Honest to yo!

Anyway no one seemed to care if she said "Oh my God" or not (most of them said it too), but still she decided she didn't want to say it anymore and tried to come up with something new. But it was such a versatile phrase! How would she ever replace it?

She tried the usuals: Oh my goodness! Oh my gosh! Oh my word!

Nope. Let's be reasonable.

Then she tried oddball stuff: Oh my thalamus! Oh my throw rug! Oh my taxidermist!

Right. You see the problem. Friends feared she was having a breakdown.

One day, quite by accident, something happened, something private, all the words in her mouth got mixed together and "Oh My Yo!" sputtered out.

It stuck. She started saying it. No one even asked what she meant. They just knew.

Before long her friends were saying it too.

No one really knows what it means, or what it is. But they do.

"Oh My Yo!"

You just know when you've got it.

Click here to get it.