Parting Gifts

My first job was working at the Albertson's grocery store down the street from my parents house. I spent two years as a bagger and two years as a cashier. When I decided to move to Orlando I knew I was making the right decision but it was tough to leave some of the coworkers I had become close to. Before I left I made them some illustrations as my way of showing them that I valued our time together.

Jackie did the accounting for the store. She was smart, did her job very well, and always cut to the chase. She didn't spent a lot of time in frivolous conversation because she was so efficient with her tasks. She only spent time talking with people with whom she respected. Since I started out as a bagger she had no reason to respect me, so she hardly ever spoke to me. However, I was a consistent and friendly worker and I won her over in time. Once I became a cashier I was one of her favorites. She would rave about how my bills were always organized and my coupon pouch was immaculate. I was proud of my friendship with Jackie because I knew that I had earned her respect. I made her this illustration:

This illustration (a photocopy of the original) was as meticulous as her work style. I was nervous about giving it to her because I didn't know how she would react to it. When she told me that she loved it, with that rare smile reaching across her face, I knew that she meant it. 

Dan, another coworker, was one of the baggers and probably the person I worked with the most. He was very shy at first but once we got to know each other we became a solid team. All the other baggers at our store were either teenage boys or older men. I was the only girl and Dan was a bit of square peg in a round hole because I think he might have had a slight mental handicap. He did his job better than the other baggers and had a great sense of humor so I never asked him about it. I never wanted to insult him or make him feel like less of a person because I thought so highly of him. 

We were the two misfit baggers who did our job better than all the other guys. We always helped each other out. When they decided to make me a cashier I was afraid that I wasn't going to be able to work with Dan as much. He just smiled and said "Don't worry, I'll bag for your register". And he did. I remember so many days where we got slammed and every cashier had a long line of people, each with a full cart of groceries. But Dan always bagged for me. 

My favorite thing about working with Dan was his sense of humor. We were always cracking jokes and making fun of each other. We were almost always the late night closers at our store and we would frequently take turns giving each other rides on the grocery carts and using the store intercom as though it were a toy. If I had to remain stuck at my register on slow nights he would clean the other registers near mine while we would act out skits from MAD TV. We laughed all day long and still did our jobs better than everyone else. 

He saw the drawing I made for Jackie. I could tell by the look on his face that he thought I was going to give him a girly picture. That was when I presented this to him:

Dan was a huge wrestling fan, and his favorite wrestler was Stone Cold Steve Austin. Dan had seen many of the drawing I had made over the years and most of them were of feminine characters. This was one of my first attempts at a realistic, ultra masculine figure. Dan was completely shocked. He had the biggest smile on his face. He didn't say much but I could tell that he loved it. 

I was proud to share my work with both of them. 

Andy Matchett & The Minks

Sometimes you are given what you need when you need it.
Sometimes it is given to you well in advance and you have to stumble across it later.

A while ago I was working on a DRIP show called "A Night of Music". For the show we were doing one performance and featuring four local bands. One of those bands was Andy Matchett and The Minks.

The first time I met Andy was a few days before the show. He agreed to meet at my apartment to pick up some posters for the event. Upon first glance he didn't strike me as a typical musician. His hair was neatly combed back, he was wearing a button down shirt and slacks, and had a child's car seat in his mid-size sedan. He was very friendly and we talked about the show for a while before he had to be on his way. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from him musically.

Come show time I was very impressed. Andy Matchett and The Minks took the stage with an undeniable presence. After the show I told him that I really enjoyed their music and he gave me a CD. Unfortunately, due to my hectic schedule that CD had sat on my desk for a while.

I had been feeling a little run down lately. I work two jobs and that often has me up very early and out very late. It can be difficult to make time for my friends, as well as time for myself. I get wrapped up in "doing" and don't have much time for "being". However, this particular night I had to myself and decided to listen to Andy's CD.

Opening the CD was like opening a present. The logo is beautifully designed and printed on this lavish paper with a metallic finish. The case folds out to reveal a highly detailed illustration of a house engulfed in foliage. Enclosed in the case was a booklet containing all the song lyrics.

"My God" I thought "No body takes the time to do that anymore."

As a teenager I remember how much I enjoyed it when I bought a CD and had all the lyrics to accompany it. I would sit with the booklet and read along while the songs were playing. It was a way for me to incorporate more senses and fully absorb the experience. I was excited to see this much professionalism from Andy Matchett and The Minks. I sat at my desk with the booklet at my finger tips. I let the music fill my room.

Andy has this clear, innocent voice that brings those whole-hearted lyrics to life. His music speaks of someone who understands so much in a non judgmental way, yet still seeks answers. The melodies are very warm and expressive. There is so much power and meaning in those songs.

It was just what I needed. I had to sink my teeth into something with soul; something bigger than me.

My minded drifted back to the DRIP show. Andy took the stage with his band and right away a cloud of confetti bust over every ones heads. Two audience members were given small leaf blowers to keep the confetti in the air during the show. The music makes you want to dance anyway, but with that confetti and all those smiling faces, the dance floor becomes irresistible. I can't begin to tell you how amazing it feels to grab two giant hand fulls of confetti and throw them over your head at a rock concert.

Towards the end of the show they pull out a parachute over the audience and Andy comes down off the stage to perform in the middle of the crowd.  The confetti is still flying through the air like a snow storm and the room is full of people dancing. I'm standing next to Andy who is rocking his heart out. I have my arms up in the air stretching to reach the parachute. I look around at all the smiling faces. It's more than just happy, it's that feeling you get when you remember what it feels like to be a crazy kid all over again. Thank you Andy for creating so much magic. It was just what I needed.


For more information about Andy Matchett and The Minks:
http://andymatchettandtheminks.bandcamp.com/

Photographs from "A Night of Music" by Tisse Mallon:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?fbid=10150095138736527&id=104582366526&aid=272071

Hermes and Maia

Another gem from one of my high school sketchbooks:

As I was working I loved the how the expressions on the faces were turning out and the characters began to remind me of the Greek god Hermes and his mother Maia. This is another example of one of my illustrations taking on a life of its own.

At a very young age my father bought me a book about Greek Mythology. I loved that it was over my head at the time; it made me feel like I had to keep up with him. I remember how he would read it out loud to me while I kept asking him questions. When he was done reading for the night I would take the book to my room and look at the illustrations over and over again before I was told to go to bed. All these years later and I still have that book. The cover is ripped and most of the pages have fallen out of the binding; but they are all there. All of the illustrations are embedded in my long term memory. That book was the beginning of my love of Greek Culture. 

One of my favorite stories from that book was about Hermes and how precocious he was as a child. On the first day he was born he snuck away from his sleeping mother, stole Apollo's cattle, and invented a musical instrument called the lyre. He grew to become the quick-witted messenger of the gods, as well as being associated with travelers, poets, orators, athletes, thieves, invention, and commerce. 

When I was making this illustration I had not intended to have any context behind it, however, the facial expressions and demeanors of the characters began to remind me of Hermes and Maia. The clever Hermes occupies his time with playing a musical instrument. His mother, caught up in her daily tasks, lovingly shakes her head at a mischievous son who, although bright, was most likely a handful to raise. 

Miniature Wood Block

For one of my printmaking classes we had an assignment to make a print that was 2"x2". At the beginning of the class I had some reservations about my skill as a carver so I stuck to larger prints to prevent myself from becoming obsessive over detail work. At this point my smallest print was just under two feet across. However, I felt like my abilities were improving and I decided to jump into that challenge. 

I looked back through some photographs I had taken for some inspiration. I found a picture I had taken in the Boston Museum of Art. It was a picture of a Japanese screen print; a skyline set against an atmosphere full of the serene peaches and pinks of a sunrise. The photo I took didn't do the original justice so I decided to recreate it as a print. 

Originally I had only intended to to make it a black and white print, which is why I filled the sky with lines. As I was testing the print I realized it was lacking that punch from the colors so I added another block for the sky. I got ambitious and bought these vibrant colors. I mixed them on the table and smashed them onto the roller so it would appear as a smooth transition. This was the first time I had ever used color inks for a print and I was already mixing them and adding layers. I was so worried that I was getting ahead of myself. 

But when I saw how the first one turned out - I fell in love. It was a very tiny, abstracted version of the original masterpiece still hanging in Boston, but I felt as though I had finally done it justice. The lines ripping through the sky made it more dynamic and unique to my style. And the colors I was so worried about ended up transferring beautifully. 

I was so excited about how they turned out that I ended up making about forty of them. I use them when I make my home made cards. If you are lucky, you just might get one. 

Grounded: The Art of Looking Down (Part 2)

More in my ongoing series of taking offbeat pictures of my feet. It has become an interesting reflection on the places I have been.

This was taken at Lake Eola Park in Downtown Orlando. I was walking around the pond and I stopped to look over the ledge. I was standing over a drain pipe that had some turtles sunbathing. 

This was taken while I was actually in the pool at my apartment complex. It was my birthday and I was hanging around with my mother and sister. I was in the corner of the pool with my feet on the ledge. It was such a nice, relaxing moment. I remember my sister teasing me when I asked her to hand me my camera while I was almost completely submerged in a body of water. 

This one is a little bit out of the canon but I like it just the same. I was laying on my bed reading and for some reason I ended up looking over my shoulder. I have a mirror attached to the back of my door and at the angle I was laying I had a perfect view of my legs silhouetted against the light from the window. I thought it made for an interesting shot. 

I was making some home made cards one day. I had the paper laid out on the floor while I was cutting it.  I went out of the room to grab something and when I came back my cat was laying all over my work area. 

This photo was taken on Black Friday. Normally, the day after Thanksgiving most people go out shopping. Luckily no one in my family cares to go out that day. However, the weather was particularly nice this year and I took my father and sister for a walk on the beach. It was a fantastic break from the T.V, the sales ads from the newspaper, and the boredom of sitting around the house. I was raised near the beach and I find myself craving the breeze and the smell of the salt water. I felt like we had we the beach all to our selves and we just walked around soaking up the sun. After the beach we went over to a park with a dock overlooking the intercoastal. It has those murky shades of green that color every Florida body of water outside of the ocean. My toes were still sandy from the beach. 

This was taken in our hotel room when we stayed in Atlanta. We teased David about his "rock star" lilac walls. His computer and musical gear are sprawled out across the desk. The light blazes from the lamp and boldly streaks across the wall. 

Atlanta

Atlanta had many beautiful experiences to offer: My first business trip with DRIP, getting to see The Blue Man Group in the Fox Theater, helping Mariko facilitate Master Classes at the Core Dance Studio. That entire trip was absolutely wonderful in many different ways.

One of our adventures in Atlanta involved going to the aquarium. I brought my camera and allowed my inner observationalist to step into the light.

This image is of a tank that is actually on the ceiling and wraps around the room. Sunlight was able to streak through the water creating an elegant shift from blue to gold. 

The Atlanta Aquarium is home to two albino alligators. Its white skin cuts through the dark landscape like a knife. Its stillness betrays its danger. 

The other alligator was much closer to the glass and I was able to get a better look. Something about the skin being so light made the texture stand out even more. 

This little girl's name was Ruth. I was sitting in that dark window looking at the piranhas when she crawled up next to me. She asked me some questions about my camera and then asked me to take a picture of her in front of the glass, which I did. We finished chatting and I crawled out of the space to go to the next exhibit. When I turned around I saw her curled up in the little nook gazing intently at the fish. I loved the way the light from the tank made her visible in the dark. I think this one came out better than the original one she asked me to take.

When I came up to the Beluga exhibit they were very active. They were swimming around each other and kept interacting in a way that felt like they were in a heated conversation. I took several photos of them, but this one was my favorite. Their playfulness and graceful curves really give this photograph a unique character.

In this tropical tank full of color I was able to spot one tiny, isolated sea horse. 

Jelly Fish don't even look like they should be alive, and yet they move with their own undeniable pulse. Pushing up slow and steady to reach for the light or drifting almost motionless with the current, they move with a grace that is uniquely theirs. The Pacific Sea Nettle is extremely toxic, yet in the the light of the tank manages to live in a kind of angelic awe. 

The Atlanta Aquarium is the only aquarium outside of Asia to house Whale Sharks. They have two males and two females each about 30 feet in length. I didn't know that they were going to be in that exhibit until I saw them drift over me like rain clouds. They actually block out the light from above. 

Two people enjoying the effortless gliding of a manta ray. 

One of Atlanta's office buildings. I love the form and shape of the structure as you look up at it from such a close perspective. 

I liked the look of this tree in front of a building disappearing in the January fog. 

Mariko on the subway to one of her Master Classes. She was taking notes and preparing for her students.

The Road to Greater Things

I was driving up to Atlanta on my first DRIP business trip with Jen and Mariko. I had been up early that morning so I spent most of the ride up sleeping in the back seat. The combination of being a light sleeper and being excited about the trip only allowed me to sleep in spurts. Most of the scenery was forests or flat pastures, but at one point I woke up to a large cityscape.

"What city is this?" I asked sleepily
"Welcome to Jacksonville!" Mariko replied cheerfully

I looked out the window at the rolling landscape of twisted highways, concrete, and glass. The heavy fog from the rain hung thick in the air.  I've never been to Jacksonville before. I sat up and tried to take in everything I could from the car. The architecture, the streets, the overall look of the city. My eyes darting back and forth as we zip across the interstate.

We move on to Atlanta and leave Jacksonville behind. My eyes start to get heavy again. I pull my jacket up over me like a blanket and snuggle back into the seat. I listen to Jen and Mariko discuss upcoming DRIP business. I think about us taking this big step forward to expand our horizons and teach classes in Atlanta. New roads, new cities, new adventures. These women make me feel like driving eight hours in the rain is just one more path on the road to success.

I watch the trees and the rain droplets move across my window like a shower of shooting stars. I can't wait to see what Atlanta holds for us.