Monthly Archives: March 2009

Recommendations Wanted: Blank Canvases

Art & Design

I just raided Macy’s for a couple dress shirts to use as canvases for new silkscreen projects.

Maybe I will wear them, or maybe I will just sell them on Etsy.

Click any image to enlarge.

westfront2westback2

The first is a mustard yellow Hilfiger western-style with opalescent snaps . I want to go totally counter-western with the design and solicited suggestions on Twitter.  I was told to go with a ninja, geisha, kiwi, elephants, monkeys, giraffes, lions, aliens, rocket ships, and bacon .  I was also asked to lend someone a hot glue gun, cordless drill and a staple gun.

I like the ninja and the geisha, for taking my anti-western concept to heart, and I am considering something in the style of a Japanese woodblock print.  Looking musically as well as hemispherically, I’m thinking punk.  Maybe the anarchy circle-A in a western font and a gash held together by gold safety pins.  A co-worker reinforced the outer-space concept so I’m considering a Cosmonaut theme as well.

white2The second is a standard white Calvin Klein dress shirt, except for a strip of checkered embroidery that runs the length of the shirt to the right of the buttons.  I haven’t put any thought into this piece other than wanting to incorporate the embroidery.

So, what themes, images or other ideas do you suggest I print onto these two?

What I’ve Been Watching (and Looking at) this Week

News and Updates

Carl’s Fine Films Unauthorized commercial for Trader Joe’s is a lyrical masterpiece shot on a cellphone.

David Lynch’s daily weather report videos.  I don’t care what the weather is like in LA.  I live in NorCal.  I just find him entrancing.

Leslie Miles has the world’s longest blog title, but she can count me as one of the ten.  Check out “The aim is not to be everyone’s tenth favorite blog, but rather ten people’s favorite blog” for a thematic photo montage of some of the web’s most striking images.  My faves so far were She’s a Lady and Born With It.

Glennz makes some of the wittiest, most visually striking t-shirt designs. Period.

World Builder is a fun spin on the use of CGI and Visual Effects from Bruce Branit.

Art Curriculum: Text Art Silkscreens

Art & Design, News and Updates

The latest challenge I have given my high school arts students at YBCA is to

“design a dynamic, one-color silkscreen print using only text to create the image.”

This assignment was actually first inspired by this Skull T-Shirt, but the Ork Poster of SF is probably a better example.

I place the roots of text art in the neo-impressionism of Seurat, who’s pointillist paintings could be viewed as the forerunner of ascii art.  If  Sunday Afternoon can be composed of daubs of paint, why not daubs of text?

The assignment serves several purposes:

  1. Revisiting and emphasizing the Elements of Art
  2. Exploring their first significant, individual silkscreen project
  3. Create large, bold images for Orson, one of the top restaurants in San Francisco, who graciously provided the opportunity to have the work of our class projected on the restaurant’s digital wall.

If you want to take a look at the assignment sheet I gave the students, which includes several more examples of text art, click this link for a PDF version of the handout.

DIY Condiments

Food & Booze, Recipes

I’ve decided to make my own condiments, so when civilization collapses and we return to an agrarian society, I will still be able to have ketchup on potatoes, mustard on burgers and mayo in chicken salad.  I suppose I should learn to farm first, but I’ll worry about that later.

In considering condiments, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s all about vinegar.  If you consider the standard BBQ toppings, the common ingredient is vinegar.  It’s the acid that gives everything a tangy kick and also creates an environment that is hostile to bacteria, keeping food from spoiling too quickly.

Below are links to basic recipes for all the classics.  I’ll try them out and post my own variations soon.

Ketchup: tomato, onion, olive oil, brown sugar, vinegar and salt

Mustard: mustard seed and/or powder, salt, sugar, vinegar

Relish: pickled fruits or vegetables (pickled in vinegar, of course)

Mayo: egg yolk, mustard, oil, vinegar, lemon juice, pepper

Hot Sauce: peppers, vinegar and salt

BBQ Sauce: tomato, vinegar, oil, brown sugar, seasoning, mustard and cayenne

Steak Sauce: ketchup, onion, garlic, water, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, mustard

Emo Frittata

Food & Booze, News and Updates, Recipes

My admin turned 20-something last weekend and I was in charge of her office birthday celebration.

She goes above and beyond to make my life so much easier, and I owe her greatly, so I vowed to do it up right last Friday.  Along with a cake (the first one I’ve baked in a decade) and a tiara, I made a frittata.  It was good.  Here’s the recipe:

Frittata with Leek, Goat Cheese, Zucchini and Lemon

  • 1 large leek
  • Olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon Butter
  • 2 small zucchini, thinly sliced
  • 10 eggs
  • Zest of 1  lemon
  • 10 ounces crumbled goat cheese
  • 1/4 cup Italian parsley, chopped
  • Salt and fresh ground black pepper
  1. Split, clean and trim leek and slice into 1/2 inch pieces.
  2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a 12-inch, oven-safe skillet over medium heat.
  3. Cook leeks, stirring frequently, for about ten minutes or until softened. Add zucchini for the last five minutes.
  4. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.
  5. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and zest, then stir in goat cheese, parsley, and finally leeks and zucchini.
  6. Put the skillet back on the heat and wipe it down with a paper towel dipped in olive oil.
  7. Pour in egg mixture and cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, or until the frittata has mostly set. Use a spatula to peel back the edges and tilt pan to pour the uncooked eggs underneath.
  8. Once set, put th frittata under the broiler for 3-5 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and slightly puffy.

My Monday Morning

Art & Design, Food & Booze, News and Updates

What I was reading when I should have been getting ready to teach:

Wall St. Journal article on the makers of St-Germain elderflower liqueur and Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur.

7×7 Q&A with SF’s Top Pastry Chefs (but where’s Jane Tseng?)

LA Times article on the Evolution of the Slow-Cooker.

Iannone Design: Eco-Friendly Modern Design has really eye-catching furniture that I was admiring.

Catching up on the NY Times, including this article on meat pies and working on the crossoword puzzle (I actually managed to kill the Sunday Times puzzle by mid-afternoon last week!)

New on my blogroll:

1. My Little Sister on Posterous.com

2. The Secret Life of a Female Gamer is Jaime’s new blog at nerdress.com.  I have little to no clue what she is saying, but I helped her set up the site.

3. Suddenly Free,  My friend Christopher’s take on unemployment amid the current economic conditions.

To do this week: San Francisco Pie Fight At The Powell Street Cable Car Turnaround

Bonus: Jamba Juice is offering fruit-topped oatmeal for a buck with this coupon through the end of March.

OK, time to teach.