Sign Painters and Large-Scale WeMake Event (10-12-13)

Busy afternoon and evening today, as part of Design Week PDX!

I watched an excellent documentary about sign painters at the Hollywood Theater in the afternoon... Never mind that I got there a half an hour late. There are times when getting late because I feel anxious is really a drag. This film consists of interviews with some old-timers, such as members of the Letterheads, as well as present sign makers. It was ironic to hear about the 70s as if it were a quasi-Prehistoric very long time ago, the "Golden Age" of sign-making, etc.

On to the WeMake SketchXchange organized by Yvonne Perez Emerson. This month's featured speaker was Nelson Lowry from LAIKA animation studio… There were over 300 people at this very enjoyable presentation (I was very glad I could attend since I had been wait listed). We saw photos of various stages of sets buildings from Paranorman, paintings, small models of monsters, etc. I particularly enjoyed the animation figurines on display.

From Paranorman animation story

The opportunity to hear an artist talk about his or her work, struggles, successes, thought processes, etc., is invaluable to people like me. Creative work is a solitary pursuit, and it is just plain "nice" to be in a room and to enjoy the openness and willingness of participants to draw in other people's sketchbooks...

Nelson Lowry drew a little creature in the small format sketchbook I used for sketch exchanges. However, the space was too big, too noisy and distracting to find anyone to exchange sketches with this time.

Nelson Lowry

With nothing else to do for a while, I tried out a Wacom Intuos Pro tablet… I had never tried one before (the small one I had many years ago does not count because I never used it even once). I liked how it worked, despite the sales rep exclaiming in fake wonder at the results, the same way he probably does for everyone.

…And the day ended with the WeMake Put a Bird in It party during which very imaginative interpretations of birdhouses made by various designers and creatives were auctioned off.

Two of the birdhouses caught my attention. One had a roof made of peacock feathers and bird feet, but my favorite was the one by illustrator Rory Phillips, with carefully painted details; it was lovely.
I now wish I had taken more photos of some of the other birdhouses, especially the lucite see-through birdhouse. And a photo of the Beetlejuice-style birdhouse... Or the wood drop birdhouse...

Rory Phillips birdhouse

Baba Yaga inspired

One of the Design Week-related item that caught my attention was the clever poster for the event. How close can one get to say something without saying it?

And it's funny... how one can ultimately feel alone in a crowd.

Score! Another Fun Time at the Auction! (11-16-11)

What can I say? I can't resist a great item, especially when I can visualize how perfect it will be for a future show...

I went to the auction yesterday, and in the heat of the excitement, I bought some pretty sizable items. After getting lucky with a darling little wicker loveseat and table, I started getting worried that I might have to just abandon them, for lack of space in my little trusted PT Cruiser... But there was no way I'd give up without trying to get as much as I could cram inside first!

I can't believe I got it all inside!

The "Personal Transport," a versatile little car...

And I gotta say, this car is something else when it comes to carry things! Once again, it did not disappoint. It took me a while, but I was able to fit the following inside:
- white wicker loveseat with cushion
- white wicker table
- pale yellow wooden chair
- wooden child-sized chair with plastic woven seat
- gorgeous designer-brand red vintage-print comforter
- box of vintage Christmas decorations
- box of miscellaneous books abandoned by someone
- damaged blue quilt
- red-colored round accent table
- wicker sewing basket
- box of dishes and sewing supplies
- vintage cream-colored suitcase abandoned by someone
- three-tiered white platter thingie
- grey Pyrex mug
- small wooden shelf
...Not counting my large-sized bag, a picnic blanket, two bath towels, one bottle of water (for radiator leaks), many shopping bags, and a folding stool (in case the urge to sketch were to strike me in a place where I might want to sit)...

At the Rural Auction (06-21-11)

...Trying out my Pitt brush markers...

What I like about the auction is that one sees all kinds of people, and not just hipsters or the usual city types as in Portland. Here, we have a sampler of humanity, from the well-dressed to the bedraggled, all as they are, mostly imperfect, but memorable.

At the Rural Auction (05-17-11)

Here are some familiar characters at the auction...

Stranded at the Rural Auction (03-29-11)

I was at the rural auction, killing time while waiting to be picked up by my husband and... (Ahem... a long story...).

Inside the big building where they have the household goods auctions, I surveyed the scene. At the auction, week after week, one sees the same people, the junk and the antique dealers, the occasional curious, farmers, field workers, and many Hispanic, Ukrainian or Russian immigrants. It's a large loose group of people, some one says hello to, some one avoids, some one hands off unwanted purchases to... But everyone is there with the same purpose: to make a deal, to find the perfect, -or almost perfect- item, something to fix, to re-use, or to re-sell.

Inside the auction building

There is something heartbreaking about the sorry possessions strewn around, the scratched furniture, dented appliances, faded clothing, ribbons and threads, used toiletries, greasy pots and pans, chipped plates, broken toys, and other junk, sold off by the box, the sad remnants of torn, displaced lives.

At the City Auction (01-28-11)

I just can't help myself and must pull the pen and sketchbook out...

Auction finds (01-25-11)

Accompanied by my daughter Monica-Sophie, I went to an old-fashioned auction at an undisclosed location (...). We got so much stuff, I can't believe we got it all to fit on my husband's truck! It was a dicey drive back home, the both of us keeping our eyes on the side mirrors...

The large shelves will be perfect for Gary's tools, while the beat-up grey bookcase will go in my art studio...

At the Rural Auction (01-25-11)

I love going to the auction and spent dead time sketching people.

At the Auction (01-17-11)

I love going to rural auctions. They're a perfect setting to draw people with interesting faces...

Faces at the Auction (01-07-11)

While at the auction, I drew the auctioneer and some of the people working there. It's tricky to catch someone's expression as they are speaking with their mouth open...

Auctioneer

Auction worker

Auction worker

Man in the crowd

Highly Prized (01-07-11)

I love going to liquidation sales and auctions. The promise of finding something special or unusual is tempting. Who knows? There may be a treasure buried under the junk...

Something for everyone...at the right price.