08-31-11. Snails on a circuit board diagram, by Robert Zungu.

08-30-11. My paper coffee cup from earlier today.

08-29-11. A frog that we found on August 20th.

citrine: Karen Walker citrine and enamel pansy necklace

This post is the first part of a new thing that I'll be doing from time to time. This week, in addition to my usual daily sketches, I'll have a series of blog posts related to a single theme. These will lead up to the completion of my current painting and a video, both also related to this theme. So... my first theme is "citrine". Citrine, the rare, golden hued variety of quartz. According to Wikipedia, natural citrine is so rare that most of it is actually heat-treated amethyst.

The necklace above was made by New Zealand jewelry designer Karen Walker. It costs $389 (not sure if those are NZ or Australian dollars, or maybe US dollars). It has a citrine in its center.

Peridot, AZ (West La Bamba). SOLD

This is a second version of the "peridot" painting for my "AMBER" series.

08-28-11. Alligator on a unicycle, by Sergio Bustamante.

08-27-11. All Wear Bowlers.

08-26-11. Yoko Ono cutting Ken Hakuta's necktie at Nam June Paik's funeral in 2006, a reenactment of one of Paik's 1st Fluxus performances.

08-25-11. "Trapper on Snowshoes", 1839, by Martin Somerville.

08-24-11. A police officer in Manhattan.

08-23-11.

08-22-11. My Dad.

Lights of Amethyst (Owls)

"Lights of Amethyst (Owls)", $35 on Etsy.

A pair of spotted owls (Strix occidentalis) perch on a branch. The word "amethyst" floats in front of them, and the chemical formula for amethyst (a form of quartz) overlays the whole painting. Hidden behind the birds is a cryptic tweet by Twitter user OskarPui. He follows only one woman and that one woman only follows him. They tweet back and forth in public, but the tweets don't make much sense to outsiders. This particular tweet listed four different names with four different gemstones. I highlighted just the word "amethyst" and obscured most of the rest. The title "Lights of Amethyst" is derived from the poem "The twilight turns from amethyst" by James Joyce.

08-21-11. My Mom and I.

08-20-11. "Feelings", 2003, Dana Schutz.

08-19-11. My wedding band & diamond engagement ring.

08-18-11. Milk carton.

08-17-11. "Rubber Duck", a 1999 etching by Donald Baechler.

08-16-11. Elvis Mask from Malawi c. 1977 @ the Brooklyn Museum.

08-15-11. "Baby's first baseball glove."

Peridot, AZ [SOLD]

This piece has been sold, but I wanted to share it with my blog readers.

"Peridot, AZ", 16x20", oil on canvas

08-14-11. Bonnet.

08-13-11. A Benji Whalen Tattoo Sampler.

08-12-11. Flattop.

08-11-11. I just found out that this thing is called a sled.

08-10-11. Our stick of butter.

08-09-11. A Sarcophagus of the Spouses. (Two of them still exist.)

08-08-11. Orange chicken with broccoli and Service Center eggplant.

Turquoise Parrot

"Turquoise Parrot",  $50 on Etsy

This painting is all about turquoise. A turquoise parrot (Neophema pulchella) perches amid an ornate pattern in various shades of turquoise and green. The chemical formula for turquoise, the semi-precious stone, floats directly on top of the bird. The bird's scientific name is in small print in the upper left of the image. The painting is meant to be a visual synthesis of information related to the word "turquoise".

08-07-11. Princess crown.

08-06-11. Fan by Michael Craig-Martin.

08-05-11. Johnny Swing's "Nickel Couch" at Storm King.

08-04-11. An Indiana apple tree in October 2009.

08-03-11. Bowling shoes.

08-02-11. My first ouzo at Santorini in Indianapolis.

08-01-11. Italian running shoes in a Tim Davis photo.

French Country Sparks Radiator

"French Country Sparks Radiator",
for sale on eBay

My French country-style peas, prepared and consumed
on July 25, 2011.

For this piece, I prepared French country-style peas, following a recipe from Betty Crocker. The peas turned out to be a little too firm, but they were interesting.