Oh Painting

I waver continuously in my understanding of how an image may affect us. Mark Rothko is quoted as saying that he wanted the viewer to fall to his knees and weep before Rothko's paintings. I've never fallen to my knees and wept before a painting, certainly not in any of the privileged institutions where one can see a Rothko in the flesh. That said, some images speak to me. Most often the work makes me want to make work.

The paintings of Sam McKinnis make me wish I were a painter. Or that I were fabulously wealthy and could buy several of his portraits. Shown here is McKinniss's virtuosic study for a portrait. Browse through his series and wish you were a lithe young thing in the Boston area.

Then It Hit Me

Scanning old photos and found this.
















New York City, 2005.

Cobblery, Shoe Making

I'm beginning a project in which I hope to make myself a pair of tall fashion boots out of leather (or hide) that I tan myself. A brief google search for "shoe making" turned up this gem, Ms. Mary Wales Loomis. She asks, "Have you ever thought about making your own SHOES? I did."

Yes, Ms. Loomis, I too have thought about making my own shoes. It did not occur to me to make my own pumps, but now that I've seen this glorious display I'm considering getting set like Ms. Frizzle for my next job interview. Ms. Loomis is an example of why I love DIY. She ripped up a pair of shoes to learn how they were made; she cast her own "lasts" using plaster of paris in a pair of existing shoes; she starts teaching her shoe making; and then she publishes a book. Right on sister.

I'm reminded of the craftastic Zen saying, "To make a kimono take apart a kimono." Or something like that. I've found this to be especially true with other clothing projects: careful deconstruction reveals the process in a poetic way. Perhaps I will be heading to AmVets tomorrow to find some boots for an informative and Zen dismantling.