This just came today in an email from the amazing artist Donald Roller Wilson. It shows Roller and his chicken, Martha Ann in Fayetteville, Arkansas in a Confederate cemetery along with two of Roller’s paintings; an oversized ear, and a one-and-only self-portrait which shall become part of the permanent collection of the Crystal Bridges of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas. (The museum started by Alice Walton, one of the heirs to the Walmart fortune, btw) Check out his amazing site and work – if you dare!
OPTIMISM: THE FUTURE WAS BETTER, 2015 EDITION
“Optimism is a strategy for making a better future. Because unless you believe that the future can be better, you are unlikely to step up and take responsibility for making it so." –Noam Chomsky
I love this quote because it articulates the reasoning behind “being positive” which turns off so many people, likely because they feel accused of being negative, as though this is the source of their problem(s). I can’t speak to that, really. I just know for myself that I’ve been lucky. Lucky to have good things happen to me (like moving to New York City at age 20) and that has continually made me positive about the future, despite life’s ups and downs.
A few years ago, my friend Robert Valentine –the amazing and influential art director – got in touch with me to do a mural for an innovative agency in Boston called Toth. Named after its founder, Mike Toth, Robert was crafting a new image for them and commissioned me to this mural for their lobby. Mike at the time had throat cancer and was unable to speak, but we exchanged email and when he proposed Optimism as the subject and text of the painting. I sent him the above quote which he loved. You can see it has a bluebird in it (happiness) and Mike loved the other imagery in my mock-up. I saw the pic below when it was installed and was thrilled it was the inspiration for a creative headquarters. To an artist, this is major validation from your peers, not press or critics or your friends.
I just learned the other day that Mike had passed away at the beginning of December. Looking at the agency’s Facebook page, I saw that Mike had put the Chomsky quote on the wall of their offices too. I didn’t know Mike, but I’m sorry he’s gone. And I am inspired by his optimism in the face of death. But we are no different than Mike. We are all facing death, not knowing when it will come. But it doesn’t matter. If it happens to all of us, it’s not the WORST thing that happens, it’s just the LAST THING that happens. What really matters is doing your best and encouraging others to do the same, right? Inspire one or a million, but use your days to look forward. That’s what a new year is good for. But you can do it whenever you like. Use today to renew your optimistic license.
Below is my New Year’s message… I really hope your future was better.
DELUXE YEAR-END EDITION: WHY DOES EVERYTHING HAVE TO MAKE SENSE?
Here’s a nice random assortment of WTF images to celebrate a year’s worth of not making sense. (Head scratch.) Wishing you a 2015 filled with Happy Surprises! Cheers!
2014 SIGN(S) OF THE TIMES
Not all are signs…. some are memes, t-shirts, graphics (gravestones!) but they are all indicative of the year we are putting to bed. Word up to 2014! (Click to scroll through.)
LET'S PLAY THE IMITATION GAME...
I discovered these great double-take shots on Facebook and haven’t been able to trace them back to the original creator. But whoever our bearded man is, his “hommage” to various girl’s awkward poses is a compendium worthy of, if not Cindy Sherman, certainly one of the Kardashians. See for yourself. All you need is a better camera and a good framer, dude, and I think you could get you a gallery show!
VARIOUS THINGS WE GOT STUCK OUR COLLECTIVE VAGINAS, PENISES AND BUTTS THIS YEAR
Deadspin has a charming, informative holiday tradition I’m subscribing to this year; their annual trawl of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission‘s database of emergency room visits to discover the most awkward objects that America shoved into its various holes. Oh, it’s hurts to even read the list.
PENIS
• RUBBER TUBE
• “PLASTIC SPOON AND PERHAPS A PENCIL”
• CROCHET NEEDLE
• “STUCK A NAIL IN URETHRA THEN IT MIGRATED UP INTO THE BLADDER”
• WOOL YARN
• LONG PLASTIC HAND OF STIRRING SPOON
• “INSERTED A LONG BALLOON IN PENIS TO HAVE GIRLFRIEND BLOW UP FOR SEXUAL STIMULATION AND IT BROKE”
VAGINA
• PLASTIC HANDLE OF SCISSORS
• KNITTING NEEDLES
• PEN
• “A LARGE AMOUNT OF SAND”
• HAIR TIE
• BAG OF CRYSTAL METH
• 10″ STEAK KNIFE
• RAZOR
• SPONGE
• “ONE BATTERY AND THREE COINS”
• BATHTUB STOPPER
• “PUT A BAG OF MONEY IN VAGINA TO HIDE IT FROM HUSBAND”
• BILLIARD BALL
• “ORGASM BALLS”
RECTUM
• TOOTHBRUSH HOLDER
• PIPE
• KEYS
• ACORN
• SHOT GLASS
• DRUM STICK
• ICE PICK
• UNSHARPENED PENCIL
• “HAD ANAL SEX & HAS BRUISING, BLOOD ON TOILET PAPER, TOOK CRYSTAL METH TO HELP PAIN”
• CANDLE
• AIR FRESHENER
• CAN OF SPRAY PAINT
• SHAVING CREAM CAN
• SHAMPOO BOTTLE
• LOTION BOTTLE
• SODA CAN
• “BEER BOTTLE UP RECTUM & BOTTLE BROKE WHEN TRIED TO RETRIEVE BOTTLE W/ PLIERS. COCAINE USE PRIOR TO INSERTION”
• TURKEY BASTER
• PHONE CORD
• GOLF BALL
• METAL TOILET PAPER HOLDER
• TENT STAKES
• “ROLLED UP STACK OF PLASTIC TRASH BAGS”
• CHRISTMAS BELL
• LOG
Insert joke here –and here –and here. (via Deadspin)
RON SWANSON'S MOTIVATIONAL POSTERS
Park & Recreation‘s Ron Swanson isn’t exactly Dale Carnegie or Deepak Chopra, but his aphorisms are unique and memorable. Here are some of his quotes made into motivational posters. Some fall a little short in the inspiration department, but most pack a punch. (I think some actually might be George W. Bush..!?) Click to scroll through.
A COUCH'S KINGBIRD HAS THE MEATPACKING ALL AFLUTTER
This is SO random and odd but I had to figure out what was going on…? I have a street entrance in the Meatpacking District (if you are stalking me) and today there was a BIG crowd outside my door. This usually means, SJP or Lucy Lui have just been sighted, but just now there were 50+ people with cameras on tripods with telephoto lenses pointing them into the trees in the park across the street and in general, celebs tend to stay of out those trees. After looking intently, I could see what they were looking at… a yellow breasted bird. At first I thought someone’s domesticated bird had flown the coop. But then I overheard the onlookers to say it was a “Couch’s Kingbird”. I went inside looked up the bird and it was trending, bird-watching-wise. The Couch’s kingbird (Tyrannus couchii) is usually found from southern Texas along the Gulf Coast to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, Belize and northern Guatemala and in lower stretches of the Rio Grande Valley. (That’s where I was born, coincidentally.) Birding News had multiple confirmations and found this posting below on The Bird Lists Digest;
“The COUCH’S KINGBIRD (heard giving diagnostic calls and very well photographed by many) was last being seen where reported as posted by Gabriel Willow, the building taking the full length of a short city block between Jane Street & Horatio Street, along the western side of Washington Street… The Kingbird was sought by a small number of us at various locations within a few short blocks very early this a.m., & thanks to Jacob Drucker & Lila Fried the kingbird was seen for a good 15 min’s. or more just north of Bleecker Street & Hudson St. but after a number of us fast-walked to Jacob & Lila’s “alternate” location around 8:15 a.mfor some great views for a short time… the kingbird flew around the corner, west, & as we soon saw, right to the (previously-noted building – first paragraph!), where more & more observers were arriving for great views, the bird perching on balconies, in trees immediately in front of the building, & quite actively appearing to feed on minute or at least small insect life, with temp. around 40+ F. in the bright sun.”
Yes, exciting stuff! Obviously written by an overjoyed “bird nerd” that could hardly contain himself. That explains all the telephoto lenses… (the passerby shots are mine but the bird in the branches was swiped from Google images.) Now the excitement seems to have died down and everyone can get back to returning their presents and shopping 75% off sales. Happy Boxing Day!
BRIT PHOTOGRAPHER TURNS HIS DOG INTO HOLIDAY IMAGES YEAR AFTER YEAR
Christmas is done for another year –and for the first time in a long while British photographer Peter Thorpe isn’t cooking up a new idea for his dog, Raggle. Every holiday season –from Scrooge, to a wintery robin and most recently a mouse with a taste for Christmas dessert– he has transformed her into a all sorts of characters and Raggle has been the perfect model;
“She is a very sweet and gentle dog, and is very happy to be dressed briefly for the photos. We don’t make her do anything she doesn’t like. And she always gets a treat afterwards.”
This year was extra-special, as it was Raggle’s last Christmas card before retirement.
“Like a true pro, sat in position and gave a few head and eye line options before returning to her basket for another snooze!”
Check out some behind-the-scenes moments of the retired super-model below.
THE STORY OF THE WORLD'S MOST FABULOUS CHRISTMAS TREE
It seems that this amazing tree belonged to silent film actor/photographer/ Renaissance man, Harold Lloyd. His home, Greenacres always sparkled at Christmastime and nothing reflected that sparkle more than his overstuffed Christmas tree with more than 5,000 glass and handmade ornaments. As the collection grew, so did the tree. It eventually required several trees to be put together along with reinforced branches and stainless steel bolts. His grandaughter, Suzanne Lloyd, told Beverly Hills Resident of her Christmas tree memories:
“It started sometime around Thanksgiving. My grandparents would take me downtown to the train yards where the annual shipment of trees would arrive for the holiday season. We would pick out three large Douglas firs and they would be wired together to make one enormous, fantastic Christmas tree. It sat at one end of the garden room rising 20 feet in the air. It was 9 feet wide and almost 30 feet around. Imagine the amount of presents that can fit under a tree that is 30 feet around!
It took from Thanksgiving until Christmas to decorate the tree. Over the years, my grandfather had collected thousands of ornaments from all over the world. The tree held one-of-a-kind rare ornaments valued in the hundreds of dollars when they were first purchased in the `30’s and `40’s. The tree also held homemade ones that Harold received from his charity work.
I remember a jeweled encrusted ostrich egg, and a sequined football, (a reference to the college football hero Harold Lloyd played in his most popular film, “The Freshman.” I particularly loved a Christmas ball given to him by his friend, make-up artist, Wally Westmore, that was a miniature diorama depicting a bespectacled Harold in a red bathrobe trimming the tree.
One Christmas, I was with Daddy shopping for more ornaments in Saks Fifth Avenue. He plucked more and more ornaments off the store’s white-flocked display tree unable to decide which ones to purchase. Finally, he realized that every ornament on the tree would look nice at Greenacres and quickly decided right then and there to buy them all. Since there was no room on the tree at home, his impulse purchase had to include Saks white-flocked display tree as well! So the 12 foot, completely decorated tree, was shipped off to Greenacres and found a home in our front entrance hall. I have no idea where Saks put their presents that year after Harold left a gapping hole in their Christmas display.
One year we counted over 5,000 ornaments hanging from the tree and we still had enough left over to decorate 3 more trees just as big! Every year the tree grew larger to hold more ornaments; then one year it became a permanent fixture in our home. It was simply too large, too decorated and too engineered to disassemble. So we had it fireproofed and celebrated Christmas every day of the year!”
(via Beverly Hills Resident)