Frankensteins!

I recently had the opportunity to show my artwork at my friend Jenn's restaurant, Strange Matter as part of their DIYFest May1-3. It was very exciting to get exposure to more people than just my Facebook friends and Twitter followers that occasionally click on the link to the blog.

For the show, I wanted to create some new pieces that weren't part of the blog project. I thought that the "diary of my life" aspect of the work on here might not translate well to a public show. So I tried to think of what the hipsters at this vegan restaurant/bar/arcade would like to see. And I decided on this "Frankensteins Monster" idea that I've been tossing around since Fourth of July last year.

Not much else needs to be said about the pieces. The titles explain it all. Also, these pieces are the first ones featured on this blog that are for sale! $150 each. Maybe I'll even frame them if I really like you!

"Anne Frankenstein"

Graphite and Marker on Muslin with Cotton and Lurex Embroidery

8"x10"

"Frank-Ben-Stein"

Graphite and Marker on Muslin with Cotton and Lurex Embroidery

8"x10"

"Franc-enstein"

Graphite and Marker on Muslin with Lurex Embroidery

8"x10"

"Lisa Frankenstein"

Graphite and Marker on Muslin with Cotton

and Lurex Embroidery and Sequins

8"x10"

"James Franco-stein"

Graphite and Marker on Muslin

with Cotton and Lurex Embroidery

8"x10"

13/52

This week's post is brought to you by 5 S Vine, the most awesome party house in Richmond. Unfortunately, the boys are moving on this year and 5 S Vine will be no more after this weekend. So they threw one last blow out bash on Saturday night as a final goodbye to good times. It was amazing. Here is a shot of part of the group singing "Kiss From a Rose." KJ's one stipulation for the night was that everyone sing this song. Best part of the night. By far.

Sorry my explanation is a little lame. The memories of the night are hazy, at best. Just enjoy the artwork, guys.

Clockwise from left: Julia, KJ, Colin, Daniel, and Aaron (That's my tiny face in the bottom left. And Chris right there next to me. Sorry dude, i drew you in but it looked weird so I had to erase it. I'm a horrible person!)

Clockwise from left: Julia, KJ, Colin, Daniel, and Aaron (That's my tiny face in the bottom left. And Chris right there next to me. Sorry dude, i drew you in but it looked weird so I had to erase it. I'm a horrible person!)

"Kiss From a Rose"

12/52

This week features another piece with simple embroidery. My art show is tomorrow, y'all! So I've been super busy. Come out to Strange Matter (929 W. Grace St) to see my work. It will be up after 12pm tomorrow and will be up all weekend. I'll be there from 7-10pm Friday night and 11-1pm on Saturday.

This week's piece is based on a picture from a little birthday event we had at my house this weekend for my friend, Lauren. It was a really perfect day. Our whole group of friends made it out to hang for what feels like the first time in forever. Jenna, Matt, Jay, Lauren, Claire, Nicole, and I had an amazing time just sitting on the back porch drinking and talking. It felt like it was 2006 again and I was still in college and didn't have a care in the world. Seriously, a perfect day.

Claire found my bouncy crystal ball (from my Labyrinth costume a few years ago) and was having a great time playing with it all night. She would put the ball right up to her nose between her eyes and stare at it while she turned it. All of the glitter inside comes rushing right into your line of vision. It's pretty cool and hard to describe. I guess you had to be there. Anyway, Jenna posted this picture on Facebook on Tuesday and I knew it had to be this week's embroidery.

Don't her boobs look awesome?

I had a great time stitching this one and it's honestly one of my favorites out of the whole AYIS project. Maybe eventually I'll add more to it when I'm not frantically preparing for an art show.

"Planet Claire"

Graphite and Marker on Muslin with Lurex Embroidery

8"x10"

11/52

This week's post and piece are both going to be pretty simple. I'm preparing for an art show on May 7th and most of my energy is being focused into that. I'll be showing my embroidery at Strange Matter (929 W Grace St in Richmond) as part of their DIY FEST next weekend. I'll also be teaching an embroidery workshop on May 8th from 11am-12pm. Visit their website www.strangematterrva.com to sign up!!

So, on to this week's art. On Tuesday I took my dog, the famous Aurora, on a walk with my friend, Victoria and her boyfriend and their dog. (I don't know how they spell her name so I'm not going to even try unless they correct me) We went all over Carytown and the Museum District where we live. On our journey we came across an adorable beat up old deer statue that had been dressed in a little girls' bathing suit. It was so funny that I had to take a picture. Later, I found out that it used to belong to my friend, Lindsey Oliver, who has been dying to be included in my blog. At least she gets a mention this week!

And then we came upon these really pretty flowers. There was another bunch of them in a pot at another house that were so perfect looking, we were convinced they were fake. But after we came across this bush, we doubled back to check the other ones. They turned out to be real as well, but my camera was too dead for a picture. Anyone know what kind of flowers these are?
So this week's artwork consists of images from this fun walk. It was so good to see Victoria and catch up. We lived together for a whole year and now we just don't get to see each other enough. Hopefully this becomes a regular thing!

10/52

I'm already through about 20% of my project!

This Monday I drove up to Fredericksburg to see my friend and tattoo artist, Mike Tschirn at his shop, Golden Monkey (check them out at http://www.myspace.com/goldenmonkeytattoo ) He's done most of my tattoos over the last couple of years and he is freaking awesome. This week, we were coloring in the big stained glass windows I have outlined on the backs of both of my calves. A word to the wise, calf tattoos are awesome but they HURT LIKE HELL. I'm all about the pain of tattoos, but at times, it can feel kinda cruel.

This is an image of the window. It's from the church where I grew up. It's a beautiful example of Art Nouveau stained glass work. I heard that the church thinks it might even be a Tiffany window. I've been obsessed with it since I was a little boy. During every church service, I sat transfixed, counting the panes of glass, following the curl of the vines, and discovering new things in it everytime.

This is the work we've done so far. We had to cut the session short after 2 hours because the next appointment showed up. I was totally okay with that, I needed a break from the needles!

Still, I can't wait until the next appointment. I'm so ready to see the finished product!

Which brings us to this week's artwork. I drew the picture I snapped while Mike was tattooing and then added stylized versions of the motifs in the window. The stitches of the embroidery are supposed to resemble the raised metal framework of the window.

"Sunbeam Society"

8" x 10"

Graphite and Prismacolor Marker on Muslin

with Cotton Embroidery

9/52

Okay, so I'm finally getting around to this week's post. I'm sorry. I've been very busy. I spent the weekend at the beach with my adorable (unpictured) boyfriend, Anthony, and my friends Jenna and Steph. When I got back, I had to finish up my grad school application for SCAD and finish this piece of embroidery.

We spent the weekend at my parents' beach house in Kill Devil Hills, NC. It is so beautiful down there, but the high temperature was in the 60s. Brrrrr. So this is a shot of Steph, Jenna, and I wearing sweaters on the beach and looking sexy for the automatic camera timer.

The finished piece isn't exactly one of my favorites (come on, I was drunk all weekend, cut me some slack) but I still like the way it turned out. The blue swirls in the background represent waves and the french knots at the bottom are obviously sand. Not too complicated.

But the weekend was amazing and I'm so glad we did it. And one of these days, I swear I'm going to work in a picture of my adorable boyfriend.

"Chilly Beach Day"

8" x 10"

Graphite and Marker on Muslin with cotton embroidery

8/52

This week's piece is inspired by the love of my life, Aurora LaFawnduh Lansbury. I took Aurora out to sit on the porch and enjoy the amazing weather on Easter morning and discovered that a huge field of dandelions had erupted in my front yard overnight. It's really kinda cool looking. Trashy. But cool. I really need to mow. (Still hasn't been done BTW)

Aurora started chasing butterflies and I whipped out my camera. Couldn't get any butterfly shots but I got her to sit still just long enough to get this shot. It made for a cute makeshift Easter card text to my mother and to Facebook and Twitter.

I'm starting to love embroidering natural elements with no set pattern planned out. Nicole's hair, the tree, and now the flowers. It's cool not to be following lines that I've already drawn. Also, i'm having fun mixing different colored strands of thread to make subtle color variations in the stitches.

"Easter Morning"

Graphite and Prismacolor Marker on muslin with cotton embroidery

8" x 10"