151/366: the stare-down

In the end, the paper blinked.

150/366: one of those times

I found out that a big grant evaded me once again. Rejection is a given in the arts, but this is one that comes around every four years for painting and this is the third time I've attempted to get one. Plus, $60,000 is nothing to sneeze at. Of course, technically, it's money that I'm not losing since I never had it in the first place. Then again, it would have made a HUGE difference.

Even though I'm used to the process and possibiliy of not being chosen, I still wonder what I could have done differently to get my application to the final stage: where my essays and work samples not strong enough? Was there something missing on my art resumé? and so on...

Anyway, onward...

149/366: shadows follow

148/366: lunchnapping

Catching a few zzzzs before returning to work after lunch.

147/366 sunsmile

146/366: down for the count

145/366: happiness with helium

These balloons have lasted three weeks since being inlated. We had an event at work and I brought some of the left-over balloons home and let them float in our skylight for a little extra cheer.

144/366: extra room

My place is small, but having access to the roof makes up for lack of indoor space during the warmer months.

143/366: art break

I like to get away from what I'm working on in the studio for a few minutes. Sometimes, I'll check out the scene outside the back windows in my studio mate's space. There's not much to see, but the late afternoon light is nice to take in.

142/366: armature

141/366: stone

Red agate donut.

I picked this up in New York last week. My wife was looking for stones to make jewelry with. I already had a green one like this, but I saw a bowl full of the red ones and thought one of the red agates might look good next to my skin. I also picked out a green one that's mostly speckled and clear in areas.

140/366: dry

139/366: rain gazing

Staring at the rain this afternoon and thinking too much...

138/366: tasty paper

Mmmm...tasty pastry flavored paper...it's all the rage!

No, actually, I was attempting to take the picture while eating a vanilla cannoli. You gotta love the logistics of eating a crumbly pastry in the middle of a street festival and taking a self portrait, haha!

137/366: sans lenses

I was in the middle of taking some shots for my '365" trying to get a close up like this one to work. I was thinking that I'd not done one without my glasses previously only to realize that this is at least the third, and maybe fourth. I think this is the third 'front face' close up, so far, also.

Oh, well, here it is, at least...

136/366: color play

Shot while at MoMA for the Olafur Eliasson exhibition, Take Your Time.

135/366: self wrapped

134/366: sidewise

133/366: faking it

I dragged out my winter jacket and hat and still froze my a$# off.

It seems like November decided to sucker-punch May, took May's sunshine and warm temperatures and threw 'em in the river.

132/366: done

The end of another long day. It seemed like fall outside, especially on the way home. I'm guessing that this is the remnants of storms that have caused a lot of trouble across the country.

131/366: catching light

130/366: dessert

Friday night eclair and Dwell magazine.

I'm happy.

129/366: seated

128/366: working on it

Making progress on a new idea of mine using old photos. I've posted them here. Now, I'm working on taking the idea further by using tape on the surfaces and scouring the open areas-much like the carving process involved in relief printmaking like woodcuts.

I wear the mask to keep from inhaling the dust created when the layers of color on the photos are scrubbed off.

127/366: new morning routine

Getting back to something that makes me feel great.

126/366: on the move

On the way to work.

125/366: night sweats

Just back from one of my night rides. When it's warm, I'll go out after work and ride from South Philly, up Ben Franklin Parkway, the path up to Falls Bridge and back.

It's not a long ride, maybe 12 miles round-trip, but I tend to ride hard to make it a good workout.

124/366: dusting up yesterday

Ah, spring cleaning day! It's actually an on-going process in our small cozy home, but we wanted to be adults and actually dedicate a whole day around straightening up together. Lots of much-needed purging ensued (thank goodness!).

As usual, along the way, I had to move things around, including my old journals, from one place to another. I took a trip down memory lane for a few minutes and kept going. I like catching up on the past, especially events and people that I haven't thought about in years. It's amazing how much you can forget or just throw into the farthest reaches of your mind.

Those places get quite dusty and in need of care every once in a while, too. I don't like to dwell on yesterday too much, but I've found it useful to have a present day perspective on my past. It's interesting to see what kinds of ideas I had adopted growing up that have contributed to who I am now and flashes of other things that I discarded.

123/366: i am (not) iron man

Going to see Iron Man today was the best idea I've had in a long time. My inner geek was giddier than Homer Simpson let loose in a doughnut shop.

Iron Man does the character and source material justice while giving those unfamiliar with the character a lot to like. My wife even liked it...and she's not into comics or superheroes at all. However, if you have any questions about anything Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, or Doctor Who she's the one to ask.

The acting, writing, and directing come together in IM in ways you don't always expect in the super hero genre of movies. The focus on character, the brilliance of having Robert Downey, Jr. in the title role along with a great supporting cast including Jeff Bridges, Terence Howard, and Gweneth Paltrow pushes Iron Man way above most 'super' movies.

Needless to say, go see it! And stay around for an extra scene after the credits. It's short and if you don't understand what it's about, just ask the nearest fanboy. You'll be surrounded by them.

122/366: N Ur InTerNeTs

121/366: the trash man cometh

Just another weekly chore given dramatic back-lighting.

120/366(alternate): spinout

When I take these daily self portraits, I usually take way more than one. Sometimes, there might be one or two 'alternates' that are just as good , or better, than the one chosen for the day. This is a prime example. In retrospecct, I should have made this shot the 'one' for Tuesday.

I was wondering if I could get the effect of my head spinning around while my body held still. I think it kind of worked...