What Depression Looks Like

I came across this a few months ago and was reminded of it recently. It struck a hard chord, as I have encountered a few battered but beautiful people dealing with this mental disorder, and have begun to recognize some of these feelings as my own.



Thoughts of Depression

12x12 for $144 IV

My piece for  this year's 12x12 fundraiser at the Harwood Art Center

Abstract Topography, gouache, graphite, wood sealant, 2013

The original shape came from a sketchbook drawing of the bottom part of a squash; the rest just came to me as I thought about how to morph the shape into something more.

6x6s made by kids from Escuela del Sol Montessori School

Caravan of the Sky

I am continually on the hunt for a camper van like the one my parents had ('78 VW, avacado green) so that some day I can venture out on a similar road trip to the one they took in the early '80s, a three month long round trip excursion from Albuquerque to Alaska. In the meantime, this might do just fine.

http://www.fastcodesign.com/3022316/the-camper-that-becomes-a-penthouse

Train Travel

It was raining steadily when we left Pagosa Springs at 6:45 in the morning, en route to Durango to board the Durango Silverton train. We had been having some doubts upon waking up to the sound of water pounding on the tin roof. Of course, in the Chambers-Wherritt style, none of us were bothered by the weather, and there was really no question about going. As the train pulled out of the station and rolled through town, I couldn't help but notice the how many people stopped to wave to us and the other passengers. It seems as though everyone is fascinated by the sight of a train, as if it was some long-lost piece of history, which in a way it is.

The train follows the Animas River the entire way to Silverton, meandering through a contrasting landscape of wide valleys and deep canyons. The river was rushing with water as a result of the recent rains. There is something magical about traveling by train through the mountains to an old mining town,  taking the route many miners became intimately familiar with during the 19th century. In many places along the canyon-sides there were remnants of old power lines, sometimes barely distinguishable from the fallen tree trunks.

Proceed and Be Bold

A few years ago, Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. came to my college for an artist talk. I bought variations of the two prints above, the "Good Coffee" for myself and the "Fishing" for my brother. I remember falling in love with his work, not just because it was letterpress, but also the powerful, witty, political messages and icons he used to reflect on the theme of racism.

Circus Acts on a SeeSaw

Central Vietnam: Hoi An

"Midieval-looking Hoi An was once Vietnam's most cosmopolitan port. Today the good times have returned and this beautiful, ancient town is bursting with gourmet Vietnamese restaurants, hip bars and cafes, quirky boutiques and expert tailors."

...

The first thing we did in Hoi An was a street food tour. It was led by a gregarious Australian transplant named Neville (fitting I think). We stopped at more than forty authentic Vietnamese street food stands. It was feast for the senses as we walked through the markets and tasted food from stalls we would never think of going to on our own. He dispelled all the myths about street food in foreign countries, including everyone's biggest concern: cleanliness. Neville explained that the dirtier the floor, i.e. how much food/trash is on the ground, the better. This is a sign that the Vietnamese really like the "restaurant." He tried to emphasize that these people are no different that we are; they are just as concerned about what they put in their mouths as the Westerners.

That afternoon we walked through the downtown streets of Hoi An. One of the things the town is known for is the tailors, and there are hundreds of them. It was a good thing we got some recommendations from Neville, or we wouldn't know where to start. I ended up having a dress made. In one store, there were a few women set up in the front making paper lanterns. One was taking strips of paper and pressing them with an iron while another was placing them over the thin wooden frame of a lantern. I'm not sure what attached the paper to the frame, but my guess would be some kind of hot glue. It was fun to watch the process.