Dispatch From LA

Stitched & Stenciled

Gator Pride

You already know of my ongoing love affair with tropical hibiscus.  Several years ago I drove south of LOS ANGELES about an hour, down a windy rural road, through a wooded area, until finally I landed HERE.  It was a lovely day.  I selected my little seedlings from a porch filled to the brim with hibiscus color varieties you can't begin to imagine.  I'm still happy with my selections. 

The Path

High Voltage

In other non-hibiscus related news, summer vacation is warm and delicious.  After lolling about in the sunshine, taking daily naps on the chaise lounge out back, staring out the living room window, and watching back to back episodes of So You Think You Can Dance I am at long last ready to roll out Stencilry 2 in the form of STITCHED & STENCILED.  And I decided to have it be a la carte.   An easy summertime committment. 
It's all I've been thinking about and working on for the last few days.   I'm not just a little bit excited.  I'm a-lot-a-bit excited!   Pre-registration begins NOW. Class starts August 10th.   I know I'm limiting myself with this class by having a sewing machine be a requirement, and by only opening this up to my estudiantes brilliantes from the previous two Stencilry courses, but I have to go in the direction that thrills and delights me even if that means only a few of you will be along for the ride.

Next up:  Mary Ann makes a martini then starts working on her sister's travel journal.

Kooky Stenciled Sewn Graffiti-esqe Chapbook On Crack.

Yesterday amidst rocket fire, I went out back to play in my spray book.  While all of Los Angeles put on their party pants, encircled my house, and launched their BIG BOOMING fireworks, I secured the cat posse indoors, inserted my ear plugs, took 9 nerve pills and sprayed away. 

Somewhere in the midst of the KERPOW!  and BOOM!  I finished this:

my travel journal!  I posted about the insides HERE.

the whole enchilada:

And then from the dark recesses of my primitive art brain an idea started making it's way down my neural pathways.
Not a regular idea.  A BIG idea.  So I made all of these:

Today I'm working on the rest of the story.   Muchachos who've been wondering when I'm going to stop loungeing like a big old reptile and get going on Stencilry 2.  Well...  Stay tuned!  And..um.. get your sewing machines tuned up.   Think:  kooky stenciled sewn graffiti-esqe chapbook on crack.

Born On The Fourth Of July

My name is Buck Moss and I was born on the Fourth of July! 
I'm just going to sit here in my down cat position and watch the sky for smoke. 
One more rocket boom and I'm getting under the blanket. 
I'm strong!
I'm virile! 
I'm handsome!
I kick other cat's arses! 
Yesterday was my birthday!
I'm 14! 
I wonder when that lazy good-for-nothing Wyatt Earp Moss is going to jump up here and lick me.
My mama thinks I'm cute!
I'm going to stare at her until she pets me.
I can use the power of my subconscious mind to make her come to me NOW.
Where is everyone !!!?

Where You Spend 5 MInutes Watching A Video And Thank Me Later

This will be the best 5 minutes of your day. I promise. Have a tissue at the ready. Thanks Susan for sending it to me.

Lucious Maximus

Let me introduce you to Lucious Maximus Alexander Quirno Diaz Barriga. (i am guessing it is pronounced loo-SEE-us) He is the youngest member of the spraying posse over at the Pure Experimentation:  STENCILRY class.  He lives in that warm sweet country just to the south of us which I love, Mexico!  He wanted to take the class himself, but his mama thought he was too young to do it independently so she kindly agreed to sign up with him as co-pilot.  He is, as she put it, her Maximum Light.  How dear is that?

I would also like to have him co-pilot the voyage to Lisbon my sister and I are embarking on in a few short weeks.  Wouldn't he make great company?  He is already a world class jet-setter having been to Stuggart Germany and Paris when he was 4, and Italy last year.


Yesterday his dear mama, Teresa, sent me these photos of his creations and I stood up and cheered.  Bravo Lucious Max, you gorgeous clever young artist!  I can see the makings of an artistic genius in his work.  Note the shapes, forms, and colors he has chosen.  Are they not marveloso?!


Do you see what I see in the piece below?  Those faint illustrations underneath the spray?  I LOVE those.


If you'd like to join Lucious Max and the rest of the spraying posse you may do so at anytime.   You may work at your own pace, like that of a snail, or if a fast moving art storm is more your speed....by all means.   Registration continues until July 17th.  

Here's a brief rundown: 32 videos *  77 pages worth of color pdf *  40 buckeroos Muchachos already enrolled: go to the class blog for the first video of LESSON 2. 
 I'm releasing it early.  Because you're cute and I like you.  So there.

I Call Them Fun Glasses

I had a pair of glasses similair to this in 1979.  But they weren't red.  And they didn't have white racing stripes.  They probably ended up squashed in the backseat of a car.  These are shiny.  And new.  And very very red.  I don't call them sun glasses.  I call them fun glasses.  They're going with me to Lisbon. 
There were other glasses in the rack.  Glasses in which I appeared more attractive, but they won't make my sister smile as broadly as these will.  And none of them made me laugh out loud like these did.  I'm still considering whether the laugh-out-loud strategy of wardrobe and accessory selection is wise.

Have you read this book?  Did you love it?  I'm going to begin it tonight.  I have very high hopes of being completely smitten.  

Here was the site of the Summer Early Evening Nap .  Today when I lay down, I confess to leaving on my fun glasses, but then I took them off.  Easier to see the trees off in the distance and besides there's always all day tomorrow to wear them.  And I don't want to wear off all the shininess before I get to Portugal do I?

I sewed up the pages of my travel journal.  Click out right now if you don't want to scroll through 900 photos.  I swear I will not hold it against you.

Red thread, red doily, red glasses.

Red dots.

Red pencil on the ledger page.

I have a crush on security envelopes.  There happens to be 1 red one in here.

Somewhere.

I'm Leaning Towards A Red Folder

Construction has begun of my travel journal for Lisbon.  I have a general idea of where I'm heading with this.  A book of scraps.  Papers and envelopes I've been meaning to use, but haven't.  Let's see what else I can round up.
Bits of fabric.  Red thread to stitch it all together.  No duct tape.

Paper sewed onto paper.  Stacked up to make one fat signature.  The covers?  I don't know yet.  I'm leaning towards a red folder I found in the trash last year in Italy while walking down our hill in Praiano for dinner.  It was dark.  The moon was full.  My sister waited for me while I rummaged.  I carried my treasure to dinner, then back home, then across the Atlantic, back here to California. 

I feel like the woodcarver who brought Pinnochio to life.  Only a red folder is hardly a puppet.  But still, if I give it a new life maybe it will start to talk!  Oh someone please push my off button.  In these first days of silence after months of non-stop chatter my mind hasn't hushed yet.  I'm inventing new languages in my sleep and talking to giant animals.  Last night  3 giant chickens climbed in the window and laid 3 enormous eggs in my bed!

The End.