Yay For Elephants

Tody went on an adventure today to find elephants and he succeeded! 

I have this cream dispenser. 

And I need this mug!

They make me happy. 

My Hero

today is my best friend Cody Rate Stewart! He rescued my pictures from my cracked, battered and lifeless Ipod. I guess its heaven is thinking it is a camera... since that's what his computer read it as. But it gave back my pictures. Guess we really can't take anything with us to heaven. That's good.
So here are some great pics of us he recovered!

I am so grateful! So periodically I can show you guys what I was up to while I was on hiatus from the internet.

Back In White Country

Has anyone else noticed the spring flowers? I can't wait for next month! The May flowers will be wonderful! After all we are having plenty of April showers. Today was a perfect example of that. But it was still too irresistible to pass up a chance to pick some of the first Spring flowers.




My shoes soaked through... it was after all an impromptu tromp through the wilderness. But it was worth it. I never knew how many different types of moss there are here, and I am planning on spending a day in the sun documenting every type I come across. But today was not that day.




I ended up leaving most of my flowers for Bigfoot. I found his tracks and felt bad he was so lonely out there wandering life on the run. So I left my flowers for him in the trees by the trail.




I think a few more random, inspirational, spontaneous journeys are in order to cure my artist block.  I know my creativity it still flowing strong, my mind is constantly racing with ideas and stories and plans and thoughts. It's harnessing all those random and sometimes useless tangents and centering my thoughts on art again that is proving difficult.   

Are You Happy?

I hope you are. Where ever you are sitting reading this I hope you are comfortable and warm and loved. Everyone should feel those things every day! I do, even if it's not the majority of my day, at some point in my day I always feel comfortable, warm and loved. I am lucky though, I live with two great boys that love me very much and other than the occasional paw to the stomach when being stepped over, both of them try they're best to make me happy and comfortable.

Even those who live alone should find things that make them feel good at home. I believe as humans we are constantly searching for comfort and stability in something else. It shows us how attainable it is for ourselves. Probably why we need domesticated animals around so much. We need to feel loved and powerful and needed and cared for all at once. The respect is always nice too.

I'm kind of rambling on about nothing really. But I just feel thoughtful today. Current Roomie is no longer Current Roomie. I guess I'll need a new name for her. We'll just call her The Solitary Woman for her love of being alone in her room. She moved out yesterday, and I'm not going to lie. I almost cried. It was a mixture of the shock of seeing her room completely empty and the pure realization that I will probably never see her in person again that made me so incredibly sad. From the little I have gathered over the past 7 months with her is that she was a very kind person. She had great taste in music, and a good political head on her shoulders. She did a great job that not many people get the privilege to do and she had a cute little (spastic) nephew that got along great with my love. Even if he never once called him by the right name. But nevertheless Diamond Dime will still miss him.

I'll post more about my recent vacancy in the apartment later after I take some more pictures. But for now I am just enjoying the amazing bipolar WA weather and my Tody's company. We have art on the mind today. 

Down With The Sickness

I miss my Tody! He's been sick with the flu for the past few days. So the last time I saw him was our underwater adventures. But I'll see him Sunday on his Birthday. Here are some pictures he's been taking!

Oh The Agony

I might be a tad dramatic. But it is the second day in a row I have woken up with intense lower back pain. For those of you who know me well, you know that is not uncommon to say the least. I've battled this back pain in one way or another pretty much since I hit puberty. So I've learned to cope with it with pillows and stretches and workouts and ice, but this past week has been off the charts pain wise. Nothing I normally do to alleviate the pressure has been working. I'm completely used to waking up to pain, and I can almost always fall back asleep after some cushion adjusting. But not lately. I've had to resort to medication, which I hate. IceyHot smells gross, and it's stuck to your body.. so it's you that smells. You can't walk away from it. Over the counter pills don't even begin to touch my back pain because I usually have ten other things that moderately ache, and I'm not one for anything stronger than that if I have to get it anywhere other than my doctor.

I'm pretty much just complaining now. I am enjoying my 4 day weekend. It'll end on Tody's birthday, and we have a small celebration together planned. I have a huge work weekend art wise ahead. I want to make honest efforts to frame and finish everything I have painted for the gallery. And I need to make the rest of the bracelets and necklaces I have planned out. I have two blank canvasses gazing mockingly at me, so I need to fill them this weekend. I liked my ink octopuses I did for the gallery, so I think I might do some ink elephants. I've noticed that the art I'm selling is sorely lacking for my favorite animal. If there aren't elephants involved how can it possibly be a good representation of me?! Lol.

The sun is shining, everything is drying and sparkly this brisk morning. I should take Dime somewhere. Perhaps a trip to the Reserve is in order today.

Check back soon for more art updates.

Did You Know This Case Might Be Waterproof?

So Tody got a new camera case for his birthday. It has incredible amounts of potential, but we have yet to tap into that. It's an underwater case. And for those people who need things spelled out clearly for them it has waterproof printing on and in it like 57 times. Just in case you couldn't figure that one out. We found that a little redundant. The look of the case is interesting. I want to do a shoot of Tody shooting with his camera in that case. It just looks so exaggerated and funny. We couldn't figure out where to test it. Neither of us frequent any public pools in the area, and although Spring is showing her face the water in the Sound is still way too cold for a quick dip to test out the case. Short of lowering the camera on a rope with the intervalometer shooting continuously my big fish tank seemed like the only option right now. Jaws is a good model for me when I feel the urge to shoot something different.

 
 


Our biggest issue... the camera refused to sink. Tody had to hold it down so we couldn't leave it in there to shoot continuously. We tried a few things I have randomly strewn about my apartment to put in the bottom of the bag to weigh it down, but they were sad efforts. Nothing was heavy enough and if it was it definitely wasn't the right shape to fit in there and not scratch the camera. So back to brainstorming for new shoot ideas. Tody and I have come up with a few good ones for underwater, and just some great ideas that would lend well to having that protective layer. Tody is excited about making an underwater lightbox.

My mind is racing with interesting ideas for wet photography! Leave us a comment if you have an idea you want us to try.

Sketch

is how I have been feeling lately. Sketchy... not fully right. But I've managed to get quite a lot accomplished in the past week or so. I paid some bills, and got new supplies. Tody and I have been hard at work experimenting with shirt making. Some went well while more are interesting works in progress. He's been so patiently photographing everything I ask him to, even if the wait for getting the pictures online can get long. But we are finally current on all my finished pieces being documented. That includes my new ones I have yet to post. I've been playing with ink lately instead of painting. It's a lot more kid friendly, so the boys don't feel the need to make a mess everywhere with my expensive supplies. But I have discovered the joy of paint pens, so we'll see where that takes us.

I've also been hard at work on the blog for Our Sunflower Gallery! It's still a work in progress. I have a lot to do with it before I'm truly happy with is as a good website for our art. I'm also going to be manning our Twitter account and perhaps updating the Facebook too. Next month is creeping up quickly and everything seems to be falling together quite nicely. Forms are being filled out, insurance was gotten, venues are being booked, art should be getting framed... it's getting down to the hard stuff now.

So naturally I have been hard at work. I'm stressing a bit about my framing. I'm low on funds and resources but I have a growing collection of pieces that are not sellable if they aren't completely finished with a nice frame. But my output is still going strong. I'm gathering advise on how I should price, I was even going to post about pricing tips on the gallery blog. I feel it would be helpful. But I have a lot to do before I can start doing silly stuff like that.

I thought I would share some doodles I have been collecting over the years. I have just started photographing all my journals and drawings from before college and while I was going, because I'm curious about what I am still attracted to and interested in. I find these pictures are a good source of ideas for new projects or techniques. I am still drawing the same things even years later, I just have slightly different ideas.

Setting Up Blogger On My IPod

So as you know I got a new iPod Touch 4G and am loving it. I got it because my Blackberry had finally gone off the deep end. I love the term "There's an App for that!" ...because it's true. I have Google voice for calling and texting, so all I had to do was download a couple apps and I had my self a free WIFI phone. Combine that with a VIrgin Mobile MiFi you got yourself a cellphone. Sorry to go all nerdy on the blog today especially since I haven't posted anything in a while.

My point is we're more mobile then we where before. My iTouch and Kona texting on her phone gives us the ability to blog and post pics and tweets everywhere we go so I hope you guys are spreading the word about @konaandtody and the Elephant's Trunk!!!

Must Love Dogs

Everyone needs a pet. If it wasn't for Sonny I would be so bored during the days. He is always entertainment.

Kona: I feel the same way about Dime! 

Poems

Found this book of Selected Poems. I will soon be posting poems I read

Yesterday was a good Sunday! I had to go out to Seabeck to help my dad do some things at our other house before the next person can rent it. Any way we did some cleaning and burned some branches and a bunch of old bark. Had a few drinks too, it was nice then went over to a friends house later and drank more. It was a nice day!

So if you don't know I follow the Shaytards! Kona tries to keep up but it's hard... any way I wanted to show you guys this video that they posted. It's their 2nd year anniversary video, I enjoyed watching it so much and hope you do too!

First

I just want to say: I am so glad that I have Kona in my life! And that I don't attend some party school!

Sometimes I wish I had gone straight to college after high school. Now that I'm older and have seen what people I went to grade school have been doing, it makes me so glad that I don't attend a major college.

Anyway that picture was taken by our good friend Tasha Fox. Kona and I where at her house and Kona used half my blue backdrop to make me a turban!

This song has been in my head all day!

Hello!

We were put on Earth for one reason: To Live. Most people lead very simple lives, they go to work and come home and repeat that on a daily basis. Then there are the people like me who just live, yeah, I want to get a job, I want to work, I need the money. But what I really want is to be self made. I want my job to be my camera and I want my camera to be part of me, an extension of my life that allows me to share what I see with you and the rest of the world.

I feel blessed that I have known Kona for so long and want to thank her for making me and my art part of The Elephant's Trunk. I hope that my joining will bring lots of new things for you to enjoy!

New Admin

I've always had high hopes for this blog. In the way that it is an outlet for my art and the images that inspire me. I have tried to stay honest and forthcoming here. And although I have no idea how many people I am reaching I've always felt good about what I put up on here as a representation of me at the time. But over the past few months as I have grown with my art and here with this blog I've come to see that I'm not the only one that contributes here. Of course my loved ones influence my mood and therefor the content for the day. But it's more than that. I have so many people that help me create. The thoughts and art put up on here are not always purely my own. I like to think of The Trunk as a space for all of the creativity in my life. And perhaps the most leading creative person in my life right now is my best friend Tody. I like to think of him often times as my partner in creative crime and art. He's my personal photographer and the first person I ask for artistic advise. A lot of pictures on here lately were taken either by him or by me with his camera. So it seemed natural to incorporate him more into The Trunk.

So now introducing a new admin to my site!! How exciting for us. There will be some changes coming soon along with him. My pages are going to change and grow and there will be a new person posting every now and then. Kona and Tody have a lot of art to share with you guys.

So stick around to see how this plays out. I'm sorry I'm a failure with the pictures lately. I've just been very sick and trying my hardest to keep painting through it all. So I've let my camera sit for a while. But there will be more soon. There will be a lot to look at up very soon.

Can't Keep Up

I feel like my to do list is getting out of control. Thank goodness for weekends off. I have to finish a painting today. Which... I think I can do that. As long as I get back to that as soon as I post this.

I just felt I needed to check in. I have fun light painting pictures to show you. Tody came over yesterday after work and we messed around in my living room and kitchen.

There was dancing...

And light fighting... 

And then I danced some more...

It was fun. I got a cheap new tripod for my camera since I can do a lot more with it. I just need to get some rechargeable batteries now, since the hack drains normal AAs.  I went a little crazy at Vinny's actually... I got a coffeemaker, a tripod, a few coloring books for the boys and a bunch of puzzles. And a bike helmet. All was needed... kinda. But at least I do my shopping at thrifts stores. 

Check tomorrow for new art!