To Be Thankful...

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Dear friends,

By the time you read this, I will be some 3,000 miles away from my studio, happily strolling through Brooklyn and Manhattan for a lovely whirlwind visit. We'll be toasting friends with glasses of champagne at the news of a beloved couples' upcoming wedding; huddling around tiny tables with large mugs of coffee and perfect pastries; walking through our old favorite neighborhoods to cozy up to magical spots old and new. Our trip to Brooklyn will be brief but promises to brim up and over with all things sparkly New York.

Then we'll hop on the train and head to New Jersey for a cooking marathon with my husband's family. The last count told 35 adults and 9 children will gather at my in-laws for a Thanksgiving feast. We haven't been back to the east coast for Thanksgiving in over four years but this has allowed me to gain greater confidence in my pie making skills. So, I'll be making two apple-cranberry pies and love my pie crust recipe so much that I'm packing it in my suitcase, just to be certain.

I can't wait for long chilly walks on the Jersey boardwalk with my camera in tow; bustling through the streets and subways of New York with that only-New-York-can-create anxious inside sparkly amazement; and sharing the kitchen and dinner tables with 40+ of my husband's cousins and aunts and uncles. I've been dreaming of potatoes and stuffing and mushroom gravy and sweet potato casserole and cranberry sauce and homemade pies for weeks now! Happy Thanksgiving to all my friends stateside, and happy days of thanks to my sweet friends around the globe.

Be back soon...

xoxo,
k

The Dresses/ Objects Project: Phase Two

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My dear friends,

The Dresses/ Objects Project continues! Some of you might remember a photo shoot with my husband several weeks ago, which resulted in this batch of photos. Then two weeks ago, I gathered with these amazing Bay Area artists to do a fashion photo shoot in a favorite overgrown park in Oakland. It was so much fun! (And oh, so very nerve wracking too.)

The artists were gracious and gentle and patient and lovely and kind, of course. But I was a bit of a nervous storm, trying so hard to get the photos that I wanted in just one afternoon of sun and splendor. So, after much editing, and a couple more grant proposals finished, I have finally come around to this batch of favorites. You like? Which ones do you like best?

Some of you might recognize Jenifer Lake of Sprout Studio, Mati McDonough of Mati Rose, and Lisa Solomon of Lisa's Musings. They are three local San Francisco/ Oakland based artists and bloggers who agreed to be collaborators on this ongoing project. I am so very honored to add them to the list! (Thank you, Jen, Mati, & Lisa.)

I am now rounding phase two of this long creative endeavor: Phase one was the making of the dresses with 10 other lady artists; phase two is the photo shoot with local Bay Area artists as model collaborators; phase three will be the installation of dresses and photos in an exhibition that resembles a dressmaker's studio, complete with an artist-in-residence making one last dress and a live opening night performance. Eep! Oh, so exciting to move this project closer to it's finale.

Autumn is gorgeous in Oakland with sunflowers, persimmons, and apples on the table as I type. The afternoon shadows are long and lean through the treetops in the front yard; the nights are growing cooler and demanding sweaters, wool coats, and finally mittens; somehow the holidays are just around the corner. In one breath, I am loving November...

xoxo,
k.

Polaroids and Green Journeys

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Hi friends. I've had so much fun with 'Roid Week 2009. I must admit, I've been quite addicted to the daily streams: Adding new Flickr friends, finding new favorite photos, and generally basking in the incredible Polaroid talent. (Swoon, swoon.) I managed to use the last of my Polaroid film this week and was hoping I'd be satiated for awhile--maybe until the Impossible Project is ready to go--but, quite the opposite. This week made me realize I want to make another investment in film this winter, maybe even a vintage Polaroid SX-70 Land Camera. They are so darn pretty. And I just can't stand thinking about winter's bare trees without Polaroid film. I'm still hooked.

Above are the photos I entered into 'Roid Week this time around. Some are old and pulled from the archives but most were taken this week. I'm particularly excited about the top 2; I feel like something new moved around in me with those 2 photos. I love it when that happens. When you are going along with your usual artmaking thoughts/ inspirations/ questions and for just a moment, something clicks. Like you have this realization that you just made something new. Do you know what I mean? And then, like meditation, as soon as you are aware that you are meditating it seems the mindful moment has passed. Viola! Gone. But glad it was there, and maybe even that you recognized it.

Lastly, I'm featured over on Lauren Goes Green if you want to take a peek. Lauren is creating a blog about her journey going "green" and asked me to be her Friday Feature. It was a good challenge for me to write about my environmental thoughts and art practices, something I don't always take the time to explain as I scurry along in life + art. If you're interested in a longer post about green thoughts and artmaking, take a peek. Happy day, friends.

Etsy Shop Update, Come Take a Peek...

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Hello my fine friends! For the first time in several months, I have just updated every image on my Made by Katrina Etsy shop. Hooray! Yes, I spent the better part of this afternoon taking new product photos and listing them in my little shop. The Photos by Katrina shop is also ready to go, though that didn't take nearly as much time as the shop of letterpress prints, notebooks, and handmade knits and stitches. Phew.

I might make a few extra pairs of fingerless gloves or linoleum prints this winter, but I haven't committed to that just yet. The holiday season usually gets me inspired to make a handful of sewn objects or prints or postcards-- it just seems right to be extra crafty around this time of winter gift giving. Regardless, if you want to purchase some affordable art, take a peek at my offerings over on Etsy.

Lately, I have been finding myself pulled to my larger projects and haven't spent as much time updating my dear little shops. I dream of one day having my entire week spent in my studio, seamlessly going back and forth between a letterpress printer, a sewing machine, a computer, a few cameras, and a huge table for one-of-a-kind mixed media prints. In this dream state, I would make larger long-term projects and also smaller affordable art products too. (Toss in another poetry manuscript, another cat, a shaggy dog, a farm house, a barn full of community art studios, really good natural light, and 10 acres for organic gardens too, please. Oh, all outside of some lovely urban center.)

In the interim, I work four days a week in a wonderful nonprofit arts organization in San Francisco and I spend my fifth weekday in my beloved creative space. Like you, I also manage to tuck in a few hours on the weekends and evenings depending on the project and the week. That said, I have updated some affordable arts and crafts for your perusing. Take a gander, leave a love note, put something on layaway if you like! Wishing you a very, very happy week...