SNEAK PEEKS, SONGS, SUPERIOR PINKS.

I adopted 3 new plants this week, and I'm hoping I can put the Great Spider Plant Tragedy of 2011 behind me with some healthy new plant life. Will tragedy (aka my inability to keep indoor plants alive) strike again? My house is really deficient in the natural light department, so it's really only a matter of time. Updates on the future Aloe Disaster of 2012 pending.

Falconwright leather all cut, lined up, and ready for printing. There are some bright new colours on this table, but the black and white keeps their secret for now...

Pattern printing time. Rinse and repeat! Lines, dashes, triangles, woven squares, art deco haystacks, slightly askew v's, and more. Deadweight is feeling jealous of all the time I've been spending with Falconwright. Deadweight needs to toughen up.

My new highly technical set up for burning screens. Dear Charlotte: the glamour of my home set up in full force! Old broom handle to hang bulbs from, crappy mint yoga mat to stand on while I print, paper all over the floor, vegetable oiled transparencies, etc.

Opening a fresh paint container for the first time is one of my favourite small pleasures in the print zone. They never unscrew as easily again. I recently decided to try out some Permaset inks, and this glow pink is far superior to Speedball's neon pink in almost every way (almost because it costs twice as much).

And lastly, while we're in black and white mode, my band recently made a video in our practice space. It's called Fine Lines and will appear on an upcoming EP release! New songs, forest murals, chicken lamps, calm boys, serious faces, deep breaths, frantic instruments - this video has it all (well, all of that).

GLAZING IS AMAZING.

These are a few things from my first couple of ceramics classes all glazed up (and in the case of the last photo, oxide-ed up). The first one will house a new plant in the near future, the second ones have taken over for some boring old ramekins in the salt and pepper department, and the little city at the bottom will turn into a small army of garden markers come spring. Edges = rough. Lessons = learned. Status = beginner. I'm really looking forward to my second attempt at glazing this week!

DEADWEIGHT X LEMONADE: NO.1 (DOGS)

My pal Caitlyn (aka Lemonade) and I have started a collaboration adventure. We plan on releasing different projects over the course of the year, and this is project number 1: a collection of 6 dog postcards featuring some of our very favourite dogs! Though my very favourite dog is the golden lab, which I didn't draw? Major oversight on my part.

We just happened to draw our dogs facing in the opposite direction too. This was not intentional and I wonder what it says about our brains? You can purchase this set of 6 postcards at the upcoming Love & Rummage show at The Workroom from Caitlyn (who will also be selling a bunch of other excellent items of her own - cards/prints/etc). After Love & Rummage we'll put some up on the web!

So, send your favourite dog loving friend a greeting! Or if you're like me and can't have a dog of your very own at this point in time, keep them for yourself, name them all, and get real weird about it. We got together last night, tied them up into packages, and the verdict is in: we're both really happy with how they turned out. This is Caitlyn (and her excellent hair) showing off the goods.

UNDERGROUND.

The past two weeks have been a frenzy of activity. My phone tells a calmer, darker, more moody-filtered (and badly lit) version of that story though: 1. Leather shopping for Falconwright. 2. Practicing for this show on Friday! 3. The left side of my work table featuring: a lizard painting by John Malta and a ceramic skull by Julie Moon. 4. The right side of my work table featuring: coffee and neglected recording devices. 5. The Bird and Banner scarf which hangs above my bed. 6. A completely typical subway shot. If only my station was built into a real castle. Frank's Castle. 7. Ceramics class. Our class symbol? A a crescent moon. This is the only non-underground shot. Apparently, I've been spending a lot of time in basements...