joshua tree anniversary weekend

we knew we would be too busy on our actually anniversary day (November 8th = 4 years of marriage) to do anything special so we decided to go camping at Joshua Tree the weekend before to celebrate: driving through Joshua Tree National Park, looking out from the campsite, shadows and landscape, a portrait of the desert sun as seen blazing past tina's neck, joe the explorer, timer pictures on rocks

fish pumpkin

a 2012 joe + tina halloween- inspiration images for our pumpkin, an action shot of Joe getting into it with the wood carving tools, pumpkin seeds, meet fish pumpkin

next year: shark pumpkin.

orange county fair

some friends introduced us to the orange county fair last weekend: the crowds and the ferris wheel, joe's fried frog legs which tasted like a mixture between chicken and fish, a food booth color scheme and matching garbage can, and finally, pig races (photo lifted from the internet).

building a couch

Tina and I decided to build our own couch. I drew some sketches and was inspired by the simple construction and design of mid century plywood furniture and the unfinished/exposed look of Restoration Hardware's Deconstructed Furniture Line. These qualities seemed simple enough to replicate because  the way real furniture is built and upholstered seemed like a lot of work and skill. I used salvaged plywood leftover from some sculptures I made. I ended up with a sort of plywood bench/love seat. Tina chose raw silk as the upholstery and she mixed several samples of dye, we decided on a bright warm blue.

flags and art

a view from our 4th of July spent with friends, BBQ, & some outdoor music, an installation of Tina's on view all week at as part of a fiber exhibition showcasing student and faculty work from cal state long beach fiber art department (find the exhibition details on Facebook here or on tina's blog here)

oh nancy collaboration show opens tonite 6-9pm

my fourth collaborative effort with painter Annelie McKenzie opens tonight from 6-9 pm at the Torrance Art Museum (3320 Civic Center Drive). The show is also open on Tuesday July 5th from 11-5. 

Learn more about the Oh Nancy collaboration concept here, the venue here, and my collaboration partner here. 

The show was mentioned on Argot & Ochre. Read the full blog post here.

Hope you can see the show!!

a food post

it had to happen sooner or later, another food post: homemade tortillas!!!, baked tomatoes, squash and potatoes, turkey sandwiches and an eggplant salad with chickpeas and feta, when the grapes were all gone, shrimp and roasted brussel sprouts (our favorite roasted veggie)