Last week I did not work on any “serious” art projects, although I did finish up something that I have wanted to do for a long time. I have wanted to make a one page mini zine for years now, probably since 2004 when I first saw one. For various reasons, I never got around to it until now.
The front cover of my one page mini zine.
It was nothing fancy, just a small series of pen and ink drawings pasted to a sheet of paper and photocopied. They were nature drawings from around my house, sketched quickly.
Making the paste-up using a super old lightbox that I've had for years.
Below I scanned my photocopy and arranged the pages in order for you to see. These drawings all fit onto one 8.5 x 11 inch sheet of paper.
Last Friday afternoon we were driving through Montague, MA on our way to look for a certain waterfall in Sunderland. We came across an old mill that had been renovated and filled with shops. There was a cute little co-op gallery, Saw Mill River Arts and a bookstore, the Montague Bookmill. We stopped for a bit and browsed. There were rooms and rooms of used books and new books connected by narrow staircases. I felt almost like I was snooping through someone’s house. I would like to come back and spend some more time there and perhaps eat at their little cafe.
We ended up finding the waterfall and it was quite impressive. I filed away my snapshots into my “future paintings” file.
First, I’d like to say “thank you” to everyone who has left me comments on my last post or has sent me concerned emails. I really appreciate it. I will have some more artwork to post soon.
I don’t normally review non-art books, but I decided to in this case because it is something I consider to be important.* Besides art, emergency preparedness is one of my personal interests. Perhaps it makes me feel like I can do something instead of worrying about what the future may hold, especially since the world is such an uncertain place these days. Now that I have a baby on the way, I am thinking a lot about being a good caretaker and provider for my family.
It is aimed for the complete beginner and it is divided into eight sections: getting started, financial readiness, water needs, food supplies, ready your home, personal health and safety, when the power is out, and when you have to get out. Under each category there are several short topical articles that teach you how to do something or give you a list of important supplies to assemble.
Step by step instructions are given in a simple, non-scary way. I really appreciate this because a lot of books and resources you find on the internet are geared toward people who are only interested in really advanced survival skills. Besides being too expensive for the average individual, these sorts of things can really turn off the beginner and make them feel that it is pointless to even get started. The author also thought of important but simple things that many people wouldn’t necessarily consider when it comes to preparedness, such as how to purchase footwear and prep for your pets.
Another thing I like about this book is that it you don’t need to read it all at once. It is easy to look up what you are interested in and read just about that topic without losing continuity. Some of my favorite topics are avoiding common prepper mistakes, assembling a desk survival kit (for your cubicle at work), and how to assemble a 72-hour survival kit. The author tries to make each topic very accessible, often suggesting lower cost alternatives. Besides cutting costs, she also suggests low-space ways that people in apartments or other small spaces can prepare.
This book really provides a good starting point for anyone considering how to become more prepared for life. For more ideas, check out The Apartment Prepper Blog and this article (there is a quote from me in it).
*Full disclosure: I also received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my review.
A book I enjoyed reading recently is Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paperby Harriet Scott Chessman. It is a fictional story about Mary Cassatt from the perspective of her older sister Lydia, who suffered from chronic kidney disease. I have always been a fan of Mary Cassatt, but haven’t read much about her personally. Reading this book makes me want to read a full-fledged biography of her.
It has five chapters, each focusing on a particular painting featuring Lydia as the model. As Lydia sits, the two sisters have conversations that reveal bits and pieces of their lives. Her daydreams also reveal background info on their family life in Europe as well as America. This book explores what it’s like to have an artist in the family, which is an eye opening subject for me. Another theme is living with chronic illness. Lydia struggles with the idea that she will die soon and her sister’s portraits of her will be her only legacy.
Even though it is fictional and covers only a brief few years of Mary Cassatt’s career, it is obvious from the author’s attention to detail that a lot of research went into this book. It thought it especially interesting to read how the author imagines what others may have thought of Mary’s relationship with Edgar Degas (although I wish his character were more developed). I also loved how subtle details in the paintings are woven into the story.
If you are interested in art history, but want to read something a little less dense and scholarly, I would definitely recommend this book. It is a concise and easy to read story, which is a big plus for me because I do most of my reading before bed.
It has been some time since I have been able to read and enjoy a book sufficiently enough to actually finish it. I have been getting bored and easily distracted when reading books, and have often stopped midway through. I decided to give it another shot though, because I wanted to read a book while being out of work after my surgery.
The book I picked up at the library was The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano. It was translated into English from Italian, but it didn’t feel awkward to read for me at all. In fact, I thought it was very easy to read and the chapters were nice and short as well.
The main characters are Alice and Mattia, who are antisocial and both dysfunctional in their own special way. Alice and Mattia have a special friendship because they understand each other, and they each had a traumatic childhood experience that shaped the way they interact with others throughout the rest of their lives. Their personalities are so damaged however, that they can’t function properly, and even though they are attracted to each other, neither one of them knows how to “close the sale.”
To be honest, I found this book to be depressing even though the reviews were really good. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who is lonely or depressed. Also, I really couldn’t stand Alice’s character, who struggles with anorexia. She just made no sense to me, and she wasn’t very likeable. I probably should have picked a book that was more upbeat. I made the mistake of reading this book and watching The Mill on the Floss on the same day!
