Monday, September 13, 2010

Another View

Another view of the current zinnia arrangements in the livingroom. On the right, you can see how cool the white zinnia is shaped, even before the petals fully open; it's like a drawing of a sun with its rays outstretched. A few stalks of ageratum can be seen at the top left, the lavender flower. The taller, flowing stems of tiny, off-white flowers is a native variety of bamboo. It's quite invasive when left on its own, but can be a great boon to a perennial garden that is well tended and regularly thinned out. Most people consider it a pervasive weed and won't allow it in their yards, but I always like to have at least a few. I love their foliage and their subtle flowers. 

The arrangements are standing on a new-ish footstool. I stack furniture on top of each other in arrangements, too. This footstool is stacked on a large piece of smoked glass on which I have my printer/fax/copier/phone, and the glass lays on top of a very cool 1920s oak table with spindle-turned legs and leaves sculpted into the horizontal surfaces. I'll have to get a good shot of that table one of these days. My dad refinished it in a high gloss that really shows off the amazing oak grain, and used gold leaf to pick out the leaves. For the footstool, I've done an aged paint treatment, a nice low gloss ebony black, sanded to reveal the paler blond wood underneath. The secret to realistic looking aged new pieces. is to sand the paint off in places that the piece logically would have been touched/rubbed, as if polished for decades for example. So the edges and corners are especially worn away on this footstool. The "old piece that needs work" look is what fits in best with everything else I own.

I'm finishing up a book called Chicago Curiosities, so I might not update the blog until tonight. Have a great Monday!

13 comments:

  1. What is your new book about? Does it consist of text or an array of drawings/photography?

    Anyway, the motif of flowers looks nice especially on
    a bland monday morning.

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  2. it's a small black and white paperback series of interesting facts and locations in various states and large cities. I didn't design them, I just do the production work for them, everything before the printer gets the final files. They're fun little books if you like to know where the largest ball of string is, or the place where some famous gangsters met their demise...

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  3. WHEN CAN WE BUY IT. IT MIGHT JUST BE A GREAT CHRISTMAS PRESENT FOR FAMILY MEMBERS AND I WILL BE ABLE TO SAY I KNOW THAT FAMOUS WRITER,ARTIST. IN FACT, I MAY ADOPT HIM. LOL
    GRANNY

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  4. thanks, Granny. i think it might be out before Christmas. I'm not crazy about this series though, not the present design. the photos are too small, which I'm sure will be changed when it's redesigned, which I hope to be able to do in the spring. I think I'll make a post about books I've done and I like to see if anyone wants them for Xmas presents... : )

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  5. That would be great. I am already giving Happy Trails to my niece for Christmas, she will love it, she was a big Roy Rodgers fan. I loved that book you did.

    A list would be perfect, it's especially nice when you can say you know someone involved with the book, makes it more personal.

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  6. Casey, set up a paypal account on your site, people will buy them : )

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  7. I second that Casey! Glad I wasn't the first to say it this time !

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  8. lol. i'd have to buy the books to sell them. I just "work for hire" on the design and production. i usually get my one copy of a book and that's it.

    I think most of the books I've designed are probably out of print, which would make Amazon's used books a good idea I think.

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  9. WILL THE PUBLIC BE ABLE TO BUY YOUR BOOK AT A BOOKSTORE?

    GRANNY

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  10. G'morning! Any book that I work on is usually available at bookstores, but I've only done production work for a few years. Some of the series have my name in them, at least as 'layout' person. I prefer when I get a 'text by" or "design by" credit, but I concentrate on my art these days, and books are just to try to pay the bills.

    I'm going to make a post of books I've designed shortly. I have to get this book out today, then I'll put up some new posts! I'm sorry I've been distracted the past couple of days!

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  11. DON'T EVER SAY YOUR SORRY FOR WORKING.IT'S BETTER THAN BEING ON WELFARE. ALSO IT'S CALLED HAVING SOME PRIDE.

    SAYING GOOD NIGHT EARLY TONIGHT. WATCHING SOME TV AND EARLY TO BED.

    GRANNY LOU

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  12. Chicago Curiosities..... do they mention my beloved Cubbies in the book? lol

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