Photo by Joe Linton

I know this picture shows the destruction one of our many brush fires can cause, but these burnt out plams by the LA river look like sci-fi alien flora. (that makes me happy)

Lomo Saltado is the name of this Peruvian dish. Utterly delicious is how I'd describe it. Imagine a steak stirfry with french fries, red onion and tomato slices. Herbs, lemon and a green sauce made from blended garlic, jalapenos and cilantro... Yum...

Kunsthart :: The London art scene moves away from Big Money Conceptualism, Painting re-emerges :: HART International :: Tijdschrift over hedendaagse kunst in Belgïe en omgeving

Kunsthart :: The London art scene moves away from Big Money Conceptualism, Painting re-emerges :: HART International :: Tijdschrift over hedendaagse kunst in Belgïe en omgeving

Welcome to the fabulous Chung King Road. It's a place where secret basement parties are popping off, and art galleries abound. It's also a lame place to be on Saturday night about 1 in the morning. It's about as lively as a nursing home.

As you can see there's no graffiti on this dumpster. That's because this area panders to the CalArts grad student crowd, and just like their art the area they occupy is a snooze fest. It's bad enough they're inclusive and elitist, but to make boring and pretentious art as well as ruining an entire street in Chinatown...

A drawing I made using a picture in a book as a reference and some stamps I made. It was more of a exercise than anything, but I thought my 5 readers might be interested to see a format I might use in the future.

If you ever visit El Matador State Beach remember to keep an eye out for wildlife. This specimen was nice enough to let Shani pose with it, even though it's head had been removed! I'm not sure if everyone gets the same level of accommodation we did, but if you're lucky you'll have an opportunity to commune with nature on a more personal level.

My Grandma used to pack a gun. She used to carry one in her purse. She wasn't some crazy gun nut, but she was an accountant back in the day. That meant she took the loot with her, and if she got robbed on thew way to the bank drop it was her own damn fault for not having a gun to shoot the robber. Most people didn't know this about her, but they did notice the lovely Dahlia's out front of her house. Good thing no one ever tried to steal those...

Back in the day there wasn't a cyclist on every corner with Deep V rims and straight handlebars. There was, however, this guy, and he rocked because he was original and a fan of color blocking. You're not merely matching when everything is monochromatic; you're indulging in the always controversial act of color blocking. Another unsung hero of American history.

Satsumas have been cultivated in China for around 2400 years. They're about the size of a mandarin, come with stem and leaf most of the time, and peel effortlessly. The skin separates from the fruit with ease. Don't worry about seeds as their are usually none.

I discovered them about three weeks ago, and in that time I've consumed around 3 dozen. They're only available from late November until early February so try them before their season is over. They're so good!

Even turkey hot dogs can be dressed up to be delicious, and boy were these delicious. Mmmmmmmmmm

All along our street there are drainage holes which house black widow spiders. They are large and glossy, and proudly display their badges of honor for all to see. They have no interest in jumping onto prey but that doesn't stop Sandra from walking on the edge of the sidewalk. I always act like I'm going to push her into them...

Similar to linoleum or woodcuts, white rubber erasers can be carved to become miniature printmaking projects. I used an xacto-knife, a stamp pad and blank name tag stickers to create these. Most of the images required two erasers to make, and as you may assume the text has to be carved backwards. They were fun to make and helped hone my xacto-blade skills, so watch out!

These are cicadas in Cincinnati, Ohio. The emerge every 3 years there. In some places it's 13 or 17 years. It seems it's always prime numbers, huh? As you can see from the beautiful Poppies and Carmelia my mother sure has a green thumb, and the cicadas help out. Millions of them emerge from the ground, their numbers ensuring their survival for generations to come. Soon after they emerge they molt and leave brownish gold exoskeletons attached to wherever the were. Birds and small woodland creatures gorge themselves, but barely make a dent in the cicadas ranks. The Cicadas have sex, deposit their eggs in trees and roots, and then die enriching the earth. As you can see from the beautiful Poppies and Carmelia my mother sure has a green thumb, and the cicadas help out. I get to collect their exoskeletons for crafty uses. Nature is amazing.

That's right, I own a car. I paid my father $1 for it. He bought this 1969 Impala with a 396 Chevy big block engine in late 1968 and drove it daily until 1999. It's mine, but I lack the financial stability to care for it in Los Angeles, or anywhere else for that matter. So he keeps it safe, takes it out for ice cream and patiently waits for me to be enough of an adult to take it off his hands. I think he has more faith in me than I do...

This is a photograph of the framework for the building at the Western/Hollywood metro station . I'd rather look at this than the Mondrian stucco job that it became. Obviously buildings must be finished, but there's nothing stopping me from celebrating it at is best. Woot! Woot!

Noodles is the name of this kitty-gato. He's an amusing character. He play's with teddy bears and dog toys, eats the faces off of toy mice, climbs the perforated metal security door, licks my hair, licks our lips, wants to be on my shoulders when I'm in the bathroom, constantly moves his water bowl around the kitchen, and all those other things that kitty-gatos do. Oh yeah, he's got a bum eye and seems to unintentionally pull a slow wink that just makes you wanna explode with joy. I'm so glad he walked into our lives. Yay, Noodles!

Vapid

[vap-id]

-adjective

1. lacking or having lost life, sharpness, or flavor; insipid; flat: vapid tea.
2. without liveliness or spirit; dull or tedious: a vapid party; vapid conversation.


Sometimes one cannot avoid a vapid person, place or thing. I know I'm personally subjected on a regular basis. So what do I do? Try and affect change and hope for the best. Rrrrright.

This is a solar etching plate. They were invented around the time of hippies and funk. Over the years there have been many improvements in this technology, and it has become a viable alternative to traditional acid bath etching, a.k.a. Intaglio. Rather than acid eating away copper, solar plates rely on a light source and a light sensitive layer to create the "etched" surface. Taking the acid and solvents out of the equation makes the process much healthier. I'm told one still needs a printing press to take full advantage of this medium. When I try it I'll attempt to print using a wooden spoon or a roller before seeking out a printing press. Either way I'm excited about experimenting with solar etching.

Fritos are good. They have more sodium than my heary or kidneys need, but I love the flavor. They more flavor than juice, and juice has a lot of flavor. So pop off, or er open, a bag because they are made of 3 ingredients; corn, oil, and salt. That's right. Yeah, you can get the flavored ones if you want, but the classic are fine with me. Also, they make a great gift!

I'm really a fan of the Mexican titan of deliciousness, Jarritos. My favorites are Tamarind, Jamaica and Grapefruit(Toronja). Soda is one of my weaknesses, and Jarritos offers a 1.5 liter bottle which helps me keep my consumption at a more reasonable pace. My local spot, Ranchero Market, offers the glass bottles for $0.79, a modest price for such a high quality beverage. As an added bonus it's made with 100% cane sugar. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm