art walk
April 9, 2009
now and then
April 7, 2009
i like to drive to the mission inn hotel at sundown and pretend i live there. i march past the valet, through the 133-year-old adobe archway and arrive at the entrance to greet the doormen. the double doors swing open and i ride the antique elevator up to the third floor. i stroll past the guest rooms, the stained glass image of Jesus Christ and down the tiled tunnel into the spanish-style courtyard. then i look around — at the bougainvillea vines, the wrought iron fences, the mission tiled roofs, the ornate pillars and cathedral steeples — and i think, mine, all mine.
to pile into a van
March 29, 2009
with the family, nine of us total on a breezy sunday afternoon, and drive down the 10 west to the santa monica pier. to disappear into the crowd of locals and tourists on the beach, stop every few steps — my mom falling behind, emely bear skipping ahead — and take in the pigeons, the street vendors and street performers, the cholos, the hipsters and rockers. these are the things that make every bit of southern california home, sweet home.
block by block: boyle heights
March 27, 2009
a preview of cesar chavez boulevard, from st. louis to chicago. i only had 20 minutes on the block before dinner at la parrilla, but much more will come soon.
oh santa barbara
March 2, 2009
the world should write you a song. something that rhymes with happy and breeze and root beer floats and fiery sundowns that last and last. i want to build a big glass house atop your highest dune, nap for a year, then run on the beach until my hair gets knotty and my feet fall off.
block # 1: chinatown
February 9, 2009
broadway, from alpine to college. my first block for project # 1. and how lucky am i? it’s chinese new year.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5
February 4, 2009
2) the love: portraits of family and friends. little stories, quotes, reflections of them and me and what we are.
3) up above: in portland i hardly looked at the sky. i didn’t want to. the grey taunted me day after day. here, i wake up and want to race toward the window and say HELLOOOOO! to the sun, tie a thank you note to a shiny red balloon and release it into the air. the blue, it is clear and vast and bright and loyal and it is screaming for my camera’s attention.
4) self-portrait: given how heavy my camera feels, how short my limbs are and how limited my upper-body strength is, this might be a tall order. but i’m going to try to experiment with different elements like light, wind, water and reflection.
5) words: that tickle my tongue and make me pucker my lips; that slip and linger and beg to be said again. photos of words because of the way they look, the way they sound, what they represent or how they make me feel.
* photo: bridge on the edge of a tiny town in sonora, mexico. march 2008.
** woo-hooo! this gets me launched on #10, #16 and #21 on the list of 29 things.
