Howdy folks,
I am in sunny downtown San Francisco on a little sabbatical, pre Christmas silly season. Hopefully this little trip will recharge my batteries enough to get through the next few months. I have some big servings on my plate. Bowerbird Market and then my solo show in November. Then the prospect of working a long and busy Christmas at Urban Cow bringing handmade beautiful art to the people of Adelaide and gift wrapping treasures to go under their Christmas trees. Urban Cow is always epically busy at this time of year as everyone loves to spoil their family and loved ones.
It is relaxing and picturesque here in San Francisco, kind of like an American version of Sydney Harbour on a glorious summers day. The topography has roly-poly hills that make you want run really fast down them and then tumble down into the big blue bay and have a swim in the salty waters. The air is fresh and clean smelling like fresh laundry. I am staying in an art deco apartment which includes gorgeous art deco furniture, oldie-worldy brass fittings and delightful bay windows that overlook the Bay and Alcatraz (drool). There is also a fragrant tree that smells like tropical fruit outside of the window. So far the sky has been soul-soaringly blue and big seagulls (bigger than chickens) can be seen along the wharfs at the end of the street. I strolled along the wharf to see the big fat snoozing sea lions on pontoons sunning themselves and their burps and farts and growl entertained us for a long time. I am completely in love with the retro Americana style fonts on all of the shops here. There are nostalgic cafes and bars that havent changed much since the 1950's due to the rents caps here (property owners cant push their rents up).
There is a Disney feel to this place and I think Disneyland was trying to create a place EXACTLY like here! It is fabulously stimulating to my artistic mind.
Today we went to City Light's Bookstore and had a flick through some art books and books about various cultures folklore. Chinatown was fun as we strolled the boulevards at sunset. It didn't look anything like China! Every shop was brimming with chintz and sparkle.
So in a couple of days I need to hop back to it. I get creatively itchy from relaxing too much and I crave using my brain and working (I know! What a ning nong!) These days I cant just holiday any more! Must be creative constipation ... ha ha.... I guess thats why my residency in China was such a fantastic experience as I had a great holiday but made work at the same time.... HEAVEN.
So I need to get back into planning my Bowerbird Stall soon. I have all of the porcelain goodies prepared but I still need to orchestrate the finishing touches on the tickets and tags. Above is a picture of my owl totem animal that I made on my China residency. It has been such a popular seller. I am down to my last few owl friends, which I am sure will be snapped up at Bowerbird in no time. All the totems need owners to love them.
Have a great week blog friends. Bye for now!
