update on daily paintings

How bout that! Just as I commit to a daily painting, I get a whole bunch of freelance work! But, never fear, the insane commitment isn't going completly by the wayside. I have completed about four drawings and readyed them on the wood blocks, so I can catch up with the painting part on the freetime I have. So stay tooned. Tomorrow sometime when I get a sec I'll post the drawings, and maybe I can still hit my mark of 100 in 100 just there will be some days I don't get one finished. I want to stay working so I'm going to try it and see how it goes.

100 in 100 for 100

Ok, so here is this insane challenge I've just given myself. I, miss sluggo who's turning into more like Slug-go-go-go am going to start doing small 8"x8" paintings on blocks of artboard, one per day, for 100 days. Each small original work will be priced at the insanely low price of $100.00! I don't know where I will try to market these things yet, but if they don't kill me they will make me stronger. And keep me painting a couple hours a day. Seeing as I'm not in "Proper work" right now, it's something to do. Aside from the 4 art shows a month, running a website shop, a blog, searching for freelance work, keeping house, etc etc. I will post the results here for all to see, along with my agony of creation. Wish me luck. I will start this insane project: tomorrow.
Happy Easter everyone!

Guinea Pig Tote and T's

Alright! I've got a new Guinea Pig Tote bag and T shirt up at Cafe Press-Fishchild, I wish they weren't so pricy, but untill I earn some operating cash for the Studio, I can't yet afford to do it up t-shirt style with a nice print run or silk screen, so that's to come. For now, contribute to The Girl's upkeep, help me keep them in Hay! More GP pics to tug at your heartstrings. Also, see my comment posted on the Gloria's vet visit post for the follow up to that little adventure.

This week - Fun, Music, and shopping!

Hey everyone! This is going to be a big week for me here at Fishchild Studio! I'm working as an easel artist at the Sausalito Artwalk, on Wednesday night, April 11 from 5:30 to 8:30pm. Follow the link for a map. I will be with a group of artists on the sidwalk at 1001 Bridgeway, painting away, in front of Top Paws that will have some dog and cat pictures by me at it. there will be a musician of some sort there too, so it'll be like a party!
This is my "Open Air" open studio, as I'll have some good stuff from my studio that has to get cleaned out to make room for new. This will include two large banners from the Beach Boardwalk" sets that I did last year for a show last year. Please come on out and see what I'll be working on, see how embarrassed I can get as I paint in front of people, and see my pet portraits at the pet store.

Also, on Saturday, April 14th, it's clubbing and art shopping at the Ultra-hip venue "Space Gallery-Bar" in the Loin, real near Fishchild Studio itself. I'm a vendor there and will be selling my teeny but neato art prints in frames, some art jewelry, and some orignal panels I'm craning out right now.

This section of Polk street used to be hustler heaven, but all the riffraff has been infiltrated by a combo of super-bar-fly nightlifers (Lush Lounge)(R-Bar), cutting edge art scene folks (new to neighbourhood soon- (Strangeco), and Saturday night band-bar gig goers (Hemlock), hot yoga "">Funky Door) along with some great thrift store shopping - (Salvation Army shop) and Out of the closet at Polk and California.
This hood is a bit different than it used to be, when the Hemlock was the "Girraffe" where my old freind M. used to be a fag hag with the real alcholoics, and the Locker Room (Gay adult videos) and Front Lyne (more gay adult videos) were the center of the scene. Still, the hood retains its seedy hustler petina and flavor despite the hip crowd, you can still buy crack and use it on the street with narry an eye batted.

It's a great place to spend a Sat night, but if your more the sofisticated type, head out Wendesday to the Sausalito thing, much more refined.
Hope to see you at one of these fab events. Anything you buy will help me pay my rent which is overdue!! Yea!

Gloria went to the vet today

I discovered some lumps on Gloria's belly, so I took her to the vet today. I took Roxie too for a check up. So far the doc says it may just be fatty deposits, cause Gloria is overweight. Or, it could be something worse. They aspirated the lump with a needle and are sending out to the lab to review it. Hoping for the best, cause the lab test and doc visit set me back a bit funds-wise, so no telling if there is something wrong if I'll be able to afford to treat it. Keep some good "thoughts" or "vibes" or "prayers" for Gloria. Any ideas on how these guinea pigs can earn their keep around here? I am thinking of doing a Guinea Pig T shirt that I'll put up on Cafe Press - any other ideas? How can Guinea pigs make a buck these days?

Inspiration at the MOMA

We went to the SF MOMA yesterday and renewed our membership. We checked out the Picasso and American Art - Modern American artist's reactions to Picasso's first exhibitions in the US, very interesting and engaging for me, a student of Modern Art, but LH who was with me said it was over his head and he didn't get much out of it, though he admits there is something about a Picasso in person that is just, well, something more. I love Picasso's work, and was really interested in the effect he has had on just about EVERYTHING that has come after him.

We then headed over to the SECA award winners, to see what the young contemporary artists were doing, maybe Picasso has had an influence on them...ha ha. Actually aside from complete lack of technique, there wasn't alot of Picasso influence. We agreed with the exception of Leslie Shows, whom we liked, there was only one or two in the show that we thought would be "meritous" in a graphic design final project, but agreed that the work in that group was just not impressive.

Then we stumbled into the Henry Wessel photography exhibit, which was a happy suprize. I loved viewing this show, almost every image warmed my brain, with recognition. His small bungalow photos, wide expanses of parking lots, scenes from S. California, (where I grew up), Las Vegas, and N. Cal, well, and road trips elsewhere, it's just the landscape of my memory and a lot of this scenery is what I draw on as story imagery in my own work. Too bad the book of the exhibit didn'thave the same effect of the work on the walls in front of you. Very worth checking out althogh it's hidden sort of.

Glad to have another year membership at MOMA.

Art Shows Galore

Hi Gang. I'm showing this month at three different venues in the City:
City Art Gallery at 828 Valencia St. in the Mission, between 21st and19th st
Artist Xchange Gallery on 16th between Gurerro and Valencia and later at Exclectix Gallery-shop in El Cerrito opening March 29th. Please come to one of these galleries and buy some art. If you can't do that, check out the link in the last post, and buy direct from me!

Next month: Alternative Press Expo (APE) at the Concourse Exhibitition Center in SF.
Hopefully at the Bizarre Bazarre in May, keep fingers crossed they accept my entry.

Fishchild Shoppe Now open for Business!

Here you can purchase prints, original artwork, notecards, and accessories, from my art Studio.

Sierra Oaks Holiday Boutique was FUN

I had a great time this rainy Saturday meeting all the folks up at Sacramento's Sierra Oaks Elementary School annual Holiday Boutique! There was some really great and inexpensive stuff available, super food, and it seemed like everyone was enjoying a chance to shop out of the rain. Thanks to all those who admired my art, I had a big day selling and now it looks as if there will be gifts under the tree after all for me and mine, thanks to your generous art - buying frenzy!!

I was particularly impressed with all the moms who were involving their kids in art purchasing decisions, it's good to know that even though our schools have cut back on art, music and even sports, that wonderful parents continue to value the arts and pass that along to the kids. Too bad about the soccer game getting rained out.

I hope to be back in Sacramento with my work soon. Wow! Was it georgeous up there when the rain stopped, the trees were in their full fall regailia, it made me long for the suburbs from whence I sprang.

Thanks to Greta for inviting me!

Now for a well deserved day in bed, I caught a cold.

I am a bad Blogger

Hey, I know I'm a lousy blogger - but I'll give it a shot again. I just work too much and never have time to look around at anyone's stuff, much less blog about it. My friend Lynne invited me to join MySpace (the horror) which I've been avoiding, but if your into it, now I'm up there with no friends. Please befriend me at: www.myspace.com/fishchild.

Otherwise, This October there will be a new group show opeing on Oct 6, Friday from 7-10pm at City Art Gallery in SF, 828 Valencia St. The theme in the back room is "Transformations" where I will debut a selection of the major arcana cards of the Tarot that I am creating as we speak. You can purchase prints of them at the show or at the gallery all month, along with prints and original work by me in the front room. Hope to see you there!

The Punishment Cafe

I went down to Polk St. today to buy more hay for the guinea pigs at the local pet supply, and on the way home got so overcome with hunger, that rather than just getting a coffee as planned I wandered into
"Bob's Diner"or,
"Bob's Broiler"
, on Polk and Sacramento. Earlier this week I'd noticed thier ultra cool signage that I hope never gets scrapped. It's so 50's coffee shop-py and reminds me of Alphie's which was a coffee shop attached to the Alpha Beta, Supermarket of my youth in Alhambra. Bob's that night seemed to have a ton of people eating dinner there and I thought, maybe they have gotten better at food since they spruced the place up and got new booths.
So today I wandered on in, greeted by the "Seat yourself" sign, this seems to be the only restaruant on Polk street where a friendly local doesn't greet you with a big smile and hello, and offer of something hot and warm. I went for a big booth by the window. A surly unsmiling waitress noticed I was alone and directed me to a small one man booth. I sat at the dirty table and she brought me a sticky new menu with a frown. My heart sank. The prices were premium breakfast prices. There's no way this is going to be good enough to justify 6.95 for a plate, I thought with growing uneasyness.
As the remainder of my experience there played out, I realized that nothing has changed at Bob's, it is still, as my boyfriend calls it, "The Punishment Cafe". His theory goes, that you only go to Bob's when you really really hate yourself, and feel the need for punishment. Deeply self loathing people who are depressed go there for "the treatment" this family run place dishes out. Following this theory, I must be really feeling guilty about falling behind with my painting schedule.
The other gal came around and noticed the dirty table hadn't been set, so she swiped a dank dingy rag across it, and plunked down some tableware on a napkin. They brought coffee, which was as I expected, coffee shop coffee, and to their credit, brought cream with it. I asked for a glass of water. When she came back to get my order without the water I asked her to wipe the table again, as it had some sticky globs still on it right in front of me that my newspaper stuck to. She wiped again, but didn't get it, I pointed to it and said, "See there, could you?" she wiped a little harder. Still not really clean but she'd given up. No fresh towel, no drying it off. I put my paper away.
I had ordered eggs florentine, my usual. It came. Still no glass of water. I took a bite. Now I've had eggs florentine all over San Francisco, and some is eh and some are good, and some are lemony and some are not. This one had a thick slice of raw tomato on it under the spinach. Huh. I tried it agian, sorta lemony, the tomato added nothing but tough sourness. I tried the thick cut "breakfast" potatos. They were raw inside, lightly fried on the outside, chunky, chalky, completly unseasoned or salted, and inedible. It was all I could do to chew and swallow.
I went back to the egg dish which was hot. I flagged the waitress, "can I get a glass of water?" Without a word or a smile she turned to go get it, but before she went she was distracted by a regular asking something about her husband. I knew this was all it would take to make my glass of water leave her mind forever. I was right.
One more bite of the lemony, sour, thick hard mealy tomatoy mush of eggs florentine and I'd had enough. I pushed the plate away. I'd had three bites. Total breakfast rejection. Sad.
The woman came by in a minute and the first sign of any attention or interest crossed her face. "Something wrong?" I just said, "Yes, this really isn't good, I don't want to eat it."
She took the plate. "Anything else?"
"No, just bring the check."
So she brought it. No attempt to remedy the meal, no refund for uneaten food, no aplogies. The bill read $8.90 and after she walked away I knew there would be no more coffee refills.
So I sat in their precious booth space long enough to write this entry. I would have used the bathroom too to try to get $8.90 worth of rental out of this greasy spoon in rental space.
I took a cell phone call from my boyfriend. "You'll never guess where I am."
"Where?"
"The punishment cafe."
"Oh, Bob's diner?"
"Yes."
"What did you do wrong?"
"I'm behind on getting my paintings done for the show. Way behind."
"Oh babe, I'm sorry," he said chuckling, "I'm so sorry".
"Yes, so am I".

New launch of website!

I have finally got all the new paintings on Fishchild.com. Great little guinea pig page on there too. Check it out!

Boomerang show a success

The opening at my Petaluma show was a great success and a lot of fun! It was so nice to meet the Petalumans that came out to say hello. I particulary was thrilled to have my "Hen Party" reproduced in the Argus Currier and to have Jennie bring me her quote from Odd Thomas and her story about the Guinea pigs. I love Petaluma! I may have to move up there soon. I wish I had taken some pictures of the opening but I forgot the camera.
We did take some pics in the photo booth at HeeBeeJeebee and will scan tomorrow. It's late now, bed.

APE was a blast

Finally have time to breath after April madness, first the Alternative Press Expo then the Boomerang show at HeeBeJeeBe in Petaluma, I've been working non stop and am really beat! Finally I am updating FISHCHILD.com to show the new pictures and my new vigor for art life.

We did great at APE and sold out my little pre-book book. I will be working with some on demand printers this summer to get a nicer version done with a nice sized collection of my work. Please email me if you want one.

I got some new contacts, we sold some prints and I've decided to do limited ed prints from my website, they seem popular. I got some great comics from other folks, we had fun with the Short Pants Press's Sara (really great titles and beautifully done comics).

Short Pants Press Comics

Enjoyed in particular Joe Sayer's "Your new Religion 1" and 2. Laughed and Laughed.

J.Sayers Comics

Hung around with Jamie of Nerve Bomb Comics and Rhodie of "Pablo's Inferno" fame, who has a sweet new children's book, "Cloud Boy". More APE Comics reviews later.

Nerve Bomb Comics

Rhode Montijo

Bayart News

Stacy Alexander has put up a profile on my artwork at her LiveJournal, Bayart-news. Visit her journal and sign up if you would like to post comments, or if you know an artist she might like to profile.

http://bayart-news.livejournal.com/

No more couch potato

Me? Running? Can't belive this myself, but this day Jan 22, I got up at 6:30 and went running (run/walking) with the Running 101 group of San Francisco Road Runners Club. Thanks to friend Vincent, or I never would've followed through with that threat. Now looks like I am locked into getting into shape. Hummpf. Maybe it will be fun.

Happy New Year!

Hi, happy new year! January is nearly done and I have been hibernating.
Visited Petaluma this weekend to see Boomerang Gallery in it's new space at Heebeejebe, a wonderful shop full of fun stuff, including a chandelier made of spoons and fish, and a volcanic tiki mountain made of candy. Their opening soon so stop on in there. The show next month is a nice change from all the erotic shows in SF, "Paranormal Paramours" An exhibition exploring the art of mystical romantic persuasion. The opening in the small gallery is on Feb 11th with a party to open the store.

Laura Veirs - This song is awsome

I heard this song on NPR on Harry Sherer's show, and didn't write down the artists name, though I meant to because it was hypnotizing and really good, then Wednesday heard it playing at the MOMA book store on a mix CD, wanted to ask the girls behind the counter, Who IS THAT??? because by now I need to get that song. I googled some of the lyrics when I got home and found it, it's "Galaxies" [Hear the song here] - [http://www.nonesuch.com/hi_band/yearofmeteors/] by Laura Veirs with band the Tourtured Souls on her album "Year of Meteors". I bought it so will review the whole album when it gets here. Turns out on giving her other stuff a listen from her website, that another really good one is "Ether Sings' off her other album, :Carbon Glacier".

Holiday Relief Auction a success, Maverix raised 12,000

The pre-holiday art auction and party for victims of the Kashmir earthquake at Maverix studios was quite a blast, I stayed way longer than I expected too, and joined in the art buying frenzy. I found this great little watercolor hiding behind a post where no one had seen it to bid on it, so I got it (silent auction), I'm ashamed to say, fairly cheap. But I was broke so I was glad to get something and contribute to the releif donations. All the proceeds went to charity, and $12,000 was raised in just one night.
Here's the neat little piece I got by David Yee.

No plans as yet for New Years Eve, as I have really gotten into the hermit spirit, and it looks like rain all weekend, I will most likely be staying home.

Natalie Dee, hee hee hee

I almost forgot about Natalie Dee. Laugh out loud funny, I need to put her on my links pages.

Maverix Studios Holdiay Relief art auction

Tonight's the night, a holiday party, an affordable (really cool stuff) Art auction, and a charity event, so I can combine my gift giving, (gift to myself, that is) with my charitable contributions for this year, at great prices. At the Tsunami relief auction in the fall there was so much great affordable art, I wished I wasn't broke, this time, I've just been paid and haven't balanced the checkbook yet, so watch out!

Our work party Xmas luncheon was pretty lame, so I'm hoping this shinding gets me in the old Ho ho spirt. I donated art so I don't feel bad bout eating a lot of free food.

Blinky Bugs

Just came across these cool little guys, BlinkyBugs,

You can stop by and meet their maker and pick some up at Artist
Exchange Gift Fair,
December 3rd, on 16th Street between Valencia and Gurrero, or just go
to the website to get your blinkybug.Hint, I would like one for Xmas.

Horses on the telephone

I'm working on some sketches for some paintings of horses on the telephone. Here's a peek, did this at Cupa Joe's on Saturday night. It was hard to conceive of how a horse would hold a reciever.

Must share Guinea pig song

Many Many other good songs here too...
http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/guineapig

Art show this Friday

I've got ten paintings up this month at City Art Cooperative Gallery
Group show. The opening is this Friday, Dec 2 from 7pm to 10pm.
There will be refreshments, and a raffle for art. Affordable art is the
theme for xmas shopping season. See the paintings ahead of time at
http://www.fishchild.com.

Wed night Freaks and Geeks

Hump night requires watching of the new DVD set that I got for my birthday. Great show. I "did" high school in the 80's and can attest to the absolute authenticity of the characters, themes and look. Had a true slug dinner of bannana cream pie tonight. Feel sick. Wonder why.

Guinea Pigs!!!

BEST pets ever. Found a great place for help and support with my new pets see link above for CavyMadness.com