Strongie

Print for Sale

2008-09-29T09:43:00.001-04:00

I have a rat print for sale at AS220.

http://www.as220.org/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=24&products_id=94

Painting

2008-07-16T22:54:00.002-04:00

New painting.

Sketch

2008-07-10T16:25:00.002-04:00

This is from my sketchbook - I'm working on a painting with these little buggers.

Chickens? Birds?

2008-07-09T17:42:00.002-04:00

Last week was my final week at the auction house. I've been doing finance for the last 4 years, first at Christie's and then at Robert Siegel Auction Galleries. June also marked being out of school for five years.

For the first time since I graduated from RISD, I'm pursuing art seriously. The picture above was a test in a medium I haven't used in a long time, oil/wax crayons. I don't know if they're chickens or birds, but it was nice to get back into the crayons again.

It's wonderful to be at home enjoying my neighborhood and relaxing. Earlier this afternoon, I went to the park to lay in the Sun and read. Several things are coming up, including a works on paper show at AS220 that I'll be participating in and a trip to Australia in August with Elspeth.

xoxo
Strongie

Snow

2008-02-22T13:38:00.000-05:00

Finally! Some snow!

Sunday

2008-02-17T18:02:00.002-05:00

So happy - I just got back from a long bike ride in Prospect Park with Elspeth. Everything looks so pretty in the Winter and Elspeth said "Stephanie, look - the trees have taken off their clothes!"

In honor of the leaveless trees, I decided to show my Fall image of a bird with a leaf.

And this is a picture of Apple announcing their latest technology.

And this a picture of the INCREDIBLE balloons Elspeth has made of bi-polar Britney. On one side is normal Britney, and the other side of the balloon is crazy Britney. She's selling them on her website TheCelebrityPerfumery.com - Very affordable - $5 for a bag of 4 and $2 for a single balloon.

Have a great President's Day everyone!

xoxo
Strongie

RT

2008-02-13T22:54:00.002-05:00

I joined a gang last night called the Slush Puppies (image unrelated). And tonight I had a cavity filled.

Unfortunately, the image above depicts the size of rats in NYC. Once they get large enough, I'm going to adopt one and let it pull me to work on a wagon. I'll have to ask Bloomberg if a rat pulling a wagon will be subject to the mid-town congestion pricing.

Does anyone know?

xoxo
Strongie

Advice

2008-02-11T22:38:00.000-05:00

Watch out for sleeping mountains.

And watch out for gold-diggers.

xoxo
Strongie

Saturday

2008-02-02T19:43:00.000-05:00

When I started making images for my illustration portfolio in the Fall, this was one of the first. I am going to be putting my new website up soon with all of these images plus others.

This weekend I'll be working on a Pinocchio painting and some diamond eyes. I'll also be fixing Elspeth's website which doesn't work in Safari properly with frames. I'm going to try using style sheets to create the same effect - I hate how things work differently in each browser!

Please visit her INCREDIBLE celebrity illustrations in Internet Explorer - ElspethTremblay.com.

Earlier today I went to the New York International Gift Show to attend a seminar hosted by the RISD Alumni Association. They had Carol Ross as a speaker, who is a LEGEND in the craft world. She was an incredible speaker and gave amazing insight into wholesale markets and how to start off. Then Elspeth and I walked around and looked at the fantastic booths and merchandise. The handmade section was my favorite.

Have a great weekend!

xoxo
Strongie

DOGS

2008-01-31T20:49:00.000-05:00

This was a lot of fun to make and one of my favorite. It's a giant pile of hotdogs ready for mass consumption or the coney island hotdog competion.

Elspeth and I went to see Kathy Griffin on Tuesday and I can't stop thinking about how good her show was. She had hysterical new material on Oprah, the Osmonds, and Britney Spears. Elspeth's AMAZING celebrity perfumerie blog has a Kathy Griffin drawing and recipe for her scent.

Please visit: TheCelebrityPerfumerie.blogspot.com to read more about how the stars smell!

xoxo
Strongie

Winter

2008-01-30T21:26:00.000-05:00

This is a running snowman as in "Winter's Running Out"

I can't tell if it's hot or cold this winter, though. This morning was a steambath followed by freezing wind. It's like a sauna with a cold plunge after. All that's missing is my bathing cap.

Below are some recent images from my sketchbook. I never post sketchbook stuff up here so I thought I'd give it a try.

"Rooooaaaaaarrrrrrrrrr"

xoxo
Strongie

Sunday

2008-01-27T18:34:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of a BRAIN - I think the next time I make a brain it will be in spaghetti colors.

Lots of illustration related stuff - I am going to the New York Gift Fair next Saturday for a seminar hosted by the RISD Alumni association. It's where stores buy things wholesale to sell. You have to be in the trade to attend, with strict credentials, so I'm thrilled RISD is hosting this seminar for the first time.

I have also entered the CMYK Illustration contest and applied for the Spring RISD Alumni Fair. Next up is the Communication Arts Illustration contest, which is their yearly annual.

Tonight I'm finishing a painting of a snowman running, which I'll post once it's done. I'm out of room on my hard drive again, so I'm going to have to delete lots of music and images before I can put more on.

Have a great Sunday everyone!

xoxo
Strongie

Dead Man Walking

2008-01-24T00:08:00.000-05:00

Here are some recent illustration works. Presently, I'm working on a picture of a snowman...running....with a snowflake background.

I just submitted my application for the Spring RISD Alumni Craft Fair. I'll know in a couple of weeks if it's been accepted. I'm going to make more t-shirts (think hot air balloons) and wooden wall hangings (think rollercoaster).

Much more to come.

AND! A BIG thanks and shout out to Miss Mary Carryboo herself for being so amazing!

xoxo
Strongie

Hello Again!

2008-01-20T20:44:00.000-05:00

It's been a loooooooong time since I've posted. I've done lots of new images and will post them in the coming days. By the end of February I'll have a brand new website too.

xoxo
Strongie

February

2007-02-13T23:33:00.000-05:00

I moved into a new apartment and studio space in Brooklyn last weekend. I'm especially excited about the studio space and started a new painting (large). It's of bathers in a sea, with a diamond mountain background.

Once I can figure out how to use my new digital camera, I'll post pictures.

The space is big and raw, and it's very refreshing to have a dedicated space to work in again. I went and bought big pieces of wood and masonite to make larger work - next up is a huge city/cloud painting, possibly with laser beam eyes.

I'm also really excited about the new apt, which is down the block from my favorite coffee.

Has everyone seen Small-Dog-A-Rific yet? It's Danielle's AMAZING site about small dogs. Visit Smalldogarific.wordpress.com to view.

This is a digital sketch for the image holder while her website is getting created.

Enjoy the snow!

xoxo
Strongie

2007-01-15T21:56:00.000-05:00

Ramagon was one of my favorite toys growing up. At the time, it seemed like it was from the future, but has since become dated. I used to build platforms & bridges (with Lego combinations). But the set didn't come with the goggles, so I always admired the little boy on the instructional packet.

Is he not fabulous?

2007-01-14T21:40:00.000-05:00

I'm really excited.

I just got an AMAZING studio space in Park Slope (325 square feet). It's a separate space in a large single story studio with two other artists. Move-in is February 1st.

I also have a new apartment for February 1st a couple blocks away. So, in other words, it's time to pack.

Oh. And the image above is a photo of an installation by Brian Chippendale at the RISD Museum, for the Wunderground show.

Rainy day. This weekend, I:

*Saw all of my favorite people.
*Pan's Labyrinth
*Went for a jog in the rain
*Bars, coffee, tea, & walks

xoxo
Strongie

Saturday

2007-01-06T11:49:00.000-05:00

Today's weather is as nice as the photo's above, however inappropriate it may be for this time of year!

Okay. Details for the show in San Francisco I'm in:

Root Division Gallery
3175 17th Street
(between South Van Ness & Shotwell)
San Francisco, CA 94110

The show runs from January 11th-27th.

If you're in the area, please stop by! The title of the show is "The Greek Play."

And in other news, my ipod died (folder of death w/exclamation mark). After much hesitation, I decided to take Nell's advice (supported on message boards), & bang my ipod against something. I smashed it against my radiator, & NOW IT WORKS AGAIN! I guess I unstuck whatever wasn't working in there...

xoxo
Strongie

2007

2007-01-01T22:47:00.000-05:00

December was a blur. There were two craft fairs (RISD & Bostan Bizaare), a new baby (nephew), a million family birthdays, & a mix for the mixed tape club I'm in.

I spent New Years watching the Grand Army Plaza fireworks in Brooklyn from a roof. A very special friend (Carah) was visting from Asheville (voted best place to live), & we had a great time catching up.

So!

2007.

My New Year's resolution this year, is to focus my energy on making paintings. To do this, I'll be slowing production on T-shirts, & not doing a fair until at least next Fall, maybe longer. I'm going to get a dedicated studio space & lock myself away away in my free time to make art. Larger, more time intensive art.

I am in a group show at Root Division Gallery, in San Francisco, that opens on January 11th (I have three paintings in the show).

Quick update.

Happy New Year!

xoxo
Strongie

Labels

2006-11-30T23:14:00.000-05:00

Re: too many shirts, not enough labels.

I couldn't find anyone on-line that did rush deliveries for labels, so I silkscreened them myself tonight. Thankfully, I had an old screen with text still set. They're drying right now, & I'll heat set/cut them when they're done. This means I will have to cut in a straight line. Which is hard for me. Probably because I'm left-handed.

My sister is also left-handed, & we often bond over not being able to use simple tools like can openers & notebooks. Every year, we used to celebrate National Left-Handers Day (August 16th?) with all of our left-handed friends.

Either way, I'm in trouble with these labels & scissors & straight lines. I thought I had made roughly 90 new shirts since the October Fair, but when I did inventory tonight, I had 153 new shirts & 4 bags.

And my website isn't working for some reason right now. Or maybe it's me. Or my computer. Or my left-handed inability to type a url in.

xoxo
Strongie

Quick Post

2006-11-29T00:24:00.000-05:00

Sit back, relax, & enjoy this picture of a pony. No new pictures of the t-shirts today...

In t-shirt news, however, I just realized I don't have enough labels for the new shirts I've made. I have 26 labels, but almost 90 new shirts. Oops.....I think some of the shirts will have to go without labels.

To keep it consistent, the new lines will probably not have them (crow/hamburger).

And in other (unrelated) news, I had a pretzel croissant at the City Bakery today (by Union Square), which was the MOST DELICIOUS thing I have ever eaten. Please go there. Or if you know someone in New York, have them mail you one. I also bumped into Max, who was on his way to buy a gingersnap.

xoxo
Strongie

Bleeech

2006-11-26T22:40:00.000-05:00

Today, I bleached some of the hamburger shirts. Unfortunately, I'm a bit paranoid with fumes & such, which took some of the fun out of it. I wore yellow rubber gloves, & covered my nose & mouth while spraying. Afterwards, I sprayed them with a little paint to give some of the color back. I tried one on, & it looks really fun. I'm going to have to keep one for myself to wear.

This is a crow + cloud. In a very bad photo. The cloud is polka-dots, which is not clear. I have some in other colors too.

Last night, I bought the Sufjan Stevens Christmas album from I-Tunes. I listened to it last night & today while I worked to get into the Christmas spirit. This made me panic about shopping. Because I'm never ready. And ALWAYS wait until the last minute & spend too much.

On my own Christmas wish list is this necklace by Erica Weiner (EricaWeiner.com). I have one of her lion necklaces, which I wear every day. Hopefully Santa will put this in my stocking.

I also want socks, pajama bottoms, & a safety vest to jog at night with.

xoxo
Strongie

Peanut Burgers

2006-11-25T19:58:00.000-05:00

This is one of the peanut baby tees I've been working on. I'll also have some in youth sizes.

Today I silkscreened the sesame seeds onto the hamburger shirts. Some of the registrations are CRAZY, but I kind of like it. The wacky lettuce one in this photo is a good example.

Tomorrow, I'll be bleach treating some of the shirts that are 'factory seconds' which is to say, I got paint all over some of them. I can be very messy, & the hamburger shirts suffered because of this. My room is also suffering from this, & needs to be cleaned tonight.

Sometimes, I'm a little like PigPen from the Peanuts gang.

xoxo
Strongie

Tees

2006-11-24T18:34:00.000-05:00

Today I silkscreened the crow t-shirts. The weather was beautiful, & it was nice to be outside.

I have the grey in several sizes & the colors in one-offs (i.e. I decided to use shirt leftovers with this print). Also, some will have appliqued elements incorporated. Think cloud.

I also made four small bags with this image on them (not pictured).

Next, I'll be bleach treating some of the hamburger shirts, & printing sesame seeds on the remainder.

Let's hope it stays dry outside!

I've also been working on the peanut baby tees, which I'll post tomorrow. The baby tees I'll have for the fairs will be: peanut, rabbit, cloud, & octopus. I'll also have some youth sizes with these images as well. At the last fair, several people wanted larger sizes, so hopefully, this will do the trick.

xoxo
Strongie

Happy Thanksgiving!

2006-11-22T19:34:00.000-05:00

I'm setting a silkscreen tonight for a crow. The image is based on the drawing above, although it's significantly more graphic on the screen. I also just back from JoAnn's fabrics, where I purchased light brown fabric to make peanuts.

Two people asked me what I was going to do with the fabric (thinking turkeys). I set them straight by saying "Peanuts. Lots of peanuts, which is why I need this color. I need to make a lot of peanuts."

And I do. On Friday I'll be making peanuts.

xoxo
Strongie

........

2006-11-21T00:22:00.000-05:00

Favorite things right now:

http://smalldogarific.wordpress.com/
http://www.ericaweiner.com/shop.php
http://seamsters.net/
http://amyruppel.com/

I also saw a shirt with a hand drawn picture of a clock. In sloppy print, it said "Fuck you, time," which I love.

xoxo
Strongie

Burger Time

2006-11-19T20:49:00.000-05:00

Today, I silkscreened the hamburger buns onto the shirt. In these photos, the buns look purple, which is not the case, but I'm too lazy to adjust it. Please imagine a much warmer brown for the buns.

And close-up. I'm debating whether or not to include sesame seeds. The screen is prepared, but with the cold weather, it's difficult to print outside (nothing dries).

The shirts look very homemade, which I like. Things have become so slick & professional, & lately, I've been preferring a handcrafted look. Initially, I was debating whether or not to send them out to be printed, but I'm glad I didn't. They were fun to make.

xoxo
Strongie

Cheese + Lettuce

2006-11-18T15:36:00.000-05:00

Today I silkscreened the cheese & lettuce for the hamburgers.

Here is a close-up. Tomorrow, I'll be adding the buns & sesame seeds.

And these are my BELOVED hinge clamps, which, for whatever reason, were hard to find. No one carries them, although I'm sure they're useful for more than silkscreening.

Still stitching other tees, & hoping to get these hamburgers finished by tomorrow. Then, I need to make a peanut pattern on fabric. Not pictures of peanuts, but the pattern ON peanuts (plaid-ish) for more shirts.

Unfortunately, I'm terrible at managing my time, & am panic stricken about the December sales. I also started a new job, which I didn't factor in time-wise. Regardless, I'm looking forward to the fairs very much, & can't wait to debut some new shirts.

xoxo
Strongie

Old Painting

2006-11-06T20:26:00.000-05:00

"Now Look At What You've Done"

This is an older painting I made (a little over a year ago), that I tried to scan in sections onto Photoshop (it's much larger than my other work). I got as far as the above image (which is terribly disjoined/poor quality), & gave up. As a result, it never made it onto my website, although I like it quite a bit.

This is also too large for my scanner bed. It's a poster I ripped off a wall in Iceland.

Have a great night everyone!

xoxo
Strongie

Hamburgers

2006-11-05T18:20:00.000-05:00

Today I silkscreened the first color of the hamburger shirts (which is the actual hamburger). Next will be: cheese, lettuce, hamburger bun, & sesame seeds.

I'm waiting for hinge clamps that I ordered, which will let me properly register the other hamburger parts. Hopefully, I'll get the clamps this week, so I can finish silkscreening next weekend.

In the meantime, I'll be stitching baby shirts (rabbit, octopus, cloud).

xoxo
Strongie

Friday

2006-11-03T15:06:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of one of my favorite things. It lives in Brooke & Way's warehouse in RI.

Today, I set two silkscreens for the hamburger tee. It's a 5 color silkscreen, & I'll start printing this Sunday.

Then, on Monday, I start a new job!

TGIF
Strongie

Welcome November

2006-11-02T21:12:00.000-05:00

Happy belated Happy Halloween everyone!

I celebrated by going to Brooke's party in Providence, RI, where I wore:

And before I went, I made some paintings:

"Unfortunately, the City Was Getting Too Close to the Sky"

"Having Grown More Despondent Because of the Happy Villagers, He Took Actions to Remedy This At Once"

I'm currently setting silkscreens for a hamburger tee I'm making. They'll be debuting at the Christmas fairs (Boston Bizaar & RISD).

xoxo
Strongie

.......

2006-10-24T22:46:00.000-04:00

Partially finished painting (60%).

xoxo
Strongie

Some Sketches

2006-10-23T10:16:00.000-04:00

Below are some (very) rough sketches for paintings I'm working on right now. I will post the paintings when they're done this week.

These are two angry cloud/god/heads causing a volcano to explode color diamonds over a city.

And a cloud/god flooding a city.

This one's not as destructive. It's a god (drunken), blowing color diamonds onto a city while it's asleep.

And back to destruction. This is a god with a lightning bolt arrows destroying a city.

In other news, my mom & I submitted our entry for the Michael's craft pumpkin contest, & should know the results by November 15th. Please keep your fingers crossed!

Enjoy your Monday everyone!

xoxo
Strongie

Halloween

2006-10-18T09:30:00.000-04:00

This year, I'm going as a fluffy cloud for Halloween. I'll be dressed in a white hoodie & white sweatpants, covered in white fuzz (i.e. stuffing/batting).

Below is a digital rendering of the costume. (Please note the arm flaps, which will help distinguish I'm a cloud when my arms are raised).

Remember!

This image has no fuzz. One the fuzz is attached, it will be virtually impossible to tell the difference between me & an actual fluffy cloud.

Also. I will have a bag of cloud treats. This includes paper cut-outs of lightning bolts, snowflakes, cats & dogs, & raindrops that I will be handing out to people.

I'm going to Brooke's party in Providence, RI, with a group a of people from NYC. Halloween in Providence is a city-wide, month long event that includes an international horror film festival, dedicated to HP Lovecraft, who lived there. (Also, Edgar Allen Poe haunts one of the main streets - S~P~O~O~K~Y).

The costumes are also incredible. And parties usually mean (crazy) warehouse haunted houses, that are always a little dangerous. Also. There are always great bands playing in the spaces (sometimes puppet shows).

So.....if you see a fluffy cloud roaming the streets, it's probably just me. Say hi & I'll give you a snowflake.

Have a great Wednesday everyone!

xoxo
Strongie

Funn

2006-10-17T09:54:00.000-04:00

That's a photo of Leslie Hall's RV, taken last Summer, in Burlington, VT. If you (somehow) haven't gone to GemSweater.com yet, go now. It will CHANGE your life.

Okay.

Still hard at work on the pumpkin contest & making paintings. I feel like I'm back in art school (since this has been all that I'm doing). After a couple of deadlines at the beginning of November, though, I'm going back to the T-Shirts, which have deadlines in the beginning of December.

Current likes:

*Pumpkin spice coffee
*Mixed tapes
*Gmail (just opened account)

That's all for now. I'll post pictures of the paintings soon.

Have a great Tuesday everyone!

xoxo
Strongie

WE

2006-10-13T11:56:00.000-04:00

At work, people would often tell me, via email, to have a good WE (weekend), which I would like to extend to everyone else as well! The weather is supposed to be beautiful in New York.

Here is what I have planned for my WE:

Today, I'm having lunch with my sister & Danielle in the new Hearst building. It's one of the city's newest buildings, & is also one of the most green. It was built to maximize energy.

Then, I'm going reverse shopping (i.e. returning stuff) & then to the MOMA, which is free after 4pm on Fridays. Afterwards, I'm off to dinner, & then to see my friend Rachel (I'm very excited, it's been a long time!) After our reunion, I'm going to see Nina Nastasia, who is one of my favorite live performers.

Tomorrow, I'm helping Danielle move & then attending WINKFEST!, a night of fun with some of my FAVORITE people.

The pumpkin contest deadline is the 21st, & yesterday, my mom & I prepared the characters. According to the contest rules, I can't divulge too much information/photos, but please be assured that this thing is CREEPY.

I'm also working on a new painting of two cities, with atomic clouds & a rainbow.

Okay!

Diary-style blog over!

xoxo
Strongie

Thursday Night

2006-10-12T23:27:00.000-04:00

Here is a picture of a painting I made today. No title yet.

xoxo
Strongie

GhostFoot

2006-10-11T10:47:00.000-04:00

This past weekend was the RISD craft fair, in Providence, RI.

Rebecca (who shared a table with me) & I drove up Friday night to Brooke's AMAZING warehouse space, which, thankfully has the necessary warehouse swing, covered in leopard fur. Providence is really the only city I've seen that has all of these incredible spaces (of course, it could just be the amazing artists that live in them...)

I remember one space, which has since been torn down (an entire floor of a warehouse), that was a treehouse. The only things on the ground were the stove & bathroom. Above the floor was a complex system of bridges & ropes & the people who lived there slept in ceiling nests.

The space below the treehouse was the infamous Fort Thunder (RIP - also demolished). I saw the most incredible things there, both in performers & the space itself, which was always transforming. I remember one Halloween (dressed as ghetto batman), crawling through a triangular hole into a dark room, with no exit. Eventually, I found an oval cut-out on the other wall that I hoisted myself up onto & through. This led me to a series of treehouse diaromas & a mattress bridge. Eventually, I fell several feet into a room filled entirely with leaves, in the shape of a teepee. To exit the maze, I had to go through a refridgerator, which led back to the party.

I am especially nostaligic because the RISD Museum currently has a show called "Wunderground Providence, 1995 - Present," which features thousands of silkscreened posters & photos from all of the Providence events, warehouse & otherwise. AND, even better, they hosted a party on Saturday night for young alumni (with free food & drink - thank you RISD!)

Overall, it was a weekend filled with old friends & familar places. Gisel & Nadav even made a surprise visit!

Okay, now for pictures!

This was our table at the craft fair. My new shirts did great, & my old shirts surprised me by selling really well too!

Here's a picture of Rebecca with her BEAUTIFUL jewelry!

A close-up of the tees.

And, another craft fair photo. Note my NEON signs!

I'm very exicted for the December fairs, & can't wait to debut a very special silkscreened shirt. Details to follow...

In other art/craft news, I've started a new painting series. The painting below is called " We Died Trying to Get the Pieces to Fit Just Right."

It's a small painting, in acrylic, on wood.

Okay!

Have a great day everyone!

xoxo
Strongie

Providence

2006-10-05T20:41:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow I'm leaving for Providence, RI with Rebecca for the craft fair. We've both been so busy getting ready for the fair that we haven't had time to chat or hang out recently. I'm really looking forward to our quality time.

Yesterday was my last day of work (Re: quitting my job to make art full-time). I have a feeling I'll think I'm on vacation for the first couple of weeks until it sinks in. It's been so long since I've exclusively made art.

At work, my office was windowless, & I only left to walk between two buildings. Each time it was nice outside, I'd always feel like I was missing something. This morning, though, I went for a long walk in Park Slope, & loved every minute of it. Especially not rushing, something New Yorkers have to force themselves not to do.

My plan is as follows:

*Make art
*Be healthy
*See what happens

Lately, I've been putting my faith in the universe, which has worked wonderfully. I realized the things that weren't working out in my life (job, etc) weren't supposed to. Likewise, things that came easily were supposed to be. Since I've made the decision to leave, several opportunities have already come up. In the end, I was struggling at something I didn't want anyway, & the struggle was a sign that it wasn't meant to be.

On a lighter note, I now get to see my adorable niece more often, who will be over tomorrow.

Okay. I was out too late at a going away party, & am exhausted. Also have a cold.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone, & I will post pictures from Providence when I get back!

xoxo
Strongie

October Beginnings

2006-10-02T00:24:00.000-04:00

Last night, I went with Danielle to see Sufjan Stevens at Town Hall. The entire band (all fifteen), were dressed like butterflies, & Sufjan was dressed like an eagle. So special. It was really a wonderful show.

Also special was the weather today, especially the light. Today had the prettiest light I've seen in a long time (i.e. I love October). I went for a long jog & thought about apple cider & hay bales. I don't know what I'm going to be for Halloween yet, but I know it needs to include a fake moustache. Last year, I was a bottle of ketchup (I went with a hotdog).

I have 66 new shirts made for the fair so far, & roughly 20 leftovers from the Spring. Please see below for new shirt pics, even though the shirts aren't ironed & the lighting/photos are terrible. Get the gist. Leave the details.

This is a baby tee of a cloud.

And baby octo.

Baby rabbit.

Lightning bolt shirt for men.

And lighting bolt shirt for women.

These two I have in Women's & Men's sizes.

The fair is this Saturday. I think I'm done sewing, so now it's time to do labels, hangtags, bags, & other prep work. Wednesday is my last day at my job, so I'll have Thursday & Friday to prepare.

That's all for now.

Goodnight everyone!

xoxo
Strongie

Blogg

2006-09-29T07:51:00.000-04:00

It's been a while!

Things have been a bit hectic/busy in my life recently (good and bad). One good hectic is that I resigned from my job to make art full-time. PHEW! And THANK GOD!

I'm very excited to embark on my artistic career (and, of course, relieved I won't need to wear a suit every day!) I'll be getting a studio space in Brooklyn to work out of, & a part-time job to help cover expenses. My last day at work is October 4th.

Oh - And a pumpkin contest too. My mom & I are entering a pumpking contest (grand prize $5,000)! It's sponsored by Michael's craft stores, & you have to use "craft pumpkins" (the fake pumpkins) to make your entry. Unfortunately, one of the rules of the contest is that no photos can be posted on the web, including blogs, so you'll all have to wait until December to see this thing.

I will, however, be posting pictures of my new T-shirts on the blog this weekend. I've been having a tough time with my hard drive, but seemed to have finally fixed it. I have 46 new shirts for the fair, & about 20 old ones. I plan on making 25 more before the fair (October 7th, Providence, RI) and I'm having more fun with the new T-shirts than I've ever had.

I'm ALSO having fun sharing a table with Rebecca at the fair. AND seeing Brooke! AND Katy & Paul! AND Robin! AND hopefully LeeAnn (who moved to Newport)! Either way, it's going to be a wonderful weekend.

Jenny Holzer has installations up along the waterfront, & there's a great exhibit in the RISD Museum about underground Providence Art (i.e. Fort Thunder, etc.).

Okay!

Have a great day everyone!

xoxo
Strongie

Fall Weather

2006-09-13T23:35:00.000-04:00

I'm afraid my job stole away all of my time today, so all I have to share is this picture of an old painting I did.

Rebecca (who does not read this blog, even though I mention her!) & I were discussing the October 7th Craft Fair at RISD in Providence, RI earlier, & completely panicked. We realized we have less than a month to get everything together! Last year was a lot of fun, & I'm looking forward to going & especially sharing a table with Rebecca.

We plan to eat at Julian's SEVERAL times, & visit our WONDERFUL friends there. It was stormy last year, so hopefully the weather will be better this time.

Also, congratulations to Britney & K-Fed on their new baby boy! I'm sure another bun will be in the oven in no time...

Have a great night everyone!

xoxo
Strongie

Wednesday Morning

2006-09-13T07:07:00.000-04:00

I'm running out of room on my computer again, so I may be recycling some old photos for the blog. The fish photo is from a trip to the Bronx Zoo with Gisel YEARS ago. We had a wonderful time.

In related craft/art news, I'm very excited (& thankful), for my work to be shown on ohjoy.blogs.com, an amazing blog (& one that gets a LOT of hits!). Their comments were very nice, & please check out their blog for interesting art & fashion. Very fun!

Hope everyone has a great day!

xoxo
Strongie

MONDAY

2006-09-11T22:44:00.000-04:00

No pictures tonight : (

Updates:

*Last night, I silkscreened the octopus eyes onto fabric for the boys baby tee.
*Finished cutting trees & rabbits & applied fray blocker.
*Ate sushi (twice).
*Went out for $2 beer with Gisel after work
*Had phone date with Rebecca.

Also, I'd like to thank Seamsters.net for their wonderful piece on my illustration work. Thank you! If you haven't done so already, please visit this fantastic site.

Okay. VERY TIRED.

Goodnight everyone!

xoxo
Strongie

Iceland

2006-09-10T09:12:00.000-04:00

I'm back from a WONDERFUL trip to Iceland, a country filled with ponies, ice-cream, & glaciers. Please enjoy the (many) photos below!

This was along Ring Road, the scenic exterior road around the country.

In fact, the scenery is so beautiful, even hamburgers fall in love (i.e. magic).

Homes in Reykjavik.

Scenery around our hostel in a remote part of the country.

More magic. The dipped cone is EVERYWHERE in Iceland. And this cone, "clown head," is their leader. He has a blue raspberry hat, gummy earrings, chocolate eyes, a lollipop nose, & a green gumball mouth. Hopefully, they will export this product very soon.

So pretty.

At our remote hostel on a (rare) sunny day.

This country is gorgeous.

Gently, pretty ponies, very friendly & sweet.

This was on the glacier, where we did a five hour hike & drank 1,000 year old water from a glacier puddle. I'm now going to live FOREVER.

I laughed out loud when I saw the glacier lake. It made me so happy to see these icebergs.

And, once again, this country is beautiful. This is their biggest waterfall, Gulfloss.

This is me, in crampons (sp?), & my harness on the glacier. Missing from the photo is my pick-ax (no joke).

The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal hot spring/spa, with natural mud masks in the lake. It was storming when we went, but delightful.

Okay! A lot of photos!

In craft news, I was accepted into the Boston Bazaar Bizarre, a December fair in Boston!!!! I'm so happy about this, &, especially happy that my wonderful (and talented) friend, Mary Bakija (carryboo.com) is also in the fair!

I'm working on the October fair right now, cutting trees & rabbits to stitch onto shirts. I'm excited about the new shirts, & relieved that they're taking less time, & I can charge less money.

Also, now that my hard drive is cleared, I can post photos of the new shirts!

Have a fun Sunday everyone!

xoxo
Strongie

Western Time

2006-09-02T13:48:00.000-04:00

I've just taken my computer (& blogs) off of West Coast time, & put them on East Coast time. Please now consider these blogs in "real time."

Today, I'm going to my cousin's engagement party (congrats Chrissy & Ed!), & then to Iceland. I'm still only partially packed, but will try to "wing it" at the last possible moment.

Not much news to report - I've been away for a large portion of the Summer, &, although have had an incredible time, will be relieved to return without upcoming travel plans. I'll also be able to make more art & t-shirts, & post more frequently on this blog!!!!

I return next Friday, unless, of course, I meet a Viking and fall in love. This is roughly 80% possible. And I'm at least 95% wishing (also praying).

I will post all about it when I return, & empty my hard drive so I can put some new pictures up. In the meantime, I've included some old photos (i.e. blasts from past) to enjoy.

Have a great weekend everyone, & an even better week!

xoxo
Strongie

Out of Room On My Hard Drive!

2006-09-02T00:01:00.000-04:00

So, unfortunately, no pictures! I'm out of room on my hard drive & can't save anything. In the Spring, I loaded too many fonts onto my computer, most of which need to go.

Tomorrow I'm going to Iceland, for which I'm very excited, &, at this point, slightly concerned because I'm also a terrible packer. I forget essential things (all the time). I make lots of lists & cross things out when they're in the suitcase, but I still get confused!

In other news, I'd like to extend my congratulations to Rebecca on becoming an aunt for the first time! Congratulations!!!

AND, also congratulations to Amy & Leo on their engagement! Congrats!

Tonight, I did my quarterly tax return (gross) & other busy paperwork. I'm looking forward to spending more time on the shirts when I return. The first Fall craft fair is Columbus Day weekend in Providence, RI, which is approaching fast!

I have no idea who reads this blog (if any), but for those of you that do, have a WONDERFUL evening! Hopefully the hurricane winds will subside enough to go out.

xoxo
Strongie

Tooo Long

2006-09-01T00:24:00.000-04:00

I've been tremendously busy recently, which is wonderful, but in the midst of everything, I forgot to blog!

It started with a trip to Monterey, CA for business, & then Big Sur & San Francisco (for fun). Another word for San Francisco is "Best City Ever." The weather was beautiful & I had a fun (i.e. crazy) time visiting Liz, who lives there. I also bumped into Katy, my friend from New York! It was a wonderful surprise!

When I returned, I celebrated my birthday by eating lots of cake. Then Danielle's birthday by eating lots of pizza.

And then, after being away from the office for two weeks, I returned on Tuesday to the grind, where I also had the most incredible Bloody Mary's with Lee Ann to celebrate her new job. Congratulations Lee Ann!

AND, in craft speak, I've been silkscreening up a storm, preparting fabric, & pinning tees. I'm ahead of schedule, & am excited about the new shirts. Tonight, I silkscreened brown trees onto yellow fabric, which will be cut out & stitched onto a brown shirt.

So far, the baby tees of the rabbit & cloud are ready to be sewn, as well as the ligtning bolt/cloud & trees. The process (although rocky at the start) has been enjoyable, & I will be lowering my prices for the Fall Craft Fairs.

I've applied to the Bazaar Bizarre in Boston, which I hope I get into as well. Keep your fingers crossed!

Unfortunately, I'm having some kind of "disk error" related to uploading photos from my camera to share. Tomorrow, there will be new pictures, from my time in CA.

Then, I head east on Saturday to Iceland, which I am very excited for.

Have a great night everyone!

xoxo
Strongie

Up

2006-08-15T06:24:00.000-04:00

I'm up way too early (by at least a lot). These are the photos that go with yesterday's blog. I'm finishing packing now, something which i'm very bad at. I always forget the big things AND the small things.

One thing I won't forget, though, is the copy of British Glamour my sister gave me. It's the publishing equivalent of a cream puff, which works out well on a plane.

Have a good day everyone!

xoxo
Strongie

August 14, 2006

2006-08-14T22:58:00.000-04:00

I've had a fun past few days. It started with the Christie's Art Show, & ended with an outrageous Rebecca & Max evening (including, but not limited to dancing & new friends). On Friday I was the lucky other half to Rebecca & we walked all around the city, ending at Gisel & Nadav's for food & even better company.

If you haven't done so recently, please check out Gisel & Nadav's websites. They've both been doing some terrific work lately! And Gisel's been setting things on fire! F-A-T-E!

GiselFlorez.com
NadavBenjamin.com

Saturday & Sunday I worked on the T-Shirts, setting more screens, & printing fabric. The smiley faces will be cut into cloud shapes for yellow baby tees. Things are finally coming together - I won't have everything ready by the October Fairs, but by X-Mas everything will be done.

Tomorrow, I'm off to California for business (Car Sale), in Monterey, which is a beautiful place. Afterwards, I'll be visiting Big Sur & San Francisco (my favorite). I'm expecting a lot of Liz Maher & a lot of burrito(s).

My posts will be delayed until I return, on the 23rd. Unfortunately, my wireless connection is hiccuping too much for me to upload images, so please imagine everything I've written about.

And in the meantime, have a great night/weekend/week everyone!

xoxo
Strongie

Test Print

2006-08-09T22:48:00.000-04:00

This is a test print I did from my newly set silkscreen. The larger type is the label on adult shirts, & the smaller type is for the baby clothing. In the past, I've used woven labels, which look nice, but are too time consuming.

The lightning bolt is the first half of storm tees. For the shirts below, the cloud & lightning bolt were hand-stitched. By silkscreening the lightning bolt, I save a lot of time, & can lower prices.

Oh. And a reminder about the Christie's Staff Art Show. If you're in the area, please stop for the opening tomorrow night! I have six small paintings in it.

And in very upsetting news, I just realized I missed Project Runway!!! This time slot isn't working for me.

Have a great night everyone!

xoxo
Strongie

Practically Wednesday

2006-08-08T23:06:00.000-04:00

Unfortunately, during the week, my job takes up all of my time, so there's not much to report on arts/crafts. I will say this, however - after much agony & despair, I am now the proud owner of a correctly emulsified/exposed silkscreen. The set-up was changed, including the emulsifier, light, & orientation, which worked wonders.

This weekend, I'm having a craft "shut-in" that involves silkscreening & making t-shirts for 48 hours. So fun.

I've also stopped eating salt. At least on my food. And maybe dairy too. For now.

Short post. Have a great night.

xoxo
Strongie

Totally Monday

2006-08-07T22:49:00.000-04:00

For sure.

Have you all heard the band Smoosh yet? They're sisters, ages 12 & 14, & possible the most incredible thing to hit the music scene since Hanson. Do yourself a favor & get addicted to their songs. Now. As in right now. Stop reading this blog.

Okay, & for those of you that already know Smoosh & are still reading, please let me know how much you love them. This can be in either pictures or words (but not gestures).

Oh, & if someone could throw in a silkscreen miracle, I'd appreciate that as well. Tonight, I went to Pearl Paint to purchase more supplies for my neverending silkscreen saga. Yesterday, I let the emulsion remover sit too long on the screen, & it permanently set my stencil, which means I will have to stretch a new screen (something I was hoping to avoid).

Complete silkscreen failure, however, is no reason to give up. In the past, when I've silkscreened, I've either done the at home method using drawing fluid/screen filler, or in a studio using a vacuum & QTX. Now, I'm working in a small darkroom that's not quite set up to handle my mess & I don't have quite the right equipment. I strongly believe, however, that I'm making progress.

The first craft fair is October 7th, which is very close. I'll be away, for work in CA next week, then on vacation in CA the beginning of the following week. Then back in NY, & on vacation in Iceland the first week of September, which means I'll barely have time to prepare for the fair, & it's all my fault. Thankfully, I have inventory from Renegade.

Sometimes it's just nice to go to Providence, though (fair location).

Well. I hope everyone had a nice Monday. Please listen to Smoosh.

xoxo
Strongie

Short Post

2006-08-05T10:10:00.000-04:00

Today, I'm going to the foot doctor, & eye doctor, so you know I'm having weekend fun! Last foot doctor appointment I passed out from a shot, so I'm hoping it will be less traumatic this time. And the eye doctor. I need new glasses/frames. Maybe some with rhinestones...

After that, I'll be doing silkscreen stuff. I've been having some problems exposing the screen (my lightbox is homemade), so I need to do a test(wedge) exposure. Then, I'll be able to start silkscreening on the fabric & tees.

I can't believe it's already August. Every year (of my entire life), I've always been surprised that Summer has flown by. And every year, it seems like this is the first time this has ever happened. Winter NEVER flys by. Ever. Torture.

That's all! Please enjoy this picture of a cake until the next post!

xoxo

Lots of Mess

2006-08-03T23:25:00.001-04:00

I just cleaned my room. And closet. And workspace, which, from the photos, you can see is still a total mess. I have a lot of weird stuff, & a very small room. In it, I have a drawing table/chair, bed, 2 bookcases, table to make t-shirts on, computer desk, computer station, & large radiator.

If I had less stuff, it wouldn't look so messy. No matter how much I purge, or toss, though, there's still a growing base of things I can't part with. Like my NFL Football Phone. Or stuffed Owl Collection (don't worry, they're synthetic!).

It used to be a lot worse, too. I've toned down my pack-rat ways considerably. Like removing my 400 piece Pez collection from the wall of my room & placing into storage. And having garage sales. I've also moved every year for the past few years, which helps me throw out stuff.

My astrological sign is Virgo, which means even though I may or may not be organized, it drives me crazy if I'm not! I'm constantly making messes & cleaning them up. This is my entire life. In a nutshell.

On a brighter note, Rebecca called with some wonderful news - she has a new job, as a Jewelry Designer! Congratulations Rebecca!

And, in other news, I reclaimed my silkscreen tonight (i.e. removed old stencil). I'll be setting the first screen for the new T-Shirts this weekend, & I'm very excited. My Mom & I will also be dog-sittting, for my brother & sister-in-law's dog, a Boston Terrier named Kong.

He's very cute.

Goodnight everyone! I'm going to try & figure out how to download my first podcast.

xoxo
Strongie

Lots of Wednesday Fun

2006-08-02T23:37:00.000-04:00

Please enjoy this picture of socks my sister gave me recently!

Just like hairstyles, I've also been through various phases with my socks. In high school, I had to have patterned socks with characters on them. Then, in college, I liked mis-matched socks (with sandals - don't ask). I was horribly reminded of this flipping through old photos with Rebecca the other day.

After the sandal fiasco, I went strictly white. Then black dress socks for work - With white socks for fun. Now, I'm moving back into fun, colorful socks (this time without licensed characters!). Target has a nice sock selection (Danielle, don't worry - I'll pick up shorts for you while I'm there!).

Speaking of Danielle, she was just telling me about a new reality show on the Discovery Channel, in which the participants are cab riders in NYC. When they get into the cab (unbeknowst to them), they enter a game of trivia for cash prizes! Kind of makes me want to start taking cabs...

RANDOM LEMON CAKE BLOG INTERMISSION

And back.

I've fallen in love with the ease of internet buying, & have purchased several things recently (silkscreen materials). This has resulted in a large accumulation of boxes, some with peanuts, some without. But, thankfully, it means things are coming together (sort of).

I have a huge learning curve with my new T-Shirts for the Fall. In the past, everything was one-of-a-kind, hand-stitched, all pieces cut out fabric. This process is extremely time consuming, so I've made some changes in design.

The designs will be made in quantities of more than one, in different sizes, which was a problem I ran into having only one T-Shirt, in one size. Also, several elements will be silkscreened rather than stitched (think eyes on cloud & mouth on tiger). I've also decided to silkscreen the labels on the shirts rather than handsew woven labels (also time consuming).

I'm making them in a factory manner, where the the parts are broken down. This, hopefully, will speed up production & allow me to make more T-Shirts in the same amount of time.

I'll be in two fairs in the Fall (definitely) - The RISD Alumni Craft Fair during Columbus Day Weekend in October, & the RISD Alumni Holiday Sale in the Convention Center on December 9th. Rebecca & I will be sharing a table for both, & I'm very excited.

And I'll be debuting BABY CLOTHING!!!!
*Blue Octopus
*Pink Rabbit
*Yellow Cloud

The Adult Line will be:
*Brown Tree
*Black/Gray Lightning Bolt
*Hamburger
*Patterned Hearts

As things progress, I'll post pictures of them.

Have a great night everyone!

xoxo
Strongie

Heat Wave

2006-08-01T23:29:00.000-04:00

That's me on the left, & my sister on the right, back when we were pirates. Some of my favorite memories involve drawn on mustaches either on myself, or on my friends. Max had an especially impressive mustache last Halloween, as a construction worker.

Take a peek at his myspace picture:

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=4822057&imageID=939905915&MyToken=1b938e01-6f19-4667-8da4-5025ee2e8bd3
Tonight I worked on preparing the acetate pictures & stencils for silkscreening. I'm trying to stay organized, & am looking forward to making more shirts.

Oh. And I posted that the Christie's Staff Show was on Friday. It's next Thursday, August 10th. Please let me know if you'd like to come & I'll forward you the information. There will be an open bar & popcorn.

Also, please take a look at a fantastic blog, Funky Finds:

http://funkyfinds.blogspot.com/

There's lots of great stuff on here. Be sure to check it out!

Have a great night everyone!

xoxo
Strongie

New York

2006-08-01T00:03:00.000-04:00

Home. Safe & sound from CA, & (unfortunately) back to work (i.e. grind).

A nice surprise, however, was waiting for me when I came home today - the T-Shirts I ordered wholesale had arrived! More silkscreen materials should arrive this week, & I will be able to begin work this weekend.

Sara gave me some very helpful tips & I'm looking forward to trying them out.

Oh. And if any of you are in the NYC area, I will have work in an art show this Friday, at Christie's Auction House, 20 Rockefeller Plaza (Staff show).

Please let me know if you're interested, & I will forward details of the opening. I will have several small pieces in it.

And I promise my next blog will have pictures. Lots & lots of pretty pictures (think kittens).

Have a great night everyone!

xoxo
Strongie

Lux(ury)

2006-07-27T15:12:00.000-04:00

Currently, I'm on vacation, in Palm Springs, CA, visiting Danielle during the Miss Universe/Miss Teen USA Pageant.

I was a lucky attendee of the Miss Universe Pageant, in LA, CA, which was my first pageant experience. I'm happy to report it was exciting & fun, & nothing like anything I've seen before. Afterwards, Danielle & I went to the Coronation Ball, & then to the after party, at the Standard Hotel in LA.

...But my favorite is Palm Springs. It's beautiful here, & all we do is eat & swim. Curently, it's 115 degrees - Thankfully, there are 'misters' that spray cool water everywhere.

Last night, we both won $100 at the casino acros the street, from quarter slot machines! (I'm tempted to go back).

Thus far, I have seen the following celebrities:

*The guys from Queer Eye (all of them)
*Project Runway Santino
*Donald Trump
*Bridget Wilson Sampras
*A guest on the Oprah Show

That's all for now.

Thanks for reading!

xoxo
Strongie

Blgo

2006-07-16T17:01:00.000-04:00

I'm trying to be better about writing more often.

Today, I went to Applewood, which is my favorite brunch place with Rebecca. Afterwards, we browsed Park Slope stores & boutiques for a gift to her sister's baby shower.

Nest, on 7th Ave has very cute dolls, bears & such, in petticoats w/hats & scarves. There was also a pig dressed up. Absolutely adorable.

I'm now back inside, in air conditioning, where I'm avoiding the hot weather. I start to melt if I'm outside too long. It would be nice to have a water refuge to go to, like a pool, or slip & slide. Although, at this point, I'd settle for a large bucket with cool water.

Last night was fun. Liz, Rececca & I were yelled at for being loud at Cattyshack by the roof bouncer. Then, we went to Max & Andy's, & watched a TV Show called "Pants Off." It's about stripping to music videos. Truly bizarre.

Have a wonderful Sunday everyone!

xoxo

Sat-UR-day

2006-07-15T12:37:00.000-04:00

Summer is flying by.

Exciting things that are happening soon include:

*Hanging out with everyone I know tonight, including out-of-town visitor Liz Maher
*Next weekend, I'm visiting Danielle in LA, then we're going to Palm Springs for a week = VACATION
*Christie's Staff Art Show Opening is August 4th - 20 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020
*Danielle & I are going to San Francisco in August, & Iceland in the beginning of September

I had too much caffeine yesterday & couldn't fall asleep. I had the day off & hung out with my mom. We went doctoring, shopping, & eating. Very fun. I love having the day off.

I also got silkscreen stuff yesterday. A new screen, photo emulsion stuff, & two squeeges. Things are slowly coming together, & I hope to have everything for the Fall Craft Fairs done by the end of the Summer. I've applied to the RISD Alumni Fall & X-Mas show, & will apply to the Boston Bazaar Bazaar when it's time.

I have a lot of trouble balancing a very demanding/time-intensive full-time job & making art. I'm getting better at it, but, living in NYC seems impossible for people who want to be full-time artists. Rents are too high.

If anyone knows of a great city to move to, please let me know. I used to think Philadelphia, but rents are going up there too.

Okay.

I think I'm going to silkscreen some eyeballs onto fabric today.

P.S. I belong to the Mix-Tape-Club (MTC), founded by Hannah Berman (wetfootpublications.com), in which members are assigned a month to make a tape, & send it to the other members. It's amazing. I've belonged for three years, & every month I get new music.

Right now, I'm listening to Suzanne's mix & it's amazing. Thanks Suzanne!

Have a great weekend everyone!

xoxo
Strongie

Better Late Than Never

2006-07-09T12:12:00.000-04:00

Please see below for pictures from the Renegade Craft Fair. It was a fun weekend, & thanks again to everyone who came out!

This is a photo of the shirts hanging.

And my lovely sister!

Sister again, with her wares.

More T-Shirts!

Currently, I'm filling the last of the custom-orders from the fair. One of these is a salt-shaker sprinkling salt onto a polka-dot slug with a hot pink slime trail. Very fun. And also very Gisel, who ordered it!

In other news, I had a fun Saturday night, which included:

*Tea/Coffee with Katy Horan. Please visit her website, katyart.com! She has some amazing prints for sale right now.
*Luau at Michelle's Apt, which, for all of you who ride the F Train, is in that amazing building off Smith & 9th. Very fun.
*Hanging out with Shara at Cafe Habana in Fort Greene. She currently lives in Colorado, & so it was wonderful to see her. Please visit her show at the Rivington Arms gallery (lower east side) while it's still up. In it are her incredible paintings.

And in late-breaking news, Danielle just called from a hike in LA, outside George Clooney's house. Apparently, he's the owner of several pigs.

Have a great Sunday everyone!

xoxo

Thank You

2006-06-17T22:48:00.000-04:00

To everyone who came out for the first day of the Renegade Craft Fair! My new shirts are not yet completly updated on the website, but will be very soon! If you'd like to custom order anything, there is no additional fee.

It was exciting to see all of the crafter celebrities, &, hopefully, tomorrow will be even better than today!

Thank you to everyone who made it to the fair!

xoxo

2006-06-15T23:19:00.000-04:00

The Renegade Craft Fair is this weekend, in McCarren Park, Williamsburg, Brooklyn. For more information about vendors or directions, please visit their website, RenegadeCraft.com.

Below are pictures of some of the things I'll be selling. I'm very excited.

If you're in the neighborhood, please stop by & say hi! The fair is Saturday & Sunday, 11-6 both days.

xoxo

It's Been A Long Time....

2006-05-29T22:03:00.000-04:00

Here's Why:

* I moved at the beginning of May
* The Renegade Craft Fair is just a few weeks away
* I was busy reinventing myself at a seminar "Reinventing Yourself."

So, I guess, then, since I'm new, introductions are in order. My name & website are still the same, as well as my contact information. It's really a pleasure to meet everyone.

Actually, not much is different.

I've been working like crazy on T-Shirts for the fair, & trying to un-pack. Tamara was visiting this weekend, so I got to see her, which was nice. And Danielle & I went on a physical fitness kick today. We went hiking, jogging, & bike-riding. It may be some kind of fat camp, but as long as I'm hydrated, I don't care.

I've made a bunch of paintings for the fair too. They'll all be very cheap (under $75). So far, I have a tree, an octopus, a mouth spitting fire, a slug, & a hamburger. There are also slug shirts to match.

My sister made a really cute dinosaur the other night (it's bright pink & knitted), & is also making really cool bracelets. Please be sure to stop by & say hello if you're in the area. It's June 17 & 18th in McCarren (sp?) Park in Williamsburg.

Off to the daily grind again. Wish me luck.

xoxo

Monday Night Fun

2006-04-24T20:28:00.000-04:00

Warm air means carnivals, & carnivals mean whack-a-mole games. Does anyone know if you actually compete for stuffed animals in this game? My recollection is, that the game is so fun, there are no prizes. In retrospect, this is a shame at a carnival, filled with overstuffed Tweety Birds & what not.

I've got a case of the Mondays, so, instead of working on shirts or painting, I went for a jog with Danielle, & then made pasta.

This will give me time to plug artists that are always working:

What do stuffed doughnuts, cupcakes, & grilled cheeses have in common? They're all the work of stuffed artistic genius Heidi Kennedy, proprietor of MyPaperCrane.com. Be sure to check out her blog, which she updates daily with pictures of stuffed wonders.

The following are some of my favorite artist's/illustrators websites. Have fun!

camillerosegarcia.com
boygirlparty.com
smallandround.com
n8w.com
colinjohnsonillustration.com
comicsoflove.com

Cats & Dogs

2006-04-22T22:53:00.000-04:00

Is anyone familar with the ice-cream Chubby-Hubby (Ben & Jerrys)? Upon Rebecca's recommendation, I tried it for the first time tonight. It's a combination of ice-cream, peanut-butter, fudge, & pretzels. The amazing part is that the pretzels are still crunchy by the time you open the pint. true science.

Also speaking of food, I was the lucky dinner guest at Gisel & Nadav's last night, where I was served Nadav's special home-made hummus. We listened to the Muffin World soundtrack, which they had found. I hadn't heard it in years, & was DELIGHTED. I was also the lucky winner of a scratch-off ticket, "Lucky Dog" - net profit, 2 USD.

Once I'm not so lazy, I'll post more images of the shirts I'm making for the Renegade Craft Fair. Tonight I finished making one of an ice-cream cone (vanilla), dripping.

Recent Purchases:

US Magazine
Lucky Dog scratch-off ticket
Popcorn kernels

Wish Purchases:

Amy Ruppel painting

If you haven't done so already, go to Amy Ruppel's website, amyruppel.com. She makes amazing paintings. For those of you that live in Park Slope, the coffee bar/diner Perch has her work on their walls.

Also, go to lucyology.com, which is Amy & Leo's T-Shirt company/website. Their tees are soft, very well crafted, & AWESOME. They'll be at the Renegade Craft Fair in June too.

xoxoStrongie

Thursday

2006-04-20T20:39:00.000-04:00

This is Bubbleman, a reproduction of an old Pez dispenser (also Bubbleman), saving a baby, who's saving a bear.

News

1) There has been a meowing cat outside my window for 8 months. It's loud, & sounds like a baby crying. It's meowing right
now.
2) I switched to lemon-lime seltzer instead of original - delicious.
3) Still getting ready for the Renegade Craft Fair in June. I'm sewing a little kid's tiger t-shirt currently.
4) I got my first mosquito bite of the season, & am extremely concerned that the bug is in my apt.
5) Started eating pickles again regularly.
6) Creating a coloring book, which should be very fun. Thrilled.

Time for more seltzer. Enjoy your night everybody!

xoxo

San Francisco Show!

2006-04-08T10:06:00.000-04:00

Hi All,

This is the (wonderful) show postcard for a group show in San Francisco that I'm in. If you're in the area, the show opens on April 13th. It's at the Crucible Stell Gallery @ Cell Space, 2050 Bryant Street, San Francisco, CA 94110.

Check out more information about the gallery at: www.cellspace.org.

The artists are all RISD graduates & make amazing art.

Okay, I'm off to the dentist now to get a cavity filled (it's my molar).

Crazier Things Have Happened?

2006-04-03T11:56:00.000-04:00

The face of Saddam Hussein showed up in the light fixture on my ceiling. This came as a surprise to me.

I have included two versions - one, which is contrasted to help you see the image, & one which is not.

If you believe this figure to be someone else, please let me know.

On a much more normal note, please enjoy a picture of the t-shirt I made for Susie. If you haven't visited her website/purchased one of her creations, then here's your chance to join 2006 & the rest of the world - boygirlparty.com. She makes wonderful everythings, & it was such an honor to make her a t-shirt. thanks susie!!!!

Spring, Spring, Spring!

2006-04-02T12:32:00.000-04:00

Hi Everyone,

It's been a while since I've last updated this. Recent events include:

* Renegade Fair - I'll be selling T-Shirts with Danielle at the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn this June! My sister will also be sharing a table, selling her wonderful knits. As the date approaches, I'll post more information & T-shirts.

*Cell Space Gallery, San Francisco - I'm in a group show in San Francisco at Cell Space Gallery! The show opens on April 12th. I can't make it, but I've sent new paintings, which are on the art page of my website, heystrongie.com

*I finished two custom T-Shirts, one for Susie (boygirlparty.com), & one for Rebecca.

Current likes include:

*Carbonated Water
*Flowers
*Rauschenberg Retrospective at MET

Here is a picture of a new painting. Thanks for stopping by!

One More

2006-02-28T19:55:00.000-05:00

Right now, I'm working on a T-Shirt for Susie (boygirlparty.com) - I'm not sure if anyone else has ever made a T-Shirt for Susie, but it's really exciting. It features a tree & a bird.

I'm also finishing up a T-Shirt for Rebecca, that is centered around the theme "pink frosting." This is also really exciting.

P.S. Does anyone know if it's bad to only drink carbonated water (i.e. seltzer)?

It is COLD out

2006-02-26T21:24:00.000-05:00

Seriously. My skin is chapped.

Anyway, please enjoy the following new painting:

This is Officially the News Section of My Website

2006-02-20T11:02:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Max's really good idea, this blog will now be the news section of my website, heystrongie.com (please visit).

I've just updated the site with tons of new paintings & t-shirts for sale.

Okay. News.

1) I had a beer/ice-cream date with Gisel & Nadav last night = fun AND delicious
2) Prior to that, I had a studio walkthrough date with Sara & Max (this was more fun than delicious)

I'm working on T-shirts for the Renegade Craft Fair in June. Think fuzzy bunnies & removable mustaches. I will post images as I take them.

In the meantime, please enjoy this image of a fuzzy bunny.

Test Post

2006-02-20T10:55:00.000-05:00

Okay - I'm attempting to upload a photo again. This should be a picture of a man (made from wrinkles) running through a snowy forest.

If the photo doesn't show up, please use your imagination.

I repeat, this is a TEST post. TESTING.

It's Official

2006-01-07T10:51:00.000-05:00

I have found my blog again.

LATEST NEWS:

1) I burned my finger on a cookie sheet last night
2) I am working on a mummy painting that is getting more & more out of control every day
3) My parents are taking me to IKEA to get a bed. Like a real adult.

I tried to upload a photo. Let's see if it worked....

First Blog

2005-10-01T14:55:00.000-04:00

I'm supposed to be making t-shirts & bedazzling, but i'm too distracted by my new neighbor moving in. she/he was here with his/her parents early, & heard danielle & i playing the xylophone at 9am. i'm too nervous to go into the hallway, & i keep hearing them do loud things. it sounded like they just dragged a tanning bed in the apartment. i can't be sure, though.

blogging is so gluttoness (is that a word?) i've never done this before, & up until a few months ago, didn't know what a blog was. i have to admit, it's kind of fun & immediately gratifying.

i've been working on my new website for months - it's a lot like torture because the process isn't very easy for me. please visit my old website, heystrongie.com for old artwork, etc.

i should get back to work.