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Under a Wild Sky
William Souder
first edition hardback



The Mysterious Benedict Society; Trenton Lee Stewart
first edition hardback

recently read


Heidi; Johanna Spri
1945 hardback

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MBM

Just a quick post that I’ll be away for the next few days working HARD to finish my piece for a group show titled “Mr. Bill Murray: a tribute to the legend”.

(click for larger view of artist's names)

This is my first group show, first time showing anything in a gallery out of state, and I am SO excited that I was invited to be a part of it!

While it’s nothing new that I go without posting for a while, this is what I’ll be away for. Have a great long weekend everyone.. it’s your last chance for a final summer hurrah!

birthday bash mega giveaway

The rikrak studio is having a birthday soon, and to celebrate there will be a big giveaway of three awesome prize bundles!

I was invited to participate, so you could win two– your choice– of my 8×10 prints, or lots of other good stuff from the two other unique prize packs!

Click *here* to find more information on how to enter. Winners will be drawn on September 15th. Good luck!

I heart books:

“Your father’s right,” she said. “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy… but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”

Nelle Harper Lee was born in Alabama in April of 1926. She was working as an airline reservations clerk in New York and then quit to finish To Kill a Mockingbird which immediately became a bestseller. Much of the book is autobiographical; it is Lee’s “one hit wonder”; and she goes on to win the Pulitzer Prize and see her novel translated into over 40 languages.

I LOVE this book. If it wasn’t required reading for you in grade school or junior high, you can find a million opinionated reviews all over the internet and SparksNotes summaries plus interpretations galore.. but there never is anything quite like experiencing the book for yourself.

Just get a copy and read, or re-read it all over again.

I found an amazing first edition signed hardback with dust jacket for sale online at $27,500, which is quite something, but with over 30 million various copies in print you can find them with local booksellers or thrift stores for a deal. My hardback copy was a mere fifty cents!

speak to my sole

Just some amazingly adorable vintage shoes I’ve discovered recently on Etsy:

(clicking images should link you to their source.)

I wish so many weren’t leather. I wish the ones I truly wanted were in my size.
I actually just wish I had money I could afford putting toward more shoes in the first place!

Happy vintage shoe shopping to you!

mount timpanogos

I hadn’t been in probably ten years. It was on my list of things to do, but was dated 2006. I wanted to get back to Utah’s Timpanogos Cave.

I finally just called in and pre-paid for tickets over the phone, which meant we HAD to go. No more excuses, no more other plans.. we were going hiking!

Austin, Alden and I went this past Sunday. Austin hadn’t seen the cave since sixth grade (if he remembers right), and Alden had never been.

It was a 1.5 mile hike of narrow trails and switchbacks to the cave; a steep elevation climb of 1,160 feet; and I was looking pretty pathetic by the time we reached the top.

(Austin took this one on our way down. If you click for a bigger view, you can see cars in the bottom center.)

Our ranger “tour guide” told us some pretty interesting things about Timpanogos Cave and speleology as a whole. The part that stuck with me most is that in a cave in Mexico, in complete and total blackness, they’ve discovered some particular microbial organisms. These minuscule bits of life, these living things, survive in an environment where light never reaches. And they eat rock.
Beyond even that, when this life was introduced to cancer cells, it destroyed them.
And left surrounding non-cancerous cells completely alone.
To me, that is absolutely incredible.

The cave was full of stunning formations in all types, sizes and color, and Alden was fascinated that the cave was “alive and growing”.

We finished our hike down just as the weather started to turn to wind and rain. Overall it was a nice day, a great trip, and though I still feel it in my legs I’m glad we finally went to the cave.

esao andrews

At the beginning of this month I received an Anthropologie email; just another newsletter most likely gloating about some fancy jacket or another I assumed.. a richly designed article thick with imported fabrics and thread and a heavy price tag. Something I wish I could own but never could afford.

But when I opened this particular newsletter however I was quite surprised…

I immediately recognized the art displayed in the background of this image, which was used in the Anthro newsletter on home decor.

The work is that of Esao Andrews, and because I greatly admire his style I thought I would stop in and share it with you.

The “Untitled” piece above happens to be one of my favorites that he’s done, and so is “Ivan”:

You can follow Esao on his journal as he prepares for his solo exhibit Solid Void with the Jonathan LeVine Gallery, and you can view more of his portfolio *here*.