April 7, 2011 – Fan

I am a real fan of foreign packaging. When I travel to foreign countries I always head to the supermarket. I can spend hours doing anthropological research just looking at all the “exotic” products and packaging. So much time that I suspect the staff monitoring the CCTV at Marks & Spencer thought I was a shoplifter. In the absence of foreign travel, I live in San Francisco. I have the Mission, Japantown, Chinatown and the Richmond.

One of my rules is, if it is a dollar or less, and you like it, buy it. Last week in the Richmond I came across Fan Medicated Soap. The retro looking packaging and the price of 59¢ had me. The smell is, to be subjective, medicated. It’s pretty awful. And in the spirit of authenticity for the 2011 Project, I used Fan Medicated Soap in the shower this morning. The smell doesn’t linger on the skin. Well, I think the soap removed a layer or two of skin. It’s pretty harsh. But the packaging inspired me for today’s piece.

The bar of soap is actually a rather attractive color. I was thinking that if I wanted to be a new age grifter, I could buy a load of Fan Medicated Soap at 59¢ each. Soak them to remove the embossed logo and then repackage the bars and sell them for $8 each at craft shows. “Homemade” soap indeed. But, in a way, I was too late. A quick search online and I learned the soap is seen as having some spiritual powers. Now, I am not questioning the spiritual powers of the soap and the beliefs of others. But I kept searching and found the bars priced at $5 and even £4.99. You may not live in San Francisco, but shop around because the soap should only cost 59¢.

Now, what do with the bar itself? Do I toss it or save it? It might be the perfect thing for washing my hands after a trip on MUNI.

April 6, 2011 – We see a nest

There are hoarders and then there are artists who collect things along the way because they know “they’ll use it some day.” In my big box of collage fodder I found this tattered, small, school book titled More sounds to say a product of “The Ladybird Key Words Reading Scheme.” I do like the use of the word scheme here. A price sticker on the book indicates I paid 5p. I haven’t been to the U.K. in 10 years. Even I am a little surprised that I would have schlepped this back in my luggage. But some of the illustrations are pretty cool (stay tuned for more).

And today, on this spring day, we see a nest. We can say nest. It starts with n .

April 5, 2011 – Giant Green Anemone

It sounds so menacing, like something out of 1950’s B-Movie. Coincidentally it’s Roger Corman’s birthday the genius behind some of the cheesiest horror movies ever made.

But it’s not so “giant” – these anemones are just a few inches across. I saw quite a few examples of Anthopleura xanthogrammica yesterday in the tide pools in Moss Beach at the Fitzgerald Marine Preserve. This was my first time at this spot. I love the Bay Area and I love, after 20 years, there are still new places for me to discover. This is a hidden little gem of beach where a layer of exposed, ancient lava flows have created tide pools full of anemones, fiddler crabs, snails and all sorts of fun to look at crawling things.

April 4, 2011 – Old Road

I like painting roads. It’s not that surprising considering my passion for road trips. I have painted Route 1 many times. Today I visited Wilder Ranch State Park on the coast near Santa Cruz. It’s just off of Route 1. It was a picture perfect spring day. The historic ranch is located on the Coast Road. The Coast Road (painted here) is the old road that dips down and veers off of Route 1. This was the main road before the days of the state highway.

I have a fascination with this type of old road. They often are no more than bends and curves that parallel the main road. The old roads are vestiges of the original road left behind after the state came through and straightened the highway to accommodate faster traffic. I grew up on Cape Cod, where the oldest main road (now Route 6A) is mainly intact, as windy as it was about 380 years ago. But many of the newer state roads on Cape Cod also have these branches like the Coast Road near Santa Cruz. These side roads function as time capsules of main roads from another era. So slow down, and take that turn, see where it goes….

April 3, 2011 – Sagebrush

The West smells good. In particular the arid parts from the deserts to the Great Basin, from Arizona to all the way up to Eastern Washington. The secret is the sage. When the air heats up and those oil molecules make their way into the air, it’s heavenly. And after it rains in the desert, the smell is like nothing else. Of course you can burn sage. It’s pleasant and for some a way to purification. I was using a hairdryer to finish off today’s piece, the dried leaves heated up and the smell filled the room. The world is still waiting for internet odorama.

April 2, 2011 – Palette Geology

I use a stackable plastic tray for my acrylic paint palette. When I am finished painting, I stack another tray on top to prevent the left over paint from drying out. The palette was really getting full with layers of older, dried paint. Yesterday was warm and dry, so I didn’t cover the palette. I decided to let all the paint dry up. This morning, I started peeling the paint away. The underside of the layers was shiny and smooth. The dried paint had a marble-like pattern. Okay, a very psychedelic marble. I just could not let that go to waste.

The result is what happened after I cut the pieces into strips. Applying them to the canvas created what looks like the cross section of geology of a very colorful place. 

I’ve used dried out paint like this in the past. I even saved it for future projects. It came in handy the time I added them to a Halloween mask.

April 1, 2011 – That Distinct Sound

I was enjoying a walk on this excessively pleasant day in San Francisco. Then I heard it. It’s a unique species. It’s easy to recognize. It’s sound like no other vehicle can make. You can always tell an old Volkswagen (pre-1980) by the sound of the engine. I fortunately live in a part of the world where the ravages of rust are not so severe. Many an old bug and van has survived to a ripe old age in California. I also am fortunate to live in a city where I can live easily without owning a car. But if I did...

I really am not into cars very much and have little interest in car culture. But certain, groovy old cars are an exception. Old VWs are near the top of the list. Being a non-car owner with good friends, I often borrow cars and sometimes I rent. Some of my friends even have pretty fancy cars. I hate to tell them, but all that power and easy handling is boring. A BMW or Mercedes is as dull as Honda as far as I am concerned. I like my cars, small, zippy and punky. Give me a bug any day. When you’re going 80 in bug, you can really feel you’re going 80. When you’re going 90, you know you’re alive. When you are in the passenger seat of a bug with three more crammed in the back, and the driver is going over 100 on the Autobahn, you should be a little scared (just a little).

And, unlike those soulless hybrids, you’ll never be run over by a bug. You can hear them coming down the street.