Brutal Sound Effects Festival #72

Brutal Sound Effects Festival #72 at Hemlock Tavern SF Thursday 9/30 http://ow.ly/2LSQo

Pink Hands

Pink Hands

Originally uploaded by justvisiting

I love this hand image I found in a Dover clip art book. I pinked and patterned it up.

SF Zine Fest Sept 4-5

It’s that time again. San Francisco Zine Fest at the County Fair building in SF during Labor Day weekend, Sept 4-5. Zines, comics, hand-made art and paper treasures of all kinds will be shown and sold. I’ve been attending this event and tabling since 2003. This year in addition to my typecritters, sketchbooks, and gift tags, and magnets I’ve got a new project. Inspired by the images from the educational book “The Mind,” published by Time Life in 1964, I want to remix the book, inviting others to collaborate, and show the work online.

Here’s the experiment: each artist gets a kit of 5-10 images from the book, a few pages of text, a page of textured art paper and a 5×7 mat board canvas to create a collage. The artist can add more ink, original drawing or other found images to their piece and once they’ve completed the collage, e-mail the final image to me to post here online. There have been 20 total kits created which will be for sale for $2.00 at my table at San Francisco Zine Fest on Sept 4-5, 2010. Each finished collage will be posted along with the artist’s name and link to their site once I receive it via e-mail.

I’m going to kick it off by posting my finished piece in the next few days. Stay tuned. Also, e-mail me (rani at ranigoel dot com) if you want to participate and can’t make it to Zinefest. We can arrange something.

Thee Oh Sees Show at the Bowling Alley

Thee Oh Sees Show at the Bowling Alley

Originally uploaded by justvisiting

This is a snippet from a great (and free) packed show at Serra Bowl in Daly City. The Fresh and Onlys, Eddy Current Suppression Ring and Thee Oh Sees. I was watching, standing on an air hockey table. They played in the arcade. There was crowd surfing and hot-packed overcrowded mayhem-totally positive energy. I wish there were more shows at bowling alleys.

Small Business Resources in SF

Last month I attended some events for Small Business Week in SF and got in touch with a great resource, the Small Business Administration. They are a national resource offering many helpful services to people starting up a new business or needing help with their current small businesses. Many of their courses are free. They have classes on the basics of what you need to know about starting a business in SF, the legal aspects, getting organized, marketing, writing a business plan etc. I highly recommend checking out their site and schedule of workshops if you are an entrepreneur or thinking about starting your own business. The teachers are working professionals and are current with technology. The couple classes I attended had less than 20 people in them, so it’s ideal for getting on-on-one attention if you have some specific questions or want feedback on your ideas.

Garden of Memory 2010 walk-thru “concert”

Summer Solstice concert Mon June 21 in Oakland. See/hear over 40 musicians in a home for the dead. http://ow.ly/20nGe

Los Osos Oaks State Park

On my most recent visit to see my folks,  I found a trail in San Luis Obispo’s Los Osos Oaks State Reserve. It’s off a big open highway, and it’s easy to miss. There’s a small parking lot and from there you see a small opening amongst all of the many oak trees. For the first 10 minutes some noise from the highway was heard, but as I got deeper in, it faded and I mostly heard the birds. There are all kinds of lichen (moss) all over the trees and I’m a big fan of shaded hikes, so this was perfect. I loved the beauty and calm of this oak reserve. With so many amazing shapes of the trees and the dangling moss everywhere, I felt like I was in some story book wonderland. I came across a deer, a rabbit, a lot of hearty lizards and heard and saw all kind of different birds. It was very peaceful and secluded.  This is a very easy “hike” as it’s pretty flat and shady. I totally recommend this place to anyone who is craving a beautiful place to wander into for a peaceful experience. One word of caution: there is poison oak everywhere-so stay on the path and wear long pants!

Creative Juice Specials at Art Night Happy Hour

Since February of 2010, we have been having “art night” at our place on many Friday evenings. Art night takes place in our living room with up to 6 people (we have a small living room) one small dining table, a coffee table and the invitation to bring your own project, and snacks/drinks. Different groups of friends have attended and it’s very casual and relaxing. A few hours to get together to maybe pick up that neglected project, bring a design that needs feedback, come to look at books for inspiration, dig through my pile of scrap for collaging, work on your blog, zine, drawing or whatever. It’s been especially helpful for those of us who need to make time in our busy schedules to actually DO the art we talk about doing. In the past, taking classes was helpful for me because there were assignments and deadlines that I had to meet, but without that structure, I may not alway make time for making art. It’s my new favorite version of happy hour(s).

Aprons

I don’t remember ever wearing an apron, until my birthday in December 2009. My friend and I had a joint birthday celebration and part of the unexpected delight revolved around the two of us cooking for a few hours before our guests arrived. And up until that day, I had always thought of myself as someone who “didn’t cook.” Well, slowly but surely as I’m touring through life, a new world of apron-wearing and cooking is opening up and I find it deliciously fun. It feels as if I’m impersonating a cook. I’m putting on the costume of a domestic worker and embodying that spirit of domestic creativity. I bought this apron at Rainbow grocery in San Francisco. It’s pretty fabulous and I hope that fabulosity spills over into the food I make and any other things I do to make my home and life more enjoyable.

Mystical Mountain in GG Park

Mystical Mountain in GG Park, originally uploaded by justvisiting.

I’ve been taking walks in Golden Gate park more frequently. A few weeks ago I found a path that was called “the moonwalk” and was marked by a large rock that was professionally carved stating something about a couple who had met “the same year that humans walked on the moon.” I went back and tried to find it, but found this instead in a different location. I’m still determined to find that moon walk…or maybe it was moon rock.