Another Old Postcard

This one is funny and I love how vivid the colors are despite it's age. Isn't it hilarious to see some of the risque cards from the past. They seem so low key compared to what we see nowadays. I find it interesting that the blonds face is reminiscent of Blondie from the comics. I wish I knew what year this was from.

Spokane's Dancing Silver Spurs

Here's another postcard from the boxes. I looked them up on the internet and apparently they still exist. There was an email address so I think I might send them a digital copy of the postcard and see what they have to say about it.

Going Postal!

Recently, I've been in the throes of my new art project which is making collages from old postcards. My friends and family have responded to my need for postcards with great generosity. I'm usually more attracted to the side that has the writing on it. I just love the interaction of the handwriting, the description of what's on front and the various marks the USPS puts on them. I never know what part of the postcard is going to inspire the theme. Sometimes it's the description...other times it's something in the handwritten text. I'm having a great time with it though. I just wish there were more hours in the day for me to dedicate to this project. (and I still get inspired to do the odd piece of artwork that is non-postcard related)
If you'd like to see some of my postcard related art, you can click here.
And now, I must report a miracle. Today, a lady donated some items to the theatre. Little did I know that my wife had spoken to her on the phone before. The theatre wanted everything she had except for 4 boxes of...wait for it...antique postcards! There are literally thousands of them. About 1/4 of them are written on and have dates from 1909 to the 1970's. The rest are not written on but are equally as old. There are some real beauts in the bunch. I think I'm going to post some of the funnier or more interesting of the cards on this blog so stay tuned, faithful friends. Marty's gone postal!

I Love This Picture!

I've been scanning my old photos lately and I have come across some real winners. Here's one from Company days. This was taken at Jericho Week at Ridgecrest, SC in the summer of 94 (I think). I believe we had all just finished a meal at the Olympic Flame restaurant in Black Mountain. Ragan Courtney and Cynthia Clawson were there with us. I remember my sandals broke and I had duct taped them back together. Somewhere there is a picture of Cynthia and I comparing our shoes.
Another of my favorite memories from that time was when we were at Jericho in Glorieta, NM. Some of us had done some large panels of art to display on stage. When we got there, our art was overpowered and displayed incorrectly due to the gigantic "Experience God" banner that had to go up. Ragan was witnessing our art getting downgraded so he looked at me and said, "Isn't that just like a Baptist. Screw art and put up a sign." Classic! I wrote it in my journal so I wouldn't forget.
Anywho, as I get all these photos cropped and color corrected, I am going to put them out on the web so all my old Company compadres can snag 'em if they want 'em.

Parade Update

Not much to report this year. The Seafair Pirates were well-behaved. Sarah and I had Super Soakers ready for them but they didn't do anything mean. We squirted them anyway. Beyond that, it was a pretty low-key parade. It took me a while to get my snappy banter going. Luckily there was a very animated family across from us. They interacted with us and we all had a good time. I think the Masons were the most surreal. They had various vehicles in the parade all accompanied by disco music. Those Masons...what a bunch of party animals!

Greenwood Seafair Parade

Tonight is the 56th Greenwood Seafair Parade. On the morning of the parade, people arrive early to stake out a good place with chairs. (and no one steals them) It's a huge event for the neigborhood.
Amazingly enough, Sarah and I got asked to emcee this parade for the 2nd year in a row. Last year, Sarah had been here 5 months and I a mere month. We knew nothing about Seattle and we're hosting this parade. Sheesh! (got the gig thru the theatre...I guess no one else wanted to do it) We got thru it and actually were complimented on doing a good job. And the biggest compliment, I guess, is being asked to do it again. And we're getting a raise from last years compensation. (we're gonna renew our zoo membership and go out to eat with the $)
I'll give a report on how things go tomorrow. Last year, we had some interesting run-ins with some interesting characters including the Seafair Pirates. I believe we're borrowing a Super Soaker to deal with those brigands this year. Wish us luck. Film at 11.

Twilight Artist Collective

Well, it's official. Sarah and I now have art in a gallery in Seattle. And it's located in the Pike Place Market which is the #2 tourist attraction in the city. (can you guess #1) That means they get a lot of traffic. Will our stuff sell? Who knows. At least it's out there and that's the main thing. I haven't had work in a gallery since the early 80's in Pensacola. This is extremely exciting for me even if it is a big experiment. There is another gallery that has been interested in my work but they only wanted prints or cards so I think I will concentrate on matting some prints for both places. I guess there's also the possibility of selling prints on the web. Lots of options. I just hope we make a little money. I'm sure all proceeds would be poured back into the endeavor...at least for now. Heck, Sarah and I might become icons of the art world and...okay...I can dream, can't I? Andy Warhol once said, "Everyone is famous for 15 minutes." I'm looking for at least a half hour.

Some Things I Don't Miss About the South

In no particular order:

- The weather. Man, the summer's here are gorgeous. Low humidity. Most days in the 70's. Nights in the 50's. Oh mercy. It's like heaven. Oh sure, it gets pretty dang hot here sometimes (which is tough due to the fact that no one here has AC 'cuz they don't need it) but for the most part, it's nice. Real nice.

- Lack of support for the Arts. Seattle is the third ranking city in the US for live theatre. There are tons of galleries and museums here. It's a very artsy place. I like that. And if you tell someone you're an artist, they don't look at you like you just passed gas. I really like that.

- Rednecks. Sorry folks. Don't really miss 'em, bless their NASCAR lovin, deer killin', hook wettin', truck drivin', beer drinkin', trailer dwellin' little hearts.

- Southern Baptist churches. In the South, there's one on every corner. If it's an intersection, there are 4 facing each other with competing messages on their signs like it's a gas war or something. Out here, you would have to throw a rock a long way to hit an SBC church. I've heard that if you show up here wanting to start an SBC church, they make you turn around and go back home.

Some Things I Miss About the South

In no particular order:

- The friendliness of people. Yes, I harp on this alot. It's just that it's very difficult to form relationships here. People are distant, cold and condescending.

- The food. You would think that a booming metropolis like Seattle would be a veritable smorgasbord of culinary delights. 'Taint so...or at least we've not found them. Our favorite places to eat are mostly chains because the restaurants people rave about out here are not so great. Plus, sometimes you just want to go out and get fried chicken or grits or something southern. Can't do that here or at least not conveniently. We passed a Popeye's Chicken way down south (figures) of Seattle last weekend. I'm not a huge fan but I was almost salivating for some good ole' southern friend chicken. The good thing about it is we eat out less. (good for our finances that is)

- The darkness and the light. In the summer it doesn't get dark here until after 10 pm and it gets light again between 4 and 5 am. In the winter, it gets dark at 4:30 pm. I feel almost like I'm living in Alaska sometimes.

- Free parking. And I don't mean winning the stash in the middle of the Monopoly board. Parking is expensive in Seattle and you have to pay to park most everywhere you go. Sarah and I are learning the cheapest places and the hours you have to park to get the best rate. But I miss those bygone days of just showing up and parking. I laugh at myself now about getting upset that it cost $1 to park in downtown Asheville. That's a drop in the bucket compared to here.

- Folks who like to share a meal after a church service. Man, in the south, there was hardly a Sunday I didn't spend time with friends after a church service. It was one of the highlights of my week to hit a favorite haunt, eat some comfort food and shoot the breeze before the grind of the work week hit.

- Just plain folks. It seems like there is an overabundance of people in Seattle who are trying just a bit too hard to be cool. You know the type. The conforming non-conformist. The ones who try so hard to be different but, in their own way, they are conforming more than anyone else. It takes a great deal more effort to be a goth than to be a "normal" person. I'll bet it's exhausting.
I kind of want to be cool but I don't have what it takes. I've tried sitting in a coffee shop with a book or my sketchpad but I get distracted too easily by what's going on at that table or behind the counter. I'll just stay home to read and draw. There. I've made a decision. I'm not going to conform any longer either. I'm just going to be me. That's exhausting enough.

Art Pad

I found this nifty painting site the other day. Now, you're talking about a guy who has Photoshop and I'm all a twitter about this stupid thing. What can I say. The brushes and paint seem more fluid than the others. And it has this nifty feature where you can do splatters like Jackson Pollock. It's a fun diversion and actually kind of cool for working out some simple art problems. I call this piece "Excess." Why? I dunno. C'mon. It's art.

Bill's Collage at Infuze

For those of you who are interested, I submitted the collage I did for Bill to Infuze Magazine on the web. (Thanks for that recommendation, Carey) They have, very graciously, posted it. Also, it's a pretty cool website to check out. You have to sign up for an account but it's free. Once you're signed up, to get to the artwork, click on the title above.

Me & Wolvie

This is me and Wolverine before one of our missions back in the old days before I became a saint and a janitor. As you can see, my claws are a bit more impressive but I have given up that life for the sedate yet satisfying life I live now. Wolverine, however, is still the violent SOB he's always been. But deep down inside he wants to be loved. He is currently seeking a girl named Badger on Eharmony.com.

Okay, actually just posting a pic to use on my profile. But you were hooked there for a minute, weren't you? Yeah, you were.

Booklist

Urban Shaman by C. E. Murphy - "Joanne Walker has three days to learn to use her shamanic powers and save the world from the unleashed Wild Hunt. No worries. No pressure. Never mind the lack of sleep, the perplexing new talent for healing herself from fatal wounds, or the cryptic, talking coyote who appears in her dreams. And if all that's not bad enough, in the three years Joanne's been a cop, she's never seen a dead body--but she's just come across her second in three days. It's been a bitch of a week. And it isn't over yet."*
I didn't enjoy this book as much as I had hoped. I really liked the interaction of the characters such as Joanne and Gary, her cabbie sidekick, and all the other cops that supported Joanne in her wild adventure. But the story involving the Wild Hunt wasn't very engaging. I've read other books giving a new spin to the old legend of the Wild Hunt and the Horned God and they were better than this one. I might read the sequel. It showed enough promise that I would like to give her work another chance. I enjoy most of the books in the urban fantasy genre that I read but no one beats Jim Butcher. I read this book because Butcher recommended it. (I've had Butcher's new one reserved at the library for a while and it came in today. Tonight, I read the further adventures of Harry Dresden. I can't wait)
I think Joanne could be a character that develops into something strong especially with the Native American spin and folklore to draw upon. And it's set in Seattle but she should make better use of the Seattle landscape. Even though the finale takes place at the Space Needle (of course) it could have been used in more effective ways.
So, this one is average with potential in future books. Meanwhile, I'll be on the lookout for more urban fantasy books to read.
PS: I hate the cover.

* From the back cover description

Plant Amnesty

Today while driving home from Target, Sarah and I saw a car with a bumper sticker that said, "I Support Plant Amnesty." Now, this got me to thinking. I'm thinking amnesty is granting freedom or pardon for political crimes. Now, you can set a plant free, but where's it gonna go. It's not the same as freeing a bird or a person. Lynyrd Skynyrd didn't write the song "Free Birch." A plant pretty much has to stay where it's rooted. So, as I am prone to do when I see things that seem a might off kilter, I decide to look up this info on the internet.
Turns out, Plant Amnesty is an organization whose "mission is to end the senseless torture and mutilation of trees and shrubs." Now, that sounds a bit tree-huggy to me but I think it's a good thing. There are (were) some beautiful trees near our apartment and ASPLUNDH (what does that mean?) came and chopped the hell out of them one Sunday morning. Ruined the trees and woke us up. I say leave the trees alone and let the people sleep. We're doing Sunday night church this summer thank you!
So, being one who loves trees but not enough to really hug one, I must also support Plant Amnesty. I boldly stand with my brothers and sisters and shout the battle cry with a loud voice, "LEAF THEM ALONE!"
Oh, you don't have a battle cry? Well, do you want one? I thought that was a good one. Okay...I won't come to your meetings.

Reality TV I'd Watch!

"In a tribe on the island of Santa Maria, old men used to stand by with bows and arrows and shoot every dancer who made a mistake. The perfect way to raise the stakes on American Idol."

A. J. Jacobs from his book The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World