I'm not dead, I swear!

Been working on this project a long time, and I *am* making progress, but it's slow going. Partly because I'm inventing the wheel here. The oddly-shaped wheel. I'm not working from any kind of a real plan or anything ('cause I'm an idiot like that), and this is my first project of this kind, and it's almost certainly over-ambitious for being the first of its kind and also fairly spontaneous.

The sixteen holes, sixteen matching wood frame pieces, and sixteen custom fitted glass pieces have taken me (in round numbers) a long goddamn time to get cut and fitted. A couple of the glass pieces had to be re-made several times.






Here you see close ups of the two worst. I think I cut one of these four times, the other five times. These two shapes *nearly* had me convinced to abandon the glass altogether in favor of something more... reasonable. But i










The great thing is, I'll be thinking fondly of this project every time I handle anything acidic for the next couple of weeks. It is amazing how a teeny tiny little cut can be utterly below radar until you go to squeeze a lime or wash a window with some vinegar based cleaner solution.

Step 1 - Collect all the underpants!

I've just finished the scrollwork for a picture frame I've been wanting to make for a while. I don't think this is the frame I originally dreamed of, but it will be cool anyway. And I can always make more! I like this very much, although it is pretty far from done. Next time I'll probably keep track of how many hours go into something like this. I didn't this time, but I know it was *many*.

That's 4 pieces of thin plywood that were stacked up and staples driven into the edges. The design was applied to the top layer, and I drilled holes to feed the saw blade into the interior of each enclosed space to cut out, starting with the smallest / furthest inside first, and working my way out. The last step was to cut the outsides, gradually replacing staples with tape so the stack would stay in alignment.

The roundy thing in the center, below the flash glare is a quarter, for size reference. Next step.... paint it, I think. Then paint something to glue it to.

Art, versus something I could do and get paid for.

Last week, it occurred to me that I could probably make some money by going to the fleamarkt on a Saturday morning, picking out some little prizes, and assembling them (on the spot), and (hopefully) selling them by the end of the day. At the fleamarkt. Somewhere in the intersection of crafting, performance art, recycling, and yard sale. Also, and perhaps most importantly, it could be quite fun. The fleamarkt is basically a pre-sorted landfill, so any and every random thing I could need or want to put into a project would be there. Lamp parts, coffee pots, thermos bottles, LPs. I am very fond of this idea. The only real downside I see here is that it is juuuuuust over my introvert / extrovert threshold. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try it once and see if I can survive it.

Ideally, I wouldn't actually go there with a plan for a finished item, just see what's there and come up with a concept on the spot. However, for a first run, I imagine a basic plan might be a really good idea, so I'll at least know what tools to take, and what to budget for materials.

Things I already know I'll need:

• camera (for documentation)
• something to sit on (there is a little drinking area there, that might suffice)
• a wide brimmed hat (there is no shade)
• some money to buy base materials
• some courage to talk to strangers about what I'm doing / trying to sell
• a basic tool kit (a way to cut things apart, a way to join things together, a way to clean up rough edges, a way to clean up dirty bits, a few spare parts, and whatever else seems like a good idea)
• ... other? A bag lunch. 'cause if no one is going with me, I can't just walk away from my project to get lunch, I guess.

Does this idea sound interesting at all? The Mr. wasn't really into it, but he's not really a Maker.

New! Content with actual content!

OK, last post, total cop out. Fortunately, I don't think anyone looked at it too closely! :)

On the topic of making a living as a gallery artist, versus not:

As I gather my application materials for this studio space thing, I have been meeting with some surprising internal resistance. I DO want the space, that is not an issue. My issue is what I do with my art. For a long time, I've been frustrated by the gallery art world. There are things about it that make me very uncomfortable.

A big issue - prices. It pisses me off to see a scribbled cocktail napkin going for $10000. Even though I think, well, good for them, that someone can make a living at art. In *any* way. But it's irritating. Because I know that if *I* scribble on a cocktail napkin, I'd be lucky if no one charged ME for the privilege of throwing it away. This is NOTHING to do with talent or skill. It's all about place / time / connections. That $10k napkin is a $10k napkin because that artist was in some particular situation to make it that way. Maybe it won't last forever, that situation, but the artist sure as hell will want to sell as many $10k napkins as possible in the meanwhile.

But I don't want that. Watch closely, because here's where it gets very squadgy indeed.

The thing I don't want is something I regard as crap going for a lot of money. Maybe I could make an infinitely superior scribble on a cocktail napkin, but if *I* think it is crap, I would die of shame before selling it to someone, much less displaying it publicly.

But the work I do, the work that meets my standards ... doesn't seem to be in much demand. There are only so many options in this situation. Create demand, change the work, or do something else altogether. (These options all assume I want to make some money with my work, which I do. Not so much for the money-have, but simply not to be a continued financial drain on my world.)

And that's where I get stuck. I know this studio space is a step in the direction of being that gallery artist. Fundamentally, I think it would be great to make money off my work, and that is an avenue that I could pursue. But I don't want to be the cocktail napkin artist, producing crap and selling it for mad money. It was pointed out to me that, in that context, the price is part of the piece. I don't like that. I don't feel comfortable with the meshing of value and aesthetic. Because I don't value money much at all. It is useful, but it's not interesting.

So... whether I get this studio space or no, I am going to need to figure out what I DO want. What IS a good exchange for my effort? How can I recover expenses without losing self-respect, which I can't afford? Knowing what I *don't* want only gets me so far.

Oh, and that picture is the beginning piece of the first complete object I will have made with my scroll saw. It's not very exciting, but I admit it tickles me that removing 18 tiny strips of wood makes 9 flat pieces of wood into a little shelf-esque thing.

everything and nothing

I have all kinds of things to post about, including current projects, some musings on making a living as a gallery artist (or not), and so on. But I slept poorly last night, and am not totally coherent. Also, my biorhythm says today, I does not brain.

So, I give you this little part of an image, which links to a gallery of some wild fantasy art. You may enjoy it, I hope you do.

Everything and nothing...

I have all kinds of stuff to talk about here, including some current-project show and tell, and a bit of musing on the subject of making a living as a gallery artist (as opposed to ... not). But I am not prepared to post those things right now. Instead, I will link you to some very, very cool concept art.

Portfolio...

I've been working on my portfolio for this studio residency application ... and because if I'm going to continue faking this Being An Artist thing, I can't really NOT have one. What you see here is a sample page from what I've been doing. It's not amazing, but it's a start. A whole bunch of these in one place actually looks like Something Official, anyway. That's gotta count for something, yeah?

Making a portfolio is kind of tedious, but I admit that it is helping me see how much I have done (because I'm having to weed out things that aren't the best, there are simply more pages than are reasonable), and it is reassuring to see that I am making good stuff, and I am making progress over time. And reminds me that I would like to get back to 3D now, please. (Come ON, studio space..!)

Click to see large, just like always. (... and then click THAT for the full size view!) Sometime maybe I can get all the pages up online so Interested Parties can browse my portfolio at leisure. As a side benefit, YOU will be able to get in it, too...

2 steps forward..... 2 steps back.

I've been working on that wooden knot all week. Today's work centered around un-doing the work of the prevous two days. How's that for awesomesauce?

Curiously, I find I am OK with this, for a couple of very specific reasons. First, knowing how to correct screw ups is a valuable skill. Especially if one can correct them to the point of hiding all evidence of said screw ups. In this case, it's not a perfect cover up, but it's certainly going to be close enough for government work. And I don't go through life pretending screw ups don't happen, I'd rather know how to cope, than not.

Second, I shot myself in the foot by being hasty about what I was doing, and it cost me in time, effort, and result. Which means this time spent putting things back on track is also time I can spend figuring out a suitable course correction. Don't know if I'll actually learn any valuable lessons in patience, but it seems possible, and it seems like I can be happy with the outcome of this project. Historically, getting pissy and abandoning stuff when I screw up is my M.O.

So, no picture today, you can see yesterday's picture for a peek at what it will (once again) look like by the time I stop working on it today.

Still going, and hopefully going somewhere else, too.

Still working on this. I did most of the shaping and rough sanding over the weekend. Now I need to get busy with the drill, wooden pegs, and wood glue, and get it assembled.

Or, wait, maybe the 2nd sanding comes after the pegs are fitted, but before the wood glue.

Man, I don't know. Can you believe I do my own taxes, and can't even figure out the order of operations for a simple woodworking project?

I did learn that I probably want to spring for a shop vac one of these days. A little one.

In the spirit of collecting moral support, I want to share another project I'm working on. It's not quite as concrete as what's in the picture here. I'm applying for a studio space in a local art-in-residence program. You don't speak German, and this is not posted in English this year, so I'll just tell you the deal... it's rent-free studio space for up to a year, there are 8 studios on the 5th floor of the building in the picture. The 6th floor has live-in studios for 4 artists, as well. I hope to do work I can't really do at home (glass, metal, larger scale...) and interact with other artists, maybe get some shows and contacts and possibly collaborative projects out of it. Assuming I get the studio. The application is due by 31 May, so I'm hustling now to get a suitable portfolio and statement together. Thought I'd missed the deadline for this year. I don't know if they extended it, or if I was just confused, or what. Not going to waste time worrying about that.

I admit, I felt much more hopeful about this before I knew how many people applied last year. I'm sure it's even more this year. I'm just not a competitive person. Probably what I need to keep in mind is that I don't need to be cooler than everyone who applies. I just need to be cooler than enough of them to get a spot.

Also, in the course of digging up the necessary info about this artist in residence thing, I also discovered that this city has some great resources for artists. I am going on Thursday afternoon to find out what exactly I'm allowed to do legally (given my resident and work status here), and what my obligations are in terms of taxes, etc. Good info, and they provide it at no cost. Even if I find out that I can't do anything, at least I won't be out any money for the info, and will not be stuck wondering what the deal is and how to find out for sure.

On the hoop

I don't have an explanation for what this 'is' -- what is it for, where is it going.... I just was seized with the urge to line out a design in needle & thread on cloth, and so I have. It's not *quite* done, maybe one more hour of stabbery. And then.... what? I don't know. Maybe I'll frame it. Or sew it onto something else.

The fabric is something like muslin, but stretchier than I expected. Which is to say, it probably is not muslin. This is what I get for buying scrap fabrics. It's lighter and smoother than the linen I'd been using, and it's not a bad choice, although it is basically see-through. I have been basically doing double-sided stitching (where it looks the same on the top and underneath) because the dark purple thread would make the top look kind of discolored in places.

If you have a use for this, let me know.

2nd storage crate, done.

Here you see the finished crate, as well as the sketch from my sketch book about how I wanted it to look. It's not quite as depth-y as I'd considered, but that's OK. I like the flat, graphic style, too. There are a few things I'd do differently if I were to do this again.

For one thing, the blue paint was not waterproof. Cannot explain it. The white, black, and red were all waterproof, and they all came from the same pack of paint. I was also going for a 'distressed' look for the black upper/background area, but instead got 'splotchy'... ahh well. I think I lost patience when the blue paint turned on me, and I just kinda wanted the project to go away. Ended up having to roll some sealant over this, and it picked up blue paint. Irritating!





But I'm not doing this again. I'm going to do one of the other two crates awaiting decoration. I think the next one is going to be a stenciled repeater pattern. With metallic accents and racing stripe.

Last sketch for today, I promise.

I know. Way more sketches than anyone cares to see. I like to post them here because occasionally I read back through my blog and see how things have change / stayed the same. Sometimes blogging is more like journalling, I guess.

More from the sketchbook

From the sketchbook

In no particular order, some sketches from recent times.

Progress continues!

MacBook for size reference!

I finished cutting out the individual pieces of this today. As of this moment, the plan is to shape and refine the blocks a bit before affixing them to something else. Probably another piece of wood, if I had to make a random guess. Most likely use the Dremel and other things to do the shaping. Haven't decided yet about finishing. Since it's plywood, there isn't going to be a lot of point in highlighting the wood's natural beauty, so paint might be the order of the day. If I really feel like doing a LOT of sanding, I might go for some glossy lacquer type thing.

And, yeah, before you sharp-eyed folks even ask, it is the same knot as on that painting from a couple of months back. I really like this one.

New saw, new project, new hopes and dreams.

New saw showed up yesterday, new project started today. I'm having fun, and looking forward to seeing how this turns out. I don't know why, but it really amuses me that the saw has a pictogram of a person reading a book. This must be my saw....

ETA - already had to play a round of Digging Through The Vacuum Bag To Find That Piece I Didn't Mean To Suck Up But Did. I hope I don't have to play THAT game again any time soon. Yech.

new toy!

I tried a smallish, probably too-complicated design with my shiny new pack of Pentel Fabric Fun wax dye sticks. It's like a pastel that can be used on fabric, and set into the fiber with a hot iron.

Predictably, they are inclined to be a little muddy in application, especially as they are *very* soft, and can't hold a point at all. So... any amount of precision I want has to be attainable with a tip the size of a pencil eraser. On the other hand, it sets REALLY fast, almost unbelievably fast, and does not bleed at all. And blending is pretty easy.

I tried to make transfers a couple of different ways, but it seems to resist that very capably. I suspect it sort of collapses on itself when it gets heated, so instead of transferring, I just ended up with a few little pills of color and a largely-unmarked cloth. Ahh, well. Will be working with shielding when I am ready to try again. Probably need to put the colors first and the black on top, which is the opposite of how I normally work.

Also on the worktop -

Painting the panels for another storage crate. Thinking I might use this one for paper... This has reached that stage where I hate it, and if I look directly into the abyss, I'll just paint over it and start again. However, I'm NOT looking into the abyss, I'm just filling in the lines with the paint as planned. There is still hope for this.

There are a couple of problems, though -- the paint is not holding its pigment. Surpassing strange, given that it's friggin' acrylic paint. So I'm going to have to put a sealer coat over this when it is done, and possibly the one I finished a while back, as well. Ahh, well. So much for quick & easy. Another problem is that there are a couple of 'sides' of the design that for some reason weren't colored in, and I'm not sure why, or what color to use, and I am limited by how much of these colors I have left. Oh well, not the end of the world. This will be happy when it is over.

... and then you threw an octopus at my window.

Been working on a variety of things, none of which are complete. Possibly as a consequence of multi-tasking? But paint has to dry, dammit! Here's one avenue I've been treading... dabbling in a combo of ink and watercolor that has been entertaining me.

Basically, the technique is to draw some lines/forms in non-waterproof ink, and then fill or not-fill the spaces with watercolor paint, which draws in some of the ink. It's a little blurrier than I'd like in some places, but some bits of it work quite well, I think. The top one is smallish, maybe a 5"x7" paper, and the top one is like a page of notebook paper size. I think I'll have more use for this technique in the future, I find it both satisfying to do as well as pleasing to have done. These are good things.

A Sad Day

I had to return the scroll saw, it was crap. I need a good scroll saw. I am very disappointed.

first cut

first cut
Originally uploaded by oferchrissake

Got my new scroll saw today. Did a very basic cutting exercise to start with. This took about an hour, more or less.

Obviously, I need practice. Less obviously, I need better saw blades. I started with a new one, and it was dull before I got to the harder cuts (on the right)... which means the harder cuts were now harderer. Meh.

However, I'm really looking forward to getting into the rest of the introductory exercises (I got a book about this, The Scroll Saw Workbook by John Nelson ), and am working through the skills, so I can start making neato things. If you look closely, you'll see a resemblance between what I've cut, and the picture on the front of the book. I drew my guide lines by hand, though, because getting copies made just seems like so much work. And I won't be cutting out any damn bunny rabbits.

Will need to get some better wood, though, this 3 ply stuff is OK, but not great. Probably working harder than I have to and dulling blades faster than necessary because I'm not using plain old pine planks.

12 meters/€20

I stumbled into the clearance room at Ikea and found a bin full of fabric ends and pieces. Off-cuts, samples, etc. In all probability, had the prices been half what they were, I'd have ended up with twice as much fabric. These are the prizes, and I already have plans for a lot of it, but there is something about a bunch of random fabrics that just makes me want to Make Stuff.

coming out of cold storage

The design on the right will eventually emerge from the collection of swirls on the left. And you will be amazed.

AMAZED, I say!

The concept sketch for the next painting...

Aww, crap.

Whoops. I made a picture of this last week, and didn't realize I hadn't posted it. Until now, when I just posted the update to it, only I was updating something I hadn't posted. Anyway, this one is older than the other one. And, yes, it is in some ways better.

You know there is an expression, it takes two people to finish a painting.... one to paint it, and another to shoot the sumbitch before he f's it up...

Just sayin'.

A Painting

Another picture of this thing. I learned a lot about how I should have done this, if I wanted it to look cooler. Enough that it has become difficult for me to be excited about finishing it.

The lighting is weird in this (there is a fluorescent tube above it, so the top really pops and the bottom seems dull), but the color actually is funky in the middle (the sections that seem too-blue actually ARE too blue).

However, in the interest of science, and having a better painting next time, I'm going to finish this one. The knot is monochrome, but it's going to get some highlights and low lights. The background will probably get some of the same. But... different.

"It's Art, you wouldn't understand...." (ha!)

And, I'm on the fence about outlining the knot with black. That was the original plan and I probably will do it because of that. But I figured out how to make it super cool without that. Next canvas, I guess. I picked up 6 of these 50cmX50cm squares on Very Discount last week, they were €3/each. I had been thinking of doing a set of 4 related paintings (Diptych, Triptych... Quadratych?) But I can decide about that after I've done the next one in this flavor, but will all the learning experiences applied. One of the things I'm learning about is effective use of low relief with acrylic paint. Most of my other paintings have been very flat (no relief) which robs them of depth, even if I painted some shading/depth modeling into the composition. This one has much more texture – I'm still getting the hang of that – and is a better painting for it.

Finished that Box!

There is not much to say about this, except... here are the pictures of the finished box. I took one from each corner, so you could see how the pattern lines up. This is the size box for storing an adult male Maine Coon cat, apparently.
I probably won't do another box with exactly this design, but I did learn lots of useful stuff I can apply to my next box (there are 3 more to paint, so lessons learned are good things).
I probably would have preferred to paint the corner hardware black, for instance, but I wasn't sure what to paint galvanized metal with, and the handle hardware was pre-attached, so it seemed like a lot of hassle. And I got to a point where I really just wanted to get it FINISHED instead of having it hanging around my workspace any more. But maybe next time I will think it is worth the hassle.
I have not yet put any little roller wheels on this, and I haven't worked out a lid for it. Heck, I don't even know what I want to store in it yet! I did put a bunch of couch cushions in it when I vacuumed last, and the giant ridiculous cat has been pretty conscientious about moving all of his toys from where they are stored, into this box. So I think it will be pretty functional around here. And I like it! I probably will wish I'd put another coat of a sturdier sealer on it, and I might do that later, including the inside. Or I might leave this one alone and subject my next project to all that hard earned wisdom...

Someday this picture frame will be mine, oh yes!

The calendar I am working on framing is a lovely limited edition hand-printed card calendar from Wondermark creator David Malki !. I ordered it a couple of months ago, and passed on the stand he'd chosen for it, because international shipping and shortages of horizontal surfaces around here, not to mention the risk of cats eating all the corners off seemed like clues to let it go.

However, now that it is here, and even on the 2nd month, I find that simply matting it and putting the matted month on the wall doesn't really cut it. I want a fancy frame. One might even say... a ridiculous frame.

So I've been goofing around with some ideas.

I waffled about whether to carve the frame (from what substance?) or simply paint it on a flat surface, with high and low lights to imply depths, or... what?

Still really don't know. I *think* this would look pretty bitchin' in a dark wood carved and polished way, but I am not a wood carver and might be very much mistaken. (The first time I tried a complete stained glass composition, I basically came up with something that had all the hardest cuts, irritating joins, and a ridiculous number of individual pieces. I may have a talent for biting off too much.)

Anyway, these are what I have so far. All sketches and all the wrong size and proportion for this particular object.

Again, some things are easy in theory and more complicated in execution. If you are or know a bored wood carver, please be in touch!

















It doesn't help that I could probably keep drawing this over and over without being absolutely sure that I have arrived at The One True Design.

Here you can see why I was playing with the white balance... I'm getting yellow paper in the pics, but it's mostly-white in reality. Anyway, this is a pattern I designed a while back when I was playing with ideas for the storage crates. Wanted to see if I could work up a nice knot-repeater. And I have! But then I got distracted by the other thing (the one I've already posted a few pictures of in-progress). I got REALLY distracted trying to work out how to line this up so several crates with the same design could be placed next to each other and having the design's lines meet up no matter which way you turned the crates. I'm not sure I'm that cool, though.

Fear not. I have 3 more crates! 4.5 if you count the one that is already built, and its lid.

Sometimes when I do a design, I struggle and thrash to get a line Just So, and eventually either concede defeat, or erase the mofo out of spite.

In this case, I *thought* I had the lines right where I wanted them, and then as soon as I put my pencil down and hung the thing on the wall, I immediately saw where I'd gone wrong.

Maybe I'll re-do this with the lines in the right places. Maybe I'll actually DO SOMETHING with this design. But since I have no concrete plans for doing a project with this, my incentive to re-draw it with the lines right is also somewhat reduced.

Sorry about the color scheme. I was playing with white balance correct in my photo editing process, and sometimes it glitches and tells me one thing while actually doing another. This was supposed to be red, and it looked awesome. Oh well.

OK, so I lied.

Weeks ago, I made a noise about uploading some pictures of my recent design projects. And then I didn't do it. This should come as no surprise to anyone who has been keeping up with this blog...

Anyway, I took a bunch of pictures today, and as it always does, that made me want to work on some projects I'd done designs for and not actually made an object with.

The picture here is a sheet of embossing foil that I've drawing a bit of knotwork on/into. It's far too flimsy to do anything with, and also I've poked a bunch of holes it in with my embossing stylus. (Not to be confused with an out-of-ink ballpoint!)

Anyway, while I was playing with that, I figured it might be fun to make some kind of low relief thing like this, and then fill it with wax or plaster, making a small shiny object. I did some trials, to test the level of detail and so on, and even poured wax in, and got some small shiny objects out. So there is definitely more coming on that front. However--there are no pictures of that trial run, because I tossed all the 'evidence' in the trash. Scented votive candles are not the right source of wax for this kind of thing.

This was sort of meant to be a bookmark or something, but I'm not satisfied with it, so, it's probably going on the vast heap of Projects Which Taught Me Valuable Lessons About Something.

Progress on the storage box

I'm still working on the box to store art supplies in, it's taking a lot of layers of paint, but is starting to come together. Couple more bits of paint (white and color), and then a couple of layers of polyurethane so it is sealed and relatively defended from dings.

And then! Assembly. With little wheels. And a lid. And more pictures.

Framing for fun

One of my current projects is a frame. I got a calendar this year that needs one. Here is the rough sketch. It will probably not look so much like this when it is done, but this is the concept I'm starting from.

Have not yet decided whether to make it brightly colored or monochrome.

Juxtapoz saves the day!

I was poking around the bookstore this morning, looking for something to improve my mood and restore my faith in the goodness of humanity. And, there it was! A Kehinde Wiley painting on the cover of Juxtapoz.

I believe I've spouted about both Juxtapoz magazine (my favorite art mag), and Kehinde Wiley (a kickass painter who combines concept and technique to come up with some incredible portraits). But, if you somehow missed that, here is another round.

It is not my way to say "Go buy this thing," but in this case, I'd say this issue of Juxtapoz would be a good investment. Juxtapoz has connected me with some artists I'm really drawn to, who have become part of my set of influences. Mark Ryden, Stanislav Szukalski, Kris Kuksi, Brandon Bird (I think? Can't prove it), and many others.

In any case, even if you don't care for Kehinde Wiley or Juxtapoz, I guaranteed you know someone who does. Buy the issue, and keep it on your coffee table, on your bookshelf, or in your guest bathroom. You will soon learn who among your friends has great taste in contemporary art.

underway

(Click for large) I don't really like posting pictures of stuff that's not done, but this is taking me so long that I find I'm probably going too long between updates. I do have a couple of designs I've been working on, that I will get pics up about this week, but this is what's mostly filling my time and drawing table. It is a wooden storage box for art supplies. I am planning to put little wheels on it, and a lid, so it can also be used as a footstool, and be shoved out of the way when it is in the way. I like furniture that is both interesting to look at and can have some function beyond taking up space.

This isn't really 'art' per se, just a project I'm working on. Home improvement, I guess? Tired of keeping my art supplies in cardboard boxes in the corner of the living room.

Additionally, this is part of my effort to get more done, and less thought-about. I keep reminding myself that if I hate it, I can paint over it, or sand it off, or just throw it away. So I might as well finish it. In case I like it. I get very annoyed with myself for wanting to do something, and then planning it to death, trying to figure out how to make it perfect.

I might not know art...

let the colors swirl around you...
Originally uploaded by cynicole_b

But I know what I like. I like this picture.

Yo Dawg...

Almost every time I run errands, I pass a framing shop. They have a rotating stock of framed art in the windows, and this one caught my eye more than anything else they've had there in the last 18 months or so. I peeped it every time I walked by for more than a month before I realized, hey, I could just BUY that. And look at it at home... it is like magic. This is a print -- I believe it is etched.

It's about 18"x16" or so.