Walls: A Series, Pt. 3

I always love to see what people have on their walls. Here's a look at what's on mine:

(Note: Some pictures are taken at funny angles because I was trying to avoid the reflection of the windows on the glass frame.)

This poster is designed by Jennifer Beorkrem. It's a DC neighborhood map. I love the style, the typography, the different font sizes, and the way the neighborhood names are bunched together within the boundaries of the neighborhood. For instance, the most prominent neighborhood at the bottom of the poster is "Bolling". Very creative design.

Here's a collage of some of my pictures. I put these pictures together because I liked the colors and the textures. Plus, they were all taken in Fargo, ND (well, the last one was taken in Moorehead, Minnesota which is just on the other side of the river of Fargo). They were also on the last roll of film that I developed from my film camera.

Megan Nolton, a local artist, does these gocco prints of a couple under a red umbrella in various cities. I have four individual red umbrellas card prints and put them together (under red paper). And then the individual card print below is a special pink one for the Cherry Blossom Festival.

My friend Denise made this painting for me as a gift. It represents a really special night we shared. That's not supposed to sound as lesbianic as it does... It was just a night that we hung out, but it just turned into one of those really great nights that you don't forget. Flying kites at 1 in the morning and just talking about anything and everything. It was one of those nights where you think, "Wow, I have such an amazing friend. And I'll always remember this night."

An artist from Pennsylvania made this collage. She creates the kaleidoscope-esque designs and puts them on old letters that she finds. I got it at the Hand Made Mart (the local artist/craftsman sale in my neighborhood). The artist was really interesting to talk to, as well. Apparently, she and her husband were professional magicians (I'm not sure if they were Alliance approved or not...) in Las Vegas, but they wanted to have a family and didn't feel that was the right environment to raise a family in (I'm sure the Las Vegas magician community can be real rough and menacing...).

Here's proof of my strange obsession with powerlines and utility poles. The top one was taken in Logan, Utah; the middle one in North Logan, Utah; the bottom one in Willard, Utah (I actually pulled off the freeway to get it).

It's just a coincidence that both of these posters are Jason Reitman-directed films. When Eagan was in Fargo one Christmas, he saw the movie Juno and they had a free Juno poster at the theatre and he brought it home for me. Then with the Up in the Air poster, we saw the movie opening night at the AFI theatre down the street and they happened to have free posters. So I got one. Aside from the free factor, I really liked both movies and don't mind having them on my wall. And then the two purses were both gifts. The top one is a dark blue-green wool purse with gorgeous stitching of flowers and stars. Cheryl got it for me as a birthday present. I saw the purse in Fargo and was admiring it, and she ended up getting it for me. The bottom purse my sister Kayla made for me as a present. It was the first bag she had ever sewn and she did a fabulous job. She had used this colorful asian umbrella fabric earlier for another craft project she was doing and I admired it, and then she ends up making me a purse out of it. It totally sounds like I drop all kinds of hints demanding purses...but, really, I was not expecting these purses as gifts. But I love them so.

I got this awesome print of Johnny Cash by a painter at a Huntington Beach (CA) farmers' market. I really like the particular photograph of Johnny Cash that this painting is emulating, and I felt this painting just added something even more. I like the colors and shades of the painting (compared to the black and white photo). Plus, I like how the painting exaggerates the photograph. Johnny's pompadour is fuller. His eyes and brow are more contemplative, and almost sadder. He looks older-- his face is more carved and weathered. I think the painting is more emotional than the photograph. In the photograph it seems like he's contemplating the song he's about to record -- contemplating how he wants to sing the verse or figuring out a guitar line. In the painting it seems like he's contemplating something beyond the studio, beyond the music.

I got this poster at the gift shop in the art museum in Fargo. They had a special exhibit on Andy Warhol and they had the original Jackie piece.

My Utah calendar. Every year since I've moved from Utah, I have had a Utah calendar. My first year away, my mom got me a Utah calendar at Christmas. I don't think she got it because "Oh you probably miss Utah scenery, here's a Utah calendar." I think she just got it because she was giving calendars as gifts to everyone that Christmas. And I really loved having that calendar. I did enjoy seeing the Utah scenery that I missed. And it kind of felt like a piece of home. After that, I specifically requested Utah calendars every Christmas. And I've had a Utah calendar on my wall ever since. And god damn it is a beautiful state. No denying that. Oh yeah, and if you noticed in the picture, I still cross off each day of my calendar at night -- like a little kid crossing off the days until summer vacation or their birthday.

This is a local photographer, Matthew Parker, that makes gorgeous photo collages. He takes a ton of detailed photos of an object or event and then he assembles/stitches the photos together. The above collage is made up of pictures taken at sunrise and sunset at the Cherry Blossom Festival.