White Rock East Garden & Artist Tour

On May 17th, silent G imagery will be participating in this year's White Rock East Garden & Artisans Tour! This is a tour of spring gardens throughout the East Dallas neighborhoods with the added bonus of several artists' work on display. We will posted at Lance & Lauren Williams' yard, 8200 San Fernando Way. There will also be a plant sale & raffle. The best part about it, the tour is free! See you Sunday! 

Charley Harper's Birds

If you love birds, or even if you don't, you'll appreciate the late Charley Harper's work. He invokes the mid-century modern design and blends it seamlessly into an organic subject. His colour palette is vivid and unique. I specifically love the geometric shapes he uses- there is something very mathematical about the birds. His work has recently been rediscovered and is seeing a new wave of exposure. I can't help but think that this is intrinsically tied to the resurgence in popularity of mid-century modern design and furniture. Below are few examples of his work (photos via ammobooks.com). Love the flamingo!

Selections from his work are currently on display at the The Public Trust at 2919 Commerce St. in Dallas. Make a point to get over there by tomorrow! This exhibit closes at the end of April. More info here. 

silent G imagery Goes to Fort Worth

Several businesses around the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex chose artwork from a submitted selection to display in their offices. Bob Quaglia, of silent G imagery, has three pieces on exhibition at University of Texas Arlington's offices in Fort Worth. In case you're in the neighborhood, you can check out some of his work. Here are the three photos they chose: Sepia Mesa, Crown of Thorns, Millipede Home. Of course, there's always the website. :)

Hooray for exposure!

Don't Stop the Rock

The Marquis

Black Kids' lead vocals & guitarist

Mates of State 

The Encore

I skate across the floor in my socks Risky Business style, hairbrush in hand, screaming out the lyrics to I'm Not Going to Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You. My neighbors must love me right now. Black Kids opened up for Mates of State last night at the Granada Theatre here in Dallas. From Jacksonville, Florida, these kids put on a high energy and well put together show, albeit a bit poppy. I went in knowing little and expecting nothing from the band, and they vastly cleared the bar. Their other single Hurricane Jane was one of the few songs I knew, but they had me glued throughout their entire set- sometimes it can be difficult to pay close attention at concerts, if you don't know the lyrics. I felt like I was on a sugar high watching these guys. And I think the kid next to me may have been, as he literally vibrated the entire hour. The Black Kids won my heart when they sewed a little bit of New Order into their final song. But, the fun didn't end when they took their final bow. Next up was husband and wife duo from San Francisco, Mates of State- the reason I ventured out on a Monday night. Jason Hammel on drums and Kori Gardner on keyboard, a fiddler/percussionist, and a cellist, create the upbeat and diverse songs. After seeing them at last year's ACL Fest, I had become hooked and anticipating more, now that we were in a more intimate setting. Opening with My Only Offer, set the mood for a great show. Not much talk, and lots of rock, they segued smoothly from one song to the next. Dying to hear my favourite song, I yelled all night for The Re-Arranger. And to no avail, as it was not included in the set. Sunbear, the first act (before Black Kids), came out and joined Mates of State for a fantastic, drum-oriented song. And just when I was about to give up hope, Kori & Jason hit the opening notes for The Re-Arranger! I knew they wouldn't let me down! Ending the show on a real high note, I practically skipped out of the theatre. My only gripe would have to be regarding the acoustics. Not really the bands' fault, but the singers were a bit difficult to understand, and I felt they were drowned out by the music in a way. Granada is usually pretty spot on about getting the sound right, it just seemed a little off- nothing drastic. However, all in all, it was a brilliant way to spend a Monday evening! 

Stand By Me

Playing for Change, spearheaded by Mark Johnson, is all about uniting the world as one human race. He believes, and I agree, that the best way to bring people together is through music. I cannot think of a more creative way to achieve world peace. Starting in Santa Montica with one street artist, Mark and his team travel the world to record musicians playing one song together, though they have never met. Their first project was recording the song Stand By Me. Here is the fantastic result:


Playing For Change | Song Around The World "Stand By Me" from Concord Music Group on Vimeo.

You can also find Mark's video explaining his mission of Playing for Change at vimeo.com. Be sure to check out the other videos he has put together, Chanda Mama is pretty great. You can also visit their website: playingforchange.org

Remember: Envision Whirled Peas!

Feel The Love Friday 4

Paws In the City presents Paws at the Oasis at Hotel ZaZa! They will be hosting their Spring fundraiser event poolside on Thursday, April 30th 7pm-930pm. Admission tickets are $22, included are two drink vouchers. Additional drink vouchers can be purchased for $6 each. All proceeds go to Paws in the City. Hors D'oeuvres will be passed, goodie bags will be handed out, and several items will be up for silent auction. And of course, you can adopt a pet while you sip! All in all, a nice evening spent in a luxurious setting, helping a great organization. Here is their website for further information on the event. Hope you can make it out! 

A little bit about Paws in the City:

Paws In The City is an all-volunteer nonprofit 501(c) 3 organization committed to ending the abuse, neglect and overpopulation of Dallas area dogs and cats. Our goal is that every adoptable dog and cat get a loving home. By providing money for spay/neuter and increasing the adoption rate, we take the first step in making Dallas a no kill city.

Paws In The City has spent many years rescuing and healing the abused, neglected and abandoned dogs and cats of our community. We have placed dogs and cats into our foster homes and then into adoptive homes. We also conduct offsite adoptions for the City of Dallas municipal animal shelter because they kill almost 30,000 animals..add the metroplex and it climbs to 200,000. Every dollar raised goes to foster, adoption, medical and spay/neuter programs.

Southern Open 2009

The Acadiana Center for the Arts in downtown Lafayette is hosting the 2009 Southern Open jurored art show. Sharon Shero, of silent G imagery fame, has had one of her works chosen! The juror Eleanor Heartney is a well respected, New York based art critic. The exhibition will feature artists from 5 states: Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. Starting May 9th through July 25th Sharon's piece, along with 49 others will be on exhibition. If you find yourself in Louisiana, be sure to swing by the gallery. Look for Local Heroes at Rest by Sharon Shero! 

Happy Earth Day!

Let's make Earth Day every day!

(photo via University of Wyoming)

Closet Space

Yesterday I was perusing through all my blogs that I follow. And I found a new one called High Heeled Foot in the Door. Her Monday post was all about Cher's closet in Clueless. Who didn't beg her parents for that closet for Christmas that year? Well, now you can be a step closer. Warner Bros. have released an app for your iPhone or iPod Touch called Sex and the City: Carrie's Closet. You take photos of the items in your own closet and then assemble outfits! AND you can email outfits to friends. How fun is that? I'm not sure how practical it is, but maybe if you're trying to coordinate or need advice for appropriate attire for an upcoming event. Then again, this app isn't really about practicality. You can also compile a wishlist of things you don't currently own. All very exciting. Just go to iTunes and download the app- it's free! If you need to find me today, I'll be in my closet snapping pictures of all my clothes! 

Texas Tea Party: Are These People For Real?

Last Wednesday, Rick Perry made an appearance in Austin at one of the many "tea parties" held around the nation, protesting the current administration's spending policies. After his speech, he actually told reporters that Texans may get so fed up that they will want to secede from the Union! He must be joking! With the new rise to secession talk, which obviously will never happen in a million years, my boyfriend and I were curious as to what basis these people actually think they can legally break away. He found a website called TexasSecede.org. They are basing their entire argument on one paragraph from the 1876 Texas Constitution (our current document). Here is what they quote on their website:

"Texas is a free and independent State ... All political power is inherent in the people ... they have at all times the inalienable right to alter their government in such manner as they might think proper." 
— Texas Constitution (1876)

Please note the all important first ellipses. Because the line that that ellipses represents is the damning evidence that secession was no longer possible, once we joined the United States. Now, here is the original paragraph as it reads in the actual document:

"Sec.1 A FREEDOM AND SOVEREIGNTY OF STATE

Texas is a free and independent State, subject only to the Constitution of the United States, and the maintenance of our free institutions and the perpetuity of the Union depend upon the preservation of the right of local self-government, unimpaired to all the States."

The words "All political power..." actually are the beginning of Section 2. Some may argue that it does not specifically state that we are subject to the President of the United States, but by saying we are subject to the Constitution, I think that argument would not stand up in court, as the Constitution covers the office of the President. And, to take it a step further, the Constitution of 1869, declared the Constitution of 1861, when we joined the Confederate States of America, null and void. It specifically denounces the power of secession. This was passage was required to appear in the new state constitutions by Andrew Johnson in order for the Southern states to re-enter the Union. Here is Article Twelve, Section Thirty-Three of the '69 Constitution:

"SECTION XXXIII. The ordinance of the Convention passed on the first day of February, A. D. 1861, commonly know as the Ordinance of Secession, was in contravention of the Constitution and laws of the United States, and therefore, null and void from the beginning; and all laws, and parts of laws, founded upon said ordinance, were also null and void from the date of their passage."

 

Granted, we no longer use this constitution, as a current one replaced it in 1876, however, it is clear that secession is not our sovereign right, nor is it legal to do so. For us to in fact withdraw from the United States, we would have to wage war. Do these people actually want that? They actually want to personally fight for their sovereignty? They have asked Obama to keep his hands out of their pockets and to re-read the US Constitution. Well, I think they need to take a good look at their own state constitution before speaking out of turn. Perry is clearly just trying to drum up voter support from the [very] right winged Texans, but I think he took it too far. No sense getting people so riled up, when seceding not even a possibility. Who actually still believes that secession is a good idea? Obviously the authors of TexasSecede.org do, because if you read their Q & A section, they have some very interesting answers to the common questions that are posed to their group. 

Personally, I don't think we've given Obama's new policies enough time to take effect. This nation is not a little tugboat, we are a giant freighter, and can't simply turn on a dime. It will be a long and painful recovery before substantial results are seen. This is major surgery we as a nation are undergoing- we can't be expected to be back on the playing field in full force in a couple of weeks And for that matter, I don't really have any better ideas, and it doesn't seem that anyone else does either, so until we do, let's keep the criticism to a dull roar. 

*PS. Thanks, Chad for the history lesson!

Tea With the Mad Hatter

Wednesday, April 22nd marks the date for the 21st Annual Mad Hatter's Tea Party at the Dallas Arboretum. This annual event is put on by The Woman's Council of the Dallas Arboretum. The theme this year is Under the Cherry Blossoms (oh, my favourite tree!) and includes a champagne reception, luncheon, silent auction, and of course, a hat judging! And most importantly, proceeds go to benefit A Woman's Garden Fund. Here is the link to the website for more information and ticket purchase.

So, ladies, support the fair sex and bring your green hat! 

(image from Bailey Doesn't Bark- cutest teacups around!)

Feel The Love Friday III

Ladies, have any of those fancy ball gowns hanging in your closet? You keep thinking there's going to be that black tie affair or formal wedding to attend, but it just hasn't came up yet. Well, let's put those dresses to good use. The Prom Shop Project is now hosting their 2009 Spring Giving Dress Drive! As they say, you can be someone's fairy godmother and give underprivileged girls to wear a beautiful dress to their prom. You can mail your dresses to Kim Peters, the president and founder, or drop off year round at Kenny's Cleaners in Oak Lawn. Here is the link to their website, you can check for upcoming dress drive events and further information. The Prom Shop Project also promotes emotional growth for young ladies year round. What a fabulous way to put your flair for shopping to good use! 

24th Annual Main Street Fort Worth Arts Festival

Looking for something to do this weekend? Thursday marks the beginning of the Main St. Fort Worth Arts Festival! Everything from a juried art show, live performances, concerts, to food tastings will be going on. Not to mention the Fearless Film Festival 3, AKA the 3F3. There's a lot to see, so get out there early! They will also be offering a free park and ride service, so you can save your legs for all the walking around in the festival. Here's is the link to the official website: Main St. Fort Worth Arts Festival

Further Details:

When: April 16th-19th

Where: Main St at Weatherford to the Court House

Google Map

(Photo from Main St. website)

French Wines

We all know France is king when it comes to wine. They have more land under vine than any other country, they started the modern model for wine laws and regulations, and tout some of the biggest names in the business. Before the Easter break, we covered French wines in class- everything from Champagne to Bordeaux. Here are several that we tasted and I liked:

• 2003 Chateau Trianon Bordeaux- from St. Emilion, and a Grand Cru. This wine has heavy notes of leather, cedar, and lead on the nose. Upon tasting, you will get a well balanced fruit, cocoa with a medium acidity. This wine is predominately Merlot with a little Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Carbonere thrown in. 
• 2003 St. Estephe Bordeaux- Wow! This wine was amazing. Also a Grand Cru, it is oaked with a floral and slightly smokey aroma. On the palate, it is earthy with soft tannins and an incredibly long finish. 68% Cab Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 2% Cab Franc. Unfortunately, I won't be purchasing this wine anytime soon, it's worth over $200! It was great to have a taste though. 
• 2005 Chateau Doisy Däene Sauternes- From Barsac, this wine was surprisingly very complex. Definite notes of botrytis (a disease that sucks the water out of the grape, leaving the sugar highly concentrated- in this case, a good thing). Tangerine, fig, agave, pineapple, pear, brown sugar, honeysuckle- the list goes on. The layers and complexity were endless! A lot of people turn their nose up at sweet wine, but wines like this one can be very good- especially if paired with the right thing. This would be excellent with foie gras. 
• 1998 Cantemerle Pinot Noir- from the Haute Medoc region. The brettanomyces was definitely noticeable with the aroma of band-aid or animal. Some people like this, others don't. I'm not crazy about it, but it's ok in small doses. Hints of tobacco were also evident. This wine had sediment, and a little cloudy- probably due to age- but still very good. I would say drink this now, it's probably on the way down after this year.
• 2005 Amiot Guy et Fils Alligote- another sweet wine, although, this one is from Burgundy. A musty, aged aroma, with notes of coffee, fig, and raisin. It has a sweet, birthday cake finish with notably high acid. 
• George D'Boeuf  Moulin-A-Vent Gamay Beaujolais- Most people think of the light and fruity, inexpensive, picnic wines of Beaujolais, but this one is quite different. It is purple in color, with a spicy nose. It has soft tannins with notes of black pepper; a medium bodied wine. I was glad to discover a higher end Beaujolais that breaks common perceptions.
• 2006 George D'Boeuf Pouilly Fuisse- from Macon in Burgundy, made out of the chardonnay grape. Light oak with a touch of vanilla on the nose. I love, love, love me some Pouilly Fuisse, and this one is no exception! 
• 2003 Clos des Vignes Franches Pinot Noir- A Premier Cru from Beaune. Garnet color with a mushroom, cherry, and carmelized nose. Complex, soft and spicy- notes of dried fruit, and light tannins on the palate. 
• 2005 Joseph Drouhin Chablis-Sechers- We'll finish up with this Premier Cru from Cote D'Beaune. There is banana, apricot and a floral aroma on the nose. Maybe a little hint of oak, but it was definitely not aged in new oak barrels. Sweeter, but not overbearing. A high acid wine that would be paired nicely with oysters. 

Go ahead, set up a little cafe table, pretend you're on the streets of Paris, dine on some fromage and pate, and enjoy a nice, French wine! Give yourself a little mini-vacay, even if you can't afford that flight to Paris.

Biloxi Katrina Sculptures

Watching the news the other night, I saw a story on an artist who has taken trees that were felled by Katrina and turning them into beautiful wood sculptures. Marlin Miller wants to bring joy and life back to Biloxi and is doing so by turning something destroyed into a work of art. I especially love his seahorse. Here is an image of the Osprey that he did: 

To see more on his works you can go to the Thanks, Katrina blog to see his progress and get updates. This blog also talks about some of the problems they still have in the areas affected by Katrina. They are still not back to normal three years later, and require our help to get back on their feet. We can not let the victims of such a tragedy go forgotten!

Lost Tribes of NYC

I found this gem of a video on a friend's blog preash.net. Urban anthropologists Andy & Carolyn London, of London Squared Productions, take it to the streets to interview some of New York's overlooked citizens. And what great art came out of it!

The Lost Tribes of New York City from Carolyn London on Vimeo.

http://www.londonsquared.net/

Happy Easter!

This card never gets old in our family. Still makes me giggle year after year. 

Happy Easter! He has Risen!

Feel the Love Friday: Part Deux

Easter Sunday, April 12th will be the 24th Annual Pooch Parade. You can enter your dog in the parade, and win awards like Best Dressed Dog or Best Owner/Pet Look-A-Like Dog! But, the best part, they will have pups up for adoption as well. Feel the love these guys, and bring a deserving dog into your home!

Details: Lee Park, 3333 Turtle Creek Blvd at Lemmon Ave

   11am: Registration 

   12:45pm: Adoptable Dogs Parade

1pm: Pooch Parade

3pm: Dallas Symphony Orchestra concert

Link to Article 

Architecture of Relevance

In a recent article, Cameron Sinclair of Architecture for Humanity comments on the recent shift from 'architecture of excess' to 'architecture of relevance' due to the economic status we are currently in. As Sinclair points out, AFH has been doing humanitarian work around the world for 10 years , but it has taken the economic recession to open people's eyes to the real crisis that has existed for too long. It's about time architects start focusing on the 5 billion people who live in inadequate living conditions and stop only servicing the elite and wealthy.
It's no surprise to me Ms. Zaha Hadid was not willing to debate Sinclair on the architect's role in the built environment. The architecture community is pretty familiar with her formidable persona. What a shame the leading female architect this world has to offer cannot be more in-tune with real problems this world faces and even 'pretend' to care.
I realize it is a challenge financially for architects to do pro-bono humanitarian work, but I think there is a balance that can be achieved in aiding the effort. Little by little we can put our services to good use and make a difference in the world!

Victory Gardens

Spring has sprung and I have decided to bring back the victory garden. My beautiful rose bush in the middle of a planter full of weeds inspired this thought. So, who doesn't love fresh produce? And you can't get more fresh than grabbing a head of lettuce from your own backyard. When I spent the summer in Spain, we ate salads fresh from the garden- most. amazing. salads. ever. I think this is a great way to not only be environmentally friendly on several accounts (no driving to the store to purchase, the plants put put oxygen back in the air, you're not supporting cross-country shipping of produce), but it's a fantastic way to save a little money. If you're like me and buy organic, we all know how pricey that can get. Growing your own veggies can absolutely be organic and help cut down on the cost at the grocery store. Not to mention the workout you'd get, along with Vitamin D from being in the sun. And I think it's good for us to be a little more self-reliant. Of course, when looking at the big picture, if enough people do this, you would be putting a further economic strain on farmers both local and who ship from across the country. This is indeed an economic drawback, but you can still turn to your local produce farmers for those more unique fruits and veggies like Albino Asparagus, the Ugli Fruit, and maybe a little Belgian Endive. 

Now all I have to do is getting my hands dirty! And find a way to keep the dogs out. :)

Think global. Grow local!

Wine Down Wednesdays

Every second Wednesday of the month, we host acoustic bands to come play in our private party building at 2018 Kidwell (adjacent to the main winery on Prospect). It's a smashing success! Young people from all around the area come in for good wine accompanied by good music. Last month, we were mentioned in Daily Candy! And judging by how many people said they were here because they saw the article, I think we're in for even more popularity! Thanks, DC! Here's a link to the article, see you tonight!

The 404

Ever gotten the ever so frustrating 404 file not found message, when looking for a webpage? You may have seen this before, but I thought I would share some creativity with you. Here are a few clever ways to convey that pesky 404:

100 Best 404 Messages

For the Love of the Game

I can just smell those hot dogs and funnel cake now. Today is the home opener for your Texas Rangers! After a series of debacles, I was finally able to land tickets. Time to go enjoy a nice relaxing game of base, maybe catch a foul ball, and of course, overindulge in ballpark food! Happy Monday!

Feel the Love Friday

Dwell: March Issue

The phone rings, it's my best friend. We're both gushing over Dwell's March issue. It's all about sustainable design in Australia and New Zealand. Two of our favourite topics!  They seem to have it pretty well figured out, and some of the innovations/design coming from the Land of Oz are just phenomenal. So, why are they leaps and bounds ahead of us? The magazine suggests it's out of an imminent necessity there, as opposed to a want to find other resources here. Along with other factors such as isolation, egalitarianism, economic prosperity, and an outdoor lifestyle. We should have the same sense of urgency here as they do Down Under. It's ridiculous for sustainable design to be a mere stamp on a blueprint, and not a true goal to be followed through with. JayRay's last post about the fallacies of LEED hits the nail on the head. This isn't something we should be cutting corners or only heeding so that you get the recognition for LEED design. All this had me revisiting the magazine articles. How is it another country is getting this right, when we are just as capable and have all the technology needed to do so? We, as citizens,  need to start asking ourselves some serious questions. 

If you're looking for a little more food for thought, here is the issue from Dwell that is dedicated entirely to this subject. 

Where The Wild Things Are

At last! The long rumoured film is coming to theatres this October! Here is a trailer for Where The Wild Things Are. As a child who read this book for a bedtime story, this brings me to tears. And in case you're wondering about the music, that's Arcade Fire.