Swedish Bookcases

As I continue painting books and things for this Chaekgeori-inspired series, I am never surprised that some of my friends have the same books on their shelves — and in a few examples the same objects.  The other thing we have in common is Ikea bookcases.  Not all, but many of the books in this series sit on those ubiquitous bookcases (including some of my own).   The first time I was in an Ikea, it was in Sweden, many years before it was a global empire.  It is weird to think that the plastic silverware tray in my San Francisco kitchen drawer was purchased in Stockholm in 1984.  

Look closely, you might even notice the holes in the sides of the bookcases for the shelf pegs.  This painting shows the multilingual dictionaries, books and things of artist friends in Sweden.

Mystery Mail

Sometimes with mail art you receive mystery mail — it is all part of the process.  This week I received an altered postcard from the U.K. as well as a collaged postcard with my address nearly hidden (the back is blank).  The British one does not have a postmark, the other one was sent from Grafton, Vermont in February — so it made it to San Francisco fairly quickly. 

And now, a Professional Bookcase

A real San Francisco home has a certain look that reflects the personality of the person(s) who lives there.  Never cluttered, but always quirky.  We are a city of collectors who treat our homes like museum installations.  In apartments, it starts with the old telephone nook near the door.  They make for perfect altars.  A San Francisco bathroom is an art gallery with plumbing fixtures.  Our small kitchens never have an empty wall.

What San Francisco homes are not, in spite of the worst efforts of stagers and flippers, are the gutted Victorians that have been sterilized into white and gray modern lofts.  Stainless steel and marble slabs with all the charm of a mortuary.  We do not want to live in banal furniture catalogs.

 

The bookcases and things I paint for my Chaekgeori-inspired series are just a small glimpse into these wonderful San Francisco homes.

 

My friends have generously shared photos for me to work from.  When I asked one friend to send some snapshots, I waited anxiously for their arrival in my inbox.  He and his husband have a delightful Hayes Valley apartment that is like living in an actual cabinet of curiosities.  It is one of my favorite San Francisco apartments.

 

The photos he sent, and what I have painted here, are of his office bookcase.  Early on, I realized painting bookcases was, in many ways, painting a portrait as much as it is painting a still life.  This made me think about a person’s bookcase in a professional office.  Many of us wear different personalities to suit the occasion.   A downtown office bookcase is going to be different from one at home.  Maybe a little more restrained, a little more reserved.   This is a professional bookcase.

Year of the Ox — Year of the Cure!

I am ready for the rats to be gone and for the ox to rush in and take charge.  To celebrate I am mailing postcards with hand carved rubber stamps — the Ox vs. Covid-19.  Happy New Year!

Wintertime Mail

The holidays are over.  Now, when I dash into the post office to check my box, it is far less crowded again. The speed of the mail is sporadic but good things keep arriving.  Two big, full of envelopes from Eastern Europe — stencil work from Mindaugas Žuromskas and collages from Virgo.  There are artist stamps celebrating the NHS from Rebecca Guyver.  Kerosene proves you can print with lettuce!  These are the artists for the pieces shown:

1. Carolyn Oord (aka Kerosene) – Québec/Canada
2. Marina Salmaso – Denmark
3. Peter Müller – Germany
4. Fleur Helsingor – California 
5. Bonniediva – Illinois 
6. Jean-Phillippe Gilliot – Belgium 
7. Kathy Barnett – Missouri
8. Virgo – Russia 
9. Mindaugas Žuromskas – Lithuania 
10. Rebecca Guyver – UK