Naughty: Coming out! A little message for Halloween.

Confession time! Yes, it's about darned time!
It was I who drew the eyes on the temporary construction wall during remodeling in the office at the "firm"!!! Me, me, me!!! And for those who couldn't take it in the right spirit---saying it was "unprofessional" and worrying about what clients may think about it, you can go straight to the devil in your miserable little tightly wound up unimaginative 'fraidy-cat puny world!!! I'm so sorry for the anxiety this may have caused you in your efforts to project the image of the boring and sterile and uncreative office that you desired.  Construction zones are a mess, stressful, noisy, disruptive to all normal daily functions. People who have to live/work/function within those spaces need a blessed break-relief-outlet! to just keep calm and carry on.  I dare say there is almost no temporary construction wall that remains blank of graffiti, art, commentary, cartoons (yes, so some of them are a bit obscene, especially the ones that the construction workers draw themselves), poetry, musings, caricatures (at least I didn't draw a caricature of Mr. C.--- whose last name has a little zu"chinni" in it---the biggest complainer---now that would have been a fun one and there's no doubt everyone would have recognized the caricature-ee).  I really loved everyone who worked there, especially the very sensitive and open-minded nice bald people among those in charge.  We could have had an office game of touch football as a stress reliever or a game of golf in the office, like we did at Starbucks World Headquarters Big Green Mothership on the newly sloping floor during reconstruction after the earthquake with a really nice prize going to the closest putter. But, no, nada, niente, nothing that was not presented as an option---so I consider that I did a public service by drawing the pair of eyes on the temporary construction wall. And when others came along and added their own marks, it indicated the need was there. Do architects not draw anymore or is it expected that sketching is no longer used as a tool to express ideas? And while we're here "confessing": Yes, it was I who cut the two pairs of eyes out of the wall of black plastic covering the construction zone at Starbucks World Headquarters Big Green Mothership, with my sharp little No. 11 X-Acto blade, too. One pair of eyes was at average female eye level and the other was at average male eye level. All the people working in the adjacent open office space LOVED it. And though the facilities people there were whining about it had some concerns, did you happen to notice that I attached transparent plastic over the cutouts so that dust could not possibly migrate into our adjacent work spaces?!!! How can a normal human being work right next to a noisy construction zone without being able to peer inside at the source of the noise and check on progress? And all these people working in the space are in the design and construction industry---like they really aren't curious???? Well, they cannot work right next to or in the middle of a noisy construction zone without being able to peer inside!!! Even huge construction sites that resemble blasted out craters to make way for foundation work for sky scrapers have peep holes for the average passerby to look through from the street. And I consider it cruel and unusual punishment not to allow those living/working daily adjacent to a construction zone to have a LOOK at things if they are normal, and I can't think of anyone there I worked with who was not normal, except perhaps the facilities people who somehow felt they needed to keep everything under cover  :o). And, another thing: All that pounding on the roof at Starbucks World Headquarters Big Green Mothership during post-earthquake reconstruction caused similar vibrations as the earthquake itself, which scared the beegeezus out of all of us frightened us terribly and was the reason for the months of reconstruction in the first place!!! We had to relive the earthquake trauma with every vibrating construction thump! If you want people to occupy a construction zone and "maintain" business as usual (which I say is pretty near impossible), then cut the blessed personnel (in the case of Starbucks World Headquarters Big Green Mothership , the "partners") a little slack. OK, I think I'm done. Ahhhhhh . . . I feel wonderful and just want to let you know, in case you are wondering, it's highly unlikely that in this lifetime (and the next one . . . if there is one) I will stop drawing on walls. - Sparky ;o)




More than anyone else, I enjoy being myself! - Sparky

Architectural boxes up close

Available for holiday gifts in two local shops or directly from me...email me with inquiries.

Watercolors...

The portability of watercolor paints makes them perfect for catching stunning scenes while traveling. Everything you need will fit into a bag about the size of a small to medium purse and you just need a bottle of water and a couple of collapsible cups and you're equipped. Many of the paintings in this post were done on-site while I was traveling through the Mediterranean in Italy, Greece and Turkey. 

 

 Above:  View on the Island of Santorini, Greece

Others are inspired by what I see closer to home.

 Edge of the Pond (Morris Graves Estate Woodway, Washington) Toni Youngblood 2012©

Seattle Winter Table, Toni Youngblood 2011©

Croquet Balls, Toni Youngblood 2012 ©

The images directly below were commissioned a few years ago by Scott Hale, owner of the Pub Group Restaurants in Salt Lake City for use in advertising on programs for the Salt Lake Acting Company and for the local PBS TV station. The paintings toward the end include subjects from nature, short-pose portraits and book illustration.

 

 

 

I can see clearly now...

Looking at the dogs through the new glazed back door.

The new glazed back door.
Current view of the east wall.

"Before" view of the east wall.

Current view of the south wall.

"Before" view of the south wall.

I'm thrilled that I can stand at my kitchen door and look out through the backroom door (Pre-hung Therma-Tru door found on ksl.com for less than 40% of the in the store cost---just installed today) and see my back walkway, yard, garage and pups waiting to come inside. The old solid-core door can be seen leaning against the garage in the doggie photo. I can also look through six new large windows and see gorgeous leaves turning colors on the trees and a peek-a-boo teaser of Mt. Olympus. After the leaves have fallen, I will be able to see a panoramic view of all the mountains to the east---Yippee! I've included a couple of "before" pictures (third from the top) of the same window wall in the room as it was originally built, with one microscopic window for the entire space and terrifyingly under-sized and randomly-spaced framing members!

I LOVE YOU

This painting (I Love You) just sold at the Park City Paisley Pomegranate. I painted a series of hearts earlier this year and made cards of the second image (Heart on a String). The third image is titled Don't Me Out. A lady recently bought all the heart cards in the SLC Paisley Pomegranate location. I find this amusing, as an unrelated shop owner told me this year that "items with hearts on them just don't sell!"

Architectural Boxes

 My inspiration for the design direction for the box re-do is the work of artist/architect/designer Pietro Fornasetti and his full-size furniture pieces from the 1950's and 1960's, as shown in the secretary and cabinet in the top two photos. My hat is off to him for his stunningly detailed and executed pieces and the oft presence of whimsy in his work. More examples of his work in furnishings can be seen here: Fornasetti Furniture . Though generally I'm not a wallpaper fan, I love many of his wallpaper designs, which can be seen here: Cole & Son Fornasetti Collection . I particularly like Mediterranea, Malichite and Riflesso.

A biographical reference to the artist can be found at: Piero Fornasetti Story.

The photo above shows recently completed boxes I have found and up-cycled into a second life. They continue to be useful as containers for jewelry, stamps, pencils, pocket change, i-pods or other precious or small items. In their new life, they display etchings of ancient and historic architecture. Clockwise from left to right: Tall glass-fronted cabinet with drawings of the arch of Septimuius Severus, oblong box with drawings from the facade of the Sgraffito building in Florence, flat box with the interior of the Pantheon in Rome, curved top box with the horses from the facade of St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice, small window box with the St. Mark's horses, a small armoire with elevations of the cathedral in Murano Italy (the island near Venice and home of the famous glass-making atelier). Click on the photo for close-up details. In some instances, I've taken bits and pieces from various boxes and used them to create a different box.

Windows in and beginning to look like a room.

The first photo shows the windows facing south and east. God's free sunshine will help make the space toasty in winter and built-in awnings will cut out some of that unwanted radiant heat in the summer. The door, which is partially obscured by OSB (board) on the right of the picutre, leads into the small south bedroom, currently ocupied by Kathleen, first-year pharmacy student at the U. of U. She is looking forward to stepping out into the new space to enjoy her morning cup of coffee. The second photo shows the single north-facing window which provides heavenly breezes in conjunction with the south windows when they are slightly open. A bit of the brick wall of the original house is visible on the left of this photo. As hoped, a test strip of brick cleaning that I did a few weeks ago indicates that an overall cleaning will make it a feature worth saving. The rest of the exterior of the house has been painted a cream color, but this area within the old addition had not. The closed-in window on the brick wall "looks" into the small bathroom shower! The open door leads into the kitchen.

Progress...between rain storms!

Design: Settee in waiting...

The rose-colored sofa in the first photo is a recent FIND, purchase price=$0. I'm researching and considering options for rehabbing this piece. The inserts in the seat cushions are due for replacement. The overall stuffing is quite good, but the outer fabric is a bit worn and soiled from normal use. A close cousin of this settee is pictured in the second photo. This piece is more typical of a Regency period sofa with its single seat cushion, its higher, lighter and more slender structure than my "Rosie's". The third photo is of Washington D.C. designer, Daryl Carter's Embassy Row townhouse living room with another version of this classic sofa. The fourth photo shows an example approved by the ACN (Association of Canine Nappers) with Victorian era clawfeet. The fifth photo shows our President reading on the red and gold bedecked settee in the White House Red Room.

This post is linked to Woo Hoo! Wednesday at Always Nesting. See more things to celebrate there by clicking on the button below...