NOTHING AT ALL

I did absolutely nothing this weekend...well, if nothing is a long bike ride, laundry, mask-making and getting a bubble tea at Flushing Main Street. Main Street is a pretty interesting destination these days. Not only can you find the best bubble tea in New York City—Sago Tea Café, for the Jasmine Milk Tea with Tapioca and Coconut Jellies, and Ten Ren’s Tea Time for Lychee Green Tea with Tapioca or not and the Matcha Green Tea. The pearls at Ten Ren are better, but they don’t use real milk, so I’m forced to alternate my patronage when I’m in the mood for dessert.

Main Street is really building up these days. There is a new, interesting mall called Queens Crossing and is home to some street level casual eateries and also fine Asian dining upstairs. I stumbled across the Shanghai Museum Store on the lower level the other day and was completely charmed by a young lady from Peking that sells replicas of museum treasures to tourists that stay at area hotels. She made my day.

This weekend, I started work on a two-foot sculpture of a woman. It’s a gift for a Hindu friend of mine and I think this piece is going to be interesting. I also started two additional miniatures and completed a repurposed mask that I began last week.

In addition to the mask-making, I spent the afternoon watching the National Puerto Rican Day Parade featuring some of the celebs with whom I have worked on projects. I also spent 7 hours or more finishing up a Spanish to English translation that I have been working on. Lots to do this week!

BAD DESIGN/GOOD DESIGN

I promised my friend and associate that I would include this picture of, quite possibly, the ugliest handbag ever. It's by Korean manufacturer MCM, and it was created exclusively for a fall 2007 fashion week event hosted by Marguerita Missoni in the Meat Packing District to benefit an environmental cause. All items had to be white and were placed on white mannequins. The bag featured mini-compartments that were attached to the larger bag with velcro pieces. Nothing says "I love New York" more than toting your specs around in a miniature Statue of Liberty or your makeup in the Empire State Building. Clearly this should be carried on Fifth Avenue...on a wobbly card table attended to by a guy in dreads. We never were sure how much it retailed for, but we think $1600, which left us speechless. I think even the mannequins were at a loss for words, because I overheard one of them ask the other "How do you say 'tacky' in Korean?" The highlight of the party was checking out the "I've made absolutely no effort" Eurotrash threads worn by attendees and hanging out with the CEO of Theory and his lovely friend from Japan.

Now on to engaging designs...the following are some of my latest wire screen and mache masks. I've been told that they have come a long way from last year and I continue to be pleased with the results of my labors. Enjoy!


(Smiley Devil, Wire screen and mache, PDN 2008)
(Northwest Coast-Esque No. 1, wire screen and mache, PDN 2008)
Northwest Coast-Esque No. 2, wire screen and mache, PDN 2008)