Words and photographs from a Buttershug
Ever since the evening spent in the presence of Bill G.’s backyard half pipe, Em has been enthusiastic about practicing skating and getting her own board some day. There are plenty of boards in this house, but most of them are too wide and too long for the girls. So, the other evening when Terry took the girls out to pick up some ice cream, two very happy little girls also came home with skateboards under their arm.
Yesterday, we all hopped in the car (some of us with skateboards) and headed over to Bill G.’s house downtown. The invitation has been extended for a while, but last night we finally got to see the half pipe Bill had built in his backyard. Terry skated while I took photos and hung out with the girls who were watching and eventually gave the ramp a try. It was a nice, relaxing summer evening, and Terry thanked me when we got home because that was the first time someone had ever gone with to watch him skate.
My one year anniversary in this house came and went a couple of months ago and I scarcely noticed. Life is too pretty, too busy and too chaotic to keep track of dates these days. Now that I have noticed, I have become very aware of the amount of blank walls still in this house.
Some people like to plaster their walls from end to end while others prefer a more minimalist approach with a single painting, smartly designed mirror or piece of art in the room. I am a grouper. I group my photos and my art. My groups tell stories. I have a group of photos from a trip to San Francisco, a group of photos from the botanical garden in D.C., a set of photos that a friend took in India, a prominent “family wall” with randomly hung candids and the odd portrait or two, a series of food photos hanging in the kitchen… and many more groups throughout the house.
First on my list of “to hang” were two wonderful drawings that the talented artist Minnie Romanovich (of womaninthemoon.org) did for me last November. If you’re not familiar with her work, take a look at her children’s illustrations. I think I’ve commissioned at least half a dozen illustrations from her over the last decade and I am always delighted when I receive them. Her keen attention to detail with every thing she draws, as well as every personal touch added, makes each piece exceptional.
These drawings represent their subjects so well, even their older brother commented on the likenesses:
Hope dancing and listening to her iPod by Minnie Romanovich
A animal-eared Savannah, peeking out of the picture by Minnie Romanovich
Today, I received my Unfathomable Octophant print in the mail. It reminded me that I had yet to hang the CephaLovePod that my valentine gave me in February. If you take a look at Phineas’ prints, you’ll notice that they sell out pretty frequently. I’m still kicking myself in the head for not ordering Laika before it sold out. I’ll have to wait for another piece to group with these two that I hung this evening:
Unfathomable Octophant and CephaLovePod by Phineas X. Jones
One particular wall in the house has been bothering me for some time. It had become the wall to hang random seasonal pieces but really those things were simply an excuse to fill up wall space while I decided what I wanted to put there. For a long time I thought I’d put a giant redwood photograph there but that became kind of a costly and complicated idea. For months, I had been stumped on what to put there. That blank space that extends two stories up had begun to make me grumble whenever I looked at it.
Jason Jessee - Sungod (possibly my favorite skateboard artwork ever)
Jeff Grosso - Fangtail (this board is too pretty to skate)
What with the ever-growing collection of skateboarding paraphernalia that has been accumulating in this house, the fact that another board arrived in the mail today sealed the deal. I picked out a couple of my favorite boards and printed out a couple of photos I’ve taken of the man skating, framed them, and then began arranging things on the floor to try different layouts. He went downstairs to grab a third board (Corey O’Brien), which balanced it all out perfectly. I’m pretty pleased with the results.
I included some space around the wall in this photo for scale
Closer up
It doesn’t seem like a lot, but it still took me hours to complete. There are several more walls in the house I’d like to finish, but all in good time. In my experience, some of the best ideas come together after the first couple of drafts.
[pullquote author="Em, the 11 year-old"]“It’s nice to look at something on that wall, finally.”[/pullquote]
Terry and the kids went outside this weekend to do a little skating. I spent most of the day inside with the a/c working on the memory quilt for my dad, but the others journeyed out into the sweltering heat to have a little fun. Okay, so maybe I’m a wimp, but at least I dragged myself outside to take some photos.
giving me the razz
the crew on the corner
hooper skateboardin'
Lex skateboardin'
em getting everyone glasses of water on the hot day
