vacations, and holidays, and drama, oh my!

(Warning, this post contains elements of all things creative, from visual art, to food, to architecture, theatre, and more. Beware of sensory overload.)

After a month away from this blog, I'm excited to share what all I've been up to!

First a trip to Boston. Having never been to Boston before, I was struck by how beautiful (and clean!) the city was. Everywhere I turned, it was another cobblestone street or cute boutique. Not to mention a number of art co-ops that were very put together. And did I mention the watercolor society housed in the attic of a classic church? What an inspiring place for a young artist to visit!

My first morning, on the way to the Commons, I walked up Charles Street and walked into a a great little art gallery Judith Dowling Asian Art. Unfortunately I was unable to take pictures in this venue. While intuitively drawn to Eastern cultures, I realized how very little I know about their art and culture. The piece that drew my attention was a fabric scroll with an elaborate painting of Japanese people at work and decorated with real gold. The detail was amazing with small twisted strands creating the characters' hair. I started chatting with the curator(?) and he mentioned this was actually a religious relic. The hair belonged to the deceased wife of the man who commissioned the piece in her honor. Sweet! Give me that over an epitaph anyday.

Once I got near the Commons, I realized I was starving, so I stepped into Parish Cafe for lunch. Parish is cool because their menu is comprised of individual sandwiches/dishes from various renowned chefs around town. I had the Nebo, which I can't even begin to describe, so I will quote directly from the menu:

**The Nebo / $11.25 Created by: The Pallotta Sisters, Executive Chefs-Nebo, Boston
Italian tuna on a crunchy baguette with an olive tapenade, Mediterranean aioli, lettuce, tomato, sliced hard boiled eggs, fresh basil and red onions. Served with a string bean-tomato salad.

OH MY GOD. I've died and gone to food heaven. Perhaps haven't tasted anything whose flavors meshed so well together in.... 4 years? (And I've eaten some pretty awesome food in Seattle. Major props to the Pallotta Sisters.)

So once I got over my food-joy experience, I enjoyed a couple more days in Boston, then did the appropriate tourist thing. Went on a Duck Tour. While floating in the Charles River, our lovely tour-guide was pointing out landmarks, and points out the Mass. Eye and Ear Infirmary. He noted that the building owners wanted to expand but wanted to stay in the same location. So they built a new building right on top of the old one. What exactly is this supposed to say? Visting a city that is literally 3 TIMES the age of my city, and with all their own self-appreciation of their history, one would naturally assume that keeping the old building at all is to preserve the history.

But seriously, look at the new building. The big, strong, modern, cement structure dwarfs the smaller historic beauty. Is the new building eating the old? Perhaps a statement of new technology overcoming/obliterating history and tradition? If intentional, this would be a bolder statement than simply replacing the original structure.

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So I get back from vacation and catch up at work, then here comes Mother's Day! Inspired by a great silk wrap my mother saw at the mall, I had a great time creating a similar style wrap. Check her out! My mom is going to look super swanky on her Alaskan cruise. The top pic is a close-up of the paint detail.

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Finally, I'm gearing up to direct a production of No Exit on Capitol Hill in Seattle. Message me if you want to participate in the production or advertise in the program.