Architectural Photography in the Year of the Dragon

Apparently this is my year. The year of the Water Dragon. I am happy to say, I am finally completing my architecture website. This other digital studio has been on the back burner for about a year , but it looks like 2012 is the antithesis of  procrastination. A year that quickens…like a strong sun [...]

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My [humble] contribution to the Occupy Movement

Here’s to the three fearless women who burned the midnight oil mad-drawing, brainstorming, smoking…and listening to a French radio station. Here’s to completing a full series of state-of-the-art presentation drawings in one night. Here’s to our kick-ass boards and efficient subversiveness. Here’s to your question, La Gitane : “How does it feel to be talented?” [...]

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Thinking Deconstructivism in a Canyon

” In recent years , the modern understanding of social responsibility as functional program has been superseded by a concern for context. But contextualism has been used as an excuse for mediocrity, for a dumb servility within the familiar. Since deconstructivist architecture seeks the unfamiliar within the familiar, it displaces the context rather than acquiesce [...]

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Rain of Frogs [fragments, poems, movie lines]

    The Pretty Parking Lot   I have dreamt of perfect poems faded like dewdrops upon awakening   About mice and buildings built by men   Cities are sentences that haunt me   Book thieves, foreign movies… the line is thin between memories and reverie   The fog has lifted the rain felt soft [...]

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San Diego ArtWalk April 30/May 1

Here are couple of my favorite artists from this past weekend’s ArtWalk. Danny Hughes Studio See Danny’s spirit-infused art here. Andrew Mosedale  See Andrew Mosedale’s Fine Photography for the Eclectic Eye. Amazon Fine Arts|Mario Cespedes Amazon Fine Arts Gallery

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Work in Progress/Process

Almost finished with my city of felt. ArtWalk in Little Italy provided the inspiration and urgency to come back today. Good people and my new San Diego coffee love, Caffe’ Vergnano, provided the energy. Happy May.

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Hybrid Notes : Bjarke Ingels. San Diego. 02.25.2011

Bjarke Ingels came to speak to our school Friday night. The venue was the Museum of Natural History in scenic Balboa Park. I am still blown away by the lecture and, more importantly, the message. It was truly (r)evolutionary.  The fact that BIG’s insanely brilliant concepts not only get built but a) give back to [...]

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Fragments of Dreams

This has started to be a weekly blog, and I am not too happy about it. This Quarter has been so intense in a stupendous way: I am involved in a myriad of exciting projects at the school and became involved in new committees – and that has meant less free time, but an overall [...]

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The Revolution will be Televised? A Dialogue with the Urban Landscape.

Reissued Dec.10, 2010 From the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego site: For the first time in history, the majority of the world’s population lives in urban communities. The urban setting and its corresponding lifestyle are major sources of inspiration in contemporary culture. This is an historic revolution in visual culture, in which the codes [...]

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The Beginnings of Architecture

From my Friday’s History Class. The Beginnings of Architecture covers Stonehenge, the caves at Lascaux and Altamira, and what we consider the beginning of the urban revolution in our hemisphere, the proto-cities of Catal Huyuk and Jericho. I will share weekly  my History powerpoints, well, okay, the ones I consider complete…next I want to sharpen [...]

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Architecture is built politics, (un)built poetry

Choi+Shine, a Massachusetts-based design studio has recently received the Boston Society of Architects Unbuilt Architecture Award for their creative concept Land of Giants™, transforming the generic steel-framed electricity pylons across the Icelandic landscape into unique, individual humanised forms. Read the World Architecture News article here. In contrast to the poetry of the unbuilt, and whenever [...]

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Progress with color techniques- the Queen Califia session

From yesterday’s Rendering and Delineation Class. So proud of my color-wary students. Read the story of the mythical Queen Califia. California is named after her! See Niki St. Phalle Sculptural Garden ‘ Queen Califia’s Magical Garden’ in Kit Carson Park, Escondido, California. Previous posts on the subject: California and Califia Listening to Baroque Music in [...]

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Queen Califia’s Magical Garden {Continued}

Lately, I’ve favored the watercolor and pencil technique, but want to get back to working with markers. I found these two great tutorials on marker renderings from my blog friend and Urban Sketcher extraordinaire Suzanne Cabrera at An [Open] Sketchbook: can’t wait to share them with my students! { Tutorial 1: Furniture/Fabric } { Tutorial [...]

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Working with Color

Do you remember Niki St. Phalle’s ‘Queen Califia’s Magical Garden’? Well, I went back with my students for some loose watercolor and pencil renderings.

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Right Brain Drawing and Learning to See

I hope everyone’s having a fabulous beginning of August. I am really trying. I plan to go to some movie under the stars, or at the park, or on a roof, like Cinema Paradiso. A good black and white movie, preferably a noir Hitchcock, would be the cat’s meow. I am officially suffering from wanderlust.  [...]

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San Diego Art Happenings

Daydream, delusion, limousine, eyelash Oh baby with your pretty face Drop a tear in my wineglass Look at those big eyes See what you mean to me Sweet-cakes and milkshakes I’m a delusion angel I’m a fantasy parade I want you to know what I think Don’t want you to guess anymore You have no [...]

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