July 4th

I spent this 4th of July in Hoboken watching the Macy's fireworks from my boyfriend's friend's parent's apartment. We had a perfect view of the barge near 23rd Street and the fireworks were super close to us. The day was slightly traumatic with literal swarms of drunk people, closed off streets and transportation, 90+ degree heat, and of course, my beloved phobia of really loud things. Hoboken is kind of crazy though, until you get onto the higher up streets away from all the raging bros. One time I was waiting by the Path train literally only for 3 minutes and I saw 2 people throw up and one person get arrested during that short time frame. So of course when I got to Hoboken there were no cabs or buses to where I needed to go. I had a meltdown in a nearby McDonald's when my boyfriend literally came to the rescue before I almost threatened the lives of some teenage boys who spilled a frappuccino on our seats and didn't clean it up. We eventually made it to his friend's balcony (after I practiced some serious self-care with a hamburger, fries, and a huge serving of Coldstone's Birthday Cake Remix). Once the fireworks started I must have looked really interesting with one hand over my ear, one shoulder jammed into the other, and my free hand snapping pictures with my iPhone while balancing a cup of sangria. As much as I hate having a heart attack every time a firework goes off, I do admit that these were especially pretty albeit loud as hell.

Rockaways

My friend rented a house in the Rockaways this past weekend. The house was right on the water and you could see the A train passing from a couple of hundred feet away. I didn't take that many good pictures because I was too busy taking naps on the end of the dock with my feet in the water with my girlfriends. It was extremely relaxing and I ate way too much food. I forgot what it is like to be able to walk in the middle of the street without a million cars passing by. Having lived 10 minutes from the beach for 10 years of my life, I used to always used to take it for granted but now that I'm not conveniently close to the beach I appreciate it so much more. We went to Far Rockaway beach for a while but it got kind of cloudy and the water was really cold and choppy. I definitely preferred being at the house itself. The house had this very cool 1970s decor with a lot of natural wood and tons of art everywhere. It was actually an artist's studio but the owner rents it out. It definitely had a distinct Wharton Esherick vibe with all the "imperfect" wood around the house, including a handmade staircase that I wish I would have gotten a better picture of.

My Temporary Studio

Ever since my roommate moved out about a month ago I've been wondering what to do with her vacant room until I move out in August (we're not subletting). A few totally impractical ideas crossed my mind such as hosting classes out of her room or turning it into a rave. But because I like torturing myself with things I will probably never have again, I decided to turn it into my own personal art studio.

Basically this just consisted of dragging my dusty art supplies from my closet to her room and pinning some brown paper from a package I got up on the wall. I've never been too fond of canvas. It feels too high-pressure, too permanent and not to mention too expensive. I spent most of college painting on deconstructed cardboard boxes.

I haven't made work consistently in over two years except for a few months when I got to take editorial photography and a conceptual studio class when I got shut out of other classes. My grad school program was not studio based so I am thankful that I got to make some work in spite of that. The fear of disappointing professors makes me productive like nothing else can which is probably why I don't actively make work very often. I never really know where to start either. Because I am extremely creative I thought "landscape!" I keep getting all of these air quality alerts for New York on my phone but clearly the air in New York isn't killing me fast enough so I chose to use pastels for this project.

I thought maybe creating this studio space for myself would motivate me a little. It has motivated me to start at least. And starting is a start, right?! I'll just ignore the fact that I haven't made progress in over a week.

This is the view I'm drawing. It'll only be my view for a little over a month longer so I figured I should document it somehow.

The Perfect Apartment

I wanted to make a post about my grandparent's apartment in Queens. It is a constant source of inspiration for me, both interior design-wise and in general. I've spent countless hours there since I was born and have made quite a few memories in the process (I've even been naked in the kitchen sink, granted I was only a few months old). 

My grandmother keeps the apartment spotless. I'm enamored with the shiny wood floors, the mid-century furniture, the clean upholstery, chandeliers, and perfect light fixtures. I love the hanging plants and the framed artwork on the walls. Their apartment is what I hope my home will look like one day. I completely blame this place for my obsession with mid-century wood furniture and airy, clean looking rooms. 

Their apartment is also the reason I like the color brown so much. I actually wear a lot of brown which can be very challenging as a New Yorker who also really likes black. My grandmother has always been a huge creative influence for me. Actually both of my grandmothers have. One grandmother taught me to draw faces and people and this grandmother taught me how to draw trees, how to sew, use clay, charcoal, pastels, paint, etc. In addition to my grandma's home-making skills, she was a special education art teacher for years. 

This is probably my favorite nook in the whole world. And that chair...ohhhh that chair. I have daydreamed about that upholstery more times than I'd like to admit. My grandma painted the streetscape above the chair. Oh and in addition to having great style, my grandparents also have excellent taste in food!

Growing up I spent a lot of time in this kitchen. Baking with my grandma, chatting with my grandpa, eating lunch with them and watching the Price is Right on television. Foods I associate with them: lamb chops, potted chicken, mashed potatoes (my grandma seriously makes the best mashed potatoes you will ever have in your entire life), kasha varnishkes, kirby cucumbers, coffee candies, and soft macaroni noodles with butter. 

My grandpa is the most generous person I know. He was born in Vienna and is a veteran as well as a Holocaust, heart attack, and cancer survivor. In his spare time he collects wine. The wall in their dining room is wallpapered in wine labels. You can kind of see it in the mirror's reflection but I'll have to get another picture. My parents did the same and wallpapered our dining room in Queens with wine labels when I was growing up.

My amazing grandma in her living room. Her design ideology is that objects should either serve a purpose or be beautiful. I really like that.

This is the room that I always stayed in when I slept over my grandparent's house. My grandma made the cat pillow on the bed. She's made quite a few pillows for me over the years, including big, red velvet lips which are probably my favorite. The bedspread is from their travels as is many of the other artifacts and art around their apartment. I did happen to make the three pictures hanging in this room during school though!