Penny Raile

Who let the dogs out?

Spending time working on the new Guerilla Art Project blog.  Kim and I are now starting to recruit more artists to participate.

And the big news is we got our first response from someone who found one of Kim's pieces in St. Paul.  Stefan sent us a great email.  I called Kim, and we were so excited.

This little blue dog is part of a series I am calling Who Let The Dogs Out?  I am making various colors and sizes.  This one is about 5" tall (the smallest) and made of recycled cardboard. 

The funniest part is at the end when I splatter paint.  They are very easy and fast to make.  Each one has a different personality. 

I am spending more time creating pieces than actual distribution.  I am going to recruit some volunteer guerilla soldiers to help me.

Guerilla Artist

Guerilla artists are people who choose to inconspicuously place art and messages in public places for others to find.  One motivation is to make a political statement (stop the war, weapons control, world poverty, get rid of Bush, etc.).  Another motivation is creativity and fun.

After reading Keri Smith's book, The Guerilla Art Kit, I knew I was hooked.  What was my motivation?  To put out good karma and fun in the world.  How to start?  I made these two little guys and left them in Little Tokyo.  Then I created a blog to document my guerilla activity.  I ran all of this past Kim in Minnesota who was immediately on board.

We plan to recruit artists across the United States to join us as we anonymously spread goodwill by leaving small pieces of art and messages in public places we visit.  If you would like to join us and learn more about The Guerilla Art Project check out the blog.

The Toymaker

As soon as you are done reading this post, go to the web site, The Toymaker.  Marilyn Scott-Waters is an amazing artist who creates (along with many other things) whimsical paper toys.  You will find paper-doll otters, penny butterflies, bowling bunnies and chocolate trucks.  Shown here is the book-cover of one of her many books.

The "cat" is away (in Miami) so all the "mice" are playing.  It is nice to have an occasional break from craziness.  And as you know "this mouse" (me) loves to play.

Still in Paris on my imaginary trip through the Parisian flea markets.  Seems to be a rather extended stay - but I am having fun.

Those annoying TV and radio ads for car insurance finally got me to shop around.  Thank goodness.  I went with GEICO and saved a little over $400 a year with better coverage than I had with AAA.

However, my dentist is getting all my new saved money for my two new crowns.  I like my dentist, but yesterday he seemed a bit grumpy.  Hey!  I was the one that should be grumpy while lying upside down with a drill in my mouth!

A Must-See-TV-Alert.  Check out Dangerous Companionson the Animal Planet station.  Kevin Richardson is an animal behaviorist who has gained the trust of some very dangerous animals - lions and hyenas.  It was quite amazing and fun to watch.  I saw it Sunday night, but I am sure it will play many more times.

As you can see here, I added lighting to the Monopoly House.  The on and off switch is placed behind the house with easy access.  This is the first thing you see when you come through my front door.  Now, I need to figure out how to make Mr. Monopoly talk.

The Mr. Monopoly bobble-head is retired and difficult to find.  Finally last week, I tracked one down for the next house I will make.

Saturday morning was interesting.  Mayor Villaraigosa was hosting a community volunteer day and was making stops all around the city.  Cucuy and gang met him at the first stop where volunteers were planting trees at Charlie Chaplin's old house that now houses immigrant youths without parents.

We then all moved on to MacArthur Park where we watched children learn to dance Hip Hop at a free summer class program.  And yes, the Mayor and Cucuy both danced.  I was surprised not to see a photo of the spectacle in the LA Times the next morning.

I left the group after the second stop and headed for Little Tokyo to find Rements.  I was successful and bought several boxes.  Later that evening, I shared them with Jackie and Jane at The Lobster in Santa Monica where we were celebrating Jackie's birthday.  The food was so good.

JJ gets weird when I bring out the camera.  This is the best one of all that I took.  I haven't been able to capture his personality on film yet.  He is such a lover boy and mama's baby.

Even though it is summer, I have found some TV shows I like to watch.  "Project Runway" started this week.  I absolutely love the challenge where they have to use things found only at a grocery store to make a design.

I was forced to watch "So You Think You Can Dance" half-way through the season.  Now I am kind-of hooked.

I was anxiously waiting for "Greatest American Dog" and was a bit disappointed with the first episode, but I found myself watching it again last night.  It may grow on me.

"Greensburg" on the Planet Green station is quite boring, but I still watch it since it is about a town in Kansas.  The producers are trying to create some drama with the rebuilding of the town after it was completely wiped off the map, but Kansas people are just too polite. 

Looking forward to a productive weekend.

I am in so much trouble!  Friend Kim, sent me one of the Puchi Petite's Mini Sweets collectibles (shown here).  Puchie Petite is a branch of Rement, a Japanese miniature replica company.  They make penny-size replicas of everyday items.

The problem is they are cute and affordable.  Also there is the thrill of not knowing what you are getting because they are sold in blind assortments.

This is "cupcake creations" from the Mini Sweets line.  There are nine others including, "s'mores, ice cream delights and cookie cutouts."

Already addicted, I have located a store close by that sells them.  I will be visiting it over my lunch hour.

To see more, check out their web site

"A Place To Bark" Update

So many of you generously donated to a fund raising campaign that benefited A Place To Bark.  The shelter they are going to build is not done yet, but in the process. 

In the meantime, Bernie Berlin is always doing amazing work rescuing animals.  Recently, she participated in a puppy mill seizure in Tennessee and was able to transport 33 of the dogs to Chicago where people stood in line to adopt them because of the news coverage.

Here is a photo of one of the rescued dogs who was enjoying his first few days of freedom at Bernie's place.  Before traveling to Chicago from Tennessee, all the dogs were groomed and cared for by a vet.

You can read more about the puppy mill rescue at A Place To Bark.

Keeping It Simple

You may think I have been super busy since I haven't blogged in awhile, but I can't make that claim.  I just haven't been pushing myself to "make stuff."  I continue to tangle, but you can tell by the drawing shown here, I have even gone "light" in that area.

The Wacom drawing tablet arrived on schedule.  The learning curve is much higher than I thought it would be.  I am giving myself a crash course in all the Adobe products such as PhotoShop and Illustrator.

There are some great on-line video tutorials available.  I also bought a few magazines that have been a big help.  I know enough of the basics and the lingo that it is just a matter of taking the time to learn the programs. 

There are some amazing things one can do with digital art.  Who knows - this may be a whole new chapter in my life.

A Holland Drawing?

My new Wacam Intuos 3 drawing tablet should arrive today.  But of course it will probably arrive late (like next week) and in the meantime, I will be going nuts waiting in anticipation.

By the way Mother, the drawing tablet would be a great after-harvest present for your favorite (and only) daughter.  Hint! 

I called HarperCollins book publishers this morning and Rene did not laugh hysterically when I suggested a second edition of Renan's book.  However, he is more interested in creating a joke book for release next summer.  If we do either one, it will be one more gigantic project stacked on top of many other gigantic projects.

The image here is a two-petal kaleidescope made out of one the drawings I did this last weekend.  Why does it remind me of Holland?

I tried to take photos of JJ last night and once again, he would not cooperate.  However, Mabel was more than willing to have her picture taken.  I have many of her sticking her head in at the last moment.  What a ham.

July 10 additional post:  Here is the original drawing that created the kaleidescope above.