Gingersnap

Best architecture in the city of Dayton goes too.... Atop of Grafton Hill, sits a beautiful, classically red bricked tower of cascading stairs that seems to have escaped from a M.C. Esher work. A remarkable piece of Dayton history, the Dayton Art Institute is a museum that once featured an amazing art school that taught great artist friends like Virginia Burroughs and Willis "Bing" Davis. With incredible exhibits continuing to come to one of Dayton's most impressive treasures such as 100 Years of African American Art: The Arthur Primas Collection, Creating the New Century: Contemporary Art from the Dicke Collection, and From Romance to Rifles: Winslow Homer's Illustrations of 19th Century America, Norman Rockwell is no exception. Having recently opened November 12th, I went five days later, on a Thursday, when they closed at eight PM. This was what happened that day. True story- when I reached the top, those grand epic stairs were closed. No way was I walking back dow...

Here are 500 words to describe EJ Dimera: acute affable apt adroit agile agog abandoned abdicate abiding abrogated accomplished accountability acrimonious adamant adaptive adherent adumbrated advantageous affected afflicted alluring absorbing aggressive altruistic amaranthine amazing ambiguous ambitious ambrosial amiable amusing analytical anxious apprehensive ardent arousing artful articulate assailed assertive assiduous astonishing astounding astute attentive audacious aureate authoritative avaricious aware awe-inspiring beautiful beguiling behooved berated bewildering bewitching bold brassy brazen brilliant burdensome capable cajoling cantankerous captious captivating cautious cavalier cerebral chivalrous clandestined clever charismatic charming cheeky circumspect coaxing cocky cognizant collected commanding compelling complex complicated comprehensive conciliatory conclusive condescending confident conflicted coniving conscientious constructive consuming contemplative contemporary ...

Twas the night before Thanksgiving, it rained and rained, Hail loudly hit windows and cars, making ones head pained. All settled in bed, my body extremely ached from a hardcore fitness work out, Ready for a nap, fatigued muscles dying to relax from the bout. Visions of Tofurky, mac and cheese, vegetables, and pumpkin pies, Making mouth water hungrily as tears sprung to my eyes. Stomach growled in heady anticipation for the next day, Where the table would be ladled with various foods from along the way. Awakened from food coma dreams, I heard such a clatter, I arose out of bed to see what was the matter. Lo and behold, a sight my eyes were shocked to see, Mr. Gobble-Gobble, the tallest turkey alive had come to visit me. Red cheeked, blue faced, and vibrantly feathered, A bag over his plump shoulder, happy as can be and not weathered. Standing pajama clad inside of the living room, proud to see his face, The words he spoke made me feel such happiness and grace. “Thank you...

Dear Lips, People say that I am supposed to like you, But at times, I cannot make do. Your bow tipped shape is not so nice, The only thing you are good for is to entice. Too fat, too big, and too full, Are you not breaking a golden rule? I hate how men often stare, It is hard pretending to be unaware. No I am not in denial. Their comments are shocking, gross, and vile, See you are the dastardly villains in my world, Contents that of which the stomach hurled. Short in height, no I do not wish to be taller, I want you both to be a little bit smaller. Sad and ashamed, Face Dear Face, What is the meaning of this disgrace? For surely I do not take up so much space. Eyes are big, almond, and brown, Wide, broad nose takes the middle crown. I am a striking part above the chin, Certainly a situation that is beyond a win! You should love me. And let this be! Of a woman who is so beautiful and chaste, Men do appreciate such fine, quality taste. Do not feel this impending doubt. And take the fooli...

Ever since I heard from resident artist Kevin Harris about five dollar Wednesdays and Saturdays at the Dayton Printmaking Coop, I have been super duper excited! It’s an amazing opportunity to use the facility and their materials for so low a price. It’s a great steal to take advantage of! Plus, it is an hour’s walk away. Yes! Woo hoo! Now for weeks, I kept wondering what would I make? What kinds of drawings are worth printing? Holiday cards are definitely on the way, but I wanted to make other artworks too. As most of my friends know, I’ve been secretly plotting to squeeze my way into the fashion industry. A few blog posts ago, I shared whimsical fashion dreams- rubber ducky style! Etsy, eBay, Google, JoAnn’s, thrift shops were the places I searched for rubber ducky centric fabrics. Weeks ago, I found this amazing number for only $1 at the Village! Yes, $1. And it was originally $2! Talk about dated and vintage. Tote bag? Skirt? A vest? Who knows what I’ll be making out of it? There’s ...

A duck lost his quack. He wanted to get it back. Sailing high across a tide, He searched far and wide. “Will I ever be the same? Or be a duck without a name?” Up on a ditch, He came across a big, old witch. The duck had to ask, To see if she were up to task: “Have you seen my quack? I would love to get it back!” She laughed hard and foul, Exclaiming very loud: “Now look you’re only made of rubber, You have no brains, no guts, no blubber!” The duck dropped his head, Thinking of what the witch said. Perhaps her words were true, There was no quack to pursue. The duck thanked her and went on his way, To find anyone else with something to say. But suddenly he was lifted by a hand, Of a chubby cheeked tiny man. The duck’s belly was given a firm squeeze, That tickled imaginary, yellow knees. New sound escaped his beak, A loud, high-pitched kind of squeak! It brought him joy, Not just because he was a toy! He didn’t miss a quack! That was not what he lacked. For inside of his little heart, Was...

What happened on another hour walk journey in Dayton-ville? If you guessed something artsy & fartsy, you get a prize! Reading this! Hahaha! Held in the auditorium of Dayton Metro Library was librarian, Matt Kish's brilliant talk about one of the best art related titles published this year, "Moby Dick In Pictures: One Drawing For Every Page." Articulately spoken with remarkable insight and humor, Kish gave the visitors a taste of his upbringing (hippy parents? charming!) and his influences (vinyl LP's, illustrated folklore/science fiction paperbacks & JACK KIRBY: COMIC BOOK GOD!!!!). The passion for Herman Melville's classic, "Moby Dick" was evident in the joyful tone of his voice, the manner of presentation, and in the images themselves. Funny considering that it all started from an innocent little tagged note on Facebook in which he had made a list of top five books and completely omitted his precious "Moby Dick"... First of all, I mus...

This was my dream last night. A clustered, metaphoric cloud of rubber duck inspiration came to me.... I suppose we all have our little maddening obsessions. These little things that make us overly happy time and time again. Mine are of course- chocolate, vintage clothes, art, writing, and rubber ducks! So combining art, rubber ducks, and fashion made for an exciting sketchbook venture! From previous posts, you could see that the owl designs being included into the wearable world got me thinking about finding a place for ducks. What if they could be emphasis for clothes and bags and not just towels, hand dispensers, and other bathroom items? Starring Prismacolor colored pencils and markers, let's see the five nifty items I've made so far. Was there ever a fancier tote? A lot of people will gawk and stare at the fashionista with envy when she walks around painting the town blue and yellow with this glam rubber duck patterned bag! I have a lot of fantasies swinging this round and ...

Buffy is back and she's in town! For only a limited time! Oops. I mean Sarah Michelle Gellar and her duo identity characters- Siobhan and Bridget on CW's new show, Ringer, which I reviewed weeks ago here: http://sugarygingersnap.blogspot.com/2011/10/double-troubled-ringer-review.html Still giving it a chance. Though I must admit, I'm two episodes behind (still missing the talented, curvaceous Gemma *insert sniffle*) on the twisted yet utterly predictable drama. Strolling through Dayton, seeing larger than life Ringer ads on Smithville (near home) and on Wayne Ave and Main Streets (both downtown) would give "Big Head Portrait" a run for her money! Also, I kept thinking about Buffy. Did the Slayer have this many billboards in our town? Was her presence graced with stakes and crosses telling us to WB? I miss that show so much. Damn. Seem to be missing a lot of things. When will they ever perfect the time machine? Need to transport to about thirteen years ago. The Buf...