This year, as part of an effort to establish a robust creative practice (and maybe improve my watercolor skills), I…
With Brush in Hand: Theory through Praxis
Over the holidays, I gave myself a gift: I took a break from work and allowed my brain to pursue…
Vivienne Westwood (1941-2022)
I met Vivienne Westwood, very briefly, once. It was at a press conference for her 2007 retrospective at the Legion…
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed: Nan Goldin and Laura Poitras
A few years ago, I wrote about Nan Goldin. When I wrote that piece, I knew about Goldin’s struggles with…
The Pope’s Funeral
The Metropolitan Museum owns a quietly beautiful drawing by Michelangelo, a presentation drawing illustrating his design for a tomb dedicated…
Little Pink Boxes: Why Bakery Boxes in SoCal (and in other parts of the West Coast) are Pink, a Post in Honor of Boxing Day
Stephanie Shih, “Brueghel’s Breakfast,” 2020. Today is Boxing Day … so let’s talk about boxes. Actual boxes. But let’s go…
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas: A Christmas Mix Tape
It’s a cold and bright Christmas Day here in NYC. I hope you’re doing something you enjoy, with people you…
Reading New York: 2022 Edition
Jane Mount, Ideal Bookshelf #364-New York, 2008. (You can order a copy of this illustration as a print from Jane’s…
Jennifer Rochlin and Shary Boyle
Jennifer Rochlin, Sycamore and Poppies, 2022. Glazed ceramic, 19.5 x 16 x 11.5 in. These short December days can really…
“To Make Ginger Breade” : Transcribing a 17th-Century Gingerbread recipe
Every year, the Early Modern Recipes Online Collective (EMROC) holds a virtual Transcribathon event. This year, I finally took the…