Veins & Limbs Tattoo

Copyright Adri Meckel 2011

 

The newest tattoo design request, intended as an inner forearm drawing where veins become tree limbs.

What a cutie!

 

I challenge you to look at that adorable face and not smile! Everyday is such an adventure with Jack and we do our best to keep up with him.

The Nest that Hatched the Egg

This looks like a cool movie...focusing on Mary Surratt, the first woman in the US to be victim to the death penalty. She was called "The Nest that Hatched the Egg" in reference to the plot to assassinate Lincoln.

And He Works Without a Net!

Here is Jack, our 1.5 year-old dare devil. In a matter of moments, he can turn the average toy into a death defying contraption. All this fearless curiosity makes me wonder what he'll do with all his courageous energy when he grows up. I love this guy!

Embezzelment - new drawing

Thanks to my sister for the amazing book I received for Christmas titled Prisoners by Arne Svenson. This drawing is inspired by one of the many convicts photographed in the book.

February Fun

Some pictures taken in the last few days of our February happenings.  Nate is doing well and Jack is loving to stomp around in our snowy driveway He also got to test drive one of Papa Ron's tractors.

LARGE NEON BISTRO SIGN ON CRAIGSLIST

I have a large neon bistro sign for sale on craigslist.  Just taking a chance that somebody out there might need one.

http://boise.craigslist.org/bfs/2218183161.html

Dining In

This post is a HUGE pat on the back for Brant and I.  When we lived outside of Kansas City attending graduate school, we found it hard to cook and eat at home.  Time, schedules, projects, our suburban location, etc kept luring us into the fast food joints and restaurants that surrounded us.  We were literally spending hundreds of dollars a month on top of grocery money I was spending.

Well...........
I have to report that in the last 2 weeks, we have used our bank card only twice to dine out!!! Thats 40 bucks rather than 150!

Yay for us!

Captive Baby Wearing Stockings

New work. Hatched and stippled ink drawn from a tin type photo I collected in Platte City, MO. About 3X4" in size. The beginning of something...I hope.

Mrs. Edwards & Frl. Kussin (boxing) 1912

I was asked to make some drawings for an interior design project (thanks Meg!) and thought I'd share one of the final drawings. I really enjoy researching a topic when I make drawings...if possible. This project dealt with women and sports, so I went to the internet and looked up historic women's sports. This lead me to this famous image of two women boxing. I learned a little about these two particular women and their boxing match on March 7, 1912. I also learned a bit about women's boxing and the fact that it's taken over 200 years for it to be taken seriously. I'm not sure if I'm correct, but the London Olympics of 2012 might finally include it as a sport rather than an exhibition. Please make comments if I'm completely wrong about any of those facts...I can take a hit! :)

Jack's toy placements

More of Jack's strategic toy placements...

 
 
 

Ankle Crosser

Jack is consistently crossing his ankles whenever he's sitting at the table, watching tv on the couch, or sitting on the floor. It is so amazingly adorable!

Ready Made Toy Sculptures and Juxtapositions

As Jack zooms around the house, his toys often land in the strangest places, and in very clever juxtapositions.  As I notice his little surprise sculptures, I'm photographing them to share his budding creativity.  Please remember, I merely document these ephemeral creations, the genius belongs to Jack.

Camera Envy

My mom and dad's first 'couple camera.' Maybe someday it will find itself in my studio. Not that I would probably shoot with it, I think the film is a pretty obsolete size, but it sure is a cutie.

Took a photo of it as inspiration...since I've been drawing all those camera people.

Drawing in progress ... may have found some momentum in the work...more to come.

Lens Eye Woman in Winter Trees

drawing in progress
A new drawing finished this evening.  

Happy Holidays from Us and the Pony

No, we didn't trade Nate in for a little pony, he was just not available for the photo so we grabbed the closest thing...thought nobody would notice.  :)

It's been a wonderful year full of new experiences.  In July we moved into our first home in Donnelly and it has been so amazing to live in such nice, big house and a beautiful location.  Nate is mending very well from his accident last spring and Jack is growing like a weed, running, climbing and speaking in his own language.

We wish everyone a beautiful holiday season.

November 2010-Brant, Adri & Jack with "Mini Joy" pony.

Nate enjoying the water and sunshine at Secesh this summer. 

The Saddest Chippendale

Jack buddy had a couple Halloween costumes this year... He was a cowboy sheriff by day and a male dancer by night.  But a sad one, as you can see.  It just pays the bills.

Autumn Makes Me Sick...

homesick that is.  When I lived in Kansas for grad school I would miss Idaho, specifically the family farm, immensely.  And now, living in Idaho, during the fall I miss Kansas like crazy.  Something about the season turns me to mush and I get really sentimental and teary.  I remember making my commute to Lawrence when we were in Kansas, crying part of the way.  It was during one fall that I worked on a photo postcard project in a little town called Desoto Kansas.  I spotted the most beautiful old home and asked the owner if I could shoot images with his home in the background.  He said yes and also gave us a tour of the restored home, which was amazingly generous of him.  This produced a collection I call "Writing Home: A Postcard Project."  I remember that time in my life so fondly and maybe that's part of what makes fall feel just right.

Change is Good

Today is my last day at my current job.  (I say current because I seem to be changing employment quite regularly)  I've been working as a manager of a storage unit in our small town for almost 5 months and when a new owner bought the business, he decided to use a 24 hour kiosk rather than a human.  I actually don't blame him,  I think as a customer it makes sense.  (And I love gadgets)  It has just been a good, sensible job because it's full time AND I can take my 14 month old son along.

So....goodbye day job.  I'm actually excited for this change.  Winter is here and I hope to work in the studio, apply to some shows, visit family, ski a lot, and take some part time hours with my friends at The Fogglifter Cafe in McCall.  (I love that place!)

Camera Faced Man with Winter Trees, 2010

detail, Camera Faced Man with Trees, 2010

Hatched ink and charcoal. Inspired by a photograph I bought a while back. The tree limbs were fantastic and I had to spend some time with them. I'm now working on the next drawing along this line. Somehow these camera mechanisms sneak in as I draw, merging themselves into faces, etc. I keep coming back to the idea of the head being a camera...just a dark box imaging the world as it goes by. Being a photographer, I instinctively look at the composition of things and my drawings reflect this automatic 'camera eye.' I also see that with the convenience of digital cameras, phones, etc., people are facially connected to a lens almost constantly...recording the world in mind and machine. But what if the earliest cameras, the large and cumbersome ones had been so common in daily life? That's where I'm headed...