Sunday, May 3, 2015

Gorgeous Weather + Sleeping Babies = Fine Weekend

A perfect Spring day in Michigan: warm enough to hint at the (inevitably short) Summer to come; perfect for those attending the U(niversity) of M(ichigan)'s commencement ceremony; perfect to avoid the snarled U of M traffic for the rest of us residents; perfect for driving down country roads in search of art open houses and friends who invite you to sit down to iced tea, while a cat slinks around the side wall and flops onto the heated asphalt of the driveway. The baby is off being doted on by her Dad, sister and grandparents; I am tempted to start an online series "Baby Asleep on People." I am also tempted to flop myself onto the grass in the backyard and not do a damn thing, but I will only be grumpy later if I do so, and really, the yard is probably closer to swamp than firm ground, with only a deceptive grass/weed covering.

So. I listed a few new Cakeasaurus prints in my Etsy shop and figured I'd re-share the introductory signs, since a long time has passed:


This is an inked woodblock from early in the tale, depicting how he stays below the radar:



How does Cakeasaurus best serve his dessert-thieving needs? By skirting around the edges…hiding in plain sight. This print is as close to “Where’s Waldo?” as a monstery story gets. Where, indeed! The bird is the holder of knowledge, as they often are. But who would he tell with his birdsong? And who would believe him? The townspeople, keen to apprehend the cake thief in their midst, rarely look to avian solutions. The same old conundrum: the one with key information has a credibility problem… Ahhh well, such is life.

"Crept quietly, quietly..." (for sale here) is a companion piece to “Cakeasaurus Roamed Under Cover of Night,” also found in the Cakeasaurus Lurking section of my Etsy shop.
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Hopping forward slightly, this jaunty woodblock print follows on the heels of the chaos of “Cake Maelstrom” and the wreckage of “Nothing Was Left”. Here we have Cakeasaurus at his most buoyant: filled with his treat of choice, and triumphant in his thievery. Some even say he has jazz hands…
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And Sunday even beats Saturday for the weather! Baby is fitfully snoozing in her swing in the living room, while residents throng the northwest corner of Ann Arbor for the annual Water Hill Music Fest -- anything from 10 y.o. violin players, ukelele bands, to jazz musicians who have played with the likes of Sarah Vaughn. Friends, tell me about it when we next meet! I aim to make it next year, along with many cool annual events that have occurred either during late pregnancy or early parenthood. 

Baby, the sights you will see! She did quite well at her first art opening on Friday evening (=slept, peppered with occasional mutterings, while people cooed over her); and the Yourist Gallery Drink (c)Up exhibit is small but well worth checking out. Today's mutterings are getting louder, so that spells the end of this post.

Till next time, a block I just transferred for carving -- nearing a pivotal confrontation between boy and monster:


Happy Sunday and have a great week, Everyone!

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