Nerd Merit Badge 365

Woot! Check out what came in the mail today.

Voila. A nerd merit badge from MakeSomething365 earned with a video submission for Noah's site:

House No. 74: Beware the Ides of March

House No. 74: Beware the Ides of March

ink on paper

8.5 in. x 6 in.
074/365; 03/15/11

Today’s house was inspired by my friend Elizabeth (known by many as EBambi) who suggested that, in honor of today's date, that I post a sketch of Caesar’s Palace.

House No. 73: Pi Day House

House No. 73: Pi Day House
ink on paper

9 in. x 11.5 in.
073/365; 03/14/11

This house has nothing to do with pi or pie. Mmmmm, pie. I wish that I had thought of making a pie house earlier. Instead, I had a lovely evening with Heather and Hayden and learned all about the Wild Kratts while eating tasty Mexican food. We also did some crafting. All around, a wildly entertaining evening.

House No. 72: Outside the Home

House No. 72: Outside the Home
black and white ink or finely corrugated cardboard

10 in. x 10 in.
072/365; 03/13/11

A few years ago, when a new couple moved into the neighborhood and a few of us were stopping by individually to welcome them into the area, a couple of friends of mine and I were asked by the new lady of the house if we worked outside the home.

This question lead to peals of laughter amongst those of us who were asked, a catch phrase for our lexicon, and an attempt at hosting for the woman a welcoming dinner dressed in 1960's attire. A dinner to which she never showed up, I might add. Perhaps she was not one to venture outside the home. We enjoyed our nut-encrusted cheese ball in our pearls, sweater sets, and aprons without her. The couple moved to NoVa.

Anyway, the term, while amusing and archaic, is one that I appreciate because it acknowledges that there is plenty of work to be done within the home and that keeping a home has value.

It was this term that inspired my house today, which I masked off before working the drawing outside of the form of the house. And now I must go work within the home before the weekend catches up with me. I have some scrubbing to do and a catbox that needs zen gardening.

Today's post makes me think of this:

Eurythmics - Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves (Official Music Video). 

House No. 71: Tagged Houses

House No. 71: Tagged Houses
repurposed tags, ink, and colored pencil on card stock

8 in. x 10 in.
071/365; 03/12/11

A collaged neighborhood.

House No. 70: Zayat

House No. 70: Zayat
ink, colored pencil, and watercolor on paper, digital layout

8.5 in. x 11 in.
070/365; 03/11/11

In Burma, nearly every village has a zayat, a building used as a shelter for travelers, religious celebration, and civic assemblies. Buddhist monks live in zayats during intensified practice on sabbath days. 

And so ends my series of alphabet houses. I almost feel a little sad that I have finished them, I enjoyed them so much, but I have so many ideas to play out and some collaborations coming up. I can't wait to share them with you.

The Happy Homemaker Video for 365: A Daily Creativity Journal

House No. 69: Yaodong

House No. 69: Yaodong
ink, colored pencil, and watercolor on paper, digital layout

8.5 in. x 11 in.
069/365; 03/10/11

Yaodong are humanly-excavated caves that have been constructed and used for centuries in China, particularly in the Loess Plateau. Once again, these ancient building techniques are innovative sustainable housing. I'm beginning to see a trend here.

House No. 68: Xerxes Palace

House No. 68: Xerxes Palace

ink, colored pencil, and watercolor on paper, digital layout

8.5 in. x 11 in.
068/365; 03/09/11

Xerxes, the great king, the king of kings,
the son of king Darius, an Achaemenid.

Persepolis, the Greek name for the City of Persians (Persēs polis: "Persian city"), was the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire (ca. 550-330 BCE), which is now Iran.

The palace of King Xerxes was sacked by the troops of Alexander the Great with particular fervor in revenge for the attack on Athens by Xerxes.

On a barely related note: have you seen the movie Persepolis? It is fantastic.

The "Up" House!

This has made me elated today!

This little blog of mine is entitled The Happy Homemaker, and this house from National Geographic put the happy in home for me today. Look!

The house from Up!

I love that this is an experiment. How lovely.

(Note the sign.)

And while someone in the NG comments pointed out the problems with using up precious helium and being wasteful, I am, for once, just going to enjoy the novelty and creative expression with self-imposed ignorant bliss. Decadent of me, yes, but joy is certainly a worthy purpose for artistic endeavors. I think that this instance is a wonderful example of the crossroads where creative expression and science meet.

PS: I originally saw this National Geographic project on the fantastic Design Milk site. Design Milk is a frequent happiness infuser in my life; I highly recommend following their posts.

House No. 67: Suffrage House

House No. 67: Suffrage House

vector graphic

5.25 in. x 4.5 in.
067/365; 03/08/11

Today is the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day. I am celebrating by watching Mary Poppins. I think that Mrs. Winifred Banks was my first introduction to the suffrage movement. She also utters one of my favorite lines in the movie. After belting out Sister Suffragette with her domestic staff, Mrs. Banks declares “Ellen, put these things* away; you know how the cause infuriates Mr. Banks.”

Today's house is a ballot box to house not only votes but also the struggle to obtain that vote. It's also a reminder of how women the world over still struggle for the right to vote, for equal pay, for education, and for numerous other liberties. It's a memento of the struggle to get this far, yes, but also how far we still have to go.

*her ‘votes for women’ sashes

UPDATED 03/09/11
Visit the year of the written word to get Bethany's take on the same subject for her post from yesterday. It's a 365 mind-meld, I tell you. Something just comes over you once you join the 365 movement. I think it's some sort of creative sixth sense thing.

House No. 66: Camper 1

House No. 66: Camper 1
ink, colored pencil, and watercolor on paper, digital layout
5 in. x 3 in.
066/365; 03/07/11

I so enjoyed drawing Mr. Herman's bike yesterday, that I wanted to draw something equally kitschy today. Voila, a vintage-style camper. I think that I may have more of these in the pipeline. I love retro campers, especially Airstream campers. I think that I will have to explore the interiors of these homes too.

Monday Meet the Neighbors, Angie Neimand of Simulacrum

Welcome to this week's edition of Meet the Neighbors that posts Mondays here on The Happy Homemaker. It's a chance to introduce and showcase other 365ers and artists by whom I am inspired and with whom I am collaborating.

This week's neighbor is Angie Neimand of Simulacrum.

Angie is no stranger to homemaking herself, just check out the Christmas presents she made for me this past year:

Two of my favorite things: houses and Amanita muscaria mushrooms!

Here is some work that Angie did in 2010 for our collaborative exhibit, aBout:

Here are some of my favorite Simulacrum projects to date:

House No. 65: Remember the Alamo

House No. 65: Remember the Alamo
ink on cardstock

5 in. x 3 in. x 2 in.
065/365; 03/06/11


In honor of the 175th Anniversary of the end the siege of the Alamo that occured on March 6, 1836, I have created this small diorama. On the back there is a nod to the building's significance in popular culture, a request of the Werepanda.

The Happy Homemaker on 365

My friend Noah featured me on his book site for 365: Make Something Everyday and Change Your Life yesterday. Check it out!

House No. 64: Wigwam

House No. 64: Wigwam
ink, colored pencil, and watercolor on paper, digital layout

8.5 in. x 11 in.
064/365; 03/05/11

While working on this illustration of a wigwam used by the indigenous people of North America  — I based mine on the wigwams made of bark by the Algonquin —I felt like an elementary school child working on a presentation for class. I seem to remember drawing all sorts of Native American housing for school reports: wigwams, tipis, longhouses ... again, some things never change.

House No. 63: La Maison Cubiste

House No. 63: La Maison Cubiste
ink on cardstock

5 in. x 3 in.
063/365; 03/04/11

Today I was inspired by several hours of enchantment at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in the Picasso special exhibition on loan from the Musée National Picasso in Paris, France as it undergoes renovation. If you can, go to this show. The work is a rarity to see, and I love the way the entire show progresses and does not stick solely to linear time line. It is a really well designed exhibition: the hanging, the lighting, the pacing.

My friend Ang, of Simulacrum fame, and the Werepanda and I had breakfast at the Richmond institution that is Perly's and then, fortified for some serious art appreciation, made our way to the museum. Afterward, Angie and I felt like we needed a nap. And so, I pose a general question that Ang and I were wondering about: Do museums make everyone tired?

After what feels like cerebral ecstasy from looking at inspiring art, I always feel spent. It's like mental calisthenics and overwhelming joy delivered in extended lightening bolt form.

The first half of the exhibition in particular was a mental workout. The earlier works of Picasso up through his relationship with Dora Maar have always been my favorite. Picasso's late work has never appealed to me as much, though it is a pleasure to see, and I always approach it differently at different points in my life.

For the first half of the show, I felt as if I could never possibly look enough. Picasso's earlier work always does this to me, no matter how many times I look at any particular work. There's just so much going on and so many properties to consider.

And so, here we have it, my little ink sketch influenced by Picasso and Cézanne.

Also of interesting note, I additionally have a bit of a connection, being named Madonna, to La Maison Cubiste in Prague, Czech Republic.

House No. 62: Villa

 

House No. 62: Villa
ink, colored pencil, and watercolor on paper, digital layout

8.5 in. x 11 in.
062/365; 03/03/11

The word villa comes from Italian by way of Latin: Roman villas were the country houses of the upper class, and the Tuscan countryside of Italy are still dotted with generations of these estates that make up the quintessential picture of the villa.

I always think of villas being flanked by rows of tall, pencil-thin cypress trees and overlooking rolling hills of vineyards. Sigh. I could use a stay at a villa right about now.

House No. 61: House Dressing

 

House No. 61: House Dressing
ink and colored pencil on cardstock

3 in. x 5 in.
061/365; 03/02/11

House haute couture.

House No. 60: Werepanda House

House No. 60: Werepanda House
vector illustration, cut & paste mock-up

1.5 in. x 3 in. x 1.5 in.
060/365; 03/01/11

A bamboo-adorned house for my husband, the werepanda,* because today is his birthday.

*Note the tiny panda fangs.