bgrmosaic: What's Important...

What's Important...been thinking about this while fixing my place and website. 

Transit is important to me. Good transit means freedom, access to areas one may not get to see otherwise. I also love the way lines weave around each other, forming routes in transit maps...probably the best reasoning to the focus of lines in my work, draws the eyes around. The transit map on my main website page will be updated soon.

I like knowing how most things work, also being able to fix them, so took on building the bgrmosaic website myself. It has given me a Lot of appreciation for those who stare over HTML codes all day. Can make my way around HTML decent enough so far, will learn CSS in time.

Having a local number is important. Why?. Most people's reaction to a foreign number is not that great, (taken as some telemarketer and ignored). An added extra confusion I've encountered, giving out my NYC cell number, whose area code 917, around Portland, OR, whose cell area code is 971. Enough assumptions of, I gave out the wrong area code, prompted me to get a local number through GoogleVoice, (now on my website).

This Blog will remain a mix of things I'd like to share: transit, travel, mosaics and food. Highlight things that interest me, and hopefully you as well.

bgrmosaic (spring 2015)

The bgrmosaic Flickr Page has been up and running. The pictures there are mainly of around Portland, Oregon, construction, transportation, local and in traveling. I have been strongly considering making albums in my Flickr account, for my various artworks.

I'm still here

Wow, what a difference a year makes, but I'm still here. 

First, twitpic (as of Oct. 2014) is no more; the owners closed the site do to lack of funding. On my website main page, the twitpic button will now take you to the new place where I'll post picture, Flickr. 

The ability to create folders in Flickr maybe a catalyst to changing up my website, (using Flickr folders for my various works, over making pages on the website itself).

I have a more permenant space to do my work, Happy about that. 

Those are my statements for now.

Scrub clean that cast iron, Naturally

Not so favorable results in seasoning my favorite little cast iron pan. I admit to being lazy here, seasoning on top of an already, un even seasoned surface, (using a paper towel used to apply layers of oil, adding specks of fuzz), didn't help either.  seen to your right, le craPe sea son :|

Scrub this crap off and start again, but how!?

I live in an apartment, no access to a fire pit & not going to upset my neighbors, (smoking the place out, trying to burn it off in the oven). Sheryl provides a solution, oven cleaner, but don't want to deal with lye potentially burning my skin. With some research, found a way to make my own, inexpensive toxin free, natural oven cleaner. Had the baking soda, vinegar and the Dr. Bronners Hemp I have is natural soap, think I'm Set!

6pm: put the natural oven cleaner and cast iron in a zip lock bag; do ya thang!

12am: good scrubbing, re-coat with more cleaner, sit till 8am; Round 2!
(how the pan sat, image to the right).

One Good final scrub in the sink, (little more baking soda to help scratch out the old seasoning). I'm happy.



Where people screw up Seasoning a Cast Iron Pan! Too much oil! Leaving a lot of fat in the pan doesn't allow the layer to dry out in heating; instead, it becomes a semi-sticky, un-hardened mess. Sheryl has the best idea, which has worked for me, put oil in, wipe out excess and "cook" the pan for an hour, repeat about six times. Its a long process, but a) each layer dries properly and b) your left with that smooth, non-stick, seasoned surface. 

My pan is beter now, but if you ever need to strip a pan, and dont have access to the other ways, that natural method worked nice for me. 

Nice, but functional too.

Sometimes, we just want an art piece that bring a smile to our faces, but I have this thing, when possible, to make pieces functional as well.

In getting back into doing my beadwork, I want pieces to be nice, but functional too. I wont lay out the ideas here, but when I get back into the street fairs, hoping these pieces will make you say, "Ooh!"

My little blurb for now, stay tuned :)

What next (in my art)

What do I want to do? 
    Make mosaics, stitching beadwork and creating buttons.
...What do I think will work?
    This a combination question for me, and where I am now. 

Back in NYC, I'd wrap up my wares, pack into a shopping cart and head to a street fair. Did pretty well, but exploring my options while settling into a new city.

For non-drivers, like myself, thought also goes into transporting crafts, (is it worth it). Having a pocket full of money and happy customers is better than repacking unsold wares to take back home, (especially if dealing with big pieces).

I've spent enough time "settling" into the city, time to get back out there.

AmericanAirlines, and the new design :|

AmericanAirlines new logo ...its going to take me a while to get use to this one... 

I remember reading, in AmericanAirlines magazine, one benefit to Not painting the plane (leaving it that polished silver) was it made the plane lighter, (one doesn't realize How much paint it takes to cover a plane and the weight it adds to the body). American Airlines had a classic, simple sweet design I grew up with, and liked it. 

Without fully painting the planes, American Airlines stood out a little extra from other airlines. Painting them over now, for me, makes them blend back into what most other planes look like; not stand out as much with that reflection of the bare metal.

image take from:  airlinereporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/AAlivery.jpg

Other airlines have wrapped their design around, center it nicely, or do something else to make it look complete. The flag design on the tail here, just ending flat at the base, makes it look unfinished to me.

I'm also curious, how much Delta Airlines' redesign influenced American Airlines', because it reminds me of Delta now, except the flag design on American Airlines is straightened out. Delta image taken from: http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2012/10/08/delta-adds-seattle-routes-to-shanghai.html?page=all

I understand, American Airlines spent a lot of time, energy and money into updating it's brand. Had they went around the USA, and showed the design in public groups, the final design might have came out a little bit different. Interesting to read the comments at the end of the YouTube video.

image from: http://www.inc.com/erik-sherman/what-killed-american-airlines-could-kill-you.html

There was something classic, simple sweet to the look of the previous design, and time will tell peoples' reaction to to the new one. We'll just get use to the new design I imagine, but it's going to take me a while to get use to new look of AmericanAirlines.

*2 extra points if you realized this blog was done in Helvetica font and why :)