Coney Island.

I got the chance to go to New York City for the first time the weekend before last. My friend, and co-worker, Katalina and I were attending the National Stationery Show. We packed the two days we had before and after the show with sight seeing, walking, good food, and reference shopping. The first thing we decided to do after we checked into the hotel was to hop on the Metro and head on down to Coney Island. Best decision we made all weekend. I can't get over how magical that place is. I was so inspired by the colors and signage I couldn't stop taking pictures. 

Poppies.

I'm overdue in posting something about the trip I took to New York City last weekend but I haven't particularly felt like sitting down and sorting through the pictures. 

We spent a good portion of Saturday destroying the concrete walkway leading up to our front door, planting a birch tree, and starting to disassemble the existing "flower beds" in the front of our house that have been growing weeds for months. And then yesterday we couldn't get our garage door open so any yard work we had planned for the rest of the long weekend came to a screeching halt. 

Oh well. 

So here's 1/10 of our new landscaping so far. A small pot of poppies. Hopefully to be planted in the ground before too long. 

Howard Finster.

It's been a while.

A couple of weekends ago I saw an exhibit of Reverend Howard Finster's folk art/visionary art at the Akron Art Museum. 

Finster was a self-taught artist who believed that he had heard a message from God telling him to create sacred art that would spread the gospel. He set a goal of 5,000 paintings, but when he died he had created over 46,000. He knew that every piece he was sending out into the world was telling someone about God. 

I feel like I have a lot of things to say about the way his work affected me, but I'm not really sure how to put it into words. In fact I've re-written this post multiple times. In short, it left me evaluating the focus I have on my creative process and my faith. It was much needed.