Paul Westerberg

Last week snow, this week rain. On a rainy day in London the Replacements bring back memories of Connecticut. In a section of the wall of groupie drawings from the Phillips auction you will notice a tiny Tommy Stinson in a green jacket.But what this topic really brings me to is the glorious Paul Westerberg. Absent from this image is the watercolor of PW and me, aged thirteen, when he uttered my favorite compliment ever, 'Hey, I like that pink leather jacket.' I only have a close up of the photo from which it was based along with one of the drummer, Chris Mars, holding the Mats painting I made for them. Below is a link to Paul's exceptional show in London, 2004. I fought my way to the stage for the spot next to him on the sofa for 'Skyway'. Look on Youtube for 'Achin to be.' I am sure every artist chick loves that song but this artist chick always loved it the most.

London in the snow

Unusually it snowed in London recently. This photograph of my street was taken at night. The sky was an unearthly pink.
I also made a silhouette.

Hair

Hair has always played an important part in my work. I grew up with sisters with amazing hair: a blonde, two brunettes, a red head and one with true jet black hair. All natural each and every one. Here are just a few images of hair as it has appeared in past works and a new photo of my sister and her amazing thick red hair.

Andy Warhol Autograph

When I was a kid, I adored Andy Warhol. Worshipped Andy, completely. When the nightclub, The Palladium, opened it was the hottest disco in New York. My sisters, being extremely cool and hip, planned their outfits for weeks and went to NY on the second night the club had been open. I gave them a stack of my drawings with our address on back because I was convinced they would bump into Andy and he would love my pictures. Andy was there, my sisters were so thrilled, they thrust the drawings upon him, over excitedly talking about their little sister who loved him and he gave them his autograph for me. A few weeks later a package arrived from NY with a card from his assistant saying how much Andy wished me luck. The autograph went missing a few years after and every time I would go back to the States I would look for it. It became a quest, until just recently I opened a book I never before checked and there it was, the green paper. I felt just like Charlie Bucket finding the golden ticket. I made a painting of the autograph. On the other side is written in gold pen..' your pictures are really great.' Here is the painting.

Rainbow over Bridgeport, Ct.

I took this photo from the train. Bridgeport is a place long remembered from childhood and not especially lovely, but on this day as the Amtrak went past it was glowing.

We'll Take Manhattan

The fantastic BBC drama 'We'll Take Manhattan' will be shown this Thursday, the 26th January, on BBC4 at 9. In the States it will be shown on Ovation, February 11th. Aside from being wildly entertaining and beautifully written/directed by John McKay, it has also been shot by my husband, Tim Palmer. Here is a link to his site and some images from the film. http://www.timpalmerdp.com/

Inspiration

My secret source of inspiration, well, not so secret anymore, is the amazing album by Peter Wolf, 'Midnight Souvenirs' This should come with a warning label: highly addictive.

Peter was in J. Geils, whose video 'Centerfold' is an all time favorite for not just the song but the incredible hair.