Color and Movement: Can I Frame You?

There is artwork I want to buy.  OK, there's always some artwork or something pretty that I can't wait to buy and put up on my walls.  This is why I bug Jon so often about painting things.  The only problem is that we hardly have room for the framed artwork we do have.  There can't be enough wall space, I say!

However, above our television is this open, white, sad area that's just begging for some color.  I admit, it's been extremely difficult for me to commit to putting something up there, because it has to be very specific and special.  It's our entertainment area!  It should be film-related, if possible.

On the flip-side of that, it also can't be distracting.  This is why I've nixed the idea of mini-movie posters or flashy art prints.  (We bought this print from Justin Hillgrove's 'Imps & Monsters' art collection, specifically for that space... but it's too small, it can't be paired with any other art pieces easily, and it just... doesn't feel right.) 

I always do this.  I have the hardest time committing to hanging art, because I want it to be perfect.  Trouble is, I never live anywhere long enough (or have walls strong enough) to get it right.  By the time I do, my lease is up and I'm ready to move on and up!

But I've found something, and I want your opinion on it.  I've discovered a person online who creates Movie Barcodes using the color schemes in action sequences through the film... at least, that's what I think he's doing.  Either way, I've picked several that I really like (from movies I also like) that I'm hoping I'll be able to buy as prints.  

Top to bottom: Pan's Labyrinth, Amélie, The Matrix

Maybe they're too... I don't know, confusing?  But I love the idea of bringing colors into a space, without them being distracting, and the fact that the colors are pulled directly from the films make them all the more special.

I have no idea if I'll be able to buy these as prints.  The creator has some for sale, but not all of the ones I like.  I've contacted him (or her) about the possibility of special ordering a few.  Hopefully he'll get back to me with a resounding YES! and also, DISCOUNT!

What do you think, friends?

EDIT
Description of the barcode-making process:  The artist takes the average color of each frame condensed to a one pixel column.

EDIT (again)
Heard from moviebarcode man, and apparently I can special order some prints, but HOLY CROW they're expensive!  To get three that are large enough, I'd have to spend close to $500.  Yikes!  Maybe one would be enough?  I'll have to sit on it for a bit.

This Tasty City

Jon and I will eventually leave Seattle.  This is something we knew when he moved up here last May from California to be with me.  There's no question that if I had been financially capable, I would have moved down and joined him instead of the other way around.  At the same time, I am grateful for the time we've had here.  Coming out of near-poverty and unemployment into jobs that pay us decently—at least, enough to enjoy what has turned out to be an incredibly delicious city.

Bourbon Renewal and Eggnog from Sun Liquor, Seattle

When considering where we will go after this (much of this depends on where Jon will get into grad school), it's hard to imagine any place having better drinks or food than Seattle.  Not only that, drinks and food within walking distance or nothing more than a short drive to the next district over.  If Seattle has changed us in any way, it's the fine-tuning of an (I'm embarrassed to say) elitist mentality about fresh, high-quality food and original, expertly crafted cocktails.

Living so close to places like Sun Liquor, Tavern Law/Needle & Thread, and Zig Zag Cafe (to name a few) means that for a reasonably fair price, not only can you taste original cocktails but you can help invent ones with the assistance of absolutely brilliant bartenders.

And we do invent cocktails.  Often.

Our go-to place for cocktails is Sun Liquor, down on Summit in Capitol Hill.  It's a short walking distance, and Richardo—the bartender—is an artist.  Watching him make any drink (even a simple screwdriver) is an experience.  And it isn't because he squeezes your orange juice fresh.  Rather, it's his concentration, so exact.  I've heard the same thing about world famous Seattle bartender, Murray Stinson—you can't live in Seattle and drink alcohol without knowing this man's name—and while I've been to Zig Zag a few times, I haven't had the privilege of sitting in a coveted bar seat to watch him work.  Sun Liquor can get crowded, but it's definitely a laid-back, local haunt.  Ricardo is a master of mixing himself, and if you feel inspired to try something different, tell him your favorite liquor and he'll make something special.  At Thanksgiving, he helped my family and us invent several cocktails, all sensational.

When I leave, I want to take Sun Liquor and Ricardo with me.

Thinking about leaving the food and drink options here is the only thing that gives me pause about leaving; it will be the ultimate sacrifice when taking off from here.  Jon and I see food as an adventure, and cocktails as the ultimate indulgence.

In terms of places that are an option for us (NYC- and San Francisco-proper are not, unfortunately, options), it's hard to imagine my tastebuds being happier than they have been this past year.

Infamous Coconut Creme Pie from Tom Douglas' Dahlia Bakery in Seattle

While Jon is determined to taste a bit of every restaurant that Tom Douglas has his name attached to, I'm a bit more interested in spending my summer utilizing all of the incredible markets that Seattle has to offer.  The best farmer's market (undoubtedly) is the Ballard Farmer's Market, which is every Sunday.  One of my main goals this summer, before leaving the Northwest for good, is to make as many fresh vegetable- and meat-filled dishes as humanly possible.

We've made and tried so many delicious dishes this last year.  If for no other reason, I'm sad I haven't been updating this blog so that I could tell you all about it!  Seattle food and drink establishments thrive on good recommendations, and if something doesn't come recommended here, good luck surviving.  I admit, we probably won't try someplace new unless we've heard it's something special.

So stay tuned for food and drink updates.  My tastebuds demand these things be chronicled for future reference.

My Spring Awakening

Living in Seattle as a person filled with joy rather than a person filled with sadness has proven to be the biggest shift of my entire life.  That may edge on hyperbole, but it is still something that genuinely takes my breath away every day.  It is not a “black and white” kind of difference; it isn’t about my life becoming the opposite of what it was before.  Rather, it’s that I've morphed (so to speak) into an alternate dimension version of my old self:  my dogs have grown up, my home feels like a home, my true desires are crystal clear, and for the first time, I’m happy.

Oh, and I am so incredibly, stupidly in love.

I don’t mean to get mushy on you.  My point is simply that this new life of mine has not been conducive to writing—of any kind.  This might be the one thing in my daily life that makes me sad.  No plays or stories or articles or reviews have been typed by these fingers in over a year.  I can't really figure out exactly why that is.  Perhaps it's because I finally have someone I love, and who loves me, to share exciting things with; I don’t think to run to my computer, spend hours writing a short article, just for the potential joy of someone caring enough to read a snippet of what has felt like a very ordinary life.  There is nothing "ordinary" about my life anymore, thought it may seem that way from the outside.

That being said, I wanted to return to this seemingly desolate place of past writings and rantings and infuse some happiness, hope and insight into the place.  With a little bit of dusting and a splash of color, I think this blog will be worth revisiting regularly—at least for me—like any cozy-yet-rarely-used room in your house.  Plus, this time around, I'm coming to you from a place of knowledge and experience previously foreign to me.  The combination of Seattle and the company of my boyfriend, Jon, have opened up a world of food and cocktails and walking and beautiful things that my eyes had never quite been open to.

Now I want to share it all with you.  And, until I have a workspace of my own presentable enough to photograph, just imagine that I'm writing this from here:

Image: Pretty Stuff by Patterson Maker via The Essence of the Good Life

Hopefully my home decorating projects will make it onto this blog sometime in the future, but being virtually broke and a renter doesn't leave a lot of room for the highest quality of décor.  Too many little apartment details stand out to me as being utterly frustrating to look at.  But it's getting better, slowly.

Until next time, I'm simply happy to be back.