Tubular Tractors & Girly Boys

It is really weird to have a blog because I am basically talking to myself in hopes that someone else reads it. Am I hoping for that? Are bloggers lonely people? Facebook and MySpace offer a bombardment of meaningless wall posts. Usually I’ll post or receive something like, “Whoa, baby, you’ve been workin’ out!” or “Hey I haven’t seen you in sooo long come see me in SF!” I am tired of it. I am tired of talking to people on Facebook so I am going to rebel against it and talk to myself on the internet. So much cooler.

Today I am going to talk to myself about Elsie Marley and her crafty and hip line of plush toys/soft sculptures.
“pink digger” Elsie Marley, 2009, sewn pillowcase

If you think that crafts are not cool right now, think again. There is a total rebellion against the technological age that will only get more popular as time goes on. In the 90’s we were so excited about technology that we abandoned most things handmade. We wanted the new computers and cameras and cell phones. Well, we have all that now and a lot of it gives me a headache. I’m always on my cell or Twitter (not really because I have like one friend on Twitter so that’s not bothersome) or doing photo shoots for potential facebook albums…

I got off topic. This is why crafts are coming back:
We want to connect with our mind and body again. We are tired of computers doing all the thinking. There is a lot of structural planning in crafts and it feels good to exercise this part of the brain again.

Whether Elsie Marley realizes this or not, she is creating a line of plush toys that is completely part of the crafts movement. Se has taken something, a tractor/machinery, and placed it in soft, fluffy, handmade world. This is gender bending in a way – if youcan bend the gender of a tractor, which I think you can. Tractors are generally associated with rugged men and she is sewing stuffed tractors to decorate little girl’s rooms. Completely the opposite world that a tractor usually lives.

Even male artists are embroidering and sewing in the fine art world...
“I know you won’t be sorry.” Tucker Scwartz, 2007, thread on muslin, 46”x 56”

These days the “cool” artists are crocheting iPod cozies and sewing their own clothes. Artists are starting their own handmade collections on Etsy and making it big time. It’s actually pretty huge. Crafts used to be something only old ladies and little girls did together. Now, there are exclusive and prestigious knitting clubs in held in galleries. That’s insanely cool to me.

Maybe I’ll start a prestigious club: Dead Knitters Society

It’s not just a condiment, people! Did you know that cooked tomatoes(even in the form of ketchup) eaten with a little bit of fat can reduce oxidation levels by 30-40% in your body and significantly reduces the risk of prostate, stomach, and lung cancer. Tomatoes’ preventative power: Lycopene.

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