Don't look back

Sometimes sitting in on story time can lead to sad revelations. See you on the other side, brother.

I just realized something; that dude's head is a boombox and he didn't come here for a little peace and quiet.

Possible name for a new niche secondhand shoppe: Pipes 'n' types

This dude was given the go-ahead by stine custom woodworks.

Tracklisting

Lines are being drawn

Sounds have been recorded. Stories are being told. Lines are being drawn. Objects are coming soon. Stay tuned for further details.

Wink.

You're the best.

Evolution of an artist

This morning, after a bowl of oatmeal and honey, baby jane presented us with this representation of her and the good doctor picking apples at the orchard. Apparently she woke up this morning and decided she was moving past her abstract period to a season of realistic portraiture. Good for you, kiddo.

Remember to remember

My granddad was born on the 29th of february. He passed away a little over a month before baby jane came along. I spoke to my gramma on the phone this evening and we shared memories of the birthday boy. She recalled his last birthday four years ago. Gramma was picking him up from a senior care facility he'd been staying at briefly. The folks there had pulled out all the stops to make a big deal about his birthday, seeing as it only came around every four years. As they were loading up the car with all of granddad's belongings, they lost hold of the majestic balloon that served as a proclamation of the day's celebration. They watched that balloon disappear into the stratosphere. 

A few months later, we said goodbye to granddad.

Before ending our conversation over the phone, gramma remembered aloud how much she enjoyed watching granddad interact with little children when they'd be out shopping for groceries. She said that he was particularly comforting toward those who appeared upset or distressed. I wish he could have been around to spend time with baby jane and the good doctor. I have a feeling they would have enjoyed some lovely moments together. 

Until another time when heaven and earth become one...

New buds

February provided us another opportunity to print some tees for the best buddies chapter at north central high school. Thanks to our sister and new mama, elisa for providing us with this opportunity two years in a row. Now, be dazzled by the following peek inside the printing process.

A word from our sponsor

We've recently been raiding the archives to find gems such as this one from long long ago. Nobody wears a necktie with a tee shirt or pitches deadly kid toys quite like this shyster. Check out those pearly whites.

Nice of you to show up, snow.

Hey guys. In case you were passed out in a necco heart-induced coma and missed it, this was the scene on tuesday morning. Well, by golly, we certainly weren't going to waste this rare opportunity to make tracks through some fresh powder.

Let's be honest, the good doctor wasn't quite sure what to make of all the chilly hubbub. And who can blame him? Come on, snow! You can't just leave town for weeks without calling or writing, and expect  everything to be cool. The doctor don't play them games.

However, this chick harbors no resentment. She's all, "get over here, you freezin' mess of precipitation! We got us some catchin' up to do!" And how can you say no?

No worries, bro. Just stick close and we'll get through this together. Besides, in only a few short hours, that lovable scamp will have skipped town once again. Sigh.

One thursday afternoon

If you're going to get a job done, don't get it done alone. Have some help. My helper is Stanley. I drink his blood and it ignites my go-gettums. Thanks, Stan.

Sweet Judy Blue-eyes is always hanging around to wish us all a good day. Judy, you really know how to point a fella in the right direction. Stay positive, kid.

Nothing inspires creativity like a four foot stretch of plywood fresh off the sanding block. Baby jane urges that i change out of my better trousers lest this coat of paint gets the best of me.

Goldilocks and the Ghost of Sweet Judy Blue-eyes.

Art rock.

Portrait of a little girl and her little dog. Behold the wonder and find yourself. Now it's your turn. Go make something.

What the Crap?

Sometimes, you start finding things which you had forgotten existed. Maybe you forgot they existed for a reason. Maybe you hadn't really forgotten that they existed, but you like to pretend that you'd forgotten. After all, why do they exist in the first place? Why, after all these years, have you held on to them when you'd like to have forgotten them. I'll tell you why, Hamlet. Because, really, there's something kind of great about them. So now, without further ado, we present without commercial interruption this:

One for papaw

It was brought to our attention that certain grandparents needed to see this photo.

Nice hat, elmer

After a whirlwind holiday season, we pick up where we left off.

While you were away

It's been a whirlwind of a month or so since we last corresponded. That's my way of explaining how lazy i am about typing words on this thing. I'd like to say that i'll be more frequent with the updates, but i can't promise that. After all, there are more pressing issues at hand. In case you missed one of the greatest nights EVER, you can read the recap at INDYREFUGEE(dot)COM. Needless to say, it was an amazing night of art, frivolity, and bringing awareness of burmese refugees to those in attendance.

Due to a smorgasbord of projects (and two kiddos) already demanding my attention, this holiday season's offering of sonic morsels was a collection of random, previously unreleased home recordings spanning the past five years or so. You can download all  twenty one tracks at NOISETRADE(dot)COM/JOELROCKEY so you might as well go ahead and do that right now. Feel free to leave me a tip, but if you don't want to, that's cool too. Listen for baby jane chatting in the background of a few tracks. The cover art features what mama jane lovingly describes as a 'naked potato' shakin a tambourine. You make the call...

Now, a few random thoughts and observations from the past several weeks:
-We need more black licorice twists.
-Three-year-olds talk smack.
-Three-year olds think they're in charge.
-We can't have nice things.
-Families are messy.
-I'm really more of a sheep dog than a bear.
-Repurposed desktop art is still en vogue.
-The one with the beard is the one who leads.
-Sometimes what appears to be chicken pox is simply a possible case of hand, foot, and mouth.
-No one knows as much about anything as my friend JD does about Saved by the Bell.
-If you want a baby to poop don't feed him bananas.
-Love is realized fully only in its being shared with someone else.

That last one came out of the brass tacks discussion my pops and i have been chewing through regarding the apostle paul's letter to the corinthian church known more specifically as 1st corinthians. By the way, if i haven't mentioned it before, my pops is rad.

Finally, i was honoured to make the acquaintance of one miss jennifer (aka turquoise feathers) upon her request of my involvement in her short-run, handmade mag featuring five handmade artists. She's a rad lady with a pretty rad guy in his own right. Below is a snapshot of the piece she had me write up about the mustard room. You can take a look at all of the pages of the mag titled 'pen & needle' on her blog at these precise coordinates.

One last thought: It's much more fun to refer to muffins as 'M, U, double-F, Ins.' Try it.