A recent public display of affection at Miracle Manor Retreat-

Deborah Sussman and her husband Paul Prejza, of Sussman/Prejza.

We are delighted to announce our website design for Roto Architects will be included in the upcoming 5th edition of
Meggs’ History of Graphic Design. The frontpage animation
was chosen for particular focus into a contemporary web
design section. Like the previous 4th edition, this title will
be further compiled and written by noted design historian
Alston Purvis on top of the pioneering Philip Meggs original.
It is due for a November, 2011 release-date.

“If you never experienced the Walker Art Center’s Design Quarterly you’ve missed one of the important documents of design history and practice. DQ was the clarion of postwar Modernism & post-Modern-
ism. In 1946 it was also the first design journal issued by a museum. With issue 133 (1987) – April Greiman’s special fold-out issue – DQ was the first to use new digital imaging tools…”

Click here to read Heller’s entire post

from the chapter, Evolution and Wonder, here are some bits that are close to my heart-

excerpted from Tippett/Moore discussion about Darwin- and from Darwin’s own notes:

“we are all netted together”…

Tippett: There’s something that jumps out at me, and I don’t see any commentary on it in anything I’ve read. The analogies Darwin makes, the words he uses- he drew a picture as he formulated his idea of natural selection, and it was of a tree. Here’s one way he describes natural selection: “As buds give rise by growth to fresh buds, and these, if vigorous, branch out and overtop on all sides many a feebler branch, so by generation I believe it has been with the great Tree of Life, which fills with its dead and broken branches the crust of the earth, and covers the surface with its ever branching and beautiful ramifications”

Now what intrigues me is that he uses that phrase, “the Tree of Life,” which harkens back to Genesis, the tree in the center of the Garden.

Moore: That tree is the tree of how we relate to everything else that is alive. And for Darwin, that isn’t to reduce human beings. It’s to raise everything that grew on that tree, even the branches that fall off, the twigs that are lost. These are the things that go extinct.

Tippett: That wither because they go extinct, yes.

Moore: They fall into the earth and they form the soil in which others grow. It’s a wonderful vision of the richness of organic nature and the unity of life.

Tippett: And of human participation and belonging to that larger picture.

Moore: Darwin has a vision of nature and it developed over a long period of time- from when he was in his twenties really until at the end of his life when he’s working on earthworms, of all things. I do have the most profound respect for the way he doggedly pursued his vision of the history of life on Earth and how great things are caused by little things. Mountains move up by small increments, the soil of the Earth is recycled through earthworms, coral reefs grow by tiny increments over tens of thousands of years. No one can see these things happening. One has to be able to imagine them happening.

Here’s the deal-

One day workshop at Made in Space
in my downtown Los Angeles studio
$500
11 a.m. – 6 p.m. / includes lunch

OR

One day workshop, three nights
at Miracle Manor Retreat in Desert Hot Springs CA
$950 includes three nights stay at the retreat

one full day of instruction/input/mentoring
also includes 2 meals per day, full use of pools
and an outing to the local desert.
www.miraclemanor.com

The gist

Looking at intended meaning, representation and presentation of concepts, alternative formats or approaches, April will work hands-on to critique, guide and reconceptualize/recontextualize that which you have a passion for. Working either at Made in Space, her downtown Los Angeles studio, or in the wonderful desert environment, at her mid-century modern motel/spa in Desert Hot Springs, Miracle Manor Retreat. www.miraclemanor.com

A special and unique worksession, customized to your needs and desires-

We might work on an existing project to update/upgrade/try a new twist or approach, or try something new that is burning in your skull- or review your portfolio and body of work.

Each student may propose a project for the one day session.

A letter of intent and a pdf file of your work, and proposed project concepts is required before commencing.

could be fun, right?

call for more details – 213 629 1380

Cherry blossoms /German

Departures / Japanese

so, the juniper bush came up, of course…and I found out that the juniper bush grows in many gardens, because it stays beautiful and green in summer and wintertime.

In former times juniper bushes where grown because they could heal a lot of diseases. In our days this reason for growing juniper bushes is nearly forgotten, let’s face it!

But it would be a good idea to keep a juniper bush in the garden, to have ones own pharmacy near the home, because juniper is good against a lot of health problems.

For starters, it activates the digestion, helps the kidneys and clears the lungs for good breathing. Also it kill bacterias, which is good against infections.

here’s a list of SOME of the medicinal uses/properties:

medicinal uses

• Antibacterial
• Full of iron
• Blood cleaning
• Diuretic
• Mucus-dissolvent
• Analgesic
• Sudorific
• strengthening
• Loss of appetite
• Mouth smell
• Digestive weakness
• Heartburn
• Stomach weakness
• Gastritis
• Intestinal inflammation
• Flatulences
• Liver weakness
• Metabolism strengthening
• Diabetes
• Arthritis
• Rheumatism
• Gout
• Musclerheumatism
• Sciatica
• Cystitis
• Bladder problems
• Bladder stones
• Circulation strengthening
• Nervous heartproblems
• Dropsy
• Irritation
• Coughs
• Bronchitis
• Breathing difficulties
• Cold
• Headaches
• Migraine
• Menstrual complaints
• Bad healing wounds
• Gingivitis
• Psoriasis

and… AND< i found out that it contains NO GLUTEN, nor does Whiskey, Rye, Bourbon, as they are all distilled! YAY! so enjoy your martini, or whatever for the holidays, or at lunch with your pals who don’t work currently!

forgot to say that the origins of Gin is the distillate of a grain mash with various flavoring agents. It gets its primary flavor from Juniper berries, but many other herbs and spices go into the make-up. The botanicals come from all over the world: Cardamom from Sri Lanka, Cassia bark from Vietnam, Orange peel from Spain, Coriander seed from the Czech Republic, Angelica root from Germany. Most of the Juniper berries themselves are imported from Italy. So there you go!

: )

funny spotting of the Wilshire Vermont mural, main character NOT April Greiman

‘Power of 10.2 / The 10th Anniversary Exhibition’ has been curated by Joanna Burke, Art Consultant and includes these other artists:

Ralph A Blakelock, Grey Crawford, Amy Holland, Larry Mullins, Lynda Pizzuto, Maggie Lowe Tenneson, and Michael Salvatore Tierne

digital image taken in Paris, France 2004

digital image taken in Doha, Qatar, 2005

Rule 1
Find a place you trust, and then, try trusting it for a while.

Rule 2
General duties of a student:
Pull everything out of your teacher.
Pull everything out of your fellow students.

Rule 3
General duties of a teacher:
Pull everything out of your students.

Rule 4
Consider everything as an experiment.

Rule 5
BE SELF DISCIPLINED. This means finding someone wise or smart and choosing to follow them.
To be disciplined is to follow in a good way. To be self-disciplined is to follow in a better way.

Rule 6
FOLLOW THE LEADER. Nothing is a mistake. There is no win and no fail. There is only make.

Rule 7
The only rule is work. If you work it will lead to something.
It is the people who do all the work all the time who eventually catch on to things.
You can fool the fans–but not the players.

Rule 8
Do not try to create and analyze at the same time. They are different processes.

Rule 9
Be happy whenever you can manage it. Enjoy yourself. It is lighter than you think.

Rule 10
We are breaking all the rules, even our own rules, and how do we do that?
By leaving plenty of room for x qualities.

Helpful Hints:
Always be around. Come or go to everything. Always go to classes.
Read everything you can get your hands on. Look at movies carefully and often.
Save everything. It may come in handy later.