town and country March 08, 2006

Town and Country Magazine, Page 165. March 2006

Spring is starting to poke it's head around here in Portland, and a lot of exciting things are blooming in Johanna land as well.

* A couple of abstract paintings that I made when I worked for Oliphant Studio, have magically appeared in this months (March) issue of Town and Country. You can see the painting images and more pages from Town and Country, on the artwork page.The small yellow painting and the pinkish red painting are mine. Exciting!

* I've updated the about page (seeing as we've just moved and all...)

* I'm working on a new series of paintings for kids. You can peek at a preview of these paintings on the artwork page.

There is talk around these parts about a store popping up here on this site. Awesome! I'm working from my own studio now, and have a lot more time to dedicate to this. If there is anything that you would really like to see in the store, let me know..

....and you are? March 04, 2006

hello friends,

I am still in the process of getting some new artwork up here. (A new series!) Along with a couple of other exciting tidbits...

In the meantime, I thought I would share this photo from our cross country trip. This is in Memphis, when I snuck back into the old receptionists' office at Sun Studio and slid behind the desk of Marion Keister.

"Right this way, um, Mr. Elvis."

extreme make-over February 24, 2006

Yes!

A brand new look for the webbysite! Some nipping and tucking minus all of that scary bruising and nose taping. I hope that you all enjoy this new, simpler look.

Thanks so much to Ldog at Cast Iron Coding for all of his awesome-o skills.

More artwork updates to come, very soon....

p-town February 16, 2006

Here is a fantastico photo of Grandpaw, chillin in our new house. He’s kind of hard to see, due to his stealthy and spy like nature.

Portland at last!! We’ve been here three days, and we are dig dig digging our new house and new neighborhood (not to mention the friends and family here that have helped us out so much..)

Next step…set up my studio so I can start making stuff! This three week hiatus has me bursting at the brain to make new paintings and crafty things. I feel like I can really spread out here, plenty of room for everything. Instruments, yarn, paint, ink, papers, canvas, sewing machines….

It looks like next week, the re-design of the site is going up! A new look for the new move.

Sweet.

rollin February 11, 2006

Hello my deep fried veggie cheese steaks,

Oh it’s been so long!

We’ve been spending the last couple of weeks driving across this

big hunk of a country, nestled inside the mostly tightly packed van/microcosm.

Right now we’re in southern California eating orangey things, putting lotion on old sunburns and spending some awesome time with my sister and brother in law. They had a party/hootenanny last night that started with some dignified wine sipping and cheese eating, and ended with a pots and pans, guitars and yodels and a thousand songs flying around the living room.

We’ve seen a pile of awesome things this last week or so. Oh that I could list them all..

Casinos and wild rabbits. Heaping plates of diner gravy. And spaghetti. Over-sploding Walmarts. Giant guitars and thick muddy rivers. Vines growing up between gas stations and flickering motels. .Giant sunburned men. Welcoming families with cactus jelly and thick sherbet sunsets behind dusty parking lots. Tiny golf carts that act like cars.

Onward! Upward!

ta-ta January 30, 2006

You guys are probably getting sick of all of these moving posts, but that's about all that's shakin in my life at the moment. Tomorrow, we launch! Off on our cross country road trip. Somehow, the jenga-like box fortress we've created over the last month or so in the living room, will get moved to the van and trailer. Curious.

I flew to Oregon the other day with our awesome and shockingly well behaved kitty-cat. I couldn't believe how amazing he was. He had a few howls on the actual airplane, (very understandable,) but otherwise, he was so calm. Maybe all those years he spent prowling our Brooklyn neighborhood, prepared him for a busy airport? Maybe... All I know, is I was most worried about moving him above everything else, and he is happy as a clam in Portland, hanging at Gabe's brother's house.

Hooray!!

go west January 21, 2006

Well, despite the fact that I started crying into my tofu scramble at breakfast this morining, I'm very excited about moving. Brooklyn is feeling extremely nostaligic at the moment. The alley cats, the rubble, the traffic cops..all of it looks beautiful and makes me cry. Dang!

Anyhow, in about a month we should be settled in Portland, and around that time, my website should be going up...with a whole new look! Also..a seperate Hanner website is in the works. It will be the place to go to check out tour dates, shows, Hanner merchandise and general whoo-haw.

Dance, dance, dance and go crazy! **

uncle ukey January 15, 2006

Free eyed friends,

Thanks a million to everyone who came to the show at Pete's Candy Store last night. I had a tear or two in my eye seeing all of the alive humans together. What an amazing venue, with so many old and new friends hanging around....bones and guts and instruments and singing and whiskey.

It was a great show, and an inspiring send off into the forests of Oregon....

right round baby January 05, 2006

Hello go go gadgets,

Yipe. The days are spinning by faster and faster. I still have a few things lined up for this month (*gulp) in between packing up the Chevy and wrestling our kitty cat onto an airplane...such as...

A Hanner show on Saturday January 14th at Pete's Candy Store! Naoto and I go on at 10:00. If you made it to the last one, it was a mighty warm and glowing awesome time. People really cut loose and cuddled up, stomping and hugging. Stuff I like to see. For this show, we are going to sing and play our guts out. But in the good way, not the gross way. You might even hear some tunes off of our new album that is due out next fall. Whoppeeddoo!

It's our last New York show before operation P.O.O is in "unstoppable mode!" so it would of course be lovely to see you. I miss you already.

cham-pag-na December 31, 2005

Friendly fruit loops,

Happy New Years Eve! I hope everyone is having a happy and healthy holiday time.

Gabey and I are back in Brooklyn, getting ready for the big move to Portland. That’s right folks,“Portland-Oregon-Operation” or P.O.O., is in full swing..

We are busy with packing, daydreaming and having mini-meltdowns (I um, may be having a tad more of the mini-meltdowns than Gabe, but really, who is counting. What was that? Oh….you're counting? Good. Good for you.).

In between all of this I’ve been making up some songs and eating Christmas chocolates and watching “best of 2005” things on TV.

Here are some things I hope to work on for 2006:

1. To get over my fears of driving

2. Train for the Beaver Freezer with my sister.

3. Make enough money to live, from making art.

4. Get art studio set up in Portland.

5. Spend time with my family and Gabe’s family.

6. Watch nieces and nephews grow.

7. Be there for friends and family that need support.

8. Eat spinach and kale, even if it has to be in juice form.

9. Go with the flow.

2005 has been a pretty huge year. I feel like I’ve grown a lot and I want to keep that up. Whenever I freak out and try to force things into orderly lines, I get twisted up and crabby. I have to constantly remind myself to let go of what I expect and pay attention to what is happening right in front of me.

As long as I keep my eyes peeled, and do the next right thing, I will be doing my best. And right now, the next right thing would be…to bust open some champagne and toast to being alive.

Happy New Year!!!