Deviating from what's ordinary, usual, or expected

Seriously, that's the name of the blog.
Deviating from what's ordinary, usual, or expected
And it is hilarious. Check it if you are need of a toggling of your daily life.
This is a little that I love...

It's the captions that really make them.
This one read "Just two guys doing the dishes."

Thank you again Heather for all the funky links you send me daily to lighten your cubicle existence...I can't wait until you are out of there, but I'll miss the constant skype links.
LOVE.
V

I am so lucky

I feel so connected to the universe.

All the souls I've had the absolute pleasure of meeting in my short life.
And once again I thank facebook and the world wide interweb,
for helping me keep in contact with their daily wit & masterpieces and loves & travels.
And I LOVE blogs.

© Wolfgang Kvietkus

There are two in particular that I want to share right now.
Stay at Home Dad
The laughter factor of the incredibly talented human being, Wolfgang Fitzwilliam Kvietkus, who is lucky enough to be married to my old friend Marisa, has started a blog. If his name doesn't make you want to check it out, don't, you wouldn't appreciate it properly.

Once you've wiped the tears from your laughing eyes, you will want to read the wit of
The Product of My Restless Mind
and it's literary talent, Gabby Bevel.

© Vanessa Rudloff

She was my victim for the latest spread in Norman Magazine (the new publication combination of Silk and Abner). Coming to a coffee shop near you. I think it's safe to say that Gabby is another reason why I am meant to be here, in the not so well known city of Norman, OK.

This post is to keep them accountable.
Reminding them that people are reading. And they want to continue to read the genius that flows out of their craniums onto their cyberspace realty.

And I hope their fingers continue to be magical.

Smiles and smiles and smiles for miles and miles and miles.
V

More Paper Mastermind Monday

Unfortunately I can't credit the mastermind. I wish I could.
If you can, please do.
V

Mastermind Monday: Matthew Cusick

Look closely. This work by Matthew Cusick is created from maps!

And these are the whitewashed and scrubbed pages of old books!
Click on them all to see them larger.

My mind reals with all the art created on this wee planet.
I will never get enough.

KETCHUP: Edward, Henri and the Norman art experience

Last night was my first Norman Art Walk. After scouting for the wedding I'm shooting today-it's going to be B-EAUTIFL by the way- Shevaun, Terence, Gary-a friend of T's and myself popped over to the Mainsite Contemporary Art Gallery to see Carol Beesley. She's a friend of Shevaun's and also a New Mexico frequenter. Her paintings reflect the NM influence. Such beautifully saturated salmons, blues and marigolds. Also showing were the talented Alan Atkinson and Debby Kaspari. Oddly, I was pouring myself a glass of water at the bar and saw a face watching the gallery flow from a laptop. I stuck my head over and asked "Are you live?". It was Debby Kaspari, skyping from Massachusetts where she was a resident artist at the moment. We chatted about this and that. It was such a wonderful simple human experience.
I love mingling and hearing the stories of artists. There is such passion whether gregariously portrayed or subdued, I am addicted to the art driven soul.

After the showing, we met up with a gathering and I was not only introduced to more amazing souls but lead into rooms containing original photographs of photographers I admired from the pages of my art history books. This is the one that completely shook me. The Henri Cartier-Bresson portrait of Alfred Stieglitz not long before he died.
Subtle and simple, the portrait of a well-lived soul.

Alfred Stieglitz, New York by Henri Cartier-Bresson 1946

And this Edward Weston image called Johnny. I've never actually seen this before but it has all the soft curves characteristic of a Weston. And can you get enough of that texture? I think not. Again, such subtle, simple beauty.

Johnny by Edward Weston 1944

I've been composing an email for some time now, intending to update family and likewise friends of where I've been popping around since Paris and where I could possibly be now.
It's just not the same without photos. So, please bear with me if you are already informed or are otherwise uninterested in my wee comings and goings.

I was emailing around Oklahoma for freelance assistant work while Sam settled back in from Afghanistan and I prepared for a move to NYC. My plans suddenly changed when I was offered a full-time position at Shevaun Williams & Associates and ever so quickly become the Associate Photographer of the studio. With a commitment to stay for at least a year and a very busy season ahead, I also found myself a new resident of Norman, Oklahoma-moving into one of the spare rooms of my boss, her husband, Terence and their cat Johnny. It is evident kismet. I couldn't have fallen into the lives of more active Norman residents. Terence and Shevaun are true "promoters". They give the DL of every little thing and I can't deny the true pure inspiration I've experienced here. Shevaun was recently awarded the recognition of the 2011 Celebrated Artist of the Mayfair Arts Festival. More ART.

In a whirlwind of events after only a month, I found myself in the newspaper next to my new boss and roommates in my new place of residence, Norman, Oklahoma.


I feel like I've found another version of my beloved art community in Seattle. This time closer to my family and with the promise of daily inspiration to get out and execute all the shoots and ideas I've been carrying around with me. I know when this chapter comes to a close I will be just as heartbroken yet hopeful as I was leaving the Evergreen State but with the kismet in the air, a killer portfolio to knock the next chapter dead.
Thank you world.
Kiss Hug
V

Lap giraffes?

No way. Can you believe...that is a real live minature giraffe?
Live video here.
Sokoblovsky Farms.
This commercial cracks me up!
And of course I clicked on "I WANT GIRAFFE".
This is a screen shot of my place on the waiting list. :)

766,992!
Yay, I can't wait!!! :)
There is no way this is for real (the giraffes at all) but I can't help being giddy excited!!!!
Happy Friday!
V

Chewing the Cud Fabric Wrap

From Chewing the Cud. Fantastic name and I love this idea. Wrapping gifts with gifts. I generally wrap with comic strips but this is way cooler. Love the messages too. Read here for a step by step of a rose topped gift.
V

Motopony

You are right, Vievo, I really did love them.

The oh so talented Genevieve Pierson shot these images of Motopony.
I love the album cover above. I wish they credited the artist.
Their song Wait for Me is the gimme gimme.

So go get some!

V

Earthlings....

F.Y.I.
"Latest official current world population estimate, for mid-year 2010, is estimated at 6,852,472,823. "
According to Matt Rosenburg.

Just wondering where we stood as I wonder if I'll ever stop being surprised at how many fantastic things I can find on the interweb a day.
I'm going to share some right now.
Peace
V

Tokyo fanny skirts

More random. These are old images from an email I got so many years ago I have no idea where the images came from. Can you tell I'm cleaning my blog folder? And I would not suggest googling to discover the origins because you really just get a lot of naughty asian porn.
Enjoy.
V

Flippin Cool Pencils

I actually can't find where this was on the site but it's yayeveryday.com that has more visual stimuli than a room full of sugared up toddlers and the crayola warehouse. I'm tickled.
When searching the site to try to find the first "alphabet" image again to link it...um, I found this.

Jennifer Maestre Pencil Sculptures:

http://www.jennifermaestre.com/portfolio.php

Yay!everyday is probably the coolest random site I've ever seen. Forget stumbling my friends, just take a couple minutes to fiddle on this.

V

TOAST House and Home

Toast Spring and Summer House and Home Catalog is HERE!
Yummy, Yum! I want those warm salmon colored walls and that tub!!!!

XO V