Angel LaCanfora: Blog

12"x12" and for sale at my Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/listing/92029153/the-wishing-tree-mosaic

Witnessed one of the most insanely brilliant & dramatic sunsets of my life last night here in Big Bear Lake. Luckily I was out with my camera, ready & waiting. Here are a couple of my favorite shots from the set ( of which, there are about a hundred!)

8"x10"  http://www.etsy.com/listing/91364295/chromatic-comet-mosaic

 

New mosaic... "Big Star" 8"x10" & framed  (also for sale at my Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/listing/91135167/big-star-mosaic )

"Kinetic Mélange".....8x10...pumice, pebbles, marble, smalti & millefiori. It's a riot, an explosion of glass & stone...

 

I'm going to be participating in the "Celebration of Artists" reception at the Shorebreak Hotel in Huntington Beach later this month. This reception will feature art from yours truly & other fine artists from the community, live music, a no-host bar, and a drawing for items donated by local businesses. Come one, come all & don't forget to say "hi!"

Where: The Shorebreak Hotel, downtown Huntington Beach http://www.shorebreakhotel.com/

When: January 18th, from 6:30 to 9:30pm

Who: HB's finest artists, that's who!

I recently whipped up a Facebook fan page for my photography. Please check it out here: 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Photography-by-Angel-LaCanfora/186258278137547  The idea is to use this page as a place to showcase what I think are some of my best photos. Speaking of which...

Below is a photo I love that I shot earlier in the year of a gorgeous sunset at the Bolsa Chica wetlands in my native Huntington Beach, CA. Speaking of which...

Ever since my divorce a year & a 1/2 ago, I've been on a kind of odyssey. Free & unencumbered, I've endeavored to take this opportunity to find a place to call home. A place that would fit me "just so." A place with a healthy environment, climate, with plenty of cultural & career opportunities. Well my quest is coming to its end and what I've discovered, much to my amazement, is that there's no place like home. That place being Huntington Beach. I'm going home. See you soon...

 

Shot about a month ago, but freshly uploaded to the YouTubes. Let's make it viral! 

Actual snippets of conversation I overheard in very public spaces in Las Vegas. Woman on cellphone: “I don’t remember going down on him. I must’ve been very drunk!”  Woman in crowd 30 deep, while waiting for elevator at Caesar’s Palace: “I think our group will probably take up a whole elevator. But I’ve got very bad gas today, I’ve got to warn you.” Cue mortified, silent expressions from crowd. Young man in coffeeshop early in the morning: “I mean what does she want, man? I’m not the kind of guy who wakes up & says ‘good morning.’ I’m the kind of guy who wakes up and goes ‘hey, fuck you!’” Honestly. You can’t write this stuff. 

 

Last night I decided to go all out & really do the Vegas thing. I’ve only ever been there a couple times previously, on whirlwind trips & thought “why the hell not.” So I went out on the town, did the gambling thing. Wandering around Circus Circus, I felt discombobulated. Talk about sensory overload. My head is still spinning. It was a night I’ll never forget. And one I’ll never repeat. While I had some luck with the slot machines (won about $10), I couldn’t help but feel like a Pavlovian dog as I pushed buttons and pulled levers. As I sauntered around in the assaultive atmosphere, lights whirring, bells dinging, I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror and instantly thought “what am I doing here?” I’m the kind of gal who belongs in a nice coffee house or bookstore. But when in Rome as they say. And I can honestly say that I think I’ve now seen enough of Las Vegas to last a lifetime. The faux mosaic murals of Caesar’s were enough to make me throw my hands up in despair...

 

Once you scratch Vegas’ glitzy facade, you’re privvy to some real misery. It’s hard not to be impressed initially by the wacky, oversized architecture, the flashing lights, the monstrous signs. But making a wrong turn off the Strip took me into the ‘hood, I mean, bars on the windows, real down & out territory. Peer closely into the hardened faces of those seasoned gamblers. Look closely, beyond the lights, behind the signs, and you’ll see people struggling. The dirt, grime and crime of big city life.

 

Give me fresh air, sunshine, nature. Give me health. Give me a good night’s sleep. Give me people with a positive, life affirming attitude. Give me kindness. Give me authenticity. 

 

I've whipped up a couple of small mosaics while I wait on a special order of glass to come through for a backsplash commission I've got in the works. These pieces are for sale in my Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/MosaicsByLaCanfora

Why deal with unruly crowds & exasperating traffic on Black Friday when you can purchase one-of-a-kind artworks from the comfort of your home? Stop by my Etsy shop & pick out something nice for that special someone. Or perhaps you're the special someone! Whatever the case, in my shop you'll find fine art mosaics, suncatchers, mirrors & more. Happy shopping!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/MosaicsByLaCanfora

Again with the singing & the playing...

Ever since my move to the southern California mountain town of Big Bear, I've had moments where I'm reminded of Twin Peaks. And so inspired, here is, my tribute to both Big Bear & Twin Peaks, all crammed into one: 

if this works. A quickie video performance of my song "Dublin Rain," recorded with my webcam. YouTube doesn't like these webcam vids of mine so let's see if this Facebook link will work here...

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=289362594415535&set=vb.100000253897570&type=2&theater

 

What's up? How is your fall going? It's beautiful here in Big Bear. I mean, "pinch me, I'm dreaming" gorgeous. And I've got the evidence to prove it.

Sundown on Big Bear Lake, California, October 14th, 2011.

Buy your very own print in my Etsy shop! http://www.etsy.com/listing/83939382/serene-sundown-on-the-lake

"Mountain Lake on a Blustery Day" 17"x12"... (for sale in my Etsy store: http://www.etsy.com/listing/83375086/mountain-lake-on-a-blustery-day-mosaic )

You can now peruse & purchase prints of some of my best photos here at my newly created Etsy shop: 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/LaCanforaPhotos

I haven't been very good at keeping this site updated with my latest photos, so if you're interested in my photography (which is mostly of the landscape variety), then this is a good place to look around. 

End alert.

It’s interesting how, being older (I’m 41) I can see things clearer as a result of experience. It’s a mixed bag, the loss of naivete/innocence. On the one hand, it saves a lot of time because you are not sitting around wondering what someone meant or wondering where the relationship is going. You can see it plainly and it’s a good thing because then you can either settle in or move on. On the other hand, it’s sad, as with the loss of naivete comes the loss of mystery and sometimes, hope. When you’re younger and everyone and everything is so mysterious and unknown, it can make you both frightened and full of wonder. But I’m old enough now that, especially when it comes to relationships, I can (usually!) see the writing on the wall in the early stages. 

 

When I was younger, I sometimes deliberately let myself be led down a dark or scary path, simply out of curiosity. I would know that this path was culturally “wrong” but choose to explore it anyway, because I wanted to experience firsthand its wrongness, to see if my society was correct. Some might say I was a rebellious young woman but I didn’t see it as rebellion. I just wanted consummate proof that society’s parameters are the way they are because they are merited and justified. What I learned was that yes, in some cases, the rules are justified but in others they are not. I’ve got enough life experience now to know where the danger does or does not lie (mostly!). 

 

It’s nice being an adult and understanding that you don’t need to be friends with everyone, that everyone need not like you. But then, I have to wonder, am I closing myself off to experiences? Just because I experienced x-y-z with one or two or even three people, does it mean that if I find myself in the x stage again that it will unequivocally lead to y-z? It all comes down to listening to the gut, the gut which I ignored as a young woman. 

 

People sometimes surprise you. Most of the time, they don’t. Most of the time, people are pretty predictable. Most of the time, people don’t want to shake things up, to rock the boat. They just want to get through their day as peaceably as possible. I have historically been one to shake things up. I reckon that’s the artist in me, the person pushing at the barriers. Sometimes I get tired of being the shaker and would like to be the shakee. Every now and again - rarely really - someone comes along who is also a shaker. We recognize each other off the bat as fellow societal shakers and it’s an exhilarating feeling. 

 

I’m a kinda shy introvert, who while not afraid of people, is a contemplator and prone to leading a hermetic existence. I believe art/music/books are the superior forms of communication. They are immediate, intimate, soul-to-soul. If I listen to a song by, let’s say, Britney Spears, I know off the bat she is not “my people.” When I recall the first time I listened to Bob Dylan or Captain Beefheart or Robyn Hitchcock, I knew instantly these were “my people.” When I look at a Kandinsky or a Dali or a mosaic mural by Isaiah Zagar, I know we grok each other. When I read a book by Paul Theroux or Jonathan Franzen or Carl Sagan, it’s like hanging out with a friend, but better in some respects, as I’m spending time inside their exquisite minds. It doesn’t get more intimate than that, having one’s thought or voice in your head. 

 

Somewhere, someone is reading this, shaking their head and saying “tsk, tsk. Is that the extent of your existence? What about family? Babies? Religion?” I say unto them, my family is the world of musicians/artists/writers. My babies are my songs/mosaics. My religion is life and how to live it. 

 

Big Bear Lake, California

 

That's right, I'm back. Here's the latest, "Big Bear Lake Sunset." 17"x14" ....pebbles & glass on wood.

As I grouted this on my deck outside this morning, I could hear the construction team nearby working on paving the road. I thought, "we are all working on the landscape of Big Bear!" 

Yeah, I've been quiet as of late, as I work on moving to new digs. I'll be putting my nose to the mosaic grindstone come May, rest assured. Meanwhile, feast your eyes on this image I shot recently at Sunset Beach. 

Til we meet again...

Sigh (2004-2011)

I wish I was back

in musty, war-haunted Virginia,

by the graveside

of my little guy Sigh. 

There beneath looming trees,

I'd sing him a song,

lay down a rose,

pat the earth

that covers him

with the hand

that once stroked him.

In life he'd jump

5 feet in the air

to tackle dangled feathers.

When I'd climb up the stairs

he'd eager trot follow;

a "what's up there?"

glance with twinkling eyes.

I'd lay on the couch,

Sigh stretched out beside me,

his motor purr

engine running.

I'd lay my hand on

his downy chest,

feel the vibration,

sensation of his heart.

His gentle sweet

presence,

reassuring my brain,

making me smile

through pain.

Yes, I wish I was back

in musty Virginia today 

to be with

my Sigh baby again.

 

"Spiral Moon" 17 1/2" x 12" stained-glass & mirror tiles on wood

On sale with lots of other mosaic goodies at my Etsy store: http://www.etsy.com/shop/AngelTunes