Weather:
Heavy. You sweat all your energy out quick and your legs get heavy like a sack of potatoes.

I moved. This place is no longer a part of my day. It was a good run of it there. Made lots of stuff. Slept well. Lived a good life in those rooms. It was a good time to move forward.

It always feels good to get rid of the random extra nonsense you’ve accumulated and start again fresh. This was a bit of a heartbreaker for me but I figured it was time. My beloved obituary collection.

It was a pretty serious collection.

Some recent mail:

underwear stickers by Darin Bendall.

A few issues of the amazing Gentlemanly Conduct comic by Jon Horner. These are friggin’ fantastic! Grab them while you can.

Now that the boxes are unpacked it’s time to get back at it. This month Parking Block Publishing will be putting out a bunch of new zines. Look for work by four exceptional talents with distinct styles. I couldn’t be more excited.

Enough prologue!
The time has come!
Here are the things that happened!

My cat got in a box. This guy didn’t like moving at all. For a few days he just walked around and hissed at things. A real grouch face.

Motorbike picture I made a while back.

This was back when it was still spring.

Chicago from the water. There’s a few things I don’t like about Chicago but I tend to forget those in the summer.

Dementia concerns.

More clouds and buildings.

This was the Center of Multiple Middles show. It was organized by Alberto Agulilar in a former Ritz Camera space as part of the pop art initiative.

The space was filled with great work. Every where you looked there was something to look into.

Alex Cohen put in a lot of work shaping the space.

As did Steven Erst.

Alberto and his daughter performed. She kills it on the drums.

He was kind enough to sell Parking Block zines there.

The outside of the space.

Alex with a piece by his mom.

Weapons by Alberto’s daughter. So great!

One of my favorite things this year. High fives all around!

Light all lanterns.

This was a pretty perfect Sunday night. Daisy Cutter and new pens.

I made these pictures for some reason. There are Pizzas of my life.

I think they were given away so if you happen to get one of them I hope you like it. I had fun making these. They’re a bit different from stuff I normally do.

We hit the road a few times. This was on a journey to Indiana.

I love the way this picture turned out. My dad and his dog.

Down there they still have Drive-Ins.

And that Drive IN offers church on Sunday.

I was really fascinated by the mixture of red and blue values.

Every town we drove through had an ice cream spot.

We couldn’t resist.

Gnomish.

The early storms have been busting up the lakefront.

We also headed north for a special afternoon.

This was one of the best weddings I’ve ever been to. They did a great job putting it together and everybody had a kick ass time.

It’s really amazing to see two people who compliment each other.

I’m glad I have a perfect partner for adventuring.

There was a dog on a roof.

On the way back to Chicago we stopped by the Jelly Belly factory.

There was some sort of rabbit jail there.

The tour was mostly just a warehouse tour.

At least it ended with free jelly beans.

Apparently I went to Xanadu at some point.

I also went and got some rib tips.

Jay Olenik was kind enough to ask me to be a part of an apARTment show.

He killed it.

Jay!

All kinds of flyers, cards and prints.

Nole Schulyer put the show together.

He also makes noise in a band called Chapters.

The heavy rains didn’t keep everyone away.

My little section.

I dig this print. Email me if you would like to have it.

It’s not always getting your name up.

Holy creeps!

This is the longest day of the year. I think they’re all saying “what?” Joe, Marfa and Spencer at Wilson.

Bearded Loucifer was thinking about Whiting.

Wilson was crowded so I went to go see the secret spot I’d been hearing about. Gnar Tom went backside.

And frontside.

Jay rocked and rolled.

Then he went feeble.

I also celebrated the day by skating the yellow bars with Gordo. He’s going to ride his bike around the lake. I think that’s something.

Random hit and run.

Juan got a really great Joe Lopes tattoo from Pat at Speakeasy. I was trying to remember pictures or video that had Joe Lopes skating but I couldn’t. I’m sure some old guys will clown me on this. Joe Lopes RIP.

This guy’s back for a limited time. Shred with him while you can.

I got a call from Tony Rone.

I still am not interested in this.

I’m definitely interested in this. Rib tips round 2.

I went to check out Dorian’s show at the Star Lounge.

He showed some large paintings. I love the monkeys and this one of Nick P.

The was also a ton of work by Blutt.

I also happened to run into the Buster Bear wrecking crew and we finished up the latest promo. Enjoy it on vimeo or youtube.

After the show I headed to City Farm for a BBQ.

Danimal explained that he didn’t like Such Luck because he’s not on enough so I’m correcting that.

Two rabbits with hats.

Let’s give everybody a round of applause.

Weather:
Numerous sporadic momentary downpours.

So I’ve really settled in to a once a month posting frequency and things will probably stay that way for a while because I’ve seen the future and the future is real busy.

This Thursday, June 10th from 5:30pm – 8:30pm is the opening for the Center of Multiple Middles show at 208 South Wabash. Here’s a bit more info:

This is an experiment in decentralizing the curatorial decision making process and letting an exhibition be formed by the interactions and exchanges that take place within a space. In dissipating the traditional curatorial hierarchy to multiple participants the result is an all-encompassing organism that takes up the entirety of the allotted space. In some instances individual artists are showcased but those areas are blurred through the superimposition of other pieces and melding together of multiple artists works. The participants of this exhibition are a diverse mix of people that range from professional artists, art educators, skaters, art students, a computer programming student, strangers off the street, the mother of one of the artists and the child of another.This space will remain active for the entire length of the exhibition. Some of the participating artists will always be present in the space either adding to the exhibition or creating new work. This exhibition will have several stages of transformation beyond the opening reception and many coordinates where work, activities and intersections may hinge and shift.

Stop by and check out the work. They were kind enough to stock Parking Block zines in the space so you can pick up some of those while your there.

The combined Parking Block/Such Luck headquarters is moving at the end of the month so if your sending anything this way please be sure and send it to the PO Box. It’s been a good couple of years here but the new space holds a lot of possibility. I’m looking forward to getting some new projects in gear once the boxes are all unpacked.

Mail? Mail’s the best. Dennis Pomales sent me this passenger.

The package contained an awesome piece of art and some of his new buttons. My favorite is the ghost eating the rainbow. He does great work and I think his zine is gonna be something special.

I also received this package from Our City Lights. Some people go above and beyond because they love mailing stuff. This is a perfect example. Books, postcards, film, so awesome! Thanks Diana!

I took this photo down the street. For some reason every time I look at it I hear Prince’s song “America” in my head. Happy birthday Prince!

Launderlife. Pretty soon there’ll be no more Launderland visits.

This is the Launderland bomb scare. Every thing was closed off and semi-evacuated and the bomb squad came and blew up the random package that was in front of the Post Office. For some reason they didn’t get us out of the Launderland so we cleaned our clothes and watched things unfold from the window.

Griptape lettering.

Lately I’ve been really into looking at things.

Kryger was at Wilson.

He was kind enough to do some trickery for the camera.

Ba Le moved across the street. They have some pretty darn good bread. Long live sandwiches!

Sometimes I take pictures of building.

One of my favorite Wilson local’s Steven also takes building pictures. They are pretty fantastic. You can see them by visiting his blog here.

DC Chris! It’s always good when he visits and I’m looking forward to the day he decides to stay.

My sweet just celebrated her birthday. Here she is looking beautiful at Chickpea.

Fries made of Chickpeas. Yummy.

I really enjoyed the Strange Powers show at Rotofugi. There was Yeti’s and other nice monsters.

We were heading over to the Post Family shower after leaving Rotofugi and we made a wrong turn and ended up stumbling upon this. Sometimes I take Chicago for granted but it still has a lot of surprises for me every day.

Eventually we made it to the show at the Post Family’s space.

It was a showcase of emerging design talent. It seems like the future is pretty safe on the design front with these Chicago up and comers.

These are some cats.

Be careful.

This is not the best picture but the tricks legit. Ken with a frontside disaster at Northbrook

Secret can holder.

Northbrook graffiti.

Christ air day ender.

I saw this and I kinda freaked out. A new Tootsie Pop flavor!

Mike Owen is on his way to California. Before he left there was a proper going away BBQ shindig.

Brandon and Tony, two fine gentlemen were in attendance.

I think it was was also Marl’s birthday.

Frog was in town from AZ. Always good for some coping crushing.

Last month Snacki had a show at Atomix Cafe.

After the show was done he put the word out that the pieces were up for grabs. All you had to do was show and take one.

I snagged one before the walls were empty.

These guys were tired from swimming so they got carted.

At some point I went to the zoo.

This part of the zoo kinda bugs me. There’s almost too much of a hodgepodge of animals.

You know, Planet of the Apes or who is watching who kinda stuff.

I could almost pet the Takin.

More grip script.

My team hit the plaza but then it rained.

Dudes doing things. High fives, jokes, etc. You can learn more at the Dude Life site.

I’d also suggest taking a look at the Street Canoe.

There was a demonstration.

This isn’t a make but it’s about the only picture I shot. Julian was on a tear.

Congrats to Danny and Anne and Chad and Nikki and Shannon and Rachel and welcome back to Shirtless Mark!

It’s summer. Lets live.