Monday, August 29, 2022

eggman

The lights at Pixar are a bit dimmer as we mourn the loss of one of our greats... 

Ralph Eggleston

Ralph sat next to me in the early Incredibles 2 prod pod at Pixar where I had just started my new role as Script Supervisor. I had interacted with Ralph for years prior on various Publishing projects, so it was nice to have a familiar face welcoming me to Production. He knew how valuable and intense the Script Supe role was at the studio and always made sure I felt valued and secure. 

We were both early birds. Every morning Ralph would swing by my office and talk about his obsession with silent film icon Fatty Arbuckle (my paternal great grandmother’s first cousin...I think he almost fainted when I told him we were related). He was enamored with Fatty’s career and downfall from Hollywood. Ralph let me borrow his tattered paperback copy of The Day the Laughter Stopped. It started to disintegrate while I was reading it so I repaired the pages using a role of tape and swiftly returned it to his bookshelf. 

Ralph would always arrive to i2 art reviews in a frenzy, spinning into the room with newsprint flying everywhere. Brad Bird said he "molted artwork” wherever he walked. :D

In an act of kismet, I displayed Ralph's WALL•E crew artwork in my parent’s hallway this weekend.

Thank you for the colorful conversations, smiles, and laughs over the years, Ralph. Hope you get to meet Fatty. All the love. 

Kelly B 



A message from Ralph to a group of elementary school students, that applies to every artist (and human): 

Wednesday, February 16, 2022

hi blog, it's me, kelly b

favorite item of clothing: a very colorful, very patterned vintage Lord & Taylor duster jacket with big gold buttons. purchased at the late Arbor Vitae Vintage in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. 

one thing you never leave home without: my American Express card. jk. sunglasses. my eyes are very blue and abnormally large, which is the worst combo for enduring sunlight. 

share something unique about yourself: i'm a visually & directionally gifted human: a walking MapQuest in every city. 

your last trip overseas: Iceland in the middle of winter right before the pandemic. lots of mishaps that lead to some sweet synchronistic surprises: hitchhiking alone in the snowy countryside in the pitch black, getting locked out of my friend's condo during an arctic freeze and befriending her non-English speaking neighbor who treated me to hot tea and wool socks, becoming besties with a local who was actually a friend of a friend's friend in the States. 

go-to alcoholic drink: aperol spritz but right now I'm favoring framboise lambic beer from Belgium (it comes in a wine bottle). 

current obsession: Hacks on HBOMax, the cast of Hacks, fans of Hacks, filming locations of Hacks (my city of Long Beach!), and any Hacks related content on social media. LMK if you wanna chat Hacks...

two words friends would use to describe you: I get a lot of "cute & funny"

five things you love:

1. Korean beauty products: SKINFOOD's Tomato Lip Tint is so smooth and luscious
2. organizing my life into acrylic bins 
3. mailing cards to friends with Mrs. Grossmans stickers tucked inside
4. anything miniature 
5. R.L. Stine "Fear Street" novels (and their cover art) from the early 90s

biggest anxiety: as I start to age, driving. especially in the dark with my big blind alien eyes, lol. i'm very phobic of left turns in LA (lots of yielding, green arrows barely exist). 

in 2022, you're most excited for: scripting on a new feature project, practicing and honing my voice acting, studying more comedy, paper illustrating again, and purging the family attic. 

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

four months in brooklyn


cortados
oversized denim
barber shop windows
late night blasting car music
4th of July and My Fair Lady on Broadway at Lincoln Center with Keith & Steve
Parsons School of Design Summer Intensive – Mixed Media Illustration
Joe Coffee before class
the slow Parsons elevator to the 7th floor
learning to needle felt 
my 6 floor walk-up on Driggs
bedroom view of the Empire State Building and all its pretty colors at night 
the Dominican man greeting me at the Driggs door everyday: "are you OK today?"
the Chinese laundromat man who taught me the proper amount of laundry soap to use (after I spilled half my bottle on him)
Metropolitan Ave.
subway announcements
hellish humidity
the very few mild and dry days
$3 slices of Joe's Pizza
cutie Parsons Professor Colin
spending loads of money at Blick Art Materials and Paper Presentation
Hal's sparkling water
hiking NYC in Nikes
freestanding ATM machines (that actually work)
fresh cut $3 street mango in the little baggies
impossible-to-find fresh cut coconut chunks at Brooklyn Harvest Market
Metro-North Railroad
"Brooklyn" pride attire
Sarabeth's and Cooper Hewitt with Bianca
Cherry Merlin's from Mister Softee
pop-up stores
Berry St.
never feeling lonely
Monk Vintage in Greenpoint with Tricia and my black Halston leather backpack find
visiting Kat & Regan at Nickelodeon in Times Square
the stools at Black Brick Coffee that are the perfect height for my stature
the bold, colorful vintage earrings at the junk shop near the Bedford L stop
people giving each other compliments on the subway
the most stunning, beautiful people on the subway
Buffalo Exchange in Williamsburg and the $25 vintage leather Coach purse
Doc Martens w/ankle socks
the last summer of Henri Bendel
Grand Central Station with Mom & Sam
laughing uncontrollably with Mom & Sam
bodegas aka corner mini marts
the 80s opening titles at Williamsburg Cinemas
watching Incredibles 2 twelve times in the theatre
lightening storms
Roebling St.
stoops
the L train
the impending L train shutdown of 2019 (that never happened)
walking all of Central Park with Yett
the view of the JMZ from my kitchen window
broken foot and Walk NYC Podiatry
reading my daily horoscope at Oslo Coffee Roasters
repeatedly going to every Artists & Fleas location
the Polish community of Greenpoint
never feeling scared
S 2nd FDNY station
laptop jungle at Toby's Estate Coffee Roasters (now Partner's Coffee)
The Rachael Ray Show and all its fashionable glory
the sweetness that was Clinton Kelly 
displaying my denim butt on The Rachael Ray Show
italian dinner with Talika after our TV appearance
abundance of brick buildings 
sweating in the endless humidity
Mini Mall on Bedford Ave. 
Vök performing at The Knitting Factory in Williamsburg
meeting new friends on the streets of Williamsburg
meeting Kathleen on the street in front of Black Brick Coffee
Nitehawk Cinema
the hipster juice bar on Havemeyer posing as a laundromat
the 99 cent store on Havemeyer
people reading and writing on the subway
Showee coming to visit! 
Little Owl & Buvette with Showee
Showee's cool hotel room in Union Square and The Rachael Ray Show waking me up out of bed 
the Williamsburg Bridge
the June bug I found in my shower
Pietro Nolita with Meg
Marcy St. station
my roommate is right: "CA never changes"
laughs and stories in the apt with roomie Tiffanie
the extremely rainy day shopping in Westport CT with Mom
the most amazing Anthropologie "mansion" in Westport CT
mediterranean brunch with Mary Beech in Park Slope
the stuffed gorillas in the vacant lot on Bedford
so. much. trash. on. the. streets
the cockroach I followed in Flatiron 
homemade dinner & movie night with Tricia in Clinton Hill
chicken caesar at Patsy's
McCarren Park
the late night in the RV with Susan and Ted
road trip upstate with Ted Hand to Chapel of Sacred Mirrors
feeling fancy and free at Domino Park
walking the High Line with Lisa Fletcher 
Chelsea Market
potato croquettes at Cafe Colette
finding Tony Danza on Staten Island
Tony Danza: Standards & Stories
the G train
genuine, friendly waiters
the wooden escalators at Macy's Herald Square
Dylan's Candy Bar in the Upper East Side
cocktails at Hotel Delmano (never went but was told to go lol)
soft Italian cookies from Brooklyn Bakery
the free ferry to Staten Island
Shake Shack
the best deviled eggs at Jacob's Pickles with Aubrey
never feeling bored
the Orthodox Jewish community of Williamsburg
Shabbat siren on Fridays evenings
frozen peanut butter hot chocolate and chocolate cake pops at Martha's Country Bakery
Butler baking class with Ceci
visiting Carol & Jerry in Ridgefield CT
the most adorable dogs everywhere
always feeling inspired
Arbor Vitae Vintage and Pablo the store kitty
the last summer of Lord & Taylor
Tony Danza's "the brush": when NYers walk right in front of you and you both sway to the side to avoid hitting each other


Montreal:

11-hour Amtrak through the Adirondacks with Mom en route to Montreal
the creepy hotel room in Montreal we wanted to escape but couldn't 
Saint-Catherine Street - all the shops 
underground mall for the brutal winters 
Mile End neighborhood 
St-Viateur Bagel, love the sesame Montreal bagels! 
Butterblume cafe
Bodybag by Jude and Bernard streets
St. Henri neighborhood, walking campus of McGill University 
the ice cold showers in the Montreal hotel room 
Cocoa70 chocolate restaurant 
crepe with green apples, white cheddar, vanilla ice cream, walnuts, bacon
Westmount park and library 
old swiss Alpenhaus restaurant on Rue Saint-Marc playing Anne Murray, dripping water into buckets 
l'intervalle shoes & handbags 
Romado's rotisserie chicken 
A&Ws everywhere, much better than in the States 
lots of poulet (chicken) and poutine 
Schitt's Creek playing in the Montreal hotel room
visiting Pema in Saint-Sauveur
Cafe Starbucks and the rose lattes 
Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal
lots of metal spiral staircases to homes and businesses 
odd river currents 
depanneurs aka convenience stores of Quebec 
searching for peri-peri Portuguese spice 
sitting on the train tracks being questioned by USA customs authority
the insane motion-sickness-nausea-dry-heaving back in Brooklyn from the 11-hour train ride back to NYC

Update: June 2021 visit - 2 weeks in Brooklyn:

back to Driggs
daily horoscopes and Flat Whites at Oslo Coffee Roasters 
finding out Arbor Vitae Vintage was shut down due to Covid, no more shop kitty in window :( 
rainy day brunch on Cafe Colette patio
wanting to hit on the med student studying outside Partners Coffee
watching Minari at Williamsburg Cinema 
the retro Williamsburg Cinema intro: "please turn off your pager"
the old man gardening in Tribeca park
huge digital Luca ads at Herald Square & Times Square
finding discounted Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade mugs for me & Kris 
the most beautiful and serene day at Madison Square Park 
Strand Books, buying and reading Shirley's hwood memoir in Union Square Park
squirrels and RATS at Union Square Park 
melting cherry merlins 
The Monkey Cup in Harlem with Karen from Parsons 
walking through Columbia University campus in Harlem 
1927 Cafe Bar Popularr in Harlem and meeting a new friend 
navigating the subway like a boss
riding the rails to L Train Vintage 
Bollicini sparkling wine with Tricia in Greenpoint 
Tricia's cute new Greenpoint apt with the suuuuper long hallway foyer
drinking rosé out on Tricia's fire escape and watching River Wild in her apt 
meeting and staying with Charlie & Michelle in Stamford CT
the humidity and magical steak dinner in Charlie & Michelle's backyard
Michelle driving me down Pea Pond Rd to Martha's property
Martha's LOUD animals 
the most delicious hot pastrami sandwich with Michelle in Stamford
Pound Ridge nursery 
Citizens of Chelsea froze & yogurt parfait 
The friendly old lady twins on the street corner in Chelsea 
Peanut Butter Pie @ Billy's Bakery 
little stray bird in Jackson Square Park, helped a cute couple rescue it, high fives all around
admiring Japanese magazines inside Kinokuniya 
perfect night in Bryant Park eating truffle fries, meeting nice Google guy and his wife with rambunctious toddler 
friendly Williamsburg mom with doggie wagon outside Joe's Pizza 
Bubby's frozen lemonade in Tribeca 
meeting Frankie the barkeep at Lucky 13, heavy metal dive bar in Gowanus BK
laying in the grass & humidity at Prospect Park, admiring the nanny share
dad on bike with kid wagon 
the most perfect lunch at Ki Sushi on Flatbush in BK: shrimp tempura sushi & garlic pine nut broccoli 
tee shirt seen in BK: "Hold on, let me overthink this"
buying more ISLYNYC acrylic earrings and finding a vintage Shirley pic at Artists & Fleas 
reading a book on a chaise lounge at Domino Park 
4-person stroller in McCarren Park
suffering the last couple steps at Driggs 
watching A Quiet Place 2 at Nitehawk Cinema
lots of sparkly vintage tops on L Train Vintage adventure
finding the white vintage iridescent shell vase for the condo and carrying it on the plane home 
green and white popovers at Sarabeth's with Marcy 
cake pops at Martha's Country Bakery 
mini rose necklace at Verameat for Showee
the great cockroach escape from Driggs to Viceroy 
next visit: New Canaan / Mamaroneck / Pound Ridge CT / Bronx Zoo / Bar Pitti 

Sunday, August 26, 2018

sabbatical so far














fav neighborhood: hands down Williamsburg, Brooklyn (currently living on Driggs Ave. & S. 2nd St.) Favoring Brooklyn over Manhattan, it's chill with a bit more grit & grunge...very 80s / 90s music video vibe with a European feel. Killer sunsets and views of the city alongside the East River (Domino Park is my jam!)

subway line: the L

"Ladies and Gentleman, the next (pause) L train is now arriving on the (pause) Manhattan bound track." Did you know the subway announcements are voiced by real people?

most frequented subway stops: 14th St./Union Square, Bedford Ave., Spring St., Grand Central, Metropolitan Ave., Marcy St.

spent most $$$ on: food (really expensive here!), drinks, shoes, Mister Softee soft serve ice cream, art supplies

Parsons School of DesignIllustration: Beyond the Page (aka Mixed Media Illustration)…awesome summer intensive program in a great part of NYC (Union Square near NYU), adorable professor who brought out the best in executing ideas, got us utilizing a sketchbook and thinking smarter & quicker, kicked me into creative gear which I needed! 

future Parsons wish-list courseFashion: Visual Presentation 

EVERYONE wears headphones 24/7…. 

current playlist: 

Camila Cabello: Havana
White Town: Your Woman
Sia: Flames
Drake: Passionfruit
St. Lucia: Elevate
Foreigner: Waiting for a Girl Like You
Jamiroquai: Virtual Insanity
The Cure: Lovesong
PM Dawn: Set Adrift on Memory Bliss 
Wham!: Careless Whisper
Electric Light Orchestra: Evil Woman
Neon Indian: Polish Girl
Bruno Mars: That’s What I Like 
Stevie Wonder: Part-Time Lover and Higher Ground

album currently revisiting: Madonna: Bedtime Stories (1994)…easily one of her best albums 

fav eats:
in Brooklyn:

fav coffee:
Oslo Coffee Roasters
Black Brick Coffee
Partners Coffee 
Joe Coffee
Butler.

fav stores:
artists & fleas weekend arts / crafts / vintage market in Chelsea, Soho, Williamsburg
MeMe Antenna kitsch and vintage store in Williamsburg
Spoonbill & Sugartown Books in Williamsburg
Besfren Beauty beauty store & cafe in Koreatown
Ricky's beauty supply store
C.O. Bigelow Chemists pharmacy
Beacon's Closet in Greenpoint
Buffalo Exchange in Williamsburg

highlights of sabbatical:
• completely getting out of my comfort zone
• daily discoveries of new places and visual nuggets of fun in my neighborhood
• surviving intense humidity with gusto
• LOTS OF WALKING & STAIRS
• learning a ton about NY culture (it's vastly different than the Bay!)
• an unforgettable return trip to Iceland traveling with my Icelandic viking sisters

Iceland stops

South & Snaefellsness: Kopavogur, Borgarnes, Stykkisholmur, Gardabaer, Reykjavik, Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss, Laugarvatn, Thingvellir

West Fjords: Flokaludur, Raudisandur, Flateyri, Bildudalur, Latrabjarg, Isafjordur

Iceland memories:
Queen Tara the Afghan dog in Kopavogur
Coocoo's Nest brunch
sunny rooftop drinks with the girls
the beauty of Tingvellir
Woman at War and the 80's movie posters at Bio Paradis
pasta carbonara at Jamie's Italian in Rey with Loa & friends 
Cocoa Puff drinks and scream-singing at Pablo Discobar
the mean old lady at Fontana
swimming in the Arctic Ocean
Flatey pizza with Loa 
the tomato farm
Aktu Taktu, the only fast food drive thru in Rey 
learning to say "showshashay!"
the old bookstore in Flateyri
our friend the gong
Snaps bistro
the beauty of Emiliana Torrini 
eating "E.T." candy
needing Immodium in Isafjordur
shopping at Bonus for Polish goods
seeing Puffins at the Latrabjarg cliffs 
next visit: ROK in Rey, MAT BAR, Grillmarket, Messinn, Jómfrúin, Austur-Indíafjelagid, Omnom Chocolate Factory, Hlemmur Mathöll Food Hall, The Viking Village - Fjörukráin in Hafnarfjordur

surprises re: NYC: 
• much more progressive and civilized than the Bay Area (more efficient, less complaining, safer)
• personal style is amplified and cool (edgier fashions, metallics & color!) 
• the need to wash your feet and sweep your apartment constantly
• navigating the subway is SO EASY & SAFE
• ACCESSABILITY
• there are gorgeous people of all walks on the subway. Great people-watching venue.
• LOTS of cash-only places!
• Mexican food is still king in CA
• not totally loving the bagels here...Sonoma Homegrown Bagels is still world-class. 
• the fresh cut street mango is everything
• Corgis are everywhere 
• heaps of trash and unique smells abound

typical brooklyn: walked into what I thought was a fully-functional laundromat (given the outdoor signage). was a bit mortified when I traipsed in with my Tide and a huge bag of dirty clothes only to learn that it was actually a hipster juice bar. 

looking forward to: exploring more Brooklyn neighborhoods, Smorgasburg (@ Prospect Park), catching up with more friends in the city, taking the train to Connecticut and Montreal with Mom. 

Thursday, October 19, 2017

top billing

my name is on a billing block! stunning poster art by Josh Holtsclaw @bigfriendco

Monday, March 27, 2017

mini monoprints

5x5s: monotype, Sharpie, crayon, pen.





Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Friday, November 4, 2016

stranger halloween

Demogorgon takes on Joyce and the Elevens.

Stage Fright! 
#foreverWinona #foreverHawkins

We found a Barb!

Remnants of Pixar Halloween.

Monday, October 10, 2016

Me



Me / Kindergarten / 1987 /  Mrs. Zinn & Weir / Prestwood Elementary / Sonoma
#RulesStillApply

Sunday, October 2, 2016

Meet the Parents

Fro-tastic Dave & Sheila, 1980 (pre KB).