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I woke up this morning with the best idea EVER. well, maybe not the best ever, but it’s a pretty sweet idea that I really want to impliment.

Who wants to be involved in a Toy Camera Photo Show?

I’m thinking anything Holga, Diana, Lomo, anything in the toy camera genre. I’d even open it up to handmade pinholes. I’ve seen this type of show done elsewhere but never in town, and I think it could be really great show. I’m also looking for venues, so if you’re interested and have ideas, feel free!

My trip to Bistro Aix the same weekend as Fu Hao Bistro, was nothing but stellar. The new menu change hit, and I couldn’t be more delighted about the seasonal offerings. My family and I sat up at the chef’s counter, as we do fairly often to chat with Chef Tom Gray and watch the action. One of the new appetizers is a charcuterie of delicious meats and cheeses. We munched on Hobbs’ aged proscuitto speck, 5 year aged gouda, Midnight Moon aged goat cheese, and Roaring 40’s Blue. My favorite was the blue. It had a nice tanginess that went well with the smoked prosciutto speck. For those who don’t know, smoked procsciutto speck is a finely marbled,Swiss-style air dried, smoked, and cured prosciutto (ham). Hobbs’ cures it for a minimum of 7 months to produce this melt in your mouth treat.
We also shared a three cheese and tomato pizza with goat cheese. I love their pizzas for the thin crust and focus on great ingredients that go splendidly together. I also can’t say enough for Chilo, who always seems to be working the wood burning oven when I go. He makes the best pizzas at Bistro by far!

Next up was salad and another new appetizer to try. I had a yellow and red beet salad with bibb lettuce. The beets were deliciously earthy and complimented with orange segments and ricotta salata. I can’t begin to explain my love for beets. I could eat them any day and surprisingly enough hated beets for the first 22 years of my life. The salad was refreshing and light, perfect for summer.
The new appetizer we tried was an eggplant and goat cheese terrine. This was served warm, topped with roasted red peppers, and served with toasted foccaccia. The eggplant was thinly sliced and appeared to be grilled, layered with creamy goat cheese. It was amazing and devoured quickly. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed both dishes and onto the entrees we went.

I had a grilled pork tenderloin with creamy polenta, grillen spring onions, and topped with some rather delicious rosemary-roasted apples. My pork was cooked perfectly to medium. It was moist, flavorful, and was exquisite with the rest of the dish. The creaminess of the polenta paired well with the crisp apples and tender pork. The spring onions were the perfect finishing touch. It was also a perfect summer meal, not heavy or overly filling.
Another hit amongst the family was the Seared Salmon with pearl pasta, asparagus, sugar snaps, roasted fennel, and tzatziki sauce. While I prefer other fish to salmon, the tangy and light tzatziki was a great high note for the fish. The vegetables were perfectly cooked and the pearl pasta didn’t leave you feelng bogged down or make the dish heavy.

When I think of summer, I think of grilling, farmers markets, and the hot (almost unbearbly humid) months Florida graces us with every year. The summer menu at Bistro Aix is full of new, enticing dishes that will tantalize your eyes as much as your palate.

My partner in crime and I tried out Fu Hao Bistro in 5 Points this week. After the review from Jacksonville.com, I was interested to see how dinner would be. The decor was the first thing I immediately noticed. Simple and asian themed, with high backed booths wrapped in tan and black fabric laced with kanji characters. The pendants hanging into each booth and around the restaurant are long cylinders with red and blue LED lights that flash at the top. These weren’t immediately distracting, but once they caught my eye I couldn’t stop glancing at them every now and then. Take the flashing LED’s off, and the decor was perfect.
We were seated in the second room near the bar, and were the only people in that room. Our server came over, placing down wooden coasters and asked for our drink selections. These looked like the cheap bamboo blinds you can buy at home depot and were rather ineffective as coasters. We perused the menu and found the dinner prices to be a tad more than we had expected. The lunch menu consists of several choices averaging in the $7.50-7.95 range, while the dinner entrees average in the $15-25 range. I can’t lie, I’m on a budget and I don’t get expense reimbursements from some fancy, amazing paper or magazine to fund restaurant reviews. I chose the phad thai with chicken ($10), while my date chose the Moo Goo Gai Pan ($10). Our entrees came with a choice of soup. I chose wonton soup while she chose the egg drop.
The Wonton Soup was really refreshing. A complex and flavorful chicken broth with two shrimp, water chestnut, and carrot filled wontons. The wrappers on the wontons were delicate and light, which was a nice surprise. I added some thai chili oil from the table, which added to the broth’s complexity. Floating in the clear broth were finely chopped scallions and basil.
As for the Egg Drop Soup, I didn’t care for it. My date however, thoroughly enjoyed it. We both jokingly thought the consistency was of motor oil, but it was flavorful and she said it was the best she’s had in town.
The service was consistent and our server was attentive, if not too much. Our meals were brought out in a timely fashion. Both dishes smelled divine, and the portions were huge, and we both had enough for lunch the next day. My Pad thai was in abundance with large, thiny slice pieces of chicken draping the wide rice noodles throughout the bowl. Some chopped peanuts and lime were in the corners, which I sprinkled as well as some more thai chili oil. I did ask for it to be spicy, and was sad to see it was rather bland and no heat was added. It wasn’t a strictly traditional pad thai, and the sauce was thin and in abundance, but it was good and I would have it again. It lacked cilantro, red chili pepper, and even some bean sprouts. The chicken was fairly appetitizing but wasn’t marinated and only soaked up some flavor from the sauce, resulting in a little blandness.
The Moo Goo Gai Pan however, looked and was tantalizing. The same thin, wide slices of chicken in a very garlicy clear sauce with sauteed vegetables. The menu suggests it was a white wine sauce, but I only tasted the garlic in it. Regardless, Partner in Crime loved it. The vegetables were perfectly cooked and we both enjoyed the dish.

Overall the meal was decent, and we would both go back again. I would definitely like to try something different and see how their curries hold up. The plus side was that their wine list looked good, and the ambience is inviting. The down side, was the food was only ‘good’ and not stellar.

copyright clay doran.

copyright clay doran.

Describe your work. What are your influences, how do you get your inspiration?
My abstract paintings are studies in texture, color, composition, and decay. I have grown up in Jacksonville, Florida surrounded by abandoned buildings with peeling paint and old hand painted signs hanging on by rusty nails. This urban decay has been a huge source of inspiration. I am mesmerized when I see peeling paint creating insanely intricate designs by simply being left to the elements; art without the artist. In my paintings I layer many different mediums in an attempt to recreate the surfaces I see around me. Through building up an assortment of  mediums and then carefully tearing them down I try to simulate the effects of weather, time, and decay.

copyright clay doran.

As Squid Dust I am currently being influenced by 80s skateboarding culture, children’s cartoons, the monsters of old illuminated religious manuscripts and the constant onslaught of pop media that bombards us everyday.

Visually, I am constantly going through phases. Recently I’ve been loving the work of Anthony Lister, Cody Hoyt, Kinsey, Parla, JD Baizley, Skinner, and a lot of those other west coast dudes.  And of course I will always love the classics. Icons like Bosch, Warhol, Schiele, Anselm Kiefer, Rauchenberg, Mucha and Darger will always be a huge source of inspiration.

copyright clay doran.

Where do you see yourself in five or ten years? Your art? How do you see it evolving?
Who knows really? I mean of course I would like to be surrounded by things that make me happy and living off of creative projects. But there is an old Buddhist saying, “the path is the goal.”  I like to think of my artistic evolution in the same way. As long as I am on the path then I have reached my goal. There is no destination.
I recently went through a phase of typography and now I seem to be drifting into geometry and emergence. Hopefully I will continue to be inspired and learn from the world around me. I am excited to see how my work will change and evolve throughout my entire life.

Squid Dust has recently shown at Edge 17, Moon River Pizza, Café 331, Eclipse, and the Exchange (in Gainesville)

I grew up in Jacksonville, going to the Pit in Riverside, and before that the Lion’s Club in Orange Park. Watching kids not much older than me piece together awesome shows. While other kids were complaining about the lack of entertainment in this city, others were going out and doing something about it. They were bringing those bands and artists into a tiny empty room and making a scene that everyone could be a part of. Not for the money or the popularity, but for the love of “the game.” I think Jacksonville still has this in its blood. Dead Tank Records, Burro Bags, Zombie Bikes, Flux Gallery, and Arturo Clothing are perfect examples of kids creating something out of nothing in this city. While “spots” and venues will come and go… we need to always have people with the drive to make something happen. Even in the face of unavoidable public apathy.

copyright clay doran.

I have lots of plans for the future. I have recently moved into a new warehouse studio after painting out of my house for years. Soooo I feel like I have more potential then ever before.

A came across the site Farm Fresh to You not too long ago, and fell in love until I realized that I can’t have locally grown produce delivered to my door. What I love about their site however, is the storage and use tips for a plethora of veggies and fruit. Not only does it say what temperature to store this array of produce, but some tips on how to cook or serve it.

While I cannot have locally grown produce delivered to my door, I do frequent the Riverside Arts Market. If you haven’t been out on a Saturday yet, GO! I try to make it out every other week. The produce is delicious and cheap, and last trip I walked away with a half flat of strawberries, and a reusable publix bag chock full of assorted veggies for $12. I’m eager to make it out when the Sweet Grass Dairy folks are there. I’ve heard their cheeses are quite delicious!
My only hope for the RAM is that the arts and crafts side of things picks up a little more. I’ve seen few visual artists and mostly jewelry and other housewares. Check it out every Saturday under the I-95 overpass on Riverside Ave. 10-4pm!

In other news, I had my first experience at O’Brother’s in Five Points, and another delightful trip down to Bistro Aix last weekend. I have to say, I was disappointed in O’Brother’s and doubt I’ll return any time soon. My partner had a Blue Moon (overpriced for a $5 pint) and we started with the tomato bisque and then Fish and Chips.
The tomato bisque was rather delicious. On the menu, it boasts a “mini grilled cheese sandwich” on the side. This ended up being a small wedge of a grilled cheese, which was good enough but more like a suggestion of a grilled cheese. We both enjoyed the bisque and thought it was well seasoned.
For the fish and chips, the fish was Icelandic cod. It was tasty but the batter could have definitely been better. Also not crispy and a pretty lackluster batter, a good beer batter would’ve done wonders. The chips were good but under seasoned wedges of potato that should have been cooked a little longer. I like my chips crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and these were anything but crispy. The portion was enough for us both to feel satisfied, and I did enjoy the coconut curry sauce that accompanied the dish. For $13, I expected a little more than what was offered. We sat inside by the bar, and our service was sub-par. Our server was fairly attentive, but when the bill came she gave a fit and lied to our face about splitting the bill.
As two people who’ve worked in the food industry for quite some time, we knew the system by the ticket print out. Tip: Don’t lie to someone and say you can’t split a check, and definitely don’t talk about a customer to another bartender in front of the customer. The other bartender blatantly stared at us, and I could see our server gabbing away throwing a miniature tantrum.
I wanted to like O’Brother’s. The menu looks inviting and delicious, but it failed to live up to my hopes.

next post will be the trip to Bistro Aix on San Marco Blvd. which was nothing but stellar and incredibly delicious!

I just received word that Logan Zawacki’s upcoming book, The Excavation of Mushroom Island, will be unveiled Friday June 5th from 6-9pm at Flux Gallery in Five Points. I know I’ll be there, and so should you! Logan is an amazing artist and having grown up on nintendo and Super Mario, I cannot wait to get my hands on this book.

I forgot to mention the Art in the Heart Show and Sale this weekend!
May 22nd-24th at Hemming Plaza. The City of Jax site for it says they’re still accepting submissions, but doesn’t say until when.

for more info check it out.

It’s been a while and I apologize. I’ve been caught up with work, testing out shirts for Crown Skateboards, making jams, and turning 24. First and foremost, was a blog post from the great Neil Gaiman about stem cell research. This is a topic I’m all for expanding, researching, and turning around the Bush administration laws against.

If you’d like to, read this google doc about what’s happening with Stem Cell Research and the National Institute of Health: http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dd5vs2xt_0hkwp6xd8

Should you want to express your opinion on stem cell research, say it loud: http://nihoerextra.nih.gov/stem_cells/add.htm
(the link to Neil’s post is here as well. )

Secondly, I’ve started following the updates of Urban Sketchers. I have always had an immense fascination with other peoples’ sketchbooks and seeing how other artists sketch, doodle, etc. Check it out, I’m in love with it and enjoy most of the sketchers who post.

I’ve also been checking out the new stuff James Greene has been working on over at Valuistics, and really digging the Road Window series. Check it out!

And a few update related notes… I’m still waiting on some sweet new interviews to show up in my inbox, as soon as I get them back they’ll be up! As I said before I’ll be expanding the blog to food as well. We’re in the process of testing jams and recipes to possibly sell at RAM. Last weekend we made Orange Strawberry Preserves which turned out splendidly! A little Cointreau added so much flavor and body to it. I’ll start blogging some of my favorite recipes as well as reinvented, healthier ones as I make a rather large life change involving eating locally and tremendously better than I ever have. But that is for another post.

Enjoy the week and this cool weather we’re having!

Quick update to let you all know about an awesome event this weekend. Bury Your Bike is happening again Friday, Saturday, and Sunday this weekend.  Zombie Bikes and Burro Bags are throwing a massive 3-day celebration to commemorate 1 year of bike service in Springfield. They’ll have limited runs of sweet shit to raise money for Zombie Bikes. (T-shirts, patches, posters, oh my!)

May 1, Friday

Critical Mass leaving the BBB to ride through First Fridays. Ride out to a secret show. Then live bands at Shantytown. One-legged tandem bike race through Springfield’s alleys….and more

May 2, Saturday
Raging, bike games, scavenger hunt and race, tall bike race… Warehouse party with live bands and dj’s.

May 3, Sunday
Bike Polo. Grilling and chilling.

Check out the  Zombie Bikes blog to hear about updates and additions to this awesome weekend!

I was directed to this Art House Co-op project today and fell in love.
It’s called A Million Little Pictures and they want you to show the world a little part of your life; 24 frames to be exact.

It’s a great little concept. You pay to enter into the exhibition ($18), and they send you a disposable camera to document your life. When you’re done, take it to a one hour photo joint and send off the prints. From the looks of it, they are planning on showing all the photographs they receive. I know I will be participating. Will you?

The Exhibition is scheduled to take place in Atlanta at the Art House Gallery, on September 25th.
In addition, the city with the most participants will also have the exhibition come there for some time.

check out the details for yourself and take part!
A Million Little Pictures
I’ll be at the exhibition in Atlanta, unless something comes up.