Smitty Imaging Ltd.

Feline Street Toughs

2010-10-27T20:59:00.000-07:00

I cut through a neighborhood on my way home from work every night. It's a slight shortcut but the real reason why I cut through is the cats. There's about 10-12 feral cats that live on a corner. They're street toughs. Not afraid of anything or anyone. They walk right in the middle of the street when cars are coming and will stand right in the way. I told Dave this and one night we were driving home and it was very late. We were nearby so we drove to the corner and there they were, right in the middle of the street! A whole gang of them! Here's to the kitties.

Yippidie Doo Day

2010-10-25T21:32:00.000-07:00

Well Janet and Judy and I are going TO THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW!   Yippie! This is a healing trip. Something fun for the three of us to do after a rough and tumble spring and summer. Back in May, when the shit was going down all over the place, I vowed that the three of us would do something FUN once everything settled down. I had secretly hoped I could score tickets to Oprah but wasn't sure I could swing it. Well, I did.   Luckily we do some business with the show and had licensed quite a few songs to the show recently (thank you GLEE).   So I asked and I received. Score.

I guess I should backtrack a little. I was GOING to ask and figured mid November would be the best time considering Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc so I told both Janet and Judy to clear their schedule for the week of Nov 15th and that I had a surprise.   He he. They had NO clue! So I just left it at that. Clear your schedule and I have a surprise.

SO, once I scored the tickets and got the date I made the calls. First Judy. She was having a rough day and was glad to hear from me. I dropped the O bomb and of course she was thrilled. Didn't think I was serious, then once it sunk in she got choked up. I felt so good to be able to give her some pleasure and excitement!    Next was Janet, who happened to be vacationing in Maui (a vacation that I forced her to take I might ad). She was also surprised and I was happy!

SO, once they were on board then I booked everything. Flights, car and hotel.   Chicago here we come! There will be photos (but not at the Oprah show...).   Stay tuned.

Fox this morning when I got to work.

Saturday Walk and Caramel Apples

2010-10-16T17:15:00.000-07:00

It was a nice overcast day today. Dave and took a walk to Brentwoo to have breakfast at the Tavern. It's about a 2 mile walk. After we got home (2 miles back!) I made caramel apples with some mini crabapples I got a whole foods. They're about the size of a cherry and look like cherries too. I also had some mini apples for contrast. Good day.

Tilt Shift

2010-10-13T19:41:00.000-07:00

Tee hee. Every year at work I do a holiday e-card. Last year, Janet and I did a pet photoshoot roadtrip and I put together pet headshots along with hidden video set to music from "Fantastic Mr. Fox". The year before, I set up a green screen in my office and convinced Fox's grip department to set up like a million watts of light in my office. The prior years were all variations on fading images with each persons name underneath. Lots of work but it's totally fun because I get to learn something new and challenge myself. Which I love.

So THIS year I've got to keep pushing myself and make a totally rad card. So me and Janet and Emily are in the pre-production phase of this years card. Let just say there will be headsets, clipboards and a lot of paint. First day test shot with new 5D Mk2 below.

Hello October.

2010-10-01T19:00:00.000-07:00

I am so glad September is over. I'll be happy when 2010 is over with too. Not that I want time to pass quicker than it already is. It's just been a tough one this year. Lots of pain, loss, sorrow, anger, resentment and emotions. Lots of emotions. I have never sobbed as hard as I have this year. �
Today was Emily's birthday. She really loves to celebrate and I love to bake so I made her a modified version of my rainbow cake. I wanted to do a cake with gradients of the same color. I chose brown for Emily's since I wanted to flavor the cake with coffee. I call this my Cafe Latte Coffee Rainbow Cake. Happy Birthday Emily and welcome October!

Closure

2010-09-25T21:14:00.000-07:00

Wow. This was a big week. I didn't realize how much anxiety I had waiting for this week to be over until now. There's a reason why people are buried right after they die. Closure. My Dad passed away on June 6th but we just buried him on Sept 22nd. Being a retired Army Colonel, Dad was honored with a full military honors ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery but there are only so many a day so there's a backup. Three and a half months for us. The ceremony was aweseome. Caisson, full band, rifle volleys, and a riderless horse. He would have loved it. The precision and respect was incredible. The next day he was honored at the NVAR opening ceremony for their new green building. He was the chair of the building committee and had worked on that building for years. It was a great building and a real nice group of folks who really loved my Dad. They dedicated a garden out front to him. The amazing thing is that the current NVAR President, Vinh Nguyen, had been processed through Camp Rainbow in Guam during Operation New Life - Dad was the commanding officer. So there was an extra special connection between them. Finally, Dad's house is sold and closed. It was a rough escrow and a bit of drama at the end but it's over. Closure and relief.

Little One

2010-09-19T19:41:00.000-07:00

Well, Leanna had her baby. Cooper. So tiny and very sweet and squiggly. He was six days old when I met him for the first time. I don't think I've ever seen a baby that young. He looked just like a real person, a man, but much smaller. I appreciated Leanna and Steve letting me take photos of their little one so early. He was cranky and just wanted everyone to leave him alone. I didn't get very many pictures and my whole plan was blown. But it doesn't matter.

Stress Makes You Sick

2010-09-12T15:51:00.000-07:00

Yeah with all the goings on with me over the past few months it finally caught up. I caught a germ. It's almost gone now but I def did not feel good for a few days. I do not like being sick and went a good 6-7 years there without catching anything. A year and half ago, when I met Dave in London I got sick. Actually, Dave got really sick and I spent a week in a hotel room with him. On the flight back I started to feel it. Crap. It wasnt too bad but it did break my winning streak. I figured I'd get sick now. So much stress, anquish, worry, etc, etc. It's bound to happen.

Hollywood Bowl

2010-09-08T21:18:00.002-07:00

I was really lucky and honored to be a part of The Big Picture: The Films of Twentieth Century Fox at the Hollywood Bowl on Sunday night. It's a project I had been working on for months - helping to pick films and music to be featured in the show and shepharding the project through. David Newman conducted the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and was so focused and intense. I got to witness the rehearsals both at the Eastwood scoring stage at Warner Bros and at the Bowl itself on Sunday morning. What a thrill it was walking onto the stage at the bowl at 10 in the morning! I only wish I was able to take my camera and get pictures. Next time I have to get a press pass or something - it's just such a lovely, iconic venue. I didn't realize how nervous I was about the show until after it was over. I guess that's how things work sometimes...you keep it all in then let go once it's OK to do so.

House For Sale :0(

2010-08-30T07:27:00.002-07:00

We'll it's all coming to a head soon. Dad's house is on the market. Kind of a shock to see the "for sale" sign out front. The house looks great thanks to a lot of hard work from Jack, Judy, Tim, David and various friends. Boy they all worked so hard. Especially Jack. And it's not even his house!
It's going to be a tough day when it's finally sold. End of an era. I hope the new owners will love that house as much as my mom and dad did.

85mm

2010-08-11T20:31:00.001-07:00

I got an 85mm lens. I think I like it. It a really nice lens but I'll try it out this weekend and then decide. In the meantime isnt Didi the cutest little thing?

Meringue Cupcakes

2010-08-10T20:15:00.000-07:00

So after my Whoopie Pie fiasco, I had to figure out what ELSE I could make for Kristina's birthday that would be fun, different, spectacular and actually taste good! Individual lemon tarts were a possibility but just too much work and I'd have to go out and buy little tart pans.
I was googling meringue and found a Merigue Cupcake recipe on MarthaStewart.com. Her's were pink and perfect and were served with a raspberry curd. I made a meyer lemon curd with lemons from Janet's tree (I used 13 lemons!). Also served with creme fraiche.
Soooo good. Highly recommended. Will make again but probably not in cupcake form.

Whoopie Pies are Gross

2010-08-07T18:10:00.000-07:00

I love to bake (well, duh), and I love to make something sweet for my coworkers on their birthday. For Kristina's birthday I was all set on doing individual lemon meringue tarts. After I saw a photo of a Whoopie Pie I decided that I would make those. They looked so good and are kind of perfect for a group as everyone can get their own.

So today I tested a standard whoopie pie recipe with the marshmallow filling. The actual cakes are fine, a little dry (probably over cooked) but taste like cake. The filling was totally gross. Especially when tasted by itself. When I ate the Whoopie Pie with the filling it was better, edible, but I couldn't serve it to my coworkers. That said, I froze the cakes and may make a ganache filling in a few days..we'll see.

Farmer's Market

2010-08-01T20:06:00.000-07:00

I love, love, love going to farmer's markets. Especially in the summer when they are so abundant. I am so lucky I live in Southern California where we have great fresh fruits and vegetables almost year round. Grapes were there for the first time this year. These are seedless.

Preggy 8 months

2010-07-30T18:10:00.000-07:00

Wow, they are really getting big now. Mid September due dates so the countdown is ON. One boy and one girl. Janet took most of the photos but I barged in and snapped some too. Eep!

Speechless

2010-07-24T20:41:00.000-07:00

Marissa and I went out on a photo shoot this morning. We met at Maison Martin Margiela on Little Santa Monica Blvd in Beverly Hills. I really love the way the wind makes this building come alive. It doesnt really translate in still photos but it definitely is a cool background. We next went to the Paul Smith building on Melrose and dodged 100 women standing in line for a big shoe sale.... next! So then we ended up on Melrose Place and went into every elegant nook and cranny on the block. Marissa is a trooper and her photos are gorgeous!

Best and Worst

2010-07-09T09:45:00.000-07:00

This pretty much sums it up. Courtesy of fonts.com.

Better

2010-07-06T21:02:00.001-07:00

Well today is the one month anniversary of the death of my father, Jack O'Donohue. We're still recovering. Lots of tragedy in the past 2 months. I know of 6 people who have died and one house that caught fire. Lots of sudden major changes in people's lives. That said, life does go on. I got an invite to a baby shower today and am looking forward. Even Smudge has found a home and seems to be doing well with his new parents. I'm grateful and hope he is happy.

Didi

2010-06-30T19:37:00.000-07:00

Awe, come ON, how cute is this kitty? Dave and I adopted her from the North Valley Animal Shelter. She was only 7 weeks old but already had a BIG personality. She's a diva, she likes interactive play, Organix snacks (aka "kitty crack"), walks in the park in her stroller and long stare downs. Didi has a dancers body and is not motivated by food (kitty crack excepted). She does not like to be held but does not hold a grudge. She's polka dotted with some other cat's tail. She definitely has some Turkish Van in her and loves water.

Didi Website

Didi and Friends on Flickr

Didi's Caster page

We’re Cat People

2010-06-28T08:51:00.001-07:00

Via: Online Schools
I love dogs but really I'm a cat person. I grew up a cat person and will probably always be a cat person.

Life Goes On

2010-06-18T20:34:00.001-07:00

OK after weeks and weeks of worry and sadness we go back to where we were before. Only different. We're different. We've gone through things and came out on the otherside mostly intact but definitely not the same. We had the third preggy photo shoot today. Janet took the picts this time. I did the processing. I know it was hard for her but she was a trooper and her picts came out great.

Orphan

2010-06-07T20:39:00.000-07:00

I'm an orphan now. My Mom passed away suddenly 5 years ago and my Dad passed away last night. It's been a tough 6 weeks. He held on to the very end then finally went peacefully. Yesterday morning they transferred him from his home where we had set up hospice care to the hospice facility. He was having a tough time but did finally get comfortable. My sister, Judy, was the only one with him when he finally stopped breathing. She had promised him she'd take care of him to the end.
Dad was diagnosed with stage IV melanoma 2 years ago. He was, for the most part, asymptomatic until April. Then everything changed. Since then it was a long slow decline.
He has a lot of friends and we will miss him so much. I love you Dad.

Sad Smudge

2010-05-30T19:37:00.000-07:00

Smudge is my Mom's cat. She got him and Fudge at the same time. Both all white except Smudge is deaf. Fudge died right before my Mom did in 2005. Smudge looked so sad for so long. He's a great cat and just wants some love.
My Dad has a hospital bed in the den now. Smudge lays next to his legs at night. I can tell Dad likes it. So comforting to have a little cat be with you. Smudge will need a good home soon.

Tough Week

2010-05-22T12:08:00.000-07:00

Went back east to visit the fam. Meagan graduated from VA Tech so we went to Blacksburg for the ceremonies. Flight cancellation, rebooking, 4 hour drives, prison dorms, no sleep, more driving. Visited Dad up in nova too. Sadness, fighting, stress, weakness, no sleep. Work is tough too. Tough week. Glad to have good friends, close family and a great husband. Here's some picts from the trip.

Mother's Day

2010-05-14T05:37:00.001-07:00

Summer, Leanna and Janet are all expecting (girl, boy, girl) and they are all due within days of each other! They are all beautiful and I hope to chronicle their progress in the coming months. Yo baby!

Day of Wine and Roses

2010-05-08T18:30:00.000-07:00

We've been participating in the Venice Garden Tour every year since the beginning. It's a fun looky loo extravaganza and sneak peek beyond the fences and doors. Dave and rented bikes this year and saw about half of the places. Here's a few shots of our day.

Carina & Danny, Pacific Grove, CA

2010-05-01T19:49:00.000-07:00

Well I guess Amber's twin sister, Carina liked the pictures I took at Amber's wedding because she asked me to shoot her wedding to Danny. They were probably the most calm and low key people I've ever met. Everything was calm and relaxed and fun. I had a great time photographing them and I really hope they like how the pictures came out!

Janet's Rainbow

2010-04-15T20:01:00.000-07:00

Janet grew up with unicorns and rainbows. Unfortunately, she was born on tax day. So today I made her a rainbow birthday cake! I've been wanting to make this cake for a few months. It's so striking! Not really a fan of the food coloring but a few drops of gel wont hurt if you only do it once. I think the 2 dozen eggs and 2 pounds of butter might do more damage....

Carolina

2010-04-02T11:02:00.001-07:00

She said she found a cool polka dot wall nearby. So I asked her if she wanted to get some pictures taken there. "OK", she said. So we got a couple of peeps together went out and ate at Carmines then headed over to the wall. After a few shots wherein Carolina looked just like one of the Kardashian girls, I wanted to look a the shots. WELL I frickin' forgot my CF card! OMG, I was humiliated, horrified and totally embarrased. This is the second attempt. We went a little earlier (but not early enough..) and got some pretty shots.

Quitting Time

2010-03-30T19:28:00.000-07:00

Just got a new lens. I lurve it! 16-55mm/2.8. It's awesome! I cannot wait to try it out. I cannot wait to see what it looks like on the beach. Here's one of my first shots. This is on the way to my car after work. Love it!

Employment

2010-03-19T18:49:00.000-07:00

I have been working at the same place for 17 years now. Love my job, love my office, love that I can walk to work if I really really want to. I walked today. Here's the view from the escalator when I walk up from Olympic. Takes about 50 minutes and there are a lot of hills. It's a great walk. The walk home is harder as the hills are mostly UP. Now that it's light out a night I can walk home more!

Elaine

2010-03-13T16:11:00.000-08:00

We met at the Big Pink Building on Melrose. A location I've wanted to shoot for a long time. It's just soooo cool lookin'! I told her to wear all black for contrast. Little did I know she'd come with props too! Awesome! Fun morning and I like the pictures too. Elaine was so fun and funny and giving and not afraid to try anything. yay!

My Little 6 Year Old

2010-03-03T19:39:00.000-08:00

How sweet is my little Didi bird? She loves to explore and to push the envelope of everything. She's got her routines and if they are not followed then we get a lot of head shaking and leg scratching. Yes, she'll use your leg as a tree trunk kitty scratcher if she feels like it. And she usually feels like it. Anyway, she is such a sweetie and started being a little more vocal just in the past 6 months! Ever evolving and ever sweet Didi Lee Capucine Merenda is 6 years old now.

Claremont is Nice

2010-02-26T21:21:00.000-08:00

ho woulda thunk that the city of Claremont, CA is so beautiful. Dave and I went out to Oak Quarry Golf Course so I could test my new lens. By the time we got there it was too busy so we decided to check out a Huell Howser find - The Packing House in Claremont. It was awesome but even more awesomer was the town! A thriving village that is modern but straight from the 50's. Lots of beautiful trees, shops, homes and restaurants. Loved Claremont. Go there. Go to Walter's and go to the Folk Music Center (another Huell find).

Marissa M.

2010-02-15T16:43:00.000-08:00

I have been mourning the loss of the Mann National movie theater since they bulldozed it in 2007. It opened in 1970 as an iconic symbol of 70's modernism and large screen goodness. The lot on the corner of Lindbrook and Gayley has been vacant since the theater was torn down. I walk by the lot on my way to the gym and I've see the weeds grow to about 5 feet tall! I've wanted to take pictures in the fenced in lot for a while now. Luckily Marissa was game for an adventure! After waiting out the cop eating a bagel in her squad car, we snuck through the fence. Here's a few picts from today - more here.

Valentine

2010-02-14T14:45:00.000-08:00

My sweet Valentine Dave got me the most beautiful flowers. They were delivered to my office on Friday. It was a surprise and really made me feel special. Dave knows how to send flowers! This is a photo of my little Valentine Didi checking out the flowers.

Balloons

2010-02-13T10:55:00.000-08:00

We had a farewell party for Mike in the control room of the Newman scoring stage. White balloons were everywhere. Goodbye!

2010-02-04T17:21:00.001-08:00

Speaking of weddings! Cant wait to work with my wonderful wedding photo friend Kristine Ambrose this weekend. She's revamping and wants a wedding specific website. Looking forward to helping with this! New website is here and wedding blog here.

Weddings, Weddings, Weddings!

2010-02-03T13:45:00.000-08:00

Last October I was honored to be asked to be the official photographer for Amber and Sean's wedding. Of course, I had at that time only really shot FOOD but that didn't seem to phase anyone! Amber and Sean were great subjects as were the entire wedding party and everyone who attended! The location was in beautiful State College, PA. I was so nervous and felt the pressure to perform on wedding day. I shot from 9am to 11pm and just worked every angle I could. Back in my hotel room at night I just had to go through all the photos to make sure it wasnt a total disaster. And it wasn't....thankfully. Amber's twin, Carina, is getting married in April and I am again on duty and cannot wait this time!

Kitty Business Trip!

2010-02-02T16:08:00.000-08:00

2010 Gig Poster Calendar

2010-01-22T15:09:00.000-08:00

I love having a calendar at work. I look at it all the time to check days and dates, which is of course what a calendar is for. Every year for many many years I have had a music related calendar since I work in the music business. So it fits into the vibe of my job and the decor of my office. The last 2 years I had a calendar that had a different gig poster for each month. I love gig posters (or show posters). The artists have full creative freedom to do anything as long as the show info is included somewhere.

So at the end of 2009 I started searching for my 2010 calendar. Stores, online, etsy, amazon, everywhere. No calendar. Really? Why would you not want to have one of these available for people? Are iphones, blackberrys and computers putting paper calendars out of business? Gha!

So now my dilemma. What kind of calendar do I get? I hate all of the one's I've seen - at least not at work to look at 8 hours a day (or 9 or 10). So I am going to make my own.

I went to Poster Cabaret and purchased 12 of my favorite posters. Poster Cabaret sells original silk screened gig posters from tons of different artists. It's a great site and the posters are all awesome.

Yes, this will be an expensive calendar but I think it's worth it. Not sure exactly how I'm going to do it but if it comes out even half as good as I want it will be worth it. Here are some of my picks.

Staghorn Leghorn

2010-01-09T17:40:00.001-08:00

This is a beautiful example of a staghorn fern. Taken in Brentwood in the courtyard of the Caffe Luxe building.

View to A New Year

2010-01-03T19:08:00.001-08:00

I love the view from my desk. I never get tired of it. I get to see the entire Wilshire Corridor in Westwood. Seems every couple of years there's a new building going up but it's just beautiful. What a nice way to start 2010!

Happy New Year from Didi

2010-01-01T18:58:00.001-08:00

This is my super sweet little bird named Didi. I attempted my version of the 2009 Grammy Posters. Fun Photoshop sillyness.

Xmas

2009-12-26T18:34:00.000-08:00

Merry merry. Dave gave me a Virgin America ticket to visit the fam. Quite grateful. There was a bit of drama this year and I'm glad I came. Still, missed Dave. Wished he was here or actually wished I was home with my family. Dave and Didi. Well, going home tomorrow and we will have a glorious week together before 2010 starts up. Looking forward.

Happy Holidays

2009-12-11T20:58:00.001-08:00

Fox Music Holiday Card

2009-12-04T20:26:00.000-08:00

This eCard is the result of weeks of prep work, photo shoots, chasing cats and dogs (even a pig and a goat). This pushed my ageing computer to it's limit but it was worth it.

Bottega Louie

2009-11-29T16:15:00.000-08:00

Wow, Bottega Louie downtown is fantastic. It feels like an old world, New York/Italian style place. There's a bakery and restaurant. Dave and I went the day after Thanksgiving. Of course downtown LA was not very busy on that day but lucky for us we parked right in front of Bottega Louie and had a wonderful breakfast in the restaurant.

Girls Night Out

2009-11-10T13:00:00.000-08:00

Dave & I taped "Girls Night Out" with Toney Pozek for GNAT-TV in Manchester, VT.
I made four recipes from my book, "Sweet Things" in front of a live audience. Hot Chocolate, Granola, Pecan Sticky Buns and Savory Ricotta Tortes were enjoyed by the audience. The show was taped and shown on Public Access all over New England. Dave played "I Will Remember You" for everyone and we both had a great time.
The day before, I did a book signing at Northshire Bookstore, in Manchester and brought my chocolate cookies for the crowd.

Photos here.

Star Self Portrait

2009-11-05T20:20:00.000-08:00

Well since a couple of months ago when I had to cram to learn how to shoot a wedding, I started following Jasmine Star's blog. She's a super hard working, super duper wedding photog. She blogs every day and is a funny, honest writer. This is my self portrait that includes a star. Hopefully Jasmine and her judge friends will like it. Oh and yes, I am wearing polka dot pj's. :O)

Budda's Hand

2009-11-01T17:06:00.000-08:00

Open hand. Got it from the BH farmer's market today. Very fragrant. Wonder what I can make with it?

Didi's Mommy & Daddy

2009-10-31T23:27:00.000-07:00

It took me about 10 hours to sew these costumes! They were super comfortable (stretch velour)! I dyed Didi's spots on the back with coffee. Latte, Cappucino, Americano and Espresso spots.

Sweet Camera

2009-09-13T15:58:00.001-07:00

Here's something from the new 5D. Unretouched and lovely. Didi's got snowy fur and even the screen looks cool. Click on the picture to see bigger.

Dave Merenda & Commuter: Young Hearts

2009-08-05T21:03:00.000-07:00

Finally on iTunes! Check it out!

OMG - Best Dessert In The World

2009-07-25T20:53:00.000-07:00

Pizzeria Mozza's Caramel Copetta with Marshmallow Sauce & Spanish Salted Peanuts. The peanuts were WARM and salty and nutty. The copetta was cool and creamy and had a great caramel flavor. The marshmallow sauce was soft, fluffy and did not get mucked up like you'd think a marshmallow would. It stayed soft and creamy. Plus there was extra caramel on top of the whole thing. This was simply one of the best desserts I've ever had. Ever.
After dining a Mozza at least 10 times I've always had the Butterscotch Budino for dessert. Don't get me wrong, that's a fantastic dessert too. But today I got the copetta and it kicked the budino's ass!

Is this good or bad?

2009-07-22T20:42:00.000-07:00

ok, NYC used to have the best pizza on earth. I was actually looking forward to going there in 2 weeks. But with this news I'm not so sure there's anything to go to NY for anymore, foodwise.
Una Pizza Napoletana is CLOSED. Unbelievable. It was the leader of the pack in NY's Neopolitan pizza influx. And it was awesome.
The GOOD news however is the owner Anthony Mangieri, may head west and open up a shop in San Francisco or Santa Cruz. One can only hope. Then we never have to leave California...

Secret Gardens

2009-07-01T11:15:00.000-07:00

Dave and I did the annual Secret Gardens of Venice tour last weekend. We saw a couple from prior years but, as usual, it doesn't disappoint.

Didi Talks!

2009-04-28T08:13:00.000-07:00

I think we may have found a solution for the next Holiday card!

noooooooo!

2009-04-10T15:08:00.000-07:00

I just learned that my favourite weekend breakfast emporium, City Bakery, is closing it's doors tomorrow at the Brentwood Country Mart. City Bakery is home of the famous pretzel croissant! Sweet, savory with lots of flaky whole wheat layers. They would always be warm.

Let's hope Maury Rubin finds another location so we can still enjoy these exceptional creations. Sniff.....

Zwicky!

2009-04-10T11:55:00.000-07:00

I subscribe to the Modern Cat emails and a link to this super cute Zwicky poster came in not too long ago. It's by renouned Swiss poster artist, Donald Brun and was created for a yarn company called Zwicky. You can see lots more great posters and buy them here.

Peeps or Poops?

2009-04-05T15:34:00.001-07:00

Attempted to make homemade peeps. These are the "good" ones.

Una Pizza Napoletana

2009-04-04T18:12:00.000-07:00

Here's a short film about my #1 pizza place, Una Pizza Napoletana.

Tiger Chow MockUp

2009-04-03T10:27:00.000-07:00

The bag sample arrived! I can finally see what my idea looks like on an actual bag. Looks great (if I say so myself). The rubber stamp looks nice on the kraft paper bag and the granola looks yummy in the window. This is a 16oz size. Still working on it...

Zack Attack Logos

2009-03-28T14:28:00.000-07:00

Zack Attack team logos - for fun. Janet's doing a March of Dimes walk for babies on April 25th. I took a crack at their team t-shirt logo. I can't help myself. Not sure if they'll use these but it's super fun anyhow.

Tiger Chow

2009-03-25T22:38:00.000-07:00

I found a name for my granola. Tiger Chow. I'm going to get some kraft paper bags to put it in. Got a rubber stamp of this logo for the front - just for a test.

Commuter

2009-03-11T11:08:00.000-07:00

Dave has a bunch of recordings from his old band Commuter in the late 80's. At that time he had a song "Young Hearts" in the movie Karate Kid. We're going to put them up on iTunes. We dont have much to go on as far as artwork - just 2 photos. So here are the comps. We'll see what ends up a "go".

Chocolate Seastorm: Swim

2009-02-10T19:09:00.000-08:00

Well we finally got it done. We got all of our old recordings together and put them out on two releases. Swim is the more uptempo and rock stuff. Float is the smooth, loungy, bossa stuff.
The cover of Swim uses a photo I took in Calestoga, CA at the Indian Springs hot mineral pool.
Now on iTunes. Physical cd coming...

Zack Landrum

2009-01-23T10:09:00.000-08:00

A Wordle of Zack Landrum Blog

A Brit in Britain

2009-01-23T10:07:00.000-08:00

Wordle of Jacquie Perryman's A Brit in Britain blog

One Cat's Opinion

2009-01-23T09:44:00.000-08:00

Wordle of onecatsopinion.blogspot.com

The Screen: love

2009-01-10T16:55:00.000-08:00

This is the mock up for the Valentine sampler. Love the iconic heart.

Seastorm Ideas

2009-01-08T13:30:00.000-08:00

The one's that didn't make it....

Original "float" idea - looks just like Alanna's arm....

mock up using art from iStock...love this

Alanna's photo of a dog in Thailand

Alanna's photo reflecting her face in fall leaves...very cool shot.

Alanna's photo of a boat in the ocean in Thailand...really nice picture

Dark Archies

2008-12-23T18:56:00.000-08:00

Dave put together some of his Dark Archies recordings to give as a gift to Jack Gordon for Christmas. It came out so great he might put it out for reals. I took this picture of Dave at a recording session at Santa Monica Sound back in the day. Lots of photoshopping got it to this point.

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-15T20:00:00.000-08:00

Sweet Didi made the cover of the holiday card again...she's so photogenic!

Happy Holidays from Fox Music Publishing

2008-12-10T15:03:00.000-08:00

first time with green screen and after effects..

The Screen: Holiday

2008-11-13T13:27:00.000-08:00

Here's the final for the Fox music sampler The Screen Holiday

Turned out nice.

One Cat Talking

2008-10-29T17:41:00.000-07:00

Dave has a blog so he can vent his political angst. This video was created through bluemountain.com's talking e-cards. You type in what you want to say and the cat will say it! This is one of Dave's blogs put through the test. Doesn't seem as virulent when it's said by a cat.

Sweet Things 2nd edition

2008-10-15T19:53:00.000-07:00

Just got the second edition of Sweet Things back from the printer. Looks great and is so much thicker than the 1st edition! Yeah! Going off to Vermont soon to tape Girls Night Out... eep!

Not Much Has Changed

2008-09-17T19:57:00.000-07:00

Found this picture at my Dad's house. Am going to use it in the 2nd ed. of Sweet Things. Funny to see that not much has changed with me...

Dave Merenda: Nine Nights

2008-08-09T13:25:00.000-07:00

Ahh, finally finished the artwork, layout, etc for Dave's new jazz cd, Nine Nights. I wanted to make the letters real big so you'd be able to read it when it's a tiny iTunes icon. I took a page from Saturday Night Live's open but tried to add more dimension.

Katy O

2008-07-29T16:35:00.000-07:00

I just love this picture of my niece Katy in her ballerina outfit. I wanted to blow it up real huge and put it on my wall..but I only had a wallet size of the photo. So I photoshopped it real good and now it's 6 foot x 4 foot matted on foamcore. I love it!

Rotoscope

2008-04-03T19:46:00.000-07:00

First attempt. Done in Flash. This took forever!

Unhitched video

2008-03-06T15:28:00.000-08:00

I volunteered to make a video of the theme for the Fox TV show Unhitched for the network. The theme is called "Hey" by the band Gillmor. This project was really fun to do but challenging to try & synch up the pre-recorded song with the live shots of the band. Also had to watch all the episodes of the series (really funny) and pick out moments where there was no talking, no extras, no guest stars....harder than it seems.

It's Pop It's Art

2008-02-15T12:52:00.000-08:00

I visited the folks at EMI Music Publishing in London last month. They had commissioned artists to create art from song lyrics and sell them at It's Pop It's Art. There's lot's of great songs they did this to - Rolling Stones "Miss You", John Lennon's "Imagine" but I really loved the Marvin Gaye "What's Going On" print by Richard Hogg. They were kind enough to send me one. I put it up in my office and started a trend with my co-workers who all wanted their own.