The cat's story

The only drawing I've done recently: a quick sketch of the cat. I wasn't having any fun writing a scene, and then I noticed Beatrix asleep on the couch.



Here she is a bit more accurately.



She often sits on my lap when I'm writing, and stays very alert, with her paws tucked under her at the desk, and sticks around for much longer than you'd expect. I guess the bright computer screen and the tap-tap-pitying on the keys keeps her awake.



Sometimes, she'll slowly lean forward further and further until I suddenly notice a paw on the space bar and another paw reaching for other keys. Like she has an idea! Let HER finish the scene!

"Or what about MY story?" She thinks to herself.



You know she's got a story.

Getting fishy

OK, so check this out: My sister Erica had a moment of "HAYYYY!" when she read this blog recently and saw that I got the felt fish ornaments, since apparently she'd always been angling to get them from my Mom. But since she'd already laid claim to a bunch of other cool ornaments (the sparkly dwarfs...the marionette Spanish ladies...a couple of the Audubon-ny birds!) she didn't grumble too much about it.

Then it suddenly occurred to me, duh! Since I'm the kind of weirdo who happens to have felt and odd buttons lying around (don't you?), why don't I just make her some of her own? So I used my Mom's felt fish as a guide and schwing! New fish! The new:



inspired by the old:



I wish I could take credit for the design of these suckers, but alas. The credit all goes to the elder Meinhardt.

Proud Auntie post

Here's Henry reading to Hazy last year under the Christmas tree. I love how if you look closely, you'll see "NINTENDO" in the background. Lurking there, waiting to snatch the books away when given the chance! Bwah ha ha ha

Anyway, I'm sorry, I couldn't resist posting a nice, cheesy holiday pic as the weekend gets underway. And I fear there are quite a few more gem-like pictures of these two in the future on this blog, so readers beware!

In the meantime, happy holidays. Please knock back the nog responsibly.

Holy crap

Marimekko is licensing its patterns to H&M's summer collection?



Marimekko is licensing...some of its popular patterns from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s...to H&M's summer collection? Thank you so much for the report Aimee, I wouldn't have known unless...



whoa, I'm feeling kind of...like I might pass out



KLUNK.

Tree trimming

The other night I was over at my mom's house, and just as I was leaving she handed me a small bag of Christmas ornaments from her tree, for my tree. My mom's tree has always been huge and decorated with all sorts of great little things, and every year or so she gives me and my sisters and brother some ornaments, as she has plenty to spare. I couldn't believe I'd scored some of the felt, button-eyed fish I've always loved:


She made them herself. (Look how the yellow fish has a sequin AND a button for an eye. And the orange one has fins on both sides! Damn.) And then I noticed this in my bag:



"I gave you the little baby!" she said. "Isn't it cute?"

I guess my mom is trying to give me some sort of nudge? Like, maybe if I see a little baby in a wicker carriage hanging from my Christmas tree every day I'll suddenly want to have one?

Hmmm.

I don't know what I'm going to do with the baby. It is awfully cute, in its grubby sweater and blue booties.



But I think I have a new place to put my Homies guy.



Doesn't he look comfortable?



And now, doesn't he look like he was just eaten by an alligator?

A big flowery eyeball

Sometimes you just have to stop and listen when you hear a big flowery eyeball talking to you. It must have something very important to say if you can hear its words so clearly, even through the glass of the optician's window where it resides in all its awesomeness.

"You're working on a drawing of two antelopes playing cards. You're also thinking about starting to work on a drawing of some frogs in a busy kitchen. But you and I both know what you're really preoccupied with is your new play, and solving the problem of the second act. Sure, it'd be great if you could forget about these projects for now and instead finish the pink fur shrug you're making for Hazy for Christmas--"

You stopped standing there placidly, grinning, and turned to the big flowery eyeball. "What are you getting at?"

"You've got real multi-tasking issues," it said.

The milkshake

I had one of the most amazing desserts ever, ever, ever last night: a chocolate peanut butter tart with some kind of ice cream and a whiskey milkshake. I can't remember what kind of ice cream was because I was so dumbstruck over the tart and (did I mention?) THE WHISKEY MILKSHAKE. I was practically weeping with happiness into the tiny glass it came in.

This was at a very restaurant-y restaurant (hence the tiny glass) called Allen and Delancey, the kind of place that if I'd never met P., I'd probably walk past and shake my fist at, if I noticed it at all. But P. is a self-described foodie, and no one's going to keep him from staying up-to-date with the ever-changing NYC restaurant scene, least of all me. Sadly, I won't be able to post any pictures of his adorable mug on this site — he has forbidden it. He has his reasons!



So you'll have to settle for this recent portrait of us. If you ever see us at your local eatery, stop by our table and say hi!

They don't make puppets like these anymore

Apparently, I made this saucy, cigarette-ad-hairstyle, bad-glue-job paper bag puppet when I was 3. I wonder if this is the kind of thing I should keep to myself?

The subway ride story

So I did this drawing for an art show this summer (and some of you may be tired of looking at it. Apologies!).



While I was working on it, it occurred to me what a great art class assignment it would be...you know, draw your commute home in animals! or something. One thing I've always loved about art classes is how everyone, without fail, does such different interpretations of whatever the one assignment is. Anyway, a few weeks after the art show, this SVA ad started appearing in the subways:



Bizarre coincidence! Some people who'd seen my piece were all like, "You were robbed!", but I don't think so. The idea of animal commuters is so common, and if you're going to do it, how can you not include a giraffe and a panda? I was more distressed about the mad skills the SVA artist has. Look at the pencil technique on that freakin' squirrel! But my Dad said something really nice, and funny, about it. He was like, "Jocelyn, those other animals don't look like they ride the subway every day. Your animals look like they ride the subway every day!"

Thanks, Dad!

Click on either image to see them bigger.

My illegal past

Before I started busting out the colored pencils again, I decided to hit the streets with some spray cans, first. I've had such an allegiance to colored pencils, why not try a different medium for a change?



PSYCH! I am full of baloney. I have no idea who this "Joce" is, and you can tell it's not me by the face in this one:



That's not my style. Not that it doesn't do me heart good knowing whoever this rogue Joce is, they're the goofy smiley face sort.

And btw, nor did anyone I know do these in my honor. (I know what some of you might be thinking!)

What is it with us?

Check it out. Meinhardt-Moes in the 00s:



Meinhardts in the 70s:



We are not shills for Big Wheels. I swear.

Have you heard about this?

Check out this informative email Flower* sent me recently. Instead of clicking back a zillion times to blogs and things you find interesting, set up an RSS feed! Boy oh boy, the crazy internet is full of surprises. If you're like me, and have seen "RSS" (which stands for Really Simple Syndication) here and there and everywhere but never paid it no mind, you're about to have a V-8 moment. This was written for me, a hopelessly devoted Applehead, but I'm sure you IBM peeps can translate it for yourselves:

"Blogs (almost) all publish an "RSS feed" containing their content, in addition to the regular web version you're used to. These feeds are much handier to read than manually going to each site one at a time to see if they've updated. To read them, you need an RSS reader.

You have a few options. You can use the RSS reading functionality built in to Safari:
http://www.askdavetaylor.com/how_do_i_subscribe_to_rss_feeds_with_safari.html

You can download a separate piece of RSS reading software, such as Vienna or Shrook.
Or you can use a web-based RSS reader, which will consolidate all your blog reading onto a single web site. Check out for instance http://www.google.com/ig . This might be the best approach, since you can use the same setup on other computers with no configuration or downloading."

Try it, you'll dig it.

*Not his real name.

Ze Pet Beauty Contest

Here's a drawing I did last year for an office pet beauty contest. But this cat and this dog seem a little too happy together, considering they're competing for the same prize, no?



So here's this year's illustration. A bit more REAL, you know?

When cats and fabric collide

Everyone I know is very, very happy this textile isn't available by the yard, because isn't it just so terribly obvious that I'd be walking around every day in different outfits made out of it? With a bag and an umbrella to match? And a hat, of course? And I'd cover my dining room table with it, and make drapes with it, and go to sleep under a duvet covered in it...

Party in Madison Square

I still make cards for inspiring people, like my architect brother Wolf. I don't know anyone else who loves, or is as much a product of, the city as this dude does and is. Here's his birthday card from last year:



Yes, I'm not sure you heard, but the Met Life tower, the North building and the Flatiron all started throwing down when they heard it was Wolf's birthday...so nuts! That crazy Flatiron building, not a surprise at all to see it spinning on its head.

Old stuff

A few years ago I decided to take a break from writing — not that I was disenchanted with the theater world, oh no! — and got back into drawing. Since I'd graduated from Music and Art high school, where I'd majored in art wayyyy back in the 80s, the only art I did was an occasional doodle like this:



Or a card for family or friends, like the one I made for my mom after I'd helped her paint her office red:



How much do you dig the heart-y head drawing's yellow teeth? I just noticed that...

About me

I'm a playwright and wannabe illustrator who is a bit fabric-obsessed. Oh snap! is meant to be more about my illustrations than anything else, but um, ah, you know. I can get kind of distracted. And by the way, you can click any of the images you see here (except the "oh snap!" image) for a larger view. Yes, you can!