One week in, and we’ve made it to Post #27, which just so happens to be my favorite number. So, to mark this “special” occasion, I thought I’d provide some background for the distinctive image which greets visitors to the site. This is my writing desk, and why I decorated it.
I got the idea for this project one day in college when I was doing some homework in the library. I thought it would be cool to create a city-scape image using dice and dominoes as a colorful, starry night sky and lighted-up skyscrapers, respectively. Over time the idea grew to include a colorful shore with a pier. I figured since I was already using childhood toys to create the background, the foreground should follow that same theme. That’s why the pier is made out of Jenga blocks and Scrabble tile-holders, with pieces from Clue and The Game of Life as buildings dotting the sides. The water is represented by melted down crayons, with marbles and other assorted knick knacks acting as the treasures of the sea floor. There are Monopoly houses and hotels lining the landscape to give the city more depth. I wanted to give the impression that, with the time and resources, this is how a kid might express their view of the world.
Once I was done with the main section, I wanted to do something interesting on the top level as well. I always loved getting bottles filled with colored sand at local fairs when I was a kid, so I filled some containers with that. Then I used the other toys I had laying around, including bouncy balls, the ornaments from Red Rose brand tea boxes, chess pieces and billiard balls.
I’d say my primary inspirations for this project were:
1) the SMiLE album cover by artist Frank Holmes. I will discuss my feelings on this and the album itself later in this blog for sure. For right now, all you need to know is that it was meant to look inviting and as though a child had drawn it.
2) The “City Blocks” picture from the I Spy books by artist Walter Wick. I may discuss my feelings for these books more on the blog at a later date. What’s important to know is they were a huge part of my childhood. I’d spend hours looking at those pictures, sometimes with my mom, and “City Blocks” was always my favorite scene by far. It may sound strange, but I distinctly remember how that image imbued me with the idea that cities were inherently beautiful and exciting.
3) The Look-Alikes books by Joan Steiner. There weren’t as many of them, but I loved this series too for the same reason as I Spy. It was that warm, fun feeling of going on a trip through the city sights with your parents but encapsulated in a book. Many times I would pull them out and thumb through when I was a child, often right before going to sleep or right after waking up on a Saturday morning.
So, without further ado, here’s a bunch of pictures of my desk from various angles and lighting.
the Carbon Freeze 
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