The Eggman Studios Notebook

Stitches In Wool

2011-09-06T19:11:00.000-07:00

As promised, I have some in-progress quilt peeks to share! I'm really enjoying putting this one together. It's busy, random (yet balanced), with crooked lines and casual curves. The color scheme is red, pale green, gray, black, and a dash of white. Lots of wools and suiting material thrown in with the delicately patterned cotton prints--this is definitely my style. I may end up tie-quilting this one with a deep teal colored yarn (yummy), but it's still to early to know for sure.I only have a fraction of this neat black crane fabric and I've been holding onto it for the past couple of years waiting for the right project to come along. I'm so glad to finally get to incorporate it into this quilt.
I think this tiny little bit is my favorite part of the patchwork so far. It looks like the woolen fabrics ripped apart and the minty floral is tearing through...

Overall, the portion I have completed thus far is about 36x76". I'm not sure yet how big it will be, but probably about 90x76". Looking back on my other quilt, it's amazing how different these two are! Despite their differences however, the binding I made for the previous one was the jumping off point for this current quilt. Everything is connected...

I have quite the amount of sketching to do, so I must call it a night. Hope you have a great evening/morning, whatever your time zone may be!

Old Is New Again

2011-09-02T17:03:00.000-07:00

I recently did a little studio purge and cleaning and happened to re-discover a couple older unframed paintings that never made it online for sale. Time to remedy that whole situation! "New" in the shop, but at a discount off their original gallery prices, I give you:

"Bats Loom Among Us"

acrylic on hardboard

16x20"

And also...

"The Last Bride"

acrylic and gold composite leaf on illustration board and vintage record sleeve

10.25 x 9.75" on 13.5 x 13.5" white backing board

You may remember seeing these two as they made brief appearances before their shows. Once I got them back from the galleries, they went into dark corners of the studio never to see the light of day again. I'm hoping that by listing them online, they'll eventually find new homes to fly off to...

Happy weekend plans to you all, whatever they may be! I'll be working at the wildlife shelter, going on a couple day hikes in the mountains, and perhaps doing some mad patchwork sewing in the evenings. I'll be back on Tuesday to show some of those quilt glimpses.

A Robin's Requiem

2011-08-24T19:46:00.000-07:00

Hello, gang! I finally listed the painting I was hinting at before...

"A Robin's Requiem"

acrylic on cradled hardboard

6x6"

I'm really happy with the outcome! This piece originally started out as something entirely different (in fact, it was going to be a painting/commentary on the disappearance of bees...go figure), but I soon realized that I was trying to fit way too much detail into such a small painting. Fast-forward over a year later when I rediscovered the half-finished piece and tack on some extra days and voila! This painting is born.

Two separate, and rather unfortunate bird patients at the shelter inspired this one. The first being a sick juvenile robin that was with us for a week before choking to death in my hands. It was sad, and there was nothing I could do to help. The second patient was a baby junco who had the misfortune of being born without eyes. Not even eye sockets. He came to the shelter because he was apparently abandoned by his parents in the wild (likely due to his birth defect). Needles to say, a bird without eyes is a lost cause in Nature. We ended up having to put him down.

While sad, I also couldn't help but feel a little relief for these two birds who were suffering while alive and are thankfully now in a better place.Moving on, I have some pages to show you from a new art journal I've been keeping! I picked up this square spiral bound sketchbook last month and recovered it because I hate spiral bound sketchbooks. Which begs the question: why did I get one to begin with? Well, the paper was perfect for paint washes and I was too impatient to order a book bound one. So far it seems to be working out quite nicely though...I used to be an avid journal-er, but over the years that gave way. I wanted to pick it back up--but instead of meticulously writing about my day, I wanted it to be a sort of look into what I'm currently thinking about. A mishmash of watercolor paintings and words...Also, as if I weren't already busy enough, I started another quilt. I have about 1/4 of the quilt top stitched together and I'm really happy with the outcome thus far. Unlike my last one, I'm doing the new quilt in a helter-skelter improv fashion. There's no pattern and a lot of warped edges which gives it a carefree look and feel like the early American work quilts of yonder days. You can see some of the fabrics in the below journal pages:I'm also hand-stitching and hand-quilting the entire thing again. I must be crazy...

An Ode To Typography

2011-08-11T18:26:00.000-07:00

A while back I bought a nice little bundle of antique carte de vista photo cards. I love old photographs, but I also love old calligraphy and type--and that's precisely why I got these. So I can stare and then promptly nerd out at the simplistic layouts and lettering designs.
The portraits on the fronts are fine, albeit common and nothing spectacular. But I think the backs are even better. In my studio there's whole pile of them arranged on a board for design inspiration. It's really amazing how many different carte de vista designs there are out there--thousands upon thousands!And my favorite one is nestled on the wall above my painting table, perfectly at home with other antique ephemera scraps...

Le sigh...Some times I really do feel like I was born in the wrong era.

Of Millipedes and Mantises

2011-08-10T15:15:00.000-07:00

Hello, hello! I hope every one's week is going well. The ocean-themed pieces of this past update were all successfully listed and are now available in the shop--hooray!

I just listed another "Hall of Mystics" piece as well:

The Do Gooder

acrylic and gold composite leaf

6x4" on 7x5" wood plaque

I don't paint a lot of insects, and yet, they litter the pages of my sketchbook. This piece was on my work table for quite a long time and was almost scrapped. If I get stuck on a piece long enough I have to fight the urge to paint over the whole thing and start anew.
I'm glad I saw this one through to the end though. The mantises were the last to be added and the whole reason that this painting was finished. It's funny when that happens.

Off to do the finishing touches on another painting! I'll share that one with you in just a few days. Happy Wednesday, gang!

Surfacing

2011-07-26T19:44:00.000-07:00

I'm back! Finally!

Scout's honor, I really did not mean to take such a long blogland siesta. Truly. Life sorta fell in my lap and had me in its clutches these past months. Mostly, I've just been so crazily busy with my science classes that any blog/art updates were out of the question. Also, somewhere along the way a computer died--I may have wept.

It took a while to get back into the school routine (it's been years since I've taken any college courses) and a lot of dedication and late nights studying to get myself caught up in math, chemistry, and biology coursework. I'm happy to announce, however, that I was officially accepted into the University of Washington Environmental Science program! I'm excited. And seriously looking forward to taking entire classes devoted to marine invertebrate study. Yes, please.Other than my long days in school, long weekends volunteering at the wildlife shelter, and nights having chemistry nightmares (this happened far too often), I've also had snippets of time to draw and paint. My work table is covered in finished and unfinished pieces alike. And I now have a decent enough pile of goodies to entail a shop update! Mark your calendars: I know that after such a long hiatus it's pretty short notice, but I do hope you'll check in to see and perhaps purchase a little piece of art. This particular melange of work is all ocean-themed (surprise, surprise), though there really isn't any overarching theme other than the ocean in this particular update.There will be a couple brooches...

...a series of fish head drawings....

...a new mini painting series of sea stars...
...and also a limited edition handmade accordion book.I'm particularly excited about the book, as it's a first for me to offer something like that in the shop. It turned out so good. As both book and art piece, it looks and feels like a collectible. And with only 8 copies (7 available for sale), I guess it really is one.

I have a few other paintings that need to be unveiled as well, but because they aren't ocean related, I'll wait until after this update to show and list them. One in particular is another "Hall of Mystics" piece. Yay!

I guess that's all for now! Thanks guys for hanging in there, being patient with my crummy unpredictable blogging, and for just being all around good eggs. :) I couldn't do this without your support and for that I am so very thankful.

Urchin Totem

2010-09-16T15:50:00.000-07:00

It's cloudy and drizzly and dark today....my favorite kind.

The midday natural light was so soft and dim that I quickly snapped a couple photos of a portion of my natural history collection display shelf.

Stacks of urchins and jars of feathers...An old book plate depicting varieties of anemones that I framed up a while back...Crab shells and rocks and various bits and bobs...In the studio, I have this old box of mostly bird illustrations that I've cut up and set aside for collages and inspiration. I've used some of them, but I really just enjoy looking at the melange of different bird heads and colors all living hectically (yet peacefully) together.

Nut Keepers

2010-09-05T16:01:00.000-07:00

I just finished and listed another painting for the "Hall of Mystics" collection--this one being very teeny (framed as-is it's just 4x4.5").

"Oracle"

acrylic and gold composite leaf on illustration board

2.5x3" (framed: 4x4.5")

{ Sold }

Quite a while ago I saw footage of an albino squirrel frolicking about in Seattle and have wanted to paint my own interpretation ever since. They're a bit rare in nature, but they do exist. Pretty neat.

I love how the gold leaf crackled a bit on this one.

Meanwhile, at the wildlife shelter, baby bird season has come and gone along with the summer months. Whew! It got a little crazy at times with all of those teeny tiny mouths to feed (for almost two months we had over 90 animals in our care to feed, medicate, and take care of--babies and adult animals alike), but most made it and were happily released into the wild. It's currently baby squirrel season and so our main building is alive with the little squeaks and silly noises of mini squirrels... They're heartbreakingly cute. So warm, fuzzy, and small! And they grow up so fast (too fast).

I'm off to enjoy a few last rays of sunshine today and then it's back to the paints.

{baby squirrel image by Robin Purcell courtesy of West Sound Wildlife Shelter}

A Coat Made Of Graphite Dust

2010-09-01T16:11:00.000-07:00

Just some recent pages from the sketchbook....

It's the first of September! And as such, the start of my favorite season. Knee high boots, layers of sweaters, walks on crispy leaves, hands around warm cups of tea, shorter days and longer evenings.... I can hardly wait! Fall around here literally lasts only a couple of weeks before the long and cold drizzly days of winter are upon us, so it's definitely a season to savor every minute of. The weather is already starting to change, though that first "crisp" fall day is still somewhere on the horizon.

But that's okay. I'll just go pour myself another cup of coffee, sharpen the pencils, ready the paints, and pretend that it's here already.

Mysteries In The Deep

2010-08-30T18:52:00.000-07:00

"Constellation Oarfish"

acrylic and gold composite leaf on hardboard

12x14" framed

{ Sold }

I finally wrapped up work on a new painting (part of my ongoing "Hall of Mystics" series) and got it all framed/photographed/listed for sale today. Whew! This one almost didn't get finished. About halfway through I got so frustrated that I shunted it to the side. I just wasn't really feeling the color scheme. Fast-forward to last week when I finished the oarfish himself and now, I'm so glad that I didn't scrap it. I'm happy as a clam with the colors, too! Weird how that happens. Sometimes it's just hard to fully visualize a piece until the very last stage.

Oarfish are really really bizarre. So much so, that I'll link you to a brief description of them over on Wikipedia. It's amazing that there are still tons of creatures in the sea that we literally know nothing about (case in point--encounters with oarfish swimming in their environment are practically non-existent...and yet, they live in every ocean in the world).

"Wandering Jellyfish"

acrylic on cold press watercolor paper

3.5x4.75" on 4.5x5.75" paper

{ sold }

And I also whipped up a small and deceptively sweet little jellyfish painting on watercolor paper that is now for sale in the shop. I love drawing jellyfish. Possibly my favorite creature to draw? Maybe?

Okay, gang! I have another painting to unveil and some sketchbook peeks to show you in the next day or two. Hope you are all doing well!

March of the Ents

2010-08-13T18:30:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned earlier, last month I spent a day traipsing about the Hoh Rainforest here in WA and got a little snap-happy with the camera.It's such a magical and surreal place, and gave me a lot of inspiration and ideas (as well as way too many reference images for future paintings). What slays me most is that mere minutes away is the beautiful coast as well. So much diversity in my little homeland!Lots of hanging mosses and lichens......tangled tree roots growing over long-dead and decomposed nurse logs......greens in every hue imaginable...

Yup. Pretty neat. I saw many little critters while there, including some of my favorite invertebrates to doodle:And though I saw a few native Douglas squirrels about, not too many were albinos with fabric collars...
Happy weekend, gang!

Zombie Blog

2010-07-30T18:50:00.000-07:00

Good gravy.

I had absolutely no intention of taking such a long blog land siesta. There's been so much going on 'round here this summer, plus a lot of settling into a routine (or trying to, at least) that I just haven't had a lot of spare time. But, zombie blog, I hereby resurrect thee! Live! Live, damn you!

So, what have I been up to as of late? Well, for starters, there have been a few lovely little day and overnight trips to local wonders. For the first time, I took a day trip to the nearby Hoh Rainforest and it was...incredible. It was actually very hard for me to leave. It's such a surreal, majestic, and eery place. I can't believe I've lived in Washington all my life and never been there until now! I spend a lot of time at the coast, but I always forget that the Rainforest is just a few hours away.I took so many photos that I'll need to devote an entire blog post to them.

My 26th birthday (eek!) was way back in June and I spent it with my dear mom up at Mt. Rainier for an overnight trip. It was wonderfully relaxing and inspiring, and there was so much wildlife out and about--I even saw 4 foxes and a sweet litter of fox kits! The mountain can be rather unpredictable, especially in the spring months, so I only glimpsed the summit briefly on the second day but never got a good shot of it (though, on clear days, I'm lucky enough to see it from where I live).

I loved how moody the various mountain peaks looked in between the dark clouds and fog... There are so many gorgeous hikes up there as well. The streams and rivers were gushing with the spring snow melts.

I'm also still busily volunteering at the wildlife shelter. There's never a dull day there! I've handled everything from bald eagles and barred owls, to coyote pups and weasels, baby hummingbirds and blue herons, fauns and raccoon kits, and so many baby birds that I now have their constant calls for food permanently etched in my brain. I wish I had pictures of all the animals I feed and take care of there, but it's always so busy that there's never any time to grab the camera.

As with any rehab shelter, there's always the sad cases mixed in with the good (thankfully, more good than sad). My favorite juvenile bald eagle I fondly and secretly named Sir Charles had to be put down last month due to his wing injury (he had originally fallen from his nest in the wild), which was very sad indeed. He was a feisty character, with a very holier-than-thou attitude and I still kinda miss the dude. But on the other hand, a baby Rufous hummingbird I helped rehab was released a week ago and I couldn't be more thrilled and proud (hummingbirds generally have a pretty poor success rate).

Speaking of hummingbirds, last month I completed on a wedding invite commission donning the little buggers. I don't normally tackle commissions (largely due to time constraints and there's just way too many less-than-fond memories from my graphic design days) but this one was for a very dear friend who probably gives me more creative freedom than I deserve when it comes to these sorts of things.

I do love how these turned out. I went pretty crazy with the insides, which were also custom drawn and custom lettered with all of the reception details.

In other news, I'm still busily plowing through science and math prep courses for my Environmental Science major. It's exciting, interesting, fresh and new--and I love when I'm able to combine both my art background and expertise with my newly found science path. Drawing lab specimens is a helluva lot of fun.

Now that I've been able to sort of settle into a routine a bit better, I'm digging into the sketchbook a lot more and slowly getting back into the paints. I'm rather embarrassed I don't have a fully finished painting to share yet, but I'm hoping to remedy that soon! And I *do* have a new batch of original sketch brooches that I'm terribly excited about. Today I had a little photoshoot with the "Aviary Collection", as I've been dubbing them, and I think they may be my favorites to date.

Inspired by natural history museum collections, each one is a labor of love and dons an original drawing, red velvet ribbon, fabric snippets, gold enamel edges, 30s newspaper on the back, and even a miniature handwritten tea-dyed specimen identification tag that can be left on or easily removed as you fancy. They also each come in small decorative gift boxes.
The amount of time I put into these is borderline ridiculous, but I love them each so much (the turkey vulture and egret are my faves). Each one will run $25 and will be available in the shop on Monday!I think it's high time I work out some painting details. Thank you for sticking with my uneventful blog, gang! I'll try to be better about the updates. :)

Oh, The Roads We Travel Down

2010-04-26T17:34:00.000-07:00

Hello there, stranger.

I do apologize for the quietness. There's been a lot of happenings 'round these parts as of late. Lots of changes and new paths as well.

First and foremost, I've finally (!) listed the first of I hope many paintings of a new collection of work I hinted at earlier (the sketch of the first piece is above). I'm taking my time with this series because I have so many ideas for paintings for it and I really don't want to burn myself out before I can finish them all (which tends to happen frequently if I give myself a firm deadline). I'm literally bursting at the seams with painting ideas! A brief synopsis of the ongoing collection:

"The Hall of Mystics:

The natural world has always been a big passion and interest of mine (as seen in my work), and I view it with a sense of complete awe, wonder, and intrigue. No matter how deeply we study and explore it, parts will always remain a mystery and we will always be strangers, pilgrims, explorers within. The Hall of Mystics is, at heart, about that very idea: a clash of nature, mysticism, art history, symbolism, and with an overhanging wispy cloud of moodiness that we can only dream of penetrating."This little fella has been done for a few weeks now and thankfully, is now in the shop and ready for a new wall to call home.

Mystic Whale
7x5", frame dimensions are 11.5x9.5"

acrylic on hardboard w/ gold composite leaf details

{ sold }

Quite a few of the paintings in this series will have gilding--some of my most intricate gold leaf work to date (it can be challenging to work with, but I'm getting better at it). I just love how much depth, symbolism, and moodiness it gives to a piece. It fits the overall theme of this collection quite nicely.

The second piece is about 75% done and requires a few more sittings before I can varnish and frame it. A little hint at what it will be:{a stargazing time-lapse photo taken from my back deck late at night last month}

And now onto other equally important news I hinted at earlier in this post...

I'm three weeks into volunteering at a nearby wildlife rehabilitation center and it is *amazing*. Every week I go in, throw on the scrubs, and get to feed/help injured or abandoned wildlife and get them ready to release back into their environment.We rescue a wide variety of animals: eagles, owls, falcons, rabbits, opossums, squirrels, raccoons, ospreys, and other birds and small mammals. This week we even rescued a newborn river otter who was, unfortunately, stolen from her nest by a careless resident. She is the most adorable little thing (her eyes and ears are even still closed!) and will be in our care for quite a while until we can locate an adult otter to place her with (not an easy task, indeed). Lately, I've been involved in the constant feeding of 27 baby opossums, two resident owls, and several large bald eagles (who still amaze and thrill me every time I tiptoe into their cages to clean and feed).

Lastly, I also recently made a big decision to go back to school and study environmental science (with a specialization in marine ecology). Originally, I had thought that my college path would begin and end in the arts, but I've long felt like I should be doing and learning *more*. And next to art, nature (especially the ocean) has always been my biggest interest and passion. I spent a large chunk of my childhood growing up on the sea (my dad lived on a sailboat) and I do believe that saltiness and early exposure to the wonders of the environment played a huge role in shaping me into the person I am today. Of course, even as I tumble down the science path, I will continue to be a working artist. I will continue to paint and peddle my work until the day I die (I'd like to be cremated with my pencils and brushes, thank you very much). But at the same time, I'd like to dive into that underlying passion that my art is based off of: the natural realm.

I admit, the financial obligation is a little scary (I'm *almost* done paying off my student loans for my BFA...) but I'm excited not only in where this decision will lead me as a person, but also where my art will take off to! Both of these pursuits are so intertwined in my little world.

I must be off to do some painting as well as study for a test in my statistics class tomorrow (Bring. It. On.). Thank you so much for your love and support, for believing in me and my art, and for coming along on my little adventures in life.

I'll be back soon with more sneaky peeks at the new paintings (promise!). :)

{ the animal photos are courtesy of West Sound Wildlife Shelter }

Extinct But Not Forgotten

2010-03-30T17:45:00.000-07:00

I just listed three new (small) prints in the store from my "Endangered" collection:

"No.4: Dodo"

"No.3: Black-Eared Mantella"

"No.10: Golden Tamarin"

All three of these paintings sold during the gallery show, but they shall live on in resurrected print form for happy walls everywhere. Hurrah!

I also have some new work to post and can't wait to show you (just need some sun and a decent photoshoot). I'm utterly thrilled about this new series and I'll be unveiling and listing each painting for it separately in the store as they are completed (vs. listing them all in one big update). Stay tuned to get the first sneak peek!

Cheers, gang.

A Painting Sale!

2010-03-20T19:49:00.000-07:00

I have a little special announcement...

Next week, from the 22nd through the 25th, I'm hosting a big Painting Sale in the store! This is, officially, the very first sale I've ever done on original art....and it's a doozie of one.

20% off *every* original painting--including pieces from my latest "Endangered" series! On some of the larger and more expensive paintings, 20% off is a whopper of a discount. Truly.

Special sales are a bit rare in my neck of the woods, so I hope that everyone who's had a keen eye on a painting for a while will be able to come and check it out. All the prices will be changed early Tuesday morning to reflect the sale, so you won't have to wait for a new invoice or any of that time-wasting mumbo jumbo to snag your treasure.

Alrighty, that ends the "official self promotion broadcast". In other, random news...

A couple years ago, I was wearing a white skirt while doing some window painting at work and, as any smart individual could have predicted, I managed to drip paint on it. Permanent, hot pink, window marker paint. I washed and bleached it to no avail and promptly threw it in the "mend" pile to fix at a later date.

Well, some fabric scraps from my quilt project, tiny colored beads, and steady handstitches were all it took to transform it into a wearable article of clothing once again. Hoorah for crafty cleverness!With the beautiful Spring weather, I'm looking forward to wearing it out and about on my coffee runs.Happy Sunday, everyone!

Nature Preserved

2010-03-12T17:42:00.000-08:00

More Field Museum photos, ahoy!I can't say it enough--this place was amazing. My favorite natural history museum to date. And I came home completely overwhelmed with inspiration. I spent most of my time there in the Ornithology wing, staring at various winged friends and geeking out way too much.These wee hummingbirds were my favorite specimens. So, so tiny! The nest was about 2", and the little hummers were maybe an inch long. Look at the tongues! Just amazing. With all this inspiration, I think I'll go work on a painting or two. Have a great weekend, gang!

Sting Rays and Stuffed Pelicans

2010-03-10T13:21:00.000-08:00

Hello, gang!

I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the week. I got back from my whirlwind of a Chicago trip and have so many pictures to share with you. It was a fabulous getaway (snow and all) and came and went rather quickly, if you ask me. There was barely any time to really explore the city with my family, but I was able to get to both the Shedd Aquarium and the Field Museum, which was a big plus!

The aquarium was so crowded (and teeming with little children) that I was only able to quickly snap a few images...and about half of those were of the rays. I'm a sucker for sting rays, I admit. They have a neat see-through floor where you can actually walk *over* the sting rays, and I think I just about peed my pants when I realised this.If I ever become a bazillionaire, I would like it known that there will be a sting ray aquarium floor installed in my living room.And the Field Museum? Be still my heart. I spent four hours there and only saw the first floor! Which of course means that one day I will have to go back. I was also very snap-happy with the camera...as shown by the 84 pictures I took just at the Field Museum alone. It was a great opportunity to beef up my own wildlife photo reference library for my art. I'll show some more of the museum images in a day or two (they deserve their own post). Also, there are now a handful of paintings left from my show in Seattle available in my etsy shop. New prints are next on my list, so do stay tuned! I do believe the prints of the "Endangered" paintings will be lovely little show-stoppers.

Time for lunch and perhaps more coffee. Have a great day, loves!

Nature Portals

2010-02-16T11:36:00.000-08:00

Well, Spring has sprung in these parts but I'm heading back into Winter tomorrow. I'll be flying out to Chicago for the weekend to show my support for a very dear little brother of mine, who just graduated from navy boot camp. So, away with the skirts and up with the thermals and wool socks!

My shop will remain open, but any purchases between now and the 21st will be shipped upon my return.

There are two places that I'm really really hoping to see in Chicago, and they are (of course) the Field Museum and the Shedd Aquarium. I can't wait! Last month, I tripped around the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma, WA and spent a probably unhealthy amount of time staring at fish and anemones. I don't think I ever even made it to the elephants.

Oh, and the meerkats too, of course. Good thing there was a thick wall of glass between us or else he would have mysteriously made his way home with me. This sly fellow is up to something, me thinks...

Though it's been slow going, I'm currently working out the details on a few paintings. I've also been spending a lot of time sketching and doodling away in my current sketchbook.

...My favorite Cousteau quote.
When I return, I'll be putting a handful of paintings in the shop from my most recent show at Bluebottle Gallery. And...perhaps a giveaway of one of the paintings? We shall see! Have a very delightful week, everyone! I'll see you soon!

Over Hill And Under Hill

2010-02-04T17:10:00.000-08:00

Hey there.

Updating my blog has been on my to-do list for a while now and so I'm completely ashamed to just now be getting around to it. I do apologize for the absence!

I was doing so well in the beginning of January, as far as getting artwork completed or started. And then, the ever dreaded "art burnout" hit me smack in the head and I've been slowly working my way out of it. I typically go through a bit of a creative block immediately after a show, and this time was no different (it just occurred a little later than I was expecting). The biggest cure for me is to step outside and immerse myself with nature for a while. So that's what I've been doing!

While most of the US is having quite the hellish winter, here in the Pacific Northwest it's almost as if Winter just forgot about us completely. It's really weird. The temperatures are in the 50s-60s (our January was the warmest we've ever had in history) and the plants and trees are waking up from their slumber--over 3 months too early.

Cherry trees are blooming, bulbs are sprouting, and there's signs of lush, hyper-real, green newness everywhere you look. It's quite extraordinary!A couple days ago I trekked an hour north-westward to Dungeness for a wonderful walk. I always feel like Bilbo Baggins on his way to Rivendell when I hike those parts.Beautiful old trees......lots of mossy covered limbs......fungus growths of all sorts...
It's quite heavenly. And after a little 20 minute hike down the path, the trees part ways and you're left stunned by the ocean view.
It was a gorgeous day to be out there. Sunny and clear at first and then the gray afternoon storm clouds began to roll in from the coast.

Way, way out there is the Pacific Ocean.

All-in-all it was a wonderfully relaxing day trip and just the inspirational push I needed for my own creative bent.

Cheers to you, gang! Thank you so much for coming along.

The Ocean's Guest List

2010-01-05T10:35:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd redo the blog banner for a nice change to go with the new year. And, I just put a small handful of drawings up for grabs in the shop!

"Guest 1" {sold}

"Intruder 1" {sold}

"Guest 2"

"Intruder 2" {sold}

There's a little armada of half-finished paintings piling up on my desk and while I've been working out the details, this series of drawings emerged. They're each 5x7" and are done in graphite on paper with hand-painted details. I've noticed that when I'm at a loss for something to draw, I tend to do lots of coral and starfish scribbles. They're just really fun to do.

I also have a lot of new prints to unleash onto the world. There were quite a few paintings completed/sold last year that I wanted to make prints of but never had the time. Better late than never, I suppose! I think as I filter in some new prints into the shop, I'll start to phase out some of the older ones. Freshen things up a little.

Anyway, I hope all's well!

The Big 10

2010-01-03T20:54:00.000-08:00

Well, hello 2010! You handsome devil, you.

I'm so excited for a fresh beginning and things to come. No big new year's resolutions on my end, though I am aiming to be even more productive this year (I suppose that is a resolution, huh?). Seems like I always make that goal in January. Do you have a big goal set in mind for 2010?

I'm actually already plugging away at some new works, so so far so good! I also have a handful of smallish sketches to put up for sale online. They turned out lovely and are sort of drawing/painting hybrids on paper. Perhaps in the next day or two the sun will come out for a photoshoot.
In other news, there's a pretty nifty desktop calendar sampling my work from the Endangered show that you can download for free, courtesy of Bluebottle Gallery! Check that out over yonder.

Must get back to work. Happy New Year, gang!

Sketchbookery

2009-12-29T11:30:00.000-08:00

The final pages of my current sketchbook are filling up and it's nearly time to put the book away and start a'fresh in a new one! Despite the somewhat lousy paper inside (I think it was made with writing paper--which means that many sketches in the beginning of the book are badly smudged and smeared, leaving me no other choice but to paste in good drawing paper for sketching in the latter half of the book), it's served me well over the past year.

I sketched this coral branch in graphite and then tinted it with red acrylic ink for an old tinted lithograph look. A wash of walnut ink surrounds it.For my new sketchbook, I snatched up one of these (the landscape-style book) from Dick Blick:
I'm a sucker for landscape-style sketchbooks, so it will be nice to once again be drawing away in one. Can't wait for the new year!

It's The Little Things

2009-12-26T20:15:00.000-08:00

What a wonderfully quiet and relaxing Christmas. My family had mutually decided last month to do a really low-key Christmas this year. No presents or last-minute shopping trips. No stressful extended family dinners. I must say, it was great. I had my mom over for a fondue dinner at my place, which was delicious *and* fun. Kinda perfect, if you ask me.

Though, my mom cheated a little on the "no gift" rule and bought me a gift anyway (sheesh!). I've been searching for a new painting desk for well over a year now. For the past four years, I've been painting in my living/dining room and while I've gotten by just fine, it was definitely high-time to move all painting operations into a separate room. Mainly so I could have a dining table again that isn't covered (and boy, do I mean covered) in paint and works-in-progress.

I gave up trying to find a simple, affordable, and chic desk months ago. But my mom found one on overstock.com for a bargain and snatched it up for me last month. I *love* it. Now I can paint in my studio and have a messy-free living/dining room again. Yay! Thanks, Mom!

Since the new year is almost upon us, I also took it upon myself to re-do the inspiration cork board.The biggest change? Black paint. Wow, am I glad I did that. Such a simple thing and yet it really does make a big difference. I just used a satin enamel black paint from the hardware store and it did the trick nicely. One layer on the cork was all it took (and any smudges that got on the laminate frame were easily wiped off with a rag).It's the last week of 2009! Wow!

Endangered

2009-12-22T08:22:00.000-08:00

Howdy, gang!After months of work, my pieces are all set for the Seattle show, aptly titled "Endangered"! I'm pretty excited. It's a 3-person show with fellow artists Kevin Margitich and Berry Holz and is entirely themed around endangered animals. How perfect is that?

The paintings I created for it resemble a sort of odd collection of rare and endangered (and in one case, already extinct) species--numbered and exhibited like coveted additions to a traveling side show curiosity museum. Most of the pieces are tiny (only 3.5x5") which I think also greatly emphasizes the fragility of the natural world.The show will run January 2nd-31st at Bluebottle Art Gallery in Seattle. And I just received word that the "Preview Show" is up and posted online for VIP gallery mailing list recipients and...you, of course! Click here to check it out for yourself. All pieces are marked for sale and are very affordable (most being around $100). If you are interested in a piece, you can purchase directly online or contact the gallery for more info. A good way to spend cash Santa happens to give you for the holidays...

Christmas is only days away, which is crazy to me. I feel like December whipped right past me before I could even realize it. I don't have any holiday plans so far, though my mom is coming over for snacking, conversing, and Glühwein drinking on Christmas Eve. Very low-key, which is how I prefer the holidays.

If I don't pop in before Friday, I just want to wish each of you a wonderful holiday too and a very happy Christmas!

Tree. Ornaments. And All The Hullabaloo.

2009-12-08T21:16:00.000-08:00

December is always crazy time.

While many folks have been out and about, hitting the malls, fighting over parking spaces, and all that jazz....I've been delightfully holed up in my little home. Painting, drawing, making a few gifts, feeding the backyard birdies, and setting up the tree. I had to trek to the city today to pick up some much-needed gesso and after two hours of fighting the traffic and crazy people, I was quite glad to get back to my quaint and quiet town.

I snapped a few shots of my little tree and a bunch of new additions to the quirky ornament collection:

I think this robot and jellyfish are my two favorites for this year. The 'bot was spied in a small shop here in town and, me being me, I could not resist a glass robot ornament. The glass jellyfish I snatched up from a recent zoo trip. I think I may have squealed a little when I first saw it.A German handmade wooden crocodile (with stopwatch!) from Leavenworth, WA. The gal sitting on a glitzy moon was handmade by the ever-amazing Very Merry Fairies.Teensy glass acorn and birdy made in Poland and bought in Leavenworth for mere pennies.An oldie but a goodie--a Beatles ornament I made years ago from a toilet paper tube. Also, a recently rediscovered Han Solo ornament that had been hiding out in a box of all my old Star Wars geekiness. Han, you do my tree proud.

And here's some tree shots:

I hope you are all doing well during this busy time of year!

The Drawing Closet

2009-11-22T17:17:00.000-08:00

After more than a week of rather uncooperative and stormy weather, at last the clouds lifted for a bit today. No sign of the sun, but I'll take whatever light I can get. So, I grabbed my camera and had a nice photo shoot session with a few little drawings I did the other day. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to get any new paintings listed online before the holidays as I'm just too busy working on pieces for the Seattle show.

But!

These drawings (and some others I'm digging away at in-between the painting sessions) are going up for grabs online. They're each originals, so once they're gone...they're gone.

"Birds Of A Feather..."
graphite on paper
4.5 x 9.5"

{detail}

"Nudibranch"
graphite on paper
3.5 x 2.5" ACEO {sold}

"Good Tidings"
graphite on paper
2.5 x 3.5" ACEO

Alrighty! Back to the drawing table I sneak (literally). All you stateside peeps, can you believe Thanksgiving is this week? Me neither.

On Being A Productive Hermit

2009-11-13T20:17:00.000-08:00

View of my work area tonight (and a peek at some show pieces):And my palette (awash in rich greenish hues):
Lots of late, late night painting sessions going on this week! My little day job came and went rather quickly (the business closed--which is the biggest bummer working for small businesses right now, unfortunately). I'm quite sad to see the income go away...but glad to have a flexible painting schedule once again (even if it is only temporary).

I have my nose to the table, working away for the January show and am quite excited with these pieces so far. I'd like to keep them "secret" for the most part until the show is unveiled in it's entirety..but I'm sure there will be a few sneak peeks here and there while I'm working away on them.

Next week I'm hoping to see a movie or two (I'm really excited to see this little gem and if all pans out, hopefully Pirate Radio as well) and then perhaps an ornament painting party with my mom, which should be a blast!

Enjoy your weekends!

Sketchin' and Paintin'

2009-11-04T13:27:00.000-08:00

Well, Halloween has come and ended. I ended up spending it at home with a couple classically good Halloween flicks (Suspiria--a fave--and The Lost Boys) and gorged on homemade caramel apples, chips, pop, and chocolate dipped marshmallows. Twas a great night, indeed.

And now I'm in all-out sketching/planning/painting mayhem as I busily prepare for a January show in Seattle at the ever-fabulous Bluebottle Art Gallery. As the time whittles away and we draw nearer to the date, I'll give you all a head's-up on the details.
The last remaining pages in my current sketchbook are filled with portraits, studies, and quickie doodles as I flesh everything out.I'm now in the painting stages and I'm really, really excited with how the pieces are coming along.

And I'm also working on some tiny and random paintings for the online shop as well . The holidays are coming (isn't it amazing how quickly the end of the year goes?) and I'd like to have a lot of new goods for folks to snatch up for themselves and loved ones.

So much to do, so much to do!

Today I think I'll buzz down to the store and grab some Halloween candy on sale before it's gone for good. I was good and resisted the urge to gobble up tons of candy last month...though I did buy a bunch of candy corn.

Those candy corn pumpkins are awfully hard to resist.

Found

2009-10-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

After months of keeping a keen eye on a tall fir tree in my backyard, I decided to climb it to obtain an abandoned bird's nest. I first spotted it back in the spring, but wasn't sure how old it was, if it was being used, or if it was abandoned. So I left it alone but watched for any signs of bird activity all summer long. No birdies claimed it, so I hiked 20 feet up the tree branches one rainy day this week to snag it for my own collection.

It's a beauty. Perfectly entwined twigs and grasses, with remnants of leaves and flower blossoms tucked inside. It's still pretty damp from the rain so I currently have it in the garage drying out a bit.Someone, though, had to check it out for herself.After a lot of sniffing and prodding, the nest has passed the cat's inspection and all is right with the world.I also found some great little mushrooms out back that made for a perfect day of sketching and studying.
These little ones are very small and spindly--the caps measuring roughly the size of a fingernail.
Back to the pencils and paints I go! Happy Friday and enjoy your Halloween festivities, folks! I'm hoping to trek out to my favorite old movie theater for a night of horror film classics, candy, and costumed frivolities. Can't wait!

Footprints Of Fall

2009-10-26T19:45:00.000-07:00

Despite being bitten by a monstrously large and hairy spider a few days ago (thus prompting a very embarrassingly girly scream and an impromptu "Dance of Ickiness") and also having a rather persistent cold for the past week, I've been spending my free hours outside with Nature.

Fall is my favorite time of year and I just can't get enough of it. Unfortunately, in the Pacific Northwest it lasts a very short few weeks (if that) before the gray and gloom and drizzle of Winter sets in. The trees right now are alive and vibrant in shades of red, magenta, and electric yellow.All of these pictures were taken earlier in the week right in my own backyard. The Japanese Maple looked like a flaming ball of red leaves, all a'glow even at night.And the cherry tree was a massive trunk of golden yellow. A few windy days later and now most of the leaves are on the ground, leaving me with a view of bare branches for the next 6 months...In-between admiring the trees, I've been adding bits and bobs to my curiosity cabinet. This small rock crab shell spent an hour at my work table for some TLC and varnishing to fix some cracking issues. He's all better now and living it up with his (dead) shellfish friends on my mantle.

Halloween is quickly approaching.... I can't wait!

New Stuff (finally!)

2009-10-14T15:49:00.000-07:00

Man. I really have fallen off the blog wagon. I do apologize.

So, what have I been up to? I've been thoroughly enjoying the Fall season. Lots of crisp walks, antique store explorations, late-night movies, good food, and sketching sessions. The only bummer so far is that I'm still trying to find the best way for my painting schedule and day job schedule to coexist peacefully. I was so used to staying up into the late night (early morning) hours with the paints, but it's just not feasible right now with my work schedule. Trying to retrain my brain to paint during daylight hours is hard...but we're getting there.

"Eye For An Eye" Original Sketch Brooch { sold }

"Dandy Bird" Original Sketch Brooch { Sold }

And look! New brooches! I've been working on these on-and-off for the past month and finally got them all photographed and listed in the shop. They were originally supposed to be ornaments, but I'm such a sucker for brooches and badges. Each one is completely one-of-a-kind, with an original sketch and painted details.

"Whalesong" Original Sketch Brooch { sold }

I'm utterly smitten with the little whale one.

"Tentacular" Original Sketch Brooch

In my head, the whale brooch and squid brooch are pinned on the same jacket, playing out a tragic life-or-death deep sea battle amongst the wool and tweed. I picked up this amazing old suitcase from the antique store the other day (and prompty used it in my brooch photoshoot). I've been hunting for one for a long time, but they're usually priced too high or the locks are damaged and you can't open them. This one is perfectly sized for plane or train, opens/locks just fine, has a pristine interior, and was only $8. Score!I also hung all the paintings still in my possession on one wall in my studio. Before, they were spread about all over my living room or propped against random walls. It got a little overwhelming. Having them all living in one happy little spot is a great deal better.

Thank you everyone for your sweet words! Happy fallish thoughts to you all!

August Wrap-Up

2009-09-02T17:38:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness. My blog has been so quiet, I can hear the crickets.

What a month August was! I thought I'd do a little wrap-up post about my August in list form:

*Went blackberry & plum picking, and now have a freezer stuffed to the gills with frozen fruit

*Made jam with said plums (the berries will go into pies!) and also a ton of zucchini bread, utilizing the zucchini from my garden*Collected acorns, the start of a wasp's nest, and a most wonderful twin oyster shell for my "Cabinet of Curiosities"*Started a new painting and made lots of sketches/plans for a Seattle show I'll have in early January

*Got a part-time job to help with the bills as well as my sanity (yay for steady paychecks and a schedule once again!)

*Visited my favorite local seashell/natural history museum (I see many days of sketching there in my near future) {above pics from their site}

*Attended a couple art openings, wedding ceremonies, and the dentist...though, not necessarily in that order...

*And read like a fool: Wind in the Willows, Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, Interview With A Vampire, the Twilight saga, Water for Elephants (absolutely *loved* this one!), and am currently enjoying my way through Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell

All in all, a rather delightedly packed month. And now it's September and I couldn't be more pleased (because, as we all know, it's one of the best months of the year). Lots of things on the horizon, and a whole lot of art ideas are filling up my sketchbook and keeping me quite busy. I'm hoping to do a nice Fall online update complete with some sketches, a few new paintings, and even some swanky ornaments (both of the printed and one-of-a-kind sort), so do stay tuned for more little news.

I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the last bits of summer too!

A Date With Graphite

2009-07-29T14:51:00.000-07:00

It has been so crazy hot here in the Northwest lately! I miss the clouds. Le sigh.

Here are a few little sketchbook peeks. I've been locking myself inside with the pencils to try and stay cool and so have been plowing through my sketchbook pages, drawing lots of portraits and planning new works. Almost time for a new book, me thinks.

This little lady will end up being a falconer (I've always had a huge interest in falconry). On my painting table and in the works is this painting:

That crown is literally the size of a fingernail! I still have a bit more painting to do (the faint sketch on the surface is a wasp...) but it's in the home stretch and should be finished shortly.

Outside in the garden the snails were completely obliterating my poor pumpkin plant. I'm a sucker for slugs and snails, but in the end, I had to put up a poison barrier to try and save the squash. It looks to be working because I have quite a few cute wee pumpkins a'growing safely (sorry snails)!

Do stay cool, everyone.

A Little Studio Makeover

2009-07-24T18:51:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much for the chair love, guys! It's always so cool to take something a little beat up from its prior life and transform it into something new and different to be loved all over again.

I took a little break to organize my very, very messy studio room. It's taken me over a year to work up the nerve and energy to tackle it but I'm so happy I did because it makes everything easier to find (and needless to say, is much more inspiring to be in). I cringe to show the before shots....but they're needed for the full effect:

...Yikes. This room became a full-out storage space for all of my art supplies. Because of the mess, I had long ago moved my painting operations into my living room (where there was space to actually *gasp* paint).

One week, lots of elbow grease, and countless donation runs to the thrift store later and this is what I have:A new and much needed Ikea bookcase (this year's birthday gift) to store most of my art and craft supplies.Honestly, I could fill up two of these huge suckers (which scares me, quite frankly) but I limited myself to keep only the necessities and donated a lot of items to the local thrift store to make room and be a bit more streamlined. Sketchbooks, ahoy!

A little bit of wall art (some by me, some by others).The bookcase is a room divider, allowing me to break up the room into two sections: creativity and business. This is a view of the "business" side of things. My art printer, computer, files, and all that jazz are located here. Business supplies are stored under the table and hidden by that snazzy red tablecloth.Some of my Victorian cabinet card collection on the wall.I have this old dollhouse my mom put together for me when I was a kid and I've held onto all these years (I'm a sucker for miniatures!). I've always just had it on the floor, but now it's displayed above a dresser that holds all of my decorative and collage papers. Eventually, the dresser will be replaced with a file cabinet so that the paper can be stored in a more organized fashion.Paper doll by the ever-fab Amy Earles (the bear head comes off to reveal a lovely Victorian lass!).A Decemberists poster done just right by Carson Ellis.

I still have a little more organizing to do, and need to hunt for a small desk/table for the space so I can move the painting operations into here, and may in the end be moving to a new town by the end of the year anyway (which would sorta make all of this work moot)...but all-in-all, it's quite the improvement for the time being. I can walk! I can find stuff! I'm inspired when I'm in here! Yay!

I'm off for some sketching and scheming and will return in a couple days to show you all sorts of new ideas and beginnings from the sketchbook innards. Until then, happy weekend!

A Chair Aquatic

2009-07-11T20:28:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to post pictures of this chair makeover I did last month, but I keep forgetting too. These are a tad dark, but at least you'll sorta get an idea as to how it looks...

Earlier in the year, I acquired a neat, but rather abused, 60s chair for *free*. A neighbor was tossing it, I saw it and asked how much they wanted for it. They gave it to me for nothing and looked at me like I was a bit crazy. Not crazy, though! I saw potential!
It has amazing modern lines and is made of gorgeous real wood. Sure, the seat was well-loved and grungy. And the back cushion leather was torn. But those are easy fixes...Out came the staple gun and some fabric I've been hording and voila! A whole new chair is born.
The seat cushion is a lovely red/white ticking stripe and the back cushion is Heather Ross fabric (which I adore and is just smack-down perfect for my eclectic, old-meets-new, ocean-loving self).

I love it (and ya just can't beat free).Enjoy your weekends!

An Invitation

2009-07-06T12:05:00.000-07:00

Mark your calendars...

This Thursday the Polar Royalty Convention collection will go live in the online shop. Yay!

I just finished this rather moody piece for it last night:

"The Rabbit Room"

acrylic on hardboard

10 x 8"

{ Sold }

{detail}

These plump and warm arctic hares are patiently and anxiously waiting beside their quiet leader, who is gifted enough to foresee future events and therefore plays an important role in this year's polar convention. He's very loosely based off the character Fiver from one of my favorite novels, Watership Down. Today I go frame hunting for this one.

There will also be two more of these wooden tag portraits in the update:

"The Seal Ambassador"

acrylic on wood laminate tag

3.5 x 5"

{ Sold }

The last one is an ermine and I am just wrapping up on his particular portrait.

All in all, a very lusciously colored and serious-meets-whimsical series that I'm quite pleased with. I hope to see you all on Thursday!

Have a splendid day, dears!

Owls And Mammoths

2009-07-04T13:23:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th, all you States peeps!

I live in a town that does its fireworks celebrations on the 3rd, so I've already pretty much had my fill of sky explosions. Tonight will be spent indoors at the painting table as I scramble to finish up the last handful of paintings for the Polar series.

Speaking of which, I have a couple more to show you.

"The Arctic General"

acrylic on cradled hardboard

6x6", 1.5" thick

{sold}

"Arrival Of The Last Woolly"

acrylic on cradled hardboard

4x4", 1/2" thick

{sold}

That snowy owl General was supposed to be crownless, what with being a general and all. Crowns sort of get in the way of air combat. We had a bit of a debate over the idea, and in the end, I caved and gave him a little crown of his own. After all, he's an important member of the Polar Royal court. Never argue with a decorated owl.

And I had to paint a mammoth. A particularly paranoid and goofy one, at that. This one has red string tied around his tusks so that he remembers to leave/arrive at the polar convention on time.

I'll be back on Monday with more paintings and an official date for the shop unveiling! Have a great holiday and weekend, everybody!

Northern Trinkets

2009-06-25T16:53:00.000-07:00

Three new (and tiny) pieces for the Polar Royalty Convention collection:

"A Royal Appearance From The Sea"

acrylic on Arches watercolor paper

2.5 x 3.5" (ACEO-sized)

{sold}

"Predicting The Future"

acrylic on Arches watercolor paper
3.5 x 2.5" (ACEO-sized)

"The Wise One"
acrylic on Arches watercolor paper
2.5 x 3.5" (ACEO-sized) {sold}

I really wanted to have some ACEO paintings in this series, since it's been such a long while when I last painted some. Plus, I recently re-discovered a lovely pad of Arches watercolor paper in my supplies stash that worked beautifully with the acrylic paints. It's always fun to paint on a different surface. That grumpy and plump fortune-telling arctic hare is being featured in a larger painting I'm currently knee-deep in.

In other random news, I was pooped on by a seagull a few days ago. While at a restaurant.

...I don't think I need to explain that one any further.

Fruits of Labor

2009-06-22T13:23:00.000-07:00

Another member of the Polar Royalty Convention is here to make his grand appearance:

"The Polar King"

acrylic on wood laminate tag

3.5 x 5"

More polar portraits are in the works (including a rather dapper little ermine, who I'm quite fond of) along with some larger pieces I hope to show you all very soon. I'm really happy with the rich colors and details in these smallish ones. They somehow walk that ever-fine line between serious and silly. I like that. I'm aiming to have the entire collection finished by the first week of July--more details to follow shortly.

Also, my veggie container garden is doing great! The carrots are the only disappointment so far (and it was my fault--I wanted to try growing Purple Haze carrots and it looks like they're not digging being in containers...oh well). Here are a few quick snapshots:
Snow peas! These are amazing with some fresh-from-the-garden onions and a little bit of oil + balsamic vinegar drizzled ontop. Yum.The strawberries are in overdrive--every morning there are at least 3 or 4 berries waiting to be eaten.My two zucchini plants are enormous. The leaves are three times bigger than my hand and they're currently in full-bloom. I'm so looking forward to homemade zucchini bread!Happy Monday, all!

Inspiration and an Emperor's Portrait

2009-06-16T18:06:00.001-07:00

Hello, sweets.

Holy cats, how time does fly. This is shaping up to be a rather hectic (in a good way!) month, so I do apologize for the silence on my end. I've been painting painting painting, as well as contacting a lot of galleries and all sorts of boring but necessary promotional-artist-stuff.

The good news is the polar series is coming together so smoothly and is looking awesome...

"Emperor of Cold Lands"

acrylic on wood laminate tag

3.5 x 5"

{ Sold }

I'm still planning on having an online shop update soon to unveil the entire collection, so I'm busily cranking out more work and doing lots of all-night painting sessions.

Meanwhile, I thought I'd stroll through my "Inspiration" folder on my computer's desktop and share some recent images that have been sparking my creativity lately...Design*Sponge recently did an amazing little sneak peek into artist Ann Wood's apartment (do check it out if you haven't already--it's fab) and I was so taken with her space and the all-out mad-artist-genius feel of it. {above image from Design*Sponge}I love helter-skelter displays and collections of old things, and get so inspired by natural history objects from ages long past. {above images from Vintage French Interiors book}Yay for things in jars! {above image from Vintage Vavoom book} {above image from Easy Country Style book}{above image from Flea Market Style book}

Enough dreaming--back to work I must go. As always, thank you *so* much for your kind words, peeps. I hope you're all feeling inspired, happy, and at peace!

Processional

2009-06-02T20:35:00.000-07:00

...And it's finished ('cept for the frame)!Quite a bit of detail for the size (5x7"). And the gold leafing really perks it up nicely (the crown and tops of the flag poles are gilded):The upcoming aforementioned arctic/polar series will be titled "Polar Royalty Convention" and is something that's been brewing in the bowels of my sketchbook for some time now. It will showcase a meeting of the upper-most representatives from a menagerie of arctic animals. What shall they discuss when together? The usual: small talk, relations, economics, the climate, and all things politically polar. A series of paintings that will show a sort of whimsical-fantasy-with-melancholic-reality view of the polar nether-regions.

...If that even makes the slightest bit of sense. Lets just face it--I wanted to paint a walrus wearing a crown and cape. There. I said it.

I'm plugging away on more pieces for the series and can't wait to unveil them to you, one-by-one. It's a bit hazy still on when exactly the collective shop update will be, but do stay tuned!

In non-art news, I did a bit of organizing in the studio and was able to corral the fabric zoo into a nice and tidy spot:

Hard to say how long it will stay like this, but that's alright.

Creative Early Morning Hours

2009-05-31T20:41:00.000-07:00

Stayed up until 4am the other day to plug away on a slew of new paintings. I get most of my creative energy late at night when everything is so still and quiet. Right now it's just too difficult to paint during the day when it's unbelievably sunny and hot (time best spent outdoors with a good book...). There's still much to be done and a bit more planning, but I think it's safe to say that this next shop update will be an arctic/polar themed grouping of work. I think the hot weather we've been having lately has greatly influenced this idea.
Happy Monday, boys and girls.

Moonrocks

2009-05-22T23:00:00.000-07:00

Round the comforts of my home, I have many many collections stashed about and on display. Some I stopped adding to long ago, while others grow seemingly by the day. One of such would be my beach agate collection:

I've become a bit of a picky stickler when it comes to collecting beach agates. They have to be really, really worn down and polished by the waves.
They have to "glow" when you hold them in your palm.And if they have a rare hue, all the better...This is my favorite. At first glance, it's weathered and opaque from the rough and tumble of the salty sea. But hold it up to the light, and secret spiderweb red veins are revealed from within.

In other totally-off-topic-and-random-news, I've added a few more goodies to the "Sale" section of the shop. I'm doing my darndest to move out some older items that are taking up valuable space in my studio. So if you've been hoping to snatch up a couple rings, now's the time!

Have a fab weekend, dear friends.

Simple Pleasures No.1

2009-05-18T12:45:00.001-07:00

Just a glimpse at some sketchbook innards as-of-late. Lots of color coordination boards and mad scheming. Lots of loosening up and having fun.

It looks like there will be a smallish shop update sometime soon consisting of a new series of mini paintings... I'll keep everyone posted as things really start to come together.

Back to the paints and the coffee pot for a refill! Happy Monday, gang.

Victory Gardens

2009-05-05T13:10:00.000-07:00

It's Spring (yay!) and as I mentioned before, I decided to grow my own veggies this year. I'm growing them in containers because a) I live in a rental, b) for ease of pest and soil control, and c) to get the most out of the sun. It's been years since I've done any gardening and I must say, I'm enjoying it immensely. This year I'm growing cucumbers, butternut squash, zucchini, basil, red onions, green onions, snow peas, purple carrots, cantaloupe, and strawberries.I'm using a lot of pots I already had on hand, mixed with recyclable containers (my favorites being large plastic water jugs sawed in half--with holes drilled in the bottoms they do an amazing job and are deep enough for root veggies like carrots). The seeds were started indoors last month inside newspaper cups I had folded (easy to do and a great way to keep newspapers out of the trash--here's one of many online tutorials).
These pictures were all taken last month and everything has since doubled in size (except for the cantaloupe, which are taking quite a bit longer to beef up--to be expected as I don't exactly live in melon country). I accidentally left the cucumber seedlings outside one day and therefore lost about half of them due to the cold temps at night...but the few that survived seem to be doing great (Darwinian science at its best!).

This week it will finally be time for me to transplant the squashes and the hearty snow peas. Yum...I can already hear them sizzling on the grill...

I know a lot of people are growing Victory gardens this year, which is awesome. Self sustainability is a beautiful thing, indeed.

Lincoln Loves...

2009-05-02T18:35:00.000-07:00

A new print just slinked into the shop...

"Mr. Lincoln" 5x7"

This one is a limited edition (of 25). The original was done in acrylic on paper and was actually a mail art postcard I mailed off to a faraway friend a couple months ago (I had a hard time letting it go, but am glad I did). It's such an absurdly silly piece that I thought it would be fun to offer up prints of it.

...And now I have a hankering for a Shirley Temple. Gee thanks, Abe.

Quiltus Completus

2009-04-30T16:56:00.000-07:00

Gosh. So I pretty much fell off the face of the earth and I do apologize. I blame it all on the weather.

We had some amazing weather here in the NW as of late and I had to take advantage of it. Lots of hiking, going to the beach, lounging on the deck with a cup of coffee and a sketchbook... Heavenly. I also got a good jump on my container garden and will post pics of it here shortly. But first, while I was absent from the blog, my hands were certainly kept busy...

After starting my first quilt at the end of last summer, I finally *finally* finished it this week. Hoowah.I made the entire thing completely by hand (alas, I have no sewing machine). It was a learning experience and indeed, I learned a lot along the way. The most important? Just digging in and doing it. Also, I think it's important not to over-think/over-plan it. I had to remind myself that quite a few times.But I'm quite thrilled with the result and am already scheming on plans for the next one (whenever that may be).
Cat + quilt = happiness......

Anyway, I'm also knee-deep in rough/quick sketches and plans on a new series of paintings. The over-all theme confronts the need to remain positive and strong even in dark and negative situations. Very relevant to what's going on in this crazy world of ours (and it is crazy, isn't it?) as well as what many of us (including myself) should be doing.

I think the paintings (when I finally get to that stage) will be a smidgen darker and more serious than my work typically is, with plenty of symbolism and allegory.

Well kids, the sun is out and I really should go and have a bite to eat. Take care, everyone!

Sneaky Birds

2009-04-16T18:13:00.001-07:00

Today I spent a good portion of my day in the garden (I'm growing my own veggie & fruit garden this year!). The sun was out, the birds were singing, people were mowing their lawns... Yup, it's definitely Spring.

Meanwhile, a few feet away, my neighbor's cat was lazily playing with a not-quite-dead shrew. For like, 15 minutes. He'd toss the shrew, let it run away, grab it again, bat it some more, yawn, let it run some more, etc.

"Are you ever just going to finish the poor thing off?" I said to the cat, who ignored me.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, swooped down a stealthy Steller's Jay, who nabbed the shrew right out from under the cat's nose and flew off with it dangling from her beak.

"Whoa," I said aloud.

Needless to say, the cat was stunned (stunned!). He couldn't believe that someone--a bird, no less--had stolen his shrew. It was quite the insult.

"Serves ya right."

Man, Nature is pretty cool. As a side note, I also had no idea that jays eat rodents--but apparently, they do. Go figure.

I'll come back in the next day or two with a larger, more visual post (promise!). I just had to tell you all what I saw.

Have a great day, everyone! Hope you're doing well!

Shop Update

2009-04-03T12:34:00.000-07:00

A date has been settled on for the "Oceanic Explorations" online update! At last, at last. It's a bit last minute, but this coming Monday, April 6th at 2pm PST (5pm EST) the shop will be teeming with my newest paintings for sale from my most recent show. Huzzah! Quite a few in all shapes and sizes.

Like this one...

Or this one...And yup, even this one...
I hope to see you then!

Avian

2009-03-26T17:04:00.000-07:00

Good day, ladies and gents!

In celebration of reaching 400 sales in my Etsy shop, anticipation for the Spring season, and anxiousness for the inevitable upcoming tax session (oi vey), I'm hosting a print sale!

Yup--'tis true. Purchase any 2 prints (except for Ltd. Editions) and get a 3rd totally free. Just let me know in the "Message to Seller" box when you checkout which free print you'd like. I'm hosting the sale until the end of the month--that is to say, March 31st (Tuesday).

I also right this very second added a new original painting to the shop that I finished last night:

"From Across His Lake Kingdom, He Called To Her" acrylic and old sheet music on hardboard, painting is 4x6", framed is 5x8.5" {sold}

The colors on this piece are so rich and vibrant, that my camera and I had a brief battle trying to get that teal to look right. It still looks considerably more greenish-teal-peacock in person though. Little badges and medals seem to be adorning a lot of my animals and figures lately...

Completely unrelated, other than the fact that it's also bird-themed, I took some snapshots of a dead bird near my door last week.
Despite being a good 2 days dead, he provided a nice sketching session for me and then promptly disappeared the next morning (I assume by a desperately hungry raccoon).
Well, I have some more work to plug away at. Enjoy your weekends! I'm hoping for a glimpse of sunshine...

Sepia Toned And Washed In Walnut Ink

2009-03-19T18:31:00.000-07:00

Hello dears.
I do hope you've all been well. I've been holed up at my painting table working out sketches, playing with new ideas, experimenting with the paint and all manner of artsy endeavors.I'm in the thick of a simple little piece that I will unveil in its entirety here quite soon. I should also mention to keep your ears and eyes peeled for an upcoming shop update announcement where a healthy chunk of original artwork from my little Auburn WA gig will be put up for grabs online. More than likely, they'll go for sale within the first few days of April, but I'll keep you all posted.

The art opening on the 12th went really well--it was so laid back and chill that I almost felt like I was at a friend's house. The only hitch was the horrendous traffic getting there. It was ugly, ugly, ugly.

Some recent sketchbook snippets and studies...

Time to pour some more coffee and do some paintin'.

Mail Art For The Masses

2009-03-10T02:20:00.000-07:00

Last week, I snagged a blank watercolor paper postcard block and have been doing little acrylic quicky illustrations on them just about daily.
After all the long hours painting and doing show prep for the Auburn gig, I can't get myself back on the serious painting wagon just yet, so this has been the perfect creative solution.
Super fun, a great way to experiment, easy to do while watching movies at the same time, and then when you're all done you have a neato painting-postcard to mail off to a special someone. This one is for me though...

Also, the shop is absolutely teeming with fresh faces and new prints galore. All things oceanic, Victorian, dark, and lovely alike, so feel free to have a gander.

Hooray for newness!

Deep Sea Merit Badges

2009-03-07T15:52:00.001-08:00

I'm really excited about these little goodies that have just been uploaded into the online shop...
Deep sea merit badges! The image is a cropped print of a starfish from "Stella's Dive". It's housed under a glass bauble and surrounded by a pretty spiffy porthole I sculpted by hand, treated with copper paint, and gave a soft verdigris for a loved-but-aged appearance.Add a smashing bit of red corduroy (recovered from an out-of-print upholstery fabric book headed for the trash) and you have a pretty swell little brooch for your best jacket.
These are super limited edition--I only made 3--and are in the shop as I type. I'm so tempted to keep one for myself, but will (try to) refrain from doing so. {update: all sold now}

In other news, I spent the past two days helping a dear artist friend of mine with her own art show. It was so fun--and held in the *coolest* house (which is actually a haunted old Victorian that's been vacant for many, many years). I wish I had remembered my camera because the inside was so old and decrepit that I suffered massive sensory and artistic overload. You could actually feel the eeriness oozing from the stairs--pretty wild. And I guess they just wrapped up filming an upcoming zombie movie there (various rooms still had fake blood splatters on parts of the walls!). Gosh, it was so neat.

Have a splendid weekend, guys!

Hello March, Hello Mantas

2009-03-03T12:21:00.001-08:00

This was the final piece I completed for the March show and I think it's my favorite:

"The Manta Ray Enthusiast" acrylic on cradled hardboard, 9x12"

It went though quite an evolution. Originally, she was supposed to be an anemone collector. But as I was working on her portrait, she whispered in my ear that she actually is far more fond of mantas. And who can blame her?
She does have a bit of a manta ray hair flip going on...
The teeny starfish medal was the finishing touch. And, it's a hint at a new little something I've been working on the past two days that will wind up in the online shop.

I'm so glad it's March! Spring is just around the bend...

PS: New prints are coming this week and also, any painting that isn't sold by the end of the show will of course go right in the shop for sale as well. Thanks, peeps!

All Antiquey-Like

2009-02-28T14:45:00.000-08:00

When you last saw this gentleman, he was nearing completion but still needed a few finishing touches here and there...

"The 8-Legged Man" acrylic and antique newspaper on hardboard, 11x14"

He's finished now! Framed up and ready to roll (err--I mean, swim). I think my favorite part in this piece is actually a barely-visible snippet from the antique 30s newspaper in the background:It's hard to make out here, but it reads: "Yes, Whale Eats Sea Serpent". I crack up every time I glance at it.

I also slipped through an antique store this week for the first time in quite a while. It felt good. For a couple dollars I picked up some fab 1950s/60s colorful Italian buttons (the aqua ones are my faves):And then on the way to purchase said buttons, I spied this amazing vintage lucite crabby paperweight hidden on a shelf:
Needless to say, he came home with me as well (for only 5 bucks). I don't think the lady who rang me up understood the sheer awesomeness of this piece, but goodness, how can anyone object to little crabs suspended in plastic? Not I.

Salty Sea Air

2009-02-26T20:19:00.000-08:00

Good day, everyone!

On Monday I will be dropping off paintings at the Auburn City Hall Gallery for the March show (yay!). The last painting was completed a couple nights ago and I couldn't be more thrilled with the results. For anyone in the region, please feel free to stop on by the show or come say hi at the artist reception on Thursday, March 12th. I'll be the sleep-deprived one in the corner, muttering madly to herself and stuffing her mouth with cheese and crackers.

Here are some peeks at two more pieces that will be there:

"Tribute" acrylic on vintage biology book page on glass, 4x6"

"View From The Deep End" acrylic on canvas board, 5x7" {sold}

I'm hoping the sun will be out tomorrow for one last photo shoot with the final piece. I'm also diligently working on the digital files of all the pieces in the show so that prints will be available online in the shop next week, so stay tuned for more details.

Hope your weekends are filled with relaxation and rejuvenation!

New Prints

2009-02-22T21:59:00.000-08:00

I just loaded some new prints into the online shop (finally):

"Nesting Possibilities"

"The Black Sheep"

"The White Rabbit"

"The Forest Floor In Grandma's Room"

I'm so far behind in print production that it's embarrassing. It's pretty obvious that I'd much rather be painting new pieces than color correct scans for printing. But I'm making a dent in the workload! And the new work for the upcoming show is turning out marvelous. I'm hoping to do some photography of the paintings tomorrow, so stay tuned for more sneak peeks at the new work.

And, just as a gentle reminder out there for my fellow artsy peeps, be sure and watch that posture while working. A few weeks ago I did something wretched to my sciatic nerve/lower back and the consequences were extremely painful for 3 days (completely bed ridden with pain killers) and then painful-but-bearable for the following three weeks. I admit I tend to hunch over while painting, and often go for long uninterrupted hours without a break. This lesson has taught me *not* to keep doing that.

Happy Monday, friends! Can you believe this is the last week of February? Man, the month has just flown right by.

Into the Sea

2009-02-13T13:38:00.001-08:00

Hello loves! Happy Friday the 13th!

I'm taking a wee break from painting and promotional work to give you all a glimpse at what I've been plugging away at. Two more paintings were completed this past week for the upcoming show, while a small handful of others are in the half-completed stage. I only have about two weeks left to wrap things up, so it's been a bit chaotic 'round these parts.

Here's some snapshots at two new works:

"Adornments From Poseidon's Walk-In Closet" acrylic on wooded plaque, 13x8"

{detail}

"King of the Herring Ball: Act IV" acrylic on canvas panel, 7x5" {sold}
{detail}

Also, True North Gallery in South Hamilton, MA recently acquired "Solitude" (yay!):

It will be in a polar bear themed show at the gallery, titled "Imagining Nanuq: An Exhibition of Polar Bear Art from Around the World", which will run from Feb. 14th-March 28th. Those in the area, feel free to hop over for the gallery reception this Saturday (tomorrow!) from noon to five. A portion of all sales from the show will also be donated to the National Resource Defense Council's Polar Bear SOS Campaign.

And while we're on the topic of donations and those who need our help, we can all help those poor human and animal souls in Australia by sending donations to the Red Cross and/or Wildlife Victoria. Plus, there's an Etsy shop devoted *entirely* to sending donations to the Red Cross, which is really neat. Purchase something from OzBushfireAppeal and know that your money will go to help the cause...and you in return get something handmade and cool in the mailbox. A win-win.

I must scurry back to my painting corner and get some more work done. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Constructing Mother Nature

2009-02-03T18:27:00.000-08:00

Thanks to a large book trade-in through Powells, I recently was awarded with nearly $100 worth of book buying credit. Sa-weet. And so, a book buying frenzy ensued. I was able to get a lot of good ones, but by far the *best* one that came in the mail was this gem:

I love animals and nature and taxidermy and natural history museums. So a book entirely devoted to the creation of the dioramas at the American Museum of Natural History is sorta like a big cake with ice cream and fudge and sprinkles poured all over it. Yummy.
It's filled to the brim with enlightening text and the most amazing photos of artists and craftsmen constructing the various models and scenes.This guy is living my dream job (only, hopefully it would entail a bit more than painting just bird droppings...).

In other news, I had a dream last night that after 3 years of diligently slaving away on a painting, I finally finished it. And it was the best piece I had ever done. So, naturally, I went to the roller skating rink to celebrate, which is weird because a) I haven't been skating in years, and b) I don't even like roller skating. For some unexplainable reason, I brought the painting with me to the rink and left it on a bench nearby while skating. When I was done skating my heart out, I went to grab my painting and go--only to realize that when I touched the painting's surface, the varnish peeled off, taking the paint with it. I was horrified. The people around me were horrified. I think screaming was involved.

And then I woke up and nervously checked the status of my current works-in-progress to make sure that I had dreamed the whole thing.

Damn. Art nightmares are the *worst*.

Sharpening Pencils

2009-01-30T05:00:00.000-08:00

Still painting. And sketching. And looking for a new day job (along with so many other folks) to help pay the bills. Painting is keeping me sane during the job-hunt, otherwise I'd be completely overwhelmed and exasperated. My motto right now is just to stay positive, stay strong, and keep plugging away. And so, that's precisely what I'm doing.

Here's a few peeks into my current sketchbook...

I have more painting to do, so I must get back to work. Hopefully the weekend will bring some sun and blue skies! I'm starting to get a bit antsy for Spring...

Eight Legs Are Better Than Two

2009-01-28T05:00:00.000-08:00

As hinted at earlier, I have some sneak peeks of a work-in-progress painting I've been plugging away at. I started this one last year and shunted it to the side to work on other projects, but since it would fit perfectly for this upcoming show in March, I whipped it back out again to finish.Done in a faux-circus-side-show-poster theme with a slight Northern Renaissance influence (there's a hefty amount of gold leafing on this one), it's a bit large for me at 11x14". I'm so glad I didn't paint it any smaller though, as I had to use my smallest brush for the portraiture.He's coming along, though! I just need to add some tentacles to those writhing legs, and paint an elaborate banner down towards the bottom and it will practically be done.It always feels so good to complete a project that has been lying around unfinished forever. Yes sirree.

Happy Wednesday, folks!

Will You Be My Trilobite?

2009-01-26T00:58:00.000-08:00

Thank you for bearing with me during my irregular postings, gang. Things have been a little crazy 'round these parts as of late. Just last week I realized that I only have a month to get 10 paintings finished for my next show in March and promptly sorta freaked out a bit. Lot of work, not much time. So, I've had my head and hands buried amongst the paints and sketchbooks to work out new ideas.

The theme for my pieces will be an oceanic-explorations one. Not a huge surprise there. I'll be including a few artworks from last year, but most will be new ones.

This one of a trilobite fossil was finished last Wednesday and is all set to go:

"Specimen No. 283" acrylic on cradled hardboard, 6x6"

{detail}

A trilobite with dainty little flowers and a heart-patterned background to boot? I think my head just exploded a little. I really really want to make valentines using this piece. How utterly nerdy would that be?

And speaking of nerdy, have all you US peeps seen the Edgar Allen Poe stamps now available at the post office?

How cool are these?! I'm tempted to write little Poe quotes next to them on all my outgoing bill envelopes.

Currently I'm in the midst of two more paintings, one of which was started last year and promptly thrust aside due to time constraints. I'm really excited with how it's turning out though and will have some sneak peeks to show you all in the next day or two.

Back to work I go! I'll leave you with a picture I shot a couple weeks ago of the Woodland Portrait minis all happily lined up on display in a wooden drawer:

Conversation With A Mushroom

2009-01-11T16:30:00.000-08:00

Okay! They're now all listed and looking sharp. Here's the last four in the series:

"Albino Stag" acrylic on wood laminate tag, 1.5x2.5" {update: sold}

"Mushroom" acrylic on wood laminate tag, 1.5x2.5"

"Black Bear" acrylic on wood laminate tag, 1.5x2.5" {sold}

"Rabbit" acrylic on wood laminate tag, 1.5x2.5" {sold}

That albino stag really creeps me out...in a good way. I really like how eerily dreamy he looks, and yet at the same time, he has a sinister glint in his beady red eye. The mushroom is the only non-animal portrait in the series who almost got nixed at the last minute during the sketching phase. If there had been a fly on my wall yesterday, he might have heard something like this...

Me: "Hmmm. I really like how these are shaping up. But I'm just not so sure about the mushroom."

Mushroom Sketch: "...Oh really. Pray, do tell what the problem is."

Me: "Well, all the others are animals. And you, well, you're--"

Mushroom Sketch: "--not an animal. I see how it is. So, just because I don't have legs or wings or move about in some idiotic fashion, you're not going to paint me."

Me: "No no! That's not it at all! I just don't know if you'll fit in with the others..."

Mushroom Sketch: "I think I can take care of myself. Really. Besides, what are they going to do, eat me? I'd like to see them try."

Me: "I dunno..."

Mushroom Sketch: "Dude. You drew me. You obviously like painting mushrooms. And I fit the theme, right? I'm whimsical, I'm woodsy, I like trees and foresty places... And c'mon. You painted an albino stag for the set. An albino stag."

Me: "You've got a point there. Oh all right, what the hell..."

And thus the wee mushroom sketch was painted and officially inducted into the Woodland Portraits Series. For a mushroom, he's a bit pushy, ain't he?

The Little Bird Said To The Fox

2009-01-08T12:15:00.000-08:00

Two more in the shop...

"Fox" acrylic on wood laminate tag, 1.5x2.5" {update: sold}

"Goldfinch" acrylic on wood laminate tag, 1.5x2.5" {sold}

Buzz Buzz Buzz

2009-01-07T15:12:00.000-08:00

"Bumble Bee" acrylic on wood laminate tag, 1.5x2.5" {update: sold}"Great Horned Owl" acrylic on wood laminate tag, 1.5x2.5"

The first two minis are now for sale! I think the bumble bee is my favorite in the entire series. I just adore teal and yellow together. And pollen-laden bumble bees always make me pretty darn happy. Stay tuned for more!

Process

2009-01-05T23:37:00.000-08:00

I just listed a couple new little paintings into the shop:

"Tropical Punch Anemone"--acrylic on antique 30s newspaper on wood laminate tag, 3.5x5" {sold}

"Mint Anemone"--acrylic on antique 30s newspaper on wood laminate tag, 3.5x5" {sold}

They're both quite bright and whimsical and look near identical to their rough sketched counterparts in my sketchbook:

I had a ball painting all those writhing transparent tentacles too... Lots of sketching, planning, and painting 'round these parts, I must say....And I'm nearly done with all the miniature paintings I hinted at earlier! There's a total of 8 in this series, and they're all portraits of woodland critters. Ghastly adorable.

They'll each make their way into the shop this week, day by day. I'll also upload pictures and links of each on the blog for ease of finding and cataloguing, so do keep your pretty eyes peeled.

Happy dreams, all!

Art Shows And Afghans

2009-01-03T15:00:00.000-08:00

If anyone out near MA needs something to do this weekend, I have a couple paintings in this Apocalypse-themed show:

Opening reception is this Sunday. There should be a lot of interesting art there--wish I lived a little closer. Here's some snapshots (as usual, somewhat crappily-overexposed) of the pieces I sent off for it:

"The Last Bride" acrylic and gold composite leaf on illustration board and vintage album sleeve

"There Shall Be No Mercy" acrylic and gold composite leaf on illustration board and vintage album sleeve
{detail}

I went to my favorite Goodwill the other day and completely and utterly scored on this amazing crocheted afghan:

Ready for the price? $3.00. Uh-huh. It almost felt like I was stealing it from the store. I've been needing a throw for my couch and this is just perfect. The fact that the pattern and colors match one of my pillows is borderline eery.

Be prepared for more art on the way! I have a little stack that's steadily growing and I'll be listing them for sale this coming week. This painting update is going to consist of entirely small pieces (ranging between small and really small) so there should be something for everyone's pocketbook. I'm really digging how the collection is looking so far!

Hope you are all enjoying your new year!

Ornamental

2009-01-01T01:05:00.000-08:00

A new year! A new beginning! So many fresh possibilities...

I promised some photos earlier of my wee Christmas tree and indeed, have not forgotten! I'm just really behind the ball on uploading my camera images.
Last month I made a small pile of these kitschy-Victorian-inspired ornaments and am pretty psyched with the outcome. The moustached men portraits were purchased earlier in the year (from alteredvintage on Etsy) and I knew instantly they had to adorn my strange little tree in some fashion.I collaged them onto colorful paint swatch samples, which I glittered and adorned for added pizazz. The backs have newspaper collaged to them as well. Add some peppermint stripe twine for a hanger and you're golden.
Most of the ornaments are handmade, either by me or other artists...
At night, the whole tree looks pretty magical. I hate to take it down...

On the art front, I'm painting up a storm and working on lots of smaller pieces that shall be unveiled one by one. One of my resolutions this year is to paint *more*. I really admire folks that can paint one piece a day. Dude, that is hard to do. I don't think I can be that productive, but I would like to bump up my production a little bit more.

Here's a new piece, freshly finished:"Luck Has Everything To Do With It" acrylic on wood laminate tag, 3.5x5"This particular painting is a bit of a play on "luck"--four leaf clovers, lucky numbers, horseshoes...or in this case, a horseshoe crab. Which I believe is far luckier. Those dang things are overtaking my sketchbooks right now. They're just so weird.

Back to painting I go! Happy New Year, gang!

A Good Movie With A Side Of Snow

2008-12-30T01:45:00.000-08:00

Well my friends, the year is nearly over. And what a year it's been! Lots of new leaps have been made, with many more yet to come. I'm so excited for the new year and what lies ahead (I have quite a few surprises to show you!), and of course, I am so terribly thankful for all the love and support from all of you. It's pretty mindblowing--I'm a lucky, lucky gal indeed.

My Christmas was splendid and I hope all of you enjoyed (or are continuing to enjoy) your holidays! Living in the Pacific Northwest, my holiday was spent under a foot and a half of snow after a week and a half of snow and ice storms.It's a rare occurrence for us to get so much snow in such a short period of time, and the cities definitely showed the unpreparedness of it all...but I really enjoyed just staying home and being completely shut-off from the rest of the world.When I opened the backdoor, this is the ominous view my cat was confronted with: The snow is practically all melted now (a big benefit to living around these parts), though there's still a few lingering cat tracks... Nothing beats watching a good film while the snow comes tumbling down. I received a copy of The Fall (at last, at last!) and I must say, it is by far the best film I've seen in the past year or more. And has made it head-first onto my "Artistic Inspiration Movie" list. I absolutely loved every minute of it... The shots, the colors, the *costumes*...sigh. It really is a beautiful, enchanting, heartbreaking, and dreamy movie. And almost no CGI effects--which is a feat all in itself.

My favorite character is Charles Darwin (of course!) and his costume is so, so perfectly insane and amazing. I mean--look at those boots! And that coat! Damn.

I hope you all have a fabulous New Year's! I'll see you loves in 2009...

Little Scenes Of Wonder

2008-12-16T18:12:00.000-08:00

These brown paper packages tied up with string (with little wax seals added for extra pizazz and flair) were paintings mailed out last week. They looked so cozy, I had to snap a picture.

I've put a few "old-but-new-to-the-shop" paintings in my online store today. They've been hanging around my walls long enough!

"The Forest Floor In Grandma's Room" acrylic on canvas, 5x7"

"Light In The Deep" acrylic on hardboard, 8x10"
"New Years Resolution" ACEO, acrylic on illustration board, 2.5x3.5" {sold}

Now I can get to work on some new pieces I've been pondering in my sketchbooks. I had plans this week to get caught up on having new prints made...and then I ran out of blue ink while color correcting print files. Ain't that always the case? And that's the one ink color I, unfortunately, do not have a replacement on hand for. Luckily, I recently discovered Office Max is now carrying my particular printer's cartridges, which is awesome since before there was only one store a good 30 minutes away that would carry them (...and typically never had them in stock when I needed them). So Office Max, you are now my temporary best friend. You better have the blue though. That's all I'm sayin'.

I thought I'd also share some images of an artist who I discovered earlier in the year and really dig. Thomas Doyle creates these amazingly strange miniature dioramas that pack quite a visual and emotional punch:

His website has many pictures of his different projects that you should really check out. I get such a kick out of miniature scenes, and as a kid, was constantly sketching and planning different dioramas and room boxes that I thought would be pretty wild and out there. It's almost like Thomas Doyle crept into my brain and created them himself. So cool.

I'm hunkering down for more ice and snow on the way! Time to get some more coffee ready and double up the socks...

Take care of yourselves, loves.

A Pinch of Gothic-y Goodness

2008-12-12T17:53:00.000-08:00

Hello, hello!

How's everyone doing? Are you all surviving December? I'm taking a little "lull" in art production to focus on what I love best about this time of year: spending lots of time with friends and family, cozying up under blankets with a good book and hot cup of coffee or cocoa, working on "nesting" projects (*cough* finish quilt *cough*), and doing lots of crafty-holiday-creating (baking, making paper decorative thingies, setting up the tree, etc).

This isn't to say I'm not painting...just slowing down a tad to enjoy the end of the year. I actually hope to have a few more original paintings listed in the online shop over the weekend (barring, of course, the natural light--which has been a little pathetic as of late for picture taking).

I have some sharing to do as well! This is a painting finally completed a few weeks prior:

"Bats Loom Among Us" acrylic on hardboard, 16x20"

{detail}

{more detail}

It's really big. I never paint this large and struggled with this one as a result. The sketch has been in my book for a year now, and I started planning the painting months ago...before I got overwhelmed with the size. It just couldn't be done any smaller. I'm happy with it, but will be more happy when I can find a good frame for it. I'll be frame hunting next month and have plans on putting it in the spring show I have set up.

Also, since it is December and all, I finally made my two "unusual" ornament purchases for the season. I collect odd and unusual ornaments, with a focus on handmade ones, and like to splurge on a couple every year for the collection.

First, I saw and fell hard for this typewriter one from Sundance.com:
It's so perfect. So utterly perfect. And I just got it in the mail today! A swell addition (I'll definitely vouch for the quality of glass ornaments through Sundance--the details on this are amazing).

And brace yourself for this bit of awesomeness:
!!! I lucked out in scoring this one from timberps.etsy.com (picture above from Timber). Words cannot describe how insanely cool I think this ornament is. And the heads even *move*! My tree this year has a bizarre story-like feel to it--lots of black and white ornaments of early 1900s men, sea critters, gnomes, typewriters, felt keys... I'll post pictures here real soon so you can all see what I mean.

Alright, kids. My poor unfinished quilt is calling my name, despite the desperate pleas from my sore fingers. And snow is a'coming...

Keep warm, cuddle your pets, and drink lots of tea!

Two Perfect Mates

2008-12-05T00:36:00.001-08:00

Just popping in briefly to let everyone know all the paintings in the previous post are in the shop (or have sold) and also this one was just listed as well:

"Nesting Possibilities" acrylic on 1930s newspaper on glass, framed 4.5x5.75" {update: sold}

{detail}

And now I need to do some scanning and printing, which alas, is not nearly as fun as the painting bit but needs to get done. I hope everyone is having a pleasant week!

Diving Headfirst

2008-12-02T20:07:00.000-08:00

Hello gang.

So terribly sorry for not getting the new work in the shop on the dates promised. I've had a pretty tumultuous week at my day job. I won't get into the complicated details, but lets just say that there have been some drastic managerial changes, not necessarily for the best, and as such a good chunk of the work responsibilities (like, three people's worth) have fallen squarely on my shoulders. Quite unwillingly, might I add. Combined with the added stress of being understaffed, and sadness from having two of my dearest and beloved friends moving east yesterday, I hit a bit of a wall on Sunday. And as such, gave my notice at work (my last day will be the 23rd) and shall be preparing for a much-anticipated move to Portland. I'm completely excited and scared at the same time, as I don't have a job or apartment lined up yet down there. Eek! But I feel like I need to be there and have felt that way for the past year, so I guess I'll make the dive.

Any Portlanders that have any advice on good locations/bad locations for apartments? I'm all ears.

Anyway, enough work talk! Indeed, I have been super busy on the art front and have pieces to show you that will be available for sale online over the course of the next couple of days. I'm so excited about them.

"Stella's Dive" acrylic on cradled hardboard, 6x12x1" {detail}
"My Best Friend Was Jacques Cousteau" acrylic on cradled hardboard, 4x4x3/4" {update: sold} "The Oceanic Matinee" acrylic on wood laminate sample, 3.5x4.75" {update: sold} {detail}

"Woodland Symphony" acrylic on wooden plaque {update: sold}
{detail}

And here's a little wall vignette with them hanging up for display:
Finally got an appropriate frame for this one ("The Forest Floor In Grandma's Room" acrylic on canvas, 5x7"):
Alrighty...I have noodles cooking on the stove that I must tend to.

P.S.: All sketchbook ornaments in the shop are now on holiday sale! Originally $12 each, they're now just $8. Sweet!

Giveaway Winner!

2008-11-22T20:39:00.001-08:00

Okay! I'm back to announce the giveaway winner. Using random.org, the random name drawn from the list was...

Sweet Pea!

Hooray! Congrats! :) Feel free to shoot me an email (located on sidebar) with your mailing addy and I'll send it off to you!

I must get back to painting (and coffee consuming). There will be a good handful of new works up for sale really soon--I'm thinking I'll upload them online on the 28th, 29th and 30th...possibly the 1st as well. That way, I can snag a bit more time to paint, take photographs and write descriptions for everything (quite last-minute, as is my way it seems). I'm really excited to show you all what I've been cooking!

Hope the rest of your weekends are marvelous!

Where Land Meets Sea

2008-11-19T13:36:00.000-08:00

Hello, dearies!

I have been busily painting up a storm, creating a small pile of pieces for a quickly-looming online update (looking to happen right after Thanksgiving). I'm trying to have plenty of originals of all sizes and affordability because I'd love for everyone to have the chance at some original artwork for the holidays.

In-between the painting sessions and the day job, I took some quick snapshots at a couple pieces on my work table at the moment.

"Woodland Symphony" acrylic on wooden plaque

This one is all done and quite mysterious. A phonograph sprouting roots in a faraway forest... And the gloss is just insane due to the 6-8 layers of colored glazes in the background. It has a glass-like look to it adding a lot of depth and wonderfully saturated color.
And this piece is moving right along as well. Since this picture was taken, I've painted a detailed horseshoe crab patterned wallpaper behind the Victorian lass (which was the big inspiration behind doing this piece) and have almost finished her forest green velvet dress. She's coming along swimmingly!

I must get back to work. Hope you are all enjoying your weeks so far!

P.S. If you haven't done so already, do sign up for the giveaway if you're interested! This Saturday I'll draw a random name for the prize.

The Last Bride

2008-11-11T04:30:00.000-08:00

So, I have a couple shows coming up early next year that I'm pretty excited about (just got the letters of acceptance last week). It's a bit too early to discuss much in way of details, but one is an Apocalypse-themed group show over in MA and the other is a dual-show with another painter and myself early next Spring in Auburn, WA that I'm really pumped for. More to come later on the Auburn show, but I thought I'd give you all a look at the Apocalypse piece that will be sent out in a month...

"The Last Bride" acrylic and gold leaf on illustration board and vintage record album sleeveIt's taken right from the page of one of my sketchbooks and turned out *precisely* how I wanted it to (don't you love it when that happens?). I do love gold leaf, but I must admit that it's so impossible to get accurate pictures of it. In real-life the gold leafing makes the painting so luminous and adds a whole level of depth. In picture form however, you don't really get that effect. Drat.

Anyway, there will be a companion piece to this one (still very much in progress) that will also be in the show and prints will be available as well. I'll keep you all posted!

Since I've had a few folks lately asking for gallery advice, I thought I'd share some helpful links that will greatly aid in the uphill-battle of getting one's artwork out there. Mind you, I'm fairly new to the whole gallery show circuit as well (it's really weird when I look back and realise I've only been painting professionally for a little over a year) but there's a lot of great websites out there with all sorts of helpful advice, open calls for galleries, and show submissions to help artists get their foot in the door. Here's a few worth bookmarking:

Art-Support: great articles on getting your work out there and noticed in the real world
artshow.com: an ever-changing roll call of upcoming juried shows cross-country and world-wide
Artist Trust: the "resources" page is uber-helpful with gallery show calls, residencies, and even open studio space advertisements (most of the ads are WA-located but many are open to artists nationwide)

Back to painting I go! Happy Monday, gang!

Let Them Eat Truffles--A Giveaway

2008-11-08T04:30:00.000-08:00

As promised, it's giveaway time! Just in time for the holidays too.

Up for one very lucky soul is a mini original painting banner that I created last year. I'm culling through some of my artworks and realised I still had this one. It simply must go on to live in a new home.Three miniature paintings of truffles, done in acrylic on miniature laminate tag samples, and strung onto candy-striped ribbon. All ready to tie onto nails or thumbtacks on your fine wall.It looks best hung under another piece, I think...

To be included in the drawing, all you need to do is a leave a comment between today and the 21st. One lucky winner will be randomly drawn from the pile on the 22nd (I'm keeping this giveaway open a bit longer to make sure everyone gets a fair chance). It will come to your mailbox prettily wrapped, ready for giving, card and all. I think this would make an excellent little holiday gift for a loved one!

Good luck! And thank you so much for all the support, loves!

Lets Celebrate With Cider And Pumpkin Muffins

2008-11-05T14:12:00.000-08:00

Can I just speak for the country and world at large when I say, "Thank. Goodness."

What a night! What an election! Wow. I think for the first time ever, I am so overwhelmingly proud of my country. And it feels so good to have someone you admire greatly take over the damp and mildewy helm of the ship.

I had a fabulous Halloween with a group of friends and I have lots and lots of costume pics to show you! I know it's November and all, but I hope you bear with my tardiness in some costume show-and-tell. Pumpkin carving, old horror movie a'watchin', junk food eating, drinking, and lots of chatting. I love Halloween. As explained earlier, I went as Little Red Riding Hood (choosing to represent the story more so than just the character). After a week of handsewing and assembling, it all came together and turned out pretty neat.

I made a little red hooded capelet completely from scratch--no pattern, no sewing machine. It turned out better than I was expecting (I didn't have time to line it this time around, but hopefully will get that done one of these days). I already owned the red cotton fabric and the vintage lacy trim I picked up from the thrift store. For the dress, this is what I started with--a vintage 70s Boho dress I bought from Etsy seller MrsRosencranz (image above from her shop). I loved the cut and simplicity of it. It was the perfect blank canvas for the look I was after. After much tweaking, hemming, adding, replacing, and garnishing, this is what I came up with (please forgive my crummy images--it was 3am and I was completely ready to hop in bed). The wolf mask is made of a lightweight paperclay I sculpted and painted then tied to a stick.

Lots of laces, fabric remnants, haphazard stitches, and other bits 'n bobs...

And in my hair I pinned various branches, leaves, sparkly blossoms from the craft store (and even a wee bird's nest!).It was just too fun to assemble and wear about. I wish Halloween was more than once a year.

Well, I'm off to get some coffee in my blood and some paint on my fingers! Happy November everyone! I'll be back later this week with some art sneak peeks plus a blog giveaway (and it's a good one). Stay warm!

Curious Octopi

2008-10-24T22:25:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the random blog banner changes and such. I've finally settled on this one for the holidays I think.

I have a couple surprises for you all, including a shop update pretty soon here (possibly the first week of November--more details a'comin') and quite possibly a really cool giveaway. I just have to ready some pictures, so stay tuned!

This recently finished painting is a part of the "Precious Objects" series I've been knee-deep in and will be in this upcoming shop update--it's definitely a favorite. Definitely.

"Inkwell" acrylic on hardboard 8x10"

Lots of semi-transparent paint glazes for the background (lots--I remember having to wait a solid day for the background to dry before getting to work on the octopus, which for acrylics, is a bit absurd). It has quite a luminescent glow to it.
All I need is a lovely golden frame for it.

On an unrelated side note, I just bought probably the cheapest sketchbook I've ever come across the other day ($3), which is completely made of recycled paper and staple-bound with a recycled pulp red paper cover and made in Italy. I've already filled it halfway. It's so funny to me how the cheapest sketchbooks/notebooks get filled the quickest with various drawings and inspiring little sketches while the really expensive, leather-bound sketchbooks lie nearly untouched with only a handful of far inferior doodles. It could just be me. I think my creative brain is just plain old scared to death of "wrecking" the pricey, cool sketchbooks. Silly, silly.

Little Red

2008-10-20T12:53:00.000-07:00

Oh my. Hello, sweeties. I haven't forgotten you! In fact, you have all been on my mind. Thank you *so* much for your constant love and support. The update was a success and I'm thrilled to have a few more original paintings and sketches and things off delighting folks 'round the country. There's still oodles more left if you've been on the fence.

I've slowed down a bit on the painting front, which is actually quite good as I was completely absorbed there for a good 3 weeks. I'm a little red-eyed and lost, but happy with the new pieces. I can't wait to unveil them all to you! This particular one I just listed in the shop and I'm rather smitten with it (no doubt my most mixed-media mini piece to date):
I've been hanging onto this antique 1800s book cover for a long time wondering what to do with it. It is, hands down, the coolest antique store find I've come across. It used to be the cover of a photographer's cabinet card photo book. When I found it, the book binding was no more, and the cover was completely seperated from the aged cabinet cards. I think I paid $10 for the whole shebang. I still have the back cover and will probably hold onto that one a wee bit longer...

And Halloween is just around the bend! Yay! I've been dreaming up costume ideas and I think I've finally settled on dressing up in a Little Red Riding Hood ensemble--encorporating elements from the entire story in my costume. It's a bit daunting, and I'm waiting on the vintage dress I ordered to get here to do some alterations, but man am I excited!

I've been scouring Etsy to gather some visual inspirations for my costume and thought I'd share some with all of you. Some of these pieces have sold, some are still up for grabs and would make wonderful costume additions (and are even perfect for after the spooky holiday is over). Together, they make a wonderfully adult version of the Little Red Riding Hood story:

neckwarmer/capelet from NandaHandcraftedathena's love nest necklace from luxedeluxered chenille cape from TessVintageKnitsgingham and lace dress from GreyBrocket

victorian cape from gloomthpeacock headband from portobello
victorian revival dress from lulalee

coyote mask from merimask
amelia headband from whichgoose
gentilly slip from bayousalvage
chartreuse bunny button from poodlebreath
basket handbag from lisazainralph lauren oxford lace up boots from nstylevintage

Yummy! So much eye candy. I wish I could scoop all of these lovelies up for a jaw-dropping outfit.

Happy Monday, peeps! Hope it's full of whimsy!

The Curtain is Drawn (literally)...

2008-10-05T23:04:00.000-07:00

Just a couple more days now until the October update!

I'm very excited to unveil these delightfully mysterious little creations to you. Here's some snapshots from yesterday's photo shoot:

"Lucy" sketchbook stuffy ornaments--b/w heat transfer on vintage cotton

"The 8-Legged Typist" sketchbook stuffy ornaments--b/w heat transfer on vintage cotton

"Tentacle Twins" sketchbook stuffy ornaments--b/w heat transfer on vintage cotton

"A Peace Offering" framed mini sketch

"Relic" framed mini sketch {sold}

"Margaret" framed mini sketch

"She Waited For The Right Moment To Tell Him" framed mini sketch

"Secrets, Solitude, and Sundries" original sketch/painting locket necklace (outside front)"Secrets, Solitude, and Sundries" original sketch/painting locket necklace (inside)

"The White Rabbit" acrylic on canvas, 5x7" + frame {sold}

"Lollipops" acrylic on wood plaque {sold}--a very, very familiar painting from last year (after spending a good long while on display, it is finally able to go up for sale).

"A Surprise Engagement" acrylic on wood/laminate sample tag {sold}--I ran out of daylight before I could finish snapping pictures of this lil' one. I could only snag one "display" shot of it--need to get the close-ups tomorrow. Yes, that is an emerald ring. And yes, that would indeed be a scarab beetle (who I had way, way too much fun painting).

Before I go, I snapped a super quickie pic of a late-50s vintage sundress I bought a few months ago off Etsy. It needed to have the waist let out a bit (I may be a very petite gal, but heck, I don't wear corsets).

It is really, really amazing and I got it for quite a steal. With a brown jacket and lace-up knee highs, it's Fall-ready as well. Yay, Fall!

I'll see you folks on Wednesday!

Save The Date

2008-10-01T21:07:00.000-07:00

It's official. I hope to see you guys and dolls there, come next Wednesday! I'll be popping back in here soon with updated pics of the things to come.

Happy Wednesday evening, loves!

PS: I caved and bought a pumpkin today at the grocery store. October, it's good to see ya again, sir.

What Lurks In The Shadows

2008-09-29T14:24:00.000-07:00

I emerge from the deep caves of creative activity! Alive, doing well, seeking food and nourishment.

Halloween has crept into my thoughts and work lately. Ah, I so love Halloween. And never fear, my dearest friends! Though I'm neck-deep in gallery/show painting (that I can't wait to show all of you) I also have been prepping new curiosities for the Etsy shop and I'm head-over-heels for these small new things.

Last night I had to snap a few pictures amongst the glow of the candles to give you all a sneak peek at what will be soon unveiled...

There are some lovely, albeit bizarre little drawings set in wonderfully aged gilded frames (complete with vintage lace hangers)...
I do so love how this one turned out (though she's a bit hard to make out in the darkness)...
And also, a whole bucketful of little stuffed ornaments that are made from transfers taken straight from the crinkled pages of my sketchbook (lots of tentacles and a disembodied head or two). They're all hand-stitched with love using vintage linens and repurposed old upholstery fabrics. I'm madly in love with them.

It looks as though this next shop update will be slightly spooky, very black-and-white, and boiling over with Fallish thoughts. I have a couple more surprises up my sleeve, but I'm waiting until my work schedule gets posted before I set a date for the October Update. Within the next day or two, I'll have a date and time arranged for you all.

Oh! And I couldn't help but take a quick snap of my little bat girl sitting atop my gothic piano display area. She's made by the ever-talented Crystal (my second purchase from her--her pieces are absolutely amazing).

And for more Fall/Halloween/decay/couture inspiration, I recently stumbled across the amazing Gibbous Fashions and have been drooling ever since. What inspiration! I love all the antique/vintage fabrics and laces and lovely layers all stitched together helter-skelter to create whimsical, one-of-a-kind clothing. Truly breathtaking. I'd kill for one of these gorgeously layered skirts. They do women's and men's fashions (and boy howdy, some of those men's jackets are freakin' *incredible*). Definitely worth a looksy (all pictures below are from the Gibbous site).

Okay gang. I'm off to get another cup of coffee and get back to the creative cave. I'm so happy that October is nearly here!

Sketchbook Peeks

2008-09-16T21:59:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted any sketchbook sneak peeks and I know that I always dig catching glances at other artists' roughs, so lets remedy that, stat!

First off, I realized just the other night that I've really gone through quite the sketchbook evolution. I remember back in college I used big 8.5x11" books or larger (I should pull some of those out for you guys to see--god awful drawings in those beasts). And then I got addicted to smaller books, probably because the pressure was off to completely cover a blank page in mindless drawings.

And now, I've discovered the wonders of the panoramic/landscape sketchbook. I'm in heaven. I like that the pages aren't so small that I have to constantly worry about space issues and yet aren't so large as to make me feel like I need to use the entire page. And because the pages are in a long format, I can get some lovely compositions--sometimes without really meaning to do so. I highly recommend picking one up the next time you see one at the art supply store.

Button mushrooms a'plenty... Sea anemones are so beautiful...yet just a hair creepy. All those wiggling arms....luring little fish in... And a life-size anemone? Yeah. I'm not so certain I'd like to encounter *THAT*. A tranquil octopus maiden...Giant beetles...

Good day, my friends! I hope it's filled with creativity and merriment!

Precious Objects

2008-09-15T19:05:00.000-07:00

I am quite possibly the world's worst blogger. I admit this.

So much art happenings, my friends! Where oh where do I begin?

First and foremost, very soon you will be able to purchase some of my prints and postcards along with an original painting or two from the ever-awesome Fact & Fancy gallery in Brooklyn, NY! If you live in the area, totally go check them out. Some of my very talented indie-artist-colleagues are there too: Julliana Swaney of Oh My Cavalier!, Michele Maule, Amazing Talking Paintings, and many more.

Secondly, I am so swamped with paintings. Which is awesome. I will hopefully be entering into some gallery exhibitions this fall and have much to do to get ready (including updating the ever-hated artist statement and resume, ugh). My current series is moving right along. The recent "no-painting" strike I took last month after the show was *so* amazingly helpful, because I am bursting with ideas and energy to make art.

I actually needed to create an old school mind map to jot everything down and better visualize how the series would look. I've always just used Post-Its for this task, but the mind map thing works wonders and really keeps me on track.

This particular series of work all revolves around the idea of old man-made objects colliding and living in harmony with the natural world, where Man no longer plays a vital role in their existence. Most of the paintings will be fairly small (to play off the "preciousness" of Nature), with a few bigguns.

A few sneak peeks:

Trees sprout from old typewriters...Brightly colored buttons now adorn tiny mushrooms...Finches ponder new nesting sites...

I'm very excited with the way pieces are turning out so far.

Collections

2008-09-04T15:45:00.000-07:00

Hello, sweeties.

New goods! Awesome!
I'm diggin' how these postcards came out. Fresh from the printers and, for a change of pace, offered up as *single* postcards w/ a red envelope for a fraction of the price. This way, you can get one for a birthday card instead of a whole pile (though, you may want a whole pile after you see how cute they are).
Also have a whole set of limited edition urchin prints from the Urchin Collection that debuted earlier this year (all the originals have been snatched off to loving homes but two of them now). *UPDATE: All Urchin Collection original paintings have now sold. Thank you, peeps!*
They look so sharp and are nicely cropped down to mini-size. There's only 10 prints made of each design though, and once they're gone...that's it.One thing I really love is redoing my wall displays throughout my abode. Frankly, I just love interior design anyway. I tend to lean towards the eclectic-mix-old-and-new-hodge-podge-collection style. There's one wall that changes constantly, as original paintings are bought and sold, or I just feel like looking at different works. But I really love how it looks at the moment.

What's this? Why, is that an aqua/red color scheme I see?

Yes, it is. Big surprise, I'm sure. :)And check out this particularly *swell* card I picked up last month while in Canada! It's just too cool to use. I really need to frame it.

After a hiatus from the paints (much needed), I'm hitting the canvas and acrylics hard today. I'm working out a new series of work that I shall be hopefully debuting to everyone late Sept./early October. I'm very excited.

Off I scamper!

Plum And Moss

2008-09-02T15:01:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd do an entire post of images in the purple plum and greeny moss color scheme, since those two colors together say "Fall" like no other and I'm so terribly thrilled that the fall months are now upon us. Knee high socks! Crisp morning air! Crunchy leaves! Chai tea and cookies!

That landscape painting was a recent antique store score for $12 and I really love it. The colors, the frame, the fact that some person sat down with their oil palette and took the time to create it and liked it so much as to get it professionally framed....It's magic. I feel like I rescued a little unknown gem from the trash heap.

The last picture is a close-up of some ceramic tiles I've painted at work. I'm lining them all up along a windowsill for a bit of fun and whimsy.

That's all from me for today! I'll be back tomorrow with some new shop items to show and tell. Enjoy your Tuesdays, everyone!

Old Things Become New Things

2008-08-25T19:58:00.000-07:00

A new print is happily residing in the shop!"He Packed His Bags And Left Home For Good This Time" 6x9.25" on 8.5x11" paper

I do love that there's a nice little company of slugs and snails hangin' out in my etsy shop at the moment. I wonder if they're planning any parties or nocturnal slug get-togethers?

My weekend was spent working at the day job (10 hour shifts both days...and now, I'm quite ready for a small break from the public) but I get a couple days off before heading back to the work grind for the rest of the week. So how did I spend my Monday?

Thrifting and antiquing!

Scooped up some simple notions and a plain white bed sheet (for the quilt) from the thrift store and then *scored* at the antique store.
I found this wee old papercut silhouette (under $4!) and fell in love. Hard. Look at that hat! The small antique frame was under $9 and I knew instantly I just had to put the two together. Last month I scored a ton of discontinued upholstery fabric sample books for free from a local fabric store and have been brainstorming projects with them. Yup, you see where this is going...15 minutes later, I had a finished dandy piece of art ready for the wall. The silk fabric was cut and simply attached to illustration board using a few small pieces of double-sided tape and the same was done to the papercut silhouette. I love how the rackety green and gold frame plays off the pink stripes.

I think it's time for tea, a book, and a good late-night film.