Some Creatures Just Can't Be Made Cute

I'm back with a few more goodies to share with you!

Please forgive the somewhat questionable lighting in these...it was night...I have crap lighting in my house.Angler fish!

I actually started this piece more than a year ago and repainted it, I kid you not, 4 times because each time the background just didn't work for me. And then this past week, I pulled it out again and in one sitting, repainted it for the last time. And I like it. The original idea was that a nice, 50's-inspired background would make the nightmarish angler fish a little more...cute. Well, that didn't really happen.

If anything, he actually looks *more* terrifying. Ah well. Probably not a piece for a kid's bedroom...or maybe it is...

This one was done on a largish 8x10" wooden plaque, with old 1930s Earhart newspaper in the background, just barely visible. It's a show piece, but prints will be available soon in the shop.Going on a bit of a feather kick, I suppose, since I also whipped out some mini painted brooches, which are ready for ribbon and lace. These will get listed in the shop instead of the in-person show, since things are looking a wee bit barren in the Etsy storefront. I shall let you all know of the date soon (probably within this next week or so).

And...just because...

A friend emailed this clip of a "Self Portrait" video of S. Dali recently. Hilarious. Truly.

Happy weekend folks!

Possessed Rabbits

Hey, sweets.

I do apologize about the absence. So many happenings! The painting muse hit me like a brick wall as of late and so I've been busily whipping out new works for the show with very little time for anything else. But I am back with much to show and tell, which is always good! :)

First, a snack...

My favorite midday snack/lunch this week: plain yogurt, fruit (here it's peaches, but my favorite are apricots!), walnuts, and a drizzling of maple syrup. To. Die. For.

And remember that rabbit sketch from a while back?...

Well here he is all painted up and ready for a frame.

I'm really happy with this one. Somehow, this rabbit has turned into my own version of the White Rabbit, ala Alice In Wonderland. He's just ever-so-slightly disturbing. I mean, he has a red button eye. And he eats fish. Definitely not a critter I'd want to chase down a rabbit hole.

I think I was greatly inspired by Jan Svankmayer's "Alice", which is by far one of my favorite little films. It's strange, dream-like, a little bit disturbing, yet breathtaking in all of it's stop-motion excecution. This little beginning scene where the White Rabbit is introduced is utterly perfect:



Until I get a nice black frame, the painting rests here on my typewrite with other oddballs by his side. A "Michelle" version of Alice is coming up as well. I have her portrait sketched and ready for paints. Lets just say, she has a fondness for slugs just as much as I.


Oh! And look what just arrived in my mailbox!
Lisa Takao asked me last winter to be a part of this year's Spring/Summer Takao Nursery "Art Imitates Nature" catalog. It was such a fun project to be a part of. You may remember this piece from early this year that I completed for it:
Well, here it is gracing the pages of the catalog and the cover! I'm so excited. And Lisa did such a fab job designing the booklet.That's all for now! I'll be back tomorrow to show you some more finished works. Have a great day, everyone!

A Somewhat Long Post of Random Bits 'n Bobs

Well hello, my dears.

I am here. Yes. A whole lot of show-scheming has been going on and this week also marked my 24th birthday! Dang. It's just a random number, nothing special, and I'm not much of a birthday person, but it's been so nice to spend some time with the family and see good friends for coffee or lunch this week. Quite lovely. I love you guys!


And, I've ordered a canopy tent for the August show. Finally. I literally spent the past two weeks agonizing over canopy options. There are *so* many different tent brands and ghastly horror stories and differing price ranges (all over the board)...I became overwhelmed pretty quickly.


In the end, I finally decided to get a Caravan Canopy from these guys. And hopefully, that will be the end of that. Big expenses like that are always such a pain to decide over.
Also, got a new pair of headphones for music enjoyment! I love 'em. Big, retro, pretty stylish, and sound good too. And, the most important bit, is they don't hurt my ears after having them on for 3 hours while painting (thumbs up!).A whole lot of sketching has been taking place in the evenings...Working out painting designs and a collection of work for the August show. But sometimes, I can't help but draw a little bit of geeky fan art....such as this Margot Tenenbaum sketch.

And I'm working on a sketch for a Death Cab poster-style painting. Just 'cause. I seem to have a hard time finding really neat (and affordable...) posters for that band, so I thought I'd just make my own (...which sounds so terribly geeky now that I've typed it out, but, well, there you are). It'll be for my own collection, but if it turns out cool enough, who knows.And, speaking of band concert posters, I just ordered this one of the Decemberists (I guess you could say it was a b-day splurge for myself). I can't wait to get it in the post!Alrighty. I have a date with some Indy dvds... It just feels like a Raiders of the Lost Ark sort of night. Happy Friday the 13th everyone!

The Museum Of Lost Limbs

Just a quickie from me today...After a two-week hiatus, the Friday 15 sketch is back! This one was just put into the shop a minute ago. I've been doing a whole lot of sketching as of late and really wanted to do a minimalistic black/white piece, hence this sketch. I may do a series of paintings in this vein--we shall see if anything materializes.

Happy weekend, everyone!

The Fall

I just found out about this film today through a friend of mine and after viewing the trailer, I'm *incredibly* amped to see it (too bad it's on an extremely limited release...grrr). It's directed by Tarsem Singh, the same guy who directed The Cell, which I feel like the only person on the planet to have liked. I truly think Tarsem is a visual mastermind.

Anyway, I had to share! It looks to be a visual feast for the creative soul. The costumes! The colors (oh lord, the colors)! The compositions!

Yes, I am very excited indeed.