Metridium Tea

 

 

I've been busily plugging away at a new body of work that I'm very excited about. It's a bit of a sea-meets-land series of paintings, but with a heavy slant towards the sea. Composed of surreal still lifes and encounters between lesser-appreciated marine organisms and more familiar terrestrial residents, it combines many of my favorite things (nudibranchs! seascapes! polychaetes! strange patterned wallpaper! flowers! barnacles! Jello! etc.). I'm taking it slow with this series to make sure everything looks right and flows together. At the moment, I don't have plans to list the pieces for sale online and I'm hoping to eventually find a gallery somewhere in which I can show the work in its entirety in-person (something I haven't done for a few years now and have been longing to do!). But I thought I'd post a few snippets and behind-the-scenes views in the meantime.

This particular piece is one of the smaller paintings in the group, of which there will be a handful amongst much larger pieces. A while back, I bought a couple of these old Audubon nature paper books from an antique store ($1 each! How could I resist?) and was inspired by the colors and contained chaos of this little aged photograph of a coral and sponge encrusted reef. It translated into a 4x6" painting of sponges, plumose anemones (Metridium sp), and a dainty little teacup.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, everyone!

Signed And Framed

 

It took a while, but the last of my six tiny 2x2" paintings were framed up yesterday. I'm so happy with how sharp they all look and am thrilled to unleash them for sale in the shop on Wednesday next week (the 21st)! I gilded some 4" wood panels that I mounted the individual paintings to and that really gives them such a fantastic presence. Above you can see two of the paintings in their frames ("The Last Buffalo" and "The Pitcher Plant Room") and one in-progress shot I took of a piece while applying the gold leaf (aptly titled "Not Lunch Yet").

This will be the first batch of paintings I've done where I used a maker's mark/seal on the back, too. Last month I hand-carved a signature seal with my initials along with a simplified polychaete. I then mounted it to a piece of a branch from a cherry tree taken from my childhood home (the tree was chopped down some time ago, but while visiting there I managed to swipe a branch for my own devious purpose). The outcome is a very personal, handmade seal that I now use to stamp on the back of my paintings along with a title, signature, and date. Adds a bit more "me" to something I send out into the wilds of the world.

Very Tiny Fishes

 

 

If you've stumbled across my Facebook page in the past couple of weeks, then you've already seen these, but I want to make sure and elaborate about them here on the blog as well. I painted some very small fishes (the size of a quarter) and after long hours with a needle and thread, fashioned them into bracelets with quite the bohemian edge! I'm mad about them and can't wait to put them up for sale so they can happily adorn bare wrists everywhere.

I've made rings and necklaces using my art, but never bracelets. And never bracelets showcasing one-of-a-kind original paintings. They were incredibly time consuming (and at times, frustrating) to make, but I think it was worth it in the end. I've even gone to the trouble of making fold-over envelope packing to house them in.

There are a few "larger" pieces I need to finish up (the minis always distract me!) and then I think I'll have a large enough pile of goods to upload into the shop, at long last.

Salty Sea Air

More new painting sneak peeks! I've been working on quite a few small pieces lately--I think because I have so very many ideas busting through the pages of my sketchbook right now, painting small is a guaranteed way of making sure my favorite ideas see the light.

This one is just about completed and will be in the shop on Tuesday, July 24th...

A deep sea arctic octopus (total painting size is 4x4"). I'm pleased with the outcome! And goodness the gold leaf really does set this guy off. It's a small painting, but packs quite a punch.

Here's a peek at a 5x7" gull painting that's really coming along. When finished, he'll be surrounded by gigantic looming flowers.

And, while not a painting, here's a sneak peek snapshot from my workbench at the Dept. of Ecology (this is a small vial of molluscs I sorted out from one sediment sample--some of those clams and snails are roughly the size of a pinhead!). I help out with the sorting/identifying of benthic invertebrates found in the marine sediment samples that our team collects from Puget Sound. The resulting data helps us to see how healthy the ecology of the Sound is.

Last month and also in April I went out with the Ecology marine sediment monitoring team to collect sediment samples (in the picture above, I'm the one in the yellow). It's so much fun to be out on the boat. Plus, seeing what critters come up in the mud from 100 feet or more below is always exciting...

The sediment is sieved for invertebrates and then bottled up to be taken back to the lab for sorting.

Lots of marine worms!

It's very interesting work. And gives invaluable data for local marine restoration efforts (some of which appear to be paying off--a few locations that were once heavily contaminated with low biological diversity are now beginning to flourish again).

Have a fabulous weekend, guys!

Nut Keepers

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}

Mysteries In The Deep

"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!

Oh, The Roads We Travel Down

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 }

Endangered

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!

On Being A Productive Hermit

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!

Inspiration and an Emperor's Portrait

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

...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.