summertime

somehow, since i've been out of school, I have even LESS free time.
I have been so busy with my kids, every day we are at the park, or swimming, or Paul will have a little day camp. I've been enjoying every minute of it. I usually paint during Lila's nap, but I'm still recovering a bit, and I'm tired and hot after our morning excursion, so will take a little rest too.

Home projects have eaten up a lot of my time as well. We painted our bedroom, a rich deep blue. Then we had contractors in to lay ceramic tile in our two bathrooms. That of course motivated us to strip wallpaper, paint and decorate those rooms. Lowe's and Target should give us own parking spots, for "customer of the month"

Things seem to be settling down though, so will have to make it a priority for a little me time each day.

I will do it myself

new mixed media painting = oil, acrylic, charcoal, pastel, vintage papers

Inspired by a troublesome week, but all is well now



wood box frame, dimensions are 15.25" x 12.25" x 1"

4th

...sold...

Mixed media = acrylic, gouache, pastel, charcoal, vintage papers, matte medium
dimensions are 12" x 9" wood box frame

Forever

Conversation with 4 year old son

Paul: I don’t want to marry Lila (sis) when I grow up.
Me: That’s fine Paul, no one said you had to marry Lila. You will choose who you want to marry some day.
Paul: I don’t want to marry ANYONE when I get big.
Me: Then don’t marry anyone, you don’t have to get married if you don’t want.
Paul: I don’t want to go to the ball and get married, I just want to live with you.
Me: You can stay with me for as long as you like.

I'm acutely aware of how fleeting this mommy love stage is, and believe me, I'm eating it up.

teatime

sold

I will be listing this painting on ebay later tonight. To purchase in advance, price is $200.00, just email or comment if your interested :)



Wood box frame, dimensions are 15.25" x 12.25"
Shipping is $10.00 in the usa
worldwide shipping is $18.00

Chesterfield Art Fair

Just a reminder to all creative types in the St. Louis area, today is the Chesterfield Art in the Park(ing) Lot

http://www.chesterfieldarts.org/2007ArtinthePark.htm

I'll be there with my kids taking in all the local talent

bff

my best girl of almost 20 years has finally left me.
she has threatened it many times, and i left her once for two years,
but now it's her turn.
may she have much fun, success, excellent lattes and glorious hikes in scenic seattle.
but if it doesn't work out, i just bought an espresso machine

i'm going to miss you more than i even know





beautiful erica, on the right

!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My magazine cover is out!!!!

See it HERE

etsy shop updated!

lot's of new goodies,
check it out

South Side Iron Chef

Our town has a little event called South Side Iron Chef. Basically a few local talents join to cook in a dear friends backyard to the amusement of a peanut gallery. Last time they used fire pits, today they will be using George Foreman grills. During a round, two chefs will cook against each other, having one hour to complete a 3 or 4 dishes incorporating a secret (usually terrible) ingredient revealed at the event. Then a few lucky tasters and a table of judges (local restaurant critics) will get to sample all their dishes. At the last Iron Chef some of the secret ingredients where Wonder Bread and canned mock duck.

Not your typical Sunday afternoon bbq, but a great time for me and my family, and a lot of my friends I never get to see will be there.

yeahhhhh

see my youtube video!
sorry for the quality,
better next time !!!

like a bee

busy, busy

i have several new paintings i will be listing in my etsy shop. i will be listing one tomorrow and the rest on sunday i hope.

even more exciting news, i have just finished editing my very first youtube video. it was more fun and not as hard as i imagined. should be up by tomorrow as well.

the film quality is not as good as it could be, i have a few adjustments in mind for the next one...

this could be addictive :)

what is for dinner tonight?

answer:
the question that plagues me day in and day out.

tonight it was resolved in top form. this is not a recipe blog, but i do regard cooking as somewhat of an artistic endeavour, well, good cooking anyway. so here's what we had...

mini grilled brie and spinach sammies
sweet potato fries
red seedless grapes

here's how to make the sandwiches.
make many 1/2" slices of french bread
spread apricot jam on one side
saute a little baby spinach in a little garlic, olive oil and pinch of salt till wilted.
thinly slice brie and put on jam sides
put spinach on top of brie
top with other slice of bread
butter both sides of bread
place in skillet, press with a bacon press, or plate or with your spatula
cook both sides until golden brown

i am not a recipe writer but hopefully you get the idea. delicious, easy and healthy. my favorite type of food!

did you have something good for dinner you want to share? i always am looking for new ideas.

IF: Worry

Most of my ladies already have a somewhat worried look, so this wasn't much of a stretch for me..

Top 5

Masters (In order of timeline)

Manet
van Gogh
Cezanne
Malevich
Jasper Johns

Manet for his ground breaking work in flattening the plane
van Gogh for being so brilliant and so human
Cezanne for his apples
Malevich, White Square on White may be the greatest painting ever done
Jasper Johns for his brush strokes

10% Luck

I’ve been hesitant to proclaim the news of my magazine cover, as I’m just a tad superstitious, and don’t want to jinx anything. However, it seems as if everything is in place and set to go forward. The magazine that contacted me is called Underwired. As the editor explained to me, “Underwired was designed to support women in their pursuit of meaningful work, creative passion and other spirited adventures. We launched in September in 2006, and women have rallied behind us!”

The issue I am involved with is, “June The Getaway Issue
Adventure bound, roads less traveled, riding, roving, wandering, rambling, planes, trains and automobiles, going abroad, seeing the world, globe trotting, getting lost, getting found”

I am just so incredibly honored to be a part of this. Some of the past cover artists include Claudine Hellmuth and Kelly Barton. To be in their company thrills me beyond belief!

As wise persons have said, “Success is 90% hardwork and 10% luck” Here’s to my 10% luck arriving.

IF: Wide

"ain't no river wide enough!"

-Diana Ross

nice scan

IF: electricity

Sorry for the low quality pic, I couldn't scan because the paint is still wet! But I wanted to get my image into IF before tomorrow.

school's out for summer!

Saturday was also my last class for the semester. It was my painting class and I'm even glad that is over. I'm confused about what that classes purpose actually is. Is it to teach everyone to paint like Rembrandt? Because if it is, that ain't happening. It should be a place for people to learn and explore their own artistic visions and be creative and play. I know it's a college course, and it's supposed to be "serious", but why is "realism" the golden standard.

After listening to student after student tear apart their own paintings, so dissatisfied with their work, the hopelessness, "I'll never paint like so and so..." I felt like half of them may leave and never paint again. When I chose my paintings for the final critique I used a fairly realistic portrait and some of my more "whimsical" pieces. I quickly breezed over the portrait, then talked about my mixed media pieces. The class came alive with questions, "what did you use", "how did you do that", "I really like this part" etc. I was surprised at their reactions, but I shouldn't have been. I made sure to mention, that even though my girls are not painted in a "realistic way" that I love painting like this and it makes me happy.

And isn't that what it's all about?