fierce

one of these days i'm going to have my illustration friday piece done during the week it applies too.

meantime

I was going to put a new painting up tonight on ebay, however I just realized I don't have a scan of it yet. It's a good thing I'm not in school this summer, because all the sun has turned my brain to mush. I took the painting up to office depot this morning to get it scanned, and after buying a self-inking stamp of my son's name to quiet him, and buying a super cool aaron chang tote bag (why office depot had them, I don't know, but it's not my fault. it's not like i was at the mall where one would be expect to be tempted) they politely informed me that their scanner was down. bah, that's the second time that has happened, and if they weren't so reasonable and friendly I would take my business elsewhere.

so in the meantime you can see the latest endeavor which was distracting me from painting, our updated hallway bath

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?

The big question

Had a marvelous night Saturday. Saw the Breeder’s perform, a cool sister band that’s been around since I was in high school. It was so great to see these forty something women doing what they love. They had a kind of ageless quality about themselves; if I didn’t know their ages I would have a hard time guessing. I was trying to imagine their lives, if they had children or significant others. In our society, you rarely meet people living their dreams. Sure you meet lots of mothers, teachers, engineers, lawyers, but you don’t meet rock musicians, writers, or artists. In fact, if you tell someone you’re an artist, at least in Missouri, you are likely to get a raised eyebrow. Well I wouldn’t actually know, as I have never told another “stranger” that I am an artist. I have been wondering for sometime, what event would have to take place for me to feel secure enough to say, “I am an artist”.

I may have my answer soon. A magazine, which shall remained unnamed temporarily, has contacted me, and wishes to put a painting of mine on the cover. It is a women’s magazine geared towards creativity. I think it is a small magazine, but it has a circulation of 10,000 and to me, that’s huge. To me, that means 10,000 people are going to see a piece of my work. Currently about 200 may see a painting of mine in a week’s time.

So now I have an artist’s bio and a nice photo and art on a magazine cover.

How will I answer the question of, “so what do you do?” next time I am asked…

IF: Seed

Before the seed there comes the thought of bloom.
-E.B. White

holding hands

control

I don't consider myself a controlling person. I am live and let live, in theory. I roll with the punches, I go with the flow, and all that. I try to accept situations and look for the positive. That's not to say if something is making me unhappy, I won't change it, I just mean the daily nusances that crop up, like being stuck in traffic.

However, it ocured to me today, that perhaps, one of the many reasons I love painting, is the control it allows me.

When life (or my husband ;) is beyond my control, I can work on some art, and my bliss returns. It could be the creative process just makes me feel good, but it is absolutely my thing, my world, where I am the boss, I make the decisions, I am the captain of this boat.

This semester I was preparing for a presentation, and suffering some, regular readers may know of my speech anxiety. It is very hard for me to eat, relax, or even get my mind off the matter. It is a feeling of being out of control, as I have no ability to regulate the phsyiological effects of my nervousness, you know, racing heart, sweaty palms, stomache ache... On a whim, I went downstairs and started working on a painting. Magically, calm washes through me, well-being is restored, once again I am in control.

Art is so powerful, mysterious and healing.

toe art, hair art and art art

Haven't had much time to paint, or post, end of the semester, you understand. So in the meantime, I'll leave you with some pics...

IF: Primitive

shaken and stirred

Last night we had an earthquake, little ol' Missouri. It registered 5.2.
It happened around 4:30 in the morning, and it woke my husband and myself. It seemed to last a long time. We lay in bed, feeling the house vibrating. He sleepily asks me, "Why is the house shaking?" I assumed it must be an earthquake, but that seemed absurd, so I said "I don't know." Then he replies, "Well, can you go see?"

Um, no

I have to admit, I was a little scared, so I scooted closer to him, and held his hand till I fell back asleep. This morning I raced to the tv and turned on local news, and sure enough, earthquake. There seems to be minor damage around town. A few bricks fell from a bridge in the city.

The strange thing is before the quake woke me, I was having a dream about a sort of natural disaster. A giant earthworm, monster creature thing was traveling underground and pushing up buildings and highrises and generally wrecking havoc. Hmmm...

IF: Fail

View this painting for auction click here

View other paintings on Etsy for sale click here

new girl on etsy

View this painting on Etsy for sale click here

two whole paintings on etsy

this one and the one below it, now for sale



Sold

IF: Save

God save the fairy queen!



View this painting on Etsy for sale click here

pink tree on etsy

For sale on etsy




Sold

Celebrate!

Final paper is done! It ended up differently than I thought, I did it on kachina dolls of the Hopi's. I thought I would focus on individual dolls and their meanings, but I ended up focusing on the stylistic changes of them over time. I just started writing and all of my information was so interesting, that I had five pages written before I could get into individual dolls. Her instructions stated that she would stop reading after 5 pages.
So that's all I wrote...

Now, maybe I can get back to painting

...

one down, one to go

tired

so very

I am finishing up a bear of a paper. It will end up over 15 pages, 12 pt type, double-spaced, times new roman. Subject? Adolescence. It involved three observations, one formal and two informal. Plus reading lots and lots of journal articles. I started about two weeks ago, because somewhere in my education I learned not to procrastinate. Now in my real life I procrastinate all the time, but in school life I start early and divide things up into manageable tasks, and work on some part of it every day. The paper is a paragraph or two away from being done, then tomorrow will be spent on editing, and Saturday I turn the darn thing in. Saturday night much rejoicing will commence. Then after a brief reprieve on Sunday, I will begin my last paper I have to write for the semester. Subject? Kachinas. A silly little flip of a paper, only needing to be 3 - 5 pages.

But I am tired. I was infected with a cold/flu thing last Wednesday, and have been achy, sore throaty, runny nosey and sleepy sleepy.

I want to paint, but find myself with no energy, physically or mentally. I just want to watch Celebrity Apprentice and go to bed. Is that wrong?

Perhaps tomorrow...

mmmmmm, texture

Sold

big etsy

Another listing for etsy just went up.
this one is big, over two feet tall!



a close up



SOLD

under water

I live in the midwest, Missouri to be exact. If you haven't heard, were currently being flooded. I live on high ground, but about 2 - 3 miles from my house, is not.


That ribbon of highway is the one I usually travel, I44, somehow it is still open. The cross is 141, which I take constantly as well, and as you can see, it is indeed closed.
This picture was taken yesterday. The water is supposed to rise until it peaks sometime tonight.

etsy

I have added a new oil painting to my etsy. It's small and sweet and just right.

Sold

Pomo

Theres a group of Native Americans that existed in the California area, known for their extroadinary basket making skills. These baskets were so finely made that they actually cooked in them. Pottery and ceramics were not widely used. To cook in them they would fill them with water then take some stones from the fire and add them to the basket. The heat from the rocks would boil/steam the water and whatever food they added. Pretty clever.

The Pomo were so skilled that they would purposly skip a space of their design so it wouldn't be perfect, as only God can create something perfect.

Eventually the women, who were the weavers of these fine baskets, started having contests. First, who could make the largest basket. That eventually gave way to who could make the smallest. The picture below is the only one I could find on google. I actually have seen a slide of smaller baskets, so small that several could fit on a dime. These baskets are just as carefully made as a full size one, as the design woven in, had to fufill certain requirements.

IF: Heavy

heavy heart

View this painting for sale later tonight - $.99 starting bid! - click here

lady in waiting

I have two more paintings done, but you can't see them yet.
Such is the life of an oil painter.
I get to wait, and wait
and wait
for my paintings to dry.
sigh
I have tried out the water-soluble oil paints, and am thrilled with the results.
Basically the same properties of regular oil, but none of the toxicity. I can happily paint away in my poorly venalted studio with no ill-effects. However now that spring is coming I can open the window.
The funny thing about my "new" oils is that they take even LONGER to dry than regular oils. I bought some medium to mix with the paint to help speed the drying, so we'll see if that helps at all.
But soon I'll have my new stuff up, I'm thinking of adding them right to my etsy because the one lonely painting I had there is now sold.

IF: Garden

Secret Garden

IF: Leap

Lovers Leap

View this painting for sale later tonight - $.99 starting bid! - click here

oil vs acrylic

I've noticed in a lot of the art I like, particularly my fellow blogger, ebay artists, and etsy artists, very very few will incorporate oils. I wonder why this is. Is the the intimidation factor? Not being familiar with them? The ease of acrylics? The speed of acrylics?
I have worked primarily with acrylics the last 3 years, and recently in the last 6 months or so, have begun exploring oils.
Wow
Where have you been all my life. They are so beautiful.
lush
sensitive
bold
ethereal
forgiving

I've begun doing backgrounds and underpaintings with acrylic because I can get a lot built up very quickly.
But when it's time to paint, I get out the oils.
Yes, there are problems with them.
The clean-up
The odors.
I think I'm a bit delirious right now because I've been painting in my basement studio, with the windows closed, because were in the middle of a small snowstorm, and my turpenoid jar open.
That's the part I really don't like, the fumes.
But everything else I either deal with or Love Love Love
I work sporadically. I walk away from the painting alot. I can always pick back up at most any time and continue.

Just wondering what others thought...

she says

Why I love my husband Reason #236

My husband is fond of saying, "I love my stupid little life"
and I love him for saying it.

if: multiple

multiple layers
multiple stars
multiple styles
multiple multiples

View this painting for sale later tonight - $.99 starting bid! - click here

ash

This post is inspired by Illustration Friday and it has been something that has been on my mind.
The topic is multiple, and I am applying it to the multiple styles that I work/experiment in.
Is this a bad thing?
I'm sure on a sales perspective, probably. From what I have been told, art collectors want a strong, identifiable, consistent style from a particular artist. As you can see by browsing just a few pages of my archives, this does not describe my art.
I try.
I get an idea, and excitedly tell my husband, "I think I am really on to something this time." Then 5, 10, or 2 paintings later want to try something else. I do call up some of the old 'styles' for time to time, so maybe I'm working towards a stock of applications that can be called upon when needed.
I'm young.
I've only been painting for 3 years. Well officially, I've been creating my whole life, and have spent the majority of my life in some sort of art class. But as far as painting on a regular basis and offering the work for sale, it's not been THAT long, in the big picture.
I paint what excites me.
I suppose I could pick a style and say thats it. This is the way I am going to paint a face, a background, a dress... But I would be giving up possibility. I would be giving up the unknown. I would be sacrificing my growth as an artist, and suppressing my voice. Obviously, I can't do that.
Consistency
There are some things that are consistent in my art. I love faces, womens faces in particular. I love stylizing their faces. I like long necks and eyes. I like using ephemera in my collages. Vintage maps and dictionaries. I love the color blue.
I know I can't stop the changes, I guess I'm looking for some insight, how do other artists stick to one thing, or do they find themselves changing over time too?
I know for my personal journey, it is a good thing. Looking back at earlier work, I can see the positive growth from then and now.




This is a big painting for me, 11" x 29". I painted it with mostly oils on an old cabinet door. I love the rusty, distressed hinges. It adds so much visual interest. I wish I had more of these door, I only have three left.

On other fronts, I had to make an important decision regarding school. They changed my degree program, now offering a studio arts option. That was good news for me, as then all my "art classes" are fulfilled. Those are the most difficult to schedule, they are long, and usually in the middle of the day. So officially, I have only 10 classes left, then an intern semester and a student teaching semester. I was overcome with excitement, to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, I was thinking I could push myself and complete the 10 classes in a year, so would be ready to look for work in 2. Immediately, I began to fret, Lila is only 1 now, I would have to find some sort of full-time daycare for her while student teaching. If I did the 10 classes in a year I would be very busy, finding babysitters, driving all over, doing homework, I feared my kids would get the short end of the stick in this deal.

I decided in favor of taking the lesiurely route. It will take an additional year, but then I will be present for my kids, be able to continue with my personal art, invest a lot into the classes I am taking and all over be a more relaxed person :)

Yea! for stopping to smell the roses.

four stars

IF: Theory

Hmmm, which theory could this possibly be? :)

my bird

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Reparations

Has anyone thought about how all the Native American artifacts and art pieces came to be displayed in art museums and natural history museums all over the country?

Apparently, a lot of those objects have been stolen or cheated from the tribes in which they belong too. Many of those objects are sacred, and not meant to even be seen by us, only within the ceremonies for which they were created. Some of those objects were taken from graves. Objects meant to help the spirit in the afterlife. Tribes still exist from those looted plots, and they want those items returned and reburied.

Just as in Nazi Germany, where many Jewish homes were robbed of paintings and jewelry. Now those paintings and such are being returned to their rightful owners.

Is this any different?

?

Anyone know how to take a song i have in itunes and get a url tag out of it?
I want to add a song to my blog.

Happy Tuesday! I have three days without school each week. Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Sundays are so busy with family, cleaning, laundry, groceries, so it hardly counts. But I live for my Tuesdays and Fridays. It's just nice to be home, nowhere to go, kids underfoot... I try to do my homework in the morn, so I can enjoy the rest of the day. I may start a new painting today, I've been feeling 'big' lately, so maybe I'll get out a cabinet door.

I actually do have somewhere to go, but I'm glad to do it. To place my vote in the primary.

IF: Blanket

I've been using oils in my paintings lately. This one I used acrylics for the background, collaged old maps, and oils for the face, and blanket. I really like the dreamy blendy qualities, but it definitely takes more time.

View this painting for sale later tonight - $.99 starting bid! - click here

A good egg

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You just made my day!

Thank you to Ursula Shaw and Lil Kim for the 'You make my day' awards!!!
As soon as I figure out all the html to link to others and display the award I will pass it on.
I've also been tagged by Rebecca, so here are 5 things you many not know about me...

1. I can make the real deal monster masks, plaster molds and latex and all. Quite involved and quite rewarding!

2. Right now I have fuschia toe nails with irridescent hearts and little gems.



3. I used to live in Manhattan and worked for a record label (Astralwerks)

4. I haven't met a craft I didn't like. I have the supplies and books on probably every type of artistic hobby a person can have. My latest was stained glass and I have yet to really finish something. I tell myself it will all come in handy when I'm an art teacher.

5. I love reality tv, the worse the better. Project Runway, of course, Real Housewives, yes, Rock of Love, give me more! It's my guilty pleasure :)

One Down

15 Weeks to go...
The semester has started, 12 grueling hours. Taken in conjunction with the rest of my life, I'm going to be one busy lady. However, today, is a holiday.
I also am studying for my c-base so I can get into my level 2 teaching courses. Math, yuck.

One very exciting event in my life recently has been the discovery of Illustration Friday. This was my third week posting and all the support has been beyond my expectations.

Side note: My four year old boy just came up the stairs, looked at the paintings I had lined up on a table and said, "I like your beautiful fairies mama, can we marry them?" He's a sweetheart :)

Anyway, I can't believe all the comments and traffic I have received. It's so encouraging and I'm honored to have so many fabulous artists looking at and liking my work.

Thank you to everyone who has stopped by and those who took time to comment!!!

IF: Plain

plain for everyone to see...

View this painting for sale - $.99 starting bid! - click here

View my Etsy click here

IF: Stitch

A rather literal interpretation, but sewing on collaged elements is a technique I’ve wanted to try so finally got the push I needed.


View this painting on Etsy for sale click here

View others for sale click here

a bird in hand

IF: 100%

50% you + 50% me = 100% us

This painting for sale click here

art is my yoga

When I study art, reading through my glossy, full color collections of paintings, I am constantly confronted with my mortality.

It's almost like reading tombstones. Next to the slick reproductions are
Name
Born
Died

It's humbling, these works are vibrant, alive and the makers seemingly immortal.
But I know better.

I look up from the pages, into the next room where my son is playing, and I appreciate the moment. I am suddenly aware, of time, the present, and the passage of time.

Why I love art, Reason #1

eating resolutions

It’s that time of year again for resolutions. The last few years, it has always been the same, to eat a bit healthier. That has actually been an ongoing thing for many years. Slowly but surely, a healthier eating style has replaced the awful, junky, way of eating that dominated my 20’s.

Items that no longer occupy my cabinets are chips, sugary cereals, candy or Little Debbie snacks. The chips were easy to get rid of. I seriously can’t stop eating them if I have a bag, so I just make sure I don’t have them in the house. I replaced chips with other crunchy things like toasted pitas and hummus, or corn chips and guacamole, nuts, and crackers with cheese. Pretty easy, though possibly more expensive. Cereals have been replaced with waffles. We have whole-grain waffles for breakfast almost every morning. My son doesn’t even want a drop of syrup, just some smart-balance spread. I try to get him to eat a yogurt with it, but usually just manage a glass of milk. Lila likes eggs, but not Paul.

Now my eating dilemmas have to do with my son Paul. Four years old and never met a vegetable he liked. I just bought Jessica Seinfield’s Deceptively Delicious, but after trying a few recipes, don’t see this as a long-term solution. Though we discovered he will eat the mashed sweet potatoes I prepared and froze according to DD. I know many many people have trouble getting their preschoolers to eat healthy choices. The boy would eat pasta and cheese the rest of his life without complaint. Or fish sticks with ketchup.

It’s very disappointing after I have prepared a healthy, delicious meal and have him refuse it and ask for noodles. Yesterday I made a wonderful chicken pot pie with carrots and potatoes, but he would only take his “one bite” as is the rule in the house, he has to try everything, but we won’t force him to finish it. I asked him how it was as he is gulping his juice after his taste, and he tearfully tells me, “not good”. Meanwhile, the rest of the family is devouring it, in fact we finished off the whole thing by the end of the night. Paul had peanut-butter and jelly.

My husband and I love good food. I get excited about food, and eating, and even cooking when I’m not too stressed. In fact I have two new cookbooks on the way from amazon. I can’t eat fish sticks and macaroni and cheese for dinner every night. But I hate preparing one meal for us and another meal for Paul.

How have others survived this?