Special K

Special K is a painting inspired by my little girl Karina. I haven't done a portrait of her EVER. Funny, I guess I just don't do many portraits and even feel like I'm not very good at them. And really, this doesn't look like her, she has soft brown hair and brown eyes, but I liked the idea of painting an impression of her.






















She is feisty, yet quiet, beautiful with a joyous laugh and maybe a little too serious at times. When Karina saw this piece, she knew it was her and didn't even comment on the red hair and how it is not an exact likeness of herself. That is the mind of a child, so accepting and she actually understands that I did it on purpose! Maybe her attitude is wearing off on me, I hope so. She is so special, isn't she?

A trip to the zoo

Spring is officially here and this weekend, since we had no social or work obligations it was so nice to wake up this morning, pack sandwiches and take a trip to the zoo! The animals were a little sleepy this morning, but I got some great pics of the giraffes. They are my daughter's favorite animals and they are becoming one of my favorites too.


















The girls ran around checking out all the exhibits (so nice to not have a stroller this time!) visiting the petting zoo (so stinky) and finally ended up at the most anticipated carousel ride. I decided to not ride this time and get some pics of the girls, and found myself getting some other images of the ride itself. Carousels are so cool! After a picnic lunch, a pit stop at the zoo playground, it was time to take two very exhausted little girls home for a restful afternoon. It was a good day.

Shimmering Roses

This afternoon I went to the Atlanta Bridal Show with my sister to check out all those things needed to plan a wedding. My sister is getting married in August, so she thought it would be fun to go to this show and get some ideas. Since I never had a traditional wedding of my own to plan, it was kind of cool to go through the motions of figuring out how to put a grand event together. It is going to be crazy challenging, but it surely will be fun. At the end of the day, there was a bridal fashion show.



















Totally hilarious models strutting around with goofy little skits and an obnoxious MC to boot. I could definitely do without him, but the models were actually great to watch. Some of the dresses though were gorgeous and it made me think about what I would choose if I had to. Not that I even want some big 'ol billowing white number, but it would be fun to pick that one amazing frock that makes you feel amazing. If I could ever afford one of Vera Wang's (or crazy enough to participate in the running of the brides at Filene's basement) I would wear this one called shimmering roses.

Once in a blue moon

Springtime is almost upon us in the southeastern part of the country, and I am ready and waiting! With the new of season, it's always inspiring to paint and create because of the sense of renewal and change. Woodland themes are all the rage these days. And so I thought I'd jump in and create a little nature scene of my own.






















This was actually inspired by Pierre et le loup (Peter and the Wolf) When we visited Paris 6 years ago (yikes!) we went into a book store and bought some French children's books for our future brood. We were talking about having kids and doing some travel before the big life changing event. This book has a cd and is narrated with beautiful music where each character represented with an instrument. Anyhow, it's not a wolf, but a red fox. Like I said, it was inspired in a way :)

Caught myself in a princess treasury!

I finally caught one of my pieces in a treasury today, my Neverland print! There's this cool little tool to search if you've been featured in an Etsy treasury at craftopolis.com. I was so excited because I've only been featured one other time and forgot to take a screen capture of it. So here's the Princess themed treasury for your viewing pleasure.

Unwavering Spirits

A piece I did a long time ago during my pastel and watercolor phase. But this piece spoke to me after I read Sea of Poppies, a story about the opium trade in India during British rule in the 1830's. One of those epic tales that sweeps you into a culture that is so unfamiliar territory to any of us who live a comfortable existence. The amazing tenacity of people and the struggle to survive in the most deplorable conditions. When visiting India, I saw the poverty and absolute suffering people endure and it is unforgettable. I can only think that those who are so devoted to their faith, it's all they possess. One constant in their lives that allow them to keep going.

This piece illustrates an unwavering spirit bird guiding and protecting even when a person is unaware, but still follows the pull of that spirit within themselves.

Designing a museum school logo

I have been working in a team effort on a logo design for a potential charter school in our neighborhood. Our community voted on the Museum Concept which is a curriculum that promotes project-oriented learning, partnerships with local museums and serving an intercultural community. It's very exciting to be in on the ground concepts and giving a unique look and feel to the school that will literally be the "face" of the establishment for years to come. I've had the opportunity to work with some super creative folks and love getting the community involved with choosing an identity. The logo above is my concept which is one of 3 that will be presented. The other two are designed by another artist. The vote is taking place tonight and I will be so excited to find out which idea is chosen!

Serenbe

So this weekend JT and I went on our anniversary trip to Serenbe, some 1000 acres of farmland with a guest house and private cottages set against a backdrop of horses, chickens and goats, walking trails, a small lake, rolling countryside and just downright peace and quiet. It's only 40 minutes south of Atlanta, so you feel out of town, but can zip right back to reality in minutes (that part is a little sad) But after the required decompression time, it was just a lovely place to relax and do nothing. We felt far away, and that was certainly the goal. February is not necessarily the best time to be here, but it was tranquil and very laid back. I do want to come back and see the wildflower fields and walk to the waterfalls. It was pretty cold, so more time by the fire and less time hiking around! Dinner at The Hil in the community nearby was outstanding. Organic food and delicious wine hit the spot. A place to remember.

Forever listen from your heart

Paula is listening to a little Poulenc, and losing herself in that musical trance. Have you ever had that moment when you're listening to the most profound music and it entrances you until the very last note is played and then after wards it echos in your head for a moment, and then it's gone. It actually feels like listening from your heart.






















Listening to a concert pianist play live is the most unbelievable experience. I'll never forget seeing this Belgian guy play Rachmoninav effortlessly, it was simply enthralling. I think the piece lasted 20 minutes or so and when it was over I realized that I hadn't moved or barely breathed the entire time. I was simply mesmerized, and it's not often we get to feel like that.

Sightseer-a trip to Paris

Hello love bug! This little turquoise Volkswagen beetle makes you smile, eh? Another piece in my "er" series. A collection of works using the theme of words ending in "er" The travel pieces will become more frequent only because I have oodles of reference of all the places we visited in the first decade of our marriage (yikes, scary when it's put that way!)






















Being a sightseer in Paris makes for some easy visual play since there are SO many incredible sights to translate on canvas. The Eiffel Tower is not one of the more beautiful sites, because it's always mobbed with people. And to tell you the truth, when we were there we didn't even go up o the top! It was evening, we enjoyed the view, and then went to drink wine and eat some amazing French food, tres bon! I really miss being the jet setter, but don't miss the actual "jetting" part. Planes are freaking me out these days, so I'm a land lubber for awhile. And would not mind cruising around in a a little blue bug either.

A little love bird mobile

A little metal love bird. I did similar version of this for an ornament exchange party in December and it was such a hit I decided to make some more. I'm going to try to sell these on Etsy, but in the meantime, I'll just make these and give them away as gifts!



















I've been using metal sheets purchased from Michael's, but checked out the hardware store and found metal flashing for MUCH cheaper. I just need to find the right gauge in order to cut it easily and make holes. So stay tuned and I hope to make a whole slew of these!

Listener: mixed media painting

So I needed to jump start a new series of work using a ink transfer technique I've been doing quite a bit. I decided to do a play on words and illustrate a series of paintings based on words or phrases ending in "er"























The lone image of a white deer on a textural background of joss paper and French music gives an interesting impression. Animals are great listeners, they have good hearing, and that helps! But they also are very aware and alert to everything around them. It's interesting to reflect how hard it is for most of us to listen, really listen, and be mindful and aware of all the beautiful things around us everyday. Appreciate, have grace, be present.

Dragonfly original spinning mobile

After many hours of thinking, fiddling around with my dragonfly drawing color schemes and finally, when I actually assembled this (it didn't take too long) and THEN figuring out how to photograph it with my SLR in Aperture Priority mode (seriously people).
























I finally assembled this original dragonfly spinning mobile that spins and delights in a window or corner of a room. For more information go here. I'm working on some origami pieces next, stay tuned.

Her Dress, original charcoal drawing

I've had this piece for a LONG time. Her Dress, an original drawing in charcoal on Rives BFK paper, was dug out of the archives, put in an Ikea frame and is now hanging in my house! The original is posted on Etsy.






















This one might be hard to let go, but I'll be interested to see if anyone likes this one as much as I do.

My dear-love card

I agonized over this one too much today. A simple concept should result in a simple implementation. Not so much with this one, got too picky, changed a bunch of stuff, and then went back to the original. Sigh, sometimes it's good to trust your gut on the first try!

Heart all a flutter

A little gem for Valentine's day-I just posted this one in my shop for $10. I think I will do a few small pieces to give a variety of images at that price point as well as an opportunity for customers to buy in 2s or 3s or create a group. We'll see. In the meantime, I won't be letting go of the original anytime soon, It's just gorgeous to look at, I must say :) I'm just drawn to shiny Joss paper, that's all.

New drawing in Etsy shop!

This is a gesture drawing from my collection of life drawings on paper. The image was drawn from life in one minute using charcoal on newsprint. The image is available as a print in varying sizes. Contact me for a quote! Click here for purchase information online.

Queen Bee

I had this drawing in my sketchbook for awhile and never got around to actually working on it. I'm playing around with ink transfers on paper, which is a bit challenging because the watercolor underneath tends to lift up pretty easily. If I let go of the imperfection of this technique, then some nice "happy accidents" occur with interesting texture and overlays of color.

New Shop on Etsy!

I finally got it together and put up a shop on Etsy. It showcases prints and original artwork (coming soon) for sale. Artwork is available to purchase of mixed-media works on paper and canvas. This is good for me, because I do a lot of personal work that goes into a drawer and doesn't get seen by many people. And it will help me to work on my fine art side, maybe work on getting a show...who knows? But it's just time for me to get my work out there and break out of the solitary studio where I crank out illustrations and design for clients all by my lonesome, sniff :)

The Good Things List

I was inspired by a "good things" list by Penelope Dullaghan awhile back and thought since I haven't posted anything regarding the new year, this would be as good a good excuse to write down what I'm thankful for and be a cup of overflowing optimism. I'm not very good at new year resolutions, so instead, maybe I can look back on this list next week, month or year, when I'm grumpy or impatient with my kids, yelling at the insane drivers on 285 or eyeball rolling any of my husband's air-brained antics:) and be inspired by these good things:

The Good Things

-the beach and all the wonderful and amazing things that go with it
-that it can be 70 degrees in January like yesterday
-my cat gives me unconditional love and is a great security blanket
-Marly, 2 1/2 saying "no, I want a piece of you!"
-finally knowing a mechanic who will not rip us off-and even fix our car at cost this time!
-Karina is attending the amazing Friends School
-discovering another level of creativity through my 5-year-old
-having an almost completely purged basement with a space carved out for my studio!
-my neighborhood, my dear friends
-book club, and all the wonderful memories made so far
-martinis with olives
-being healthy, finally
-yoga, and more yoga everyday
-the farmer's market, so glad it's down the street from me
-Twilight vampire teen horror series, yes, they are so good
-lentil soup, black bean soup, crab bisque, shrimp and grits-yum
-chai tea
-starbucks coffee, and proud of it
-peonies
-juice plus vitamins
-going to lunch with a girlfriend ( I really need to actually do that soon!)
-connecting with friends and family through facebook