June 27, 2010

Signing off

This month could go on record as the most neglected blogging month thus far, but I’d like to think I had good reason. Besides juggling a very steady workload at Daley design, I’ve been getting to know my new licensing agent and publisher.

As of Friday, it’s all official. I’ve placed years of work in very capable hands and have joined what feels like an extended family over at Penny Lane. I’m so excited to go forward with this partnership. It’s a new beginning that I can’t wait to have unfold.

Since my studio door has been closed more than open, I’ll be taking a few days off to spend with a very patient and supportive immediate family. Have a great week and I’ll be back here sometime after the 4th.

June 16, 2010

Happiness is…

The short list including really good ice cream on an equally delicious sugar cone; night rains so there’s no need to remember to water flowers during perfectly sunny days; perfectly sunny days; finishing projects that seemed endless; eating dinner outside; planning vacations; anniversaries; hanging out with old friends; time at the pool with a pile of unread magazines; painting ice cream cones; finding cute shoes in a size 11 (that’s not a typo); smores; listening to 5-year-old sandbox banter; sleeping in; being loved; being missed when you go away; having a job that doesn’t feel like a “job”; movie nights with buttered popcorn; coffee in the morning; keeping up with the laundry; blue skies; being trusted with preteen secrets; long days and ice cream. It’s worth mentioning twice.

“Happiness is…” is available as a print in my etsy shop. Hope you’re having sunny days too.

May 20, 2010

Learning to drive in NYC

Don’t take that title literally. I would eat worms before I ever personally drove through the heart of New York City. I’m talking about learning to drive with an art license. Surtex has been forever on my radar as the place to go to figure out the business and put my big foot in the door. While I didn’t feel ready to exhibit/invest in a $4000 booth, I did think that it was time to see the show and take in the entire conference program to better educate myself. So I made the plunge and spent the past three days learning everything I could. Art licensing was a hazy, intimidating subject to me only months ago. Now that world is suddenly becoming clear. I made several excellent contacts and I can say with some certainty that my career is ready to take some exciting turns (not without hard work, but I’m feeling ready.)

While I was mainly focused on Surtex, I did have a sliver of time to catch some New York sights. Sights mainly geared to places where I could pick up surprises for my well-behaving…ahem…kids back at home with their Dad.

This impostor had to suffice for the real thing. I’m sure I’ll be back some day to properly see New York. In the meantime, I’ll keep you posted on what develops. I do believe that the first step to pursuing anything you might want to do is learning everything possible about it. Education brings comfort. Maybe not enough to ride in a NYC taxi without several seat belts strapped around yourself, but enough to hail the next ride with confidence.

May 15, 2010

The right equipment for Illustration Friday

To be honest, when the Illustration Friday prompt came this morning I wasn’t exactly running for my brushes filled with inspired bliss. “Equipment” brought images of tractors, backhoes and other heavy machinery…technical, mechanical kind of stuff that didn’t speak to me. However, I was determined to participate. So I looked “equipment” up in the dictionary rather than settle for my preconceived, stifling notions. Definition #2 felt more comfortable:
2, that which equips; supplies; gear.

After finding a way to relate, I illustrated my type of equipment as seen above.

That’s what I love about Illustration Friday. A common word is able to produce a wide range of inspiration and images.

And yes, if you’re wondering, I do think heavy construction equipment would be happier with more color and of course glitter. Just my thoughts.

April 22, 2010

Happy Earth Day to you

Love the earth for the sake of us big peeps…

…and the little ones too. What a gorgeous spring day for a celebration.

Prints of Love the Earth are available in my etsy shop.

April 5, 2010

Not just for showers in April

I just finished the above painting which was inspired by the spring rain and this week’s prompt over at Illustration Friday. In case you’re wondering about that, the theme of the week was “Dip.” However, I read my weekly e-mail reminder really fast and saw “Drip.” So all weekend, I’m thinking and painting “drip” which led to water, rain and flowers and how the very toughest moments in life prove to be the ones that reward us in the end with inspiration and valuable life lessons.

I very sheepishly discovered my mistake when I went to submit (whoops!) Regardless, I’m happy with the illustration and the inspiration that came from reading an inspirational prompt incorrectly.

I probably could have skipped the true confession paragraph above and played off “dip” with this painting…(not me, ahem, but: the flowers were dipped in rain drops giving them the strength to bloom even brighter) However, that wouldn’t be keeping it real, now would it? And I would never lie to you. Just a self reminder to stop and smell the flowers/slow down especially when reading e-mail. : )

Prints of “Showers often bring flowers” are now available for sale over in my etsy shop.

March 6, 2010

Brave

This weeks topic over at Illustration Friday is Brave. I’ve had this idea in my head for a couple weeks so that prompt finally encouraged me to get it on canvas. Here’s a courageous bird sailing out to sea on the very top of the boat.

The more I thought about ‘brave” I came to the realization that putting yourself out there is one thing. However, the true test of bravery is the ability to keep your spirits and your head held high even when those unexplored waters turn rough.

Prints of “Brave bird” are now available for sale in my etsy shop.

March 5, 2010

Adventures in print

I am honored once again to be included in the latest issue of one of my very favorite magazines, Cloth Paper Scissors.

My article is about the making of a mixed media series featuring superheroes or to be more exact: Women superheroes. I had so much fun creating these pieces. They made me feel like that 7-year-old girl who…

…adored/idolized Wonder Woman. I recall crafting WW bracelets and tiaras out of paper and wearing them everywhere. I *believed* if I spun around really, really fast in a circle, I’d actually become her. Needless to say, I never could spin fast enough. However, seeing these pieces in print inspired by my idol was pretty satisfying just the same.

I had a limited number of magnets printed up of “I Wear my Cape.” They’re for sale over in my etsy shop. These look especially cool on a black or stainless steel fridge. The juxtaposition of the 50’s housewife in her apron and heels with a modern mixed treatment framed on a steel fridge…totally love that.

Now getting back to my little world of capes, tiaras and a bird or two…I have to paint today. It’s been over a week and my hands are starting to twitch. Time to save my world with dioxazine purple and quinacridone gold.

March 4, 2010

Art & Soul in Vegas?!

I realize that retreating in Vegas (with two fabulous girlfriends) sounds slightly suspicious. If you happen to be sitting there with a smirk muttering “yeah right” (like practically ever person who listened to me try to explain VegasArtRetreat) here’s posted proof that art was indeed made.

Mind you, the art came after breakfast. We LOVED this particular Paris buffet so much that we dined here every single morning. I can’t think of any breakfast favs that couldn’t be found on one of the many bountiful buffet lines along with the delightful waitress and new friend, Debbie. After a delicious breakfast topped off with a made-to-order crepe we were pretty much (minus girl scout cookie breaks) set until dinner.

Day one class was “Perching Pixies” taught by the fabulous Stephanie Rubiano. Stephanie’s wry sense of humor was a good match for the three of us as she showed us the ways of a jewelers saw and bench block. I happened to be extremely skilled in securing my bench block to the table. In fact, it took all four of us to get it off the conference room table at the end of the day.

Here we are with the freed bench block and one of my favorite instructors : )

I completed my little Nora pixie (now a sturdy wooden cutout) in class. Isn’t she a cutie sitting in great Aunt Ev’s china tea cup? Heather freaked out *quite a bit* that I had the nerve to glue a pixie to one of great-Aunt-Ev’s-china-teacups, but what’s the point of having heirlooms all stashed away? Pointless I say. Besides I have 11 more…plenty for a proper tea.

Day two was “Gridlocked” with Lisa Kaus. I loved this class and Lisa…an organized, professional and helpful instructor. This piece, painted and built on a wooden block surface, is all about my family of five and the sweetness of home. I had so much fun attaching little bits of this and that including an original doorknob from our house.

On day three, we explored the feminine icon with Katie Kendrick. Katie is the warmest soul and a patient teacher. I painted this forlorn gal, who refuses to give up on love. I’m not quite sure were she came from…I kept thinking how she looked a little KellyRaeRobertsish (another artist whom I deeply admire.) Whatever the case, this girl doesn’t feel completely mine, which isn’t necessarily the point when taking classes. By repeating what’s learned in a class, eventually art that’s unique to the artist will surface. The whole point of classes and workshops is taking in new techniques, being open to experimentation and not stressing so much about the end result. Plenty of time for stressing back in Kansas (or Cincinnati.)

On the very last retreat day, we made dolls from clay with Jan Harris (Judy Wise’s stand-in.) Judy couldn’t attend due to health issues and even though she was deeply missed, Jan did a great job of instructing the class. For whatever reason, Heather and I chose to make extremely large dolls (see doll head in oven compared to rest of the class! yikes.) The Vegas air (bigger is better, more is more) must have been starting to rub off or something. Here we were, all intent on getting these girls done, so what do we do? Well…make the biggest versions possible of course. Completely logical. The right brain had clearly taken over.

Here’s an in progress shot…mine is the doll on the left. And as you may have guessed she did NOT get finished that day, but hopefully very soon. I’ll be sure to post the end results when she’s complete. This was such a fun class…kindof makes me want to get a pasta machine and toaster oven all my own to devote entirely to clay. hmmmmmmmm.

So that wraps up my five incredible and inspirational days with proof that art can be made in this sleep deprived city. The fun part, involving stomach-hurting-laughter, was a given with Heather and Claire. I’m soooo looking forward to the next “retreat”…right after I recover from this one. ; )

January 26, 2010

Smart Marks

I have to tell you about the brand new ‘art just for fun’ that has arrived over in my etsy shop. It’s a set of wisely affordable owl bookmarks that I designed using the owls I painted back when.

For the background, I scanned the wise entry from a really old dictionary. Then, I placed the owls in miniature in sequence on top of the entry with a shadow effect (all done in Photoshop.) Wise and Wiser are on the front of the bookmark while Wisest has the back all to herself.

The bookmarks have been offset print (front and back) on a heavy coated stock with rounded edges for extra charm. When they came back from the printer, I hand punched each top and added a cord. These bookmarks are available in sets of four. They’re perfect to stick in a card (Valentines maybe?) or enclose with a gifted book. Or maybe you’ll want a couple for yourself to mark various places…wise cookbooks, wiser craft magazines or the wisest decadent novel.

I’ve also made individual 8″ x 10″ owl prints available if a larger, frameable version is preferred. Fly over to my etsy shop to check out the goods. And as always, thank you for stopping by to see what I’ve been up to and for supporting my artistic journey. I can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciate each and every one of you! I am so grateful for a community that never fails to inspire. Thank you.