It's Sunny!

"Sunny Side Up" -  9x12, Mixed Media

New Dolly

Just finished: "Dolly" - 8x10, Mixed Media

Bonne Annee!

Happy New Year!

It's coming on Christmas
They're cutting down trees
They're putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
I wish I had a river
I could skate away on... 

-Joni Mitchell

Flexible Flyer

old neko and me

I recently uncovered a stash of childhood mementos.  From a stack of first grade schoolwork I found this drawing of a horse.   (I even named him!)  Maybe it's that I especially like children's drawings, but something about this 40-ish year old drawing tickles me.


And, here is my self portrait at age 6.
(Wish I was still this cute.)

sprechen sie deutsch?

I just found these three really cool old

(German, I think?) prints.  Now pondering how to use 

them in some future art project....

Thankful

This is what I'm most thankful for...

 Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Saturday, what a day

I spent Saturday afternoon in a little workshop taught by artist Chris Cozen.  I learned some new things that I'm planning to put to good use in the future.  Mostly we messed around with a variety of different techniques/mediums, and each of the participants walked away having completed a couple of small pieces.  Here are mine...

Sweet Green

Here is my newest painting, "Sweet Green",  (8.5x 10.5)...a companion to "Dearest Blue".  Both are mixed media pieces featuring the same little girl from a vintage postcard.  I have enjoyed experimenting with mixed media....so much so that I'm heading off tomorrow for a  little afternoon workshop at Zinnia in Pasadena, taught by a mixed media artist Chris Cozen.  Should be fun!

Wings

I like things with wings.  To me, there's something about the promise of flight that brings with it a sense of freedom.  And some days, I'd just like to fly away.

Illustration Friday: BURNING

IllustrationFriday's topic of the week is "burning":
Becky needs to check...she may be burning.

New piece

I finished this yesterday...
"Dearest Blue" -  8.5 x10.5,  Mixed Media

Mission San Xavier

Earlier this year Fragment Gallery had a show that included two of my paintings. So I made a quick trip to Tucson, AZ for the show opening. While there I checked out the lovely San Xavier del Bac Mission. It blew me away with it's stark beauty. Here's a glimpse...

House of Dog?

 

Within your heart, keep one still, secret spot where dreams may go... 

-Louise Driscoll

Halloween Survival

Despite serious threats, a few lucky pumpkins
managed to escape the Halloween knife.  

But, Thanksgiving is coming and the fear of the oven still hangs over them.

Headlock - Imogen Heap

  I am completely taken with this song by Imogen Heap  

from her 2005 album "Speak For Yourself". 

   

And then, there is  "Hide and Seek"....which she does a cappella...
Follow this link.  It's a must hear.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYIAfiVGluk

Illustration Friday: RACING

Flying Stuff of the Future, by Brady M.  Age, 9

OK, I know it may be a bit obnoxious to post one's children's drawings for Illustration Friday.   But.  I think these little doodles are so adorable, that I feel the need to share.  So, here are my 9 year old son's illustrations of "Flying Stuff of the Future".     And although he had no idea that  Illustrations Friday's theme for the week is  RACING, these illustrations fit so well....that I had to submit them.  (And here's to future illustrators!)

Variations on a Theme

I'm so lucky to live where we get
one of these every evening...

New Look

I've been playing with my blog's look and layout today...trying to be able to post larger sized pictures, which required that I change the artwork and setup a bit.  So....here's the new look.  I'm not sure about it all, but at least I'm able to post larger pics. 

Say What You Need to Say

Life (and Love) is Precious and Fleeting.  

So don't wait another moment... 

Say What You Need To Say 

to those you care about.

Don't grow up too quickly, 

lest you forget how much you love the beach.

                                              -Michelle Held

 

IF: Spooky

The latest Illustration Friday topic: Spooky.

Wish You Were Here

Fall in the OC.

The Greatest Thing

Lately I've been listening to music by Pomplamoose (see last week's posting for more on them)...and I am enchanted by the song "Nature Boy".  I've heard this sung before (it was done by Nat King Cole back in the day) but for some reason...maybe the beauty of the arrangement, or the singer Nataly Dawn's sweet voice...this version made me stop and really hear the lyrics.  And the simple, astounding truth of the words is resonating with me right now.

Nature Boy -Words and Music by Eden Ahbez
There was a boy
A very strange enchanted boy
They say he wandered very far, very far
Over land and sea
A little shy
And sad of eye
But very wise
Was he...

And then one day
A magic day he passed my way
And while we spoke of many things, fools and kings
This he said to me...

"The greatest thing
You'll ever learn
Is just to love
And be loved
In return"

Transportation: Illustration Friday

  Transportation....

It may take awhile, but a big ol' tractor 

will get you there in style.

When Gramma Got a Gun

How much wood can a woodchuck chuck 
if a woodchuck can't chuck wood?  
(P.S. - Stay outta Gramma's garden.)

DeLovely Duo

I may be late to the party....(highly likely, as I'm not usually on the cutting edge of anything)...but if you haven't yet stumbled onto the incredibly talented musical-duo-YouTube-sensation "Pomplamoose", well, you should.  Here's one of their fun, quirky, inventive, visually appealing video-songs.  Are these two not the most adorable young people you've ever seen?  (Did I just say "young people"?  Yikes.  I'm old.)

Enjoy.
 

IF: Beneath

Illustration Friday...
Topic for this week: Beneath.

Teachers

Taylor Mali - "What Teachers Make"
 
I like teachers.
Well, actually I like some much more than others.
But in general,  I like 'em,
and think what they do is admirable.

Tiny Dancer

Despite feeling sick this weekend (and not getting
out of the house at all.  Ugh. ), I still had an artistically productive Sunday afternoon: just finished this little painting of a young Panamanian folk dancer.  8x12, acrylic on canvas paper.

Illustration Friday: old fashioned

I promised myself that I would create an all new painting for this week's Illustration Friday topic.  But, it turns out this week's Illustration Friday topic is "old fashioned".   

Hmmm.  Old Fashioned, eh?  "Old Fashioned" describes a good share of everything I do.  (Comments about my fashion sense can be kept to yourselves.  I know.) 

So anyway, I'm letting myself off the hook this week. (Again! Next week, I promise I'll do something new.  Promise.)  Meanwhile, "old fashioned" fits this painting so well....so here it is.

Sick Art

My 5 year old has been home sick for the last two days...of course spreading the germ wealth so that I, too, have been infected.  So meanwhile, to fill the days the young'un has been putting markers to paper.   Although I am clearly biased, I have to say that I think he's already a remarkable artist.  Here's a sampling of some of his recent work.  You can judge for yourself.

"Penguin Pirate" - details include a treasure chest, eye patch, hat with skull and crossbones, compass rose, treasure map, sword, and he's standing behind the boat's steering wheel.

"Planets" - this drawing is of all the planets in our solar system.  After it was done he asked me to do some special effects in Photoshop so that it looked like it was in space......









...which turned out to be a really cool idea!

The Rapture of Being Alive

‎"People say that what we're all seeking is a meaning for life. I don't think that's what we're really seeking. I think that what we're seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonance within our innermost being and reality, so that we actually feel the rapture of being alive."—Joseph Campbell

"The Rapture"

That's the kind of Rapture I'm after.