The Bird Bowl

These birds perched themselves on an off white bowl I had. Someone built these cute little birdhouses for them too. Blues and neon green work perfectly together. All glazed and shiny. Take a look!

Thanks Tokketok!

Thank you Tokketok for featuring me on your blog today! I am a huge fan of yours. This is a great honor. Please check out their lovely letterpress cards and blog.

http://www.tokketok.com/

Hello, Titty!

I haven't done anything in a very long time. I've had visitors for weeks now and I find it hard to paint. I finally got around to starting and finishing Hello Titty. Here she is!

Hello Titty

I've loved Hello Kitty since I can remember. I am always inspired by anything Sanrio. I wanted to do something erotic and I came up with this sketch.

Done! Done! Done?

Okay, so I feel like it's done, but maybe not. I'll post it even though I'm not totally sure. I have a ton of new ideas for new paintings. I need to move on from this and get on with it.

The Outcasts

I started this a while ago, and I can't get myself to finish it. It's about being different, acceptance and wanting to belong. It brought back a lot of painful memories. I went to eleven schools in twelve years. I was always the "new kid". It was hard to try to fit in when you didn't even know who you were yourself. My sisters and I became masters of transformation and observation. We would come into a new school and bam, we transformed our clothing, language, accent, whatever it took. Maybe I'll complete this soon, maybe not.

I Told You So

New painting, no girls this time. I've been wanting to paint a fawn for a while, I was going to add one to my previous painting, "So So Tired", but in the end I didn't feel it needed it. This one is all about the fawn. The bird told the fawn something a long time ago, the fawn didn't listen, it happened. The bird came back to tell the fawn, "I told you so". You should always listen when a little bird tells you something, really.

New Items!

Prints have officially arrived at my Etsy shop. I am so excited. They look great! Why don't you take a look? http://marybelm.etsy.com

Take a Peek

If you were to wander around a solitary forest you may run into this sleeping beauty. She was so tired that she laid down and took a snooze. She's laying on a bed of her own hair only to be bothered by a fluttering butterfly. She's done! "So, So Tired". It took me a while but I like the end result. Take a peek.

Forest

I thought a good backdrop for my tired girl would be a forest. I like the look of birch trees, they're so clean and graphic. I also darkened the sky, as if night were falling. I was thinking of adding some creatures, I'll see how it goes.

So So Tired

My newest will be called "So So Tired". It's kind of where I'm at right now both physically and mentally. The girl will be outside about to doze off into a peaceful nap. Exactly what I need.

She Made It

Bun-ny In The Oven has been in my head for a long time. I wasn't ready to paint. I didn't feel like it for a long time. You have to be in a very specific place to do so. Tonight I got there, all in one go and she's done. I love her. She's so beautiful and sad. It's raining, she's naked, and she's expecting a bunny.

Bun-ny In The Oven

I want to paint a redhead next. She will have long ginger strands cascading down her shoulders. She will have flowers in her hair and maybe a lei. Will she be sad? Maybe. Here's a preview.

Another Baby

I've completed Ave Maria. I love painting these pregnant girls. I love that they're tiny. I love that they have animals in their bellies. There will be one more in this series, I wanted four, but couldn't find another canvas just like the other three. Oh well, maybe they're three sisters, like my sisters and I.

Work In Progress

I've been working on these little 4x5 paintings. I like working this small, it's fun and intense. I will be doing two more little ones after this. Just wanted to show you what I was up to. I told my sister, Adriana, that I was going to make some prints to sell and she said, "Prince?". That gave me an idea, maybe I will paint Prince, who knows, maybe I won't.

Ave Maria

My next little piece is in the works. Here is a sketch. Like the one before, it is of a woman with an animal fetus. We are all interlaced, animal, people, plants and earth. It also comes from me calling my boys "pollitos" or little chicks.

The End Of Me, The Beginning Of We

I'm pleased with how this turned out. I went back to my own memories of pregnancy and the moment when it hit me that from then on, it wasn't all about me anymore. After I had my first child, I stopped talking in singular and started referring to myself as "we". What a shock.

I'm Back

After a break from painting, I'm back with a load of new ideas. When I was a very small child I drew a lot of pregnant women who's bellies you could see through. You could see the baby. I must have been fascinated by my mom being pregnant that I drew this a lot. When I find the old drawings, I'll post them. This memory inspired me to start a new series of pregnant women paintings. They will be very small, like tiny baby paintings. The first piece will be called: "The End Of Me, The Beginning Of We". Here's a sketch, and, yes, that is a lamb fetus.

Mary(bel) Had A Little Lamb

I found this little lamb wandering in my backyard... Looks like she's made out of chocolate. She has inspired me to paint her, as my friend Joke would say: "I see a painting"...

The Show

Here are some images from the show last night. It was great to have this wonderful experience. I wanted to thank everyone for their support, it meant a lot to me.

C'est Fini

Whew! And double whew! I am so done with this painting. It ended up being more work than I had anticipated. How many kinds of mouths and eyebrows did I paint? I lost count. I gave her a kind of 60's shag hairdo, a little fun with anachronisms. I have no idea what I'm doing next...

Today is my art show and I will be posting some photos of the event. I'm happy that the day is finally here.

Ready for the world

Ok, I'm ready for the show tomorrow. Have all my pieces ready to go. Wish me luck!

Art Show

Art Show!

EXTRA CURICULAR ACTIVITIES

Special Event: Opening reception September 3, 2009 from 5pm- 7pm

Running Dates: September 3^rd through September 23rd, 2009

Gallery Hours: Tuesday- Friday 12pm- 4pm and Saturday 10am- 2pm

Location: Littman Gallery 2835 SW Broadway, Smith Building Room 250, Portland, Oregon

So excited!

ps. See the small button on the lower left hand side? I painted that!

It's coming along

I'm feeling better about this gal because I have added some of the regulars (the birds) to the painting. There is still a lot of work to do in regards to details but I'm getting there. I may still change her expression, but I'm not sure yet.

She's Mean

I don't think she likes me. Who cares. She's mean and bitchy. It's weird painting someone like her. This is new for me, it's been a struggle. I'm just going to finish her off - literally, and get on with another painting.

Love This

I just bought this book, it's so cute! I saw it a long time ago, and when I came back for it, it was gone. Yay! It's mine now.

Look Who's Here

I put the Marie Antoinette painting aside for a bit and started what I was originally going to do. It just flowed like music. It was meant to be. Here it is: Leave It All Behind II". Do you like it?

I f*#@%*ing Hate Cake

This cake is giving me so much trouble, I hate it. I made this "draping" and it came out horribly wrong. Take a look. So then after a few hours of messing with it, I ended up covering it up with a solid color... stupid cake.

Macaroons anyone?

One of my favorite things in the Sofia Coppola version of Marie Antoinette's life is the focus on elaborate, beautiful, delectable food. I read somewhere they used macaroons from a place called Laduree in Paris. I have had these heavenly treats, and let me tell you, they are out of this world. I worked on a tower of these treats and they came out just as beautiful and delicious as the real thing. Enjoy! P.S. I'm adding a photo of the ones I had in Laduree, London... yummy!

Art Show Entry

I am going to participate in an art show next month. I am submitting just one entry and that piece is Blame It On The Rain. I've been iffy about this piece since I completed it. There was something about it that just wasn't working. Today I put it back on the easel and got to work. I can't believe that I had missed so many key things here! Grass, butterflies, oh my! Now, it's ready, it's perfect. I love it. Ready for the show!

Let Them Eat Cupcake!

I started the background before I left to Europe, when the painting was going to be something else. I'm changing it by adding to it. In Versailles there is so much blue (my favorite color) that I've decided to make the background look like wallpaper. Take a look. 

A Girl Can Change Her Mind...

I went to England and Ireland. Being surrounded by so much history really truly inspired me in a completely unexpected way. All the old made me feel new. Is that weird? I left with a picture of a painting in my head and came back with another one. I know, I know, it's been done, but, I've never done it. Marie Antoinette is my muse. Yeah, she never lived in England or Ireland, but close enough. Here's a rough sketch of my idea, "Let Them Eat Cupcake!". Nice to be back.