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.

See You Soon

I will be going on a trip to a far away place. I will bring back a mind full of new ideas and inspiration. I will miss painting, but absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Super Sick

I'm so sick, haven't painted, so I'll post something old. This is Alice in Wonderland's bunny and a potion. Have a great Friday!

Creating a Background

I started Leave it All Behind II today. The original painting was done when I was coming out of a severe depression. When it was finished, I felt like a new person. Art is magical. I started the background process, take a look:

Up Next

I want to paint another version of a previous work, "Leave It All Behind". I want to do it in the style I'm painting in now to give it more depth. Here's a rough drawing of what it'll look like. You can also take a look at the original in one of my older posts.

Here Goes Another...

Purple Rain is complete. There are purple drops all over the place and the girl is just sitting around waiting for something or someone. The birdies are sending lots of love, or did the girl set them up to it? I had fun doing this one, the bold colors and the reference to one of my favorite songs.

Jet Black

Keeping with the idea of Liz Taylor, I've given her jet black shiny tresses. Love her, I really do! Check out her slick wellies, she's ready for all that purple rain that's about to come down on her. Bring it!

Oh, Elizabeth Taylor!

I chose violet eyes. All this news about Michael Jackson and his admiration for Elizabeth Taylor has given me the perfect color for this lovely girl's eyes. Oh, they're stunning! Happy Friday. Have a great sunny weekend.

La Chica

She looks kind of scary and ghastly but this is only temporary. I have to decide what color eyes and hair she's going to have. Her skin is darker than my last girl's, not as yellow as it looks in the photo.

Umbrella, ella, ella, ella, eh, eh, eh...

I was uninspired for an entire week. Today I finally felt like I was ready to go back to all the rain. I started working on the umbrella. I chose pink, why? I have no idea since the background is pink too. I guess I can take it as a challenge.

Les Champignons

These red and white mushrooms remind me of 80's Hello Kitty stuff. It was bold and solid, no "angel Hello Kitties" then. They're huge kinda like Alice in Wonderland mushrooms.

Sending All My Love

The birds are carrying little hearts. They are being sent to someone somewhere. They're shiny and new. Whoever gets them will be so happy.

It All Starts Again

A pink summer evening sky is the perfect backdrop for a purple rain shower. The clouds are very dark, so, looks like we're in for a storm. The rainbow looks like hard candy in pinks and purples.

BMX Art

I did this last year. Nike BMX Lightning Bolts Art Show entry. This was auctioned off to benefit The Land of Plenty skateboard foundation.

Purple Rain

First of all, I'd like to thank Prince. Thanks for your beautiful lyrics and melodies. Here is my rough Purple Rain sketch. I have some new elements like the mushrooms and the butterflies, but I also have some of the things from my other paintings like the birds and the clouds. I can't wait to get started on this one. 

All Done!

Today is a great day. I have finally completed "Blame it on the Rain". As I was painting this I listened to all kinds of music.  I listened to a lot of Prince. One of my favorite songs is Purple Rain, so to continue with the rain series, my next painting will be called just that. I can't wait to get started. I am very excited and have millions of ideas. I do have to go to the art store and buy a new canvas and some red paint. 

It Just Happened...

The decision was made for me. More bitchy flowers grew in the empty space and I was not about to tell them to leave. Have a wonderful weekend!

Dilemma

So I've painted everything my original sketch had. Happy with everything, thing is, I feel something is missing. The middle of the painting "needs" something else. I have no idea what I could add. A tree? More flowers? Lower clouds? Hmmmm, I've got to think about it for a minute. I'll let you know.

My Friend the Owl

This is a baby owl, it's still wise, but it's a baby. It's so wide-eyed and curious. It's feathers are a snowy white. There's a street where my friend, Maria, used to live called Snowy Owl. Love that.  It came out exactly the way I wanted it to. 

Squirrely

Grey and tiny, the squirrel is cuddly,  and oddly enough - not sad. I wanted the squirrel to be grey since the girl's hair is brown, otherwise it would be too much brown. I see squirrels and chipmunks scurry across my backyard everyday, most of them brown. One day I saw a grey-silver fox type squirrel that caught my attention. That is what this one is based on, only smaller and cuter.

Monday, Monday

Not too long ago, I did another painting of a girl with long brown wind blown hair. I love the effect, so natural and carefree. I wanted to identify with her, that's why I gave her brown hair and brown eyes. The two little guys that will be with her are still to come. I gave her skin an extra pale color since the sun hasn't come out in ages and I love the contrast with the dark hair. More to come soon! Brrrr! She must be cold!

Have you seen my studio?

I love to see where people create their art, it says a lot about them. I finally got a room in my house just for this. I love this room. I have old toys, new toys and music. I will be painting this weekend so I'll have some new stuff to show on Monday. Have a super nice weekend!

"Eye" See You

Love the look on our girl's face. She's stricken by grief and doesn't know that it's the rain - yet. 

Just a Little Bit

Painting this girl is going to take more than one night (I paint at night when my kids are asleep). I'm giving you a tiny itty bitty peek. This is the hand that will be holding the fluffy owl. Ta dah!

And Here She Is

I don't know her name. I do know that she decided to bring both her pet owl and squirrel. Odd pets to own, but to each his own. For some reason I thought she'd be wearing a beautiful gown, something like a vintage Vivienne Westwood, but she is completely naked! 

The Pet

So, this girl I was talking about, will be holding her pet. Thing is, I haven't decided what her pet is going to be. I thought a squirrel would be a super cute pet, they're small and have the best faces. Then an owl was another option, if he's white, or even a light pink, he would be fabulous!