vaguely familiar... January 22, 2007

Well, if this little painting looks familiar, that's because it is! I made something similar for the Santa Barbara art festival, and I decided to revisit it for the SCBWI conference. I think I'm going to work on it a bit more before I have it matted for the art display, but you get the idea.

I need to pick an image for my postcard for the conference, and I was wondering what you guys thought. I'm trying to decide between these three images...

a very snowy wednesday January 17, 2007

New mini paintings in the store!

Ahh, what a lovely time of year. It snowed here the other day. Enough to bring little p-town to a screeching halt and send tiny cars sliding into other cars...and to see buses, stuck in snow drifts like giant, tired mammoths.

I spent yesterday in the studio, and I think I might have been the only one in the whole enormous industrial building. It was so quiet and bright outside in the night-time when I finally packed it in to go home. I walked in the middle of streets that are usually packed with traffic and met up with Gabey for a very romantic snowy stroll through the neighborhood.

Now, it's starting to melt and I'm heading out again..

what's new monday January 15, 2007

Good morning fine feathered humans,

Lately I've been letting things stack up into unnecessarily large piles (around my house, studio, office, inbox, brain?) and life is starting to feel slightly inside out because of it. I'm getting ready to go to NYC in a couple of weeks for the SCBWI conference, and to arrange for an upcoming painting show at Last Exit, in Brooklyn.

I'm entering into the art display at the conference this year (*gulp*) so I've been fretting over which illustration I should enter, for quite awhile now. I'm almost done with it, so I'm going to post it here in a few days and see what you guys make of it. I feel absolutely vomitous just thinking about it. Isn't that strange? I think it's because illustrating kid's books is such a big dream of mine, that I feel completely raw and exposed actually doing something to pursue it...(instead of the sweaty-sweaty-avoiding-dance that I usually do..)

I hope you are all having a fantastico three day weekend. I am in the middle of a swamp of emails that I am slowly and methodically returning. So, if you've emailed me in the last week or so...I haven't forgotten about you! I'm getting there! I'm settling down with a big cup of coffee right this minute and preparing to get through them all...

a very knitty wednesday January 10, 2007

New mini paintings in the store!

Well, my first knitting class was fantastico. But I'm still convinced that I have some serious hand-eye coordination issues. The knitting teacher gave me one of those baffled, pitying looks. The very same kind of look that my drum teacher gave me on my first day of drum class a few years ago. It goes beyond being frustrated with my lack of being able to mimic a simple motion, it's the kind of look that says, "I am deeply concerned with your brain functionality." Ha!

All that aside, it was a blast. My sister and I sat together on a little couch and cackled our way through "casting on" and a few basic stitches. It's nice to have her there because we're both left handed and could show each other how our hands were supposed to look, once we got the hang of it.

On a side note, Wendy brought up a good point about the voting for My Favorite Mirror. The process does appear to have you buying something, but I assure you, you do not. You just have to "pretend" to buy the mirror, by filling in the quantity button and checking out.

Thanks for voting!

a very linky monday January 08, 2007

My Favorite Mirror Competition!

I'm in a mood for lists and links and tidbits today, so here goes.

Have you guys heard this Diminisher album, Imaginary Volcano? It's my favorite album of 2006! I love their new video, by Dakota .

Once in awhile a book comes along that makes me itch because it's so dang awesome.

Vote for Pedro! I mean..vote for me!! In the My Favorite Mirror competition happening right now. You don't have to purchase anything to vote, and the lucky winner gets a contract with My Favorite Mirror! My image is called Through the Pine (the girl with the ukulele, pictured above).

Planet Esme!! This is one cool kids book lady! I was lucky enough to hear her speak in New York a few years ago, and even luckier to run into her at Renegade Chicago in September. She has a great blog full of juicy kids book recommendations.

Pee and poo together at last, in snuggle form.

I'm starting a knitting class tonight with my sister....fingers and needles crossed that I don't have a repeat of the "great yarn incident" of 2005. I'll let you know how it goes...

so long 2006... January 02, 2007

I have a long list of resolutions and to-do’s for 2007 that I’ve been hashing out this week, but I don’t feel quite ready to jump into them yet. I was trying to figure out why that might be, when I realized that 2006 was a very big year, and I should take a minute or two to really honor it before going forth. I mean really and truly absorb it, and everything that I’ve learned or I’m proud of.

So here’s to last year, and all of the growing and learning and pushing and being, that came out of it.

Cheers everybody! Or…(as my nephew says)…..CHAIRS!

back to life... December 28, 2006

5" x 5" mini painting

Hope you all had a great holiday time..

I just reopened the store page, seeing as we're heading back to Oregon land tomorrow and I will be able to ship things to folks, once again.

I can't wait to share with you guys, all of the cool things that are falling into place for 2007! I love the start of the New Year..it's the best! Everything is fresh and there is so much possibility lurking around..

arizona! December 22, 2006

Here I am with Gabe's family in not-so-sunny Arizona, getting ready to celebrate Christmas! It's a bit overcast today, but I'm thinking about going for a swim..even if it means dashing through the hotel courtyard, screeching at the cold...

We got a full night of sleep last night and had a full sit down lunch this afternoon, so I'm feeling more rested and well fed than I have in many weeks.

I hope everyone is getting a chance to slow down a bit, and taking a moment for a big breath of salty, sunny, snowy, rainy or tree filled air...daydreaming about the new year.

Love to you and your kin!

Give Give Give! December 18, 2006

Give Give Give!

Every December, I try to find one of those giving Christmas trees around town. The kind that are loaded with ornaments that have the name and age of a child whose family (usually a foster family) can't afford to get presents.

Some of the ornaments even have a little wish from the kid, saying exactly what they would like for Christmas. A few of the requests are heart wrenching (the simple ones that say things like, a notebook, or shoes.)...others are wild wishes that I wish I could afford...

But this year, I found an ornament from a little seven year old boy who wanted, art supplies. Well, hot dang, I could do that!

christmas shipping! December 18, 2006

I'm shipping my last batch of paintings this afternoon, and I decided to shut down my store a little bit early for the holidays as well. I'm going to close it at around 2:00 Oregon time today, opening up again on December 28th.

I have some serious Christmas spirit this week! I'm going to write more about it as I get a little big more organized this morning..