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Happy 4th of July! Today has included a Blues Angel flyover (thrilling), a small town parade (charming), sloth-like heat (sloth-like), a little that’s turned into a lot home improvement painting job (chore type front porch painting painting, not the easel variety painting painting), people watching (red white blue outfits are a thing!) and a little spontaneous cake oil painting in between it all.
I enjoy a no pressure spontaneous seasonal painting. They make me happy. This one is on a flat masonite art board, needs to be framed or propped up against books but fun for this time of year.
Enjoy your bbq or hot dogs or both and hope you are having a leisurely lovely long (long) weekend. Tomorrow is Wednesday!
What could these three possibly have to do with each other? In a sentence, they’re all happening within 48 hours of each other.
In a paragraph, they’re all on my summer “to do” list that has carried over from last summer. The months zip by and since covid I’ve lost my talent for planning and have found seasons have evaporated when I don’t book, plan, write it down, commit, buy tickets, book reservations, reserve my spot. So that’s what I’m doing! And boy, do the weeks fill up! This has been a particularly full month.
This past weekend was a plein air event sponsored by the Schneider Museum of Art and organized by artist Sarah Burns. It was a fabulous get together of local artists who were scattered through Lithia Park and set up for plein air painting. I’ll write a whole post on the agony and joy of painting outside…but the big takeaway is pure joy. I think I understand why people golf. It’s a relaxing yet challenging daytime activity outside somewhere beautiful. (Golfers, I apologize if it’s nothing at all like that.)
I set up outside the pickle ball courts slightly worried I’d be a little too “exposed” (creativity in public is not for the faint of heart) but turns out our Saturday pickle ball players are in it to win it and have one thing on their mind: pickle ball!! The only players who approached wanted to invite me to play…so added benefit to a Saturday paint out..I have a new pickle ball teacher and start on Wednesday.
And Diana Ross? She’s playing tonight at the Britt Festival in Jacksonville and I’m headed out the door…ain’t no mountain high enough!!!!!
I love this time of year. The lilac tree behind the house is going crazy, our dogwood tree is like a pink puffy of cotton candy and the rhododendrons are jurassic sized this year. A long wet Oregonian winter was just what we needed. These lilacs were a surprise delivery from my friend Ann Britt. There’s nothing quite like doing a spontaneous still life as fragrant as freshly picked lilacs. These are the small town moments I love. Neighbors, friends, ease of dropping off flowers, soup, the proverbial cup of sugar.
It’s May Day! Yup, May 1st. Otherwise known as five minutes after winter and wasn’t it just Valentine’s Day? Let’s see, what’s new..?? I’ve been up in Victoria with my family, now home cleaning my office and studio (spring cleaning really is a thing), packing/shipping orders, walking Bella, painting, seeing friends, watching Succession and listening to a variety of podcasts. Lots of new paper goodies have been coming in, greeting cards and postcards and even some fun licensing projects in the works!
There might be snow on the mountains, hail in the morning, sun in the afternoon and three wardrobe changes in an April southern Oregon day but one things remains…it’s a floral delight! I’ve got tulips in my living room doing their tulipy stem dance, a $12 indulgence that brings immense joy and satisfaction. Gardens are about to pop all along my street and the nurseries are full of color again. I bought several potted ranunculus for the front porch. A few Easter decorations are out and the season is unfolding (albeit slowly).
I was talking to a fellow creative the other day and she admitted, I sort of like that it’s a never ending winter this year, is that bad? NO! It’s called guilt free easel days! And..yes, I’m craving a bit of sunshine and walks with Bella that don’t require gloves and a puffer but that’ll come…in the meantime, I’m leaning into the creative cave and painting lots. Florals, fruits and more. Next up? Maybe a new fancy parlor or an animal series. And always natural history.
Happy spring everyone! Wishing you a Happy Passover and Easter!
Hello and happy Thursday! Oops…I did it again. You’d think I’d have this down by now but…I accidentally ordered these postcards with a different paperweight than all my postcards. It’s 100# weight, still thick-ish, average postcard paper weight but not the ultra heavy stock I usually order. Soooo…I’m giving them away!
With any retail order, any amount, I’m including three of these postcards (and you know I like to send extra extra freebies with my orders…) so if you’re thinking of ordering any of the new cards (or anything…lol), these and more will be included while supplies last.
Hi friends! Happy Friday! March is marching along and it’s been a busy prolific creative month. I’ve got several collaborations going that have been a nice change and fun to work on. First up is…FRUIT! An orchard’s worth of fruit!! I love all things natural history and botanical illustration so this was an enthusiastic yes to do a series. I’ve got oranges, apples, lemons, peaches and more. I’m on a roll and see some figs and strawberries coming soon. Cute for a kitchen!?
Onwards and upwards. Heading to the studio today…I’ll let you know what I plant and what grows.
It’s National Pi Day…the mathematical variety but I like to take every opportunity to remember and celebrate that none of my alegebra, calculus or high school math classes mattered after all.
Hello from New York. This has been a much needed punch in the arm, taxi honking, wind whipping, sore feet from walking, art food architecture joyous cacophony New York getaway. The Met, MoMa (twice!), New York Public Library, Central Park, Rockefeller Center and so much more have filled my inspiration cup full. I’m absorbing it all and tired in that best kind of way.
“I look out the window and I see the lights and the skyline and the people on the street rushing around looking for action, love, and the world’s greatest chocolate chip cookie, and my heart does a little dance.” Nora Ephron
More as I digest but for now, feeling Nora Ephron’s heart happy dance.
(NYC Yellow Taxi available here and no doubt more NYC images to come soon!)
We’ve had a couple of pseudo snow days here (pseudo in that it does melt but cold and snowy enough most people give it a snow day pass). Not sure what it is about looking out at the snowy valley, but citrusy oranges and spring blossoms appear on the canvas! I tried to paint a wintery scene! Twice! Nope. It was all branches and florals and tropical parrots that may or may not be hot pink in real life. I’ll call it artistic license.
I’m reminded this week (again) that showing up at the easel is more than half the work. I have orders to pack. Paperwork to tend to. Supplies to put away. An office that’s in desperate need of a reorg. Pets. Laundry. House. Yard. Cooking. Errands. Emails. Life. Life. Life. All of them, perfectly good excuses to not paint. And a snow day? Fuggedaboutit! That’s a Netflix couch pass if I’ve ever heard of one! And yet…I also know that famous Picasso quote is true, “Inspiration exists but it has to find you working.”
I muddled through several attempts of wintery themed pieces with not much gusto until the click. That knowing in your head or brush or fingers or whatever the muse has hold of and says, nope, not today. I’ve got a pink parrot for you so meet me half way! Who am I to question? I followed the art bread crumbs, made some tea and stopped fighting against the painting I wanted to show up and went with the painting that was forming in my imagination.
And am I imagining floral crowns and parakeets while I drive around town? No. Ok, sometimes I am. But normally no. But I am pulling on all the pieces of my past and present artistic influences and interests and so when I am ready to paint, I’ve been warming up. The good news is that every magazine, book, instagram feed, art gallery, museum, art supply store, restaurant, boutique, farmer’s market is research!
These are the post pandemic snow days of being an artist, working from home, running a small business, trying to stay creative and remembering (and forgetting) that even after a decade of doing this…showing up to your art is the hardest and most rewarding work of all.
