drumroll...the studio reveal

My new studio has been complete and functioning since way back in July (remember I talked about it right here first??) but somewhere along the way I got too busy to have a proper studio warming. THEN the timing of editors pulling together Cloth Paper Scissors' latest Studios edition aligned my studio completion. Before I knew it I got to be a part of this way cool, completely gorgeous magazine which just hit newsstands a week or two ago.

Starting on page 18 you can read all about yours TRUE-ly, which in fact is aptly named. You see if you glance back here my studio ended up looking nothing like the original plan.

Somewhere along the way, I thought my studio needed to be totally neutral to make art so I wasn't color biased or had walls competing with what I was creating. Like cream walls or something. My house does not have one single boring cream wall so why would I think my studio--the place that is supposed to represent me the most--should? good question. I think I got confused and anxious. All of this pressure to create a "me" space. So my husband (dear) painted not once, but twice. And if you're wondering, yes I do hear about that often.

I can't tell you how happy it makes me to work in this space. I especially LOVE the windows. After having my office/studio in the basement for 10 years having windows with light (that even open!) is quite a luxury. The bones of my new studio were designed and installed by CA Closets. They worked with me to create a highly functioning space.

The final winning colors of the room were raspberry, pumpkin and sky blue. My neutrals.

I found these drawer cabinet things at a yard sale years ago.I purchased two for $15. I love, love, love them. No sense not incorporating them into my new space. I also kept my beloved college drafting table. My office splurges stayed in check by keeping pieces that were already working for me.

Here's a peek into my newly organized closet with ribbon rolls. Look out Martha.

I design and e-mail here. See how the light from the window touches my back? Love it.

So I hope you've enjoyed the tour. I highly recommend picking up CPS Studios if you're looking for inspiration or just eye candy. Tis the season. And it's low-cal unlike that bag of candy corn that I have stashed somewhere in my studio...and don't think I'm telling where. ; )

Printing nests

I know a week or so ago I was talking about how I didn't think silk screening was my thing. We'll I've warmed up to it a bit since then. Actually I kind of like it. Alright...I really like it. Especially after learning (in week 3 class) how to make a more painterly, freehand kind of screen which is more me. I did the screen itself in class and then came home and opened up my print shop.

I used brown ink with my screen to print bag after bag. I experimenting with more ink vs. less and two passes vs. three to tackle the canvas bag. I like how each print is slightly different. After I printed the brown, I went in on the individual bags with turquoise and white screen paint and freehanded in the color of the eggs. I realize this step was not a real second screen, but I liked the effect of combining a painterly technique with the screen.

I printed two different sized canvas tote bags: a small (11"w x 9"h x 3"d) and a medium (14"w x 13"h x 3"d) .

My plan right now is to use these bags for artist trades at the retreat I'm attending in October. I'll also put a couple of bags in my Etsy shop opening in October. Rest assured, since I only own one screen there will be a limited number of nests that will ever hatch. I certainly wouldn't want to put all of my eggs in one bag. ; )

happy 40th

Happy Birthday to my dear hubby turning 40. Entering a new decade always seems a bit intimidating. I'm sure glad he has a few years on me so I can get used to the idea of forties vs. thirties. I created the piece above for him. It includes snippets of different articles he has written over the years.

Here's a close up of the cutie.This photo used in my collage is from Mike's first year. He had his nose stuck in a book even way back then.

On a separate note, we've been enjoying/appreciating power since Friday after enduring a 6 day black out. Believe it or not, Hurricane Ike's gusty winds made it all the way to we-thought-we-were-safe-from-hurricanes-Ohio. Huge trees were uprooted all over the city and initially 90% of Cincinnati was without electricity. The worst part was losing a refrigerator and freezer worth of food and enduring several "how am I ever going to sleep without my nightlight and my fan???"s. The best part was realizing how thankful I am for what we do have and that we made it through an awful wind storm with minimal damage.

A whole work week lost means I have a lot of design catching up. Here's to productivity i.e. no mindless internet surfing. Have a great week!

Now screening

This week I wrapped up class 2 (out of 4) in beginner silk screening...something I've always wanted to try. So far, I'm not quite sure if I've got that printmaking gene. Mind you, I love the results of silk screening, but doing so seems like a lot of work...more cleaning screens and squeegees than actual art-making. And then there's the stress involved in the one shot deal of getting a perfect print when you have your fabric pressed and ready underneath. My instructor held the screen while I squeegeed. I had to touch up the print a bit, but overall I was happy with my one-of-a-kind, hot pink, black sheep t-shirt.

Here's my beginner supplies. All clean...except for a faint sheep ghost which will mark my screen forever. Next week we'll try a new technique. I'll keep you posted. I'm not giving up on this screen quite yet.

a small glimpse

It's the first day for this little show in which all work is 5" x 5" or smaller. I've got 6 pieces in (none pictured on the flyer above) that are hanging out with artists from all over the world.

small glimpse of my monday morning life: after a busy weekend of kid soccer and basketball games, laundry catch-up and a September block party I'm back into my weekday routine. I typically get up at 5ish (sometimes earlier) so that I have about 2 hours of work time before having to get kids ready for school. I actually have come to appreciate waking early...making a BIG cup of coffee and enjoying the silence of the house. This morning however, I was caught in the act by a middle-of-the-night-i have-to-go-to-the-bathroom child who claims she now can't go back to bed. Three-year-old Nora is going to be exhausted by 8 a.m. She is explaining to me that we're having some special mommy/daughter time. yeah right. So I'm currently taking deep breaths, muttering "patience, patience" and vowing to be a little more quiet when I get up tomorrow.

Memories

I created this piece for Illustration Friday's topic of the week: memories. It is a take off of what I did last week for "routine". The two topics seem connected as routine is a big part of what makes up memories: "the little things". I found this photo along with vintage unmarked children's workbooks at an estate sale (yes I was jumping for joy). The toys on the left of my piece are from one of those precious books.

I love that the photo here contains three different perspectives and thus three sets of memories. The baby looking up, the young boy looking down at the baby and the photographer looking down on both. A memory captured.

p.s. thanks to all of you who have stopped by here and a special thanks for comments left behind. I can't tell you how much your comments mean to me...I love hearing what you are thinking! Happy Labor Day weekend!

Chalk Up Another Year

Speaking of little things, here's another one that turned out to be a big thing. Last year in a burst of energy (which come upon every so often) I made a back-to-school pencil cake. This week was so busy I thought I'd skip the cake detail of welcoming in the new year. Just getting them off with their plastic, pocket, prong folders and no-perf, wide-ruled notebooks was challenge enough. However, it was asked more than once if there would be a cake waiting when they came home from the first day of school. Momguilt overcame me, as I threw this cake together moments before the returning back-to-schoolers. I have to say, I was amazed at how excited and thankful they were about a kind-of-looks-like-a-chalkboard cake. I guess we now have another sweet tradition.

Routine

I created this piece for Illustration Friday's topic of the week: routine. I've been thinking a lot about our family's routine lately as we get ready to shift from the laid back days of summer into the regimented school year schedule. Both seasons have their routines which I often catch myself feeling bored with. Sometimes the business of being a parent is less than jump-up-and-down-exciting with meals, laundry, cleaning, disciplining, etc. on the daily list. But there is a wistfulness to routine as the mundane is often what is remembered for a lifetime. Meals that a family repeats turn into cherished recipes years down the road. Gentle reminders to be thankful and use manners pay off in the long run. A familiar bed time routine that includes stories, hugs and prayers can create a sense of warmth and belonging. Day to day routine is something to be cherished. I am often guilty of discounting those little things, but atleast for today I have my eyes wide open as tomorrow starts yet another school year.

Oh Canada

One of our adventures this summer involved a trip to Niagara Falls on the Canadian side. I haven't been there since I was a wee one and wanted my three to have the experience of the Falls too. Every one's favorite Falls experience was Maid of the Mist. Above is a glimpse of another MOM boat taking the ride into the Falls underneath a perfect rainbow.

Here we are Journey-ing Behind the Falls. This is where you ride an elevator down very far into the ground and get dropped off at the tunnels underneath the falls. Here is one of the tunnel lookout points where we're watching the wall of water from behind. I found this a little freaky and the tunnels to be a bit too titanic-ish for my taste.

However, it totally amazes me in this world of barriers and gates that you can get this close to something so powerful.

Here Cara and I are standing on a floor of Canadian pennies. What of a cool idea for tiling and only 1 cent per square inch!

And finally (I've skipped the haunted houses, mini golf, fast food, fudge shops, wax museums and gobble-up-your-money-attractions, but they're all here too) the White Water Walk. While I was enjoying the rapids racing by, I think I was just as fascinated by how long the legs were getting on these three. Another school year right around the corner. I'll be spending today going over our school supply inventory and assessing what clothing those growing bodies can still fit into.

Summer murals

I illustrated the Noah's Ark mural above for an animal hospital several years ago. This summer I was asked back to add more paintings to the lobby area.

Using another verse from All Things Bright and Beautiful, I painted an arbor with teeny, hidden creatures. It's hard to show the area well in photographs, but here are a few shots to get a general idea of the space.

I love that people thought I was painting on the wood arbor. When in actuality, I painted the wood and then painted on top of the faux wood. Were you tricked?? : )

I hid little creatures all over the arbor and

...over here old fashioned coneflowers decorate a post. Standing on a really high ladder, I painted butterflies around the top of the room.

And in this corner a tree grew.

A squirrel lives in this tree by special request.

This was definitely the summer that I painted more flowers than I planted.

Spinning...

...on a summer wheel that has not stopped since June. Vacations, projects, design business, family and friend visiting, summer camps and a studio/office redo has made for a pretty lively and fast paced summer around here. And then there's that list of what didn't get done including a much needed web site revamp. Updates on what did happen coming soon...that is if I can find a wide ruled spiral bound 70 page school notebook without perfs and a plastic pocket folder with pockets and prongs.

Enough

Here's my Illustration Friday topic of the week: enough. I was actually working on this illustration before I received the IF topic in my inbox today. When I did get the word, I couldn't help but think what a topic-perfect illustration it was.

This happy couple will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in a couple of weeks. I'm honored to have been asked to design the invitation for the grand event. This collage will grace the cover.

It is said quite often, but 50 years speaks louder..."I take you to be my constant friend, my faithful partner and my love from this day forward. In the presence of God, our family and friends, I offer you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live."

Now if that isn't "enough" I couldn't tell you what is.

Houston, we have a show

WOW. what a weekend. I'm settling back into reality after a really, really cool couple of Houston days even though the temp was somewhere around 100 degrees. Red Bull's Art of Can exhibition opened with a VIP bash of more than 1000 at the Houston Galleria. My piece "Night Owl" (pictured above) was lucky enough to be one of 47 pieces selected to be in a show that drew over 500 registrations.

I loved the little artist name badges that matched our pieces. So easy to meet the artist that went with the art. And what a friendly crowd! I had a blast chatting with all of the diverse types this event brought out.

Did you vote? Voting kiosks were at the party and will be around for the run of the show or you can always vote online.

My Chicago friend Asta poses with her fun piece entitled "Houston, We Have a Problem...No Red Bull".

My other Chicago-Art-of-Can-but-lives-in-Austin friend Kathy Beale created the impeccably crafted frog (Riley) who happens to be "Fly Fishing."

I think when the judges kept saying that this was the best AOC yet, they really meant it. I had so many favorites that I couldn't possibly post them all here. Geez...this is tough competition.

Speaking of tough competition, Dale Busta captured second place (again) for "Sojourn". And Dale, if by any chance you're reading, I anxiously await my bee.

Asta and me hanging out with the grand prize winner's piece "Unbridled".

I LOVE the love letter.

Artists after too much red bull or maybe it was this...or how about that photographer?!

The art work moved on up the day after the opening party to this custom designed space in the Houston Galleria (yes a shopping mall). The show runs until July 25th. Any misgivings I ever had about a show in a mall vs. a gallery have been put to rest. This is a first class production all the way. If you're in the area check it out. Otherwise beg Red Bull to keep the exhibitions coming. It's an unbelievable cornucopia of art that undeniably promotes, but better yet recycles while enabling one to expand their vision and appreciation of art.

sour rain, sweet country

I created this piece for Illustration Friday's topic of the week: sour. It seemed appropriate due to yesterday's rain on our 4th of July celebrations. Picnics and parades were "soured" with thunderstorms and steady rain. Later, the day brought breaks in the weather so we tried to sneak in grilled burgers on the deck. However, I was quickly informed by all three of my children that the not-quite-dry patio furniture made their behinds wet. This quickly led to giggles and back side comparisons.

Regardless of this 4th of July's rain, we are still very thankful for the freedoms we enjoy and the country we love. Obviously, every day will not live up to our ideal, but when the sun does shine it is a beautiful day indeed.

A brief appearance

After a long blog hiatus I'm back for a moment. Really just to say I'm still here, but busy. Maybe busy isn't strong enough...overwhelmed? Overwhelmed in a good way. It's summer's fault. There were too many projects saved and plans made back when summer seemed endless...a blank of warm, lazy days. July already? Hard to believe.

Above is another piece of mine in the group show "Out of the Blue" featuring local artists at Red Tree Gallery. Funny, the last time I posted this show was opening. Now, the close is this Friday. More proof that summer has that way of flying by.

Out of the blue and Out on location

This Friday night is the opening for the group show "Out of the Blue" featuring local artists at Red Tree Gallery. I have four pieces in the show including the one pictured above titled "Renaissance". I couldn't get those butterflies out of my head.

This week me and my ArtBin are also "Out on location" painting murals at a local animal hospital. I'll show you pictures of the finished product in a couple of weeks. With all of this going on (I'm graphic designing too!) my new studio is taking a way back seat...along with quite a few other things. Busy is good, but I'm still looking forward to things settling down just a bit in the upcoming weeks.