Art @ CCS

Artist: Kyle Dunn, Age 17

Artist: Kelsey Beckett, Age 17

I attended a exhibition at CCS in Downtown Detroit last Thursday. All works shown were submitted from local highschool students. We were a bit crunched for time, so I didn't take as many photos as I would've liked. Above are two pieces by Kyle Dunn and Kelsey Beckett, both only 17 years old! Are they fabulous or what? There were many more talented artists represented, these just really stood out to me because they each seemed to have developed their own style. Kyle must have had at least a dozen pieces in the show. Each blew me away. I think alot of the students pieces looked like the results of taught refined techniques (not that there's anything wrong with that)...and these two appeared to be marching to the beat of their own drum, which I always like. Sadly, I couldn't find a website for either one of these talents. Afterwards, we headed into Greektown for a quick dinner complete with flaming cheese! :)

Framed and hung

So I've been advised that adding some style shots into my print listings might be a good idea. Which I agree, it is a splendid idea. So at first I thought I’d look up one of those sites where you can add your art into these perfectly styled rooms. However sometimes the scale is a little wonky, and I couldn’t find such a site anyway. Any ideas fellow artists? So I decided to photograph them in my own home, with my own stuff. Here’s a look at how my art looks all framed and hung. If you have purchased some of my art, and have it displayed in your home and can send me a photo file, I’d LOVE to see it. A few of my collectors in the past have done this, and well, it’s so comforting to see my art cozied up on someone else’s wall. And I love seeing other people’s interiors!

I’ll be back with another short post on the exhibition at CCS, for the local high school students…What a lovely group of young talent.

new art and a red moon

"Little Red" and "Glow", each 9x12, available in my Etsy shop. -Sold & Sold
**Prints will be available soon! :)

Did anyone else catch a glimpse of the lunar eclipse? It's a beautiful color. I just stood on the front porch and admired it for a moment. Probably would've hung out longer, but it's about 8 degrees out there. Brrrr!

So these are the two pieces I finished today. Little Red and Glow. The little bird seems to be wondering if he'll get a piece of apple or perhaps a breadcrumb or two. I decided to capture Little Red before her encounter with the wolf, no sharp teeth or claws here. And tell me, do you remember the last time you chased fireflies? I tried last summer, with no luck at all. As a kid, I remember running outside with one of my Grandma's old Ball canning jars, "hurry, poke some holes in the lid". We'd run around like crazy, chasing those things, little bats swooping above our heads. What good memories. I'm very much craving warm summer nights.

Tomorrow, I hope to visit the College for Creative Studies to see a body of work on display by the local students. I've heard there will be quite a mix of goodies. I hope to take lots of pics. Maybe I'll have something interesting to show you tomorrow.

A quick thanks, to Erin at Design for Mankind for this little post. And she said my kids were "the most adorable girls on the face of the planet"...Hey, the girl really knows her stuff! :)

about nothing really

I promise! Tomorrow I will post new artwork. I feel sorry for those of you who so kindly stop by everyday, only to find my tired post from a week ago. I finished two sketches tonight, while curled up on the couch with a cup of chamomile. Sketching is so tedious to me, so I'm glad they're done, now I can get on with the fun part. One piece is inspired by a gal everyone knows. A certain hooded wanderer. The second piece stems from memories of a favorite childhood pasttime. Actually, I still quite enjoy doing it, I'm just no longer very good at it. Here are a few things that have kept me busy lately...this book. A very worthwhile read for anyone looking to be more health concious. Making this recipe for pasta shells with portabellas and asparagus in boursin sauce. So yummy. I must admit I used a bit extra cheese, okay double. We rarely eat pasta, or cheese for that matter, so I decided to really indulge. Last, but not least, this little tool over at Instyle. It's a virtual makeover, you simply download a pic of yourself, and proceed to try on every hairstyle in Hollywood. I'm getting my hair cut on Friday. I always like to believe that I will get some new outrageous do, but when it comes right down to it, I'll just tell him to trim it up. Then I'll come home and throw it in a ponytail 7 days a week. Yep, everytime. I'll be back tomorrow with new pics! Until then...

Snails and Fungi

"Amongst Magic" 9 x 12 on Etsy -SOLD ***Now available as a print!

Mushrooms had so many possibilities when I was a child. They could serve as shelter for my Polly Pocket, an umbrella for my barbie, a stage for a bug, fairy jumping grounds, also perfect for pretend cooking... There always seems to be snails lurking nearby fungi, hence the tiny fellow in her hand. After seeing this painting, my daughter informs me she's never found a snail before. I show her a picture, and she seems confused. So I try to explain it as a small worm with a shell on it's back. Her reply, "No, Mom. It's half a snake and half a turtle. I know it is." Okay then. Snails are on our must find list this summer :)

Winter, then Spring

Be My Guest (sold)and Spring Creeps In (sold), each 9 x12, both on Etsy.
***Both now available as prints in my little Etsy boutique!

I know the watermarks are a bit distracting, but I think it's probably a good idea to start using them. They, of course, do not appear on the actual paintings. I did these two pieces with PoppyTalkHandmade's spring theme in mind. While I'm enjoying the white blankets of snow, 8 degrees as the high temp...not enjoying that part so much. I'm definetly looking forward to all that spring brings...

Just popping in for this...

"Me and Hoo" 8 x 10 on Etsy. -SOLD ***Now available as in print in the Shop!

A new funky illustration/painting/collage. I can't get enough of those bright patterned papers. I wish her skirt came in my size too! :) I hope everyone is having a lovely Thursday...

AND THE WINNER IS...

Susan from Sweet Imaginations, you are the winner. Please contact me so that you may claim your prize. Thanks to everyone who played along!

interviews, prints, give-a-ways, and girls

I wish I had some new art to post, but unfortunately I do not. As of late, the two girls pictured above have been consuming most of my time. (I absolutlely could not get Ava to take that hat strap out of her mouth.) I guess we have major ice on the roads today, which means Grandma didn't come to get the girls for the normal Wednesday outing. This is my only proper working day of the week, so I must admit I was a bit sad. However this cheered me up a bit! The lovely Kamela from ModernGirlStyle published a wonderful little interview with yours truly. You can read the full post here. Tonight I try to recover some images deleted from my husband's jump drive. I had a few on there, temporarily, to have prints made, and somehow, they were deleted. So if you have prints of the latest series, consider yourself lucky. Two of them may be gone for good, except for the prints I have in stock right now. For now, I'm off to quickly sort my images. I've been selected to participate in this months PoppyTalkHandmade online streetmarket, which starts in just a few days!

***O! Almost forgot- I will be randomly drawing a name tonight for the giveaway. So if you want to participate, scurry back a few posts and enter a comment!