Post full of goodies

Once again, the wonderful New End Studio has been more than gracious. She wrote up a terrific post about my giveaway, and shared all the goodies I sent along with it. :)

--> Click here to see more!<--

Postcard Friday

My son goes to school out of state, and I send him these postcards every week. Its really my way of sharing pieces of who I am with him.

Matchbox party

The lovely New End Studio won my matchbox giveaway!

If you were really hoping to bring a matchbox home with you, I have two more listed in my shop today.

Confetti Friends - a whimsical treasure with beads, findings, worry doll and a fantastic plastic fish - like a mini surprise party in a box. $20

Wish You Were Here - and exotic box with beads, wheat, wooden scoop and plaster art - little mysteries from far off lands. $20

---> Click here to buy them from my shop! <---

Link of the day - In the Realms of the Unreal

Outsider art is a term often used to refer to primitive stylized work. Real outsider art is more rare than what is found in the marketplace these days. These are artists who create for motivations purely their own, without feedback or compensation from the greater art world.

Henry Darger is just such an artist. With a tragic childhood behind him, and a difficulty relating to people, he created his own world in order to confront his demons and live out his fantasies. When he passed, he left behind 15 large tomes (he liked to collage phone books) totaling 15,145 pages of his illustrated novel!

The documentary is a vivid summary of his life and his work. The filmmaker animates Darger's wonderful characters to make his novel come alive in a way that Henry's real life never could be. Its a poignant and sad story that is beautifully handled and I marvel at the strength of Henry's spirit as he tried to rework his bleak existence.

MFA show 2011

hanging work by Motoko Furuhashi

We went to see the grad show at our local university art museum a short while ago. It's exciting to see the new trends in art and design and how area artists are tackling the challenges of today's topics.


work by Kerianne Quick

It was a well attended opening, with a wide variety of media that confronted, engaged, and challenged the viewer.


work by Katie Latona


work by Anna Gutsch

One of the most exciting aspects of the evening for me was watching my daughter be inspired and excited about the work she was witnessing. She looks forward to being an artist herself, and its beautiful to watch her discover just how limitless the possibilities are for her.


work by Hanako O'Leary

Back to Dreams

Now that my pile of deadlines are behind me, I can devote myself to finishing Dreams of Flight! I'm looking forward to the next project already and I'm eager to start, but I've promised myself to complete this one first.

I'm also going to work on a new stack of postcards and will be making my first tutorial to share with all of you. So many things to look forward to - I love it.

Postcard Friday

My son goes to school out of state, and I send him these postcards every week. Its really my way of sharing pieces of who I am with him.

Art for 99 cents!

Emerald Dragon
11.5" long x 4.5" wide x 5" tall
Polymer clay with acrylic paint

This creature of legend shimmers with metallic jewel tones, like the treasure he undoubtedly guards. Bring him into your home to watch over your bounty.

He is handmade using a wire armature, covered with foil, and then molded with polymer clay. I added texture, several layers of paint, and then a final varnish so that it gleams. Its lightweight, weighing 6.5 ounces - but is baked hard and sits stably on a flat surface.

Buy it here on Ebay - starting at 99 cents!

I'm participating in Nibblefest again! Every month, on the 20th, all the participants list their work - according to the chosen theme. (this month was Dragon)

If you ever wanted something from me, for a song, this is your chance!





This is my first time working with polymer clay, and I'm really rather pleased with the results. I know there is room for refinement, but as a first stab at it - I think he came out splendidly. I am mulling over using clay to start making art dolls again.

Link of the day - Scott Avett and relief printmaking

The Avett Brothers are one of my favorite bands. We classify them as "punk-grass" for their frenetic energy in concert and their bluegrass leanings.

In addition to being a remarkable musical artist, Scott Avett has a BFA from East Carolina University. His drawings, paintings and relief prints are all wonderful. (although not easy to find, now that he's taken down his art website)

This video shares a behind the scenes look at some of his print making, as he creates the 2011 tour poster for the band. Its impressive in its detail and its size - definitely worth watching.



Amazon is selling their album Emotionalism for a limited time at $3.99!

Dropped off my paintings

I bundled up all my paintings and prints, with paperwork in hand, and dropped them off at Artists Against AIDs' new location. I was directed to a table with a volunteer, and she went through my inventory and matched them up with the items on my forms. It was really streamlined, and I was in and out in a handful of minutes. Gotta love a well organized process!

Then a separate volunteer arrived and whisked the artwork off to be sorted into batches, and hung later. You can see the art stacked up on the walls behind the table there. They get thousands of submissions, and rotate work in as stuff sells. Its an amazingly well oiled machine and means that you can go to the show multiple times and see completely different work!

I put up individual photos of my bird paintings on my Flickr account, if you want to see them in more detail.

Now I'll be working my tail off to get this month's Nibblefest entry done in time! After that, I can breathe a little more freely once again. I look forward to being able to work on my larger Dreams painting. :)

Done in time!

I finally finished all of the birds, and just in the nick of time too. All of them used the painters tape technique, and I really like the results. I will drop these off, along with some prints and older paintings, later this afternoon. I'll be sure to take pics and share that process with you too.

50% of all the proceeds go to AIDs education and support of AIDs victims. Fingers crossed!

Art of the day

My portrait Morgan with the Poison Gaze is being highlighted on EBSQ's Art of the Day!

Postcard Friday

My son goes to school out of state, and I send him these postcards every week. Its really my way of sharing pieces of who I am with him.

Heat and Dissonance print is available in the shop

This reproduction of my original mixed media work is now available! Its a striking piece with bold lines, color and a lot of movement. Perfect for an area needing some personality.

Click here to buy one from my shop!

Link of the day - We Live in Public

My husband is an IT guy and my eldest son is a hardcore math/anime/video game kid. I have a love for science fiction and more - so its not a stretch to say that the geek dynamic runs pretty strong in our household. I have found so much overlap with art and geek culture, and its really special to find both highlighted in this film.

Josh Harris was an early dot.com millionaire that took his payout and turned his focus to blending art culture and internet broadcasting. The movie starts out normally enough, but as Harris's obsessions grow, his goals and the movie begin to take a dizzying turn.

Harris's love for art turns him into a creator, using the public as his canvas when he sets up a closed community in NYC - where absolutely *nothing* is private. When that project ends, he turns the tables and broadcasts his own private life into a public spectacle. Both are fascinating experiments that exemplify the relationship between art and the viewer, and how each role impacts the other.

I love love love this documentary and like all converts, think everyone should watch it. There is just so much to glean from this movie! It's not hard to find - you can watch We Live in Public on Netflix streaming, or Hulu has the whole film available now.

Boneyard Arts Festival

Andrea Jennings & Evelyne Tardy

April really seems to be Art Month in my neck of the woods with event after event. It really serves to fill up my creative reserves for the whole year. This weekend it was the Boneyard Arts Festival when our local businesses team up with area artists and a grand art crawl, of sorts, ensues.


Beth Darlingon the left - entrance to several artist studios on right

We wove in and out of cafes, boutiques, and various retailers looking at the art that graced their walls. We heard didgeridoos in concert & saw break dancers performing.

The real treat came when we stumbled upon the artist studios. I just love seeing how creative people set up their spaces. The nooks and crannies full of things that inspire them and the tools of their trade. One of the studios, seen above, had an entire corner devoted to the lushest plants Ive seen outside of a garden store!

I love my little studio in my bedroom. It certainly is convenient, and I can paint in my pjs if I want to. That said, I miss the instant community found with having studio space surrounded by other artists.


Kris Cain

We got the chance to speak with a couple of artists in their studios. Kris was new to her space and so welcoming. I find her work exciting, vibrant and interesting. She doesn't have a website set up yet, but I hope she does soon because I'm dying to see the rest of her work.


Judy K. Dethmers

We met briefly with Judy who was in high demand with the other art crawlers. Her work defies expectations with a level of precision and grace. Would you believe those portraits behind her are done in colored pencil? Truly amazing!

We had a grand time at Boneyard and look forward to the next one, to see what everyone is up to in a years time.

Artists Against AIDs - WIP

Just wanted to share where these little bird paintings are headed. I was inspired by Stanka Kordic's negative space leaves, and decided to experiment with them using painters tape.

The leaves on the left painting have been finished, and the leaves on the right are in process. The yellow is where the tape is pulled off. The upright painting is still getting tape cut and put in place. I'm still working on the birds themselves. :)

I am just loving where this is going, and anticipate using this technique in the future and with larger paintings!

Still time to enter my giveaway!

There is still time, and a REALLY good chance for you to enter and win this really fun little matchbox! :) Its such a tiny mystery, and one of those treasures that you keep just for yourself.

Just click the link below to enter:

---> Click here to be taken to Giveaway Blogdom to enter and WIN <----

Postcard Friday

My son is goes to school out of state, and I send him postcards every week. Its really my way of sharing pieces of who I am with him.

The Space Between is available in the shop

The Space Between
$27
6 x 8 inches
Oil on stretched canvas

A meditative painting of both winter and summer fruits together, hinting at the transitions between the seasons. Perfect for this spring!

Click here to buy it from my shop!

Link of the day - every image has its own story

The idea that art is subjective is certainly true, but I think it's also important to realize that each picture has its own story, independent of the viewer.  This video poignantly reveals the life behind the snapshot and reminds us to look beyond our first impressions.

Woohoo for ARTrepreneur!

I am so excited about this new membership site by the fantastic April Bowles-Olin from Blacksburg Belle.

In the site, you’ll find interviews with experts, classes that’ll rock your socks, professional photography tips, online shop critiques, creative tutorials, a book club—and that doesn’t even include the bonuses.

If you want the details, you can find them here. <-- click

Oh, and April loves the month April—for obvious reasons—so everyone who signs up for ARTrepreneur in the month of April will also get access to her Inspired Blogging for Creative Entrepreneurs program {$397 value!}.

I've already started the blogging class, and I'm finding terrific gems that I really hope will make this blog an even better reading experience for you! April's content is so approachable, motivating, and inherently practical. I can hardly wait to see what she will have available for us in the months to come.

FYI, I’m an affiliate for this membership site, so I do make a little money if you use my link to sign up. But, I would encourage you to check it out even if I wasn’t an affiliate, because it’s just that good.

Artists Against Aids

I'm already behind the curve ball with these little paintings. My mom stayed with us for her post surgery recovery, and taking care of her became my number one priority. I'm happy to say that shes healing really well, and is back home today. I took her to her first post-op appointment, and the doctor said glowing things about her progress. Yay!

So now I have to meet the deadlines that have piled up in the interim. Gack! One of those is our local Artists Against Aids show. I love to participate in this wonderful cause. Its an issue near and dear to my heart and I feel lucky to have a way to lend my talents for Aids research.

I want to have 6 new little bird paintings in addition to some of my older work. This is the beginnings of them, and I have to really put my nose to the grindstone to get them all done in time! Fingers crossed!

John Gallaher and the Ninth Letter

We were fortunate enough to go to an event hosted by the The Ninth Letter. There was sumptuous food to nosh on, art on display, and the opportunity to leaf through several copies of the arts and literary magazine.

They introduced John Gallaher who read from his book Your Father on the Train of Ghosts. He was so personable, and easy to be around. He told stories about his writing process and collaboration with G.C. Waldrep and explained that he liked to write the same way he speaks, so you really get the sense as he reads that you're hearing the same voice that occurs in his mind as he writes. This made for a very intimate experience as we heard his words pour over us, as if we were all sharing the same headspace as he wove them for the first time. (you can hear him in the video below)

We so enjoyed this experience. I really believe that, as an artist, I need to expose myself to a variety of disciplines outside of my own. This makes me a better creator as I am able to change my perceptions to overlap the filters of writers, dancers, and actors.

Lovelorn Poets

I was thrilled to learn that my painting Toy Bird Dreams was featured on Lovelorn Poets!

The website spotlights three of their favorite Missed Connections including poetry, love letters, messages of regret, thank you notes, and other random effluvia.

Its a really fun site, and a terrific platform for art, poetry and the human dynamic.

Inspiration of the Month - Stanka Kordic

I just love the ethereal romanticism found in Stanka Kordic’s gorgeous paintings. Each piece carries a moody tenor that blankets the viewer like morning fog and I find it both haunting and intimate.



What are your main inspirations in art?

Sorolla, Cassatt, Sargent, Seraphine de Senlis, Rothko, Diebenkorn

What is your art background? (education, experience, etc)

BFA, The Cleveland Institute of Art. Major in Illustration, Painting Minor. A few workshops here and there. I freelanced as an illustrator right out of school for a number of years (after traveling in Europe), a brief stint painting landscapes, over a decade as a commissioned portrait artist. Now this. I'm happiest here, doing my own thing with no one dictating anything.

What is your process for creating your work?

I drag my models around outdoors, usually parks, sometimes my own yard and take tons of photos. In reviewing them, something triggers the inspiration for the actual painting, whether it be an expression, an element of lighting, composition. Rarely though, is it all in one shot. That's just the starting point. I will usually change 80% of the photo around (color, etc) spontaneously. That's the intuitive part. Whether it be using tape, or sometimes bits of leafing, it all morphs as I go, and I can't predict the outcome :).



What is the single most important thing you want to communicate with your work?

Letting the viewer know that 'all will be well'.

What are your career goals?

To sell a painting or two on occasion.

What one object has been the most instrumental in helping you achieve what you have so far?

A space to work uninterrupted when I need it to be.



Tell me three random things about you.

• I need at least 7 hours of sleep to feel normal.
  
• I love water, but not being in it
  
• I used to hang out in closets with windows, and the attic as a kid.