Have I really not written anything since February?

I'm trying to get back on track, my website was hacked in early spring, I decided to drop my host and build my own site on iweb, and I've just gotten it up and linked to my etsy account...lots of little details that distracted me from writing regularly...

Not that I haven't been busy in the studio: have lots of new cards, new journals, new paintings, and I head to "art camp" next week for 5 solid days of painting -- it's all good!

Orange and Green and Glittered All Over

I am so excited about these new cards -- I started making them and became so enamored of them that I did them in 9 colors, and will probably do more. Actually had carpal tunnel return with my glittering frenzy. I don't think these pictures do them justice -- which is your favorite?

Where In The World Am I?

I have been collecting maps for a long time, another one of those things I find, keep, look at over and over, and then, one day an idea comes to me. This idea I am doubly excited about because not only do I get to use all of these maps, but this also puts to use the piles and piles of small paper scraps I have stored here and there. It feels so good to clean out a little! Here are the first 2 maps I've finished. I pick a section, pick the colors, then start cutting and gluing. These are very time consuming projects! Still trying to decide on the way to frame them.

This is a small commission I just finished as a baby gift (isn't Zeph a cool name?!). The parents are big fans of TinTin, a french childrens' book character. My father in law also happens to be a fan of TinTin and he had given our boys one of the books, so the material was easy to find.

Red and Pink and White All Over My Paper Pond!

Have been asked by a few customers if I have Valentine's cards, both greeting cards and for enclosures."Yes, of course," I say. Is that time already here? Maniacally cut and pasted and printed and glittered and folded and had a blast on Thursday making these. Felt a little bit of pressure as my kids have been out of school all week due to snow, so I would have to sneak up to my studio in little increments of time. But here they are--

Starry Night

One our our good friends has a birthday on Christmas Eve. In the middle of all of the Christmas rush we wanted to do something special as this was her 40th birthday. Luckily my husband supplied the photo he took last year of one of our sons (our friend's godchild) and her son watching fireworks over the river. I was able to quickly put this together for her--

More of the same -- 'cept different

I've had the best time this week and last on these new paintings! Have done about 11 in the last 7 days. They're pretty small but I'm thinking of going bigger. More colors to come!

Renewal

I don't know if it's just the new year thing, or being tired from all of the fall holiday shows, but when I went back to my studio this week I was sort of lost. I puttered for a day or two, cleaned out my desk, straightened up, trying to decide ... now what to do?

And then, on Wednesday, Epiphany, I had an just that: a new idea, a new set of paintings. Kind of similar to what I started last year, experimenting with color; last year's had a bunch of birds and sort of told a story (exhibit A) and this week I feel the need to delve a little deeper with color, I don't need to tell a story, but just do some stream of consciousness things, and I did 7 paintings this week as a result (would I be accused of being manic?...). Red+White; Turquoise+Red; Cream+White; Khaki+Red; Green+Green+Green; Turquoise+Orange+Reddish Purple+Yellows; Pink+Blue+Yellow+Taupe+White...Tricia Guild's decorating books are endless inspiration, I just want to eat her color combinations...