SPRING FEVER HITS!

I've noticed that during the last two Januaries, the more the snow blows outside, the more flower bulbs I order. All I can do as far as the garden goes this time of year is make plans. A little frustrating when I'm really wanting to dig in the dirt. However, this year I found an alternative to avoid merely biding my time, and started painting flower portraits -- again. Oh how I forgot how their little complex faces make me happy! I finished 4 during the last week, in the middle of 3 more, and just started 7 more! Usually I split my morning hours (3 of them) between painting, doing paper stuff, making cards, etc but for the last two or three weeks I can't do anything else but paint. I've let all discipline go. One day recently I got to paint for 9 hours! More to come, but for now, Happy Spring!

MORE ANIMALIA

I'm not going to dwell on the fact that I haven't had a post since July. Life sort of got in the way for a while.

Back to one of my resolutions.

I've been doing stuff with animals for ages -- dog oil portraits, photos, bird things, etc. And I'm not done with the bird thing yet, or the nests. Before the holidays I started some new collages with various animals; the one I finished, a lovely pink zebra, sold right away. I may do another. And I've been thinking about giraffes some. I printed some pictures from a field trip to the zoo that I took with my boys last spring. Here is one I finished in late December. I love the texture of the paper, and the depth it creates, and also covers up some painting mistakes/imperfections/trouble spots. These are canaries; I only thought canaries were yellow but I was wrong. They are the most beautiful shade of light pink and also robin's egg blue. Check them out in person if you have a chance. Have also been thinking a lot about peacocks...

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--