More Triad work - Valley Ridge samples

These paintings were some of my class samples for the Triad class at Valley Ridge - they are pieces that I made working with different triads. It was really gratifying to see how each person evolved after doing the Triad work. I could hear them talking among themselves, sharing their  mixing experiences, trying new combos - oh, I felt like a little mother hen, just puffed up with excitement that my little chicks were exploring new horizons. And their paintings, ooh la la!!!!

As for me......well, I hardly know where to start. The trip was exhilarating is so many ways. Although I taught for 4 days straight, I feel energized and just so very excited to get back to my own painting. I have ideas, oh how I have ideas, so many that my head is spinning a bit, all in the best way possible.

I have today (only today, yikes) to get grounded  here at the home-front. Then a l-o-n-g 12 hour day at the store tomorrow that includes a meeting, my regular work, and the first week of my ongoing Decorative Abstract Painting Class. We still have openings if you are interested - the class meets from 6-8:30 for 4-Wednesdays. Cost of $160 includes everything and you will end up with a finished abstract work for your home. I think it is going to be fun.

More Valley Ridge scenery and student work will be coming soon, so stay tuned.

Valley Ridge

I've been at Valley Ridge for the last 4 days teaching brilliant students, adding new apps to my phone and being inspired by this special place. I will share more pics in the coming days but here is a photo I took. The Toy Camera app is pure magic!


-- Post From My iPhone

And the paint is flyin'

http://www.jacksonpollock.org/

This is a fun site to make your own Jackson Pollock.

New Doodle-roo

This one was pretty time consuming. I finished it while I was out at Artfest. And then the strangest thing happened......I was in Akamai, the terrific art store in Port Townsend, and they had Origami paper that was so unbelievably similar to my doodle! I had never even seen B+W Origami paper before. Naturally I had to buy some.

Spring has Sprung

I've been doing a lot of work with Triads lately - mainly in preparation for the class I am teaching at Valley Ridge (and yeah, we still have a few extra spots if you want to jump in, call Kathy).

I work with Triads a lot as I love to mix all my own paints rather than rely on what comes out of the tube. Obviously I used a lot of white here too and pencil and collage and Wood Icing for the texture. No black though (except pencil), I simply wasn't in the mood on the day I painted these. I was trying to harness the feeling of Spring.

The Next Step

I'm working at the store today and have just gessoed 9 substrates.
I have 2 shows in May and my inventory is quite low. I'm eager to paint, excited beyond belief really. So what will I paint next? Hmmm,


that is a very good question.
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Peep Peep

Peep Contest
I adore seeing the pictures from this contest each year. Great fun! Seems there are a lot of political ones this year. The arty ones tend to be my faves, such as the Georgia O'Peep, but they are all quite clever.

Channeling Jesse Reno

One of the classes I took at Artfest was with Jesse Reno. I adore his work, even more now that I have met him.




I made ugly art in his class.
But today I decided to play with some of his techniques and this is what blossomed. Not sure this little piece does Jesse's teaching justice but I kinda like it. Hopefully I'll try some more soon.
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The Stencils Are Here

Ok, so maybe I've toyed with you just a wee bit about these stencils. They are my very first design effort. Me, with my rudimentary 'puter skills, has somehow managed to design a set of stencils, creating vector files in Illustrator, doing screen drawing, etc, etc. Believe me, the process had its moments.

I found an amazing manufacturer who produced the most lovely clean crisp images I could ever imagine. These are the stencils I always dreamed about. Seriously, I know that sounds ridiculous, but I reallyreally like stencils.

I took them to Artfest and my friends Misty and lk debuted them in their classes. Geez, what a dream come true, talk about instant promo. And then Vendor Night hit. My table was swarmed with people. It was a feeding frenzy. I stood there completely overwhelmed, deer in headlights. You would have thought I had never sold anything in my life. But I was mainly gratified at the support - people liked them!!! What an amazing thrill.

Now they are available for purchase on a secondary blog called Stencil Girl Products.  There will be more stencils coming along with rubber stamps that are the inverse of the stencils. Plus some other things that I have up my sleeve. To check out the stencils, get prices, buy them, etc, etc, just
CLICK here.

Artfest Day 2


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Leaving on a Jet Place

I'd love to be able to sing, "All my backs are packed I'm ready to go, " but alas that isn't true. I have clothes and supplies strewn all over the house, little piles of 'must-have-with-me' stuff, mainly my comfort things, like the Aveda Balance Oil that I sniff when I get nervous or my favorite L'Occitane hand cream. I am a real dork like that, I have ritualistic travel needs. Yesterday I made sure my fave soothing/healing meditations were loaded onto my iPhone. Sounds like I'm a bit nuts, huh, but Artfest is such an amazing feast for the senses, I want to be able to fully enjoy the experience. And that means I want to be calm, cool and collected (right....) and hopefully be able to sleep every night. At my age, when I am prone to wandering the house aimlessly at 2 or 3 am, I need all the holistic aid I can muster, tee, hee.

Anyhoo, I did organize and ship my vending stuff, yippee. Here is a pic:

There is more that I am carrying with me, but this stuff is kinda heavy, so I sent it on ahead.

And, for the plane, I have so many projects, reading things, podcasts, etc. Crazy. Lately I've been on a doodle binge of sorts, prompted by my friend Carolyn, who showed me her Foamcore Doodles, done with an Identi-pen. I loved hers so much I had to run right out and get some Identi-pens for myself. They are the ultimate easy doodle pen by the way, two tips, so all you really need to carry is one pen. Here is one I just finished:

Wowza, I love the contrast between the glossy foamcore and the deep intensity of the pen. I've been using scraps of foamcore, 5" squares, so this is small and easy to carry.

Music for Smilin' Fridays

There are certain songs that I adore and they never fail to make me smile. Here are a few of them:
What a Wonderful World how can you not adore Louis Armstrong. And I just learned about this girl but I already love her happy sound The Cricket's Orchestra, Meaghan Smith is cute as a button and her voice is kind of old fashioned yet hip.  But my latest obsession is this version of Somewhere Over The Rainbow/What A Wonderful World Swoon, swoon.

And, on a totally different topic, any perfectionists among us - ok, I plead from sometimes suffering from it myself, most of us Type A's go thru this, ugh, what a plague, talk about a good quality gone bad. Anyhoo, Robert Genn has a brilliant newsletter about Perfectionism with respect to Painting. You can read it here. And, if you don't get his email newsletter, consider signing up. Good stuff.

I am finishing up my Artfest Vending stuff. You might say I'm in a frenzy. Can you say 300 stencils? Aaaaacckkkk, all arriving today, need packaging, etc, etc. Once I get back from AF, I will put them on etsy, so you can all check them out. I've been playing with my samples for a few weeks and have to say (somewhat modestly, blush, blush) they are pretty cool.

They call me 'the pusher'

Catnip, that is. Jasper mellows out.


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OK Go - This Too Shall Pass - Rube Goldberg Machine version - Official

All right, I know that over 8 million peeps have already seen this, but I hadn't. So maybe you haven't either? Anyhoo, its pretty cool.
Good song too.

Meaghan Smith - A Little Love

I really like this girl! Her new CD is released today, yippee.

Paint chart madness

It seemed like fun when we first started, but believe me, it gets old hand painting paint charts.


There is a certain satisfaction seeing them all done though. And this is only half of them.

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Japanese way of folding T-shirts!

An oldie but a goodie. Too bad John did the laundry yesterday; we could practice!!

Art Journaling

I adore art journaling, absolutely worship folks like Teesha and Judy and Kim who work on their journals regularly.

I buy all the journaling books and mags. Swoon and swoon more.

I own all the supplies. Swoon.

Yet I never seem to get it together.

Between managing all my other commitments, it seems that Art Journaling always falls by the wayside. It sounds ridiculous to say that I have too much 'other' art going on to journal, but that is basically what happens.









I do keep a written journal, one that is next to my bed, just plain old hand writing.....thoughts and dreams and sketches....I am sporadic
at best and will sometimes go months without entries, how sad is that.
But there was something about those Teesha YouTube videos that sucked me right back in. She made it look so easy!

I made her "Amazing 16 page Journal." I am now in the embellishment phase, sort of randomly working on pages. I did put some writing down on part of one page (below). Its my plan to finish all the collage and then carry this to Artfest with me. I will be able to do writing, doodling, etc. around all my collage parts. And I won't have to carry too many supplies (just the journal and a black pen) which is cool.

I am hopeful this is a habit I may be able to manage moving forward? And maybe I will become an Art Journal person after all.

One could only hope, huh?

New Eyes

I am seeing things with new eyes.
Returned home late on Saturday night and yesterday was amazing. Even cleaning my house felt special as I was spellbound by shadows cast by the pendant lights above our kitchen island. The cats' fur seems softer, their faces sweeter. And John, dear as ever, is even more so.
Life is very very good, blissful indeed.
I am holding this creative energy like a humming bird, sheltered gently within in my hands.....

Three little hearts

All in a row. Found them at the beach - one each of coral, shell and stone. This discovery feels important for some reason or maybe I'm just in a contemplative mood. I am blissed to be in sunshine today.


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Ah, the good life

Having been running around like the proverbial chicken, I am now relaxing in Florida.


It is beautiful here, this is the vew from Claire's house.




And here is the view of the Gelato at Sonny's.
It is raining right now but we've already been at the beach today so now I am doing a little work. So sad. Not.

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Design mania

Design continues on my new line of stencils. Most of these are things I have hand cut (oy, talk about hard work) in the past so I am thrilled at the idea of having them manufactured.
Stay tuned for more info.



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Monday Monday

A vignette of my favorite things in my office. I got this wonderful paint by number in Pt. Townsend a couple years ago. Most of the other things are gifts from friends, all have symbolic interest for me.
Are you like that too? Do you surround yourself with special things, mementos and the like?


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Location:Paul Pointe Ct,Wildwood,United States

It has to be a Cadillac

Ok, as you read this rant, keep in mind that I used to own one way back when..... In another life when I used to work for GM.

Probably I shouldn't even be ranting and maybe I should apologize in advance to anyone I might offend. Ya think I've groveled enough?

So. You're driving along in your everyday vehicle. Not speeding, just driving along. And whoosh, a friggin' huge (got gas?) vehicle flies by throwing snow and ice over anyone in it's wake.

It's always a Cadillac. An Escalade to be precise. I think the manufacturer puts a li'l sumpin sumpin on the seats...shoots right up the a-hole, it does.





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Location:Chestfield Pkwy S,Chesterfield,United States

Conversation Hearts

Here is a link to my recent TV appearance. I have to confess, these have been fun! Who would have thunk it? I am apparently a ham. Once you get to the webpage, Click where it says Romantic Dessert & Personalized Hearts.

Capybaras rock

Thanks to Mary Ann Moss for a heads up on this fantabulous site:
ZooBorns
There are amazing pictures of zoo babies, hence the name. Anyhoo, you can click by animal name to see a specific type. I instantly selected Capybaras because I had Guinea Pigs when I was a kid (Penelope,Brigitte, Amelia Earhart and Perky - geez, I sorta brained out on his unimaginative name, ha) and Capybaras have always reminded me of really big guinea pigs. The babies are adorable as you might imagine. They seem like they would be fun to have around.
Or not.
I guess its possible that not everyone loves rodents like I do.

Conversation Hearts

Looking for a last minute personal and artsy gift for your sweetie?
Join Heather Haymart &
Mary Beth Shaw in making
Conversation Hearts.
Yep, just like the candies.
You'll make up your own message. We'll have collage stuff, paints, and frames.
Wednesday 2/10 from 6:30-8
Wood Icing @ Chesterfield
$25 includes everything you need
Call 636-536-0409 to hold a spot.

Watch me on Great Day St. Louis from 10-11 am tomorrow to see a demo.
That's Channel 4, CBS.

You know the EZ cut tool for the Dremel? It makes the item you are cutting really hot, like burn your skin hot. Just saying......

SAW Registration Opens Monday

Swoon, swoon, like a loon.
A poet I am not
you'll have to trust me when I say
that Squam Art Workshops are hot!!!
Come join me at the Fall session
where like minded souls join
for relaxing decompression
and joyful creation of art,
Experienced in such a way
that will totally touch your heart.

Click here to register

Mixed Media Art for Gateway Pet Guardians, woof woof

I have switched from cats to dogs this week, all for the purpose of Gateway Pet Guardians, a wonderful local rescue run by my friend (and jeweler extraordinaire) Amie Simmons. They are having a fundraiser in February, you can check out their blog to find out more information about tickets where you can bid on this piece and others.

The dogs in my collage painting are real pups that Amie and gang rescued - she had a 'Meet and Greet' several months ago so that artists could actually meet some of her dogs and hopefully make a piece incorporating them. It was hard to get them to sit still (!) but I managed to snap these shots and then make my painting using my own photography, simplistic as it is, tee, hee.

It is such a small world, you know? It was years ago, when I first learned of Bernie Berlin and her rescue down in TN. I donated art for an auction and have since donated funds to help her rescue. She does such an amazing job (click here for her site - she has just rescued a huge batch of puppies and oh my oh my does she need help right now - donate if you can!). So anyhoo, I guess Amie read my blog, saw that post about Bernie's rescue and loved the idea of linking dogs and rescue and art......she was so impressed she decided to start a similar effort here in St. Louis. And now I help both of them because there is nothing I love more than critters.

And speaking of helping, I have also donated a piece to the Sheldon Concert Hall for their Haiti fundraiser, which is a concert and art auction. If you happen to be local, here's the scoop:

The St. Louis Musicians for Haiti concert • 7:30 p.m. Feb. 9, Sheldon Concert Hall. Performing are Christine Brewer and Peter Henderson, Brian Owens, Mayor Taylor, the Bottoms Up Blues Band, Peter Martin, Mardra Thomas and Reggie Thomas, and Kim Massie. Julius Hunter hosts. Tickets $15, on sale at MetroTix outlets, metrotix.com, by calling 314-534-1111, and at the Fox Theatre box office. Proceeds from the presentation benefit Doctors Without Borders.

Love love love that garbage

Check it out here.

Lesson Learned

Art is a collaboration between God and the artist, and the less the artist does the better.
- Andre Gide

The other day I was working at the store with a friend of mine. She had come over so we could work on 8"x8" pieces that we were doing for a local charity thingie. I already had an idea in my head and thought it would be decently easy to complete my piece while also helping her put one together (since she had asked for my help).

So.

I worked and worked and worked on my piece. My friend left. I still worked on my piece. Overworked on my piece, you could say. I finished it all right. Ahem. Within an inch of its life. I kept looking at it, wondering what could be done. I told myself it was for a charity event and it was fine. But it didn't feel fine and I don't like to put out work that I don't like. But there was a deadline and I was in such a quandary with a million things on my calendar.

The substrate was wood panel, the kind that has the indentation in the back where you are supposed to hang it. I turned my piece over and wouldn't you know, I had been working it in the wrong orientation. I said a bad word out loud.

Then I calmly picked up a block of sandpaper and simply demolished it. I gouged it so the collage parts peeled off. I turned to one of my store partners and said "I only have ten more minutes before I have to go......I am going to finish this right now." He nodded.

I dumped collage papers on the table and started randomly grabbing whatever appealed to me. Now keep in mind I am a pretty fast worker, but I was in a frenzy. Literally. It was a good kind of thing, not stressful, almost like time stopped for a few minutes.

Sometimes I just need to get out of my own way.

Help for Haiti

Artist are people who feel deeply. They are also people who believe in action. I am so proud of my friends who have posted things on their blogs about donating to relief efforts in Haiti. There are tons of good organizations out there. Here is one way to find out more.



The hands down easiest way to help is to simply:

Text "HAITI" to "90999" to donate $10 to the Red Cross

Do it over and over.

Another way is to check out Shari Beaubien's auction HERE. How sweet and generous. And with matching funds, how can you resist??

Patience

Patience from Glowing Heads on Vimeo.

Of which I seem to have little.......

But this is undoubtedly one of the coolest things I have ever seen. I am awestruck and filled with respect for this amazing artist, Randi Parkhurst.

Rerun

I was on TV again yesterday. This is just a wee bit weird as I am simply not used to being 'out' this much. But I love those folks down at Great Day St. Louis (on Kmov), such a very nice group of people, they make a live TV spot feel like a walk in the park.

Here's the link if you want to watch my little segment. I forgot to record it on our home TV, so I didn't get to watch myself in HD(possibly a blessing in disguise?) and check out my eye makeup, tee, hee. After the last show, I thought my eyes looked a little bare, so I've been trying a more 'made up' look that will add some oomph without making it look like someone smacked me in the eye. Oy, this is hard! It has been years since I wore eyeliner.

I also think I need a wardrobe allowance if I am going to keep doing this, oh John, honey, I gotta buy new clothes, hahahaha. Seriously though, I've already worn my 2 low key outfits. What on earth would I wear next time!?!?

Upcoming St. Louis Classes

There are a couple classes coming up soon (yikes!!) that I must mention as time is getting away from me:
All of these are here in St. Louis - Chesterfield to be exact.

Jan 17th - Not Yo’ Mama’s Paste Paper
Wood Icing @ Chesterfield, from 1-4
Its a wild painting bonanza where we paint papers galore for all your upcoming projects. You will learn my fun mono-printing technique and also how to 'save your whites' when making papers. No experience is necessary, this is a good time to play and a great way to build a stash of very unique papers.
$40, all supplies furnished
register at Wood Icing or call
(636) 536-0409

Jan 21st - Conversation HeARTs
Wood Icing @ Chesterfield, from 6-8
Heather & I will both lead this fun-filled evening (could there be adult beverages involved? seriously, byob) where you make a tiny framed Valentine for your sweetie. We will first help you create a wonderful heartfelt picture- either painting, collage or both-then you embellish with a personal message and finish the piece off in a cute little frame. What a special gift!
$25, all supplies furnished
register in person at Wood Icing or call
(636) 536-0409

March 6th - Mixed Media Collage
Chesterfield Arts from 10-4
Create a unique collage painting using your own family photos. Bring paper copies (real paper, not photo paper) of the images you want to use, bring a variety of sizes, B+W definitely preferred. I’ll bring the rest, the canvas, the brushes, the glue, the paints, and tons of background materials. If you have papers or fabrics you want to use in your piece, feel free to bring them along too.
$90, plus $10 supply fee, pack a lunch.
Call (636) 519-1955 to register or visit the Chesterfield Arts website.

And yep, I am finally offering Private Classes, one on one instruction. You pick the topic, I will spill it. I will walk you step by step through a collage painting; I'll help you paint fabulous papers; I'll guide you on creation of an abstract claybord. You're the boss here, just tell me what you want and I will structure the class to your needs. Email mbshaw@mbshaw.com for more detail, but the cost is $30 per hour/person. If you live out of town and I'm not teaching at a venue near you, there is a Drury Hotel literally a stone's throw from the Wood Icing store. So it is conceivable that you and a friend could come in and work with me. Just saying, in case you are up for a girl trip. Which sounds like a good time to me!

Sunny Monday

The sun is out. This seems nothing short of a miracle lately. We still have snow on the ground and it is darn cold here. As you can see, my cats have stolen my reading area. Not that I have much time to read these days. But I am working (albeit slowly) on a really good book, The Help, by Kathryn Stockett. Not since The Secret Life of Bees have I felt involved with the characters like I do with this book. It is really well done.

But alas, I am so friggin' tired I have trouble staying awake to read. Seems like I hit the bed and instantly fall asleep. Last night I was nodding off at 8:30 and just decided go to bed early. I am in some kind of hibernation mode, do you think I am a bear? Luckily I woke up with a little more energy this morning and got a rigorous workout in. I am hoping I have finally caught up with my sleep???

I am headed into the studio today to organize my project for Great Day St. Louis tomorrow cause I'm gonna be on TV again, this time with a 'Save the Day' project oriented toward weddings although it could be done for any type event. I'll put up a link after it airs.

So many things on my ever-growing TO DO list. One thing that continues to pop up - I want to do another video as it has been quite a long time, a demo of some technique. Could be Paste Paper painting or Claybord or basic collage technique or who knows what. Any requests? Let me know, k?

Ah, its Squam time

The website for Squam is live, so click on over there if you are thinking about going. Elizabeth has added a bunch of new events this year and there are so many wonderful options, oh my am I tempted on that 'By the Sea' retreat.

I will be teaching in the Fall Session. A brand new, never-taught-before class, The Nature of Klimt. I am really excited about it because, well, I LOVE Klimt for one thing. Plus I am really jazzed about all these new techniques using texture and clay and markers and blahblahblah on claybord. Somebody just slap me already.....

And I have a kinda Clif notes class on Color. I think it will be way helpful - sure wish somebody would have taught me all this stuff many moons ago, ha, ha.

And I have a FREE day, what a tremendous thrill. I am not sure what class I want to take, there are such glorious options. I am very tempted by the adorable contemplative Jen Lee. But I also kinda dig that Bloom True class by Flora Bowley. I haven't met her, but I already love her name - it sorta fits her work.

By the way, this picture was taken on Squam in 2009, the very last day. I bolted out of bed to see the sun rise. I was standing on our dock in my flannel pj's (with about 5 other women), all of us photographing the sunrise. Here is a link to my 'post Squam' wrap up blog where I see I also posted this same photo (and told this same story, I am getting old, huh?).

Truly, they put something in the water, I just know it.

The Word

Lots of folks are picking One Word for the year 2010. I am not sure if I can stick with just one. I was thinking more like one a month? But I am going to give it a try.
Many years I have chosen 'Balance' as my word; in fact, I have picked it over and over to the point it is embarrassing, I mean really.
Once I started thinking about it, lots of words came to mind but I wanted something a little different, not the same ole, same ole, you know?
Then I knew I had it. Popped into my head lickety split and that.was.it.
S-P-R-E-A-D
I was thinking along the lines of 'Spread your wings'. It's kinda like stretching (see Gilligan, above) but I think it feels more positive.
So, Spread it is!
For the moment anyway.

Celebrating gifts of Charley Harper and Cavallini

Growing up in Cincinnati, OH, the work of Charley Harper surrounded me. We lived next to Winton Woods and spent lots of time there as kids; all the park signage was designed by Charley Harper. He lived one suburb over from us. My mom worked part time at her friend's shop - they carried his work and frequently saw he and his wife Edie. As far as I knew, they were 'just' local artists. Little did I know, huh?

Anyhoo, I loved his spare style way back then, when I was too young to get how good it was (and still is). As a teen, I cursed my way through my one and only cross stitch effort, Fishful Thinking, by Edie (see below). To this day it hangs in my parent's living room, more a testament to Edie's keen design than my needle work, ha!

Anyhoo, these days I enjoy collecting any type of Charley Harper item, Christmas ornaments for sure and I was thrilled to add Brrrrrdbath to my tree (see above). I also got the book, Charles Harper's Birds and Words, a recently re-issued book of Harper's own commentary regarding the birds that he drew. It is a gem that every Harper fan should own. Not only does it have so many of his pieces, it is chock full of his humor, just delightful! And I got a Charley Coffee mug which I will use at the store. Nice haul, huh?

If you are unfamiliar with his work, check it out here. Very cool stuff, realistic yet with clean lines and a graphic design aesthetic. I adore it.













Speaking of stuff I love.....
Last night I attended a party with some arty friends. We do a gift exchange and I decided to assemble a group of my own 'favorite things' a la Oprah. Clever me had assembled a few small items that included a Cavallini Notebook, birds of course, indeed one of my favorite things. It was well received by the group then we moved to the next gift, also a Cavallini Notebook plus a tin of Postcards; the next gift was a Calendar; the next another Notebook. It was absolutely hilarious. Like minded souls I suppose.

Happy New Year everyone. Look for the Blue Moon, what an auspicious sign for 2010!!!

Tuckered Out

This little kitty is catching up on his sleep. There have been little kiddos in the house - grand kids followed by my niece and nephew. This little kitty has run and scampered and rolled and jumped and scratched (yeah, I caught him using the tree as a scratching post) and has gotten very little sleep. Because he can.not.miss.any.thing.
Everyone is gone now and Jasper is sleeping and sleeping and sleeping. He is so cute. I want to crawl onto that feather bed and curl up with him because I am exhausted too.
But the peoples of our house have work and parties and more work and more parties. Perhaps 2010 will bring some sleep....

This is your brain on Christmas

Oy, I am fried. I've been working at the store; cranking projects for the book; readying my house for the holidays; shopping; wrapping; baking (ok, not really, that's planned for tomorrow) and preparing for my brother and his family to arrive. I am going so many different directions I truly do run into myself.

All this being prelude to the idiocy of this story you are about to hear. Ahem.

Last night, John was heading off to bed around 10-ish, his usual time as he likes to read in bed for an hour or so before he goes to sleep. Normally (what is normal anyhoo!!?!) I do this too but the last few nights I've stayed up till about 12 or 1 doing one of the items mentioned above and yeah, you can really shop that late if you use the Internet.

Wrapping gifts was on last night's agenda and my office was set up with supplies. I clicked on to my Netflix Instant Queue so I could watch Art 21 (which is the bestest PBS show, you should check it out) while I worked. Both the cats were in and out of my office, rolling around in piles of wrapping debris as cats will do. They were especially interested in the skinny ribbon, the kind that is good for curling.


So, I finished all the packages and breathed a sigh of relief. I decided to shut my office door to prevent the cats from becoming curious during the night and walking all over the gifts, chewing on ribbons, etc. And that's when my 'brain on Christmas' event happened.......I shut Jasper Johns in my office.

Oh lordy, I couldn't find him this morning and that is when I realized the error of my ways. He bolted out of the office like a shot, headed straight for his litter box. I will confess he was a very good boy with the packages, something just short of a miracle. Here is his sweet little face, showing me how innocent he can be......

And, in other news, I received a wonderful gift in the mail the other day, this fabulous purse from my friend Deb Trotter. Deb has signed a licensing contract with Icon (manufacturer of upscale arty shoes & purses) and this is her design on a purse. How cool is that!??!? And how lucky am I to be the gift recipient. In the words of Deb, Yee ha!!!


















Happy Holidays everyone!!!!

On the Easel

This is the painting currently 'on the easel' in my studio. Sadly, it has been there for a few weeks, as have the little ones down on the floor. I've been finishing most of my smaller works while I am at the Store/Gallery. I love the fact I am to paint while I am there and I am getting better at continuing to work while people watch me. At first I would stop what I was doing and talk to them (cause it felt impolite to not talk), but I seriously think they just prefer to watch.

My mirrors have been selling like gang-busters which is cool. I am putting sayings on them now, (of course I forgot to take any pictures), but things like "Beauty is as Beauty does", "You look mahvelous" and my personal fave, "Like what you see."

These days, my works move back and forth between my Common Denominator series and my Abstracts. I find the works are merging together more which has been my intent all along, but it is on the s-l-o-w- train, ha, ha, ha.

My head is all over the place today. You ever have those days? When there are so many ideas fighting for space in your head, it is just crazy? There are Book projects occupying every inch of table space in the studio. I need to bring some to fruition though as it feels a bit wild right now. FUN (and fresh) stuff though and I can't wait to share them all with you.

Happy Monday everybody.

Paper Art

Yesterday on Great Day St. Louis they referred to me as a 'Paper artist'. Ah, how I wish......geez, I am simply a painter as I certainly lack the discipline, dexterity and attention to detail (not to mention patience) to be a Paper Artist. Check out some fabulous ones here.

And yes, the video of my appearance is up! You can see it here. Thanks so much for all the kind words and support. It means sooooo much to me. And thanks to all the talented folks at Great Day - they certainly made me feel at home.

It's a Great Day, St. Louis (I hope.....)

If you're in the St. Louis area, check out Channel 4 (KMOV) at 10am. I am going to be on Great Day St. Louis (wish me well as I am nervous. duh). I'll be doing a Paste Painted Paper Demo and small project.
If you miss it, or you're not local, I believe you can check out this link after the show and see my segment. I don't know how quickly it will be posted.
To sign up for the class at Wood Icing (see sidebar), call the store (or stop by) (636) 536-5345.

COMBO a collaborative animation by Blu and David Ellis

Very cool animation meets mural.
And I really do need to get to work now (ahem) after messing around on the blasted machine for the past hour.....

Is it really December

As a child I remember adults talking about how quickly time passed and I never quite got it. Especially in December cause it just seemed to drag and drag as I opened the little windows on my Advent calendar, convinced that Christmas was never going to arrive.

And now I move at warp speed. Presumably I am an adult now. Yikes, how did that happen!??!

We had the Grand Opening for the Wood Icing store over the weekend. It was well attended and I am so grateful for my friends who came out, thankyouthankyouthankyou. We made tons of free ornaments with kids and adults I am guessing we may do this all month? You'll have to stop by to see, wink, wink. And yep, I think we can count on Greg to be shooting more free Facebook photos too as that was just too much fun. I wore a reptile headpiece for one of mine. Ahem. It wasn't pretty.

I have updated my sidebar with workshop offerings near and far. I have also posted a link to my December newsletter, so you can click here if you would like to read it and you aren't already on my mailing list.

Cross another one off the list

This is a recently finished commission that I delivered last week. The painting is 30" x 40" on canvas and incorporates a lot of symbolism that is personal to this particular family. Very cool stuff; they were quite inventive in their approach to the process and I think the final result is a testament to their thoughtful involvement. They saw a larger piece of mine (at a show) and asked me to do something similar only with their special collage elements. I was very pleased with how it turned out and I think they are happy too which pleases me immensely.

For the Birds

I am still on this bird kick. Me and half the world I guess; birds remain crazy popular right now and I like working with them. These are my latest, on 9x12 panels. I enjoy working on the rigid surface for a change, it is so different from canvas and even quite different from the claybord I typically use. These are all headed to the store/gallery, that being Wood Icing. One is spoken for already but I could actually see these all hanging together. They are priced at $140 each if anyone is interested, let me know.

Still on the easel is a 30x40 commission that is almost done. And a piece for my brother and his wife, hopefully they aren't reading this. The commission is canvas, the other is claybord - it is interesting moving back and forth between the two, kind of challenging in its own way. Pictures coming soon.