Illustration Friday- Cold

I live in Minnesota, so I think I know a little something about what it is to be cold. The main thing that happens is that I think of ways to feel warm. I just completed this painting and this might be a stretch on the theme. It is a bit abstract, but here is what I see; a mother holding a child wrapped in a quilt, keeping her from being cold.

New paintings

I just thought I would post some new paintings that I have finally completed. So far they don't have titles, but the running themes are end of summer, a night on the town, children, and solitude.

It's definitely fall in Minnesota, and there are a million amazing colors. We had this 78 degree day yesterday which is odd for mid October. The second picture reminds me of the colors all around, the way my kids have been raking the leaves into a big pile to jump in everyday after school. The first picture is about going to Dinky Town for dinner with my husband. It was so fun to drink wine and people watch with him. That was definitely on my mind when I was working on this piece.

I have been trying not to think about the final outcome of these paintings. I have just started with a palate of color, turned on some music and I am seeing where the shape and color leads me.

Illustration Friday- Fresh

Every year my family goes apple picking around the end of September, which is coincidentally, right around my birthday. I always end up making myself a birthday apple pie. Anyway, as I was painting this piece an apple cropped up- gee I wonder what I was thinking about? Fresh apples that's what! Oh yeah, and birds too.

Illustration Friday- Escape

This is my submission for escape. This is basically about my escape into my mind- it looks like a pretty cluttered place. I escape into music, books, and generally my own daydreams.

Illustration Friday-tranquility

My ideaof tranquil is being in a state of total relaxation. This is called " The Lady of the Hour."

The Secret Lives of Suburban Housewives

Here are two new pics from my suburban housewife series. One will be at the Buffalofish Gallery in August and the other will be submitted as an entry to the minnesota state fair.

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Art Fairs

So far this summer I have survived 5 art fairs. Three of which have been rained out on at least one day during the weekend. I discovered that my new tent had a leak at fair #3 and spent a good portion of my day covering my work with plastic bags. It was a kind of peek- a- boo display. I also had three frames break on me! But I have discovered a few interesting things about how people shop at art fairs, which I find to be quite entertaining to watch. For example, I had a framed picture wrapped in bubble wrap hidden in the back of my booth and for some reason many shoppers were more interested in that piece then in any of the pieces on display. One shopper even crawled back into the space to get a look at this hidden treasure. So I thought that it might be a great sales technique to cover all of my art to peak the curiosity of the shopper, and create a sort of hide and seek display-just kidding. I also found the fear of commitment shopper to be very funny to watch. This is the person that teeters on the edge of my booth leaning in to see the work while keeping their feet firmly planted on the outside of the booth. My feeling is that if they step in they might be attacked, or worse spoken to by the artist. Some artists have been known to eat art fair goers who step into their booth-we are starving after all! I still have quite a few more fairs to go, with the mother of all fairs coming up in July- Art Fair on the Square in Madison Wisconsin. There are 500 artists at this fair! I thought I would share a picture of my booth that I took on a sunny day last weekend. I also got a killer farmer tan at this fair- very attractive!

Illustration Friday- mischief

This weeks theme took me some time to think about. What came to mind is what happens after my children get home from school and all hell breaks loose in the house. They are everywhere, getting into everything. It makes me crazy. This is a picture of them dancing through, creating havoc and much mischief.

Illustration Friday-Daring

I think that to be daring one needs to think outside the box, draw outside the lines and have no fear of the edge. This piece is called Burst .

Illustration Friday- alone

I don't get the opportunity to be alone much, having young children, so all I can do is fantasize about what it might be like to have time to myself. This is my self portrait called, Slinky Cat and Her girl Living in a Dream World. I thought it might be nice to just sit quietly with a bottle of wine and my various pets and listen to music or watch Sex in the City on HBO.

illustration friday-crowded

This chaotic picture is what it looks like when all of my kids and all of their friends are over at my house playing. Did I mention that I have four kids?

Illustration Friday-Bloom

Spring is here for a few minutes at least in Minnesota, so this weeks theme is definitely perfect. I drew this picture a while back of a miniature willow tree, it was starting to bloom and I thought it to be a little piece of spring in the land of the frozen tundra . I don't generally draw landscapes or things from nature, so this was a departure from my normal routine, but at the time I felt like I needed to capture the moment.

Illustration Friday-fragile

I tried to think of fragile things like babies, glass lanterns, vases , my self esteem at times and this is what I came up with for this weeks illustration. My drawings tend to be over stuffed and frantic which basically is a metaphor for my life and frame of mind as it is presently.

I also experimented a bit with layering papers and painting more with my pastels by mixing them with an acrylic medium and layering pastel ground over the collaged papers so that they could be drawn on more effectively.

All Things Fragile

Illustration Friday- Ancient

This weeks subject was a bit tough for me. I didn't want to just draw a picture of something old, so I got a bit conceptual. This morning I read an article in the paper about how women are more able to make a come back in their careers after a major setback. Take for example, the Martha Stewart stock scandal( which after serving time she is coming out better than when she went in), the Paris Hilton internet sex video( which brought her modeling and book deals), and Kirstie Alley's big fat come back( capitalize on the fat and laugh all the way to the bank Kirstie). These women have been able to redefine the scarlet letter as ancient. Men seem to be able to ride out their scandals and come through in good repair,many times better than before the scandal. There are plenty of examples of the public saying bad boys will be boys, but nobody said girls would be girls, until now. Times are definitely changing.

This illustration is a reaction to the now ancient and albeit obsolete scarlet letter.

Illustration Friday Jazz post

Let it snow

Minnesota is definitely known for its cold weather, but one would think that we would get a lot more snow. Well, as the saying goes, don't wish too hard you might get what you ask for. A few weeks ago we had a really wet snowfall( yes, this California gal has learned that there are many different types of snowfall). It looked so beautiful that morning,completely new and untouched,so my husband took a few pictures of our backyard.

This was taken from our back porch.

This is my four year old daughter Emilie posing in front of her snowman that she built with her dad. Wet snow is definitely the best kind to build a snowman( just a little factoid).

As for me, I like to enjoy the snow from my studio, it's a lot warmer . It's hard to think of color when all you see outside is white and grey. I had to open a few art books,mostly books on Matisse, to get some color inspiration. When I paint all winter for my summer shows my palate tends to get a little bit subdued and it needs a little boost. I have been working on another in my series of pink ladies. This piece is still in progress, but I thought that I would share a portion of it with you( all 5 of you that read my journal that is). It is still far from complete in my mind. I still need to make a few adjustments and layer some more color, but it is bright enough to make me happy for he time being and help me forget about winter for a while.

Self Portrait

Do you ever feel like you are coming apart at the seams? Motherhood will definitely do that to you. This morning I am hiding from my four year old who is currently throwing a fit for no particular reason other than she feels as though she has been wronged in some way that the rest of us don't quite understand. She is,at this very moment, hurling toys at her bedroom door trying to create as loud a thunk as possible. Unfortunately I have only had one cup of coffee today and am not ready to face the world of children head on quite yet. I'll get there eventually.

This is my self portrait, in it I am coming apart at the seams and chaos reigns all around. At least I had a good weekend. My husband, good guy that he is, watched the kids for more than a few hours while I visited an artist friend. I have to say that it was good to get out of the house for a while. My friend has been working on frames for me( we do tend to clash form time to time on the framing), but we are working out the kinks. I posted a picture of the funky frame he helped create from an idea that I had, can I say it again, I love that frame. I think that I am going to have him create a few more for me. So far, all that have seen the painting have loved it. It is always nice to get positive feedback from time to time-or any feedback at all for that matter. I do know that framing is the most tedious and frustrating part of the art business(besides slow sales), because as soon as you think it is perfect you find something wrong like a smudge inside the glass or dust you missed. It sucks. Joel(a.k.a. my framer) is discovering this the hard way. It becomes even tougher when you are already in a dusty environment like a wood shop. Anyway thanks to Joel for his patience and thanks to my awesome husband Bob for letting me spend time away from my kids for the sake of my sanity. I may actually be able to survive the week cooped up in the house.

Another Pink Lady

I must be thinking pink lately because I can't seem to paint or draw anything but these pink figures lately. I am on my way to creating a whole series of these pensive naked ladies.

So far I have created two pastels and am working toward completion of a large oil painting. I'm hoping to show them at some of the art fairs that I will be participating in as well as a couple of gallery shows.

The Funky Frame

I wanted a frame that captured the motion of the lines in this painting and I think the idea was realized wonderfully. I collaborated with a sculptural wood worker/artist friend and this is what was born. I might not be able to part with it any time soon!

I dub thee, The Funky Frame .

The Good Enough Mother

I recently read an article in this weeks Newsweek Magazine titled The Good Enough Motherhttp://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6960127/site/Newsweek/ by Anna Quindlen. It really spoke to the craziness surrounding motherhood today. I can definitely relate considering that I have four children of my own under the age of ten and I have tried to be the super human parent juggling children, a job and attempting to run a household and do it all well(like that was ever a possibility). After I had my third child I quit my job and tried to redefine myself in the role of just" mother". Which generally meant losing my self defined identity as a teacher(which was my former profession) and put me on this completely untravelled road as a stay at home mom. I spent the first year trying to figure out what do do with myself and my children. Motherhood can be a very lonely job, thankfully I made some great friends-also mothers, who could "feel my pain." Five years ago I decided to take some of my life back and began painting and drawing to fill a creative void. I was sick of my only feeling of accomplishment coming from how clean my house was or weather or not I had dinner on the table, clean kids, and a tidy house before my husband got home. June Cleaver I was not and I hated playing the role, so I gave up the part. I am still juggling, but now I am showing some of my work, which not surprisingly, revolves around motherhood and my ever changing thoughts and views about surviving this life as a woman. So for all of you crazed moms out there( you know who you are) take a load off. Let the kids run wild, don't vaccuum, screw the dishes, and for god sakes order some pizza it will save your sanity!

This is one of my very first paintings titled The Good Mother. It is about the down time in motherhood when you get to actually enjoy the whole experience without judgement.

Buffalo Fish Fine Arts

It's official, there is a new gallery in town-sort of. Okay, so they are a bit off the beaten track from the twin cities scene, about 90 miles west to be exact, but it was worth the very long drive to visit. Last night was Buffalo Fish Fine Arts grand opening,which I was lucky enough to be a part of. All I can say is you know that you are not in or anywhere near the cities when you can see every star out in the universe while driving to the gallery. I have a few pieces in the show and will have a featured artist month this august-yeah me! I thought it would be fun to take a few pictures to share with all 5 of you who actually read these posts .

This is the artist who will be featured in March -he resides in Minneapolis

The pieces on the left are two of my pastels

This is my oil painting called Behind the Couch

The stairs leading to the gallery loft

In Minnesota one always needs a deer head for decoration

View from the gallery loft

A painting in the gallery loft

Another view from the loft

Here I am trying not to look dorky in front of my painting

Still trying not to look like a dork...

So there you have it,Willmar Minnesota's newest gallery, or should I say only gallery. I do have to say, it is a really nice space to show work, and the owners are great.

Morph Link

http://www.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~morph/

This is the link for all of you who would like to see your lovely selves transformed into a fabulous work of art. Here are a few more pictures. The first one is me as a baby-yikes! The next is me as an Alons Mucha, and the last one is me as a Manga character. My sister thought that the Manga character was hilarious. She also posted a few pictures on her journal. The one of Hugh Grant looks a lot like Christopher Walken to me. You can check it out at www.liquidskyarts.com .

Look I've been transformed

This is me morphed into a Modigiliani and a Botticelli. My sister was kind enough to send me these pictures she created. I thought that they were funny. Maybe I should create a self portrait to post along side these.

Why Woman are Crabby

I just got this hilarious albeit truthful e-mail about why woman are so crabby ( my husband is still trying to figure it out) ,so I thought that I would share it.

WHY WOMEN ARE CRABBY We started to "bud" in our blouses at 9 or 10 years old only to find that anything that came in contact with those tender, blooming buds hurt so bad it brought us to tears. So came the ridiculously uncomfortable training bra contraption that the boys in school would snap until we had calluses on our backs.Next, we get our periods in our early to mid-teens (or sooner). Alongwith those budding boobs, we bloated, we cramped, we got the hormone crankies, had to wear little mattresses between our legs or insert tubular, packed cotton rods in places we didn't even know we had. Our next little rite of passage (premarital or not) was having sex for the first time which was about as much fun as having a ramrod push your uterus through your nostrils (IF he did it right and didn't end up with his little cart before his horse), leaving us to wonder what all the fuss was about.Then it was off to Motherhood where we learned to live on dry crackers and water for a few months so we didn't spend the entire day leaning over Brother John. Of course, amazing creatures that we are (and we are), we learned to live with the growing little angels inside ussteadily kicking our innards night and day making us wonder if we were preparing to have Rosemary's Baby.Our once-flat bellies looked like we swallowed a watermelon whole and we pee'd our pants every time we sneezed. When the big moment arrived, the dam in our blessed Nether Regions invariably burst right in the middleof the mall and we had to waddle, with our big cartoon feet, moaning inpain all the way to the ER.Then it was huff and puff and beg to die while the OB says, "Please stop screaming, Mrs. HearMeRoar. Calm down and push. Just one more good push(more like 10)," warranting a strong, well-deserved impulse to punch the***** (and hubby) square in the nose for making us cram a wiggling,mushroom-headed 10-pound bowling ball through a keyhole.After that, it was time to raise those angels only to find that when all that "cute" wears off, the beautiful little darlings morphed into walking, jabbering, wet, gooey, snot-blowing, life-sucking little poop machines.Then come their teen years. Need I say more?When the kids are almost grown, we women hit our voracious sexual prime in our early 40's - while hubby had his somewhere around his 18th birthday.So we progress into the grand finale: "The Menopause," the Grandmotherof all womanhood. It's either take HRT and chance cancer in those now seasoned "buds" or the afore mentioned Nether Regions, or, sweat like a hog in July, wash your sheets and pillowcases daily and bite the head off anything that moves.Now, you ask WHY women seem to be more spiteful than men when men get off so easy INCLUDING the icing on life's cake: Being able to pee in the woods without soaking their socks...So, while I love being a woman, "Womanhood" would make the Great Gandhi a tad crabby. Women are the "weaker sex"? Yeah right.! Bite me. Pink Lady

Music tag

My sister Kathy just tagged me with a few questions regarding music. It seems as though she was tagged by a fellow blogger with a few of the following questions and wanted to see what my answers might be. So here it goes,question one, What are the total music files on your computer? I have no idea. I have a ton of music on my Napster playlist, but I usually end up burning it onto a CD to play while I paint in my studio. Question #2- What is the last CD purchased. I just purchased Frou Frou's latest CD a few weeks ago and I love it. I also purchased one by Seether, because of the duet with Amy Lee from evanescense(don't know if I spelled that correctly). The rest of the CD is hard core, but I like it when I am full of angst. Question#3- What is the last song I listened to before I received these questions? Hmmm, I think it was Let Go by Frou Frou. That has become one of my favorite songs to paint by lately. Last question- Name 5 songs that mean something to you and why. This is a hard one for me. I would have to say Everybody Knows by Leonard Cohen is at the top of my list because it always brings to mind all of the double talk that goes on in politics in our society. Let Go by Frou Frou is one I have listened to a lot lately. The lyrics,

"there's beauty in the break down,"

became the title of one of my more recent paintings,because it made me think about the way events or moments in time can be perceived. There is beauty in the good and the bad because there is always something to be learned from either. I love any song that Amy Lee from evanescense( again, I have no idea if I spelled that correctly) sings. Her voice is so amazing that I get very absorbed in the music-especially if I am painting or letting out my inner diva in the car and attempting to belt out a tune along with her. The band Cake is at the top of my list. I love their rendition of I Will Survive. Their music is humorous and edgy, but I usually have to play most of their unedited music after the kids go to bed. My last song is Somebody Told Me by the Killers. It makes think of the club scene and dancing. It is also fun to rock out to in the car. I am definitely one of those scary people that sings along without abandon while driving along in my car. My kids have been known to ask me to tone it done a bit. Oh well, score one for the embarrassing mom bit.

This is a picture created while listening to Frou Frou and is about my children. The working title is Welcome to My World.

Shindig

It's official, I'm so tired of winter! This is the time of the year to apply to all the art fairs one can possibly find to sell work and get a thick skin to deal with the inevitable rejection letters. Next month I will be showing in a new gallery out in Wilmar, Minnesota called Buffalo Fish Fine Art. This is a brand spanking new place, just built by two young entrepreneurs, who are hoping to bring a little culture to their small town. The opening night party is on Friday, February 4. It sounds like they are really doing this up right. They even hired a well known area musician to play for their guests. I'm excited to go-I really need to get out. I am also excited that I will be able to exhibit my new work there in August of this year for a one month solo show. My pieces have gotten quite large lately, I'm worried that they won't fit into my tent this summer for the outdoor fairs. I need to down size my art! Since it has been cold and snowy here, all I can think about is my escape to a tropical island. These thoughts are now permeating my work . I haven't come up with a title for this piece so if anyone has any thoughts please feel free to post one.

California Dreaming

I'm off to California tomorrow to visit my family. Yeah! I am so ready for a blast of sunshine and some warmer weather. We did heat up here a bit in the arctic to a balmy 18 above-that's sweater weather here in Minnesota. Thanks to Stephanie and of course my sis for your comments, it's fun to hear what people are thinking about. The new Apprentice is on tonight, I love that show! But, my new favorite reality show is Project Runway on Bravo. It reminds me of art school and it is fun to think about what I would do for the fashion challenges that are presented, not to mention it is just so fun to watch. It's official, I am hooked on reality shows, I sooo need to get a life! Well I'm just in a giddy state of mind thinking about my trip tomorrow-did I mention that my kids are staying home? I don't know what I will do with two whole days of free time. Hmmmm, I'm sure I'll think of something.

Dare to dream?

I just love hearing about people who have a dream or some sort of wonderfully creative idea and decide to take a risk and make that idea come to reality. There are two such people in my life who have taken the plunge and dared to dream. My sister, Kathy, for one has finally gotten her online shop up at www.liquidskyarts.com . It is so cool. She has made these beautifully hand crafted necklaces and pins that are truly one of a kind. I just know her shop will be a success! The other person that I am so proud of ( I am officially in cheerleader mode now) is my good friend Nicky. She has just decided to fulfill her dream of becoming a teacher, but for her that dream comes with many obstacles. Nicky not only has three children but a full time job as well, and she is going to college for the first time. It has definitely been a while since she has been in school. She was a little worried about being the only thirty something in a sea of teenagers, but as she put it, she is getting her shit together. I think that she already has it together. As for me, I just canceled a show, due in part to the amazing amount of stress I was beginning to feel over it. This particular venue was requiring me to create an ungodly amount of drawings and paintings, and having them framed in such a way that was completely against my aesthetic which made my stomach turn every time I thought about it. So I decided that if it feels that wrong, it probably is. I am still working on some new pictures and I think it is about time for that wishful picture that I seem to paint every year about getting out of the arctic zone to a warmer climate. Here is one such picture titled Cheap Wine and Sunshine. What girl doesn't need a banana yellow jumpsuit and a pair of hot pink go go boots?

Cold Front

It's officially winter and I live on an icegerg. Tomorrow it is supposed to hit 28 below zero which will mean the schools will close and my kids will all be home with me. Booooo. But on a happier note I have a new piece to post called It's not all Rainbows and Butterflies. This piece is mainly about survivng in a relationship and the ups and downs that are faced.
It is kind of a crazy image, but it feels like my life when I look at it, just full of things happening.

another new piece

I'ts official, I'm on a roll. I thought that I would post one more new picture before I run out to this new pilates-yoga fusion class I'm going to try today. I guess I'm needing some spiritual bliss to get me through another cold Minnesota day. At least it is sunny out with a bone chilling high of 5 degrees! This new piece is titled Pay No Attention to the Woman Behind the Curtain. It is basically about being exposed. I like using references to the Wizard of OZ. I feel like I live in my own fantasy world a lot of the time. I will write more about this picture later, but for now I will upload the image.

new work

Well it looks like I am in superwoman mode because I actually found time to finish two new pieces, take pictures of them, and find time to make a post ( I also baked cookies for my kids). Both of these new pictures ar rather introspective, I guess all of my work is in a way. The first picture is titled Beauty Before the Breakdown. I really love the way that this turned out. I have been struggling with my oil paintings as of late. I haven't been happy with how tight they have seemed as compared with my pastels, but this one turned out or at least I feel satisfied with the outcome. The title came from a song that I was listening to from a mix that my sister Kathy sent to me. That line beauty before the breakdown really stuck with me. It made me think of my mommy meltdown moments that I have with my kids sometimes. In one moment everything is lovely and blissfull and in the next we are all becoming lunatics. It must be winter!
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thanks for looking

I just wanted to say thanks to all of you who checked out my blog/site. I do plan on updating my site, but at the same time I am trying to complete new work so that there is something to post, so thanks for your patience in advance.