A Fresh Print or Two...

 Here is a lovely little boy, Porter.  He's a commission for a sweet friend and was so much fun to carve.  I haven't done many animals as portraits but he has me interested in doing more!  With just a little left to go, I should be done with him this coming week. 

Big Brother... can't decide on a title for this one but, it's drawn from a photo last summer.  There's a magical, beautiful trail through the woods to the ocean beach at Salishan, OR.  We're going back again... probably next year.  This year it's all about Cannon Beach :)  I'll be painting this one as soon as the ink dries and have another new ballet scene ready to carve.  Plus another little girl ballet scene.  I've got my carve on now :)

It's Still Summer

Gleeful run through one of our favorite gardens in a brand new 'first day of school dress'. I love this photo of our daughter, happy, free and everything ahead of her. It was a perfect afternoon :)



On another note... a personal remembrance of 9/11.
I can't believe it's been 10 years. That morning, my mom and I were going to take the ferry to Victoria, British Colombia. My husband was in Spokane - as we were in the process of moving here. On 9/12, he was scheduled to fly to Boston for some class he was taking. We switched on the news in the early morning to check the weather and watched in horror as we all tried to figure out what had happened. The live coverage on the streets of NYC... horrific chaos. Naturally, no one went anywhere that day. A few weeks later, mom and I drove out to Spokane with my cat and it was still a 'no fly zone' in the US. Such a strange trip. The day that changed our country forever.

Kicking Back this Weekend...

Just resting and exhaling this weekend after a VERY long stretch of hubby working. (that's 2 whole work weeks including the weekend in between.) Lucky me... it's a beautiful, sunny day and I can go dog walking for unlimited time!!!

Don't have a new camera yet. I'm still making art, though. Shifting gears for kid's summertime and just making art for me right now. The reality is... I can't stop making art. I can't NOT do it. It's too much a part of me. I saw a great poster on Etsy, exactly at the right time. It said: "I just want to make beautiful things, even if nobody cares." Sounds kind of sad and funny... it resonates. I always go back to Corita Kent and her rules for art. My fave: "The only rule is work." So, I will work.

Somebody Wants a Mermaid Quilt...

Here's our youngest cutie watching her favorite show in a special 'chair'. :) She is so very into mermaids right now and wanted me to make her a sleeping mermaid on a bed to go on her bed.

So! This art quilt will be my biggest to date. It's a very wide piece of white kona cotton and is about twin bedspread size. It was a bit nerve wracking to start but, once I got the scale of her the rest just followed... although her breasts could've been a little bit lower. Oh well! I'm now doing some borders. Can't wait to start painting it. Will share more soon.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!!!

Pumpkins and Needles...

Autumn welcome...

Here are a few sweet little felted animals I've been taking a stab at... (sorry, couldn't resist!) They are so much fun to make, I had no idea. Will be making more little sets of animals in the coming weeks.

Happy Wednesday! (It's also my birthday - and the weather is beautiful - all the leaves turning with tons of sunshine. Couldn't ask for better :)

My mom took me and 'baby girl' out for lunch today and tonight... hubby is taking us all out to my fave place. It's so very nice to be wined and dined on your birthday!!

Painting Pottery

I have a secret wish to be a clay artist. But, without a kiln, a clay studio (at least a place to be messy with a sink) I'll be wishing for some time. (it could be in the stars someday though... and it would be primarily hand building because that's the most fun!!)

For now though, I'm happy to say our kids are finally old enough (just barely) to go paint pottery at those 'paint your own' places (oh joy!!) :) This is the latest creation of mine. The funniest thing is they are ready to leave way before I ever am.

Fairy Girl

Grandma made this lovely ballerina tutu for our little girl. She loves it so much.... wears it every afternoon and then hangs it on the coat rack 'til she's ready to 'tutu' again. (magic wand and crown to match :) I'm dying over the cute factor. We are heavily into the princess/fairy phase... hope it lasts a long time.

Mother and Child

Here's a new print I just painted for the first time today. Will likely take out the line by her mouth! I can't help myself... love that bright orange - can't get enough of it! I've been experimenting with some dreamy, half surreal drawings but have to work up the courage to show them. They are not the usual fare although there are plenty of female figures and water. Maybe later in the week after color has been added they'll turn up.

Bed of Beach Rocks

Trying to set aside some time at the easel today to finish up this painting... all this holiday stuff is getting in the way of making art! It is such fun though. This year for the first time... we'll have mom and grandma in our neck of the woods. Very exciting :) Have a great day.

Meet Millicent

Here's a little girl I painted a few days ago...love her braids and how she's holding the doll against her face. (oops, need to fix the black lines on her shirt!) She landed in the shop tonight (but I'll secretly fix her shirt and re-post the photos tomorrow...shhh, don't tell :)

Leaf Raker

This spooky lady is completing her autumn chores... raking all those falling leaves. The cat needs help with her whiskers but otherwise this one will turn into a card. Found some fabulous black blank cards and envelopes yesterday at the craft store... perfect for Halloween woodcarvings. One more printing and into the shop they go!

A ladybug fairy visited our house the other day... just had to share the cute little feelers. There's a sparkly crust of frost here and there - can't believe another season is turning. Where did the summer go?! Happy Monday.

At the Fair...

I chaperoned on an all-day field trip to the fair last week... here are some of the lovely sights we saw. It has been quite awhile since our family has gone. Growing up in a small town, the fair was the highlight of summer for a lot of kids... you didn't want to miss all the animals, junk food and carnival rides. It was surprisingly an easy trip with a group of kindergartners - we were there studying animals.

The next morning, I read in the paper about a group of mental patients from Eastern State Hospital were there for a 'field trip' (unknown to the fair administration). Around 11am, one of them escaped... a convicted killer who is a paranoid schizophrenic. He was finally captured over the weekend. What are the chances he would be at the fair the same time we were? There were several school field trips that morning. Hopefully the 'fair people' will tighten up their policies and security. Ensures my 'hand-holding policy' for a good 10 more years!! Pretty scary stuff.

Cordelia

Meet Cordelia - or Delia- she's Alasdair's sidekick. (he's from a previous post... that I don't have time to link right now!) Anyway, I was thinking about incorporating them into some Halloween cards. Maybe. First, I've gotta have a plan :) Hope you have an exceptional Friday. The sun is glowing through the leaves here today... blue skies all around. That pre-autumn warmth is on!

What to do on the First Day of School...

More socks on the needles

Well, today was the first day of school for a little boy in our house but - our daughter is still at home with me :) After much excitement of getting dressed, making lunch, taking all the school supplies in the car... we were off to school! There were several kids having anxiety and sobbing in the kindergarten classroom but this time, it was not my son. He was happily waiting in his seat, teddy bear at hand, ready to 'get his day started.'

So, now... us girls are getting a new routine started as well. I predict lots of tea parties, knitting, stroller rides and art making in the coming weeks... whoooopieeeee!

Calligraphy School

We brought out the calligraphy tables here and all the kids had a bit of calligraphy school... taught by me! It was so much fun to see their enthusiasm about using the ink, pens (c-2 - the best for starting out!) and progress. They were all so proud of their practice pages at the end of the night. It's inspiring to have such spunky and interested pupils :) Hope your weekend was memorable.

Calistoga and the Little Lavender Girl

The Elms - Calistoga, CA

Little Lavender Girl

2 new woodcuts I've started this week... actually Calistoga (the house) I did the drawing this morning! The lavender one is going to take a long time because of all the lines and little buds to be carved. Not quite sure how successful it'll be but, I wanted to try. It is really a lovely image if I can just translate it into wood :)

The house is from way back when my hubby and I used to vacation Napa and Sonoma with friends (on this trip) and sometimes alone. I love the house - it reminds me of my fave Hopper painting. This is a B&B we stayed in called The Elms - absolutely enchanting! I highly recommend it if you're staying in the wine country. Brings back such great memories of our salad days together.

Alasdair and a Gift on the Windowsill

Meet Alasdair... he reminds me of a character in one of the Roald Dahl books. This is a state print, the nose area got cleaned up a bit. It would be fun to do several children's portraits in groups of 4 or even more because I'm a sucker for repetition.

I found the above scene this morning when the house was quiet and the morning sun shining on the newly green grass in the back yard. These little arrangements are such a joy to find... so sweetly set out on display by one of the kids. Makes me smile on the inside :) Happy Friday.

Scent of a Daisy

One of a triptych I'm working on... this wood is harder than my usual stuff (left over from woodblock camp in Victoria BC!... nice, big piece though) . Have had to take a break from it (hello numb thumb) and work on paintings today. Actually, I started a new one today with a mystery flower... I'll post it this weekend. Hoping someone knows the name of it :)

Happy Friday.

The Apple Shirt

My daughter was wearing this shirt for the first time today... I think it's so cute, I had to share it. It really reminds me of 1970's graphics which has made such a comeback in illustration and design. Ahhh, I think I had some clothes similar to this - brings back great memories of carefree, autumn/back to school days , walking with my brother to school or even walking home from the bus stop - alone. Much different times.

Train Box for Little Mr.

A project I've been meaning to make for a long time... a pencil box for my son! He loves trains, so when I was at Oblation in Portland, I found these fabulous letterpress papers with trains on them. I knew right then and there they had to be for Little Mr.'s box. So, this am, I put them down with some paper tracks and plan to paint around them... we'll see how it evolves.

Oblation is a magnificent letterpress business that also has a boutique filled with paper, ribbons and other 'stuff' of the highest quality. Visit Oblation here: www.oblationpapers.com