Meet Audie, a glamazon from the 1940s. She ended up looking a bit like Lauren Bacall, though not intended. I'm working on some acrylic paintings for the first time in I don't know when. Rusty is the word! It feels so good to get back into that practice. Will share when I have something worthy :)
Whoa, March has been quite a whirlwind in our house, schedules, extended family shenanigans... even the crazy weather . The windstorms, heavy downpours and occasional snow showers tell me that things are shifting, changing and evolving. With all that going on it has left me feeling a bit fragmented and bedraggled. But, I'm getting a hold of myself! 
Had a chance to paint some of last week's prints. The last one still needs even more futzing. But, I like her hair... rarely do curly hair, so it was fun to try. The first lady ended up looking a lot like Sarah Jessica Parker! Not at all meant to be her, she's actually a teenager named Jetta. (was a teen in the 1970s). Woodcarving can sometimes be like clay. You never know what you're going to get when opening the kiln and same for pulling a print from the press! I love that about printmaking.
Here are 3 more lovelies to share for woodcut Thursday. All of 'em are test prints - I've gone back and tweaked/cleaned up this and that. Then, the final printing and on to painting it as soon as the ink dries. Check out a few more at my flickr here. 
This is a smaller art quilt - actually a drawing that I painted. It just happens to be on white kona cotton! So, after journaling on it (all about her) the machine quilting started happening. This is kind of new for me - but since I got a new Pfaff Hobby sewing machine from santa, (LOVE it!) free motion machine quilting is possible. 
Hello and happy Friday! I'm so glad the weekend is here. Meet a group of 13 beautiful felons... I wanted to make some smaller art quilts for my upcoming show... it's nice to have a variety of sizes in my opinion. These ladies were so much fun to draw! There are a few ideas I've been playing with surrounding these women... but haven't decided yet - so they may not be felons just yet. I really would like to do even more, but the clock is ticking faster and faster. 
Messenger swallows bringing good yarn to coastal villages... I love the idea of messenger birds and have wanted to play with the subject for quite awhile. This one is already painted and has some writing/journaling on it. I'll be working through the weekend on these things and maybe a few more larger ones. I hope y'all have a nice and relaxing weekend!This was a little experiment in the 'wool laboratory' . Will try to do another version today a little less 'sewn together' at the face. (less a la Frankenstein, I should say!) Would like to do a whole series of portraits framed in pennies... wishing my upcoming show was in June and not May. Happy Tuesday, all.
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 :)
I've been spending the past few days whooping it up in my studio... finishing the unfinished. Here are my honey and I in San Francisco about 5 months before we were married. I'd wanted to give it to him in June. Didn't happen :) There are 2 others being 'wrapped up' as well. These are larger paintings on canvas that I'll probably keep. 
India ink on Arches Cover paper. I want to add some funky sofa or busy, old-timey wallpaper. Wish time travel was possible... I'd love to visit other eras to experience it first-hand.
That's what's on my mind lately... above is the pink chocolates quilt I made... I took it apart and laid all the blocks on the bed to see what to do next. (there was just too much brown - which made it too dark and geometric. So, I'm adding several pink print borders around each square... hand sewn of course!)
At long last I delivered all the paintings and prints to the gallery today, wa-hooo! I'm so glad to be finished with this project. It was really fun to do but a crunch as well. Decided to name the show 'Winter Seedlings' ... here is yet another one of the ladies. 
This lady was originally set in a (favorite) purple background.... but I changed her up and now... she's appearing near the garden gate. In her pearls not less! Just need to paint in some vine flowers and she'll be close to being done. Haven't named her yet - anybody have suggestions? :)
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.
Here's the 'Daffs Lady'... still have to finish the daffs. I'm getting a bit bedraggled with this whole show preparation...wish I had more time to let the paintings sit and incubate. But, it's hustle time! They'll be dropped off mid month May. I'll be showing more this week and leave a comment if you'd like :)
Here are a few glimpses of the painting with the 'Proteus' flowers in them. Need to hurry up before the flowers die! Naturally, it's unfinished (aren't most of my paintings? :) The face I like but it's on the masculine side... I'm tweaking it and making some decisions about what to keep; what to paint over. 
This unfinished lady is part of the Winter Madness series (must come up with a better name). She loves daffodils (or 'daffs' as the Brits say - love their sayings) and is proudly showing them off. Hoping to finish her sometime this week and make her face/skin more interesting and textured. It actually hit 70 degrees late yesterday afternoon. All these extreme temps are so very baffling. Half afraid to plant some flowers in the ground but will be brave and do it!
Gotta love these unusual violas... (I prefer to call them Violets!) Peach and purple, an unlikely combo and so beautiful!
I've been focusing my mornings on painting and I must say, it takes most of my attention. It can be so very absorbing. I feel like Jekyll and Hyde... my approach between painting and printmaking. Very strange. Anyway, I'm loving it as I haven't painted regularly since my son was a toddler. (watercolor and gouache don't count in this instance!)
At the Lake Lodge
Bird on the Head
Flower Goddess
These paintings are unfinished, naturally... but here's some progress. I have a theme going about dreaming of planning a garden during the long winter months. Autobiographical? Yes, absolutely. It's no secret spring can not come fast enough for moi. And I'm going to paint about it. The second one, with dog doesn't have any garden theme yet. Not sure what will happen with that one. There are more to come! Have a happy Friday! 
