Poster Art.

Last summer and fall I had the opportunity to create two posters for a band fronted by Seattle songstress Lorrie Ruiz, performing a concert of Bjork odes. I'm a lover of the paintbrush (and not so computer savvy) so I created these visual and informative works of art completely by hand. I'm so inspired by music so these were a great opportunity for me to collaborate with some of my favorite musicians.

Take Two.

I'm working on a summer collection featuring everyone's favorites of late- color, geometry, and animals! This winter I painted a series of 10 animals that sold too soon! Just kidding... but I really loved these portraits and am going to use some of the same models for my new collection. Stay tuned to see how I remake these two beauties. 

"King Cobra" 8"x8" acrylic

"Barn Owl" 8"x8" acrylic

Resurrection Part 2: Over a Year Later.

"Resurrection" 22"x28" 2011

Wow. I can't even try to deny that I am a slacker at keeping up on this blog. Around the time of the last post I felt like I was in a prolific period of painting. Then I moved to Portland temporarily, chasing a change of scenery and chasing love. While still painting constantly and still immensely inspired, I entered a new phase of life that had little to do with where my heart and mind were the last time that I posted here. These paintings ended up moving with me to Portland and have been adorning the tall walls of the studio room in a quirky old home that Watson and I share with the amazing man who inspired our move. I would look at these paintings every day, wishing that I could finish them, but truly uninspired to do so. I didn't know how to continue their story in earnest while being in such a different place in life. I didn't want to revisit the emotions attached to these paintings because I felt like it would be a false and forced effort. But given the opportunity to hang my work for 2 months in a fabulous downtown Portland business (the Foot Bar), I realized that I had to buck up and make this happen. With a bit of input from my artistic boyfriend, I was inspired by pattern which in turn led to a honeycomb/hexagon design that seemed to have everything to do with where I was then, where I am now, and where I want to go. I won't elaborate further (unless asked) since I like to give my viewers the chance to attach their own meaning to each work of mine. I used this honeycomb element in 3 of the paintings that had me completely stumped for nearly a year. I'm grateful for that bolt of inspiration that allowed me to close the door on one chapter of my life, while still providing the excitement and pride that comes from completing work that I love. 

Please visit the Foot Bar on NW 13th Ave at Kearney in Portland OR through the end of December if you would like to see these new works in person.  I would also be thrilled to see you there at the next First Thursday opening on December 1st.
You can see the progression of some of these new pieces on my Facebook page in the album titled "Progress".

Resurrection.

"Nearly Not Endangered" 30"x40" 2010

This has been a beautiful summer physically, emotionally and spiritually. For many people it has been a summer of great challenges ranging from heartbreaking to humorous to disastrous. With perseverance, time, support, and a little luck, we've been adapting to our circumstances and turning misfortune into treasure. I feel so lucky to have people in my life who have always greatly encouraged me as an artist and who have given me incredible emotional and physical support this summer. Words and actions of support, encouragement and love can lift the spirit from a darker place. I think back to memories of being encouraged by my friends, my family, and strangers I've met along the way to keep me strong and confident in art and life. We all have those moments of doubt and insecurity which can be legitimate but are often silly and unnecessary. As much as we can self-talk or work our way out of that state of mind, it's a great gift to have people who are there to do that for us.
If you need some help with believing in yourself, watch this video for inspiration.

The Warrior Mask.

Back in late December I picked up this mask belonging to a Wallingford family. Their sweet son suffered from cancer as a baby and had to wear this mask when he underwent radiation treatment. For the family, the mask is representative of victory that is strongly tinged with sadness and struggle. About a year after his treatment ended, this child's loving mom had the motivation to artistically reassign the mask a look of triumph and strength. 

"Keaton the Warrior" 2010 plastic, acrylic, beads, gold leaf, paper, wire

I was excited about this project from the start, and grateful that the family chose me as their artist. Because it's such a meaningful piece for the family, I wanted it to be AMAZING and only add to it elements that I was very excited about and felt confident would be representative of this family. Trying to sense what would be meaningful in terms of design, color, and symbolism, I was able to create a powerful piece that included some touches that are very personal to me as well(most special being the African beads that were given to me by my lovely great-aunt Irene, who spent her youth in Angola).

The protective mask before artwork

Now in mid-May the family finally has the mask back in their home. We're all thrilled with the transformation. 

Snails and Puppy Dog Tails.

This past week I had the opportunity to paint for a little boy which was super since I haven't painted a boy's room in over a year. The parents came up with the idea of the planes, trains and automobile theme, and large parts of the design. Their 2 1/2 year old son was definitely into it! I love how it looks. As with most of my recent jobs, this one involved a few firsts for me: a growth chart, painting a background for 3-D letters, and incorporating text within a mural. Take a look!

Inspired by Water.

I just finished painting this step stool for a little girl who LOVES to wash her hands but can't quite reach the sink on her own yet. It will go in the powder room where I painted the simple and striking woodpecker/birch trees mural. My customer bought this stool new at Ikea. It was unstained wood with a varnish so I lightly sanded it and used the tried and true Zinnser shellac primer. Luckily for me, my customer still had the wall paint so I borrowed that as well as the red from the hallway outside of the powder room (used for the leaf and fish). I'm so happy with how this turned out since painting on a surface like this isn't ideal when the slats in the wood interrupt the design. My customer is a huge fan of water life, especially turtles, so I can't wait for her to see the final product when I drop it off tomorrow.