tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2783483181971354542024-03-18T22:06:48.137-07:00Julie Costanzo: Portland Artist: Paintings and Murals.Julie Costanzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374007395690061979noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-278348318197135454.post-48766056867064512372013-04-09T17:57:00.001-07:002013-04-09T18:29:05.213-07:00Poster Art.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">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.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKNowShu4TT6rttCVj7cKfLcs6bx1XPdGKIBUkyd-9i6sQt9xjw-Y-83LI6ap-EZzRhwCMVkw_dKYIDt7V82SIhI6nEl1217MMTHExRXiznDyKIlB3MGRzsZs2gB3HEU4xiKjPbobTT7M/s1600/Julie.Costanzo.Concert.Poster.Bjork.Ode.White.Rabbit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKNowShu4TT6rttCVj7cKfLcs6bx1XPdGKIBUkyd-9i6sQt9xjw-Y-83LI6ap-EZzRhwCMVkw_dKYIDt7V82SIhI6nEl1217MMTHExRXiznDyKIlB3MGRzsZs2gB3HEU4xiKjPbobTT7M/s640/Julie.Costanzo.Concert.Poster.Bjork.Ode.White.Rabbit.jpg" width="414" /></a></div>
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Julie Costanzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374007395690061979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-278348318197135454.post-21345277662784905532013-04-09T16:22:00.004-07:002013-04-09T18:25:07.190-07:00Take Two.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">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. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">"King Cobra" 8"x8" acrylic</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">"Barn Owl" 8"x8" acrylic</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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Julie Costanzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374007395690061979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-278348318197135454.post-63594346493628332132011-11-05T21:42:00.000-07:002011-11-05T22:25:27.286-07:00Resurrection Part 2: Over a Year Later.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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</tbody></table><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">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 (<a href="http://footbarbodybar.com/" target="_blank">the Foot Bar</a>), 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. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Please visit <a href="http://footbarbodybar.com/" target="_blank">the Foot Bar</a> 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.</span> </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">I would also be thrilled to see you there at the next First Thursday opening on December 1st.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">You can see the progression of some of these new pieces on my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tinyman#%21/JulieCostanzoArt" target="_blank">Facebook page</a> in the album titled "Progress".</span></span></div>Julie Costanzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374007395690061979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-278348318197135454.post-34532031500814579052010-09-06T11:01:00.000-07:002010-09-06T11:12:32.855-07:00Resurrection.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">"Nearly Not Endangered" 30"x40" 2010</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">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</span>.<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> 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.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">If you need some help with believing in yourself, watch <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR3rK0kZFkg">this video</a> for inspiration.</span>Julie Costanzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374007395690061979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-278348318197135454.post-27441234808347092742010-05-12T10:16:00.000-07:002011-11-05T22:33:01.545-07:00The Warrior Mask.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">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. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">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).</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The protective mask before artwork</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Now in mid-May the family finally has the mask back in their home. We're all thrilled with the transformation. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrNNWc7M-o_vWdQBDY7xEtkSE6KFYlm_tpOTGrP_wTS2hkgvE956s3DUCCeS1gRF43vv_s5A6flORA3KnWAiwuKSIv1iXvN-t6lPuLGrHVMQ4qbXaz07IgOJq0Qsy95LEFk41sl5bYog8/s1600/eagle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrNNWc7M-o_vWdQBDY7xEtkSE6KFYlm_tpOTGrP_wTS2hkgvE956s3DUCCeS1gRF43vv_s5A6flORA3KnWAiwuKSIv1iXvN-t6lPuLGrHVMQ4qbXaz07IgOJq0Qsy95LEFk41sl5bYog8/s400/eagle.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNzQJVC9bcs0r_giF0ibf7bGiBvG-v3SrADO3YV2O85VTeNzP580XkXCe9LLiZswa1ebArF5_tyCDQkKW2iCsqYXJHEeFEbNeNGLSKbbIywbbMkMoimVHM-ZHPx2sQpBTVIpk45-NGtks/s1600/keaton.warrior.mask.elephant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNzQJVC9bcs0r_giF0ibf7bGiBvG-v3SrADO3YV2O85VTeNzP580XkXCe9LLiZswa1ebArF5_tyCDQkKW2iCsqYXJHEeFEbNeNGLSKbbIywbbMkMoimVHM-ZHPx2sQpBTVIpk45-NGtks/s320/keaton.warrior.mask.elephant.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiej1lA8RpuNkLEgk3UfZ8WHU-9NJz80Yk9RGsvgr4uacca57_lRNYVBLQKxp1YfjssaYMwkO7oy7i0goA34yFvDOYDmM7_1yiJqS3SAvZ8rS2FYLXUDymhLS4RIzBb5b9VKc2Om0cHxyo/s1600/keaton.warrior.mask.eagle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiej1lA8RpuNkLEgk3UfZ8WHU-9NJz80Yk9RGsvgr4uacca57_lRNYVBLQKxp1YfjssaYMwkO7oy7i0goA34yFvDOYDmM7_1yiJqS3SAvZ8rS2FYLXUDymhLS4RIzBb5b9VKc2Om0cHxyo/s320/keaton.warrior.mask.eagle.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnBi9iBqBof8kUUDKKCelb5Sj9tlCRjY2c-Ai7PMWPrkkfbgHU9isvdQincipZTxZm4m1_eQ4RMyAYNLFiCLhfahY2giGyHTy7JbFKNkiw-HExsqmIIEeVQA7IQ5SKBZlyHXK3k_1rh8I/s1600/cranes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnBi9iBqBof8kUUDKKCelb5Sj9tlCRjY2c-Ai7PMWPrkkfbgHU9isvdQincipZTxZm4m1_eQ4RMyAYNLFiCLhfahY2giGyHTy7JbFKNkiw-HExsqmIIEeVQA7IQ5SKBZlyHXK3k_1rh8I/s400/cranes.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHslRadFTxnTaxNlhP6Rf2HhwNjBKHXUKgaAKBgN0tz4RytKAD5dRf17pE0SjZ6IYnXjYugHVGYYGkppH38wabBeZrMW6wnRpKsibxXPARaqF1cIm9WLUKHy6IXJNlRpZcWkG9UwNy73E/s1600/keaton.warrior.mask.beads.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHslRadFTxnTaxNlhP6Rf2HhwNjBKHXUKgaAKBgN0tz4RytKAD5dRf17pE0SjZ6IYnXjYugHVGYYGkppH38wabBeZrMW6wnRpKsibxXPARaqF1cIm9WLUKHy6IXJNlRpZcWkG9UwNy73E/s400/keaton.warrior.mask.beads.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div>Julie Costanzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374007395690061979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-278348318197135454.post-55784055088802134082010-03-07T14:22:00.000-08:002010-03-07T14:33:49.932-08:00Snails and Puppy Dog Tails.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw4CGMyQbAtqsosMTnRwX1_NV7aX1lHs_dQhNch1oiKXSq9fgT1PDeDSZ8tBwcBojkSNbE_Jv0nIuo18A9s-g3lCmnxQ49W2Cc5DPE5pXRyLvy5cE9oBYl_P_U8XFIoccAHLYXPsORjP0/s1600-h/snail.framed.gold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw4CGMyQbAtqsosMTnRwX1_NV7aX1lHs_dQhNch1oiKXSq9fgT1PDeDSZ8tBwcBojkSNbE_Jv0nIuo18A9s-g3lCmnxQ49W2Cc5DPE5pXRyLvy5cE9oBYl_P_U8XFIoccAHLYXPsORjP0/s320/snail.framed.gold.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLasR4vCYTussqxobn3rCgX3QjHMZqe41YKFOoSoBjq110Ow2RURBa1lY9vTTzXgJN_tY43T4cZSVPxv68neYOdk86vEqRXAZTqyNiiciHxxrirNm5zHB1gHeZi9p_DZzOTg5nzEx4xz0/s1600-h/watson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLasR4vCYTussqxobn3rCgX3QjHMZqe41YKFOoSoBjq110Ow2RURBa1lY9vTTzXgJN_tY43T4cZSVPxv68neYOdk86vEqRXAZTqyNiiciHxxrirNm5zHB1gHeZi9p_DZzOTg5nzEx4xz0/s200/watson.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">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!</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJsfH51HCudUXUfZl2WRl2Mj5001HMPZiqcOW_t8brUMYDDu4kYRFbJ4jrl20bJURSmbSmJV68tPUR82BUzKEQvPtL6cmCpK6vtJl4SSQDiBaZ4ZIgU-xWR39RWgOc37f9HaRlmZ_oyCw/s1600-h/plane.trains.boats.mural.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJsfH51HCudUXUfZl2WRl2Mj5001HMPZiqcOW_t8brUMYDDu4kYRFbJ4jrl20bJURSmbSmJV68tPUR82BUzKEQvPtL6cmCpK6vtJl4SSQDiBaZ4ZIgU-xWR39RWgOc37f9HaRlmZ_oyCw/s400/plane.trains.boats.mural.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8cQQBpIxICrWKTtVBPEGSDcT3dtoNlt692OT2nvDTT6ioVFQvknR1N2qzHnrjRqkDcwfdjsdDnHv4pCVY1UCWhgV-5DM8wwpm-X4WKUpmaB7HwoyPZeb5u_3aAd6u0PikWsU6WTmIQik/s1600-h/noah.banner.and.growth.chart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8cQQBpIxICrWKTtVBPEGSDcT3dtoNlt692OT2nvDTT6ioVFQvknR1N2qzHnrjRqkDcwfdjsdDnHv4pCVY1UCWhgV-5DM8wwpm-X4WKUpmaB7HwoyPZeb5u_3aAd6u0PikWsU6WTmIQik/s400/noah.banner.and.growth.chart.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCUMhP3wqxv9EMobWKVAaEmxA7rIADRixw79Su5NDQP3T7tAJLveLFq3xUzgbkohIb2A5Y5Z_6Qk8EB9YJF2RzVbKkXyb0e8C-hizD81zG0A4JGYNqIsYMYWRsHxnrYBWGUWjqhn2PR7I/s1600-h/tree.growth.chart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCUMhP3wqxv9EMobWKVAaEmxA7rIADRixw79Su5NDQP3T7tAJLveLFq3xUzgbkohIb2A5Y5Z_6Qk8EB9YJF2RzVbKkXyb0e8C-hizD81zG0A4JGYNqIsYMYWRsHxnrYBWGUWjqhn2PR7I/s400/tree.growth.chart.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Julie Costanzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374007395690061979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-278348318197135454.post-63521014393100108462010-02-17T14:15:00.000-08:002010-02-17T14:30:58.699-08:00Inspired by Water.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOFBfD6DyYp-IjTFw_ByBfr6U3bblJUuXw2pdjwOuMc-PgrZhG3xDRYQxuZnD-kuCdQZX6BgxVnEyRAqzl_dUUm9TyiGoKcWjbaPnk1-5KznArpqCVoqM9HuIMCTqMAZ0w02ChrtbayrY/s1600-h/connie.bench.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOFBfD6DyYp-IjTFw_ByBfr6U3bblJUuXw2pdjwOuMc-PgrZhG3xDRYQxuZnD-kuCdQZX6BgxVnEyRAqzl_dUUm9TyiGoKcWjbaPnk1-5KznArpqCVoqM9HuIMCTqMAZ0w02ChrtbayrY/s400/connie.bench.jpg" width="390" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ig7vJ0AzInTeIDXVsqrE57R3LNWF0IuT4_svuKNX4nHoAjm-uVnHUwFGnDjQd07HRk1Hac4DpybEVW8_Gg-kHZ15LUI_ryW-YGt7BsepSkg3TuRClbA_lo9-AS1V-mr0hz0OJQbd4LU/s1600-h/blog.turtle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ig7vJ0AzInTeIDXVsqrE57R3LNWF0IuT4_svuKNX4nHoAjm-uVnHUwFGnDjQd07HRk1Hac4DpybEVW8_Gg-kHZ15LUI_ryW-YGt7BsepSkg3TuRClbA_lo9-AS1V-mr0hz0OJQbd4LU/s320/blog.turtle.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> 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.</span>Julie Costanzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374007395690061979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-278348318197135454.post-64857430627124891642010-02-14T01:42:00.000-08:002010-02-14T01:43:40.234-08:00Love.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRrkpFTYaNi-o-z4-2DIYeLB9ly60eZJpKL-nE0pLQPgbco0Q216vDL2ckN86Fd2vCHI47kjOnGDvLQi6ndjeMj2bhd254-BGioFu6dz-LUAaMvg8dt-qJ2MHZCSBfYW5aPEXh6hd_IMI/s1600-h/three.tree.of.hearts.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRrkpFTYaNi-o-z4-2DIYeLB9ly60eZJpKL-nE0pLQPgbco0Q216vDL2ckN86Fd2vCHI47kjOnGDvLQi6ndjeMj2bhd254-BGioFu6dz-LUAaMvg8dt-qJ2MHZCSBfYW5aPEXh6hd_IMI/s640/three.tree.of.hearts.JPG" width="292" /></a><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; font-size: large;">Here's to celebrating <span style="color: magenta;">LOVE</span> every day of our lives, pursuing the things we <span style="color: magenta;">LOVE</span> to do, and growing and learning with the ones we <span style="color: magenta;">LOVE</span>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; font-size: large;">Happy Valentine's Day! </span>Julie Costanzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374007395690061979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-278348318197135454.post-68915727910713789372010-01-12T00:22:00.000-08:002010-01-12T00:41:58.614-08:00New Beginnings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMg8tjpzoHNuBXflhwwKeEqhaeO6h0W5APPgm1od22AcrC6nNFACPCvwNytN4CZoO6GLm18F1CxU2HPaFjGaLHkmU3OIjI5zd7q89GHefr5LMHCOWW_mYpi0tAwLdMUbHqWiittrpDsX4/s1600-h/murcal.new.year.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMg8tjpzoHNuBXflhwwKeEqhaeO6h0W5APPgm1od22AcrC6nNFACPCvwNytN4CZoO6GLm18F1CxU2HPaFjGaLHkmU3OIjI5zd7q89GHefr5LMHCOWW_mYpi0tAwLdMUbHqWiittrpDsX4/s400/murcal.new.year.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/noonmoon"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;">Noon Moon</span></a> is back in business thanks to Brett's request for some custom greeting cards to send to his Murcal customers this month. This is the first time I'm using text in a print, and the first time I'm using more than one plate (3 total) to make up the print. The center greeting and the company name are their own plates so that we have the option to change up the design in the future. I bought a mini Speedball soft rubber brayer so that I don't make a mess with my larger brayer inking up the smaller blocks. It's nice to finally have a second brayer! I wash them frequently when I take breaks or switch colors so having 2 in rotation keeps me moving.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Stay tuned for a new Valentine's Day-inspired print that I'm carving tonight- Lovebirds! </span>Julie Costanzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374007395690061979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-278348318197135454.post-42549647280346649512009-12-14T21:37:00.000-08:002009-12-16T14:17:09.959-08:00Happy Holidays!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCkDlQ8HX3zt8F53EFYzrG-8Y22EkGWq216rrtD8Es52UGfDt-SKKdIOV-19lNaeTSD68aJG2MR3dFIjXtGIJh6vf9wCZ8u8BLTyh_MtQUw9bF6LegkopWYrCrL3B-q6HNJRGBQd1zZzM/s1600-h/jnb.chair.seat.detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCkDlQ8HX3zt8F53EFYzrG-8Y22EkGWq216rrtD8Es52UGfDt-SKKdIOV-19lNaeTSD68aJG2MR3dFIjXtGIJh6vf9wCZ8u8BLTyh_MtQUw9bF6LegkopWYrCrL3B-q6HNJRGBQd1zZzM/s320/jnb.chair.seat.detail.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">I've been very neglectful of this blog, even though there's been so much art going on in my house. Things always get a little hectic before the holidays, and we've had the unexpected trial of dealing with a burst pipe that soaked the inside of our garage. As I'm rushing to prepare for a 2 week trip back east, I'd like to leave you with some photos of this Christmas chair. It was commissioned to be a Christmas present for a 7 year old boy in Reno. I love the throwback theme, even though it's not exactly PC. It was a little trickier than I expected to find reference pics for this project! You may remember seeing this chair mid-stripping in an earlier post.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">I hope you all have a great Christmas/Hanukkah/Winter celebration!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSWfGqJodzCQJHFS-t6mOXMCRIGx4XQ4QMpZ_X4FODFLM278zMMJDrK8mwl7Ld0o391At4YZxH0QNOdv9bKCTFV22mG3BssiBy3Th9nk5nkfusoEG_K4gM3PsqJ2acIZGM2EiQRKK26yw/s1600-h/john.nolen.bergin.chair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSWfGqJodzCQJHFS-t6mOXMCRIGx4XQ4QMpZ_X4FODFLM278zMMJDrK8mwl7Ld0o391At4YZxH0QNOdv9bKCTFV22mG3BssiBy3Th9nk5nkfusoEG_K4gM3PsqJ2acIZGM2EiQRKK26yw/s400/john.nolen.bergin.chair.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHNtl4ohwayOqGWTavSUFN3-u5bMIT1xQJiW8i-XI0GcXyPLGgSp-nAHa7l7uURIb5OP72fhIEsEmmCd2fYekPhxbELLhTqMrcN6jcezO5frqRu37PfnP9JG5IItiG6q_6YmslGGViO_U/s1600-h/jnb.chair.back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHNtl4ohwayOqGWTavSUFN3-u5bMIT1xQJiW8i-XI0GcXyPLGgSp-nAHa7l7uURIb5OP72fhIEsEmmCd2fYekPhxbELLhTqMrcN6jcezO5frqRu37PfnP9JG5IItiG6q_6YmslGGViO_U/s400/jnb.chair.back.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbbbyvrsY8I4yhEHPcR9ghCnjgYYqip-dvZaOQvxY_SDBMPd_ps-jfCBK1GQPal2kWqi-mT5Yak2_7DlLwVjDEB7mf_gx9EkeLg2ZwzTBbPYuOn34Fg-UfRGvev3VyH31ucym9Diywwvk/s1600-h/jnb.chair.back.detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbbbyvrsY8I4yhEHPcR9ghCnjgYYqip-dvZaOQvxY_SDBMPd_ps-jfCBK1GQPal2kWqi-mT5Yak2_7DlLwVjDEB7mf_gx9EkeLg2ZwzTBbPYuOn34Fg-UfRGvev3VyH31ucym9Diywwvk/s320/jnb.chair.back.detail.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>Julie Costanzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374007395690061979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-278348318197135454.post-33767100818951543312009-12-06T23:33:00.000-08:002009-12-06T23:41:35.608-08:00The Sun is Cold.<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">The tradeoff for a sunny winter day in Seattle is the bitter drop in temperature.<span style="font-size: large;"> <a href="http://roaddoggy.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: red;">Watson</span></a></span> and I braved the cold this morning to romp around at the <a href="http://www.cityofseattle.net/Parks/offleash_detail.asp?id=468"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">Westcrest off-leash area</span></a>- a trip that was more than worthwhile since one of his best girlfriends Lucia was there for him to play with. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">When I couldn't take the cold anymore, we headed back home for a day of painting in the warmth of home. I worked on my fifth small floral for the group that will be shipped to California mid-month. My goal is to have 6 paintings dry and framed, with more that will be dry enough to ship after the holidays. Today I was inspired to paint these yellow flowers with abstract filtered sunlight in the background.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Here it is in the early stage:</span><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86t0mcL7jI2IxyNWmahq-f9YfKqpYLIDrjh4_Z1a44kPXo95imL4qQ0X64IRRL4iaa7zZ3vfrUakZkJSa1qkT8cS8I7wPyviHUlcmmPa4FNsk_KU3BdzLd05j8pirnRnHah81IcW_gUQ/s1600-h/yellow.flowers.begin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86t0mcL7jI2IxyNWmahq-f9YfKqpYLIDrjh4_Z1a44kPXo95imL4qQ0X64IRRL4iaa7zZ3vfrUakZkJSa1qkT8cS8I7wPyviHUlcmmPa4FNsk_KU3BdzLd05j8pirnRnHah81IcW_gUQ/s400/yellow.flowers.begin.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Quick break for coffee and to admire mums in the afternoon sun:</span><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3mccKicmANMgCzfA6_27mf11vo3T_cDiKjRmCCQY7NacMFnnSwYTlhy0ywYrWscGE3zgMM5ZkUzxUlJDb8NwJBNZPEEZ9Oti9dB8v6IZO8Ap2OCnPgG5NGJ-xkFj8_4ZA6n_XaHhSQM8/s1600-h/mums.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3mccKicmANMgCzfA6_27mf11vo3T_cDiKjRmCCQY7NacMFnnSwYTlhy0ywYrWscGE3zgMM5ZkUzxUlJDb8NwJBNZPEEZ9Oti9dB8v6IZO8Ap2OCnPgG5NGJ-xkFj8_4ZA6n_XaHhSQM8/s320/mums.JPG" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">The finished product: </span><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikaV3KLfM6yJeqFXttOyz-p-sHXY4l3qLDn1Zbk6Uhr_63g350jYWN9O5h2Fef4VsPDU-61lax7mjZwLnYwkGtLwOP7ZKloc-2DjqzKUYP9NSG-Nskx6op_U2Fhtyx6ZcO6qF-zHYLets/s1600-h/yellow.flowers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikaV3KLfM6yJeqFXttOyz-p-sHXY4l3qLDn1Zbk6Uhr_63g350jYWN9O5h2Fef4VsPDU-61lax7mjZwLnYwkGtLwOP7ZKloc-2DjqzKUYP9NSG-Nskx6op_U2Fhtyx6ZcO6qF-zHYLets/s400/yellow.flowers.JPG" /></a><br />
</div>Julie Costanzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374007395690061979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-278348318197135454.post-91665172274447014912009-12-02T23:55:00.000-08:002009-12-03T09:11:34.071-08:00Flower Power<span style="font-family:courier new;">Wow- <span style="font-size:100%;">Early October</span> is the last time that I worked on an <span style="font-size:100%;">oil painting</span>, well before our glorious trip to Maui. Since I returned to Seattle I've been so focused on printmaking, and I also felt a little <span style="font-size:100%;">burned out</span> after the SeaMonster mural, a</span><span style="font-family:courier new;">s fun as it was. I'm</span><span style="font-family:courier new;"> lucky enough to have the opportunity to sell some small<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" > <span style="font-size:100%;">floral paintings</span></span> at a gallery in Northern California (details to come once my work is on the walls!) so it's time to get back in the swing of things. I'm painting with the <span style="font-size:100%;">palette knife</span> on 5"x7" canv</span><span style="font-family:courier new;">as boards that I'll frame when the work is dry. Photographer and f</span><span style="font-family:courier new;">riend <a href="http://www.pawsnclawsphotography.com/"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >Doug Davenport</span></a> has generously e-mailed me </span><span style="font-family:courier new;">a ton of reference photos. For now I'm picking from the florals,</span><span style="font-family:courier new;"> but I can't wait to revisit the others soon to paint some of the incredible wildlife, landscapes, and waterscapes that he sent. After <span style="font-size:100%;">s</span></span><span style="font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-size:100%;">truggling</span> with two florals, I finally fee</span><span style="font-family:courier new;">l like I've reached my stride with my third attempt- this red flower that I painted today:</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdiI0SVumAR2ZlGtqJAAz5v8u8WsC777gv21ctIgtXHiKPALtvkcZpcnS4G1w_B5VedlGBdByQMYx1iVc50kWc6HGDBDuvlfkJ8LCg_XjeXzEPct9pBSY1OFMgqDV_OfdOycigSE3dmfE/s1600-h/IMG_4774.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 282px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdiI0SVumAR2ZlGtqJAAz5v8u8WsC777gv21ctIgtXHiKPALtvkcZpcnS4G1w_B5VedlGBdByQMYx1iVc50kWc6HGDBDuvlfkJ8LCg_XjeXzEPct9pBSY1OFMgqDV_OfdOycigSE3dmfE/s400/IMG_4774.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411058564846123250" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:courier new;">When I paint impastos, I try to paint everything at once with <span style="font-size:100%;">no drying time</span> for the painting. If I try to rework it while it's drying, the paint often becomes crumbly in sections and turns into a big chunky mess. I have let a painting dry completely before working further (<span style="font-size:100%;">Montmartre</span> and <span style="font-size:100%;">Ushidoshi</span> are two successful examples of this) but the <span style="font-size:100%;">wet-on-wet smudges</span> are what I really love about painting with the knife. It's tricky to do this without the paint color getting muddy. My trick is to <span style="font-size:100%;">wipe off the kn</span></span><span style="font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-size:100%;">ife</span> after every stroke to keep the colors pure. The paper towel ends up looking like a little work of art in itself! I just cropped a section of this photo to make a new banner for the <span style="font-size:180%;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/JulieCostanzo"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Etsy store</span></a></span> that features my canvas paintings:</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3nrmlnGfVEzsevRMCr1eCxxn5do2-LIBu97ckAdS-Im-Vfu1VdRhwkPe0m5GDoN4gQb6dIw4msXsUjwhVBeClp_tLHptvlwMwNVaNqv7pDU3yc-W35eE8YC6znF5bfrXpeghQrlNUSGw/s1600-h/IMG_4766.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3nrmlnGfVEzsevRMCr1eCxxn5do2-LIBu97ckAdS-Im-Vfu1VdRhwkPe0m5GDoN4gQb6dIw4msXsUjwhVBeClp_tLHptvlwMwNVaNqv7pDU3yc-W35eE8YC6znF5bfrXpeghQrlNUSGw/s400/IMG_4766.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410919378367953138" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/JulieCostanzo"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 53px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUNs3k-u_TnZmYRpYuLiyVrVNg0tLbl4blVY4Y7IGzTm6KTe5gCrfB9z770iRaAv2ttaTO0c-zZDzywsYUCcmuEw2flEirRc4tTvE4aXH-Bvx9gQbfzo4VQeYApT9kamb_cc5U1iig3c8/s400/paper.towel.banner1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410921590848311058" border="0" /></a>Julie Costanzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374007395690061979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-278348318197135454.post-87655057612067638912009-11-28T12:35:00.000-08:002009-12-03T00:42:57.481-08:00March of the Penguins<span style="font-family:courier new;">I just printed this set of cards to post on <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/noonmoon"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >Etsy</span></a> once they dry. I've been printing the <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >penguin</span> on colorful paper and then attaching those cut-out prints to recycled card stock. I'm so into <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >handmade papers</span> lately! I wasn't that impressed with this particular card stock so I decided to test print a penguin on one using </span><span style="font-family:courier new;">Winsor and Newton water-mixable oils in <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >pthalo blue</span> (red shade). I loved how it turned out so I printed a set of 4 using the remaining cards.</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJdExQXvRNOtr0noT2JELzqTfrbhx5Cv1QDWE6W_tlGw_Fj26cjF6XGi7wcr5uu6WGpJj1fC45uClEI3u8x2YM9qUiHB_jJ_TlA1flZQKhH5d0gL5ETyxVSKOqY20wp5fbV_maG6h6fNs/s1600/march.of.the.penguins.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJdExQXvRNOtr0noT2JELzqTfrbhx5Cv1QDWE6W_tlGw_Fj26cjF6XGi7wcr5uu6WGpJj1fC45uClEI3u8x2YM9qUiHB_jJ_TlA1flZQKhH5d0gL5ETyxVSKOqY20wp5fbV_maG6h6fNs/s400/march.of.the.penguins.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5409257746487034706" border="0" /></a>Julie Costanzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374007395690061979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-278348318197135454.post-25443607383124634552009-11-23T22:51:00.000-08:002009-11-23T23:16:05.375-08:00The SeaMonster Mural is FINISHED!<span style="font-family:courier new;">This is a difficult mural to photograph and I need</span><span style="font-family:courier new;"> to return to get some better pics. Even more reason why you should check it out in person! The <a href="http://www.myspace.com/mctuffmusic"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >McTuff Trio</span></a> has been playing at the <a href="http://www.seamonsterlounge.com/"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >SeaMonster</span></a> on Tuesday nights and there's never a cover charge. How can you pass that up? </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizsnChpXYa3tWCZwyfFs44swRfBaRT5LUmCGxYBQeTTCS4Qjkdnu-hZNsh69Yg1hxH6cIe3mbWZbA2XwYBszf6SPlw8VcH7G463jz2hIW2I8WbR6JfmdfdKXfN1QSHJ5CDhrA4wKE3DPQ/s1600/seamonster.seattle.underwater.mural.1180.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizsnChpXYa3tWCZwyfFs44swRfBaRT5LUmCGxYBQeTTCS4Qjkdnu-hZNsh69Yg1hxH6cIe3mbWZbA2XwYBszf6SPlw8VcH7G463jz2hIW2I8WbR6JfmdfdKXfN1QSHJ5CDhrA4wKE3DPQ/s400/seamonster.seattle.underwater.mural.1180.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407559771679785970" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp33QmLFlbgMC_xmjRnPVl2j0hhHz0J-axwq8FIs86yU_pKxhcSdWAOlfTHmKPXBvA8f2dPbrpQc0euTZO_67dJsAFn9PkylNhRCdPHDgjFzc9rELvN4W_lhy3wftTO3F_RAJqIe2Y-6o/s1600/seamonster.seattle.underwater.mural.OCTOPUS.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp33QmLFlbgMC_xmjRnPVl2j0hhHz0J-axwq8FIs86yU_pKxhcSdWAOlfTHmKPXBvA8f2dPbrpQc0euTZO_67dJsAFn9PkylNhRCdPHDgjFzc9rELvN4W_lhy3wftTO3F_RAJqIe2Y-6o/s400/seamonster.seattle.underwater.mural.OCTOPUS.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407560041025536658" border="0" /></a>Julie Costanzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374007395690061979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-278348318197135454.post-33835152056787591062009-11-19T18:04:00.000-08:002009-11-19T18:12:45.672-08:00SeaMonster Mural: Day 4<span style="font-family:courier new;">It takes me forever to paint animals, but it's worth the time. I love how this turtle came out.<br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-family:courier new;" ><span style="font-size:130%;">Day 4</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK40hGghWcCfvfMq5LjSn0AYtMQigOoTtLiSeXzFPSvHcut7kwuuG19At9aYrs8_Wk16V2JxNIabMA1s5IYPGoytBqM_qqLSS7w72qtolZji3oKV6NGsghsbQpeFG1Omi5B3fIwi4N3WQ/s1600/seamonster.day4.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK40hGghWcCfvfMq5LjSn0AYtMQigOoTtLiSeXzFPSvHcut7kwuuG19At9aYrs8_Wk16V2JxNIabMA1s5IYPGoytBqM_qqLSS7w72qtolZji3oKV6NGsghsbQpeFG1Omi5B3fIwi4N3WQ/s400/seamonster.day4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406001766231918370" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAtfWTuBk6xGqgioLhRPcW7iZPY3A71TU4JoUSJ7KzGulxW3vXfACb0PFKJba55ZirV7_dHgPf79-_X4e17gec16eFS3_7Ew7fMZXdj-ZgGR5Ada8-1nj1vYehkHhIGmwAccYJSMBoqQA/s1600/seamonster.day4.wide.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAtfWTuBk6xGqgioLhRPcW7iZPY3A71TU4JoUSJ7KzGulxW3vXfACb0PFKJba55ZirV7_dHgPf79-_X4e17gec16eFS3_7Ew7fMZXdj-ZgGR5Ada8-1nj1vYehkHhIGmwAccYJSMBoqQA/s400/seamonster.day4.wide.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406002798386000082" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_81C5OnCdepOxnpli6bPayMoD59miZrbx3f8zu3bUPEpNCWUK6piPibTFvmN0oKhM1ogL9g2JCE3Q3quDs9wUt9KhPXasVeBNQEVnjMvi07MbN8vxEgY6zF-fkxCKvwIdqJ844i91vb4/s1600/seamonster.day4turtle.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_81C5OnCdepOxnpli6bPayMoD59miZrbx3f8zu3bUPEpNCWUK6piPibTFvmN0oKhM1ogL9g2JCE3Q3quDs9wUt9KhPXasVeBNQEVnjMvi07MbN8vxEgY6zF-fkxCKvwIdqJ844i91vb4/s400/seamonster.day4turtle.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406001684401240418" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"></span></div>Julie Costanzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374007395690061979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-278348318197135454.post-87157880670832921202009-11-18T19:00:00.001-08:002009-12-03T00:42:14.151-08:00SeaMonster Mural: Day 3<span style="font-family:courier new;">Today was a slow day for me. I was a little tired after staying up too late last night. I decided to place in the non-fish creatures and struggled a little in the placement. I redrew the turtle <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >three times</span> before I was happy with it! I figured out a few subtle changes I want to do to the very back coral, but I'm saving</span><span style="font-family:courier new;"> that type of work for Friday, when the major elements will be finished. I also wasn't really sure how I wanted to paint the coral. It seems so complicated but through experimentation I'm figuring out some simple ways to do it that should come in handy on future jobs. Thank god for the <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >sea sponge</span>! It's pretty funny to use a to</span><span style="font-family:courier new;">ol from the sea to paint the sea.</span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:courier new;">Day 3</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTsXPD8QDFeJh9WsFrtJHwXcc4lGzSFWL5B5VObPR_q5m8D8NKXrT4y6Ae_XeKjmwpurEqBzK4CyehsoDs4mKsf0m3aoQOSi1cZkii8EBRuOuGACnYegbWjhmOB8P3dSe75GzjncCqGcs/s1600/seamonster.day3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 303px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTsXPD8QDFeJh9WsFrtJHwXcc4lGzSFWL5B5VObPR_q5m8D8NKXrT4y6Ae_XeKjmwpurEqBzK4CyehsoDs4mKsf0m3aoQOSi1cZkii8EBRuOuGACnYegbWjhmOB8P3dSe75GzjncCqGcs/s400/seamonster.day3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405645782866356226" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ra3OcS9HpSImNhZ9C5DMoqlRAB9XQaxcbWxwmgDpKS5ED2HVjEPep1WWrsq4Eu0kP1JefyPcTRwiOEzYomyHhg2oF1NTANpB55I3t8bpyH7ue8sbhW2NsrUDRttLZFYF072D0S8ZZ2Y/s1600/seamonster.day3.close.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ra3OcS9HpSImNhZ9C5DMoqlRAB9XQaxcbWxwmgDpKS5ED2HVjEPep1WWrsq4Eu0kP1JefyPcTRwiOEzYomyHhg2oF1NTANpB55I3t8bpyH7ue8sbhW2NsrUDRttLZFYF072D0S8ZZ2Y/s400/seamonster.day3.close.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405645932049562786" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrsKp_cYCZSPOBemmLHz7eHFMZXimVYZthnIAoQeSH5y2-O9RU_o56H2h_L14bRJg_a1MxohmGnGLvTrJoY14KgtnAnFzI_TAYWxDjTTbpFt07EoyPReBkEt8WwgGcHd28d2xA0oT-je4/s1600/seamonster.day3.detail.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrsKp_cYCZSPOBemmLHz7eHFMZXimVYZthnIAoQeSH5y2-O9RU_o56H2h_L14bRJg_a1MxohmGnGLvTrJoY14KgtnAnFzI_TAYWxDjTTbpFt07EoyPReBkEt8WwgGcHd28d2xA0oT-je4/s400/seamonster.day3.detail.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405646175252869330" border="0" /></a></div>Julie Costanzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374007395690061979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-278348318197135454.post-18286841081847125612009-11-17T21:31:00.000-08:002009-12-03T00:43:41.823-08:00SeaMonster Mural: Days 1 and 2<span style="font-family:courier new;">I spent yesterday and today working on the new mural at the <a href="http://www.seamonsterlounge.com/"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >SeaMonster</span></a>. This is the first underwater mural that I'm focusing on creating the look of depth in the water, rather than mostly focusing on the fish. I'm very happy with the progress. I have to hold myself back to <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >simplify</span> and tone down the color in the background coral since I tend to make </span><span style="font-family:courier new;">ever</span><span style="font-family:courier new;">ything bright and with a lot of contrast. I made a darker layer of coral that I'm actually going to add a hint of color to, now t</span><span style="font-family:courier new;">hat I see how it looks too dull compared to the foreground. Tomorrow's plan i</span><span style="font-family:courier new;">s to continue the foreground coral, finish the eels, and paint a</span><span style="font-family:courier new;"> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >creepy octopus</span> on the right side of the mural. If I have time I'll start a ray or a turtle.<br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:courier new;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >Day 1</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpq0pzRiZ1ZLj2TfVGl_90dmR-Is9PgzwGVR0wVURUBmVE0BPm6_7ArAbQ-NIhmHNDSX_zZNnmsO-tiK0XOGlvrbO6eWWC0OQirHYe8QcW8jY6zOmWyFiMIWxaimUg7jVRpdMzqebgcwk/s1600/seamonster.day1.wide.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpq0pzRiZ1ZLj2TfVGl_90dmR-Is9PgzwGVR0wVURUBmVE0BPm6_7ArAbQ-NIhmHNDSX_zZNnmsO-tiK0XOGlvrbO6eWWC0OQirHYe8QcW8jY6zOmWyFiMIWxaimUg7jVRpdMzqebgcwk/s400/seamonster.day1.wide.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405315117318274226" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:courier new;"><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >Day 2</span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQU52UILnlLOmSS5edBsbmfgkFRQCX_jp6i9tSB9YgNbChqV9t8yjpsTb9M5oxMKiRyQleRDHjSJcUlnRo_1LUFaGlfkI46SrPdUwBQ33FkFrRL8ZJqmB2nMhzATV5X6EFDY4T5NiXKF0/s1600/seamonster.day2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQU52UILnlLOmSS5edBsbmfgkFRQCX_jp6i9tSB9YgNbChqV9t8yjpsTb9M5oxMKiRyQleRDHjSJcUlnRo_1LUFaGlfkI46SrPdUwBQ33FkFrRL8ZJqmB2nMhzATV5X6EFDY4T5NiXKF0/s400/seamonster.day2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405315208678821522" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSBINT8YhHmUxG1AmiJfSEys4oaLcU8St0MTwG87_IgCQoPY6FrfduQvalhIpiodqT38C5HLz4_o40yb_c0RPM1t0h4qeaM_ys9HZr60L_Ngk4ndpsO45sbeOoaRjkPoSnDezKwwl0mAc/s1600/seamonster.day2.detail.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSBINT8YhHmUxG1AmiJfSEys4oaLcU8St0MTwG87_IgCQoPY6FrfduQvalhIpiodqT38C5HLz4_o40yb_c0RPM1t0h4qeaM_ys9HZr60L_Ngk4ndpsO45sbeOoaRjkPoSnDezKwwl0mAc/s400/seamonster.day2.detail.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405315468151456642" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWAKHX0QD79wOtnTnZX_S3r7htjc3Mhm3pojlXxUjdyJTEdZWyy7SrvLwXrJblEk8k3bJn-oyZLUNJsx9s_hM0Yqp5rLTeyARULD-p8R7ZiTW-bAQKahEncH4l87ZgjJKkyGgwgSyTavY/s1600/seamonster.day2.detail.close.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWAKHX0QD79wOtnTnZX_S3r7htjc3Mhm3pojlXxUjdyJTEdZWyy7SrvLwXrJblEk8k3bJn-oyZLUNJsx9s_hM0Yqp5rLTeyARULD-p8R7ZiTW-bAQKahEncH4l87ZgjJKkyGgwgSyTavY/s400/seamonster.day2.detail.close.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5405315934766322098" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:courier new;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:courier new;"></span></div>Julie Costanzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374007395690061979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-278348318197135454.post-79143994212607741972009-11-15T21:56:00.000-08:002009-12-03T00:45:29.355-08:00Exciting stuff.<span style="font-family:courier new;">During my October road trip to California I brought along some Speedball <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >rubber blocks</span> to carve with a cute pink carving tool. I thought that I might have some down time to craft-out, and after bringing <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >watercolors</span> to Maui I wanted to try something new. First I carved a simple tree with 2 hearts, and next a bird and branch silhouette. I didn't know how the plates would hold up, and since one of the types (the pink one) said "won't crumble", I assumed the other kind I brought (yellowy beige) might. Since I got home I've made a ton of <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >prints</span> and all of the blocks have held up r</span><span style="font-family:courier new;">eally well. I've become addicted to printing- it's all I want to do! I </span><span style="font-family:courier new;">decided to turn the prints into <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >greeting cards</span> that I'm try</span><span style="font-family:courier new;">ing to sell through my <span style="font-size:180%;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/noonmoon"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Noon Moon</span></a></span> esty shop. I sold one hot-pink on white "Tree of Hearts" on the day I posted it, which definitely fueled my f</span><span style="font-family:courier new;">ire! </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYVRxlhSRwla7uiszuB2_wWRSTVhksOLYnURqISxC-Ko1pjIlcu0vgbUMFmdvxShDO8XNkexL_S0fczfdH6L_Rn7LLJAKx4YyvayPsMHbRzTuDmMMeMLTJwgfzHlDyyym1rs9VOVvDHfQ/s1600/penguin.block.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYVRxlhSRwla7uiszuB2_wWRSTVhksOLYnURqISxC-Ko1pjIlcu0vgbUMFmdvxShDO8XNkexL_S0fczfdH6L_Rn7LLJAKx4YyvayPsMHbRzTuDmMMeMLTJwgfzHlDyyym1rs9VOVvDHfQ/s400/penguin.block.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404584242273607442" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:courier new;">I found an amazing packag</span><span style="font-family:courier new;">ing shop in Ge</span><span style="font-family:courier new;">orgetown- <span style="font-size:180%;"><a href="http://www.ps-stores.com/"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Packaging Specialties</span></a></span>- where I bought cello sleeves for protecting the cards. They make the cards look so pro! Packaging Specialties is one of those stores that a crafter can go bananas in. The ribbons alone are hard to get past, until you see the tower of brightly colored chinese food style boxes in all sizes. It's great!</span><span style="font-family:courier new;"><br />It's been a while since I worked on an oil painting, and I've actually been <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >procrastinating</span> out of the insecurity in my skill that I sometimes get after time off. I'm hoping to get a few 5"x7" <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >impastos</span> completed to send off to a gallery in Carmel Vall</span><span style="font-family:courier new;">ey, CA by early December. I have a huge headache, but I just finished the first one and I think it looks pretty cute.</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLinWslAnjL8WmclfHDWOpeUbTb6Yof-qgh1j3QnXzfFNhFSBuLnf8vKoAeogApKIO-NMNRyRbaUN57beK3Mo2WX5Ew0rk1hN-nmUT0HtZavHN7BMDsSdOewSds3Jh13ggRMYvk8BksiE/s1600/lil.elmgrove.tulips.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLinWslAnjL8WmclfHDWOpeUbTb6Yof-qgh1j3QnXzfFNhFSBuLnf8vKoAeogApKIO-NMNRyRbaUN57beK3Mo2WX5Ew0rk1hN-nmUT0HtZavHN7BMDsSdOewSds3Jh13ggRMYvk8BksiE/s400/lil.elmgrove.tulips.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404589311324486722" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:courier new;">Another challenge I'm taking on (starting tomorrow) is an underwater mural at the <span style="font-size:180%;"><a href="http://www.seamonsterlounge.com/"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">SeaMonster Lounge</span></a></span> in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle. This will be my first <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >underwater mural</span> that is not geared towards children, so I've very excited to tackle the task of painting eerie underwater depth. After snorkling in Maui and going to the Monterey aquarium recently, I'm <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >in the zone</span>- hopefully that will translate into the artwork. I also took some great photos for reference on the way home from Califonia in <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >Newport, Oregon</span>. I admire these murals every time I pass through Newport. Most of them are painted by Rick Chambers and they are just incredible. Take a look:</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW3vUsMXC5NrFxQWpEHjFHEoAe0cffl4PI4k1fJ_bm2j8s1hg-kOkUCNGmRoTpupsmx4sbBg9cvsLQzYwaoxz0lCZTw_fq3yInLOR985DI-hfRzjjmXWCWVRBsXWj3BSbvCXSv3LguOhA/s1600/newport.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW3vUsMXC5NrFxQWpEHjFHEoAe0cffl4PI4k1fJ_bm2j8s1hg-kOkUCNGmRoTpupsmx4sbBg9cvsLQzYwaoxz0lCZTw_fq3yInLOR985DI-hfRzjjmXWCWVRBsXWj3BSbvCXSv3LguOhA/s400/newport.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404590089975383890" border="0" /></a>Julie Costanzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374007395690061979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-278348318197135454.post-36938729143039280922009-11-09T18:53:00.001-08:002009-11-15T23:18:18.510-08:00Chairs.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjob84BAIXhyF2Nh1tNoDvGKVM2-7cJymjGjVgqc3BULqiAwnQrywoHUolh5IvKvtMGJ8J_mVFtW_VDNv5MQHXOlPSU0UcLrM0V5yOdnooJ8vLUvGjRpcY3CaA-CNhQREj5pZkLI_j34e0/s1600-h/IMG_4469.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 162px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjob84BAIXhyF2Nh1tNoDvGKVM2-7cJymjGjVgqc3BULqiAwnQrywoHUolh5IvKvtMGJ8J_mVFtW_VDNv5MQHXOlPSU0UcLrM0V5yOdnooJ8vLUvGjRpcY3CaA-CNhQREj5pZkLI_j34e0/s200/IMG_4469.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402309643695241458" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig8ysAqFkPwhDXE2oijrrNrHBQqfbw0ySHOF5xtIXe4hJg_qZEH2Vl-HQBV3AHOdThgqFvA-O1rrOMCf4TfVeC46VHUqGwEfrADcscqKZUwP8SVfswau0qXdvRrpfzT92UGUwIRxEiEIs/s1600-h/elvinschair.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 163px; height: 217px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig8ysAqFkPwhDXE2oijrrNrHBQqfbw0ySHOF5xtIXe4hJg_qZEH2Vl-HQBV3AHOdThgqFvA-O1rrOMCf4TfVeC46VHUqGwEfrADcscqKZUwP8SVfswau0qXdvRrpfzT92UGUwIRxEiEIs/s200/elvinschair.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402307617714494626" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-family:courier new;"><br />Today I decided to <span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >strip a chair</span> before painting it, instead of chipping the loose paint off and sanding the paint to scuff it up for primer. After many a rash, I really hate to use harsh chemicals like turpentine, lacquer thinner, kerosene, etc. That being said, this chair seemed ancient</span></span></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-family:courier new;"> so I decided that working in some fumes might not be as bad as working in <span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >lead paint dust</span>. I ended up buying an aerosol spray can of thinner at the Home Depot. The aerosol turned out to be a bad idea as the spray is thick and wild, but I chose it because I thought I'd use it all unlike the larger container.<span style="font-family:courier new;"> It was messier than I expected, but the fumes seemed mellow (thinner vapors tend to sink, and I was working outside) and it worked great! There's still a bit of paint on the wood but I think I'm done with the thinner. I may even stain the wood so that I can use some <span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >real wood grain</span> amidst the painted design which is to have a Cowboys and Indians theme. </span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-family:courier new;">Once I was done with the thinner project, I had the nice surprise of finding out that I'm featured in a <span style="font-size:180%;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=93131"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">treasury on Etsy.com</span></a></span>. It has the theme "Interior" and is made by Hungarian felt artist Kati Bobaly of <span style="font-size:180%;"><a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/dekorart"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Dekorart</span></a></span>. She chose my painting "Elvin's Chair" to join the collection. Elvin's Chair is a rare still life (love them but rarely paint them) of one of the first furniture pieces I bought when I moved to Portland. This was a <span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" >pretty sweet chair</span> and I just sold it to a Miami transplant since it was getting no use sitting in our garage. Please take a look at it on Dekorart's treasury. The collection features some Etsy artists that I frequently check up on. </span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0bCts24m4EDtmzE-l2lUUqUVHrXMr6cvE6meFphWBViqI9ACCiQcPHvmj62sFPxXwzbrL55gPtaksV4uPQE6uy7xPYwJzWaRsotyfG2NvzYgc0-9c9iXFuRRDQA4uSf88A6Kz6wiHofs/s1600-h/harper.chair.jpg"><br /></a>Julie Costanzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374007395690061979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-278348318197135454.post-80912943261280956242009-11-01T21:26:00.001-08:002009-11-02T10:13:09.691-08:00Indian Summer<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie3apgo-JUcrLvzaz04MtQ8SYphdgn4zkpUWcPkf40DyW9FGsPR9bc1yGZiGFPbVfXE7oFGGT1aNQTRkIYi3-KAFT_YSW7ck9vpPniXU_ch-m2fV-mnpHHsYYzmVFmGkx_DFz5OH1yGOg/s1600-h/IMG_4030.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie3apgo-JUcrLvzaz04MtQ8SYphdgn4zkpUWcPkf40DyW9FGsPR9bc1yGZiGFPbVfXE7oFGGT1aNQTRkIYi3-KAFT_YSW7ck9vpPniXU_ch-m2fV-mnpHHsYYzmVFmGkx_DFz5OH1yGOg/s400/IMG_4030.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399555277144356594" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-family:courier new;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-family:courier new;"><br />this October I...</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-family:courier new;">chased the sun,<br />had great adventures with my love,<br />ate breakfast burgers,</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-family:courier new;">painted watercolors in Lahaina,<br />experienced magical places with friends,<br />snorkled and<br />swam with turtles.<br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPAiqkCJs5GMwGlyHk-xWi7OMsZAwapbYBuHXHUg8zYN5u3zWE4ZT5OiUEelzl54kUH3rBh497C0TnU8tm8OA6a789oVCPsJIAyCDoiwzRba0Url-v3l26BR2OjP7laS3Tbq4rSo8Jg6Y/s1600-h/IMG_4166.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPAiqkCJs5GMwGlyHk-xWi7OMsZAwapbYBuHXHUg8zYN5u3zWE4ZT5OiUEelzl54kUH3rBh497C0TnU8tm8OA6a789oVCPsJIAyCDoiwzRba0Url-v3l26BR2OjP7laS3Tbq4rSo8Jg6Y/s400/IMG_4166.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399555527403394546" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-family:courier new;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I also...<br />carved rubber blocks (prints soon to come- I'm very excited!),</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-family:courier new;">trusted Watson to have off-leash adventures,<br />thanked my lucky starts that W survived his cliff-fall,<br />slept in a mansion by the ocean</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-family:courier new;">and<br />a recording studio<br />and<br />a hobbit house,<br />got into my first California gallery,<br />saw zebras and jellyfish,<br />met people who decorate their entire world,<br />and had the best October ever!<br />How was yours?<br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAcearF8jUjbRAaEvAoGkeIt_a2tSD3Ny8yAx4ozn-SVJLuimiovOJOdZH3vu596jmnamRN-0w8w8upK_Ei_hXSbktzc9y3naq_jgOdbaU3qfItildZ8asjR_3DyuCV1uTedEChK7Sl7M/s1600-h/ice.plant.woman.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAcearF8jUjbRAaEvAoGkeIt_a2tSD3Ny8yAx4ozn-SVJLuimiovOJOdZH3vu596jmnamRN-0w8w8upK_Ei_hXSbktzc9y3naq_jgOdbaU3qfItildZ8asjR_3DyuCV1uTedEChK7Sl7M/s400/ice.plant.woman.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399555737111343538" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCqMiNnyN9Mt0sRX71wsb5WydYAxnxt3hVoqo919m-j0WD9jD4Yai4nANUpnrEYPyjKF-_fLaYZGqnzsu66Pw1bmM-g4aI_UpNG8_d1RQahLxLXwtfjesuJ7Z_vwPMrJhu8RmORHSpFpk/s1600-h/ice.plant.woman.jpg"><br /></a>Julie Costanzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374007395690061979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-278348318197135454.post-65066139983635692182009-10-07T00:15:00.000-07:002009-10-09T00:07:13.005-07:00Two Loves<span style="font-family:courier new;">Art and Dogs.<br />If you know me then you probably know that I'm obsessed with <span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://roaddoggy.blogspot.com/">Watson</a></span>- my fiery, funny, adorable mini pinscher. I blame him in part for my procrastination of at-home projects including my canvas paintings. It's hard for me to paint when he's pawing at my arm whi</span><span style="font-family:courier new;">le my brush is in hand, with big yellow eyes that say things like "please play with me", "let's go for a walk" and "I bet you can't catch me!". I usually reluctantly cave in to his demands, but I'm grateful for those distractions</span><span style="font-family:courier new;">. Our walks around the neighborhood and runs around the yard helped me to really notice nature coming alive this past spring. The local flowers, plant-life and sky of this past spring and summer were direct inspiration for many paintings I completed recently. So many of our neighbors maintain lush gardens- some of which I've admired for a while, but some that I may not have noticed if I wasn't circling the neighborhood again and again with my furry friend. A lot of time and commitment comes with having a dog, but one of the things we do</span><span style="font-family:courier new;">g-owners get in return is a new reason to appreciate the great outdoors. </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_9hlZ1U4RtUN4ro79nDkrok4H7Rap79GGi_WD85S_cRAWT2Ldw1PGeDlCqfdO4BgjmrZ4eY1k3tcYL3d_kC9KsKvga0LOtCVD4WjMJYcsaYUZvYjcom0Q3cXC9aVNmWw8vLtPlOve9OU/s1600-h/ginger.chuck.it.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 294px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_9hlZ1U4RtUN4ro79nDkrok4H7Rap79GGi_WD85S_cRAWT2Ldw1PGeDlCqfdO4BgjmrZ4eY1k3tcYL3d_kC9KsKvga0LOtCVD4WjMJYcsaYUZvYjcom0Q3cXC9aVNmWw8vLtPlOve9OU/s400/ginger.chuck.it.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390089268672486002" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:courier new;">This painting is of Ginger, who's part of Brett's sister's family. I painted this for his sister and brother-in-law's 10th anniversary, as Ginger's been with them longer than their children. The painting took longer than I hoped- in part because in the early stages it looked so good that I was afraid to work on it more! It's all about capturing the personality of the dog, and Ginger is a sweetheart who loves nothing more than fetching a ball. This particular scene comes from a round of "Chuck-it" at the beach in Northern California with her biggest fan, Brett.</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWtOvqjpZMSkFkLCwzrPv6zaVeDKANFfXOGk-T529IW0VKa8p4XR-OkLNG-mGomfQphnNuRn_Rz0eeWp_L4GFCtb5skg-XRMedQYtC7vLudJXFqsgScpbXFKk8CryD499y-m-uCI4awg/s1600-h/ginger.chuck.it.jpg"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span></a>Julie Costanzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374007395690061979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-278348318197135454.post-11117723872457396552009-08-27T01:16:00.001-07:002009-10-10T20:01:56.549-07:00Simplify<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8sBJtp2QIl1Hx0Jdj8si0P9MuRmxjPsIVu-_sqncYpehHfKkODVHOVBeiOAvW-BKQeZ2ZGsU-evKE8uo9mPOlEkc_m7x2ycUTeUoiTeWWelHB7_KV8MxD0VM9H9IlkV_ZIgWN0WoKCec/s1600-h/woodpecker.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8sBJtp2QIl1Hx0Jdj8si0P9MuRmxjPsIVu-_sqncYpehHfKkODVHOVBeiOAvW-BKQeZ2ZGsU-evKE8uo9mPOlEkc_m7x2ycUTeUoiTeWWelHB7_KV8MxD0VM9H9IlkV_ZIgWN0WoKCec/s400/woodpecker.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374730944186306386" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:courier new;">I often have to hold myself back from painting more and more when a project is probably at the point of completion. I get so involved in the artwork that I want to keep going, but I know from experience that there can be striking beauty in eit</span><span style="font-family:courier new;">her</span><span style="font-family:courier new;"> the early stages of a painting or from small accents of artwork. This week I</span><span style="font-family:courier new;"> painted a relatively simple design of two birch trees and a woodpecker over a great base color in a Seattle bathroom. Because the design was not busy, I was able to give the artwork the attention it deserved to be a uniquely striking statement</span> <span style="font-family:courier new;">that ref</span><span style="font-family:courier new;">lects the client's creativity and love o</span><span style="font-family:courier new;">f nature</span>. <span style="font-family:courier new;">While full, intricate murals are amazing, I also highly recommend clean artwork over a unique base color for a </span><span style="font-family:courier new;">modern take on the mural.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjove7JFVxIstwY2hjSAuHiON8e6Q2q4trdbBsUZHNyc78u2FRIinPavWJg9syfiV3JNnCvjTuxD-iASQCwjaWO5e4HkeSNfPeYaeH4TtwQ5mnKsUZcDiM8XLfxQ39ItDtCLaRWAI28yA0/s1600-h/woodpecker.wide.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjove7JFVxIstwY2hjSAuHiON8e6Q2q4trdbBsUZHNyc78u2FRIinPavWJg9syfiV3JNnCvjTuxD-iASQCwjaWO5e4HkeSNfPeYaeH4TtwQ5mnKsUZcDiM8XLfxQ39ItDtCLaRWAI28yA0/s400/woodpecker.wide.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374732002509370210" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinDnZhW0DS9xoaqaBpH9kIww7PQAKHPo2-X_yVoorCrxLPzoezD69kLZV5Q1PqkNRlhW317ycRXhfJ4ORSpw6b6wlxBCbeDvwFb761iE5Z2Ui9x5sAkSCiwplFNergZ7PPAz0uOJ2VWK0/s1600-h/birch.trees.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinDnZhW0DS9xoaqaBpH9kIww7PQAKHPo2-X_yVoorCrxLPzoezD69kLZV5Q1PqkNRlhW317ycRXhfJ4ORSpw6b6wlxBCbeDvwFb761iE5Z2Ui9x5sAkSCiwplFNergZ7PPAz0uOJ2VWK0/s400/birch.trees.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391171899516140354" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSN_ARlTL0VCpflZ8Qj7dfG_cauIaRzA5b065U2AWX3gD2J5PagsOhrF720fQIj4VMRw3e7ZdExgjtxC_2fXZ2l-CawmyMFHfhCeFeWv8xkN6blrCOsM8rNHdrfHAabNsgj3fyCSJwMsU/s1600-h/woodpecker.jpg"><br /></a>Julie Costanzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374007395690061979noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-278348318197135454.post-68203548454951774852009-08-20T15:14:00.000-07:002009-08-20T15:33:24.635-07:00Art Weekend!<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:courier new;">Thank you to everyone who came out on Frida</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:courier new;">y for my show at the Greenwood-Phinney art walk location Art on the Ridge. I had a great time thanks to the crowd and the fantastic tunes by <a href="http://www.myspace.com/b3tles">The B-3tles</a>! This was my first show in Seattle featuring many paintings. My goal was to showcase my recent impasto works which are abstract and impressionistic. After this past <span style="font-size:130%;">long winter</span>, I had a craving for color and nature which is reflected in all of these new pieces. Before the opening show, I picked up my Portland landscapes from another gallery, and was lucky to be able to fit them into the Greenwood-Phinney show.<br />Photographer Anthony Huss paid a visit to my art o</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:courier new;">pening, and wrote a lovely description of the evening on his blog, <a href="http://seattleartwalks.blogspot.com/">Seattle Art Walks</a>. Anthony's blog is a must-see for Seattle's artists and art lovers. He has the best compilation of Seattle's art walks, and wonderful reviews and photos of the shows </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:courier new;">he visits.<br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0q5II5Q-L92N5pmotUCwTrWzYwFXT0IaLnU1xMWUTOvn_yRDMcxenf66xYxyCAWDa8JKt4-6J4ZRpOj1hZ8S1bSEqeAK91644hnQROwULvk2pkHH1tedv3FQ6zulrbQzJkng6DZ5Kv6g/s1600-h/watson.c&p.craft.show.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 450px; height: 337px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0q5II5Q-L92N5pmotUCwTrWzYwFXT0IaLnU1xMWUTOvn_yRDMcxenf66xYxyCAWDa8JKt4-6J4ZRpOj1hZ8S1bSEqeAK91644hnQROwULvk2pkHH1tedv3FQ6zulrbQzJkng6DZ5Kv6g/s400/watson.c&p.craft.show.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372176789921126770" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:courier new;">The next day I did my first craft sho</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:courier new;">w at <a href="http://www.candpcoffee.com/">C&P Coffee</a> in West Seattle. C&P had delicious coffee and is a gr</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:courier new;">eat place to spend time with a homey setting and great outdoor seating area. It is also <span style="font-size:130%;">dog-friendly</span> indoors and outdoors, which we <span style="font-size:100%;">love</span>!<br /></span></span>Julie Costanzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374007395690061979noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-278348318197135454.post-15444728995482163082009-08-01T14:22:00.000-07:002009-08-20T15:36:19.790-07:00The Great Outdoors<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiknpJ0L-yDwnstNnsGX9SNaolwZDsNt_bjBiV4yGT6RBhgIaAxbN1AkA35l4joc7pgvCXAqpGdlEArySj3Y3di9qs-DWNYCV5Re2TT5nbISM-NSYgBed2Z1B3yZ-1_jLDKUVzH3SCWkI0/s1600-h/6.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiknpJ0L-yDwnstNnsGX9SNaolwZDsNt_bjBiV4yGT6RBhgIaAxbN1AkA35l4joc7pgvCXAqpGdlEArySj3Y3di9qs-DWNYCV5Re2TT5nbISM-NSYgBed2Z1B3yZ-1_jLDKUVzH3SCWkI0/s400/6.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365113934938866978" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVFYYCfDhI9fisUUjVcbjY4go7n2EuXuqrr_dsDqFE5gCtAUfj4HQ9hFjvYZmZn9FYxIg_KfzphCGdFmBKAKNBsO09dY6h8XMZaIH7cyA6DY3VE-wONsxw-RKTnTwB1-uWb7bJyXAFLwM/s1600-h/2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 496px; height: 370px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVFYYCfDhI9fisUUjVcbjY4go7n2EuXuqrr_dsDqFE5gCtAUfj4HQ9hFjvYZmZn9FYxIg_KfzphCGdFmBKAKNBsO09dY6h8XMZaIH7cyA6DY3VE-wONsxw-RKTnTwB1-uWb7bJyXAFLwM/s400/2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365113516011844034" border="0" /></a><br /><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-family:courier new;">Happy August! We've survived Seattle's <span style="font-size:130%;">heatwave</span> and are now back to gorgeous summer days.</span> <span style="font-family:courier new;">Yesterday I woke up to chilly air which felt incredible, and was a perfect start to my day, which began at </span></span><span style=";font-family:courier new;font-size:100%;" ><a href="http://www.seattle.gov/PARKS/Environment/camplong.htm">Camp Long</a> in West Seattle. For anyone who doesn't know, this is one of Seattle's hidden gems. I've driven by it hundreds of times without knowing it was going to become one of my favorite spots to enjoy the outdoors. It has numerous cabins that are available to rent out, a cute little stream, and a real stone rock climbing structure called Schurman Rock.<br />I ended up there for the first time accompanying fellow artist <a href="http://www.cherikopp.com/index.html">Cheri Kopp</a> to experience the final day of Mandy Greer's fiber arts installation in the trees along the water. The natural environment is already beautiful, but the artwork <span style="font-size:130%;">transformed</span> it into a magical place that is hard to step away from. The large scale makes you feel like a part of the artwork, but examining it closely, you'll find special tiny intricate accents like beading that make you wonder if you're the only one lucky enough to notice that small detail. The pictures don't do it justice, but here they are!</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9EscgNoLlWRQ9ZwcsIiF46dX15RzoXGZt7wFEcYba4hDgxdCjEAmG6xb8OICB5MwTERkKELjgcR3HxOQxdrduUr8K3hqS0Ia0qv_iYw9sz0bQGzBNGmecjzJqdqQUiqH8Gdxc2HvvOaQ/s1600-h/3.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9EscgNoLlWRQ9ZwcsIiF46dX15RzoXGZt7wFEcYba4hDgxdCjEAmG6xb8OICB5MwTERkKELjgcR3HxOQxdrduUr8K3hqS0Ia0qv_iYw9sz0bQGzBNGmecjzJqdqQUiqH8Gdxc2HvvOaQ/s400/3.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365113107482062562" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7g8EoZRR_s5KQ7deh51DOQhV7TCkRGLQjSueUHOFuzEm0_2o2dJGNCTuWvlcnCv9I5WvHp-6zgfZkSVIPGQPvn7-5jOmUifO3MtcRTm-6W8VJzZO2lJ_B5kYMfcy9LVbwETIok1RndDI/s1600-h/4.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 371px; height: 276px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7g8EoZRR_s5KQ7deh51DOQhV7TCkRGLQjSueUHOFuzEm0_2o2dJGNCTuWvlcnCv9I5WvHp-6zgfZkSVIPGQPvn7-5jOmUifO3MtcRTm-6W8VJzZO2lJ_B5kYMfcy9LVbwETIok1RndDI/s400/4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365114190237528898" border="0" /></a>Julie Costanzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374007395690061979noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-278348318197135454.post-5009172841018621712009-07-04T11:57:00.000-07:002009-08-20T16:48:40.624-07:00Happy Fourth of July!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1B2O8BnHadTkQ3PrCXRDQ8ZyIQLIRuoB0rhR0gYaI5C1ZQtGVTnT72XmmKrV9xJ2VWuoFPYxZlmeAak-zDi236hFJma9bm3HwLb1P0VPXf6PUikL0FA-ouljNgKC9T8J4oJcYZrcl068/s1600-h/signs.of.life3x3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 399px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1B2O8BnHadTkQ3PrCXRDQ8ZyIQLIRuoB0rhR0gYaI5C1ZQtGVTnT72XmmKrV9xJ2VWuoFPYxZlmeAak-zDi236hFJma9bm3HwLb1P0VPXf6PUikL0FA-ouljNgKC9T8J4oJcYZrcl068/s400/signs.of.life3x3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372196804961374434" border="0" /></a><a style="font-family: courier new;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkqw6b1rKtomfHhRgMhwCBH7HDzZKNdcZKZp7-ofws8JwL8ojG4KcvqhHkYlvWQVI68-tRd3MTgFQBXQbSPMzCOwHzI5K4lheEHIiK9LqttctYaQZkriAng9DIqB1lUt5V2Y0YGDEnZwY/s1600-h/toes.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkqw6b1rKtomfHhRgMhwCBH7HDzZKNdcZKZp7-ofws8JwL8ojG4KcvqhHkYlvWQVI68-tRd3MTgFQBXQbSPMzCOwHzI5K4lheEHIiK9LqttctYaQZkriAng9DIqB1lUt5V2Y0YGDEnZwY/s400/toes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354742841250703666" border="0" /></a><br /><span style=";font-family:courier new;font-size:100%;" >I love this holiday, and I'm so excited to see fireworks</span><span style=";font-family:courier new;font-size:100%;" > to</span><span style=";font-family:courier new;font-size:100%;" >night! We'll be hanging out in the "country" checking out the l</span><span style=";font-family:courier new;font-size:100%;" >ocal talent while making sure nothing catches on fire. Watson has no</span><span style=";font-family:courier new;font-size:100%;" > idea that he's about to spend a long night with his best girlfriend Franny. Since everyone except me will probably be playing music for a lot of the night, I'm going to bring some acrylics to experiment with. I just painted a tiny 3"x3" for a mini-red themed art show, an</span><span style=";font-family:courier new;font-size:100%;" >d it was fun to utiliz</span><span style=";font-family:courier new;font-size:100%;" >e water and gravity in creating the abstraction.</span><br /><span style=";font-family:courier new;font-size:100%;" >I hope there's an art store open today!</span>Julie Costanzohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374007395690061979noreply@blogger.com0