pretty and pink

here is another new piece that will be getting a frame shortly. (still haven't gotten around to that task :)

the background floral is a vintage sheet wrapped onto a 14x11 canvas frame and is already very cherished by yours truly. i think this is the true test of whether or not you are on the right track with your creative life. the more you dread selling a piece is directly proportionate to the fact that you have finally found that one thing that has been in you all along.

a big thanks to everyone who has cheered me on with this new endeavor. your words of encouragement are exactly what i need.

lemons and joy

i am please to introduce you to my first lemon bud. remember the lemon tree my husband surprised me with at christmas? the one i was scared i would kill in a week? well, it has already bloomed abundantly and from those blooms, i have a bunch of tiny lemons taking shape. i still can't believe that you can grow lemon trees inside your house. how cool is that???

art and journals

i have a confession to make - i am addicted to buying journals. the problem with this addiction is that they rarely end up as an art filled, thought filled thing of beauty. they usually end up as a to do list, scribble filled mess.

another confession is that i never write on the first page of a journal. crazy, right? i always have such angst about what should go there because i believe it sets the tone for the whole book. should it be an image, a few lines of thoughts - such pressure! so i just leave it blank and then the book can be filled with whatever i want.

however, i am pretty excited about my new journal. it is the one where i am going to break my habitual cycle of thinking too much about what goes on the pages. the best part about it is the pages are really thick and shouldn't have any show through. because, let's face it, what is worse than a journal where your ink hemorrhages through to the crisp white of the next page?

are you a journaler? do you plot out your journal before you start? or is it a whimsical sliver of your life? i need direction folks!

rain and shine

this past week has been one of those where yuckiness has rained down on me. i have a graphic design client who is trying very hard to drive me nuts, nuts i tell you! but i have to remind myself to push on through the rain. if i let the rain roll off my back, i can shine right on through.

the above image is the second piece i have done since my breakthrough. this time, i experimented with canvas and couldn't be happier. the daffodil is my drawing, appliqued onto fabric which is then wrapped around a sturdy canvas frame. the top is a cream, rain filled sky with a speckled brown muslin for the dirt.

next on the agenda? a chunky white frame so that when someone buys it at my next show in may, all they have to do is put a nail in the wall and hang it. i am actually quite excited to start on the frame, i think it will complete the look very nicely. i have the wood all picked out - all i have to do is get out my miter saw and nails and i will be ready to go!

dreams and life

good morning! remember last week when i talked about all my sleepless nights? well, the above piece is the product of my "likes" list. i just love it so much, i love the color, i love the composition, i love the process. everything - love!

the flower might look familiar to anyone who reads this blog regularly because it is actually one of my colored pencil drawings (and seen in my banner above). i transferred the image to fabric, then hand appliqued it to the stretched canvas. of course, the flower wouldn't be complete without a sweet little milk glass vase. i went a bit crazy with the french knots, but i ask you, what better way to depict a hobnail pattern?

thank you to everyone who cheered me on with this creative break though. i am so inspired that now i cannot sleep again - only this time, it's for a much different reason. all i want to do is make!