Thursday, April 28, 2011

oh me of little faith...

in the last Harry Potter movie I watched
Professor Dumbledore tells Harry,
"It's not our abilities that show what we truly are,
it's our choices".
eloquently put really...
so much of life is really just showing up...
do you know what I mean?
notice that painting with the flowers 
on the far right
on the second row from the bottom?
 well it's mine and is now residing in the window 
of this wonderful art gallery
in Issaquah, WA.
 and you may remember what a hard time I was having with the little bugger.
I almost threw it in the trash but persevered.
there's a lesson in there -
most of life is just about showing up,
making choices,
and pouring yourself into it does not hurt either.
so this online auction for my work and 150 others begins May 6.
I will give you the particulars once it opens.  
You can bid on my piece.
wouldn't that be fun to have a bit of me on your wall
above your fireplace 
or next to your coffee maker to cheer the beginning of your day
or wherever you need a bright spot?
I am feeling rather drawn to this fat cat wearing horizontal stripes.
isn't he a hoot?
he would definitely cheer me up
and maybe if he came to live next to my food cupboard -
he just might keep me out of it too.
our NYPhiladelphiaPrinceton trip was wonderful 
and I really do not know how to go through all the photos... 
so give me some patience 
and I promise there will be some amazing places to share soon...
yes hopefully soon.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Seattle coffee and sun

 waiting for my husband at Cafe Vivace while he works.
the sun is out,
music plays
and a good book awaits me...
did I mention the sun was out?
the dog in the store next door was enjoying
every last gleam of it too.
(hi guys - this was an automatic post from a couple of weeks ago...
just got back from Princeton and New York - 
wow what a trip -
can't wait to share all my photos with you!!!)

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Easter travels

have a Blessed Easter Day!!!!
We are happily traveling from Princeton to NYC today
with kiddo #1 and Kim.
Can't wait to share this amazing adventure with you soon.
wish I could travel by this scooter...
well maybe not with all 4 of us!
(original photo from Anthropologie
with a little help from picnik)



Thursday, April 21, 2011

doodles

Nick loves to draw...
anytime...
anywhere...
this one is a polar bear drawn 
in the sand...
 and this little ninja was the inspiration...
for this composition just completed 
for his art class.
btw he graduates in June with a BA in psychology,
which I think he should use for art therapy,
 don't you agree?

Monday, April 18, 2011

going around in circles...

going around in circles can be quite fun...
start in the center and...
add your favorite colors...
and work towards the outside
adding magazine and construction paper cut outs...
and blobs of paint,
and pen doodles,
and stamps of more paint
and then...
cut your beloved painting into 1/4s... 
and pass one piece of yours to the person on the left 
and so on and so on until....
you have a gorgeous new piece of art
with a touch of your creation
and 3/4s of your friends.
note: we then doodled with permanent marker
on used laminate and attached brads to adhere this 
to the top of our art
for a wonderful multi-layered look.
then we moved on to the another piece...
full of happy spring-time colors in the background...
and construction paper flowers...
jumping off the pages...
ready to enjoy springtime
(if it would ever arrive - first time ever we have not hit 60 degrees in April
and tonight the low will be 34 - a new record,
but who's counting?)
not these guys...
aren't they adorable?

Sunday, April 17, 2011

a Sunday blessing

or Happy Fern Sunday...
remember this from last year?
just had to repost because it really was too funny.
if I am honest with you,
I have to tell you I had a no good rotten bad week 
and thankfully it was our spring break,
so I laid low 
and cried a lot
and missed my mom
and cleaned 
and cried a lot.
grief really is a roller coaster of emotions...
I feel better today and ready to face the world again.
xo

Friday, April 8, 2011

the spring tree socks of Sammamish bloom



 the Sammamish trees got clothed in their new spring socks...
 gone are the winter ones...
 even tho it did snow two nights ago...
we are hoping for spring and sunshine
(even tho I hardly recognize that yellow thing in the sky
 trying to make an appearance right now)...
 the trees are hoping to sway in the breeze in their 
Easter attire.
now all we need is some bunny rabbits and easter eggs
 to complete the scene...
 the barrista at the Starbucks next to the installation 
said we should tell the world this is what we do in the northwest 
to all our trees to keep them cozy in the winter...
hee hee, wouldn't that be fun?

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

simple pleasure

Limitations live only in our minds.  
But if we use our imaginations, 
our possibilities become limitless.
Jamie Paolinetti
(the photo is one of my favorite collections...
the quote is from Carla Sonheim's wonderful book 
Drawing Lab for Mixed-Media Artists)
What limitless possibilities
are you imagining today?

Saturday, April 2, 2011

spring bloom has bloomed

finally finished...
but let me tell you -
this painting was torture
and if the art process was always like this...
well I would quit painting...
 it started like this -
an innocent beginning...
 but soon advanced to getting every art supply out of every drawer
to try and steer it in the right direction.
I blogged about the plan for the painting here -
innocent enough I thought...
 but soon it was clear to see that my plan for stamping was too busy,
and the composition didn't work 
(no photos - too painful)
so I covered all the stamping with paper flowers,
but I had too many 
so I scraped some of them away...
 and added and subtracted
and finally got to something I liked...
 that made me happy...
and ready to bloom.
This painting will be for sale at 
The Up Front Art Gallery In Issaquah
during their 150 Feet of Art fundraiser in May.