Uhhh...what did she just say??

Oh my...this is good for a laugh again and again and again.

Out of the funk

This weekend went by in a flash! I got a haircut, made a cheesecake, went to the pool, went to the gym - because I ate a lot of the cheesecake - and still managed to complete a few pieces.

I've been at a standstill for a few weeks and I finally broke out of the funk. I went back to my older style and tried not to be as painterly. I experimented and was pretty happy about the results.

This piece is called "Flight". It's a vintage photograph of a single seagull. I've never used such heavily textured paper before, but I liked the overall effect once I painted over it.

This was another piece that is simple yet bright and colorful. I love the picture and they way the little girl is looking away from the person that is holding her hand.

This was more of an experiment with color than anything else. If you are having a hard time making out the photo, it is a girl on a swing. All three of the above photos were found on eBay. Quite a score.

Chris and I went to the Humane Society auction on Friday night. I donated two pieces and together they raised $120 for the very worthwhile charity. I do have to admit that Margaret and Kara bought the pieces. I'm not sure if they were just doing me a favor to save me from embarrassment, but it's all for a good cause!

Big Girl Dreams

I completed this piece over the weekend. It's actually a 12x12 piece so the scan cuts off the sides in the image above. It's called Big Girl Dreams. A pretty personal work for me, but I'll leave it up to your own interpretation. I can't reveal everything!

Chris and I set up my brand new art fair tent on a very humid Sunday afternoon. It is FANCY! Clean, crisp and very white. I hope it is worth the splurge when I sell out at my next few shows. Ha!

So I will continue to crank away at piece to display in my new fancy tent and will continue to post them here. Check back!

Somebody stop me

Seriously...I need to go to Birds Anonymous or something like that. I'm obsessed with them. I just bought two antique bird books last week, so the madness is likely to continue. Beware...

I also found a cool little tool at a craft store that leaves a dotted trace when you trace the wheel on the wax paper. The effect is really neat. Not sure what the tool is called, but I think it's something that quilter's use for patterns.

I was asked to donate a piece to Humane Society fundraising event being held next weekend at the Uptown. I did this piece tonight, but it's small and simple. The colors don't look as great on the computer as they do in person. I'm nervous about it. I'm considering doing another one just because I will be in attendance at the auction. When nobody bids on it then poor Chris will end up having to pony up the minimum bid just to save face. Maybe I will go in disguise.

I'm looking forward to taking some time off from commissions and donated auction items and just working on inventory for Village Pointe. If anyone will be in Omaha between September 14 and 16, stop by lucky booth #13.

As you know, I took Friday off. I spent way too much time at River Market Antiques shopping for antique books to use in the artwork rather than actually working on my art. Dang! I have so much to do before the Omaha show. At this point I have 38 pieces. I'd like to take at least 70. Here are a few I've completed recently.

Nest

Quite a Pair

The Simplest Solution

A commission that I just completed tonight for a 60th birthday present. I thought it turned out OK.

Keep checking back as I will be posting art more regularly. Feel free to leave comments if you have any thoughts or suggestions for me!

Fellow Jayhawk

I'm obsessed with checking Design*Sponge to see what artists they are profiling each day. Yesterday, Heather Smith Jones was featured. I LOVED her work, so I clicked through to her web site. Turns out she is a fellow Jayhawk and is living in Lawrence. Check it out.

We are heading to Lawrence tomorrow to see some friends and go on a mini-Lawrence pub crawl. Too bad "those pesky college kids" are back in town. Oh well, we'll still kick back a schooner or two for sure. We are not staying the night there though. Chris is the DD. As I told Caitlin, nothing good ever comes of Chris being in Lawrence for a night of drinking. As a matter of fact, I can't remember a time when he didn't set his sights on a 3 a.m. Burrito King stop. If I won't drive him then he will try to walk - no matter where we are in the city - to "the king". It's never a good idea the next morning, but he always insists and I usually cave. Ugh.

Busy weekend

It was a busy weekend with work...real work, not putz-in-the-"studio"-while-having-fun-work. Oh well. I plan to take Friday off to make up for it.

I received another commission this week for a 60th birthday present from the nicest couple just a few blocks from our house. I think I'm going to really enjoy this one because it's for a man and almost everything I create seem to be rather girlish.

I hesitate to publish some of the commissions I've created lately just in case the recipients are blog readers. I doubt it, but you never know.

Here are a few pieces that I did a few weekends back.



These images have no birds in them, but Lisa and I were remarking that nearly everything we buy on Etsy has birds in it. This shop is even called urbanbird and I love everything in it! We agreed that neither of us really like real birds, so why the fascination with them? They are everywhere. I've purchased three things on Etsy with birds and I just bought a pillow with a bird from Urban Bazaar.

What is the next big motif going to be? It's funny how you see things pop up and then suddenly it's everywhere. I was into butterflies, then dragonflies. That is SO yesterday. I've seen lots of deer lately. Owls? Brocade? Skulls? What's the next big thing because I'm sure to fall for it.

Brownstone Bride

Did you all hear about this story? For some reason I'm so intrigued by it...

The women pictured above was found sleeping on the ledge of a brownstone in Brooklyn. She was wearing a wedding dress and her head was resting on a teddy bear backpack. Inside was a diamond ring in a Tiffany blue box. When the police came, she spoke no English or Spanish. The only sound she made was when the officer tried to take the box and she shrieked.

The picture looks like something out of a bride magazine. I wondered if it was some sort of performance art or this woman was mentally ill...

Here is some more scoop and, finally, the update.

Ignored

Chris had his head buried in the new Harry Potter book all weekend - and I mean - UNTIL 4 IN THE MORNING-IGNORE YOUR WIFE-DON'T HELP AROUND THE HOUSE-ALL WEEKEND. Not that I'm bitter. I got quite a bit done in "the studio" though.

I feel I have to put "the studio" in parenthesis because I don't feel like a real artist and "the studio" is just a corner of my basement. Oh well.

Anyway, here are a few of the pieces that came from sheer boredom this past weekend. I hope to post a few of them on Etsy, but save some back for the Omaha and Parkville shows.

"Early Riser"

"The Fields"

"Uncaged"

These two are teeny-tiny collages. They are only 2 3/4 inches squared.
"Only"

"Love Letter"

Excellent little gems

Most of the things I use in my artwork is found at antique stores or on ebay. Tonight I was outbid on a vintage wallpaper book from the 1970's. I became a crazed lunatic refreshing the page every 20 seconds at the end of the auction. I lost the auction and was willing to shell out $75 when the auction ended and I lost. Ugh.

So I went back and perused some ebay stores that offered vintage photos. I found a great seller with lots of good images. I'm trying to steer away from the candid shots that are up close lately. I want to find some that are a bit skewed, faces hidden. A little bit of mystery, I guess.

Well, I did buy 13 photos that I can't wait to receive, but I also stumbled across these little gems. If you are interested in these photos let me know and I'll send you a link, but you and I both know that I will think you are a complete freak. The family photo at the bottom may be too hard to resist though. What a classic!

More Shows

I liked the first one so much that I'm ready for more. This week I found out that I was accepted to Omaha's Art on the Pointe show. It's September 14-16. I'm really look forward to this one. It's small - 50 artists. The big perk, though, is that it is located in a great shopping center with Nebraska's only Apple, Coach and other shops like Gap and Banana Republic. I visited the area in May and I can't wait to return.

Tuesday brought some additional good news about a show in Parkville. Get this...I didn't even have to apply. They invited me because they saw my work at the Prairie Village show. Art at Park is October 14 & 14 in Parkville, Missouri on the Park University campus. I'm sure this is a small show as well, but right up my alley.

I ordered about 50 more canvases this week, but this was before I got the news on these two shows. I better order more ad I better get cranking on producing some inventory!

Partnership

I've been buying a lot more on Etsy than I've been selling. It's not hard to believe considering I haven't sold anything on Etsy. It's not been something that I've been marketing, other than the link on my blog. I hope as I do more shows I'd build a bit more of a following on Etsy, however.

Until then, I thought I post some mini-collages and see if a lower price point might help. The piece below is called "Partnership". The background is an antique book page. I've also used transparent papers, a dress pattern and then painted it robin's egg blue and a khaki green. Personally, I think it would make a great little gift for a newly engaged couple. It's only 4"x4". Who doesn't have a place in their home to put such a small piece?

Click Etsy Shop at the right periodically for new pieces.

Excuses

I don't want to make excuses for my lack of blog entries, but...here are my excuses for my lack of blog entries.

I went on a mini-vacay. My real job has been insanely crazy. I'm prepping to throw my sister a baby shower. I've decided to take up exercise again (such a novel concept). This week, I'm completely addicted to Flight of The Conchords, VitaminWater, Kashi frozen meals, the Downtown Overland Park Farmer's Market, everyone else's Etsy sites and wishing I was addicted to this exercise thing.

I've also been working on one huge commission and it had literally taken me over a month. For five weeks, I've painted, pasted, repainted, arranged and rearranged the visual elements a thousand times. Commissions are fun, but they are hard work because there is so much pressure to please. If you know me, you know that that is pretty much all I try to do in life...please.

I just got another commission tonight and I have a few pending, so I'm very excited to know that people out there appreciate my work. If you are interested in a commission, please contact me! Despite my new addictions, I can find some time to work on something for you.

Ugh...I've just realized that the last four paragraphs start with I or I've. This is a blog, obviously written from my first-person point of view, but geesh. Can I get an editor, please?

Flight of the Conchords: The Most Beautiful Girl in the Room

OK, for those of you that don't have HBO, you might consider getting it just for this new genius series called Flight of the Conchords. It's about two guys from New Zealand that have formed a band in the U.S. It is so freaking hilarious. I look forward to Sunday nights just to watch it. If you can, check it out. This video is from the pilot and had me hooked instantly!

I love this bean

Chris and I just returned from a mini vacation in Chicago. It was a trip to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday and a great excuse to visit Moe and Eric. We had an absolute blast!

We arrived on Friday afternoon and went to Bandera's on Michigan Avenue for a late lunch with Moe. Chris and I head there every time we are in Chicago because it reminds us of our first date at Fairway Grill. The Macho Salad is the bomb. After that, we headed to H&M and Chris had to see the Garmin store. The premiere of the iPhone meant that the streets were clogged with crazy Apple heads.

After the Lanes checked in at The Tremont, we headed back to Moe's place to change and then head back out for dinner. We treated the Lanes to a late dinner at Mia Francesca's. After that, back to Moe's until midnight when we headed out to meet Mak and Mark.

We were up for some culture on Saturday and went to the Science and Industry Museum and The Field Museum for the Darwin Exhibit. That afternoon we headed to Millennium Park to see the giant silver bean. I really need to find out who the artist is because I LOVE THIS BEAN! It so simple, but people are absolutely mesmerized by it as you can see in the pictures.


This picture is the reflection of Chris and me in the "bean".

The bean is a popular wedding picture destination. I just looked up the real name of the bean and it's called Cloud Gate by British artist Anish Kapoor. It's 110 tons of stainless steel plates that are completely seamless. The sculpture measures 33 x 66 feet. It really is amazing and a must see in Chicago.
Just down the steps from the bean, we heard screams from excited children. There were two facing buildings that showed video of faces for a period of 5 to 7 minutes, when all of the sudden the faces would close their eyes, pucker their lips and spit water onto the screaming kiddos below. I sat there and watched it forever.

Moe met up with us and we headed to a little bar in the park. More drinks! It was an absolutely perfect day with bright sun and a cool breeze off the lake. Now this is vacation! Eric finished his paper and met us at the bar. Then we were off for another late night dinner with Eric and Moe at Socca.

We met up with Kara and Pat at a bar after dinner, but Moe and I were so full that we headed home while the boys headed to an Irish bar where Chris flexed his Guinness muscle by showing up everyone in the bar with his extraordinary skills to open his throat and chug pints in mere seconds. So charming.

Sunday started off with Moe's famous Bloody Mary brunch at their place in Wrigleyville. It was so yummy. Then we walked to the game just a few short blocks away. It was KU Alumni game day and there were Jayhawk fans everywhere. Chris chatted it up with some random behinds us about KU's obvious trip to the Rose Bowl in 2008. Ha.

It was my first trip to Wrigley and I can't imagine a better place to watch baseball. This is the atmosphere that every baseball team should have the luxury of playing in. It certainly blows Kaufman out of the water. It was another beautiful day and the fans were loving it!

After a victorious game and a fabulous rendition of Go Cubs Go sung aloud by all of the fans as they filed out of the stadium, we headed to Murphy's Bleachers right across the street. (By the way, I've already downloaded the song and played it a number of times).

Some of the folks had a bit more to drink than us if you can even believe that. This dude was escorted out of the bar and hung onto the pole for a solid 10 minutes before mustering some brain cells together to remember who he was and where he was supposed to be. I was as mesmerized by him as I was the spitting fountains at the park. Oh, he was spitting too, but nobody would want to hang out at the bottom of whatever was coming out of his mouth. Not sure who was more drunk, this guy or the guy that went to the port-a-pottie and came out with a giant grin of relief but was wearing more of what he went in to the port-a-pottie to release than what he actually left behind in the john, if you get my drift.

Eric went on a covert operation to capture the finest mullet that Chicago has ever seen. He had one fine 'stache to boot.

The crazy Jayhawk/Cubs fans at Murphy's Bleachers...aka me and Moe.

That's all she wrote folks...

The Final Countdown

Chris and I enjoyed the Richard Petty Driving Experience last weekend. I have to admit that I was a little hesitant, but it was a BLAST! After an hour of brief instruction, they strap you in and let you follow an instructor in front of your car. The entire "experience"only lasts for 8 laps, but it is completely worth it. I went 137 m.p.h. Chris went 136. It was a good day.

Chris pulls into the home stretch at Kansas Speedway

Getting in and out of the car was the hardest part.

The conclusion to Saturday's exciting driving experience was a dinner with Lisa and Reid at Marina Grog & Galley on Lake Lotawana. It was fancy. Chris had four mojitos and then concluded the night of fancy dining and sweet drinks with a few cans of Busch Light over a card game. I did learn something new about Chris this weekend...he bought a synthesizer in 6th grade just so he could learn how to play "The Final Countdown." I always knew he had mad skills, but WHAT!? So impressed.

Summer cleaning

I spent the better part of my weekend reorganizing my studio/corner of the basement. I received several commissions after the art show and I've just been so overwhelmed with all of the crap on the floor, on the desk, everywhere really and that I just couldn't concentrate on the task at hand.

I did complete a commission tonight for two special Texas ladies and will deliver it on Tuesday night. Kerri, I hope you like it!


Check back later in the week for updates on our adventures at the Richard Petty Driving Experience this past Saturday. Hint: I beat Chris and, to me, that is all that really matters. Not that I'm competitive or anything.

Oh so good

The new House House a Go Go opens at The Legends on Friday night! Oh my goodness...this is my new favorite restaurant. Chris and I enjoyed a free lunch there today because one of the perks of my real job is to try out new restaurants when they open at the shopping center.

Hash House specializes in twisted farm food. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner...I can't wait to try the breakfast and lunch. The portions are gigantic! Think Cheesecake Factory on steroids and WAAAY better. Some of their menu items include one pound hamburgers - two patties with stuffing in between like ham and egg with smoked cheddar or mashed potatoes and bacon! The Andy's sage fried chicken salad was served in a bowl so big that the waitress had to use both hands to pick it off the table. It was so huge that a small child could have bathed in it. The pancakes are 18 inches in diameter. The chicken pot pie is as big as your head. And the presentation makes the awe of the portion sizes have a secondary wow factor.

If you are in the area, you must check it out...They are two other locations in San Diego and Las Vegas, but who can go wrong in Kansas City, Kansas. Martha Stewart and Dr. Phil have paid visit and you should, too!

No tatas in The Village

Chris and I looked out the window after dinner tonight to see the statue in the "triangle" across the street had been adorned with an over-the-shoulder-boulder-holder. I can't wait to see how long it will stay there. I've seen unsuspecting young boys cop a feel a time or two, so I'm happy to see that she looks a bit more decent.

Inspired

As my header says above, my hope with this blog was to inspire others. I'm happy to report that I received the nicest compliment from Gretchen, a girl I met through my real job. After a luncheon last week, we toured the Bloch Building at the Nelson-Atkins Museum and she talked about art classes, old pictures...I mentioned my work, my recent show, yada yada yada. She couldn't have been more enthusiastic. She emailed me today to ask about seeing my work and I referred her to my blog. Within an hour, she had not only read my blog, but she created her own blog! Her comments made me blush...Thanks Gretchen.