Etsy Store Revamp

I've been so focused on creating new work that I have put off updating my Etsy Store. Shame on me. I've made the changes and I'll be listing new work as I finish it.

I finished this piece, Night Flight, a few days ago but couldn't photograph it because my lovely subject broke my camera. I think this may have influenced my choice of background.
But now I do have a new camera and, frankly, it works better than the old one!

The Spaces in Between

This is my latest piece, a portrait of my eldest with a somewhat unusual hair style (I think she looks a little like Ziggy Stardust).
I enjoyed using negative space- my tendency to to fill a surface with all sorts of details or colors. Now there is room to breathe.

Been too busy making art...

I confess- I've been too busy actually making art to post it to my blog. Here are a few new pieces...

I'm not sure this one is done. It's got me stymied.

I've got another one I'm working on that I need to get back to. Enjoy!

Paper Doll Portraits

Last year my daughters made their own paper dolls from a template. They had a wonderful time coloring, cutting and finally assembling the articulated dolls. The results were so expressive and ... bizarre.

Of course I had to give it a try.

Paloma and the Chicken

Mahalia with Raven

There is something oddly satisfying about making paper dolls of my offspring- I felt a bit like a mad scientist or puppeteer. Let's face it, paper dolls as a concept are loaded with meaning.

When I showed my daughters the finished pieces, they were genuinely baffled that I chose to affix the dolls to the background. "What's the point of that?", my oldest asked.

To me these dolls have become art, but to my kids they will always be toys meant to play and create with.

More works in progress

Been working on a couple of new mixed media collages (more like stumbling through). Managed to do things in a rather bass-ackwards manner, but that's how I learn.

Combining different elements like the drawing, collage and old woodblocks is a challenge. It's sort of like putting the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle together. But I think I'm figuring out what works, mostly by seeing what doesn't.

Arts Alive Banner

It's that time of year again. I spent the last days of 2012 furiously painting my banner for Encinitas Arts Alive. The banners are painted by local artists and then auctioned off to raise money for 101 Artist's Colony, Leucadia 101 or Cardiff 101. The unveiling party was this past weekend. Up until then, the banners were kept under wraps.
I now feel I can show my banner in progress. To see the final product, as well as all the other banners, please visit 101 Artists Colony.

The banner will be hung on lamp posts along Hwy. 101 from A St. to F St. in downtown Encinitas, CA.