LeucadiArtwalk Sunday August 24th

I'll be showing my work at one of my favorite neighborhood events- LeucadiArtwalk- this Sunday, August 24th from 10 am- 5 pm.
I'll be set up in the parking lot of the Corner Frame Shop (1038 N Coast Highway 101, Encinitas, CA) at the intersection of N Coast Hwy 101 and Diana St.
I've got several new pieces that will be making their debut. Come on down and enjoy a day of art and music in my own 'hood.

Been busy...

It's been a crazy busy last few months. I had every reason to not make any art- kids had a lot of stuff going on, and my husband started a new business and I was helping out as much as I could. The weeks seemed to pass in a blur of activity fueled by many, many cups of strong coffee.
Though I didn't even have a chance to think about it, I must have kept on making art in order to stay sane. Every free moment (and even moments that weren't free) was spent in the studio.
Here are some of the pieces I completed.

 Ringbearer

 Ripple and Swing

 Paper Birds

Striped Stockings

All of the work, with the exception of Striped Stockings, is available at my Etsy store.

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.

Out of Chaos...

Had 2 shows to get ready for last week (plus the usual and unusual that life had to throw at me) so I hit the 'manic' button. Got a lot done but my studio... well, see for yourself.

I figure it's worth the mess if this can come out of it.

and this.

You can see these new works (and a few more) at the Encinitas City Hall, 505 S. Vulcan Avenue, Encinitas, CA 92024 through October 8, 2012.

Indulging the wackiness

Just completed a new piece. Well... almost completed- I haven't come up with a title yet. In any case, I had a lot of fun with this. All I had to do was remember how my daughters approach art. Scribble, cut, paste, use as many bright colors as possible and have a good story to tell about it.



I must admit I'm a bit rusty with the whole fun part of creating (sad, isn't it?) but I'm lucky that my inspiration lives in my own house (and is constantly running underfoot). I positively burst with pleasure when she approves of a color choice I've made or likes the way I've rendered a face.



Lucky me.