a proud day

i am so excited! one of my junior students, Justin just got accepted into the Marie Sharp Walsh summer institute..an all expenses paid drawing and painting program that takes place in Colorado Springs..its very competitive and very awesome that Justin got in. My first to get accepted into this program. he just turned in his AP portfolio that dealt with the figure and texture...he stained paper with coffee and pressed it into plywood for an absolutely beautiful effect. you can See for yourself how amazing this guy is... and only a junior in high school!

my favorite color combinations

my favorite color combinations are ones that are so close to not going together that they go together, a formula on the color wheel I haven't quite deciphered yet....i remember painting my classroom a combination of mint green with a very bright chartreuse color and the family studies teacher came in and claimed i had no right to paint my classroom two colors that don't belong together; perhaps for the layman but not for the artistic eye. design*sponge is featuring eleanor grosch’s - of push me pull you who physically reminds me of cindy sherman the photographer. any who, her house is the sneak peak of the day and i had to catch her color choices of moss green with mint green. i love the combo with the white chair rail and warm hardwood floor. and then the icing on the cake with the red anthropologie console table ...check out the entire feature here.

squidfire a success!

thanks to everyone who came by on saturday. the sun pulled through and made us forget about the rain we had to set up in. i bought a new ez-up tent with walls just in time. the peacock bags were a big success...so count on more to come. would love ideas for new birds to introduce....so give a hollar if you have a good one....love getting to hang with the great people of charm city...we really have a pleasant demeanor. here are some pics of my wares in the new tent. thanks squidfire for the support! we loved being next to you guys! next show pile of craft on June 21 at St, John's Church in Chuck village.

my friday finds

yes it's almost saturday ...spent the night packing, labeling and putting my new image on my goods for tomorrow's squidfire art mart. let's hope the weather men are wrong and that the big "R" stays away between 9 and 6 please....and yes i should be sacked out right now but had to look around at some new digs on-line. today's favorite friday finds I found on design*sponge and her posting of cul de sac’s newest series, which will be on display in the designboom mart at icff next week!. ...i love the gun piece...actually i love all three together.

i got in!!!!

i got in !! I got in!!!! I got in!!!!

Hugo Largo....my secret inspiration

The other day one of my students asked me” how many shirts can one person wear at one time?” these are the questions that I absolutely love..having no reason, really to be asked, but asked, probably to answer some sort of stupid bet…..or not. I passed it along to my wondering mind that directly focused my attention to the 8X10 club, some time in the late 80’s, watching, no the word is memorized by a band named Hugo Largo. An experience I have not since experienced. Frightening yet very soothing. A very petite Mimi Goese intensely sings

bleeding cry leisurely
explain this one in your sleep
please
fly by arriving smack dab between knife and plate
deal with me
pine back and plead with me
cry while removing splattered ??? on a fingernail
with glee dark carriages pull
by an angry man
hi jungle jim….

While aiming an extremely large knife towards her jugular
Behind her two bass players, an electric violinist
That’s it
No drummer
No guitar

Oh yeah…the shirt question

As she began each song, she took a dress off

That’s right, she had a dress for each song on


Tonight I am so happy to report that I was able to purchase Mettle, from itunes….never did I think that would happen. I know Millie and I had figured out some sort of way to make a CD of my vinyl and her cassette tape that had not taken priority over other lifetime matters.

I listened to both of their CDs…(Mettle and Drum. Parts produced by Michael Stipe) in my studio, while working on numerous paintings, while involved in many a relationship. Tonight I listen while making peacock tote bags…craving for the smell of oil paint. I’m so sorry painting that I have not returned yet….but how sweet to reminisce.

new business cards

thanks to my hubbie Patrick and his amazing design sense....i'd like to introduce my new buisness cards that i hope will arrive before squidfire on saturday! cross your fingers with me...

it's a Louie Plant

Louie is trying as hard as he can to get the feel of being outside!

Kareem Rizk

Another new inspiring artist I can add to my mental inspiration board.
Kareem Rizk is a Melbourne based collage artist and designer who has worked for Melbourne‘s No.1 selling newspaper, The Herald Sun, as well as numerous large and small freelance clients. Kareem’s working techniques and mediums include collage, acrylic, oil pastel, pencil, solvent transfers and acrylic transfers. He creates highly textured and often multi-layered images, predominantly with a nostalgic or vintage and weathered quality. His works can often be vibrant with color, while others display a very refined or minimal palette. His working methods also extend to digital collage with a very gritty and realistic display of texture and layering.

karim rizk collages can be found at at blue flip art . all are archival giclee prints in the 9" x 12" range and are $24.95 each. as with kareem's earlier bird series, 10% of every print sold will go to the startlight children's foundation of australia.

inspiration for the summer!

I noticed on poppytalk's
affordable art feature some great paintings by artist Leah Giberson .
This is what i want to do this summer...paint! go back to observational paintings pf where i've been ,,interesting points of view...play around with surfaces. And if you noticed these beautiful , affordable prints, you'll see how Leah has done just that..played wt surface and breaking up the image along with beautiful play of space and line. I'm a huge fan of the telephone lines! I've added her blog to my links.

And now for a word from our sponsor......

my cowboy bird eye glass case was completely inspired by my memories of this lovely cheese ball ad that use to play during Saturday cartoons

tea towels

its that time of the year when spring hits and we think spring cleaning and time to do some sprucing up! with today's tight budget, how about a new tea towel or two to brighten up your kitchen for a small amount of mula. here are a few of my favorites. Happy shopping!
Wash up/dry up tea towel by Mr PS
Blue Coffee Items Flour Sack Tea Towel by Tlane
Borrowed Spoons Tea Towel by Skinnylaminx
French Press Kitchen Towel Set in Red by Moxie Madness
Springtime tea Towel by alisontauber

assembly of text..shopping Vancouver

so, as i was saying on my last post, I'm going back to the northwest this June. in my very spare time i love to fantasize about my summers...i think all teachers do this....and i'm definitely thinking it can also be a bit of a business trip..so while the guys are riding their bikes at whistler, and i'm just too sore to go back up the mountain, i'm going to do a road trip to Vancouver to visit some of my favorite spots i've been discovering on line. so i thought i would feature some of these here...today's feature, is assembly of text ,
i remember finding their web site and really loving not only the aesthetic of their site, but the functionality of it. they do a great job of featuring every aspect of what they sell and feature in terms of events and groups. Jan of poppytalk was the guest blogger last week on design*sponge and did a great little feature of their shop. Check it out here.

The Regional Assembly of Text is at 3934 Main Street, Vancouver, B.C., V5V 3P2, Canada

new blog to link...great find

i've been trying to find more time to post, and not just post what i've been making....but about my inspirations and new finds. with each artist or designer i discover, i tend to refine my aesthetic more and more. i know i'm trying to connect with a period of time that i either began my aesthetic choices, or perhaps link with the best times of my life...that being the present and my childhood. strangely enough i find many connections and similarities with the two periods. i fell upon poppytalk thanks to design*sponge and discovered Canadian artists, tangiene pohoko and linh truong with a review of their show until you die, please believe that i am your biggest fan
at blim gallery in vancouver (one of my absolutely favorite places to travel too...should i mentioned i'm going back this summer!) Both artist use functional , metaphorical surfaces for their paintings that tribute their friends and family who have played as subjects in their works for many years.


(paintings on dishes, linh truong)
As poppytalks writes "tangiene has created her tribute using miniature paintings on erasers, recalling her past collected imagery which perpetually expires. linh uses dishes exploring the kitschy, iconic references of commemorative plates and collectibles."

new eyeglass cases

new cases....great little gifts for Momma!
I'll be posting as I make.