"Brother Eagles" Electrical Box Community Piece

This July, I was honored to receive the opportunity to beautify a small part of Pittsfield, MA with a painting of my favorite topic: birds! Eagles, more specifically: Golden and Bald Eagles to be exact. I created a collage of eagle imagery based on actual Golden/Bald eggs, plumage, flight, and portraits.

In total, the process of sanding, priming, and painting the box likely took about 10 hours. I used heavy body & lightfast acrylic, and it will be sealed with a clear, weatherproof coating to finish.

I hope my imagery conveys the beauty and strength of both eagles, and the freedom they stand for.

"Up In The Trees" at Tully ArtWorks

Took a quick trip home this weekend, and stopped into Tully ArtWorks to check on my Up In The Trees line and add a few more pieces for display and sale... So cool to finally see all of this in person!

Tully Artworks has become a very special new art spot to me and to Tully, NY. I love that it houses local artwork from my hometown area, and to be able to walk around it and see work that community members and friends have made is truly a treat. I'm so honored to be on display alongside them and to be officially selling my jewelry for the first time!

Can't wait to get the artwork and stationary pieces done to add to Tully's own Up In The Trees exhibit...

Washboard Commission

I just finished restoring a National Washboard Co. washboard for my a family member. She had bought it at a yard sale and could barely see the lettering anymore. I used graphite and Prismacolor colored pencils. Then I removed some of the color with a rubber eraser to get that aged look.

See the drafting/outlining step below (per Google Image references):

A Sneak Peek! (cont.)

...And here are my planning docs/remaining To Do list (aside from actually shooting each page, compiling, and self-publishing OL, of course...):

A Sneak Peek! Pics of Progress (my next book): "Mommy, Why...?"

Recent Accomplishments! :-)

I've sold (and signed!) 3 books in Western Mass., now, off of my Lulu account. (Clarification: These were NON-family/friends sales!) Here's a picture of me after just signing my first official sale; I feel big things coming!!

Just last night I showed my "(Giving) Tree" in a charity show at a local cafe: Paige Wright's "Mitzvah In the Berkshires." I couldn't believe it; within the first half-hour of the opening, my piece sold! I was so pleasantly surprised and flattered, and still this morning I don't know what to do with myself... It's so great to know that people who don't know me are drawn to my work.

Micron Sketching- Up In Trees &/or Illustration?

Sketching a bit today with my microns (<3!!). I was recently really inspired by some ink designs I found on Pinterest: Zentangle-like in feel, but also stylistic representations of plants/nature... Patterns, studies, and compositions.

Maybe a piece to be part of Up In The Trees prints/stationary? Also perhaps a narrowed idea of a style for my Little Cloud story? <3

Show Pieces (to be framed)

Still trying to figure out how to fit the scratchboard into a standard frame for the show, but I really liked what these frames added to the pieces...

The pewter-shaded one is actually a float frame as well, so the frame plus the wall color behind the piece will accent the tree (I hope!). :-) I also really like how the wood accents look like coral around the starfish.

"Living Trees" Series

A new series idea... Sending the completed piece to a charity show in a month or so, but planning to redo it plus the other 3 pieces as a series afterward. My idea is to show trees doing human-like things while still looking pretty natural. Sometimes they really do take on human qualities!

I'm seriously considering using these as another print idea towards my Up In The Trees series as well. I think they'll pair nicely with my bookmarks and jewelry ideas... <3

Watercolor on cold press paper, Micron pen.

Faculty Show Piece- WA Starfish

A scratchboard of a WA Point Defiance Zoo starfish! To be part of a faculty show at IS183 Art School- for sale?? (Scratchboard & Prismacolor markers)

A Few More Christmas 2015 Gifts/Commissions!

A commission piece for a co-worker's husband's Christmas gift (a rendering of their house): 9x12 clayboard, scratch tools, watercolors, micron pens (black, brown, blue, green), prismacolor markers (pastels and greys). A lot of give & take on this one; houses are not usually my specialty, but the "customer" was very happy with the outcome (as was I)! I like the homey, rustic look I gave her house.

Another commission piece for a co-worker- this time for her mother's Christmas gift (a drawing of their late Jack Russell, Clover): watercolors on cold press paper, micron pens (brown, blue), white colored pencil. This was one of my favorite commissions, because I love dogs and I know how much this dog meant to my co-worker and her mother. It was precious and an honor to be asked to illustrate her.

A gift for Lou for Christmas! <3 Our cockatiel, Moby: scratchboard, scratch tools, prismacolor markers (oranges, yellows, pinks, blues). Can't decide which scratchboard I've done of him is my favorite, now...

Willie the Cat in Watercolors

A little Secret Santa present for my co-worker and friend! This is her adopted and quickly/WELL loved cat Willie.

Watercolors, white colored pencil, blue and brown Micron Pens.

I'm pretty happy with the textures in this piece, and the level of detail I was able to maintain with it being a smallish size (only about 9×6, including the border). I might do more of these for myself- working from photos and doing quick start-to-finish pieces...

Birch Tree (Gifts)

Some watercolor/micron pen paintings that also happen to go along with my Up In The Trees series. (I hope to reuse these images/concepts!) These will be gifts for Christmas this year: bookmarks with bird nest charm tassles and a larger framed piece.