It took me most of the week to get started. I had a general idea that I wanted to paint a woman with a wolf in a forest, but as I started looking at images and sketching out placement and ideas one wolf turned into 4, and the forest into a plain... and well, you know how it goes from there. I l love the story, her wolf hat and the fire. Those things turned out really well for me. Again, such a learning process. I really wanted the ground to be hot pink but was unable to make that... Continue reading

There may be more I do in the background, but for now, she is complete. Still investigating how process-painting and design come together. I love the freedom of process painting versus product painting, but there is something very rewarding and challenging in pushing myself to try new things. Continue reading

Adventure Time (or my alternative mother title would be "Calgon Take Me Away") Gouache on board,12" x 12" This week we were asked to find colors that we wanted to work with. I dug though my "design" journal that I keep ideas in regarding color combinations I used when doing web design. In the past, I never mixed colors and used the entire rainbow - there was not a color I did not like. However, finding this new middle ground where I am consciously creating colors is an entirely new beast. For this weeks assignment I used Goauche instead of... Continue reading

I'm not going to lie to you. It took a long time. And one thing I don't have is a lot of free time, so it was a little scary to wake up today knowing I had to find time to paint. Luckily/unluckily, I was sick so my family went to the beach without me, giving me a chunk of freedom. Originally I had planned to do have it be simpler with graphical elements... but no. It wanted to be "painted"... every little detail. And honestly, it was a good learning experience because I am so unfamiliar with acrylic, mixing... Continue reading

I choose artist Maira Kalman because I love how deceptively simple her painting style is and that she loves portraits. I usually draw characters, but this week I am attempting to do a portrait of my husband based off a photo I took of him last year. I don't know about the men in your life, but my guy is the happiest when spends the day outside, is covered in dirt (or paint), has a few minor scratches, and has a great story to tell about his adventure... that he will share as soon as he get's his "sippy sippy"... Continue reading

Well that is both an easy and hard request. (You can actually see a lot of artists I love here on my blog by searching the category by the same name.) I'm going to start this assignment by LOOSELY looking at my favorite artists and seeing what/who has the most energy for my right now. Off the top of my head, these are the folks/styles/subjects I think most about. Also, my new paints came today! I am dying to start playing with them. STYLES: Portrait, Flat/Graphic with minimal shading & some distortion, bright colors SUBJECT MATTER: everyday life, forest, animals,... Continue reading

1. End Result Just to show you a little of my process. Below is the final "patchwork" (2) and the image above is the final painting (1). I had been thinking about my BigFoot, but in the end, it wanted to be a sheep graphic. Do I love it? No, not really. But I did learn a lot and experiment with things. In fact, even though I was not in love with the patchwork I was fairly petrified of ruining it by painting over it... I am so inexperineced with acrylics. I ended up making a stencil image so I... Continue reading

Today as I went about my day, I was thinking about painting. Not wondering whether or not I was going to get back to it (and when)... but tossing ideas around for the painting I am commited to painting this week. The assignment is to let the Gee's Bend Quilts and Jennifer Sanchez to inspire me to make a painting. Here are so things that have captured my imagination (and some things/themes that won't let go.) It seems that I can't get away from being inspired by the Magic of the Deep woods. In particular, the Sasquatch, an old friend... Continue reading

Artist Jennifer Sanchez So sorry, it's been awhile. So long in fact, that I thought I might not be coming back. This space is dedicated to my artistic explorations, and to be honest, I have had my mind elsewhere. Mostly, I have been completely focused on health, work and family. And because my work includes an incredible amount of art & creativity, I find that I spend little time in my own personal art world. I don't beat myself up too badly about it. From what I have seen in my work as an intuitive consultant... the easiest way to... Continue reading

I'm not sure I will blogging here very much in December. I am in major project-mode! But, you can find me regularly at Build Altars. xoxox Continue reading

Yes, I'm here again. I've been in another world, a world of waiting. Waiting for the 4th anniversary of my dad's death to be over and waiting for the birth of my dear little nephew. I'm happy to report, all is well. The anniversary passed Nov. 11th and Rhett Sullivan Maderis was born November 15 @ 10:19 AM. Death and rebirth. Who doesn't love the month of Scorpio! My sister was a warrior - not a fighter mind you, but a focused straight-shootin' mama with a job to do. As her midwife said, "I wasn't worried about her. SHE knows... Continue reading

Steve and I threw a Halloween rager. Costumes, Keg and DJ = too much fun! We are still savoring (and cleaning up) the experience a week later. And I'm catching up. I'm not going to lie to you. I feel too busy. I haven't been here (blog) in a week. I have too much on my plate. Something is going to have to go, but what? I think it's something about me. Some belief I have about "working". I'm not sure what it is, but the New Moon in Scorpio is tomorrow and I am going to let that shit... Continue reading

I don't know. It just made me laugh. You can tell what kind of art I like. Illustrator Nura Porat Continue reading

The sun was out today, so Addie & I went for an early evening walk. As always, we wandered past the Catholic church near my house. photo: iphone (hipstamatic app) Continue reading

First of all, I can't believe it has been a week since I last posted here. I've been in Build Altars land. Major things happening over there with guest bloggers... and starting a FB business page, offering my first GiveAway, and a new sense of community. It's wild. So, in the midst of all that exciting goodness, I am also starting to feel the blah. The blah being - my annual descent into the grief with the approach of the anniversary of my dad's death just a few weeks away now. This year, the fourth, has been more mild, but... Continue reading

Poster: Mendicino by Nikki McClure’s work. If you haven’t seen her calendars or her book Collecting Raindrops, you should definitely check them out. Continue reading

This is beautiful. I also recommend the book Wall & Piece by Banksy. So inspiring. Continue reading

I'm very excited about my new purchase from Betsy Walton! Continue reading

This was SO not something I would do and I am SO glad I did it. To be fair, my husband and I were home-bodies way before we had our daughter... so I can't blame parenthood for our lack of noctural exploration. However, the responsibilites of parenthood make it a little more challenging for the naturally Home-bound folks to bust forth into the big world, much less drive 45 minutes to the BIG BOLD CITY that is Berkeley... please. Lucky for us, our wonderful new Petaluma friends don't know about our stagnant tendencies and invited us to a concert. I... Continue reading

Having a daughter is heavenly. I think the image speaks for itself. We've been spending a lot of time together lately, and there have been moments when I can't believe my luck - she is so beautiful and fun - and moments when I can't believe I'm being yelled at by a 2.5 year old caveman. It's a little crazy, but that's mommyhood for you. It's a dance, not always graceful, but moving with a beauty and force that is hard to deny. Last week she had 2 full days of school and loved it. This week, she will be... Continue reading

At Home on the Sea by Amy Blackwell Image on Etsy Continue reading