They Flew the Coop

This month has been an urban wildlife month for me: huge snapper turtles crossing the street in front of my house, garden snakes sliding through my backyard, and carpenter ants showing up as unwanted guests on my back porch. The best surprise was discovering a turkey hen sitting on her nest under my picture window. Apparently she did not Google "wild turkey nesting habits" as I did. She would have read that turkey hens abandon their nests when they are discovered and rebuild it elsewhere. Instead, Mama Turkey stuck it out, in spite of her celebrity status, with all the neighbors and delivery people coming to take a peek. This morning when I opened my front door to take Miss Suzi-Q for her morning walk, there was Mama Turkey, leading her brood off to their uncertain future! She was making soft little clucking noises. Oh, it was all so darling and it made my day!

Aphrodite at the Mall of America

DETAIL

The long busy weekend of Art-a-Whirl is over and I'm just now coming up for air! My studio building has over 200 artists in it, and has been nicknamed the Mall of America of the art crawl scene!

Which reminds me: I just received an email out of the blue from the woman who purchased my painting of the same name. It just made my day, it's so nice when people articulate their appreciation of your art. I'd like to share it with you:

 "I'm the lucky person who purchased Aphrodite at the Mall of America a few years back. Just wanted you to know that it improves with age. It is the center piece of my living room and every day I thank you for creating this fun piece of art. Thanks M.L."

In this series of paintings, the mythical goddess patrols popular contemporary meeting places, and every where she strolls, people fall in love. Often, someone who is blue is rescued by the therapeutic effects of Love.

Art-a-Whirl 2013

It's here - Spring and Art-a-Whirl have arrived, hand in hand! Tomorrow evening begins the largest art crawl in the nation, 3 days of open studios, gallery shows, demonstrations, music, food stands, performances - over 500 studios will open their doors to the public. It is so much fun, and a chance for the artists to connect with the public.  Come on by!

STUDIO 350
1500 Jackson Street NE
Minneapolis

 Friday, 5 to 10 p.m.
Saturday, noon to 8 p.m.
Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.

gloooom

 This is today. (MAY FOURTH) It is also yesterday, and the day previous,and according to the news, 26 days of last month. Where is that big yellow thing in the sky? Just askin'....

Saturday Yard Work

Only after 6 long brutal months of never ending winter could I say that today, doing the dreaded yard work, was fun. I couldn't wait to get out into the sun to prune and trim and rake and sweat. After a couple of hours the thrill wore off, though. There's always tomorrow!

Laundry

Remember when we used to do laundry wearing our high heels? No, I don't remember either, but I'm sure our mothers and our grandmothers did, according to the magazine ads of the fifties! This print is available in my shop, along with other retro cuties engaging in their domestic chores.

April 19

Last year, in fact most years, on this date it is 60 degrees and we are all thinking about gardening. Today I was thinking, I AM SICK OF WINTER!!! We had 9 inches of wet heavy snow fall, with sleet making for ice covered roads. Will it ever be warm again?

Never Too Much of a Good Thing

 My latest print...but frankly, I'm not too sure I believe this old English proverb. I can attest to the fact that YES, I HAVE HAD TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING. Many times, in fact. Just one look at my scale will confirm this!

Diet Wegman

Stolen!

The above is MY original illustration.

The above is a detail of a logo that a "designer" in Europe created in a logo contest, seemingly using my illustration (without my knowledge) as a starting point. I wasn't too annoyed, until I checked out the contest and found a logo design (detail below) that is actually my illustration, except there are flowers added to the wheels. Now this is ANNOYING!!!!

This is the downside of the Internet. Anything you post can be seen by anyone and can be stolen unless you take the necessary precautions - which I did not.

The upside of the Internet is that you meet a lot of very nice people! This whole situation was brought to my attention by an email from a complete stranger in Germany, who wrote to me saying that she thought these logos were borrowing heavily from my style. Her name is Gila von Meissner, a graphic designer with a marketing background. She's busy creating logos, strategy, text, fan pages and if that isn't enough, a line of baby clothing seen on iStock. Check out her website  for more. Thanks for the heads up, Gila!

Kittens & Bunnies & Spring & Easter

Happy Easter to you all! I was housecleaning the other day and ran across last year's calendar, and this image made me laugh out loud! I love sweet animal photos, and this company features the most amusing animal photos every year on their calendars. Photographers Jane Burton and Mark Taylor are two very patient and talented people! To see more of their calendars and photos, visit their website: http://gladstonemedia.com/kittens-friends-2013-wall-calendar/ It is so lovely to have Spring arriving!

African American Version

 I had a custom order in my Etsy shop, and it turned out so cute I want to share it. One of my readers asked if I could do an African American/Black version of my "All Good Things" poster. After I said, "Sure!" it occurred to me that perhaps I could offer a selection of skin colors for the poster girls. Hmmm. Must think about this. I know that poster shops offer a selection of type colors, or background colors...why not skin colors?

First Day of Spring - Happy Spring!

FINALLY - IT'S ABOUT TIME! However, Minnesota has no idea what Spring is supposed to look like, since it was 2 degrees when I awoke on this first morning of Spring. That's 30 degrees below the freezing mark, if you would like to look at it another way. Here's my favorite spring poem by Lilja Rogers: "First a howling blizzard woke us, Then the rain came down to soak us, And now before the eye can focus - Crocus!" Can't wait to see my first little crocus!

Queenie Fettuccine

After my dinner tonight, a heaping plate of fettuccine, I remembered this illustration I did several years ago and decided to post it in honor of all those who share my love of pasta.

Dad turns 100!

1926 - Dad, 13 in center in overalls, high school photo

1941, Wedding Day for Mom and Dad

1950's- Dad in the clubhouse of his mini-golf course

Dad sketching in the mall, age 94

Dad and his sketchbook

Today is my dear dad's 100th birthday. Because he is still very active and seems much younger, it didn't really dawn on me how old 100 really is until I purchased a card that had a big 100 on the front. I stared at the one and the two zeros and it sunk in - that's an entire CENTURY!

I thought of all the things he has seen and experienced from the time he was born in 1913: Women's right to vote, 2 World Wars, the Holocaust, the Atomic bomb, the Great Depression, the civil rights movement, man walking on the moon, inventions such as the Model T, the computer/internet, the evolution of the telephone, airplane travel ....oh my gosh the list is endless! Throughout it all my dad has stayed very much in the present moment, always enjoying the company of his friends and family and the work that occupied him for so many years, his beloved miniature golf course. Happy Birthday Dad - you are my inspiration!

Dog Portrait Contest

Hey all you dog-loving artists, here's a contest that blog-writer My Little Corner of wayoutwear.blogspot.com sent me. I think I'll enter it, why not? If you have a drawing of your canine, I hope you will enter it, too. The more the merrier, I say! Check out the details here. My beautiful and extremely talented Suzi-Q (part Pug, part Chihuahua), pictured here, just might be the subject of my next portrait.

Happy Birthday Cathy!

I made this card for my dear friend whose birthday is today. My dad's birthday is next week. March is a good month for good people!

The Best Thing About a Man

This Spanish proverb is a universal truth: guys with nice dogs are chick magnets! I feel this is a good way to interpret this saying, and if you are a dog lover, you I'm sure you will agree!  This is an 8 x 10 print of my original painting. If you would like to view and purchase, come take a looky-loo at my shop here.

Canine Forgiveness

Whoever said this had it right - a dog is the epitome of unconditional love. They also know what you are thinking and feeling- if you are blue, they are there to cheer you up. This is a print of one of my paintings - you can view and purchase it here.

All Good Things

 

Is the gang in the dining room getting rowdy? "Where's my dinner??!! I'M HUNGRY! FOOD FOOD FOOD! I wanna eeeeeeeeeat!". You know how impatient family and friends are. Well, just point to this sweet print and pertinent message that should be hanging on your dining room wall, and calm the unruly crowd. To view and purchase my latest print, check out my shop here.