Art Attack

Yes, it's that time of year. My glorious studio building, filled with over 200 crazy talented artists (we're one BIG family), will be open this weekend with everyone sharing their wares with the public. It's Fall and Northrup King Complex celebrates with Art Attack!

Potters, tile makers, painters, sculptors, musicians, photographers, jewelers, print makers, and textile designers - you'll have lots of eye candy and inspiration to brighten your day, complete with lots of free parking!

I'm in Studio 350, which I share with bettyscagnetti, a unique shop of re-fashioned garments and accessories all embellished with playful finishing touches.

This year our guest artist is Cathy Young, who will be showcasing her gorgeous and well, quite frankly, mind-boggling mosaic pieces. Carefully crafted from broken tiles, pottery bits, beads and paper, these complex constructions have to be seen to be believed, and you can get a sneak preview here.

Hey, c'mon down!!!!

Friday, November 6 – 5:00 to 10:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 7 – Noon to 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 8 – Noon to 5:00 p.m.

P.S. If you'd like directions, or more information about the event, visit the building's website: NorthrupKingBuilding.com

Yipee!

Yesterday I met with Brett and Sheila Waldman of Tristan Publishing. Brett had contacted me after visiting this blog and said he thought my work might be suitable for a future project, and he invited me to submit some sample illustrations depicting exuberant youngsters. Best of all, he invited me to come visit their headquarters, which by coincidence is in my neighborhood! So I brought my sketches to their office where I was given a royal welcome, initially by the four-legged doorbell named Bugatti (a charming Shi-Poo who I think would make a perfect date for my little Suzi-Q) and then a Grand Tour of the premises.

Not only did I discover that Brett and Sheila are genuinely lovely people, their publishing house reflects this sensibility. Each book they have published has received undivided attention, resulting in unique formats but all finely crafted with lush colors and various illustration techniques. And since each book's author delivers a message of inspiration, the resulting combination is, well, just lovely!

Check out their website here.

It's always great to meet people whose passion for their work makes the world a better place in general.

Sewing

Why didn't I learn to sew? I'd like to have a new fall wardrobe, but I'd like to not spend any money. I do remember having a sewing machine at one point in my life, but the tension bobber thingie was always breaking my thread. I took it to the repair shop, and they supposedly fixed the little contraption, but when I set about using the machine again, boing!, the thread snapped. Try as I might, I couldn't reset the tension button.

Many years later, I have no sewing machine, but I still have lots of tension that I can't seem to reset. Some things never seem to change.

Domestic Dilemma

My refrigerator, only 3 years old, stopped working with no warning. When the repair guy came out, he said he would be back with the new part - in 4 to 11 business days! Seems the part needed to be ordered from California, and I'm in Minnesota, and apparently they use camels as service vehicles. I said I would pay extra for 2 day service (this was on Friday) and the appliance store repair shop assured me the part would then be in their office on Monday.

I called on Monday, and they told me they forgot to order the part! So they said they would order it for next day delivery, meaning it would arrive on Tuesday, and they set up a repair date for me on Wednesday. OK, so far I'm hanging on to my sanity, just barely. You never appreciate your refrigerator until you don't have it! I borrowed a dorm-sized fridge that froze everything unless I opened the door every so often.

On Tuesday, I called to confirm their repair date for Wednesday. And they told me the part had not come in!

I think I blew a gasket at this point because I don't remember what followed this disclosure. All I can remember is that on Wednesday morning, they still didn't have the part and I was sinking into coma of despair, even while chanting zen slogans of acceptance. Wednesday noon the shop called and the part had arrived! And the technician came late in the afternoon and repaired the fridge, cursing it the whole time, saying what a piece of #^$@*&!! it was. Not too reassuring.

But it is working today, and I am so happy! I can't wait to make a real meal instead of canned goods and tiny bits of leftovers.

Back to School

I'm a school girl again. I enrolled in a community college to take another class in Illustrator, having taken one six years ago and completely forgotten everything I learned. This is not a workshop or one day seminar, no this is the real thing with real HOMEWORK and all the suffering that goes along with sitting 4 hours in a classroom every Thursday morning filled with a lot of other suffering souls, determined to better themselves or just get through it to fulfill their requirements. I'm awful at this. Everyone is so much younger with innate computer sense. These young whippersnappers don't even need to listen to the instructor lecture and demonstrate, they are completing the homework assignment and texting friends and websurfing while she speaks! Meanwhile I am still trying to figure out how to turn on the computer. I wonder if I will live through this.

Early Girl

Summer is fading fast, and my tomato plants are pooped. I had 2 big "Early Girl" plants in my little garden. I watered them, weeded them, lovingly tended them for nearly 4 months, and in return, they gave me 5 tomatoes. Five! They were rather small, hard as nails, but a brilliant MAC lipstick red and nary a blemish. They not only looked perfect, they tasted deeeeeevine!!! So when I ask myself, was it worth all the trouble when I could just drive to the farmer's market and buy tomatoes instead, the answer is, YES YES YES! Nothing in the world tastes as good as a homegrown tomato straight out of your own garden.

First Day of Fall

First day of fall? Today? Wait a minute! I'm not through with summer yet! I haven't had that vacation to some far away national park, I haven't cleaned out the garage from last winter's collection of debris (well, now I won't have to, since winter is nipping at our heels), I haven't been to a picnic...I'm just not ready to say goodbye to summer yet. So I won't. The first day of fall is now officially November 1, please mark your calendars accordingly.

Ivanhoe Road

I had an epiphany the other morning while driving in my car. An epiphany in a car is almost as dangerous as a spider, I nearly drove off the road. Sometimes it really IS just how you choose to look at things that determines what you see. And if that doesn't make sense to you, I'll try and illustrate it with these photos of my neighborhood.

This is a little side road, off the beaten track, near my home where I walk every morning. Even though there are homes along the way, I never see anybody in them, there are never any cars or people. It's just quiet and other-worldly, quite different from the noisy middle class neighborhood my tiny house sits in, where I hear roofs being repaired, the hum of the freeway, kids screaming and trees being cut down, lawns being mowed. You know, the usual never-ending racket of summer in the burbs.



But just a few blocks away is Ivanhoe Road, a secret escape where I can walk and feel as if I am on vacation a thousand miles away.



There are marshlands and prairie grasses flooded with sunlight, and all I hear is the silence broken only by the wind or the birds and the frogs.
OK, you get the picture. Now it's important to note here that there is a big tall fence in the background of this picture. You can't see it, it's hidden by the foliage in the background. It was ages before I even noticed it.




Here's the picture taken the day of my epiphany. I was driving along humming a tune thinking of the groceries I had just picked up and how they were probably melting when I looked out my window. OMG, there was that fence! That meant that Ivanhoe Road was right on the other side, but I couldn't see it because of all the foliage. That meant that for years I had been driving down this road to the grocery store, going past this strip mall and all the urban blight that was so annoying, and hidden on the other side of these trees was Ivanhoe Road. My Paradise Lost was right next to a mall. Only 50 feet away! What a difference 50 feet made - it was like living in a dual reality. It made me wonder about the rest of my life, and how I could look at it. Ivanhoe Road and the strip mall were almost the same, it just was a matter of sliding a little more this way or a little more that way that determined whether you were experiencing heaven or hell.

This sounds so dumb. One person's epiphany is another person's "well, yeah...". You just had to be there.

zwrg639ks5

Pardon me while I interrupt the dazzling stream of posts to put this code here. It's so rude, I know. This is to connect my blog to Technorati.com. Technorati is a search engine and blog directory. A better (and definitely longer) definition is here.

So now my blog will be easier accessed by those who are looking for illustration sites, and I can find other blogs with similar interests to link to.

If you'd like check out the indexing and search for blogs and specific subject matter, it's an amazing directory! Check it out: technorati.com

Buggy over Buggies

More stationery illustrations I recently created for moms and moms-to-be (the calligraphy is by the talented Crystal Kluge), all available for purchase at Pretty Girl Designs. Check it out - there are pages and pages of cute illustrations (mostly created by owner Darcy Jerome's current illustrator, the above mentioned fabulous Crystal Kluge) that you can select for your very own customized invitations, announcements and general all-purpose happy day greeting cards!

Memory

I had something really profound to tell you today, and I forgot what it was. Unlike an elephant, who never forgets, I do forget a lot lately. Someone told me that as we age, we store a lot more memories in our brain, like an overloaded file cabinet. So when we go to retrieve that particular memory, we can't remember where we filed it! That makes sense! And it's profound, but that's not what I was going to tell you, maybe I'll remember tomorrow.

Pretty Girl Designs

I'm so thrilled to have my illustrations included in Pretty Girl Designs! Creator Darcy Jerome began her stationery/gift business with the motto, "Happy girls are pretty girls", and when you see these sparkling creations, you will just light up! She has taken glitter to the next dimension, finishing each piece by hand. Be sure to visit her shop and blog and check out the fun announcements, invitations and cards available for purchase.


Crystal Kluge has been illustrating for Pretty Girl Designs from the start, and I am totally awed by her playful style and versatility. Check out her blog for an artistic treat.

Happy 4th of July!

Hope your evening sparkles!

The Plaid Poodle

Here she is, the Plaid Poodle. I just love the idea of a plaid poodle, and I'm trying to decide what to do with her. In the meantime, she will be flaunting her fine purse until further notice.

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY- Fleeting

Beauty is fleeting. And the older one gets, the more it fleets.

Minnesota Medicine Cover - May

DETAIL

This is a cover for Minnesota Medicine magazine, illustrating a feature article concerning the integration of alternative healing methods into mainstream medicine. These people are so wonderful to work with, they encourage me experiment with different styles, which I so appreciate!

Miss Fifi Poopoo

Announcing - Miss Fifi Poopoo

Dooley

As a child, our home was run by a sweet terrier named Dooley. This doodle reminds me of him.

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY - Poised

Such poise for such a little kitty!

Snow Pants Girl

DETAIL

I'm dedicating this illustration to Sarah, the original Snow Pants Girl. (see "Comments" on January 4th post in my Collage blog here.) Thanks for the inspiration, Sarah, and stay warm up there in Fargo. If anyone could look adorable in snow pants, it would be you!

Cargo Pants Girl

DETAIL


DETAIL

I liked how quickly I was able to splash out the figure and use collaged elements for the clothing. Again, I ran out of patience when it came to the background and just lopped on some white decorative elements. Eventually this could work, but all I can think about right now is that it's dinnertime and I'd rather go create a yummy dinner than figure out how to finalize the background. We all have our priorities, haha!

Pineapple Dress

DETAIL


DETAIL

I'M NOT REAL HAPPY WITH THIS. But then again, I'm not real unhappy. So I'll post it. The thing is, it's really overworked, and so of course that takes the sparkle out of it. Perhaps you might not notice certain things, like the way the brush lines are too heavy and dark in areas, and then I went over them with Photoshop trying in vain to make them look lighter. Like how her feet look like they belong to some other drawing. And that red. Yuck. The background is hideous, because by the time I finally got to it, I was completely worn out and just wanted to be done with the little monster. (I had a hard time typing hideous. I could only get as far as "hide" and then I wasn't sure if I was spelling it right,and I would type it over again, but of course it was correctly spelled, it was just a Freudian reminder to HIDE this whole beastly drawing.)

So why am I posting it? To remind myself that all sketches are practice for the next one, and to aim for perfection is a recipe for disaster. Besides, just look at that adorable little doggie, I just want to give him a big smooch. Some things came out OK!

Woman with Turquoise Jewelry

This was an interesting exercise, adding real photography (the turquoise jewelry) to a painted image. I'm continuing to enjoy my free time with experimentation, in the brand new year of 2009....HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I'm so glad I don't have to write that "8" anymore on checks, 9 is so much easier.

Girl with Striped Jacket

DETAIL

OK, Holidays are over, back to the drawing board! I have this overwhelming urge to draw fashions. Maybe because my closet is empty, and I certainly couldn't wear anything exotic or sexy and end up looking....exotic or sexy. I'd just look foolish. So here's my chance to have some fun. It's been a while since I've drawn the figure, so where are all those fashion magazines I've been hoarding?

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY - Rambunctious

Happy Holidays, everyone, from a very rambunctious reindeer!

Treadmill

Original sketch


Cover


Detail


Here's the latest cover for Minnesota Medicine. The theme of the featured article was the increasing burnout in physicians, and the renewal of energy and insight that the Bush Foundation medical grants provide them. Since I couldn't find a giant hamster wheel, nor convince any models to dress up as doctors and run around in it, I had to invent the whole darn thing in Photoshop. Phew, that was a job, but really fun!

On the Run

Time is just flying by - I can't seem to keep up with myself. I just finished another cover for the wonderful people at Local Design Group, a big thank you to Janna and Carmen! I will post it soon. Meanwhile, my task for today is to figure out how to unclutter my work space. I need more room, I'm starting to go crazy with all the scraps of paper about, files stacked here, books stacked there, dried up paint tubes reminding me to restock. I have this impulse to take my arm and just whoosh it across the drawing table and knock everything onto the floor and then kick it all out the door. Give me room, give me the wide open spaces, I sound like a cowgirl, just give me a horse and I'll ride off into the sunset. Does this sound like someone who needs a little more free time rather than a little more space? Hmmmmm. Maybe I'll just go see a matinee instead. You are reading the thought processes of a procrastinator.

The Secret Life of Boys

Who is a better master at pretending than a little boy? Perhaps a little girl? The secret lives we create as kids are the scrap files of the future artist.

November

If anyone out there is thinking about moving to Minnesota, STOP! Don't do it! Get a grip! This is the state that the sun forgot. I moved here from sunny California, where every day was 72 degrees and the sun shown so fiercely that babies were born wearing sunglasses. Can you imagine the shock of ending up here? There is only one other state that has fewer sunny days than here, but I can't remember which one. I do remember that when I moved here, the chamber of commerce sent me a welcome brochure. Inside I found pretty pictures of people skiing and a fact (this is a true fact, in case you think there are other types) that went like this: "There is only one other place in the world where such wide swings in weather extremes are experienced, and that is Siberia." No wonder they wait until people move here to send out that brochure.

And so welcome to November, National Gloom Month.

Carry Your Heart

It's Monday, and here's a poem to accompany you through the week. It's by ee cummings.

i carry your heart with me

i carry your heart
with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never
without it(anywhere
i go you go, my dear;
and whatever is done
by only me is your
doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my
fate,my sweet)i want
no world,my
true)
and it's you are
whatever a moon has
always meant
and whatever a sun
will always sing is you

here is the deepest
secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the
root and the bud of the
bud
and the sky of the sky
of a tree called
life;which grows
higher than the soul
can hope or mind can
hide)
and this is the wonder
that's keeping the stars
apart

i carry our heart(i
carry it in my heart)

ee cummings

(and yes, I checked and rechecked the spelling and punctuation and this is just as ee wrote it!)

I absolutely love this poem.

Short & Sweet

I don't know what I like most about collecting vintage postcards to use in my work. Is it the imagery, or is it the writing on the back? I am fascinated with the opportunity to peek into the lives and thoughts of people who lived so long ago. Here's a card depicting one of my town's landmarks, Minnehaha Falls. It's dated 1942, and a woman wrote the following on the back:

"Dear Mother,

It is Wednesday and I am very surprised. Everything is fine here.

Love,
Your daughter"


That's it! Oh, wait. There's more under her signature.


"If I have received any mail open and send it to me. Hope you are well mother dear. If you don't answer Welcome home."

Short and sweet. And mysterious....

Bird Girl

My next collage will feature this little lass. What struck me when I saw this photo in a a thrift store bin (without the bird and background) was the necklace. Some proud mama dressed her baby up in her finest clothes and jewelry so that that moment, nearly 100 years ago, would be captured and treasured in memory forever. And so it will be!

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY - Late

It's LATE, do you know where your kids are?

New Cover

Another fun assignment from the Local Design Group!

It was so timely, too. Ironically, I had just taken my dad to his doctor the previous week, and I brought along all the old prescription bottles and tubes he had collected, all of them with remaining drugs in them. I didn't want to throw them in the trash, and I assumed that a doctor's office would have some way of disposing of them properly. Silly me! When I asked at the doctor's reception desk how they disposed of old drugs, they shrugged their shoulders and said, "We just throw them in the trash!"

So much for environmental responsibility!

So I was delighted to see this topic addressed in Minnesota Medicine, and loved working on the assignment.

Bonny's Reading

My zany friend and partner in collaboration Bonny Belgum will be reading from her just-published book Cut the Woman Some Slacks! next week so get out your calendars and write this down! Bonny's book was ranked #34 by Amazon last week on the Hot New Releases list for essay books. I can see why - this collection of humorous and satirical essays will make you laugh and at the same time, reconsider how you view everything in life, from the mundane to the profound. The BOOK is on Amazon.com and the READING is September 25th at 7:00 pm at Amazon Bookstore , the oldest independent feminist bookstore in North America (right here in Minneapolis!), and I'LL BE THERE SO WHY DON'T YOU JOIN US????

For more information, chuckles, links, directions, pictures, prose, excerpts and everything you wanted to know but couldn't think to ask, check out her website: www.bonnysamerica.com.


Let's hope she wears those ever so proper pearls.

Last Call at the DQ

If you haven't had your ice cream sundae at your local Dairy Queen or Foster Freeze or whatever it's called in your neck of the woods, your days are numbered. Unless you live in the south, like Texas or Florida the land of sunshine, where looking for a Dairy Queen is not high on your list of priorities right now. (my heart goes out to you)

It was 39 degrees this morning when I awoke in the state of Minnesota where summer is approximately 6 weeks long haha. Not really haha, it's very irritating. I just get the garden going, the blooms pop out, and then the next thing I know, the newscasters are telling me to cover them tonight because we might have an early frost.

So yesterday I had a chocolate sundae at my local DQ. I sat on the bench overlooking the concrete parking lot and watched the kids roll in on their bikes, the old folks get out of their cars and walk to the window together, the young couples holding hands while balancing dipped cones in the other, and it was a good day, a day to celebrate the winding down of a beautiful, if short, summer.

Summer's End?

This is Leonard, my garden cat. He normally sits in the garden on his little stand, offering bird seed for any takers. I set him on a fence post today, to offer up another plea. It is September and I'm not ready for Fall, even though it is such a beautiful season. But after Fall comes Winter - booooooooooo! I just can't face the thought of Winter. So can we have an extension please, just a little more summer?

Freeing Your Creativity

I found this great article on a great website, so here's a link to them both...

First is Penelope Dullaghan's website. Penelope is a fabulous illustrator, the creator of the Illustration Friday phenomenon, and her website in a creative endeavor in itself. Check it out! penelopeillustration.com.


Within her posting was a reference to the following article which I identified with, especially lately. Being creative is not easy sometimes, even though it may be your calling. There are many roadblocks and hurdles, and most of them set up by yourself. This article was very insightful: HOW Design - Free Your Creativity: Overcome Unhealthy Expectations









HOW Design - Free Your Creativity: Overcome Unhealthy Expectations

Initiative

Here's one of my favorite quotes (by Goethe) about creativity and changing the course of one's life:

"Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation) there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, their providence moves, too.

All sorts of things occur that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no (human) could have dreamed would come his way".

I believe this thought to be true since it has happened in my life so many times.

So for anyone who is attempting to start something new, explore a different path, jump off the diving board of certainty into the unknown, remember this!

Sketches

I'm working on a new assignment, another cover for Minnesota Medicine. I submitted 3 sketches for the art director to consider for the theme. This month the key article addresses the growing problem of how to dispose of pharmaceutical waste. What a timely discussion this is! Just recently I took my father to the doctor, and I took along some old tubes of unused medications. I asked them if they had a way to dispose of them properly, and they said no, they just threw them in the trash! I was shocked. I thought they had some scientific way to properly dispose of unused medications, but apparently, most pharmacies and hospitals just dispose the contaminants like every other household - dumped into the trash and into our water systems.

So which sketch do you think they chose?

The third one, the underwater scene. What fun this will be to paint, I'll post the finished version after I complete it.

Work in Progress

I'm working on an illustration for a brochure that promotes a new procedure/equipment in eye surgery. The client was hoping for something not too specific, and is hoping for a visual that will be more exciting than the reality of it all, perhaps through color or collage elements. Here's a rough sketch with color added.

My waking thought

I woke up this morning and saw this little doodle on a scrap of paper on my desk and realized that it pretty much sums up my brain.

Hmmm.
Well, it could be worse. It could be this:

I can't seem to untangle my thoughts. They are all pushing each other around, saying me first me first me first. Too many things to do, too little time. And all I really want to do is ........NOTHING!

Maybe that's what I need to do. Absolutely nothing. To quote Lin Yu Tang, "If you can spend a perfectly useless afternoon in a perfectly useless manner, you have learned how to live".

My puritan work ethic has prevented me from achieving this exquisite goal, but perhaps today will be the day!

Party Animal

Do you think your dog is entertaining? Especially when you are not at home? You have a party animal - yay!! This little painting is for sale in my Etsy shop. Check it out here: here.

Lawnmower Lady

It's SUMMERTIME ! and the living is easy.....

Especially if you are a lawnmower lady. Mowing that lawn is a snap, you can just sashay along with your big hat and sunglasses, knowing that a big tall lemonade waits for you at the end, or maybe a Long Island Iced Tea. You can enjoy the rest of the hot afternoon reading the latest magazines, waiting for your significant other to show up and throw a barbeque together for the two of you - ah Summertime!

Of course, this is not MY afternoon. I race along pushing my balking complaining tiny electric mower, sweating like a piglet, wondering if I have time to run to the grocery store afterwards before the neighbors descend into my messy house which I haven't had time to clean, for a barbecue that I'm not prepared for, and when am I going to find time to pay my bills?

Oh, to be a Lawnmower Lady!

PORTFOLIO

Stationery Designs



"Pink Elephant"



"The Plaid Poodle"



"Miss Fifi Poopoo"



"Dooley"



"Shy Girl"



"Girly Girl"



"City Girl"



"Prom"



"Holiday Deer"



"French Farmhouse"



"Villa"



"Roast"



"European Street"


"
"Hotel Pool"



"Breathe Right"



"Queenie Fettuccine"



"At the Vanity"



"Gossip Girl"



"Reading"



"Cooking"



"Imaginary Friend"



"Workout Miss"



"Wok Woman"



"Fairytale Wedding"



"Fishing"



"New Boots"



"Dress-Up Clothes"



"Faces"



"Santa Sisters"



"Boy with Laptop"



"Boy on a Swing"


"Girl with the Striped Jacket"



Detail




"Woman with Jewelry"



"Pineapple Dress"


Detail



Detail



"Snow Pants Girl"



Detail



\
"Cargo Pants Girl"



Detail



Detail

Kay Lovelace Illustration

Here's one of my many favorite retro illustrators, Kay Lovelace. I found her simple line illustrations in 50's cookbooks, which I like to collect (just for the illustrations). I think its great how her simple line drawings were lively, whimsical and seemingly proportionately accurate at the same time. Her use of one or two colors and a pattern thrown in for background have been very influential in my own work.

ILLLUSTRATION FRIDAY - Enough

Enough already! Lights out! Time to go to sleep!

Show-Off

Know anyone like this? Four-legged or otherwise? Always needs to be the center of attention, the life of the party. But this is the secret of a good party, and a good life. Thank goodness for those extroverts!

Bugged by a Bird

Today I was bugged by a bird. I stepped out of my house and heard this startling clear chirping. Not in distress, not singing exactly, just...chirping out a greeting, over and over and over. It was so close that I looked to see who was doing this, and a beautiful little finch, pale yellow and tan, was hopping from branch to branch on the shrub next to me. At first I thought I must be disturbing a nest, but the shrub was sparse and I could see no nest. So I proceeded down the walkway to the back of the house, and the bird followed me the entire way, chirping her head off. She had no fear of me, and came so close I thought she was going to sit on my head. I turned and headed back to the front of the house, and she followed me from tree to tree, chirping and flying close to me. Not dive bombing, nor agitated, just perky and curious. This is wierd, I thought. There's no nest, no baby bird on the ground, no other adult bird around. I went into the house and she continued to chirp and sing outside the door. I decided to go out again just to see what she would do, and she followed me around no matter where I walked.

Maybe this is a sign, I thought. Maybe it's my deceased mother coming back in the form of a bird to say hello. My mom would do that, you know. "Mom, is that you?" I whispered, hoping the neighbors wouldn't hear me. I knew this was silly but I couldn't resist. "OK, Mom if that's you, come and sit on my finger" and I held my hand out. The bird was so close I could almost touch her.

Now wouldn't this be a great story if that little bird flew over and landed on my outstretched finger?

Well it didn't. It just played hard to get, hopping around, chirp chirp chirp.

This is the end of my bird story, and don't tell anyone about it because they will think I am nutty. But I'm still thinking it was Mom just telling me to have a nice day.

ILLLUSTRATION FRIDAY - Sour

Gardening DOES have its sour moments.

Retro Prom

This was me, on Prom night, many many many years ago. Well, wait a minute. I was never a blond. I had short hair, not exactly like this. I didn't wear a red dress either. And I certainly didn't have such large feet. Did I have a wrist corsage? I don't recall. Did I even go to Prom? I don't recall. Anyway, let's pretend this was me on Prom night.

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY - Fierce

Here's an oldie but goodie from the archives of my paintings. The red-eyed dog jumping through the hoop looks pretty fierce to me, not to mention the gun in the hand of the shadow!

For more bizarre domestic landscape paintings, check out my website: www.andreetracey.com. Go to the Paintings section and click on "Suburbia Collection".

New Cover

This magazine cover was fun fun fun to work on, although creating all the words required more discipline than what I normally can muster! The headline will be "Word Power" and announces the annual writing contest. It was to be made clear that it was the physicians who were submitting the articles. I decided not to change the face as much as I originally planned (see previous entry). Instead I just gave him different eyes and a pair of glasses for a totally new look.

Doctor's Bag

This is a component of the collage/illustration that I am working on. I couldn't find any photos or scraps of a doctor's bag that I could use, so I more or less made this up. If you look closely, you will see that it makes no sense at all - kind of like one of Escher's drawings that have steps going up when you look one moment, and then down when you look the next. How does this bag close? What is that strip at the top? Are they inside the bag or outside? But hey, I'm an artist and I have what's called "artistic license". Nobody will notice unless YOU blab. My favorite quote: "People notice only what you tell them to notice, and then only if you remind them". (Dr. Kornblum, renowned fictional magician in the novel, Kavalier and Clay.)

Whew

Here's my darlin' Suzi-Q, looking worried. But there's no need to worry because it was a BENIGN CYST! How rosy the world looks today! Also, just so you know, she isn't really a blurry dog. She just looks that way because she is always on the move, even when sitting for a portrait. She's a terrier, what do you expect?

Love My Dog

I discovered a lump on my doggie's back. Gulp. It's small, but it's still a lump. Gotta take her to the vet, a trip she fears so much that I get anxious, too, and then she gets even more anxious because I'm anxious, and so it goes.

My Cover Illustration

What a fun assignment this was...I was encouraged to use my collage techniques, with a mixture of photography and decorative papers and hand-drawn elements. The art director/graphic designer was a peach. She presented her thoughts for the cover in a very clear manner yet gave me free rein, so it made my job easy as well as fun. Thank you Janna!

Shy Girl

I had this little painting up for sale during last weeks big open studio event. One fellow walked up and looked at it and repeated the writing out loud to his male companions, "Shy Girl." he says."YEEEEAAAH right!" and all his buddies laughed hahahahahaha. No really, she IS shy! Shyness is exists, it's out there! And 5 minutes later, a woman walked up and purchased it for her daughter, whom I am sure must be shy. At least for now.

City Girl

The big open studios event, "Art-a-Whirl" starts tonight. Grab your purse, and c'mon down!

Girly Girl

Now that Spring is here, I want to be a girly girl, but none of my spring clothes fit! This happens every year. Somewhere during the course of our long dark Midwestern winter the girl who used to fit into her wardrobe disappears and pudgy winterworn version of her appears in the spring. Sigh. Ok, out come the exercise resolutions along with "I must eat better" mantras. Or maybe I'll just go buy new clothes in bigger sizes. (forget I said that last part).