The final chapters of a book are always …(not sure what the word is)…but something. I reach a certain point where I realize I’m nearing the end and I try to read slower, but barely do because I’m so excited and read every chance I can – the train, the short walk from the elevator to my office, the crowded Pax in Times Square on a lunch break (it was there that I nearly jumped out of my chair wanting to tell everyone about what the rabbits endured – it was that good).

But there’s nothing better than finishing a good book. You turn the last page and you breathe in the last bits of the characters and their surroundings. You might even feel a bit sad or lonely because in a way, you’re losing these characters. I was in a pizza place on Graham ave when this happened. Afterwards, I decided that the only thing to do was to paint. I think the spirit of the book really came through in the piece.

p.s. Thanks Chris for taking my lovely photos!

There’s something about being in an art studio/class that makes my heart skip and feel calm at the same time. The smell of paint, the paint covered easels from previous students, being surrounded by other talented artists eager to paint and learn – it all makes me happy.

So as soon as I walked into the room last night, I felt comfortable. I was at ease.

But feeling challenged is also good and I want to grow as an artist.

What does this mean? That for the next few weeks I draw.

I’m very nervous about drawing. 

I admit that I hide in my blurry color swirls, but I think  (know) that brushing up on these fundamentals will ultimately help me create even better paintings.

As one guy put it, “it’s like taking two sticks and making a fire. Once you do that, you can do anything.”

So here’s to trying new things.

These are some snaps of my new painting. Let’s see what happens after a few weeks of drawing and when I return to painting. It will be an interesting experiment!

Last week I took a day off to work on some art and the kitties decided to help. Many times they hid the scissors with their furry tails making me feel as if I lost my mind because “dammit! I just had them!”

Caesar (the black kitty) loves sitting on lumps. He never likes to sit on soft things, he prefers piles of books; shoes or anything that looks like it would be uncomfortable. His sister just likes to get into everything and runs around like a mini tornado. 

Aren’t they adorable?

The new project is something in the works, more to come.

oh and he also likes to wear shoes.

Some new paintings (and an old one finally finished)…

a new painting in progress…

btw, these pink chairs are a lovely street find from my first year in new york. aren’t they fabulous?

a new painting in progress

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To be perfectly honest, I don’t love this piece right now. I think I ruined it with the horse addition – but I think/hope it can be fixed! It was challenging because I’ve been trying to push my “style” of paintings and wanted to make this a whimsical piece, but it may have been better left abstract. That’s one of the biggest things I’ve learned in this class – when to stop and just LOOK at a piece.

Oh well! Either way, I love painting and am just so happy to be making art.

would love your thoughts/feedback!

You’re probably wondering what in the world is a “Krull shop”…well, my friends – let me tell you….

“Krull” is something Hayden started calling me – I have no idea why – but for some reason it stuck – so much that I almost signed a painting Krull in my last painting class.

Now the “shop” part comes from asking my friends to help me finish a project and me sort of making fun of sweat shops…

Remember the Visions tactile mural that I started last year?

Well, I finally finished it — thanks to my friends – THANK YOU!!!

At my birthday brunch last week I asked me friends to help re-glue some pieces of this tactile mural. This was a much easier task than previous birthday requests of tree planting and gardening…

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Thanks again everyone! I presented the mural the students last night and they loved it! It will be hung in Visions over the next few weeks.

Warm fuzzies all around

Happy hump day folks!

Happy Monday folks!

Here’s a new painting in progress. Color drips and strange shapes. I can’t tell if it’s hideous or pretty. I think it’s somewhere in the middle – and I like that.

It’s 30×30 inches – I’m starting to work with larger canvas, which I really enjoy! By the end of the class I hope to finish a piece that’s taller than me – perhaps 4×6 feet. The only problem is I’m not sure where I’d put it.

These phone photos don’t depict the color very well. They are actually much brighter and less “yellowy”, but I’ll re-shoot all of the photos from this class and my new work with my camera soon.

I love the way mixing colors looks! I hope to do something with all of my dried paints!

Have a wonderful week!

… My new painting that is…

According to Melanie, this new piece is “spicy”, “saucy”, and “has spunk”!

Thanks dear! Your comments make me happy

Here’s some of the new work from class – from the phone.

Xo