Sometimes life is crazy, but with all the upcoming weddings (Brittanie!) and engagements (AJ!), I'm finding that love is in the air. And it's made its way to the city! Last night I went walking and thought about how lucky I am to have so many awesome people in my life!These photos are for all of you and how you remind me that all you need is love. :)Thank you. I <3 you all!**Wouldn't it be wonderful if traffic looked like this?Stop! In the name of love...or...walk to it!I am in a city connected by bridgesI wish they all had lights of hearts...Where will this path of hearts take me?Maybe people would like Shell more if they were filled with hearts...For those that love getting their nails done...I wish the subway always greeted me with hearts!Even Times Square felt the love...So did the theatre!Have a lovely day. :)

Coming from the landlocked states, I love being by water! This summer, I've been going to the beach a bunch! Especially considering that the weather has been great - much better to last summers non-stop rain!Last weekend, we went to Long Beach.It has a fun boardwalk which happened to have an art festival!There were lots of colorful things to look at!Stands that reminded me of my grandmother's house...and lemonade. :)I was having fun using my sunglasses as a filter.The beach was nice and there were many friendly seagulls!Oh wish I could fly!There were  many colorful umbrellas...Walking back we saw lots of flowers.I stubbed my toe walking and taking this photo!And I imagined living in this pretty house by the sea.Hope you all had a great weekend!

I like the idea of creepy things in pretty surroundings, like swamp monsters in seas of curling ribbon.I've had this painting in mind since I lived in Iowa City, but I am finally getting around to finishing it. I'm almost finished, but wanted to share. I still need to sew in more ribbon and draw in the little girl who will be walking through the forest, following the ribbon to her birthday present ~ a huge swamp monster!Here are some photos~It's hard to believe it started off as just a swamp..Now there are blooming trees...with falling leaves...and curling ribbon leading to a spiky (but friendly) present...What would you do if you were given a ribbon and told to follow it through these woods?Would you enjoy your birthday present?I know I would!

Birthdays are the best.Haven't you noticed how everyone is nice to you on a birthday? Birthdays always put me in a good mood!This has been a nightmare-of-a-week, but today is Friday - which means I survived - and it was an office birthday!Much like the show ~ everyone in our office gets a cake/treat of choice for their birthday. I often help with the cake and song. It's always fun to find out what people like. My friend, Julian, was creative for his birthday and asked for flan - of which the leftovers ended locked in an apartment for a week with Hayden's keys... long and funny story.Anyway, we've been prepping for a photoshoot, so the camera was out and the designers had a little bit of fun.(p.s. Can you guess which one is me?)This definitely brightened my day!Have a great weekend!- go ahead -pretend it's your birthday!

when i got off the train tonight.i noticed a squirrelbut it wasn't on the ground...it was a silhouette in the window of an apartment!sweet dreams. :)and good morning to my friends waking up around the world!

The center I volunteer at asked if I could help brighten the walls of one of the rooms. They wanted the students to be encouraged to hang out in a creative space.I didn't do my typical sketched out-"paint by color" system for the volunteers. Instead it was a collaborative design by everyone that attended. Everyone found their inner artist and worked together. I think the results definitely brighten the room!A few walls had circle painting (thanks Dandy for the idea!)And they looked AWESOME!And some people worked on their own projects - including a nature scene with a tree, rose garden, and sunset.Sadly, I don't have a full photo of this at the time!When I wasn't running around, I painted some abstract birds and shapes.These connected to square painting and an imaginary world in the sky...The teens claimed their wall with splatter painting, smiley faces, and hand prints.and they definitely left their mark! ;)According to the teens, this is the "talking" room. I think the mural has plenty of things to talk about. :) I hope that everyone is proud of their work and that the teens can take ownership of this new, creative space!The mural isn't complete yet, but we'll be adding the finishing touches sometime in the next couple of weeks!Thank you all so much for participating today!!!! :)I love it!

I took the day off to do some art -And it's hotter than heck...which means hair is going up! You can't tell, but this is a seriously crazy hair do!Oh painting makes me happy!I took a break from painting, and learned something new about this apartment --Apparently, we have a rooster!I don't think he liked me...But he didn't want to go where the cleaning supplies were!Oh, did I mention we have a backyard?Well, my neighbors do...I'll be moving out in September, but I think I'll miss Mr. Rooster!**anyway, back to my painting!

For the 4th, Afton and I took a midnight train to Montauk. We got there around 4:00 am.

Montauk is literally at the end.

We rushed to the beach to watch the prettiest sunrise.

Some seagulls joined us.

And we played in the sand.

And sent lots of messages to our loved ones!

Shortly after this photo, we both passed out on the beach!

And woke up to a sparkly sea!

And an amazing sky blue sky.

Eventually, we decided to explore the town by bike and saw many things!

We went back to the beach, but this time we weren't alone.

After 12 hours of blasting sun, exploring, and lots of laughing later we finally made it back to the train. Where I caught the sunset on the train. What a perfect day. :)

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....flock together...like all of my awesome, colorful friends; I like eclectic, colorful birds!did i mention swamp birds are my favorite? ~ especially the snowy egret.I'm pretty sure in another life, I was a bird. ;)i love all animals and nature.this weekend i saw lots of both!**saturday morning i was greeted by a pigeon and squirrel..a really curious one.i think he strayed from his friends.there were so many squirrels - they must have been having a nut gathering.i saw some fun shadows on my walk to meet amy.we met up and went to the park...where she told me the names of the different types of birds.hello mr. bluejay!and ms. chickadee! (there were lots of people out resting!)ms. chickadee decided to say hello to the red wing blackbird...or maybe she was saying bye bye blackbird...;)this little birdy said hello while i rested on the bench.(we didn't know what kind he was...)maybe he wanted to say hello to the bird on my bag. ;)after we watched the birds, we decided to walk around.but not before i pointed some love to the trees...we walked in the Shakespeare garden......and by the castle..where we saw mother goose protecting her eggs.**it was a beautiful day!it was so colorful and bright..almost like the Columbus circle station.hope you had a lovely, beautiful, bright, colorful holiday weekend!!

The weather has been perfect. Weather.com said this weekend would have "abundant sunshine".Awesome.Normally I go to the gym for lunch, but since it's so nice I've been spending my break going to Central Park soaking in the sun and taking photos.Here are some things I saw yesterday.Abundant sunshine!And people enjoying it while I hid behind this tree trunk!Fallen leaves that look like little islands...View from my camera while I was walking.I wanted to sit on this bench, but I had to get back...I still kept snapping photos and noticing cool things..like the details from this statue...and this bee getting some lunch!Escalators kind of make me dizzy..As I waited for the train, I left reminders of love.Above ground, I saw another person's message to the world.(p.s. this was right in front of the NY Times building)But the flowers at my corner bodega always make me smile!And so does the guy selling them!Here's a little bouquet for all of my faraway friends!Don't forget to take a moment to smell the flowers!xo

Last night was exciting! We went to see the new cast of RACE on Broadway by David Mamet. For those who haven't seen it, it's a fantastic show! To me, it's a drama-mystery with some dark comedy moments and Mamet is brilliant. The female lead is my roommate, Afton Williamson and she KILLS it. The show runs until August 21 and the new cast is great.Congratulations to all of you!RACE at sunset.Saying hello after a great show!Peeking into dressing room mirror.Afton meets her fans!Congratulatory hugs!and friends chat about the show.So exciting!New cast of RACE~Celebrating with new friends....And old friendsand looking sharp with my best friend!Congrats everyone!

this weekend i......had some dinner with friends....walked through the meat packing district.and saw many interesting things in Tompkins square park in the east village~...pretty trees......bushy tails....squirrels carrying bagels half their size!...birds in flight......and these guys posing. :)on my way home the sun set through the streets.and fireflies hung out on these blue flowers...i came home and looked at another painting in progress.hope you all had a fantastic weekend!

This post was inspired by one of my favorite bloggers - Katie Sokoler! She did a post about "things that make her smile" and asked others to do the same. I've also had a long  week (I think many did!) and think that sharing reasons to smile or be happy is a fantastic idea. So here are mine...1. Silly Halloween costumes and apartment "Mascots" (btw, Goosie is kicking it in Dysart!)2. The open roads of Iowa - and realizing I miss them -3. Midnight trains to Montauk to watch the sunrise......and using this shell to protect my eyes...4. Pretending to be birds......and imagining dancing on these clouds.5. Pretty waterfalls......and climbing them to find rainbows.6. Survivaballs7. Kids and their puppies - and willingness to share them8. All the colors of this life.......and being able to capture them in photos (iphones, film, and the like), art, and our imaginations.There are so many talented artists and photographers and I love seeing people's lives through their eyes.So what makes you smile or happy?It's Friday and sunny, so let's spread the happiness today!I hope you have a fantastic weekend filled with all the things you love. :)...and that you can get some rest.

I've been carrying my bunnies around with me.I added some to the train......Union square......and some random house in the east village..I have lots of bunnies left!

Some days are awesome and you can't help but smile, but sometimes there are days you just need to know you are loved. I think little reminders help.I made some bunnies to help remind New Yorker's that they are loved. Like my butterflies, I'll be leaving these bunnies in random spots.This spring I gave a bass player one of my butterflies. I walked by today noticed it's still on his bass. If you're ever near Grand Central on a Friday morning, listen to this bluegrass band. They are awesome ~ and an enjoyable way to kick off the weekend! They play banjo, a washboard, spoons, and of course, an upright bass!Here are some phone pics enhanced on Photoshop mobile.So just remember some bunny loves you!Xo

I can't believe how fast this year is going!Here's how I spent my first weekend in June.Amy and I took a walk along the Riverside park.We had to walk under a big bridge to get there.And I found some pretty rust.Along the river, I noticed lots of trash......styrofoam that kind of looked like a fossil......abandoned stick forts......trunks of spilling amber......and the cutest family in the world!This little guy wanted to spread his wings~...while these guys wanted to rest......mommy and daddy supervised!I'm also pretty sure that we found the lochness monster.But there were much prettier things to look at......like sparkly rocks and clovers.....trees full of berries....and lots of flowers!Actually, this city is full of flowers.From the Upper West Side...To Queens..And on 23 Street.**On Sunday, Julian and I went to the Brooklyn Flea at this old bank.We watched one of my favorite bands, Camera Obscura in a vault......with pretty light!The show was awesome!!!After the show, we walked around the flea, looked at jewelry, and had ice cream.When I got home, I played around with a new watercolor.It was a great weekend! :)Hope you all had a lovely weekend too!

I made a sample. It was fun and is pretty!I think tomorrow will be messy and fun!

I love color~ my paintings are usually full of color.This is one of my favorite colorful pieces - it's now proudly owned by a couple in Queens.In this week's Art Explorers class, we're going to talk about color. I have found so many awesome art blogs for inspiration and project ideas - like this edible color wheel. We'll be doing this project tomorrow, I think it will be fun and a little crazy!Wish me luck!

Once a week, I volunteer with the blind creating art projects and I'm constantly amazed at their talent! We set these projects up so mostly everything is done by the student. The point is to make them feel successful in the art that they are making and let their creativity speak. Last semester we worked on a mural and it turned out great. I still have to post the final photos!This semester we've been working in clay, basket making (kind of hard~actually), and decorating hats.I am working with a new student and she is amazing! We sing Italian arias to each other, she teaches me words in the five languages she knows, and I watch in awe as she skillfully molds clay into birds.This is actually our second bird. The first bird was too wet, the wings broke, and we had to start over. I think this bird is even prettier than the first, as we're really working together to create patterns for the feathers (made from beads). She creates the pattern on one side and I mirror it -- all while singing.She inspired me to set up a singing program for the Greenwich Village Singers to come in and do some volunteer singing. I told her we'd be performing this summer and she was thrilled!**Do you ever have those moments where you realize how BIG the world is?And how each person has their own story?I do, and I love hearing other people's!And of course, sharing my experience from their stories. :)

...the storm left a sky of gray and blue......light sparkled on the buildings.....and even in the puddles.