Mindy Carpenter

Painting a Day Project: #36

2012-01-28T15:12:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to my dear friend Lynda Rousseau! We haven't seen each other for years but thanks to Facebook and that rare bond that some friends have, we are still in each other's lives. Today is her birthday. (Well, technically yesterday as she lives in Singapore.)

Painting a Day Project: #35

2012-01-27T19:15:00.000-08:00

"Sit Loosely in the Saddle of Life". I love this Robert Louis Stevenson quote and it's the perfect message for me right now--for many reasons but especially with art & the inevitable self-criticism that comes along with it. I have to remember my own rules here, 100 (bad) paintings...just keep practicing, having fun, bringing images to life that make me smile. Happy Friday. xo

Painting a Day Project: #34

2012-01-23T20:36:00.001-08:00

I've got vintage globes and travel on the brain...8x10 acrylic on canvas, "Come Fly With Me." This one makes me happy in a no reason fun kind of way! This "little" 100 painting project isn't exactly turning out to be the daily project I had intended but I'm sticking with it and loving the unexpected surprises it is bringing me. Bon Voyage!

Painting a Day Project: #33

2012-01-21T09:19:00.000-08:00

Back from a week long trade show in Atlanta and managed to find some doodling, painting, creative time in the hotel room...the result? A collection of quirky watercolor floral garlands...I think I'll add quotes in the middle. Have paints, will travel but it sure is great to be home. xo

Painting a Day Project: #32

2012-01-03T12:10:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year and Happy Painting! I spent a week over the holidays in western New York state on my mum's farm and I definitely could have used a pair of these Hunter rain boots. Thought I would paint them instead....acrylic on 5x7 gallery format canvas, "Puddle Jumpers".

Painting a Day Project: #31

2011-12-12T19:41:00.001-08:00

I'm busy trying to be secret painting elf in time for some holiday surprises...hope this remains so....(I'm banking on the fact that the unnamed family member who parents this little guy doesn't go online very often....)....introducing "Ferguson", aka "Farm Dog", 8" x 8", acrylic on canvas.

Painting a Day Project: #28, 29 and 30

2011-11-30T20:36:00.001-08:00

I've just finished a great on-line painting course with instructors, Lisa Congdon and Mati McDonough called Get Your Paint On. It stretched me in several ways I hadn't expected--under painting? Layering? Details? Working on the same large piece for 5 weeks? Who knew? I tend to paint fast and inspired preferring a small canvas because I can finish it in one sitting! This was completely different. We started with a photo...or anything that inspired us...I happened to pick my beloved "Trophy Dress"...this photo was just dying to be painted!
First, the under painting. Very simple, bold shapes, no detail. It was all about getting the paint on the canvas, covering the entire piece.
Next up, layering, more paint, a few details, changing colors if desired....(the great part of painting with acrylics--they dry fast and you can paint right over them.)
And voila, more layers, more details, some shading...introducing "Trophy Dress", 24"x 36". Thank you, Lisa and Mati for a wonderfully inspiring class. xo

Painting a Day Project: #27

2011-10-28T14:18:00.000-07:00

I love vintage typewriters!! Aqua or pink modern or turn of the century, I love them all!!! Today's painting brought to you by Daniel Smith watercolors on 9x12 watercolor paper, with some well-loved vintage ephemera.

Painting a Day Project: #26

2011-10-27T17:26:00.000-07:00

I've fallen in love again with Daniel Smith water colors. Those little tubes pack a lot of punch and are infinitely more fun to play with than the pans....(although a little messier and less convenient for portable painting.) Introducing #26: Italian Bowls

Painting a Day Project: #25

2011-10-25T18:54:00.000-07:00

I felt inspired by a few things for this painting: a favorite photo of mine, my old stomping grounds, a new set of acrylics and a 4x4 400 series Strathmore pad of paper...and this poignant quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes:

"I find the greatest thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving--we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it, but we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor."

Painting a Day Project: #24

2011-10-21T18:28:00.000-07:00

Back at it today with a little inspiration from an old tea tin that has morphed into a well-loved container for brushes and pens. A little help from Photoshop with the vintage wallpaper and voila!

Painting a Day Project: #23

2011-10-02T10:54:00.000-07:00

Playing with botanical patterns and a different watercolor set (Windsor & Newton)....I still prefer the Pelikan color palette...but playing and experimenting is good. Happy Sunday. xo

Painting a Day Project: #22

2011-09-30T11:02:00.001-07:00

A quiet night painting in front of the TV is good for the soul and imagination. Played with lots of flowers, tea cups, and patterns last night. Pelikan watercolors in 5x7 moleskine journal.

Painting a Day Project: #21

2011-09-18T12:48:00.000-07:00

All in Good Time. I love this quote by Cervantes and I love how it reflects this slow and steady project I've embarked upon. I briefly considered renaming it "The 100 Painting Project" (instead of the ambitious "Painting a Day" but that is part of it, not giving up or stalling just because the pace has changed.) This little piece is 9x12, acrylic and india ink on mounted canvas. All in Good Time. xo

Painting a Day Project: #20

2011-09-12T19:33:00.000-07:00

Twenty!!!! This is a little fuchsia geranium in a lovely aqua Italian ceramic pot I keep on my outdoor patio table. Pelikan watercolors in my big Moleskine watercolor sketch book. The quote I heard recently, directly from a 16 year old that I thought was too sweet not to share..."Loving someone and having them love you back will change your life forever." Oh, young love. xo

Painting a Day Project: #19

2011-08-24T14:11:00.000-07:00

Last night's creation sitting outside on a warm summer night....there is something magical about doing art outside...another reason I have come to love Ashland, OR! This piece is a little larger than what I've been doing--12x16, done on heavy watercolor paper in my new favourite Moleskine sketchbook bought at Opus Art Supplies on Granville Island this summer. Sail on silver girl....

Painting a Day Project: #18

2011-08-15T21:33:00.000-07:00

We had a whale of a time....maybe it's my recent whale watching trip with my dad in Victoria or the fun Papaya "Laughing Whale" art that we're all loving right now but I love this mammal and wanted to give him a little paint and paper today. And I love that this Orca wears eye shadow!

Painting a Day Project: #17

2011-08-09T19:32:00.000-07:00

Painting a day? Well, life has crept in, as it does, and I'm sticking with my 100 Paintings Project but am adjusting to 100 total, rather than one a day...it feels great to be back after a little hiatus. So with no further adieu, I introduce you to "Boots", the cow-dog makeup wearing (cross-dressing?) Hunters wearing, polka-dot loving creature. I think he stole my mascara.

Painting a Day Project: #16

2011-07-09T17:43:00.000-07:00

I love the cover of this self published book from the Squam Art Retreat....watercolor on 6x9 Amalfi paper.

Painting a Day Project: #15

2011-07-06T19:41:00.001-07:00

Oops, missed a few days there. But the best part of "no rules" 100 bad paintings? No rules, just keep on going....Blue Ribbon here is Pelikan watercolor and Staedtler ink pens on Amalfi paper.

Painting a Day Project: #14

2011-07-01T16:20:00.000-07:00

Happy Canada Day!!!!

Painting a Day Project: #13

2011-06-29T17:23:00.000-07:00

Tunic Poetry. Who needs a quote or a pithy saying...(btw, when's the last time you said the word "pithy"?) when stream of consciousness seems to work just as well...keep painting, friends! xo

Painting a Day Project #12

2011-06-28T17:15:00.000-07:00

I think "The Tree of Life" might want to become an orchard. Watercolor, ink, pencil on amalfi paper.

Painting a Day Project: #11

2011-06-27T21:08:00.001-07:00

Part painting, part doodle, this is The Tree of Life. On it's way to Samantha, in exchange for really, really good peach blueberry thyme cupcakes....cream cheese icing, of course.

Painting a Day Project: #10

2011-06-24T20:00:00.001-07:00

Acrylics mixed with a little ephemera, not quite done with the dozen cupcakes that are probably on the way. Be patient. I like pink. And carbs. And caffeine. Thanks for visiting. xo

Painting a Day Project: #9

2011-06-23T21:45:00.001-07:00

And she squeaks in with a couple of hours to spare with #9....switching it up here, back to acrylics, my preferred medium (well, oils are even better but acrylics are great for the impatient artist....love that drying time!) Hard to tell from photo but this is a mini--just a little 4x4 canvas. And no, I didn't receive the memo that cupcake painting was cliche....I'm waiting for Wayne Thiebaud himself to tell me to stop painting desserts....xoxo

Painting a Day Project: #8

2011-06-22T20:13:00.000-07:00

For those familiar with the awesome hot pink office at Papaya, you'll recognize this as one of Kathleen's chairs. If not, fuchsia cushions on bamboo lounge chairs rock!

Painting a Day Project: #7

2011-06-21T20:35:00.001-07:00

From an old Anthropologie catalogue...."Have a Seat"....

Painting a Day Project: #6

2011-06-20T19:13:00.000-07:00

This little girl is Gigi, Kathleen's, dear fur person. She was painted on watercolor paper, scanned in and placed on one of my vintage postcards with a little Photoshop help.

Painting a Day Project: #5

2011-06-19T16:50:00.000-07:00

Life is Very Good. This has been an ongoing collage for the last month but I put the last few touches on it this afternoon and calling it complete. What I like about this one is that she hangs outside on my porch and welcomes me home every evening.

Painting a Day Project: #4

2011-06-18T14:17:00.000-07:00

Wow, this accountability thing really works...#4 of what seems like will become my portfolio of whimsical creatures and children's book of goofy illustrations. However....I am doing it. And those 24 hours? They go fast! This little guy really didn't want to be photographed...he is shy. After all, he is an owl-penguin, a very unusual breed that only 100 bad paintings can produce.

Painting a Day Project: #3

2011-06-16T14:00:00.001-07:00

Remember, bad is ok. 100 bad paintings. Yup. It's harder than it looks to post something that feels so....awkward! But that's the point here, day 3 and just putting paint down, having fun and painting my favourite fur subject, Gracie. Clearly, she's following in the supermodel footsteps and won't get out of bed for less than $10,000 a day.

Painting a Day Project: #2

2011-06-16T12:33:00.001-07:00

Day 2 of my informal painting exercise. This little beast is in memory of Kelly's sweet Clementine. And please, anyone who wants to be part of this unruly (and by unruly, I mean NO RULES) project of painting a day...please join in and Kathleen and I will link you. I was reading Lynn Whipple's comments on 100 Bad Paintings and something just clicked for me. Here's an excerpt:

“…you are going to make 100 bad paintings, so you had better get started! You can insert anything you are working on, as in 100 bad songs, so you better start singing, or 100 bad drawings, 100 bad cupcakes, 100 bad boyfriends..humm….What really happens is, it frees you up to play and not worry. now you can enjoy the process. the truth is you get better really quick, maybe even by #19. try it!“-Lynne Whipple

Painting a Day: #1

2011-06-15T11:17:00.001-07:00

It's a bold statement but yes, here it is. The beginning of Painting a Day Project. The rules are there are no rules other than one small painting a day, preferably posted so there is proof we got our creative mojo on. The purpose is to get loose, not worry about the end result and have fun! In my industry so much time & energy is focused on the product, marketability, who will buy it, how many units, etc...and I'm thinking this will be a refreshing spin around the block for my old brain to reacquaint itself with the silly & satisfying side of art making. Any subject matter, size, & medium welcome. Kathleen and I playfully shook on it this morning that we would commit to this, so here it is, a project is born.

Holiday Decorating

2010-12-03T17:22:00.000-08:00

This week I caught the twinkly-white-light-must-decorate-house-now bug! So much fun that a strand of lights transforms a home!
Two of my favourite snowmen that insist on living inside on a cake platter.
And if I can't be in Sausalito for this year's boat parade...I can bring it to my back porch!
Pine cones, white candles, vintage baubles, nests and apothecary jars seem just right.
My Nana had these funny altar boy candles out every year at Christmas and we never burned them, just admired. Looks like I am following in her footsteps....
I think my big doggie painting might want broadway lights all year round--he's such a diva!
And my little art tableau...so sweet and magical all of a sudden. Hope everyone is starting off this season with some white lights of their own.

Winter Wonderland in Ashalnd

2010-11-24T10:14:00.001-08:00

An early winter complete with snow, sunshine, freezing temps and twinkly lights has arrived in Ashland. Who knew Uggs actually had a cold weather purpose???

Best in Show

2010-11-12T17:35:00.000-08:00

What can I say? It took a trophy, gold leaf chair from Prize and the Best Dress Ever, from Anthropologie to get me back in my blog groove. I think I will try to paint this picture this weekend. Happy, happy Friday.

Passionflower in Eugene, OR

2010-08-30T18:18:00.000-07:00

I visited Eugene, OR this weekend and was thrilled to visit my old friend, Jewel, at her gorgeous store Passionflower. She has exquisite taste and carries the best lines out there.
She has John Derian, Papaya, Natural Curiosities, Votivo, Cavallini, Sid Dickens, and a great assortment of local artists. It's also a floral shop so Jewel can be found doing her artistic floral creations....
And not to mention killer floor displays....
And wall art....fabulous store, great litle visit with a dear soul & the best treasure in Eugene, OR!

This is what an excellent day looks like

2010-08-23T17:11:00.000-07:00

The amazing Oregon coast between Brookings and Gold Beach on a warm, sunny gorgeous Sunday afternoon. Still smiling from this.

This is what summer looks like

2010-08-17T15:23:00.000-07:00

This is the first summer in years....maybe ever....that I have lived in a climate where summer means bike riding, berry picking, sleeveless dresses and flip flops. After so many years in the Bay Area I have become accustomed to jackets in June, scarves in July, and Uggs in August. This change to warmer, true blue summer season agrees with me beyond belief. I've suffered through a few days wishing I had AC but I'll take it if it means I can walk for ice cream at night in the balmy air or sit outside on a Sunday morning with a book tanning my toes. This is why kids don't want to go back to school. There is summer magic all around.

1000 Journals blazes a trail....

2010-08-05T16:42:00.000-07:00

I am so proud to have been part of the 1000 Journals project and am excited to participate in a new collaborative sponsored by the Art House Co-op. This one is called The Sketchbook Project and finished journals/sketchbooks will first go on tour throughout North America (journals are finally the rock stars they deserve to be!!!) and eventually find a permanent home in the Brooklyn Art Library. It's $25 to join, they send you a blank moleskin (the very thin ones...not too intimidating to finish by January 2011...the deadline), you complete it based on a theme you have chosen from their list (I picked "A Day in the Life") and....just like that, you are a little part of art history. It's a journal thing. Can't explain it but if you've ever been bitten by that mixed media photography, art supply, written word bug, you understand. If not, give it a try. I think this will be a very cool little project.

Make Life Pretty

2010-08-03T09:23:00.000-07:00

I couldn't tell you where the recent fascination & inspiration of vintage pink typewriters comes from (at least I'm specific!) but the combination of old office supplies & the milky pink make me very happy. Photos from Flickr.

Renegades from the Craft Fair

2010-08-02T14:31:00.001-07:00

As much as I loved the Renegade Craft Fair, my favourite booth was the one we created ourselves outside on a park bench at Fort Mason. Literally, sitting by the dock of the bay, with your best peeps is a very good thing.

Renegade Craft Fair

2010-07-29T17:35:00.000-07:00

If you're in the Bay Area this weekend, I highly recommend checking out the annual Renegade Craft Fair. It's an amazing group of talented artists selling their art: incredible jewelry, paintings, gift & stationery, posters, journals, you name it. If it's cool, found on Etsy and has antlers, woodsy animals or KEEP CALM written on it, you've found the mother ship.

New Iphone camera app!!!!

2010-07-25T16:22:00.000-07:00

Thank you, Kathleen Rossi, for showing me this latest great camera app: Pudding Camera. Can't explain the namesake, it's from Korea & I can only partially operate all its cool features but definitely worth adding to the app list. And thank you fabulously awesome Bethany Barton for posing for 1000 shots while I channeled my inner Annie Leibowitz.

Think Pink

2010-07-22T21:25:00.001-07:00

Loved this pink beach cruiser in downtown LA! I walked by it every night in front of Rosa's (best guacamole I've had...ever???) after the gift show & really, really wanted to ride it home. The two locks & bolt to the front door suggest I wasn't the first one with this impulse.

La-La Land

2010-07-15T21:08:00.000-07:00

Staying at Hotel Figueroa in LA for the California Gift Show. Love this old landmark hotel...my little iphone captures the teensiest slice of it's old-school Hollywood glam cache but here's a glimpse...

Custom collage

2010-07-10T17:44:00.001-07:00

Saw this hanging at Kel's house last weekend and it reminded me, yes, I do custom pieces! Some of my most fun collages have been for friends & family & I am always happy to accommodate. Prices range depending on size . Please feel free to email for details....

New Journal

2010-07-09T22:08:00.000-07:00

This doesn't quite do it justice but I've made a new journal & am loving it. I used Fabriano hot-pressed paper & followed the Teesha Moore process for book-binding. It's got a lived in, handmade feel already & I love it. It's the small things I guess. xo

Following your bliss can be a cupcake & coffee

2010-07-07T21:10:00.001-07:00

Or so it seems when a perfect Sunday afternoon is spent with friends having cappucinnos & cupcakes from SusieCakes Chestnut Street (yes, apparently San Francisco needs one more cupcake joint...hmmm...coconut was the best!!!) It reminded me of this collage, recently sold at Elizabeth W, in Ghiradelli Square. This one is gone but I just delivered a new batch of Carpe Diems to the store. Available now!

4th of July!

2010-07-04T22:27:00.000-07:00

There's nothing like a little road trip, girlfriend time and a good run out to the beach to re-boot the creative system. Happy Fourth of July!!!!

Le chien

2010-07-01T10:54:00.000-07:00

I'm itching to get back to oil painting classes. This was my last little piece with teacher Leslie Gifford before I moved. Now if only Maira Kalman would move to Ashland, OR for private classes...in the meantime, check out her latest and greatest coffee table book. I bought mine at Prize, a wonderful retail treasure in Ashland...a must see if you are visiting.

Couldn't resist

2010-07-01T10:48:00.000-07:00

I could not resist buying this adorable 6x6 original painting by Mati Rose yesterday. It's called "Pissy Kitty" and it's up on her blog right now. And that "SOLD" notice means it's in a box heading to my front door as we speak!!! Yay!!!!!

Sun, Sand & Sea

2010-06-25T16:17:00.000-07:00

I have been here one month and today I officially miss the ocean, the San Francisco Bay, and all the nooks & crannies that go with it: Stinson Beach, Bolinas, West Marin, Sausalito, the Embarcadero, Ocean Beach, Baker Beach, Marin Headlands. I also love that I am in full-blown summer here in Ashland, OR and it's warm enough to eat ice cream outside. At night. In a dress. With no wet weather gear for fear it might dip below 50 degrees in June...but still. The ocean. I miss it & wanted to pay a little tribute today. For those who are on it, near it & enjoying it, dip your toe in for me. Thank you.
The view from a Sausalito bench looking towards Tiburon. Best bench ever to watch the world go by.
Random surfer dude.

A is for Aqua: Part 2

2010-06-22T17:18:00.000-07:00

I posted on our blog at work today about loving all things aqua & antique & I have not stopped thinking about it. Here are some lovely pieces of local inspiration...some that have made it home with me, some that I have just admired.

p.s. write soon

2010-06-17T13:33:00.000-07:00

I've become a lackluster snail mail correspondent in the last year where I used to pride myself on handmade envelopes (Mindalopes! So fun to make!!!), illustrated letters, and quirky cards leaving my little post office. This typewriter shot is an attempt to remind me how great it feels to send mail...so p.s. write soon is not to you, but to me. And if you're one of the empty mail boxes that used to receive treats, feel free to nudge me along....xo

Home Sweet Home

2010-06-07T21:08:00.000-07:00

What happens when everything you own is a whiter shade of flea market pale & you move into a little cottage painted the colour of...santa's workshop...after a few rum & egg nogs??? Apparently, you roll with it and end up loving the way years of quirky treasures & an ecclectic art collection come together on my most surprising pallette. Welcome to Ashland!

Whatever shade of Kermit this looks like on the screen, I promise you, it's brighter in person.

After many years of owning this piece, my #3 bird painting by friend Kazaan Vivieros is always the first thing I hang. It centers me, my home and makes space for all its art friends. Home sweet home.

Mmmm....

2010-06-03T21:32:00.000-07:00

You deserve a trophy! An award for following a long absentee blog (good reason, I swear...job change, relocation, life explosion....you know, the usual...) but thank you for staying tuned for my funny artistic minutae. Todays shot is a sneak preview of an upcoming Papaya! http://www.papayaart.com catalogue spread (I did mention a new job, right?) taken at my new digs in my new town of Ashland, OR. Yay!!!! It's been two weeks since my arrival & so far, I find it to be an incredibly warm, welcoming & artistic community. I am feeling very grateful for these changes & infused with a spark of inspiration that makes me say...mmm....

Merry Christmas

2009-12-23T16:59:00.001-08:00

Happy holidays everyone! This particular year feels extra cozy & creative. Family is coming in, the house is decorated, cards are sent, errands have been run...kind of...but anything I haven't done, I'm okay with. I'm actually slowing down, enjoying the moments and letting all the loose undone pieces just be. I have finally learned that no one notices if you didn't string that extra set of lights or bake that pie or make handmade cards or...whatever. It is just about being together or calling or writing or nowadays, dare I say it, Facebooking!

So I'm off...time to go to the airport to pick up loved ones. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

Santa's Elf

Soon

2009-12-16T10:43:00.000-08:00

I love this quote. "We must be willing to get rid of the life we have planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us." Joseph Campbell.

These past few months have felt exactly like that. I have closed doors and chapters in my life that I had thought I had wanted open but in turn, so many new ones have opened. Living alone, figuring it out on my own with help of wonderful family and friends has been exciting, not a chore. Thanks, Joseph Campbell, for reminding me to loosen the grip and go with the flow.

Cozy days

2009-12-15T14:41:00.000-08:00

My new issue of Somerset Life has arrived! And...I'm featured!!! So excited, so thrilled and really touched to be part of this issue with these patchwork collages. They are pieces that I worked on a year ago with so much love and flurry of excitement and to see them come alive now on the pages of national magazine is astounding. Thank you, Jenny Doh and Kellene Giloff.

It has turned colder, wetter, darker here in Northern California in the last few weeks. But cozier. It's time to hunker down, get out that novel we've been meaning to read, cook the soup, string some lights, cozy up on the couch and immerse ourselves with projects that make us feel good to be home. For me, that is revisiting my art journals. Starting more patchwork collage panels. Continuing with my new love, oil painting. Making roast chicken and butternut squash soup.

And tonight, I can't think of a better thing to do than make a cup of Earl Grey tea and flip through my new Somerset Life. These are cozy days.

What a difference a day makes...

2009-11-29T21:48:00.000-08:00

How the ocean mimics our minds....these photos, taken a day apart at Tennessee Valley, are not far from my mind...the serenity and gentle tide of "it will all work out and anything is possible" only 24 hours after "nothing makes sense, who do I think I am, how can I make a living as an artist, creative soul, blah, blah, blah...." and yet...both are true for us, for me, in that moment. How do we stay on the sunny side of the beach?

Back to basics

2009-11-28T22:03:00.000-08:00

A day well spent in my little art studio that could. It began with boxes stacked, still unpacked from August, looking at me, like, I know you want to but....how? With what furniture and no storage and but, but...the excuses....So, I did what every good citizen does on Thanksgiving Weekend and shopped. I went to thrift shops around Marin and with a grace, syncronocity and really, really nice guys at the Goodwill who were willing to jigsaw puzzle pieces of furniture that shouldn't fit into my car, I came home with a room full of bargain (and have I mentioned adorable yet functional?) furniture that has transformed cardboard into creation. My little room is starting to sparkle and feel like the sanctuary I had wanted it to be.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T14:43:00.000-08:00

Happy Thankgiving everyone! I am grateful for family & friends, good health, living in Northern California, creative impulses that I have time and freedom to pursue, and an overall abundance in my life that continues to flow. Thank you!

Monday

2009-11-16T17:12:00.000-08:00

Brought to you by the letter "M". I'm on a vintage letter kick (again) and scouring ebay, antique fairs, and flea markets for large and small, metal and bisque, letters and numbers of all shapes and sizes. Lovely letters make me so happy.

Freaky Friday

2009-11-13T16:29:00.000-08:00

It is Friday the 13th and there is uproarious goofiness in the air at work. From dawn to dusk, it has been a flurry of creative energy, wacky phone calls, laugh attacks that have not been provoked by the endless stream of sweet treats in this artistic office...just a funny, lovely day with wonderful co-workers. Sasha, the wonder cat, was not here to partake but her upside down hambone pose speaks for us all.

Carpe Diem at Stinson Beach

2009-11-12T17:26:00.000-08:00

Keeping the faith on a sunny late fall Saturday afternoon at Stinson. Toes in the sand, sun on your face, blue skies above and a stick to write in the sand....it doesn't get much better than this.

Sunday afternoon oil painting

2009-10-25T21:37:00.000-07:00

Thank you art instructor extraordinaire, Leslie Gifford, for steering me towards this little beauty. There is no bliss like painting in a Sausalito art studio on a sunny Sunday afternoon. And thank you, Sasha, for being such a stunning portrait in study.

One, two, three

2009-10-23T14:15:00.001-07:00

Jump! I am trying to reenter this creative blog world....I am reinspired as the above collage on canvas (and several of it's collage friends) will be featured in the upcoming January 2010 issue of Someset Life. Thank you, Jenny Doh, for your encouragement. (And thank you, Sookie Koban, for lending this piece back to me after I gave it to you! I promise it will make it back to your home!)

Happy, happy Friday everyone.

Yes

2009-04-27T20:47:00.000-07:00

Yes to possibilities. Yes to the unknown. Yes, to the why not? This is my motto I am trying to live by and yes, it's not easy every day. But stories of fellow artists and creative souls who are making a living doing what they love and finding time to carve out those moments of joy and undiscovered talents, that is what keeps me going, keeps me inspired, and fills me with a resounding YES.

And yes, this piece is available for one more month at Cafe Trieste in Sausalito, CA.

Carpe Diem Goes Locco for Gocco

2009-04-17T14:01:00.000-07:00

Coming soon in all sizes and colours to an Etsy shop near you....

Hitch your wagon to a star

2009-04-08T21:00:00.000-07:00

I am back from an energizing and exhausting week of all things art and collage, where art supplies are spoken of with the reverence of gold buillon and classmates not only know, but care, if their watercolour paper is hot or cold pressed. It's good to go "home". It's good to be around those who give themselves this precious week out of the year to be themelves, to turn off, to not care about mail, electronic and otherwise. Thank you everyone for an amazing Artfest. It's good to go home and it's good to be home.

Seattle

2009-04-01T08:10:00.000-07:00

If you're like me, on your way to Artfest, I highly recommend a detour into one or both of Ted Watson's fabulous Seattle stores, Watson Kennedy. It might be a torrential downpour outside but the moment you walk in you've entered the lovely land of all things heavenly...Paris flea market meets urban vintage tableau. By far, my favourite store in the world....who could resist this smiling face behind a counter of salted caramels, vintage flash cards and exquisite jewelry?

Charming gardeners

2009-03-29T09:11:00.000-07:00

It's a spectacular sunny Sausalito morning and I am grateful to those people, friends and family, the "charming gardeners" who love and support me. There is a geranium cutting in my kitchen that just one month ago was a nothing but a green fuzzy stem sitting in a glass of water and now it is a cluster of bright pink buds. It is the daily reminder that change is constant and beauty is everywhere.

An apple a day....

2009-03-26T19:58:00.000-07:00

Keeps Etsy at play.

Brought to you by the letter I: Ikea, Inspiration and Ideas

2009-03-25T20:09:00.000-07:00

Today was filled with the sweet "normalcies" of life, work, coffee, co-worker communing, but still, there is that little private piece, that moment when you get home and look in your mail box and....MOO CARDS ARRIVE!!! Yes, it's probably so two years ago...but I'm here now and the Artfest emails are ping ponging back & forth faster than an Olympic show-down and I am thrilled that my little piece of creativity, printed in the UK, found it's way to my funny box at 55 Sunshine Avenue in time for my Port Townsend getaway. Thank you US Post. Thank you Moo cards. And yes, today I went to Ikea, was Inspired, and had many Ideas for future art projects with the best girlfriends ever.

Fun

2009-03-24T21:39:00.000-07:00

Fun is under-rated. Fun is excellent and silly and found in the goofiest moments that we generally overlook. We anticipate fun in trips, date nights, lunches out, weekends but the real fun? I think it's when you're stuck in traffic behind someone you know and you watch them pick up their cell phone knowing it's you who is calling. Fun is when you know all the words to a country music song that you would otherwise hum but sing your heart out. Fun is having friends come over with a pre-made dinner of roast chicken, cold salads and white wine. Fun is comfort in knowing who you are and being comfortable in your skin with those around you. Oh yeah, and laughing your ass off!

Build it and they will come

2009-03-23T19:44:00.001-07:00

Readers, bloggers, artists, friends and family, if you have found this, found me, you understand this technological world a little better than me so THANK YOU for visiting. I am new to this. I create by hand. I use a slow-cooker. I write thank you notes on paper with ink. I make colour copies at Kinkos with the help of really nice (patient) employees. I don't have a DVD player and only recently figured out that an Iphone was also an Ipod. But I am an artist, creative soul and fellow ephemera, flea market, art supply lover who gets that jolt when I find an artist "out there" in this funny blog world that speaks to me and I figured it was my turn to speak back. Stay tuned for art, life, wanderings, quotes, and my personal patchwork quilt of life. Carpe Diem.