Finger Painting

So what do you do when you have a plain door, a sunny day and a nothing to do? If you are my daughter, you finger paint. My daughter is a creative soul - and she is finding her artistic voice. Recently she decided that she prefers large "canvases" to work on.

She uses just her hands to create her masterpieces - dipping her hands into the paint and using her fingertips to "drag" the paint around.

And when you are done painting the door . . .you paint your sister!

Oh how the sun brings out the sillies.

Goodbye To A Friend . . .

Life is about change. I have heard this since I was very young. Change is supposed to be a good thing - a necessary thing. But sometimes, change is just hard. In addition to my art, I have a full time job. An 8-5 job at a local college. We've all heard about the economy and all the "fatalaties" associated with it. Today one of my work associates was a victim. A wonderful person - he is a husband, a father, a friend. He was a key factor in why I accepted this job when it was offered to me. I will miss him as I go to work each day. I will continue to do my job as I am asked, but in my heart, I am sad at the injustice of the situation. He will be missed. It was an honor to work with him. It is an honor to call him "friend".

Our family, too, has been the victim of the economy. My husband was laid off a few months back. It rocks your world. But change can be good - Sometimes out of change, especially change that is unexpected, you find yourself exploring options you never thought of before. It gives you the courage to move forward into unchartered directions. I have felt the joy of this kind of a blessing. I hope my friend finds the same type of joy as well. Bon Voyage, my friend . . .I look forward to our paths crossing again.

On a more positive note. Included here are pictures of some of my orders I am working on. These are for a client in Kalama. The orders are for a chair and large mirror with an Asian theme. Bright colors are a must.

Last post, I showed the beginnings of the chair . . .here is the seat, finished up. The colors are rich. The pictures are full of texture.

Here is the full view of the chair . . .every color, textures, beads, and mirrors.

Here is the start of the mirror. A solid black surface to begin. . .then some blocks of background

colors.

A close up of the bamboo on the left side of the mirror. . .

and a koi fish . . .alot of the defining details still waiting to emerge.

This will be the top with the Asian symbols for "Thankfullness" . Of course - more color and more detailing to come. But the idea is there. Stay tuned for the final product.

So . . .here's to change.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY WONDERFUL FRIEND, BUFFY!

Aaahhhh!

A Lazy Susan - who says art work is just for the wall? Take it into the kitchen or use it on the table. Functional and fun!

This is my beach. This is where I go to regenerate. This is my sanctuary. I have been going to this beach since 1968. It is the beach which I measure all other beaches. I'm sure you have a place like this. . .I believe everyone needs a special escape pod.

At home, my escape pod is my studio. But when life hits that breakneck speed, and I feel like I just can't make it another day . . .this is where I go. I love to watch the storms in winter; I love to hear the waves constant rhythm; I love to smell the salt in the air.

Some of my best artwork is created at this beach. I walk through the door of our family beach house and my whole perspective changes. I feel the stress fall away and my creative brain jump starts.

And when I walk on the beach, I go back to my childhood and rock hunt. I can't help it. We used to look for agates - that was the treasure. Now it is sea glass and smooth stones. Sea glass is so hard to find now. I remember when we were kids, we thre the sea glass back - afterall, it was just glass. I mourn all the blue glass I tossed back. What was I thinking?

I love the look and feel of beach rocks - I have a whole collection of them. When I need to feel connected to the earth, I hold the rocks and rub them. There is power and magic in there simplicity.

Now for the advertisement portion of this post. At the end of the this month on the 25th of April I will participating in an Independent Sale called the Irvington Artisans Market. This is a show of some wonderful, talented and eclectic artisans. I participated in this last August and did some early Christmas shopping because of some of the wonderful, unique items that were there. This show will have the theme of Mother's Day. Yes - Mother's Day will be here before you know it and it would be wonderful to surprise your mom with something different - wouldn't it?

This show is held at the historic Irvinton Tennis Club in NE Portland. It is set in a wonderful old Portland neighborhood, in a great space. Check out the blogspot to sample a few of the participating artists and see all the details.

http://irvintonartisanmarket.blogspot.com/

Come and purchase one of my new vases to put those Mother's Day flowers in, or a custom mirror or plaque with a special message to convey your gratitude for Mom. I hope to see you there.

As a follow-up to the children's rocker . . .it has found a home. Here is sweet little Kacey Olivia, age 3 1/2. A few weeks ago, Kacey's mom visited the blog and saw the picture of the rocker. The last line of the post said that the rocker was "waiting for a little girl to rock her baby". Kacey's mom told me that was all that it took. She realized Kacey needed it to rock her baby. I understand Kacey has been spent many hours rocking back and forth sharing the love of the chair. Here's to many years of rocking Kacey . . .

Last week I posted the beginnings of a farm themed chair for a client in Washington. They wanted a chair that would reflect their life on a farm for the past 20 years. It's turning out pretty cute. There are a few more details left and then it will finished.

Another custom order - this chair will have an Asian theme. It will be paired with a large mirror (still to come). A few of the main colors have been laid in and this shows a few blocks where symbols and Asian themed images will be painted.

This shows the beginnings of some of the images - a bird, a kimono, some Chinese symbols and their English translations. Of course no details have been added yet - it will look entirely different by next week, but the basic foundation has been created. I'll keep you posted on it's progress.

And finally . . .what do you do with those clear glass, nondescript vases that flowers are delivered in? Evidently alot of them end up at GoodWill. I've always liked the lines of these vases, but they are so . . . boring! But not anymore. Coated with black first, and then a variety of colors laid down for the base. Then some three-dimensional detail. Finally, some sealer to give it a smooth finish and to protect all the color. It can be used to put in some fresh flowers or as a bright spot of color on a mantel. Come visit me at one of my sales this year, and you can check them out for yourself.

I have been working like crazy lately - and will continue to do so. We have some wonderful sales lined up for this next year. This weekend, we have finally had a taste of spring, with sun and warmer temperatures. Seeing the blue sky and feeling the warmth of the sun did a lot for my phyche. I welcome the spring - bring it on!