Monthly Archives: March 2009

wake up, it’s spring!

Lots of new, busy things have been happening here (hence the temporary lack of postings). I am currently very occupied with my jobs and am looking forward to a blissful summer and being able to paint full time. A few more months, but for now, trying to squeeze in every bit of creativity, daydreaming and wandering that I can.

Soaking up flower goodness on a rocky, mossy ledge outside of my parents new home. Can you soak up the flowery goodness through osmosis? Actually you can eat pansies, they are quite yum!

My parents have sold our home in favor of a little cottage in the woods of PA, just across the river from our old home. So I can still visit the river and go for walks and wanderings in the area…thats good news!

But the bad news is that I am going to miss our beautiful old home very dearly.

This is the sweet colorful cranny in my teeny-tiny bedroom (which nookish disposition never fit the scale of the very large, victorian farmhouse.) It’s oddity was the reason why I loved it so (and it was just the sunniest room in the house!)

Now that I see our house, almost empty, I can understand that it’s size and age are really too much for my parents to deal with. The acres of property required mowing, gardens to be tended to, and too many bedrooms for two people. I am happy that they can relax now!

And there are little gardens around their new cottage…

a peek…

I have been sketching in my very large bound book, storing up ideas, taking notes and writing about concepts to use very soon.

Color and patterns rest on a tray in my studio and are being put to good use!

I can’t wait for spring proper so I can soak up some sunshine, lay in the grass and go barefoot. I am so sick of socks and sweaters.

Happy Spring all!!

spring!

artist house

My Aunt Diana has the most beautiful antique farmhouse with the prettiest things. The are a household of artists and sailors and I think they combine the two very nicely! The other weekend she hosted the most amazing baby shower for my cousin Deirdre. The event was so beautiful I just had to share…

Nests and delicate little blue and white eggs were the theme. These found treasures were lined up on the white mantle (along with found sea shells, a ship painting overhead, crystal from the chandelier and a little pink bird perched above).

The kitchen has a giant blackboard and we doodled and wrote Deirdre messages.

A side table in the dining room was adorned for spring and baby! This just makes me long for spring!

For favors my Aunt Diana stitched up heart sachets stuffed with lavender and sewn with vintage buttons.

We ate yum carrot cake cupcakes. They were so pretty! And I am just noticing all those pretty antique books behind the cupcakes (I was a bit distracted at the time) on a folksy shelf my uncle crafted.

Just like a natural history museum. I snuck off during the present-opening to oogle over my aunts fantastic nest and egg collection, the best and biggest I’ve ever seen.

And another sweet corner from the house (that has me longing for the colors of spring)

And back on the home front…
Been busy sketching, preparing. Sunday painting clothes include old jeans, cardi’s and vintage aprons.

Wall behind desk (I am a bit obsessive about making tints from my favorite paints and swatching them out on paper for future reference). The painting with the girl and the gypsy cart was recently removed from my sketchbook (ouch!) and will be made into a print very soon. I wish I knew where the picture of the bobbed girl is from, she is a favorite.

Have a blissful, beautiful rest-of-the-week, all!
~*~*~

welcoming march with open arms!

clockwise, from right:

? work in progress
? stack of Christie’s auction catalogues with a cover drawing by Matisse that’s inspiring me to pieces
? Grandma’s wedding China with a faded floral design that is, well, inspiring me to pieces!
? rose fabric snippet that I collaged into my sketch book the other day (snip snip goodbye roses)
? colorful, loose tea cans that are just so pretty (and perfect for holding things!)
? a beautiful white fox that my hubby brought home last week from an estate sale. He knows my style so well.
Clearly I need a bigger table!

Please excuse the absence. Work schedule changed and for the next few months I will be very, very busy with other obligations. In the little free time I have I’ll be taking some quiet, creative time out for myself to sketch and develop new ideas. It seems during my busiest work months the most ideas surface!