Just Making Something!

Being a new mom, crafting, making art and things like that just aren't on the list of things that can be done... however - I did make the time to make something for my babe the other day.  Of course being as conscious and aware as I am of what is really in the food and products we consume/use/eat... i cringe at the idea of what is probably lurking in baby toys... and I just wanted to make something for the babe I love so dearly!  So I made this little shape book/teether toy.  I sewed 4 'pages' with organic fabric and organic ribbon and attached them to a natural, untreated teething ring I finished with coconut oil. I designed it so they can all be grouped together or taken apart.  So far apart works good so I can keep them all throughout the house.. and it's not so big! 

Finally!

Obviously I haven't been in my studio much the past year as I've been otherwise occupied.  But wanted to share something I have done recently.   Totally not my usual style, this is a watercolor/pastel, on yupo paper... and inspired of course, by recent life events :)  

I've done a couple of other birth art pieces and I will share those soon... and have more stored away in my mind and my pregnancy/birth sketch book (inspired from the journey and preparation I did for birth -  through the book Birthing from Within... that will hopefully make their way to a canvas sometime in the next year albeit transformed and evolved as the distance from the delivery grows.)

This particular piece took me months to complete - not only for the obvious lack of time to devote to it, but just trying to get it right.  I don't work in watercolor very often and struggle getting the results I want.  Finally I got something I was happy with.  Inspired by the last days of pregnancy (and modeled from a photo taken in the nursery the day I was in labor - --- - right before things got "real" ) and the flower represents allowing the body to bloom and open to birth the baby within.  I framed this one up and gave it as a gift to my wonderful midwife whose coaching, encouragement and wisdom helped me find the strength within to make it through the hardest and most rewarding thing I have ever done in my life.

custom wall design

Custom Wall Design for Organic Spa

This is wall design I painted back in the spring - just now getting around to photographing and sharing it.  This was for the entry wall of a spa and salon.  The wall was textured so that presented a challenge but it all came out well in the end!

The Cycle

This is another one of my recent commissioned paintings...  It's an acrylic on canvas.. 16x20... I have painted cars and people but never a bicycle and lets say both the bike and the helmet were my challenges with this piece!  But it turned out well in the end.

Back to the Studio

Well after not being overly busy in the studio lately due to all sorts of other things in life... I finally have  been working on several new pieces.  This is a portrait of two sweet little girls I recently did.. a surprise birthday gift for the mom by the family.  I really enjoy doing portraits although they can be a bit stressful at times.. people are one of my favorite subjects to create artwork from.  This was a pencil drawing on bristol paper (had just gotten a new pad of 2 sided recycled paper that has a smooth and slightly more toothy side - i accidently started on the smooth side and blending was a bit of a challenge! but it turned out ok in the end)  a few accents of charcoal and light watercolor wash finished it off.

I Am Poseidon

This is another special painting. This one was painted from a funny photo that I happened to get of my husband coming up from the water after a dive in the pool. It was just such an amusing picture with the water coming off his goatee... I just had to paint it!

Sinking In A NightDream

This is a very special painting, one I created from a dream I had - probably about 9 years ago! I painted it back then but it just didn't turn out well at all... (so that version is cozily buried under 3 other paintings - the top layer being a non-objective palette knife artwork that currently hangs on my bedroom wall) but a few months ago I started thinking about it again and wanted to give it another try. So I enlisted the help of a willing friend to model for me and armed myself with an underwater camera.... and this was the result... I still had my struggles to feel like I had adequately pulled off what I wanted to accomplish and still wonder if I should have pushed it a little more but overall I really, really like it and glad to have the idea resolved.