The Pedigree Artist

Here Kitty Kitty

2012-02-10T08:40:00.000-08:00

People always ask me, "So are you a cat person or a dog person?" I never really believed I was one or the other. But then when D (my beloved kitty for 16 years) passed over the rainbow bridge I was faced with a decision: dog or cat? And then I realized I am a cat person (who really likes dogs!). But yes, a cat person. I love having them on my chest as I sleep. The consistant purring and their playfulness makes up for all the litter box messes I've ever had to clean up.

Conner

watercolor & colored pencil

5x7 inches

So some of you know that I belong to the Canine Art Guild. The purpose of the CAG is to bring dog artists together to share ideas, experiences and view each others art. We have shows open to members that are posted on line about once every three months. We have had a few shows open to other species as well as one that exhibited cats only. But for the most part, it's all about the dogs. Some of the members are also a part of the Equestrian Art Guild, celebrating horses in art. So then I was thinking.... is there a Feline Art Guild? and if so, How do I become a member?

3 Kittens, 4 Bowls

watercolor & colored pencil

5x10 inches

Well, there is and it's the Society of Feline Artists http://www.felineartists.org/index.shtml and I'm sure it's a great group of artists. But as I looked further into it I found that it's based out of Great Britain. No big deal! I thought since CAG has members from all over the globe. BUT! then I looked a little more into the site and see that they have very few shows. Nothing on line, but classic brick and mortar galleries. Nothing wrong with that either except you HAVE to drop your work of in person! What? Now, mind you, it would cost a small fortune to ship a painting overseas just to have it hanging in a gallery. And I don't know anyone in GB that I could even ship it to. THEN I find you have to be an "Associate Member" for at least a year. While the cost is less that a regular member, as an Associate Member you can enter the London art show, but no guarentee that it would be hung. hmmmmm. Well, let's say I did do it, and for a year. Now I'm a full member. And now (actual quote from the site) "Full Members are expected to support the Society by taking part of the Annual London Exhibition " ???

Sally's Silly Kitties

(from L to R) Barack O'Kitty, Misty & Popeye

Now, I'm not trying to make this a bashing post about SOFA. I'm sure there a great group of people that make wonderful art and love their cats as much as I love mine. But, Ladies, really? I think your guides are a little strict and if you have a reason to be that way I would like to know why. So I'm thinking, should I start my own Feline Art Guild? Would this bring more exposure to cats? to me? to my art? I don't know.

Orange Kitten III

watercolor & colored pencil

5x7 inches

So then a couple of weeks ago, I was reading one of Elin Pendleton's post on CAG (btw, she is one of the few CAGers that I would love to meet and have critique my work. Check out her site here: http://www.elinart.com/pages/dogcat.html ) Anyway, she was saying about how most of her animal art sells because there's a connection between the owner and the dog. "And the dog owner isn't just going to simply buy a painting of a golden retriever because she likes golden's but because what golden's mean to her. Whether it be the duck hunter's helper, the child's keeper or the house guard, it's you as the artist need to find that connection and build the art around that. So paint the golden, but paint him hunting, or laying down by the cradle or on the front stoop." (I am paraphrasing but you get the idea). So that being said.... what about cats?

Below are some famous artist's pieces featuring the beloved kitty...

Picasso

Gauguin

Renoir

Beardsley

DaVinci

gig

According to her website, Gig was a big influence on A.V Vibes Kitty in her Kitty & Robot webcomic http://www.evilkid.com/comics/KR/pages/rogers.html. She used to have this great illustration of a cat's butt with "Kitty doesn't like you" on it, but, alas, she doesn't have it anymore :(

Sleepy Toon

Luna Loves You!

"KC"

Commissioned piece

Watercolor & Colored Pencil

16 x 20 inches

Bowl of Kittens

So do you appreciate your cat? Would you buy cat art if it WASN'T your cat? What do you think of cats in art anyway?

I would love to hear from you!

>^..^<

SUPER BOWL 2012

2012-01-23T13:32:00.000-08:00

It was this past November at my friends birthday party that she told me that Madonna would be doing the halftime show at the Superbowl. I am probably one of the biggest Madge fans out there (I know, you thought I was all metal didn'tja?!) and am super excited to see the Queen of Pop, Material Girl, or whatever you want to call her.

Madonna

Confessions of a Dance Floor promo

image taken from madonna.com

So I told my friend Kim, who is also a huge fan that we'll have a MadonnaBowl party. Of course Jason rolls his eyes, but my girlfriends are looking forward to this AND THEN LAST NIGHT...

Tom Brady

Quarterback of the New England Patriots

image taken from sportsillustrated.com

The Patriots beat the Baltimore Ravens (incredible game, really) and now the Pats are in the MadonnaBowl!!! This is very exciting!!! So now I'm probably going to be expecting more and more people over... I don't have the greatest TV either! Owell, I'm going to be making snacks and party favors for the next 2 weeks! It'll keep me busy as I babysit my nephews these next few days!

I'll try to paint something too! Busy busy!

What are you still holding on to?

2012-01-16T08:52:00.000-08:00

"Beau With A Toy"

a birthday card for my mother

It's Mum's this month and I didn't have to dig very far for reference as this image was on the top of my photo stack. Beau passed in January 2007 but still remains one of my most beloved subject matters as he was such a handsome and still a very silly dog. I have taken so many photos of him over the years, and being such a handsome golden, most of the paintings that I have done with him have been my most popular. There are a few that I will not sell as they are too close to my heart. My mother has quite a collection herself.

I did this painting with watercolor on 250lb cold press Arches watercolor. I used to buy the ready made watercolor cards that you could just paint on, but after using them for some time, I feel that they aren't think enough or have enough "tooth" so a lot of the paint doesn't stay. But if they were thicker, they'd probably be more expensive.

Of course, I can't get rid of any supplies that I have purchased or were given to me over the years. There was one time I donated some things to an art class for an elementary school but I think that was mostly markers. I still hold on to everything and with the Creative Group still in full swing I usually take that time to use the different mediums. I still have charcoal from art school! But I still use it!!

What about you? Do you have a tough time letting things go? or is your life clutter and art supply free? I can only imagine.....

2011 Wrap Up

2012-01-05T07:45:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Well, as much fun as I had over the past year, I'm kinda glad it's over. Full of ups and downs 2011 was. I turned 40 (!), Jason lost his job, art sales and commissions were practically non existent. But this blog isn't about bitching, it's about celebrating. So lets go through the better parts :)

Wu Tang at the Wilber Theater, Boston

What better way to start off a show season with Wu Tang (if you want a great drinking game, go to a Wu show and drink every time they mention Ol Dirty Bastard... you'll be silly in no time!) Other shows included Mastodon, Deftones, Helmet, the reunion of Honkeyball, Queens of the Stone Age, A Perfect Circle, Clutch, Wrought Iron Hex (which is J's band and probably one of the best things to come out of 2011) Gut, All Dinosaurs, Ella Riot, Sherman Burns (another 2011 discovery!) the Lepers, the Kills, Corrosion of Comformity, Taiwan Typhoon (so freakin' awesome) Motorhead, Twilight Singers, Planetoid, X, Gozu, Explosions in the Sky, Give Up, White Denim, Rival Schools, Doomriders, Opeth, Helmet, Black Thai, Karma to Burn, Beneath the Stone and Black Helicopter. Of course there were more, I just don't remember your names LOL... Yes, as you know love watching live music. For 2012 I'm already have tickets to Mission of Burma, Tool and the Kills.. Love this town. :)

Chester's front yard February 2011

If you were in the northeast this past winter of 2011, I don't have to tell you the obscene amount of snow we received. Jason and I spent a lot of weekends going to Chester and working on maintaining feed for the deer that were there. Cutting small trees so that they can eat the browse is mostly what we did. There were times I was stuck in snow drifts up to my hips. And living in the city with no driveway wasn't all that fun either. I hoping that this year won't be so nasty, but we've only just begun!

Shed Antler found in Boxford MA

If you don't know, white tail deer drop their antlers every winter after the mating season is over. Jason and I will go out looking for them in the woods every year from March to May. They don't last as rodents will eat them for the calcium and they are difficult to find. J's been on a roll lately and will usually find them all where I find none... until this year! I wandered down to the swamp on my parents property and finally found my first shed! I also had about 7 tics on me too. Gross.

Me and Heidi at Black Thai, April 2011

2011 and Heidi. Unfortunately, one of my closest friends has gone and moved to LA. She got a job offer she couldn't refuse. We made some serious waves in 2011 together. Best of luck, H. Love you.

Dead Leaf & Stick

16x20 Acrylic

I really started to explore more acrylic this past year and this piece I think was the best that came out of the experimentation. This will also be on exhibit at the Turners Falls Discovery Center in December 2012 and January 2013. Santa Tracy also bought me some water based oil paints for Christmas and I'm so excited to use them!!

Me, June 2011

So in Feb 2011, I was accepted into the Cambridge Y Weight Challenge. Like Biggest Loser, except instead of measuring pounds lost, this was measured for fat percentage lost. I came in second with 14lbs of fat lost, 8 lbs of muscle gained and went down from a size 12 to an 8. I had always been going to the gym, turns out I just was eating the wrong things at the wrong time of day. I felt like I broke a secret code and couldn't be happier. I mean, look at those biceps!! I'm so much stronger and feel so much better now. The only thing I've really stopped eating is potato chips and heavy beers (ie. Sierra Nevada). Bud lights and/or Crown Royal from now on! LOL

Glacier National Park Montana
June 2011

Me and J

GNP June 2011

So, this past June I turned 40 and Jason and I celebrated by making a trip to the Northern part of Montana. It was a great trip and it was made better by being with the love of my life! The whole trip was a "constant upgrade" from our rental car, lodging and we managed to see some grizzly bears. I can't tell you how badly I want to go back!!

My Boots!
Nothing significant, just love a good leopard print :)

My Art at the Douglas Paul Real Estate Office

Allston MA

Unfortunately, the selling of art and commissions wasn't that great in 2011. So, I focused energies elsewhere and was able to hang my work in the Douglas Paul real estate office for the Allston Art walk that happened in September. I also met some people like Alana Olsen, the head of the Allston Villages program, who are working hard to clean up and culture our little neighborhood. I also became heavily involved in the Allston Open Studios and hope these efforts will make Allston less like a drunken college town and more like a funky hip place where people can see art and hear music. This is an ongoing effort for sure!

My space at the Allston Open Studios

November 2011

Lucy and her portrait

Lucy's owner Chris C was the winner of my gift certificate for a 5x7" pet portrait that I donated to PBRC (Pit Bull Rescue Center) She sent me this picture after the holidays and I love it! Lucy's such a good dog!

So I'm excited for 2012. I've always felt that the "even" years tend to be a bit tamer than the odd ones so,

Here's to 2012

May it be the best year yet!

Christmas time is HERE!

2011-11-29T08:47:00.000-08:00

I know, I can't believe it either. The holiday is in a full swing and I even watched the Grinch last night. I'm going to be at the Jamaica Plain Holiday Fair http://www.firstchurchjp.org/2011/11/craft-fair-dec-3rd-2011/ again this year and I hope its a good one. This is the fair that always puts me in a holiday mood because they invite a 3 piece jazz band to come play the fair, while shoppers come in out of the cold from meeting Santa. However, we have been having record warm temperatures these past few days.

"Painted Turtle"

8x10 inches

watercolor and colored pencil

And I'm very excited to meet up with the Creative Ladies this weekend. This is the second year that we will be making holiday greeting cards. I've been so excited about this, as my last years cards were such a hit. I've been cutting magazines up like a maniac! I can't wait to post them!! You can check out last year's cards here: http://thepedigreeartist.blogspot.com/2010/12/its-that-time-of-year-again.html

"D in Plaid"

5x7 inches

watercolor and colored pencil

Christmas Christmas Christmas.

Can I tell you how much I really dislike Christmas carols at CVS and on the radio 24/7 and that Walmart has ads rolling at every moment....
Just remember when at the end of the Grinch when he says:

"Maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store.

Maybe Christmas means just a little bit more"

Make it a special one :)

Allston Open Studios this weekend!!

2011-11-11T08:44:00.000-08:00

I would love to see you! I will be in suite 201 with Alexandra Rozenman. :)

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T12:08:00.000-07:00

So I don't understand how people start to freak out around the middle of October... "what am I going to be for Halloween?" I am not like that at all. I usually have about 4 or 5 costume ideas by August and get more freaked out as "What am I going to DO for Halloween so everyone can see me dressed up!"

As a child, my mom always got us those costumes that came in a box with a smock and a mask, and you went as a cartoon character... I think I was Casper the Ghost like 4 times. But the last time I went T&Ting (there's always that time, am I too old for this?) but I went as a box of Fruit Loops and that was a costume my mom had made. I think it was then I realized how much more fun Halloween was when some blood, sweat and tears were put into the costume. Not to mention the extra candy that I got because people were so impressed with my mom's creativity. I wore a box with loops of construction paper glued on... that's it.

This year, I went as Frida Khalo. J said that "No one's going to get it." And when I left the house on Saturday he said I looked like the Chiquita Banana Girl. (Close enough, I thought). So I braved the Nor'easter that we got and headed to Somerville to see Booty Vortex at Johnny Ds! As I walked through the station at Harvard Sq, I could hear people....

"hey Frida!" "Great costume, Frida!" "Nice!!" HA! Awesome.

Here's Frida that I based a lot of my costuming on. She's so famous for those eye brows!

And here's one of my more favorite portrait of her. I like the spider monkey and only til recently that I learned that she kept these monkeys as pets....

Here's me as Frida!! And notice my lil' spider monkey! We named him Spidey (of course!) A lot of people knew exactly who I was so I was very happy to rub it in J's face !! Har!

Happy Halloween!

All the kids I know are evil

2011-10-24T08:38:00.000-07:00

Well, that's not really true. But it seems that when ever I try to do a child's portrait (which is something I'm always struggling with) the eyes will make them look.... well, evil.

Take this fine lad for example. The picture of him he is kind of looking at you like,"Wha? You talkin' to me?" After working out the proportions on the head (they're always so huge) the first thing I painted on this boy was his eyes. Right away: Yep, he's evil. It actually reminds me of those painting of people where the eyes seem to follow you where ever you go.

Second layer, purple shirt, background... but the eyes are still there!!

And here he is completed. I posted these pictures on Facebook only to have one of my friends say, "He looks like he just set a house on fire!" HA! Awesome!

Happy Halloween!

the Arts in Allston

2011-10-18T12:06:00.000-07:00

So this art career is getting more and more pendulum swinging as time goes on. If you've read my last post, you know that my painted utility box was pulled out because of construction. But it seems as soon as something awful like that happens, then a good thing happens....

This was my art work hanging up at the Douglas Paul Real Estate office during the Allston Artwalk that happened this past Saturday. It was a last minute thing, but I was invited to exhibit 6 pieces. So I met Alana Olsen of the Allston Brighton Village organization on Friday to hang my work. I told her about my utility box, she said she's going to work on getting another one for me... more in Allston Center... So we'll see!

Also there's a big event coming up and it's the 25th Annual Allston Open Studios! This is going to be a great event with lots and lots of artists. You can meet the artists and watch them create as well! I've been working on getting a lot of pr out for this and one of the things I'm doing is going to a focus point meeting with the Allston Brighton CDC tonight. I've never been to one of these before. I hope it's not boring because I may fall asleep! I was out a wee bit late last night checking out Give Up! at the Midway Cafe in JP.

My Painting Utility Box is gone.....

2011-10-06T08:17:00.000-07:00

So the other night, driving down Western Ave in Allston, the construction that's going on at Brighton Mills caught my eye. I know that there's been construction on going for a while but just recently I found out that Google has invested in some low income housing project and that they are rebuilding the Charlesview Apartment complex over in the Western Ave lot. Great for Allston, great for Google (tax write off I'm presuming) and great for people who need low income housing. However.......

they took out my utility box.

Back in 2009, I submitted a design to the Boston Redevelopment Authority to become one of the chosen artists to paint the electrical utility boxes around the city. You know the ones, they're grey and always humming.... Anyway, my "Stripe-ah" design was chosen and they were kind enough to give me a box that was close to where I lived.

The first step was to clean and prime it. That was disgusting. What possesses people to take their wads of chewed gum and stick it on this box is beyond me. What really got me what that the last person to repaint it gray, well, he just painted right over the gum too. Nice..... It took about 3 days from start to finish and I was very happy with the outcome of the painting especially considering that I hadn't painted with acrylics in forever and had never done the "mural thing" before.

What also was really nice is the amount of people who stopped to look and talk to me or the people who were in their cars yelling out things like, "Nice work!" and "I really like yours!" (there are 3 other U.boxes on Western Ave.) and the bus driver of the 68 route who saw the progress through the day... he waved to me each time he drove by.

Well, it's gone now. This construction project is right to the curb so I don't know if they plan to have some kind of store front or what. And some are saying that they may replace it (I'm assuming that the electrical components are in the ground) after construction? I don't know. But when I did drive by a second time to confirm that "Yes, it's GONE" I have to tell you I started tearing up... I mean, this was something that I created and tried to make my neighborhood a prettier place. Really I shouldn't take this personally, just the luck that I got the u.box that just happened to be on the property of the construction site.... but seriously, this made me so upset.

So here are the pictures of it that I took when I completed it. So enjoy it. And next time you see a mural you really like, think about the artist that took the time and the creativity to make your neighborhood a lovelier place.

Incidentally, my friend Tracy had also painted a ubox in Roslindale Square. Hers got tagged with in a month beyond recognition. This doesn't make me feel better at all.

New Shows Added to the Schedule

2011-09-12T08:04:00.000-07:00

Last week I put out a long overdue newsletter to all the the people on my contact list*. As a result I received some invites to shows, 2 of which I have done before. This should keep me busy for a while!

Black and White Border Collie

5x7 inches - watercolor

The first show of the season is the Allston Street Fair. This fun event takes place on Harvard Avenue between Cambridge Street and Brighton Avenue. They block off the road and turn it into a festival with art, food and live music. I attended this fair as a patron last year and loved the fact there were 2 stages and that I was able to rock out to some pretty decent bands. This year, I decided not only to go but show everyone my art as well. Allston has a reputation of being a pretty dirty place that's filled with hipsters and college kids that are just happy tearing up the place. While we do have hipsters, they make up a very small percent of the Allston community. I think participating in this event will help show that Allston has its own culture about it. September 25th, 12-6pm. For more information visit http://allstonvillagestreetfair.com/

Horse Behind Bars

8x10 inches - watercolor and Prismacolor pencil

Sunday, October 2nd is the day of the Harrington Fall Festival of the Arts.

This event is sure to be a fun time for all involved! I'm told that along with all HAND MADE arts that there will also be live entertainment, craft activities for children and a fall produce sale (Pumpkins!) This event runs from 12 to 4pm. For more information go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/Harrington-School-Fall-Festival-for-the-Arts/154389834645672?ref=ts&sk=wall

Saturday and Sunday November 12th -13th from 12 to 6 is the 25th Annual Allston Open Studios. This is the 25th annual anniversary of Open Studios in Allston and there will be a great reception for this event as well. This is a great opportunity to go inside the artist studio and see how we work! I will post more details as the event gets closer.

Irish Cows

5x7 inch, watercolor and colored pencils

And finally, just want to take a moment and thank Joan H., of Allen TX who bought "Irish Cows" last week via Etsy.com. Thank you so much, Joan, for supporting the arts! If you're interested in a piece of my original artwork, don't hesitate to contact me.

*If you would like to sign up for my contact list, please place a comment below with your email.

Kitten Art & Shows

2011-08-25T08:29:00.000-07:00

If you don't love kittens, well, then you're no friend of mine. Just kidding, but really kittens are adorable :). Here are 2 of my latest out of the kitten art collection.

White kittens

watercolor & prismacolor pencil

5"x10"

3 Kittens 4 Bowls

watercolor and prismacolor pencil

5"x10"

I have been taking a break with outdoor shows. Back in 09-10, I did about 1 to 2 shows a month and I have to admit, I got burnt out.

Highlights of art fairs is that you meet people who are interested in your work. You get to talk about your work and in my case, your pets. You get to collaborate and meet other artists. You get tips on where all the other "good" shows are. And of course: Commissions and Sales

Downsides of art fairs is the weather is always unpredictable. I don't mind the rain as much as I mind the wind. The lugging of all your display and art from one town to the next. If your fortunate you'll have a great person next to you to watch your things while you go pee or whatever. But then sometimes you just have a person sitting there complaining. Most complainers talk about how there's no traffic at "this show". If I had a dollar for everyone who complained to me about a poorly attended show I'd be a rich woman. No doubt, I've had some pretty crappy shows but I try not to let it effect me anymore.

I used to do the South End Open Markets that happen every Sunday here in Boston. They were good, and from what I understand they're getting better. But for the life of me I can't get into these shows anymore and I think I know why. It was a rainy/windy day and my paintings kept falling off the display only to ding up or even smash my frames. Well, one point, I lost it. And I dropped a couple of F-bombs. Little did I know the organizer of the show was in the booth directly across from me. Now, I could be imagining things, but if I was the show organizer and I saw this woman across from me say F*CK! every time a painting fell I probably would feel the same way... We don't need this riff raff. So lesson learned.

This year I have entered my stuff in the Allston Street Fair that is happening on September 25th. It's a block party with live entertainment as well as food and art. I entered for 2 reasons. 1.) It's 5 minutes walking from my house

2.) Allston has this reputation for being a place where the hipsters hang out. College kids come in and live for a year or two and trash their apartments. I want to change that image. I've been living in Allston on and off for about 20 years. And yes, I was a college kid at the time I first came here. Allston has so much to offer! We are a mesh of all sorts of cultures from all over the world. We have a great music scene, a lot of restaurants in any ethnicity you can imagine and there is an art scene! So don't be a hater and come visit me at the Allston Street Fair. http://allstonvillagestreetfair.com/

Art and Music. It's what seperates us from all other animals.

2011-07-15T08:18:00.000-07:00

I have some excited arty things planned that I want to tell you about but first I have to let you know about one of the best things about living in Boston. The Music Scene. Ha, you scoff! Seriously, these past 2 weeks J & I have gone to 3 shows and a 4th coming up on Saturday. And there have been some highlights and some *ahem* lowlights. I have found my 2 new favorite local acts and saw them both.

Don't you love it when you go check out a band that you and your friends like and the other bands freakin rock? That's what happened when we went to Planetoid at the Middle East back in May. The ever so rockin' Sherman Burns opened up for them and dare I say it, I liked them better than Planetoid! They're a heavy, hard rock with twists and turns that take you everywhere. Oh and the lead singer kinda looks like J back when J was in his early 20's.

Sherman Burns

So we made the effort to go out and see them again at Great Scotts in Allston last week. Unfortunately Great Scott's doesn't have any air conditioning (or they just didn't that night?) so the place was a sweat box. Had it not been for these boys rockin' out, I would have left in a heart beat. Check out their page at http://shermanburns.net/ and you can download their music here: http://shermanburns.bandcamp.com/

So my friend B's brother, Mike, is in a band called Taiwan Typhoon. I went and saw these guys back in January at Church not knowing what to expect. In fact, I think I was expecting to be disappointed as I wasn't really a fan of M's last band. But hey, I'll support. Boy was I pleasantly surprised!

Taiwan Typhoon

From what I understand, these boys have been working, mastering and perfecting themselves for the last 2 years and have started playing out in 2011. I have seen them perform 4 times now and love them every time. Mix of some post-punk, heavy rock and surfer boy and that's what they are. Duel guitars give you a complete wall of sound while the singer, Larry, is as funny and animated as he is adorable. We saw them last night at TT the Bears and it was if I could not get enough. Can't wait to see them again. And sometimes they have free home made cookies with their merch! Check out there site at http://www.taiwantyphoonmusic.com/

And then there are my friends:

Beneath the Stone

If you like old Stone Temple Pilots, then BTS is right up your alley. They have some great solid riffs heavy, stoney and oh yeah.....

Al from Beneath The Stone

There's Al in all his sexiness. I have a thing for bald dudes with big noses (HA!). So when I go to the BTS show this Saturday at the Middle East, I'll be crossing my fingers that he takes his shirt off again..... yummy! I can't get myself too carried away since J will be there. (BTW J has a big nose and shaves his head as well.... I'm noticing a trend here). Check out Beneath the Stone here: http://www.beneaththestone.com/ (caution, they have the music playing as soon as you open the site).

All these bands can be found on Facebook and that is where I pulled all the photos from as well. Just so you know.

That 4th show I talked about was A Perfect Circle. What a f*ckin' disappointment. Top dollar tickets (my seats were excellent) but they played 5! covers. I can understand 1... I'll let 2 slide if it's done really well, but I was there to see them!! Not sing Elvis Costello!! Ugh! A day after the show, J had done some research and apparently they've recently come out with a whole album of covers with a whole War & Peace theme (hence the cover of Peace, Love & Understanding) but seriously.... They could have done a whole lot more of their own stuff and the show was only 1 hour long. Weak, in my book.

Okay on to the art!

I've been recently invited to show my work at the Discovery Center in Turners Falls MA! http://http//www.greatfallsma.org/ They saw my paintings on FineArtAmerica.com. The Discovery Center invites artists from the New England area to display there work here and I have the months of December 2012 and January 2013. Yea, it's a long way off, but still excited. And this way, I can create more current pieces like this one:

Dead Leaf with Stick

16x20

acrylic

I will keep you posted on that event as we draw closer......

The Canine Art Guild is soon to post it's latest people's choice show and this is one of my entries:

2 Mastiffs

5x7 inch watercolor and colored pencil

The theme is Ying and Yang which always meant perfect balance to me. I remember these dogs from a cook out that I went to years ago and they were the best of friends with each other. They balanced each other. Keep your eye out on the CAG website... the show will be posted by the end of this month. http://www.canineartguild.com/

And lastly, I will be exhibiting my work at the Allston/Brighton Street fair on Sunday September 25th in Allston right on Harvard Street. It's a huge block party with art, food and live music. I'm doing this show because I want people to know that Allston is just not a nasty college ghetto for Boston University and we have much more to offer the world besides bad hipster sightings. So I think for this show I'll be exhibiting a mix of work, but all current stuff done with in the last year. I don't know if I'll even put some magnets out.... maybe. But it won't be all pet portrait focused. In fact, I would love to display paintings like this one:

Gut Girl

10x8 black watercolor

we shall see.....

My Montana Vacation

2011-06-20T08:22:00.000-07:00

For many many years, Jason and I had been talking about going to Montana. Since I was turning 40 in June, I figured that this would be a great reason to go, so I went and got those tickets! I am in love with this state! If you've kept up with this blog, you know that I went last year with my mom to a working cattle ranch. This time, Jason and I went outside of Missoula and visited Glacier National Park while we were there. So beautiful. It's a shame I don't ski. If I did, there would be no reason NOT to move here.

Taken outside of Missoula at about 9:30 at night.

The first night we were there, we took a little critter cruise outside of Missoula. The summer solstice is quickly approaching making it light out til about 10pm. Love it. We drove around and saw 3 little skinny deer. We were on an Indian Reservation and I didn't know, but they have their own laws and such. In fact, we saw a cop car that said "Tribal Police" on it. Hmmmmm.

Sunset June 4th 2011

The next day we got up and drove to Hungry Horse. On the way we saw Flathead lake, the largest lake in the Western half of the US. It was awesome with those snow covered mountains. Montana is also full of casinos, with a slot machine in every gas station as well as tons of taco places. My favorite was called the MexExpress: 5 tacos for 5 bucks! whoo hoo!

Animal Bridge

To avoid high impact collisions between vehicles and critters, they have built this "Animal Bridge" which allows the animals to cross without the threat of having being hit. This was also on the Indian Reservation so the the sign says "Animal Bridge" in both English and Salish.

Mountains near the bottom of Flathead Lake

Seriously, can you imagine waking up in the morning and this is the first thing you see out your bedroom window? I'd be forever happy.

One of the many gateways into Glacier National Park

We made the trek all the way up to GNP on a tip that given to us about the critters. Apparently they've had so much snow in the mountain tops that the animals are all condensed and coming down to feed on the new grass. And that the odds of us seeing something were great indeed. It was another 2 hours away from Hungry Horse but so worth it. The scenery is amazing!!! The Blackfeet are the primary tribe in this area. And we crossed the continental divide, which is pretty awe inspiring in itself.

Bighorn sheep (females and young)

Mama Grizzly with 2 cubs

(the black dots in the center)

Jason at the base of Sherburn Lake inside GNP

While we were at GNP, we saw whitetail deer, bighorn sheep, grizzly bears, elk, Indian (wild) horses and on the way home, 2 black bears. It felt more like the beginning of April instead of June temperature wise. And lots of snow.

The view from the deck at the Glacier Park Inn owned by Mary and Mark Robertson.

Wow. This place was recommended from a friend of mine and I cannot tell you how wonderful it is. M & M are some of the nicest people you'll come across and her granola kicks ass! (she made us breakfast on Sunday morning). They very into photographing bears, especially the Spirit Bear of British Columbia. http://www.glacierparkinn.com

Swan Mountains view from Condon Montana

The rest of the vacation was spent in Condon Montana where we did some fishing and some horseback riding. I would have love to gone hiking, but the bears are thick this time of year and what can I say, I'm an east coast girl who is very afraid of Grizzlies! I did have bear spray, but honestly, it did not give me piece of mind.

Mission Mountains from Condon MontanaJason caught a Cut Throat Trout!

Bald Eagle flies over Clearwater Lake

Whitetail in the bush

The critter cruises were full of deer sightings and some were nice enough to stop, look back and let me get a nice photo op!

Overall, it was a great way to ring in my 40th year. And we're already talking plans about going next year!! I *heart* Montana

Please Vote for Me!

2011-05-18T08:26:00.001-07:00

You can now go to the Dog Art Today blog http://dreamdogsart.typepad.com/ and look at all the entries for the Mutt Lynch Winery label contest. I would so appreciate it if you were to vote for my piece:

Sugar's Busy Day

8x10 black watercolor

It's number 72 on the list, so you don't have to go through scores of names :)

On another note, I got the rejection email that I will not be participating in the Rose Kennedy Greenway art fairs and I have a feeling Somerville Art Beat doesn't look good either as they haven't cashed my check yet. Hmmm. Was it something I said? Some of these shows can be a crap shoot, and always a lot of hard work, but I feel I need to get out there and do something. Keep making art, yea, that's what I'll do :)

This past weekend, J and I took a ride out to upstate NY. We went to the Catskills and headed out to see his niece who is studying at Cornell. When he was fishing, I was birding. Late May and early June is by far the BEST time to bird. There are a lot of transitions going on including migrates flying through, and lots of year-rounders and mating and displaying. Not to mention, the bugs are out and that always means the birds are out.

Male Scarlet Tanager

This guy is by far one of my favorites. I've read that they can be very difficult to see as they prefer the high canopies of trees. I have seen them lower however, and this past weekend I was honored to spot a male in the trees right above my head. These little red birds seem even more vibrant when set against a background of new green leaves that the woods are full of right now. Love them. If I'm out in the woods and hear one, I will go great lengths to seek him out. I can watch them forever. Their song is like a robin's, but a little more "buzzy" and the call is more of a "chip-banggg chip-banggg". You can find out more and listen to them here: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/scarlet_tanager/id

Art Online

2011-05-11T08:43:00.000-07:00

So I get emails from Dog Art Today, a great blog dedicated to... Dog Art! http://dreamdogsart.typepad.com/ They are holding their 3rd annual wine label competition for the Mutt Lynch Winery and this year's theme was "naughty" Aww! I asked my friend T, who's got a goofy white boxer named Sugar, if she had any photos of Sugar being "naughty". She sent me some and here are my interpretations:

Sugar's busy day

8x10 inch watercolor

Sugar's Flower

5x7 inch

watercolor with Prismacolor pencils

You're only allowed one entry per person and because my black and whites tend to get more response out of people, Sugar's Busy Day is my entry. Fingers are crossed!!!

Lil Silver Pug

5x7 inch

Black watercolor and a silver Prismacolor pencil

So like I said, I'm finding that my black n' whites are getting more attention than my color pieces. I'm all about it. I've been working with black watercolor for a couple of years now. I started doing black and whites with some breeds, like pugs, that I already had a lot of color paintings of and wanted to do something a little different. I've done a couple of commissions this way too. I think black and white definitely creates more of a dramatic effect. I think the dog in Lil Silver Pug looks more regal ... or even old timey because of the black and white. Stay tuned for more!

???

Does anyone know what artist created this image? I found it on a blog, LOVE IT but there was no reference to the artist. I found the image for sale on Ebay as well and they only listed it as a Brazilian artist... hmmmmm. Anyway, if anyone knows please tell me! Thanks.

So why do you paint animals?

2011-04-26T08:39:00.000-07:00

Kitty on a Tractor

2006

8x10 inch watercolor and prismacolor pencils

This past Easter, I was hanging out at my parents house. A lovely time, had brunch at the Georgetown Country Club with my parents and brothers and then later did some horseback riding. I spent the rest of the afternoon at my folks....

A while ago I did a painting for my dad of the Gate A entrance to Fenway Park. I used someone else's photo, hence the reason why you won't see it here. But my dad, God Bless him, was looking at it on Easter (it hangs on the wall with all the other paintings that I've done for him) and says "You know Chris, I really like this painting." and my mom chirps in " Yeah, you should do more paintings of Fenway and sell them!"

Sigh.

I know they mean well, and every one around me would love to see me succeed. The fact is, I paint animals. I like to paint things from nature as well and have been trying different mediums as well. But it's true, I love the personality that comes through in each painting of the animal. Who knows you better than your dog? No one. Who loves you more than your cat? Well, maybe your spouse might... but.. When I meet with a client who just lost their beloved dog or cat and knowing that I can mortalize that relationship somehow with a portrait, it makes me feel better. It allows me to connect with person with my art.

I've always loved animals. Growing up I had horses, dogs and cats. The occasional mouse, gerbil and parakeet were thrown in the mix too. Ask my 2 brothers or my sister (who has 4 cats of her own - all rescues!) how my house was growing up. When I drew as a kid, it was always animals. Later on when in art school and during the high tide of censorship (marched in DC when they pulled the Maplethorpe exhibit out of the Corcoran Gallery of Art), there was so much going on with SHOCKING people. (remember "Piss Christ"?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piss_Christ) It seemed in my 18 year old eyes that people were loosing what art was and what it supposed to be and spending more time just shocking people. Especially my class mates at school.

What is art? I believe that a successful piece of art is something that you can look at, it evokes an emotion inside of you, you walk away.....sometimes the emotion is so strong, you need to go back and look at it again. Now, if you know me personally, I'm never one who goes out of their way to piss someone off, or disgust them. More, like a person who wants to cheer you up or make you laugh...

I continued to paint things that I loved. Blooming trees off the rooftop of my dorm, still lifes with flowers and .. animals. You can do so much emotion with those big brown eyes. I love creating a flowing mane or Collie's ruff with watercolor brushes. I love the wrinkles on a pug's head. Cat's eyes: I could go on forever.

Animal art has been around for ages. Royalty used to have their dog's portraits painted all the time. And your animals are such comfort givers, I believe that the art can do the same. So I will continue to paint animals. Enter contests, shows and continue to be a part of something that has been around since the 16th century.

Sorry mom.

New Art works

2011-04-11T08:26:00.000-07:00

I wish I had more to show you. There's only so much time.

"Toupee Kitten"

5x7 inch

watercolor and Prismacolor pencils

"Orange Kitten II"

8x10 inch

watercolor and Prismacolor pencil

"Doggie Butt"

8x10 inch

watercolor and Prismacolor pencils

"Long Haired Daschund"

8x10 inch

watercolor and Prismacolor pencils

"4 Bowls, 3 Kittens"

5x10 inch

black watercolor and Prismacolor pencils

All works are for sale. Feel free to contact me for pricing or if you'd like to get your own pet's portrait done. Thanks for looking!

It's all in the eyes....

2011-03-24T08:17:00.000-07:00

So the other night Jason and I watched Bambi. I haven't seen this movie up to now, and that's probably a good thing because as I child, I may have been deeply effected ... in the incorrect way. Dating a hunter and being an environmentalist and doing many field studies on the whitetail I could go on and on all the incorrect things about this movie. Not to mention the amount of destruction the Disney has done on the everglades of Florida (I'm sure the alligators and whooping cranes are tearing up just as Bambi did when his mom died) but I digress.....

I want to talk about the great thing about this movie... the animation.

Bambi was based on a an Austrian book "Bambi, A Life In the Woods". The book (which I would love to have a copy) was about a year in the life of a Roe deer. Disney changed it to a whitetail as more Americans are familiar with that kind. This film was made in 1942. 1942!!! We officially were out of the Great Depression, but I'm sure there wasn't a whole bunch running to the picture shows at that time. In fact, Bambi didn't do very well at the box office because of the financial situation of the country. But in any regards, the animation was just lovely. Look at the eyes of these characters! Just melts your heart. The eyes have it. Just compare the pictures of Bambi and Thumper above to the ones below.

Bright eyes in awe of a butterfly! Eyes squeezed shut in anticipation of a crash while the other's is rolled back, almost terror. Yes the whole facial expression is there!

Back in the days of The Art Institute of Boston, I took a class for children's book illustration. We had an assignment where you were to take a stick figure's face and try to get as many expressions as you can. Something like this (I just did this one before I started writing):

Isn't it amazing to what a few simple lines can represent? Happiness, wonder, sadness, indifference, anger, extreme anger!, awe inspiring, eerie (what the hell was that I just heard?). The third one down in the first column is the look my mom would give us when she found us still up playing and giggling at 1 in the morning. That's when I knew she was pissed! Bug eyed and angry as hell! LOL.. then leering, boredom, very happy, laughing, chewing lunch? lol. and exasperated.

So here are some portraits I have done of friends pets. Mind you, both of these animals have crossed that rainbow bridge. I may have made the eyes a little sadder because of this reason.... It's pulling on the heartstrings. My friend Cathy looked at the Reba picture and when I had said that Reba is no longer, she actually got emotional herself. It's all in the eyes.......

Reba

8x10 inch

watercolor, colored pencil

Echo's Birthday

8x10 inch

watercolor and colored pencil

Art & Nature

2011-03-15T07:42:00.000-07:00

Orange Kitten 2009

5x7 inch watercolor and colored pencil

Art and nature are definately 2 of my favorite things so in this post we're going to touch on both. First, though, I'm still trying to figure out to take high quality pictures with my iPhone. I must admit, I miss my old camera. If any of you have a website for some tips on how to get some great photos please let me know in the comments section. I think I may go the duct tape route with the old camera (the back 'door' where the film goes in won't click shut).

Orange Kitten 2011

8x10 inch watercolor and colored pencil

Speaking of pictures I have a STACK of photos that I constantly pull from and paint from. Some time ago, my friend had recieved a pair of kittens. I went over and took about a roll of film of these sweeties playing and tumbling over each other. Above is 2 paintings of the same kitten. I like to look at the comparison between the two and my goodness, much richer color and more saturation with the latest 2011 kitten. Same kind of paper and materials used too. Sometimes I think I'm not growing as an artist (Bear with me - I am my own worst critic) and then I look at my paintings side by side... What do you think?

WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES

Deer Causalty at Chester
February 2011

Dead Deer March 2011

Jason and I spend a lot of time walking in the woods and we came across these scenes at 2 different locations. The first was at Chester. From the tracks and blood in the snow, it seems that this deer was pushed off the packed snow track and into the 2 foot snow where it wasn't able to move as freely and then was attacked and cosumed by a pack of coyotes. The second was in Weston and from what we could tell, this deer (about 20 yards from the road) was probably hit by a car, made it into the woods and died. Then, coyotes came and took care of the rest. Nature isn't pretty all the time (just look at Japan right now) and I think as more time goes by the more we become disconnected with it. I try not to feel bad for these deer, I can't. It's nature and I have no control over it. I think I should do an art project about this....

the Pendulum Swing

2011-03-09T07:14:00.000-08:00

So here in New England, March is in full swing with days that start at 50 degrees F and by the time the sun goes down it's 25 degrees F. I'm afraid this post is going to be the same way so bear with me.

"Havanese"

8x10 inch watercolor, colored pencil

The results of the Art Show at the Dog Show came in and, alas, my pieces did not place. No cash prize for me. sigh. Well, they're still on exhibit until the 2nd week of April so if you are in Wichita, you should go check them out. It's still an honor to be a part of this show and it will definitely go on the artist's resume (which is something ELSE I need to get done.)

I have had a couple of inquiries about commissions and actually have a person who is interested in this Havenese painting. She then saw that I do commissions and now is deciding on one or the other. So now I'm wondering how I can push my portfolio pieces. I need to unload!! I was actually thinking of raising prices of commissioned pieces because that's where the action is. Then the originals would seem like a bargain in comparison... but I don't know. Jiminy crickets it's pretty quiet anyway so what difference would it make? And speaking of money, I finished doing my taxes yesterday. Death and taxes... yup.

Gut at the Middle East, Cambridge

July 2010

Photo by Julie Brennen

Don't you love it when your friends compliment you on how great you are at marketing and such and then finish it with "Oh you could set up a Facebook page for us" (eye roll here). That's what happened to me and the Gut boys. Don't get me wrong, I'll do anything to help the boys out but I did remind them that my stuff comes first! And after seeing them about 2 times and it kept coming up in conversation and I kept telling them how freakin' easy it is. But, did it anyway. http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Gut/193037427396129 and after all that. .... they only have 3 likes: me, Jason and my friend Andy. LOL. I'm sure there are ways to make it more fancy but I have yet to figure it out and like I said, my plate is pretty full with the art stuff and stuff! We saw them Friday at OBriens in Allston and gotta say they were the tightest that I've seen them in a while. Got to love that.

Another band that you all should check out is Taiwan Typhoon http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Taiwan-Typhoon/181262035237251 Especially if you like At the Drive In or Fugazi. They are having a CD release party at Great Scotts in Allston on the 24th of March. Hell, yes, I will be there.

So with the easing in of spring, the time is now to go shed hunting. Here's J with his latest find. He'd kill me if I told you were they were from, so sorry. But holy schmoly that's one big deer!

What did I say about a pendulum? Just got a possible gig for a flyer for a DJ in NYC. Literally. Just got a tweet. Sketches are being sent tomorrow.... Now go do stuff!

Tax Time

2011-02-24T07:19:00.000-08:00

"Llamas"

5"x7" watercolor & colored pencil

It's tax time. Time to assess the damage my little hobby has caused over the year. I call my art a hobby because my accountant suggested it the last time I saw him. About 4 years ago, I thought, I'm going legit with this Art Career. I kept most of my receipts and when I went to the guy he gave me a list of lists of all the things that I could claim as a business. Well, the following year I did and came up as a loss. Of course. Look at all the things I was buying to keep the art careeer going: art fair fees, frames, brushes, a percentage of gas and repairs to the van, etc. Well, this went on for a couple of years and I have to admit that I am a better watercolor artist than a watercolor sales person because year after year.. loss loss loss. Then he suggested that I should call this a hobby. Because the IRS will start doing it and not let me itemize my deductions. At the time, I was insulted! How dare he, or better, the government, call my dream a hobby! It's a passion! A love -not a hobby.

But then this past week, the Canine Art Guild started talking about making your art your business. Tax id's, the laws that differ from state to state and all that. There's a user there who also runs artcareerexperts.com and had this to say (which hit home with me):

"There is nothing magical with the word "business". So many artists feel that they must justify this somehow. It does not happen overnight and I have to constantly remind artists that it is hard work. It is a state of mind. Combining creativity and business is also a state of mind and you will be unsuccessful if you cannot switch gears to accept and embrace what needs to be done. Do you need a have or use a sales number in order to sell the occasional painting? No. But you sure do if your going to collect any sales tax on that painting. Sales tax is not included in your gross profit. You are temporarily holding it for the state. And often artists rush out and get a sales/tax number and they are surprised to find themselves paying a fine at some point because they had a month of no sales and forgot to send in a report (any way). Keep this whole thing in perspective. There is no need for an artist to "Justify" her expenses to anyone. Not her friends, not her spouse, not her relatives. Art is no more expensive than golf, video games, gardening, fishing, or any other hobby one chooses to have. Only in art does one's husband (and I see this with women ALL the time) say "You should sell this, Honey, and make some money!" Well, why doesn't he take his fish to the market and pay for the boat? Or his golf score last week on Ebay? You see my point. So relax. Only when you find your sales regular and "real"* should you even consider going the business route. Regardless of all the easy ways to sell your art that experts all over the Internet are selling or advertising, use plain old common sense. There is no such thing as an easy business. Art and business can be fun, excited and stimulating but only if you accept the mindset and your sales justify this decision. Now go have fun at your easel and don't be pressured into a premature decision."

*Although I have to ask, what is REAL sales vs. non-real sales?

So I will claim again this year my art as a hobby. I'm not upset, less paper work for me.

Incidentally all paintings on my website are up for sale. When was the last time you were there? :)

http://www.thepedigreeartist.com

Well, this is exciting!

2011-02-08T07:46:00.001-08:00

I got the letter in the mail on Saturday that these 2 pieces were accepted into the "Art Show at the Dog Show" which is a huge canine event that happens in Wichita, Kansas!

"BW Tibetan Terrier"

5"x7" black watercolor

"Retired Racer"

5"x7" watercolor & Prismacolor pencils

I had submitted 4 pieces all together and I have to be honest, I didn't think that any would make it in. Why so pessimistic? Well, could be that commissions are way down or the last 2 shows I tried to get into I was declined? Yes, I think so. But it just goes to show you that if you keep plugging away something is bound to get through.
So from what I understand the show is judged kind of like a dog show. You bring in your dog, let's say the "Retired Racer", would compete against other paintings of greyhounds. If yours wins, then you continue to best Sporting Group and if you win that then you compete for Best of Show. All pieces are for sale and the winners of the categories will win a purse of anywhere from $50 to $1,250! I'm not thinking of the money, per say. I just think that this is going to be some great exposure for my work! So needless to say, this totally made my weekend. Now I have to get them to the framer and mailed to Kansas by the 25th of February. Once I know exactly which gallery they'll be in, I'll post it here. If you're in that area, be sure to check these and more wonderful canine artists!

Dear Mr. President,

2011-01-27T12:14:00.000-08:00

I probably have no idea how difficult your job is, but I'm sure it's pretty tough sleeping at night. Lord knows I have trouble sleeping if there's a thousand things in my head. But anyway, I wanted to write to tell you that I watched your State of the Union Address the other night. In order to keep my focus on what you were saying I had to focus my attention to the television which I sometimes have great difficulty doing. So I decided to draw the Speaker of the House, John Boehner, who sat behind you the entire time. You have no idea how bored he looked and fidgety he was as you spoke. But I think my drawing came out okay. What do you think?

Speaker of the House, John Boehner

graphite

Anyway, I did want to say that I was very impressed with what you had to say during your talk. Firstly, thank you for taking care of the credit card companies with their outrageous behavior. You have no idea how much money you saved me in the long run. Secondly, thank you for putting a new spin on the two parties and mixing it up a bit in the seating arrangement. I think because of that, you didn't have any outbursts like you did last year. I want to say, however, that as much as I agree that we should excel our children in math and science as well as give our teachers a mountain of respect for doing what they do, you CANNOT forget about arts education. The arts, whether its fine art, writing, theater or music makes us who we are; human. Without it we'd be nothing but a bunch of army ants just going through the motions. Art education will keep young minds open. Also please understand that not all students are going to excel in math & science. (Speaking from my own history I HATED math!) I watch my two nephews right now and one is excellent in math, the other, well.... But I believe that not all children learn the same way. Please let the teachers and parents know about this and try to help them as they are struggling to keep up.

Also, Mr. President, today is my mother's birthday. I did a card for her which you can see here:

Sammy done in watercolor & ink

My mother turns 67 today. She is still working at her job because she needs her health insurance for both her and my father. I would love to see the day when my mum can retire (my father was forced to because of his Rheumatoid Arthritis) and enjoy the latter years of her life. She's still goes bowling, plays golf and is a huge Patriots fan. I know that you are working hard at making health insurance affordable for everyone. I just wish you could make it happen quicker. Let me know what I can do to help.

Thanks for listening.

Your friend,

Christine

I heart my new iPhone 4!!!!!

2011-01-14T07:51:00.000-08:00

So Santa was extreeeeemely good to me this year and got me the iPhone 4 and Goddam, this thing is as fancy as it gets! Please understand that my last cell phone was a flip open, number/letter pad to text and had a cracked screen in the front so I never got to see who was calling me. Talk about an upgrade! And the photos! Let me just tell you that this blog is going to be some eye candy for a while.

Speaking of eye candy:

"Gut's Flyer Girl"

8x10 watercolor

Gut has a show tonight (the 14th) and about a month ago, Bri had asked me to do a flyer for them. Actually, I planted the idea and he jumped on board. His only requirements was that it had to be "Fun". Hmmmm. A little too vague, but okay. So I do go down to their rehearsal space sometimes and yes, it's very testosterone filled with the lousy porn on the walls and there's never any toilet paper in the bathroom. (I learned a long time ago: Pack your own!) So, taking the rehearsal space as my lead and as we all know sex sells I went with this and this girl is definitely sexxxy! Here she is as a flyer:

Very easy really. I went to Youporn.com (wait, what you went where?!) Youporn! hahaha and watched some videos (I won't tell you how many and how I found myself there, because, really, that's none of your concern). I paused one in particular, put my tracing paper over the monitor and made the outline of the girl. Then transferred it to watercolor and had the laptop right there at my table so I could work it out. The flyer girl kind of looks like the video girl. Flyer girl is way more glam with her plucked eye brows and smarmy look as if she's the one having all the fun. Needless to say the boys LOVED it! :)

Wu Tang at the Wilbur Theater in Boston

I NEVER was one of those folks who pulled out their phone to take a picture at a concert. They never would come out and I could never stand the person in front of me doing it because he would block my view and no, the picture doesn't come out. But then when J & I were at Wu Tang on the 3rd of January, he says, "Take some pictures with your new phone" and wow, they came out pretty good!

Sleepy Luna

How freakin' cute is my cat???? I love her and have taken SO MANY pictures of her with the new phone. Of course she is my muse!

Wagon in the woods

On a hike in Holden, MA, Jason and I came across the remnants of a horse drawn wagon in the snow.

Back to the art:

So finally I've started what I've been wanting to do for a long time. And that's create images of insects that are usually considered creepy into big beautiful images. Ideally I'd like to do this on huge canvases but I have only so much space in the condo. So I grabbed some 16x20 canvases at a yard sale last year and because I don't have commissions going on right now, I started with a cicada. Cicadas are one of those bugs that you hear and hardly ever see. They are SO loud! And I'm glad that I don't see them that often because they are Creeee-peee!

First, I drew him on some layout paper to get the proportions right. Then did a transfer of my drawing on to the canvas. It didn't work out as well as it does with watercolor paper, but I could still see some of my outlines and that's good enough.

Here's my palette of color. I swear the iPhone makes the ordinary into some kickass images!

Once the transfer was made I went to getting the first layer of the cicada in. Now, I'm so used to working with watercolors and from what I understand, you can use acrylics like watercolor but I love the saturation you get with the acrylics. Paint with them like oils, and you can paint white over things and it stays white. What I'm finding is that I have a tendency to go back to the watercolor methods. It's not a bad thing, but I definitely have to get some getting used to it. So here's the first few layers of paint:

and here he is after some more and more layers:

My concern now is pushing it over the edge to an "Overworked Piece" which I do not want to do. I fear this piece now, don't know if it's done or not. Thinking of going into the background with more detail, but hoping that's not going to change the cicada and how he's so poised and ready to launch off this branch. But I will tell you this. There was a point when I was working on this, turned around to look at the clock and what time I should put supper in the oven and was like,"Holy sh*t! It's seven already?" Totally lost track of time and that hasn't happened in a LONG time! :)

As 2010 comes to an end.....

2010-12-30T07:55:00.000-08:00

Well, looking back it's been quite a year. I've gone back and highlighted some great things that happened to me in 2010. Some have been small events, but nevertheless, great significance. I couldn't imagine my life without my beloved Jason who has supported me for 13 years in the quest to become a self sufficient artist. As well as my lover and closest friend, he's my best drinking buddy and loves the music as much as I do. I hope 2011 will see more and more great things happen ....

"Black and White Farm Scene"

5x7 black watercolor

"Love Bugs"

5x7 watercolor and Prismacolor pencils

There were plenty of commissions and certificates redeemed this year to keep me busy at the art table. But, I have to admit I love it when one of my portfolio pieces sells. "Black and White Farm Scene" was sold at the New England Arts for Animals http://neartsforanimals.org/ show back in April to a woman in Cohasset MA. From what I was told, it reminded her of her horse farm when she was growing up. "Love Bugs" was sold to a man in New Orleans via http://www.etsy.com/ for a Christmas gift. Thank you so much for supporting the arts!!

Montana was the trip of a lifetime. Mum had always talked about wanted to go ride on a working ranch so back in August we went! I had never been to that part of the country before and was just simply blown away from the scenery as well as the hospitality of the people there. Coming from the uptight Northeast, this was a breath of fresh air. And I got to gallop! http://www.bonanzacreekcountry.com/

"Skull Still Life"
8x10 Watercolor

"Money Owl"

6" x 9"

paper and rubber cement

"View from the porch"

watercolor

Wednesday Night Creativity is the greatest thing ever invented! LOL!! The Museum of Fine Arts Boston is open late and free to the public (but eagerly accepts donations) on Wednesday nights. I found out through a woman that goes to my gym that there's a drawing group that meets every Wednesday with a model at the MFA. So me and some other creatives went and checked it out. And it was a great way to get together after for snacks and cocktails. The last Wednesday of every month, however, didn't have a model but a still life instead. So in lieu of trekking all the way to the MFA we decided to rotate homes and once a month set up a still life or a creative activity to work on. No rules, but I "try" to work in mediums other than watercolor to break out of the box. Or work on something (for me it was texture and painting images of glass) that you felt you wanted more practice on. And of course, drink wine, eat snacks and chat chat chat. Unfortunately, Heidi, one of the "founding members" will be moving to NYC at the end of January but I hope that she continues the WNC down there with her new friends. All 3 images above are a result of WNC.

Jason & Al (of Beneath the Stone & Dr. Enemy)

http://www.beneaththestone.com/

Gozu

http://www.myspace.com/gozu666

Scott Healey (of Gut & Give Up) at the kit

Freakin' Allston Rock City!!!

There were some definite moments of music in 2010. I spent a LOT of time going out and supporting the local scene which I love. Gut lost their space on Denby Street (which was a sad day for sure) however, before they left, I got to hang out with these great guys and other bands like Planetoid. Scott Healey joined up with Gut back in February and played some shows out (some better than others). We also saw some great local acts like Gozu (awesome!!!!!), the Force and Black Thai. I was also blessed to see Who Carries the Lantern before they brought on a guitar player and after. (Much better after BTW). The best shows out of the national acts I saw were Thom York and the Atoms for Peace (actually got weepy at one point, it was so beautiful) and The Dead Weather at the House of Blues. The scene is alive and well every time you go out and support local music.

"Boylston Black and White"

5x7 first layer of watercolor

"Boylston Black and White"

watercolor and Prisma color pencil

"Boylston Black and White" I think was my favorite piece that I did in 2010. What started out as a black and white painting ended with color added in ONLY with pencil. Expanding on a technique and then the piece comes out as nice as this, well, it's a good feeling.

"Ollie Cat smoking a J"

This was done for my Twitter friend @gallaghermeow. The guy cracks me up on a daily basis. Between his posts and @feeaxilla, my music friend, they have made Twitter worth while. In fact, I would not have even KNOWN about that Atoms for Peace concert had it not been for a tweet by @feeaxilla. That and the Tweet Deck. God Bless the Tweet Deck! Seriously though, if you have something to sell you should be on Twitter. A friend of mine put it best when he said, "Facebook is all the people you used to know, Linkedin is all the people you currently know, but Twitter is all the people you WANT to know." You can follow me too at @cwinship!

detail of "Untitled #1103 (Daphne)"

Petah Coyne

http://www.google.com/images?q=petah+coyne&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-Address&oe=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=DOkdTdu4N4yt8Ab2hMTUBA&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CCkQsAQwAA&biw=1259&bih=623

It's always a treat to go to the Mass MoCA http://www.massmoca.org/ out in North Adams. It's way better when you see an exhibit like "Everything That Rises Must Converge". This, simply put, was awesome. She uses waxed flowers, taxidermied birds and lots of velvet creating huge installation art that is dark, beautiful and though provoking. Clearly a highlight of my year.

Roseboom, New York

Jason and I spent some time scouting the state parks in upstate New York this past year. We camped in the state parks and had some wonderful outdoor experiences including listening to late night owl conversations and lots of deer sightings. Lots of wild red raspberries too! We were up there Fourth of July weekend and went back Labor Day weekend as well. Jason went back for the shot gun season and bagged a young buck (which I had some for lunch today). As he says, "Scouting pays off!" Upstate New York is such a beautiful place and so wild still. This is where I want to retire someday.

My J

A lot of what I do would not be nearly as much fun as it is with Jason. Thanks for a wonderful year and on to 2011!

whoo hoo!

Christmas time!

2010-12-14T08:26:00.000-08:00

The Holidays are upon us! I have been busy, but I have to say not as busy as I was last year. I believe that people were hurting financially in 2009, but 2010 really brought it home. Maybe this year we can all take a step back and realize that we don't need to fill our lives with quantity, but quality. That's my Christmas wish anyway....

"Love Bugs"

5"x7"

watercolor & prismacolor pencils

I received an email and payment on Sunday morning that "Love Bugs" sold off Etsy! What a wonderful way to wake up! Thank you, Perrey!! I hope your boyfriend loves the painting!

Chrismas wreath 2010

Coat hanger, boughs, cranberries, paddle wire, dino stuffed animal and bell ornament

I finished my homemade Christmas wreath last night. I had extra strung up cranberries because our tree is a wee bit smaller this year. I usually string up 3 bags of Ocean Spray. You think I'm crazy? No way! It's the best way to watch the Pats game! Keeps your hands busy so you're not snackin' all the time either! The only drawback is that they do eventually turn into Craisins, which aren't as pretty. But I like how it's more simple this year. Dino is ringing his Christmas Bell.

Merry Christmas :)

It's that time of year again!.

2010-12-01T08:44:00.000-08:00

If you look around you can't help but notice the Christmas season is upon us. Whether you celebrate or not, this is a time of year that can be super stressful to some, and really depressing to others. Remember, that Christmas is not about how much you can save at the mall if you go there RIGHT NOW! It's the anniversary of the birth of Christ in the Christian calendar. Now, I'm not a religious person, so Christmas to me is about spending time with friends, family, drinks, good food and of course pet portraits ..

"Schuster"

5"x7"

watercolor and Prisma color pencils

Schuster's owner, Kristin, won my gift certificate that I donated to the PBRC (Pit Bull Rescue Central http://www.pbrc.net/ ) I actually got most of this painting done when I was sitting at Allston Open Studios so not only was it for a good cause, but brought attention to my work as well as the fact - yes, I do donate! and yes, I do commissions! I apologize for the poor photo, my regular 35mm camera is broken! I guess it was bumped around one too many times and now the back door that holds the film won't 'click' shut .. I'm not sure it can even be fixed. So Santa, if you're reading this :)

"Look Who's 10"

watercolor and ink

November 30th was my nephew's 10th birthday! The big 1-0!! Of course I had to make him a card. He's been taking drumming lessons and I think it's time to start introducing him to a little rock n' roll. In fact, I think the first time I heard Led Zeppelin I was 10... I remember my friend sat me down to listen to "Stairway to Heaven" because she thought it was SO cool that it started slow, got faster and harder and ended being slow again. It wasn't til high school that I realized how truly amazing this band was.... "Gallows Pole" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1I5WU8r9Uj8 being a particular favorite

Then last week the girls and I had a creative Wednesday making Christmas cards. I normally do a winter/themed watercolor and have it printed out. But this year I wanted to break out of the box, so to speak, but that's what creative Wednesday is all about. So I went back to one of my first loves: Collage. When I was a little girl, my sister did a collage in her bedroom of cut outs from fashion mags and such. Funny sayings - mostly about flirting. I wanted so much to be like her that I then did the same thing, but with pictures of animals. In fact, she would bring a Vogue or something home and I'd start cutting it up before she even looked at it. Later, when I took an oil painting class in college, the professor had us make our own still life with found objects and make a collage out of it. I still remember mine had an orange nerf ball. But this was an assignment to teach about color. ... So for Creative Wednesday, I found a bunch of magazines, a photo promo book and lots of old Christmas cards to cut away at (I never throw anything away!) Anyway, with out further ado, here are this years 2010 Christmas cards:

"Underwater Christmas"

6"x9"

paper & rubber cement

"Snowball Fight"

6"x9"

paper & rubber cement

"Santa Baby"

6"x9"

paper & rubber cement

"The Reverend Jackson Dreams of Christmas"

6"x9"

paper & rubber cement

"Pear Tree Christmas"

4"x 8"

paper & rubber cement

"Money Owl"

6" x 9"

paper & rubber cement

So there you go. The JP Christmas fair is tomorrow. This is the last fair that I will be doing for the year. I will need to start focusing my attention on Christmas commissions and then its on to 2011!

Keep on pluggin'

2010-11-22T08:21:00.000-08:00

There's something to be said for consistency.....

"Scituate Harbor"

5"x7" watercolor & colored pencil

This art "career" of mine, it's like a swing. When I finished Open Studios, lugging all my stuff back into the freight elevator, well, it's just kind of depressing when you don't sell anything. All kinds of questions start going through your head. As in:

"Why do I do this?"

"What can I do different to make people notice my work?"

"Why don't you just take up guitar?"

and you go home and all your pieces are still in the big tupperware bin that you just through your back out lugging up to your 3rd floor condo..... sigh.......

then this happened:

I went to the reception for the New England Arts for Animals show. I had a hair appointment right after work so I was only able to get there for the later half of the reception (but I looked freakin' fabulous!) So while wondering around looking at the art work and sipping on wine I struck up a conversation with a woman who was by herself as well. * So we started chatting.. turns out she was a friend of Jill, the organizer of NEAFA. Told her that I was one of the artists exhibiting and when I told her my name, well, her eyes lit up with excitement and said,

"Oh, You're Christine??? You're work is beautiful! I love everything you do!" and went on to mention specific piece that she had seen of mine. And all I'm thinking is "woah! I have an actual fan!!" We ended up chatting some more telling her how I got started and all that. She was very nice and wants me to do a portrait of her caramel colored poodle once the holidays are over.

Needless to say I walked out of that reception feeling Pretty Damn Good. Doesn't take much, really. But I needed that. I follow Seth Godin's blog. If you're in marketing you should too. http://sethgodin.typepad.com But one thing he said recently really hit home:

"Does your project depend on a miracle, a bolt of lightning, on being chosen by some arbiter of who will succeed? I think your work is too important for you to depend on a lottery ticket. In some ways, this is the work of the Resistance, an insurance policy that gives you deniability if the project doesn't succeed. 'Oh, it didn't work because it didn't get featured in that blog, didn't get distribution in the right store, didn't get the right endorsement........'

There's nothing wrong with leverage, no problem at all with an unexpected lift that changes everything. But why would you build that as the foundation for your plan?

The magic of the tribe is that you can build it incrementally, that day by day you can earn the asset that will allow you to bring your work to people who want it. Or you can skip that and wait to get picked. Picked to be on Oprah or American Idol or at the cash register at Border's.

Getting picked is great, but building a tribe is reliable. It's hard work and it's worth doing."

So I will keep plugging and building my tribe.

Allston Open Studios - Recap

2010-11-15T07:19:00.001-08:00

It's like Christmas or a wedding day ... you get yourself so worked up, there's so much to do and then it happens *flash* and then.. it's over? Huh. Allston Open Studios felt like that to me. I did a lot of press releases and online marketing to get people out and about and come down. Not to mention get my stuff in order, hung and set up in a timely manner. There was some definite highs and lows to this show.

Luna

5" x 7" watercolor and colored pencil

The Highs:
The Allston Brighton TAB ran the press release that I sent them. I had also attached 4 images of different artists to run as well. Of course I sent one of my pieces but left it to them which one they wanted to feature, if any. Well, they chose my Luna piece to go in! I was very excited that my Tuna made the Tab! (she also caught and killed a mouse in my kitchen Saturday night - Best. Cat. in the World.)

And I had some friends come down and visit me on Saturday which was very nice. I was able to bring some work with me as well, (the great thing about watercolor, can be so very portable) so I think that got people interested in my art. I did have one woman talk to me about doing a portrait of her mother. I hesitated but told her to send me the picture anyway. WTF, right?

I attended the small reception for artists on Saturday night and Marilyn gave me a nod in her speech of thanks for the press work that I did. And it was very nice to meet the other artists in this space as well.

The amount of space given to me prompted me to go home and get more art that was framed to fill up the wall. I brought my acrylics too, which were all done plein air, and more of me just playing around. But I'm thinking it's open studios, sure why not?

Allston Open Studios.... the Right end of my set up

The lows:

Not a whole lot of traffic. At. All.

I sold 5 calendars for NEAFA and one magnet.

No one said anything about my acrylics.

The woman who I shared the space with was nice but she had her doggie with her. Don't get me wrong - you know I love dogs but he would bark constantly and aggressively when he saw another dog. It didn't make for a pleasant afternoon when this happened. And kept those pet owners out of our room. *grumble grumble*

And it makes me think that maybe I should branch out from doing animal art. Oh I'm sure if you know me or follow this blog at all this is a constant battle I have with myself. I'm selling, but painting pictures of kitty cats. I love to do it. But somewhere something inside of me says paint your feelings, your dreams, your bugs! ( I brought that up to one woman who then said, "Yeah, but I don't think that would sell!") I paint, I love to create - even if it is a painting of your dog.... Can you see that? 'Cause my vision is getting foggy.

2 more days til the Allston Open Studios!

2010-11-11T08:30:00.000-08:00

Don't forget! 119 Braintree Street, Allston MA 02134 I'm in suite 417!!! I really hope you come and visit me!!

Quinn dogs

8"x10" watercolor and colored pencil

I was able to finish the Quinn dogs on Tuesday! Seems everything is right on schedule. AND I was able to get back "in" the Allston Library show. *phew*. I had emailed the guy who I blew up at on Saturday ... well, not really blew up but anyway... I apologized for my behavior that I realized I had missed the date it wasn't his fault etc. So he emailed me back saying that the new director would be willing to take my pieces and would make sure that they got hung in the show! Back in!! :)

Crunch Time!

2010-11-08T13:42:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's crunch time! It's this time of year when I wish I could just take the time off from now til Christmas to get all my art and art related things in order. Alas, I can't do it, so sometimes things have to suffer:

For example (Heaving a big sigh here). The deadline to drop off my 2 artworks for the Honan Allston library show was the same as Halloween weekend. With Allston Open Studios (I had volunteered my time for media work), orders coming in, calendars going out... Not to mention my costume, which was awesome by the way..... Well, honestly I could sit here all day spewing a gazillion excuses but the fact is that I missed it. And when I went to email the contact that I would drop off my pieces the following week, well I never gave it a second thought why he didn't email me back. So I went to the library last Saturday to drop off my pieces... *buzz* no can do. You missed the deadline. I said, "But But , I emailed Michael on Wednesday that I would be here today!!" "oh" they said, "Michael's last day was yesterday" So to make a long story short, I will not be exhibiting my work there. I was so mad at myself and I think that's the worst feeling.

BUT Allston Open Studios is still going on and YES I will be there both Saturday and Sunday.

I will be located in Suite 417 at 119 Braintree Street in Allston. Plenty of parking!! Come visit me!

16"x20" watercolor

Finished KC last weekend and it went into the mail today! My client says that her and her husband are already arguing as to where to hang it! I never wanted to cause any trouble :) On to the next project:

Quinn dogs

8"x10"

first layer still in the works

The photos that she supplied are great and she wanted both dogs in the same frame. I think collies, shelties and horses are challenging because of those long noses. But I will keep you updated and let you know how it goes! Back to work!!

Happy Halloweeeeeeeeen!

2010-10-28T08:27:00.000-07:00

Yes, the big weekend is here! And I have orders to paint! Of course I'm going to get crackin' but but it's Halloween and I have a faboo costume and MUST go out. Here in Boston the music scene does "Ghosting". What this means is that local bands (not cover bands, mind you) will pick an artist and sing all their songs for their performance. Last year we went to a Kiss ghosting although I must admit I was kind of disappointed that they didn't wear the Kiss makeup. This year, my plan was to go down to Great Scotts http://www.greatscottboston.com/ and check out Vostok 4 ghosting as Talking Heads and then hang for the Pill dance party (which is something I've been wanting to check out for some time). My friend, and Halloween pal, T, is a huge TH fan so I thought this would be perfect. BUT THEN... I just found out Church http://www.churchofboston.com/ is doing a whole night of Guys doing the Girls with Lights Out doing MADONNA!! Did you know I'm a huge Madge fan???? Now you do! But I can't do both!! Both financially and I need to stay in one night and work on commissions (I'm working on one now that's a challenge and have 2 in waiting).... oh dear!! What am I to do??? :)

KC beginning

16"x20" watercolor

Here Kitty Kitty! A 16"x20" is always exciting and challenging for me, since I'm always working small. I am kinda having a tough time with this one. Some of the green has already bled into the white of the cat, and the cat is white. I've never used masking before so I wouldn't know where to begin with that stuff. And thank dog there was a big green cedar tree behind KC and not a blue sky because I suck at doing washes!! (A wash is the solid color without any dark spots, puddles or streaks.) So last night I spent more time on those green cedars and I have to remember to mix my palette not so close to the painting because some paint did fleck out of the well and nearly got on the kitty! Yikes!!

This past Tuesday we had a creative get together and carved pumpkins. I used a stencil (that I had made!) and it was of Elvis. Can you tell that it looks like the King? Kind of? Yeah, I agree. J said not really at all and gave me one of those "Nice Try" looks. The mouth reminds me of Mummenschanz http://www.mummenschanz.com/index.asp which I always wanted to see when I was a kid.

So without giving it away....

This is my crown for my costume for Halloween. Ha Ha!! It's going to be great!!!! Have a happy and safe one!!

I can sense it in the air.....

2010-10-12T07:58:00.000-07:00

It's the holiday season. Because I've been having dreams of sugarplum fairies in my head. No, not really. My dreams are way weirder than that, but lets not go there.

The commissions are starting to come in. Ebay sales are picking up. I love those folks who realize that Christmas comes every year, and it happens pretty much the same time during the year. Actually the last time I checked it was the 25th of December. (sarcasm?) But this is great for me. I love not only the painting, the shows and the stories that people share with me about their pets, but there's something about knowing that when that day arrives that people are opening up their presents and there's their beloved pet.... in a watercolor.... by me. It gives me that warm and fuzzy feeling that I believe that's what the holidays are all about.

"Retired Racer"

5"x7" watercolor

Above, is a small painting that I did of a greyhound. I took the reference photo at the Bay Colony dog show that happens every year, usually the first weekend of December. They used to have it at the Bay State Expo Center in Quincy, but just found out that it's moved to Providence RI expo center. http://baycolonydogshow.com/ Anyway, this cutie was hanging in front of a Greyhound rescue table. I chose to leave the pillow and the background white because to me it gives a more "airy" effect. Especially when you normally see pictures and photos of greyhounds, they're running on air - not sleeping on it.

So a busy schedule ahead:

November 13th & 14th Allston Open Studios http://www.allstonarts.org/

November 13th through December 13th the Allston Art expo at the Honan Library in Allston http://http//www.allstonarts.org/ Reception is Saturday November 13th. (I will not be at this opening as I will be working at the Allston Open Studios. If I could be in 2 places at the same time I would, but I learned a long time ago on Three's Company that this is impossible.)

November 18th New England Arts for Animals Members Show. Opening reception from 5pm to 8pm in the Fernwood Gallery (430 Washington Street Norwell MA ) The show will run until December 31st.

December 4th First Church of Jamaica Plain Christmas Show. http://http//www.firstchurchjp.org/index.asp

I hope to see you at least one of these events!!

Allston Rock City

2010-10-04T07:45:00.000-07:00

So Friday I got the news that long time local club Harpers Ferry is closing it's doors after 40 years of bringing live music to Allston. You don't know how much this breaks my heart. I love going to see live music and I love the fact that I had at least 3 clubs within walking distance to my condo. Harpers was one of them. Some think that the local music scene is dead or dying and I'm here to tell you it's NOT. In fact, people have poo-pooing the local music scene for years. I say: Pish Posh! YOU are the local music scene. The bands are there, and they are playing. It's YOU who needs to show your support by going out!! I've actually talked with musicians about it. The scene is this: Bands play, you go out and watch them. You have a couple of beers while your there and support the establishment that is hosting the show. You might like the band, you might not. But how would you ever know? Hell, the band could suck donkey but the bass player is hot and you just may have a lovely time watching him. You might be the oldest one there (who cares?) you might be the only girl there (Hey - shorter line for the ladies room!) but you got to get out there. There's so many places to see music. Make some plans this Columbus day weekend and get out there! SUPPORT THE ARTS!

So this is what I did this past weekend:

Black Thai

I went to O'Brien's on Saturday night to check out Black Thai and Gozu. I had only heard good things about these 2 bands. Above is a picture of Black Thai that I took off their website. The only name I know is Jim Healy (far left) and have seen his solo stuff http://thepedigreeartist.blogspot.com/2010/04/hey-i-like-what-i-like-everything-else.html

and his other project We're All Gonna Die and am a fan. I was happy to see this band too. They we're really good. The only thing I didn't like is that I really couldn't hear Jim's singing voice and it's really worth taking a listen to! http://www.blackthaiband.com/

Gozu

Gozu found me on Twitter and became a follower. I then checked out their stuff and it is Bad Ass! I now follow them and was ecstatic to see them down at OB's. It's hard, funky, and a whole lot of guitar! Love love love this band. If you like Queens of the Stone Age, Black Sabbath or anything that's Groove Metal, you will love these guys. http://www.myspace.com/gozu666

Okay - back to the art. Christmas is coming and I've already started getting commissions for the holidays! Good sign! I was also able to get in some painting for my own portfolio AND dropped of my application for the Allston Open Studios. There's also going to be an art show at the Honan Allston Library and plan to show works there as well. New England Arts for Animals is having another members show down at the Fernwood Gallery in Norwood come this November and of course the JP First Church Christmas Art Show will be happening the first weekend of December. After that - a painting maniac I will be. Oh - and I still have NEAFA 2011 calendars for all those who are interested. I will be selling these for $10 a piece. Can I say it again? SUPPORT THE ARTS!!

Onyx

5"x7" watercolor and colored pencil

September weekend.....

2010-09-20T07:31:00.000-07:00

September is in full swing and after the melancholy that I was feeling a bit last week it was high time that I went out and did the things I enjoy doing. Remember, we're only on this ride once, better make the best of it!

I spent some time at the art table last week. Finished the painting of a Lhasa (maybe a bearded collie - I had taken the photo so long ago!) on Thursday night. Then J came home with the news that Gut is moving their rehearsal space out of Denby Street and possibly getting a space down in Southie! Oh NO! J & I were fortunate enough to go down to Denby (walking distance from the Allston SkyBox) and not only listen to some great metal by Gut but also got to know a slew of great musicians down there.. Dr. Enemy, Planetoid to name a few. Alas, it is the end of an era for us but the music won't stop. And it may be better that we cut down on our cocktail intake during the week :)

Lhasa in Black and White

5"x7" watercolor

This painting didn't take too long to do but I really pushed it over the edge and was able to bring it back. There's a fine line between done and overdone. This may fall into the category of overdone. When I'm not working on commissions, I tend to use things that I normally wouldn't use and in this case it was one big round watercolor brush that holds a TON of watercolor. I had done my "paint lines" in his ear. (I also find that I prefer to paint these types of dogs for the brushstroke mimicking the long hair.) I took the big brush, dipped into some grey tone and went over the ear. Because there was so much water in the brush, not only did the paper begin to warp a little bit but it made my "paint lines" into one grey mash mess. Oh crap. What do I do in these situations???? Walk away. Far away. So I did. Picked up a book on Hopper and started looking at his paintings.... Then went back to the painting, did a dry test with my finger and then went back over the grey mess with more "paint lines". Well, not as dramatic as I hoped I stopped painting after that and considered this work to be done.

Thank God it's Friday rolled around and J, T and I went to go check out Planetoid!! They're SO MUCH FUN!! They also played with Prospect Hill (God, they were awful!) and Onyx (they were fun but in a nostalgia kind of way)

Planetoid

I highly recommend these guys if you like what I like to call GrooveRock or GrooveMetal. Hard enough for the boys to rock, groovy enough for the girls to dance! Their shtick is that they are Time Travelers from outer space and they're here to over come the planet with their music. Yes, they just might succeed! LOL check out the Myspace page for more info http://www.myspace.com/planetoidmusic

Saturday, J, S,R & myself went down to the Guru Room in Plymouth. http://www.reverbnation.com/venue/thegururoom Yes, Plymouth. If you don't know, this is a 45 minute ride to the South Shore and is a townie kind of town. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I think people should move out and experience somethings out of their 15 square miles of comfort. (Both mentally and physically). But we were down to support our friend P who was filling in as the drummer for the Kristian Montgomery project. http://www.myspace.com/kristianmontgomery Thank dog S drove because I needed beers to get through this. It wasn't that bad, just kinda boring. I mean, I like a music that's going to shake me up a bit. Edgy, hard, groovy, spacey..... this had none of that. I'd say they were like an REM on a bad day. Kris is a good singer and the band played well (especially my friend P - but I'm biased) but it had nothing to it. And the Guru room? WTF? The water tasted like rust! And they had this big LCD screen in the back that kept showing a loop of the same 10 pictures of a different band and drunk girls. Shut that sh*t off. It's distracting and doesn't help the band that's currently playing. Oh and speaking of drunk girls, the Guru room was full of 'em! You can dress them up, but you can't take them out LOL

And then it was Sunday

Sunday are horseback riding days and I like to go to Chrislar farms up in Rowley MA. http://www.chrislar.com/index.html I swear to God, riding is better than therapy. There's something about horses, getting dirty, riding them and being in control. If you've ever thought about riding and you live on or around the North shore, give them a call. Let them know you heard about them from me :)

This week is J's big bday!! Happy Birthday to my main man!! We're headed up to Vermont on Thursday after watching the triple bill of Deftones, Mastodon and Alice In Chains. So a short work week for me and it's going to be a hell of a good time - Yee Haw!

Does anyone go to art shows anymore???

2010-09-14T07:51:00.000-07:00

If you keep up with this blog, you know that I was at the Charlestown Arts in the Park this past Saturday selling my wares and pitching my art along with about 30 other artistsans. And we all had the same question: Does anyone go to these art shows anymore???? The weather was beautiful, it was a Saturday in Boston. I think I saw at least 30 Duck Boats drive by throughout the day. Don't get me wrong, there were some people there and from those people I received a great interest in my work. And I'm not complaining... I'm just confused. Is it the economy? Is it the Internet with sites like Etsy, Zazzle and Ebay that makes it just easier to shop online? When I spent some time in Montana we were fortunate to come across the Sweet Pea festival in Bozeman. That was pretty packed. Maybe it's that there are so many around here (I know that the Boston Waterfront was having an arts fest the same day) that it doesn't seem so special. But then I went to the Allston Street Fair on Sunday afternoon and granted, there wasn't a lot of art and the stuff was there well, lets just say not the same caliber as mine (can I say that? yes, it's my blog) but there were plenty o' people there. I just don't know. Can you please comment on this blog and let me know your thoughts. I would love to hear from you.

Fortunately, I brought my sketch book with me and across from my booth was a couple of park benches. When someone sat down, I donned my sunglasses (so they wouldn't see me STARING at them haha) and sketched away.

Those that moved to fast or got up as soon as they sat down, turned more into doodles but there's nothing wrong with that either.

I'm currently working on a commission for a woman who is a returning customer. Her friend's dog, Glover, recently crossed the rainbow bridge and she's getting a pet portrait of him. He was such a chunky dog, but so cute! She said that he loved his fluffy chew toys and would always greet you with one in his mouth, so I kept one in the portrait. (it'll be between his front legs, still white paper here)....

Glover

Phase 1

A Somber Moment

2010-09-10T08:17:00.000-07:00

I love the fall. I used to not so much because it was a time about going back to school (which I hated primarily because I HATE getting up in the morning). But now, for me it's a lot about reflection and the upcoming year. It's the whole school mind set, new school year... etc. I still dislike getting up before I'm ready but I'm realizing more and more that these days are numbered and we have to make the best of what we have.....

Two years ago today, my friend and coworker George died of a heart attack. I remember driving to work and it was 9/11/09 and on my way I pass an elementary school and all the kids were outside standing under a flag at half mast honoring those who died in the 9/11 attacks. I remember thinking that those kids weren't even born when it happened. It really depressed the hell out of me. And then about 20 minutes later I got the call about George. ....

Yesterday, I found out that my mom's cousin received a call on Sunday afternoon. They had found her husband on the side of the road (he had been on his daily bike ride) and was not breathing and they didn't know how long he had been there. They airlifted him to Dartmouth Hospital and there they kept him alive on machines. When they had spoken to the neurologist he said that J would not be able to breath with out machines and had pretty severe brain damage. His family decided to end his life.

Why am I telling all this? Maybe it's to make myself realize over and over again that this life we live is brief and fleeting. One second and it could change for the worse (or better!). You only have one and you better make it worth it.

*side note: J & I have been watching 6 Feet Under via Netflix. Great great series, but death is the constant underlying theme.

It's this weekend!!

2010-09-07T08:38:00.000-07:00

This weekend is the Charlestown arts in the Park!

http://www.artistsgroupofcharlestown.com/docs/Art_Park%20web%202010.pdf and I just checked the weather and it's supposed to be Bea-U-Ti-Ful!!! Let's keep our fingers crossed that it stays that way!! I haven't done this show before and I plan on showing new artwork in snazzy new frames and have more prints and magnets to offer! Hopefully I will have my New England Art for Animals calendars in hand as well. I have 11 left - with the proceeds going to NEAFA, what are you waiting for? :)

Luna

5"x7" watercolor and colored pencil

So this past Labor Day weekend, J & I spent some quality time in lovely upstate New York, particularly in the central region of the state. We visited Pateria and Milton state forests. With hurricane Earl just passing through to the east of us, the weather wasn't rainy as it was windy! We decided to eat out one night and happened on a restaurant in Oneonta. In the foyer there was a bulletin board for flyers and business cards. There we saw 2 posters one for Dex and another for Holly. 2 kitties that were looking for a new home because their owner was moving out of state. :( I don't know this person's situation, but I think that sometimes people are too quick to give up on their pets. Please, when you take an animal in your home make it a forever home. Best wishes for Dex and Holly.

English Setter

5"x7" watercolor and colored pencil

New Artwork! Getting ready for Fall!

2010-08-31T07:04:00.001-07:00

Hey All! Just wanted to remind you all that the Charlestown Arts http://www.artistsgroupofcharlestown.com/docs/Art_Park%20web%202010.pdf in the Park is coming up... September 11th in the City Square Park (rain date 9/12). This will be my first show of the year, so I will have new artwork, more prints and plenty of your favorite images in a magnet for dare I say it..... Christmas gifts!! I've already started shopping myself and Jiminy Crickets it'll be here before you know it!

glass study in watercolor

So last Wednesday T, R and I did a Creative Wednesday and again, I wanted to touch on the subject of texture.... Especially glass. So we did a still life of all glass things. I put the plant in there so we have some color through the clear stuff. Of course I think the plant and the pot it's in are the best out of this piece, but I believe the blue glass is the most convincing. Incidentally, the yellow glass chicken I recently found in the barn attic at my parent's house. I believe it belonged to Gramma, but neither of my parents could confirm this. Could have been the previous owner to the house...( My folks moved in to the Boxford house in 1968). But whoever she belonged to, she's my glass chicken now and I love it.

And yes, Finally I was able to get some new work up. Although going back through my portfolio it's only 5 pieces! Wow, I've apparently been busy! Back in 2003 (granted, I was unemployed) I would crank out a piece like every 2 days and at the end of a season have about 20+ pieces! But, alas, this is not the case now. This piece below is I think my best of 2010. I really experimented with the medium. What I started was going to be a strict black and white....

but then my paint tray got a little crowded and the black poured in with a light blue color ( I don't know the name, don't have the tube in front of me). So I just went with it and did the background. Then I took some Prismacolor pencils and went over it making the orange and brown marks in the fur of the kitty. The purple on the blanket is all pencil and then went into the back ground again with a light blue pencil.

This will be on display along with other works at the Charlestown Art Fair. Come and visit me!! :)

My Montana Vacation

2010-08-20T07:25:00.001-07:00

So on August 1 through the 8th, my Mum and I spent a week at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in lovely Martinsdale, Montana! Mum always wanted to do this vacation, it was on her "Bucket List", so I was happy to tag along with her and what an experience. It was so much fun!

We flew into Bozeman on Sunday at around 12pm but our ride to the ranch (2 hours away) wasn't scheduled to pick us up til 2pm. So we took a cab into the center of Bozeman with another girl and it cost $45!!!! Holy Crap! I guess in a small village like Bozeman where everyone has their own Ford F150 that cabs can charge whatever they hell they want to! So we split it 3 ways, got out and had lunch. Then the girl what we shared the cab with came into the restaurant and said that she had her mom with her, and their car, and that they were going back by the airport and would we like a ride? Well, how nice! So we put our bigger cases in her truck and walked around Bozeman while Jamie and her mom had lunch. Then while getting a 2 day fishing license this guy behind me strikes up a conversation; where we're we going? what are we fishing for ?and oh - if you're using spinners then this lure is excellent etc. And then I find out the guy doesn't even work there, just a nice guy. I have to be honest, I'm from the North East city of Boston. No one is this nice here!! Well, maybe me, but that's if you catch me on a good day!

The view from our cabin

Anyway, once we got there what a view and it is in the middle of nowhere! I was told people need to drive 40 minutes out to the nearest convenience store to get milk. But gorgeous, oh my. Sunday was a meet and greet with the other vacationers staying at the ranch. There was 12 total and each party got their own cabin.

Saddled Up

Monday morning was an "orientation" with your horse. You rode the same horse all week. Up until this time I had never sat in a Western saddle (if you don't know the difference between Western and English go here http://www.equisearch.com/horses_riding_training/training/beginning_rider/english_western102200a/ )

But over all it was pretty similar. I think my biggest obstacle was new horse, can I control him? And after a couple of runs, he was awesome!!

Nate Dogg

My horse was a black combo of Tennessee Walker and Quarter Horse. Simply put - he was a great horse for me. His name is Nate, but I called him Nate Dogg after that West Coast Hip Hop artist. And just like the real Nate Dogg, Nate was cool, chill and easy going. But instead of smoking grass, he just kept eating it. :) We spent Monday on 2 trail rides. The morning one we had an encounter with 2 coyotes and they were NO WHERE as big as New England coyotes, so I didn't feel threatened at all. Then Monday afternoon, Tanya (our guide) Mum and I went on a trail ride and I got to do a couple of nice controlled canters on Nate. Horseback riding is all about being in CONTROL.

Bison at the Lazy Daisy Ranch

Monday night was a tour of the Lazy Daisy Ranch about a half hour away from Bonanza Creek. So all vacationers packed up in the back of this old pickup truck and cruised around this ranch. They had bison, horses, cows, llamas, sheep, chicken, ducks, peacocks and God knows what else. It was taking a little critter cruise. I wish I had brought a bottle of wine, that would have made it complete :)

Pronghorn on the Horizon

See those tiny dots on top of the hill? That's pronghorn, North America's only antelope! I was so excited to see these guys ( I'm I wildlife geek, what can I say?) and had only seen them on TV up until this point. The pronghorn's defense is that they stay in large numbers and as far away from you as possible. As you can see here, they were succeeding.

View from the Main Lodge

Tuesday morning we did a trail ride into the woods to a campsite and had breakfast in the woods. Nothing like sitting among the wilds of the woods eating bacon! Then we did a trail in the woods along the actual Bonanza creek and did see a red tailed hawk pretty close up. Then the party divided in 2, those who wanted to gallop up the hill, those who didn't and took the low road home. Yes, I went with the gallopers!! It wasn't the speed that really got to me, but Nate's take off and the amount of power this animal was using to lunge himself up a hill was mind blowing. I just held on!

Cattle Penning

Tuesday we did some cattle penning. This was a TON of fun! We had about 14 or so cattle in the corral and the object of the game was to break 3 head off the herd and move them to the opposite side of the corral. Mum, myself and another vacationer, Joe, were the only ones who succeeded!

Me being silly!

Action shot!

Then all of a sudden the weather took a turn for the worse. The thunder started to roll in and then the rain started. Our guide told everyone that we're going to trot home. Well then it started to hail, and as big as marbles! So all the horses were galloping back. Thank dog I had already galloped earlier that day. I felt a little more comfortable that some of the others! A those marbles hurt!

Pushin' Bulls

Wednesday morning was another lovely trail ride. The weather was cloudy and in the 40's and it felt more like October than August. I did see 2 whitetail on this trail ride as well. We bumped into 2 cowboys that were on dirt bikes herding some bulls. They needed 2 bulls pushed into another pasture and since it was on our way, our guide got them going and we pushed them for quite some time. I learned all about breeding black Angus that morning. These boys had some serious "jewels" on them LOL

Skulls and sheds

Wednesday night was a wagon ride to the Hunting Camp. I got to steer the horses on the wagon too and it's not as easy as you might think. Saw a couple of mule deer on the ride as well. The hunting camp was very cool and the guys who organized it were awesome. They had beer, wine and a roast turkey dinner waiting for us! Then after dinner and dessert (peach cobbler and homemade ice cream) they sat around the camp fire and played guitars and sang some country tunes. I'm not a fan of country music but after a couple of beers, I was singing too.

Singing Cowboys

Thursday was an all day trail ride into the Crazies. I was told that the highest point was 8,100 feet above sea level. It was beautiful. Some controlled cantering but then there were some gallops too. And we saw a black bear on our way up! I don't know if I was tired from the week, but I was tired of galloping so at one point I tried to keep Nate from galloping and he was NOT listening to me! In fact, I think because I kept his head in, he ended up tripping, then stumbling and I thought "Oh sh*t, we're going down!" But he collected himself and kept on running until we got to our lunch spot. My hands were shaking so bad when I got off! Needless to say, we didn't gallop after that!

Lunch Spot

After being at the top we rode down to the hunting camp, the same one where we had dinner the night before. Here we gave the horses and ourselves a much needed break!

Horse Butts

(that's Nate on the far left)

The trail ride was 22 miles long and my knees were kind of killing me! I took a hot bath and drank some Mike's Hard Lemonade when I got back. What a workout!

Liz and her herd of cattle

Friday morning was herding 150+ head of cattle into another pasture. We each had to gather about a dozen or so head and then meet up at the pond with our herds. The small groups were scattered all over the property. This is a lot harder than you might think. Chasing cows through bushes and trotting over some rocky terrain. I have so much respect for cowboys now! When I got back home, I guy that I work out with, who is also vegan, asked me if I ever thought guilty about eating beef after being with these cows and um, no not at all. In fact, we ate so much beef that week and it was sooooo goooooood every time!

Friday afternoon was a small trail ride and then it was time to say goodbye to our horses.

Me and Nate Dogg

After untacking and brushing them down, we led them into the pasture (40 square miles) and let them go off and be with the other horses. Bonanza has about 60 horses and after a week of riding they're then given a week off and another bunch will be gathered to work. As you can see from the picture below, I think they knew it was Friday too.

TGIF!

So thanks to Bonanza Creek, my Mum and my horse, Nate for such a wonderful week. I can guarantee that I will be doing this again!
For more pictures visit my Flickr site http://www.flickr.com/photos/11087728@N03/sets/72157624628393309/

For more info about Bonanza Creek Country go here http://www.bonanzacreekcountry.com/

August heat!

2010-08-17T11:12:00.000-07:00

A reminder to you that art fair season has arrived!! I will be doing the Charlestown Arts in the Park in Charlestown MA in the main square. (9/11/10 rain date 9/12/10). I'm quite excited about this show because I've never done it so to me it's a whole new audience. And I received my assignment this morning and there's a lovely reception for artists after the show at the Grille which includes a drink ticket and appetizers.. How nice!! I have also submitted my application for the Jamaica Plain Christmas fair which is held the first Saturday of December. I have specifically requested NOT to be on the piano as it just gets too cramped in the corner.

And please let me know if you are interested in getting a New England Arts for Animals calender for 2011. I've ordered 12 and are selling them on a first come, first serve basis. They're $15 a piece and all proceeds will go to NEAFA. My "Black and White Barn Scene" will be one of the pictures. I'm thinking probably Jan, Feb or Dec.....

"Black and White Farm Scene"

5"x7" Watercolor

And you all know by now how much I love Twitter. Well, my new friend @gallaghermeow writes a blog http://johnryangallagher.tumblr.com/ and has the ability to get me cracking up laughing in my office. I think probably because we grew up in the same area of Massachusetts, (he in Newburyport and I in Boxford). So yea, a lot of it's "northshore" humor but I highly recommend you take a look! So then he said that he would commission me to do a portrait of his cat smoking weed. haha. So this is what I sent him:

Too funny. I just wished I centered it on the scan bed. Owell.

So speaking of smoking weed.... I don't know if you're all aware of the decriminalization of marijuana that's happening in Massachusetts. As of January 2009, being caught with an ounce or less of the stuff is now grounds for a citation. Basically that means that they can't arrest you (unless you're in the car or it's the 2nd time you've been caught) and it's just a $100 ticket. Hey, I think it's fine and dandy and what people do in their own time is their own business and as long as you're not hurting anyone then go ahead and blaze away. But then I'm in Martha's Vineyard over the weekend with my sister and my nephews (8 & 9 years old). We took them to the arcade in Oaks Bluffs and I was really not down with hanging out in the arcade (all I can think about is the germs all over the games) so I hung outside and there's this dude, about 18 years old smoking a joint RIGHT THERE. Really??? There are tons of kids around and there's a beach up the street and you're doing this right HERE?? I would have said something, but he was big and nasty and I really didn't want to get into it. So I just glared at him. I do wish I had said something though. That's just not right.

hey all!

2010-08-10T13:40:00.001-07:00

Look at these babies!!! Oh how cute are they??????

As you might have know in previous posts, my sister's cat had kittens. I've been told by J that we can NOT get another cat, but look at these and how can you resist????

Back from Montana and I brought my watercolor while I was there:

Montana Hills

watercolor 2010

This was the view from the porch on our cabin. The ranch was in Martinsdale MT, so more sage bush and prairie like. I saw plenty of wildlife including coyotes (which were so much smaller than New England coyotes), bald eagles, golden eagles, red tailed hawk, flickers, the Western tanager, mule deer, whitetail deer, pronghorn, prairie dogs, black bear not to mention all the horses, cows and bison. I had such a great time and can't wait to get my pictures developed!!

Mid Summer Dreams

2010-07-29T07:30:00.001-07:00

It's the middle of summer and I'm getting ready for my Montana vacation next week (yay!) Well, mentally ready I guess.

Nothing says summer like bugs sitting on daisies!

I took this photo when Jason and I visited upstate New York. I believe we were in a town called Roseboom (love that!). I took my camera out and captured a couple of images of that peaceful place. I still use a 35mm camera and it's so freakin' heavy to carry around and I'm sans lens cap right now. You'd think I'd run out and get another, but it's not that easy! I'm starting to have a difficult time finding film! But it's funny because when I do get my pictures developed and show them to some people, more than one person has told me that they miss looking at photos this way. What a difference to hold a photo or look at it on photo paper vs. someones digital camera. Now, I know some of you out there have some rockin' monitors - but do you miss just flipping through an actual stack of pictures? Or a photo album?

Boardwalk on the Marsh Trail Parker River Reservation

Newburyport MA

This is one of my favorite spots to bird watch. Lots of different species of waterfowl as well as songbirds congregate here and make a racket! I was here on the day that they finally "capped" the well in the Gulf of Mexico. And it makes me think that I should keeping a record of what these places look like to me when I am here. I mean, we can all admit that humans have continuously altered this planet we're on. And there's no way that New England looks like it did 100 years ago. (which was a farm land - stripped!) or 200 hundred years ago.

Still life with Skull, Bottles and Vegetables

Watercolor 8x10

Another still life with the skull. T and I did Wednesday night creativity last night and I thought that we should revisit the skull. I think that I need to spend more time on these paintings. I don't know if I'm thrilled with this one. Again, the bottle in back is glass, the one in front is a ceramic but could you tell the difference? My issue is texture and still trying to work with it. I think next time I'm going to do a still life with only glass. Superstar challenge. And that I can't use what we're having for dinner as the still life. Get some pizzas and make it easy.

Next week I'll be in Montana!! On a dude(ette) ranch http://www.bonanzacreekcountry.com/ woo hoo! I plan to take a ton of pictures with my heavy 35mm and bring a sketch book! I'm so excited!!!

Working hard or Hardly working?

2010-07-20T13:26:00.001-07:00

Well, since I'm sitting in the office in Cambridge, and writing on my blog, I'm going to say that right now... I'm hardly working. In fact, I'd much rather be here:

Parker River Reservation, Plum Island, Newburyport MA

photo taken 7/15/10

I was here last Thursday ( I went out to the Dead Weather show on Wednesday and felt I needed to sleep in and go to the beach!) This has to be one of my favorite spots on the planet. With all the talk about the oil slick that's going on, I look at the beach now and think will this change in my lifetime? Should I be taking a documentary of all my favorite spots before they are wiped out by oil or the Asian Spotted Beetle or just plain human development? This particular spot is a wildlife reservation in Newburyport MA and you have to get there fairly early in order to get in as there's only so many cars to be let through the gate. It's a wonderful place to bird watch and I did get some of that in too. Unfortunately, there are the greenheads. They are the nastiest biting flies. Big and they hurt when they bite you! And the little buggers are tough! I would smack one on my shoulder as it was feasting on me, it would then fall, shake it off and fly away! Needless to say I was wearing more bug spray than sunscreen that day!

But then when I get home then I'm working hard!! People still ask me where do you find the time for all this? I tell them: "I don't have time, I MAKE the time." And it helps when I don't have a computer or cable TV to distract me.

Boylston Black and White

black watercolor 5"x7"

This is the beginning of another painting of Boylston, my friend's cat. Unfortunately Boylston passed away earlier this year. I've already done a pet portrait for my friend but he gave me a ton of reference photos so I've been doing a Boylston series if you will. I'm not sure that he or his wife is obsessed enough about this cat in order to get all the paintings that I've done, but then again, that's not why I'm doing them. Practice practice practice.

"Snackin' Duo"

Watercolor 5"x7"

This was for the winner of my gift certificate that I had donated to the Animal Rescue House http://www.rescuehouse.org out in Los Angeles. I call it "Snackin' Duo" because in the reference photo she had to hold a cookie in her hand to get the attention of both pets looking the same way. In the photo, her hands still there but of course we took that out and left their cute faces!

"Eva"

5"x7" watercolor

Eva's owner was the winner of my gift certificate donated to the Friends For Tomorrow program http://www,friendsfortomorrow.org. This is a place where both physically and mentally challenged kids can have the opportunity to experience the therapeutic benefits through horseback riding. If you've ever ridden a horse, even at the walk, you know thrilling it can be! I love little Eva's face. She looks a lot like Oliver, a dog that my family had back in the late 80s.

Speaking of horses, 10 more days and I'll be dude ranchin' in Montana. Oh my, I can't wait!!!!

Hot July Tuesday

2010-07-13T07:42:00.000-07:00

Krypto

5"x7" watercolor

So last night I met with Layla, a woman who wants to learn how do to watercolors and wants me to teach her. WOW! I've never ever done this before. So I went online and did a little research and read a blog about a woman who teaches a workshop, just so I could get an idea of what to teach first. I want to be the best teacher and help this woman to learn the steps of watercolor from A to Z. And if you are an artist, you know that the first thing that makes a great painting is all the prep that you put into it. Such as, good supplies, color knowledge and composition. Well, when I walked in and started talking to Miss Layla, she said, "What shall we draw first?" and "I want to paint JUST LIKE YOU". While that may be flattering, I don't want to be copied and told her so!

So I had her sit down with me and we worked on doing wet in wet gradations. Making that color to the white space a soft transition vs. a hard line. I did give her a little lesson in paper. Quality watercolor paper is SO important. I prefer Arches 100% cotton 140lb coldpress. This is the best on the market. She had some tablets and pads and I brought an Arches tablet just to let her feel the difference between the Arches and the others. Just a side note: she did have a pad by Strathmore that was so smooth it was a crime to call in watercolor paper. That sh*t will buckle the second you put any water on it. But I told her to save it for other projects. Can't waste it, can we?

I want to post pictures, but like a dummy didn't take any. I will next time. Thing is, Layla says she's embarrassed by wanting to learn watercolors (WTF?????) She says that she's too "old" to be learning and that she doesn't want to tell people. This just struck me as very odd. I said things like "Too old? Never!" and "Lots of people pick up new things to do when they retire! There's nothing to be embarrassed about." Because Lord knows, I'm going to be telling everyone haha!

In the mean time, I've been working on my gift certificate winners and trying to work on more stuff for my own portfolio. I haven't sent a newsletter out since *yikes* last Christmas!? that's bad! But then I don't have a whole lot to share, not even new artwork. I just feel that I'm rehashing my old pieces and I can't be doing a whole lot of marketing when I have nothing new to market. At least that's my feeling.

However, you should go over to the Canine Art Guild website http://www.canineartguild.com/gallery/ and vote for your favorite piece in the Here Kitty Kitty art show. I have 3 pieces presented but you should definitely vote for your favorite.

Speaking of kitties.............

Here's a picture of Sweet Misty, my sister's cat who had her 5 babies on Sunday night. SO CUTE! I can't wait to go and look at them! Of course J is very nervous about me going over there and made me promise that I wouldn't bring another cat home. We already have a kitty but sometimes I think she needs a buddy. Our condo is pretty small and I do fear 2 cats might make it a bit stinky.... but they're sooo cute!

Hot hot hot

2010-07-06T12:58:00.000-07:00

Well, it's officially summer and it's pretty freakin' hot out. But you don't hear me complaining! I feel if you're complaining about the weather, well, then your life must be pretty damn good. Besides, just wait in 40 years when it'll be hot like this everyday. Are you ready to give up oil yet?

So get this: I received a call from a woman who wanted ME to give HER lessons on watercoloring! HA! I've never done this before, so talk about an adventure!! I'm in Holliston all this week playing single mom with my nephews while my sister is in the Philippines (business) so we're meeting next Monday. I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to approach this.... stay tuned!

Remember a couple of posts ago I did a painting of Bo, the golden, whose owner had won my gift certificate? Well, if you do you'll remember how much of a time (grrr!) I was having to get those colors right.... Here's the final product:

"Bo"

5"x7" watercolor and colored pencil

Not bad, huh? Sometimes those colored pencils really come in and save my day. I do believe sometimes I use them as a crutch and should shake them but I. just. can't.

So to help you cool down, here's a picture I took last February in Epson NH. I love winter. :)

Happy Fathers Day

2010-06-29T12:24:00.000-07:00

Okay so first, HOW CUTE IS THIS PICTURE? haha! This pair's owner won my gift certificate through the Rescue House auction out in California. This is the photo we agreed to use, but I will omit the snack hand and try to bring their heads a little closer together. But I just had to show you....

So yes, I know Father's day was about 10 days ago, but I was too busy with my life to get it together to make my dad's card until this past week. So I made a little book of all the ways you can say Happy Fathers Day accompanied by a cute illustration. My dad has always said he likes my cartoony drawings best, so that's usually what I'll do.

First we went to Mexico and saw the Chihuahua family:

Dia de Padre Feliz!

then we went to Russia

My keyboard doesn't have the keys to type Happy Father's day in Russian so I'll just spell it out:

Askdjf;alkjsd F;askukawern Fopiuyqweknrpiofu

Then we went to Germany and what says Happy Father's Day more than sausages and beer???

Glucklicher Vatertag!

And then we went to France!! (I don't really like how "dad's" face came out but anyway)
Jour de Peres Heureux!

So there you go. Now back to the studio to work on the portrait of the snack masters!

Reality Check

2010-06-18T08:40:00.001-07:00

So I think that I've always been pretty green, I re-use my water bottle at the gym, I bring my own bags to the grocers and we do recycle EVERYTHING. I'm also one of those people who believes if it works, like my cell phone or my TV, why toss it? Sure I'd love to have a iPhone or a jazzy LCD (and it would save so much room) but why fill the landfills? But then I took a quiz on NDRC's Simple Steps website (http://www.simplesteps.org) and I'm addicted to oil! We all are!

The Exxon spill that happened in Alaska, I was a senior in high school, and yes I was upset, but I still kept cruising to the beach with my friends. Unfortunately, if it's out of sight, it's out of mind. I see what's happening now in the Gulf of Mexico and I weep every time I see another image on the TV screen. The reality is we really don't know the damage yet, and things won't ever be back to normal. How could this have happened? We can sit and blame and blame and blame but it's not going to solve the problem of our addiction to oil. I remember my dad once telling me, "Chris, you can't be guilty for being a human." And I replied, "Maybe so, but I'm guilty of being an American." And you know, the Celtics lost the NBA Finals last night. All of Boston was super gloomy because of it and I'm thinking, "Really? This is the first thing on your mind?"

What can I do? I'm just me, painting kitties and puppies and listening to my music and trying to enjoy myself while I'm here. What can I do? I feel so small. What can I do? I took public transportation to work today. What can I do? I shut my computer off when I leave work and cut the light switches off that everyone leaves on. What can I do? *sigh*

I bought some Tshirts from Threadless (http://www.threadless.com) before and then saw this one:

so I had to get it. Anything to support the big ass clean up that we should all be involved in. Then I read about this woman who is running a blog of sketches to raise money for the clean up. The art work is only $10 a piece and all proceeds go to the clean up. I'm thinking of doing something similar. I know I have pictures of pelicans somewhere from my visits to South Carolina..... Anyway if you want to visit her site and donate go here: http://ripplesketches.blogspot.com . I've contacted Kelly myself and asked how my own art can be helpful. (And have donated to the cause directly).

And here's a beautiful before and after shot of a pelican. If you've ever dealt with a wild critter, you can only imagine how hard it must have been to clean this bird!

So then I read something that @charmfx had wrote on Twitter and it really hit home with me. It was: "When disaster strikes, when times are uncooperative, those are opportunities for creativity to remind all of us who we are."

Dutchess

8x10" watercolor

Dutchess' owner won my gift certificate that I had donated for the Gifford Cat Shelter. She loves her kitty so much, that she put the gc for a 5x7" painting towards a larger 8x10" painting. What a pretty kitty :)

As Obama said, "The time for change is now!" Please please please, when you leave the room, shut the lights off. When you ask for another drink at the bar, tell your server you'd be fine with using the same glass. My fear is that the oil drilling will become more dangerous, more expensive and make us behind the times with the rest of the world. If we don't change our ways, then we all suffer.

Now, shut the computer off and go for a bike ride. It's beautiful out.

the Mass MoCA and other artists... they fuel the fire

2010-06-11T08:02:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was a full one for sure. Lightning bugs, a close call with a porcupine, shots of Don Julio and contemporary art. What else could a girl ask for on her birthday?

Saturday, whilst J & J went fishing, R,B & myself went to the Mass MoCA http://massmoca.org/. The MoCA is in the (not so lovely but getting better) town of North Adams MA. A stone's throw from both the NY & VT borders. The building itself used to be a huge factory for Sprague Electric that, unfortunately, did a lot environmental damage when they were there. But NOW it's a funky, Eco-friendly HUGE roomed building with some permanent collection but mostly rotating shows. Hence the reason why I have to go at least once a year. Big installation pieces, huge paintings and sometimes you're in awe, other times you say to yourself "What the hell were they thinking?" and I'll admit there have been times when I just don't get it. Anyway let's talk about what I saw:

Dante's Inferno (Black Cloud)

Petah Coyne

Untitled 1903 (Buddah Boy)

Petah Coyne

Detail of Untitled 1103 (Daphne)

Petah Coyne

These are just 3 of the pieces that they had from Petah Coyne's exhibit "Everything That Rises Must Converge". I wiki'd Ms. Coyne and found that she is an American Artist born in Oklahoma and now lives in NYC and has "forever changed the muscular practices of sculpture with new interest in nature, painstaking craftsmanship, domestic references and psychological metaphor".- (from the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art.) And hell, they're not kidding. She uses horse hair, wax, acrylic paint, human hair and taxidermy pieces (and other things ... too long to list) as her medium. Just looking at these pieces, some as big as 7 feet across - some bigger - you can see the attention to detail, the research of light, the beauty of nature, the darkness of death... it's all there. So awesome.

We also saw some BIG installation pieces one which took up 2 galleries on 2 floors. The artist's name is Wade Kavanaugh and his website is http://www.stripedcanary.com/index.html. I wasn't able to get his pictures on here, but go to his website and you will know what I mean when I say I was impressed! His exhibit was part of a group show called "Material World". The MoCA asked 7 artists to come in and take advantage of the huge rooms and beautiful natural light that the building has to offer. Mr. Kavanaugh's piece was walking through a paper forest of trees. Some toppled over, some you could see yourself under reading a book. And as I looked closer to the piece, or a piece of the piece if you will, you could see more nature, flowers and other images in the paper. Like trying to find images in a cloud.

What I really appreciate about art like this is that it's LIGHT that is the subject and they are all using different mediums to capture it, alter it, project it. Really, if you are in New England this summer (or anytime really) go to the MOCA!!! I can't say enough about it.

It's also Friday and I love Fridays on Twitter because it's also #FF (follow Friday) and I get to find all these new artists. One I'd like to mention is Sebastian Chillemi. http://sebastiananibalchillemi.blogspot.com/

"Vendido"

Sebastian Chillemi

I've only looked at his blog and paintings and they're so great! Of course, it's in Spanish and I haven't hit the "translate bar" so I can't say much about it but I suggest you pay him a visit.

So all this talk about art, looking at other people's creations.... well, it just fuels my fire to get going on what I want to do. Which ideally is to quit this office job and do art. But, alas, that is a very difficult jump for me so I'll just continue to create as much as I can.

"Corgi in Black and White" 2006

5 x 7" watercolor

So I think rather than go to Wachusett bird watching tomorrow I may just stay home and do some work. I really have been neglecting my Creative Every Day challenge and living more like Creative Every Other Week, which is not good. Shayden's portrait is done and will be sent out tomorrow as well as my gift certificate donation to @kittenrescue and my application for Arts in the Park in Charlestown, MA. I have yet to do a show this year, which means that I'm enjoying my time off but feel that I should be doing them because isn't that what I bought the minivan for? Oh and I have a question for you.... I am calling myself a watercolor artist, yet some of my pieces are watercolor and colored pencil. Most are 90% watercolor and some are less. So should I be calling myself a mixed media artist?? Whenever I hear mixed media, all I think of is collages and all sorts of mediums thrown into the mix. What do you think?

Happy Birthday to ME!

2010-06-04T07:35:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to MEEEEEEEEEEEEE! ha hahaha. Yes, Monday June 7th will be my 39th birthday. Holy Crap! The plan is to go to the house in Chester and whoop it up all weekend. It's supposed to thunderstorm so that really means Muggy weather, frizzy hair and bugs! But out in the woods, what else could you expect?

Last night I worked on the portrait of Shayeden, a pit bull mix from Ohio. Her owner won my gift certificate through the Poppy Mart Auction held by the Pit Bull Rescue Central. For more information on how you can help these wonderful dogs go here http://www.pbrc.net/. I've donated a certificate for the 2010 auction. I believe it starts in October and is done through Ebay. I'll keep you posted.

What a sweet face! This painting is about half way done at this point.

Speaking of Sweet faces, I just want to take a moment and let you all know a secret: I love my boyfriend (aw, so nice!) Anyway, this past Wednesday I went down to J's rehearsal space and watched his trio ROCK! It was a really good set and they are getting ready to put out an EP. Of course, when it comes out, I'll be a tweeting maniac!! J's a bit like Donald Fagen in the way everything has to be perfect, but we've talked about it and we both agree that why would you put anything out that's half assed?

He's an avid outdoors man, hunting and fishing and all. I call this picture his "Game Face".

So speaking of the space, Here's a picture of the rehearsal door. I'm posting it because I entered a contest for the Great Frog. The Great Frog is a silversmith in London who does a lot of very cool jewelry. Lots of skulls, but I'm waiting for the stag/deer ones. It's just a matter of time before they start creating those. *hint hint* Anyway, they have this contest that they'll send you stickers, you stick them, take a photo and send it to them and the winner gets a piece of Jewelry. So with out further ado:

And yes, I'm still a girl. And every girl has a sticker collection. Mine happens to be on the cat box!

For more info about Great Frog go here! http://thegreatfrog.com/index.php

Have a great weekend!!!!

Vermont Open Studios Highlights

2010-06-01T08:50:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the Vermont Open Studios. A lot of driving around but it was so worth it. We were staying with T's brother, Dave and his wife Alison, who had their own Gallery Grand Opening this weekend. He's a potter and I was so happy to see his work. He has achieved so much! And they were so hospitable. I tried to help out as much as I could, however, slept pretty late all 3 mornings. I was on vacation!

Saturday we drove around and saw 2 artists; another potter and a woodcarver. Cool stuff, but I was almost more impressed by the area that they worked in. As in, I step out side of their studios and there were fields and woods and butterflies and cows and Ahhhh Vermont. We had a cookout with the "cookie people"http://adozeneggs.com on Saturday night. Drank homemade Sangria and ate homemade ice cream. D & A are very into organic everything. And everything tasted awesome.

So here are some highlights of the tour on Sunday:

"The Birth of Venus" 24" x 18" Oil on Linen

Elizabeth Torak

http://elizabethtorak.com/

The Torak studio was the last stop on our journey but made the trip worth while. Both her and her husband paint in oils, they make most of their own paint. The studio was gorgeous and they had a big friendly yellow lab :).... We were there for a good part of an hour and just talked and talked. Not only were they fabulous artists but they were generally interested in our artistic careers as well.

Before we went to the Torak Studio we had to stop at the house of Terry Lindsey. She is an Equestrian artist as well as a rep for other equestrian and animal artists. Can you say "Oh jeez, Christine, that's right up your alley!"

"Racing Dreams"

original Oil on Linen 24" x 48" Terry Lindsey
http://www.equidae.com/

http://katieupton.com
Katie Upton is an artist out of Santa Barbara but Terry was her rep and Oh her pieces were soooo cute!

"From the Loft - Summer"

Kathi Peters

16" x 20" Caesin on Canvas

http://kathipeters.com

I can't tell you how excited I was when I saw this piece. I started following Kathi on Twitter (@cobcottage) and have been a fan of her work. In fact, Kathi lives in Maine with her horses, dogs and husband and is always tweeting about where her work is featured as well as the adventures of having a horse farm in Maine. Yes, I am a city girl, but Kathi lives in a situation where I grew up in (horses in the backyard) and there's a part of me that wants to go back there. I strive for my work to be as successful as hers has become. (I saw this piece at Terry's home gallery).

Finally of all the ceramics out in Vermont I had to feature Dave's work. And of course took 2 gorgeous coffee mugs home with me. His stuff falls under both beautiful and functional.

Here's a pic of Dave hard at work in the studio. This is what you do when you live in Vermont with no TV to rot your brain!!! You can check out more of his work on his Flickr stream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepotterstone/sets/72157594219017398/

Does this inspire me to work on my own things!? You bet!! I had such a great time and can't wait to do it again!!

Thursday!

2010-05-27T07:35:00.000-07:00

This past week I joined CAG Canine Art Guild and as I have mentioned in my tweets, I'm already seeing benefits from this. It is a wonderful group of artists who are sharing their experiences with galleries, contests, making DVDs and all sorts of things. They also have their own contests, and this month was about cats! Little do they know that I'm truly a cat person (who really likes dogs) and have as many cat paintings as I do dog paintings, so this was just right for me :) More information about the CAG can be found here: http://www.canineartguild.com/ They don't have an avatar up for me yet, but I've been told that it's going up today. Hopefully this will bring more and more recognition to my work. yay!

" French Bully"

5x7" watercolor

"Allston Roof Tops"
8x10" watercolor (done PleinAir)

Last night I hosted the Wednesday night creativity and it was HOT here in Allston-town. I live in a 3 floor walk up, and we're on the top floor. Of course, J & I call it the penthouse :) But since heat rises it felt like an attic in there yesterday. So instead of doing a still life, I decided to paint off the porch. If you look straight out, there's the Boston Skyline. However, it's much more pretty at night, so I decided to look to my left to paint the Allston rooftops. My porch is also a current home to 2 house sparrow families and they were making such a freakin' racket.

This weekend T, A & I are heading up to Vermont for the Vermont Open Studios. This is the first year that I've done it, but T has gone up there for the past 3 years to do it and says it's wonderful. It's a 3 + hour drive so we're leaving Friday night when the Boston traffic dies down in order to get at least 2 full days in. And we'll be visiting the wonderful @a12eggs (twitter handle) for some lovely baked items. I'm secretly hoping for congo bars! YUM :) Here's their site.. http://adozeneggs.com/ HA! I just went to the site to get the correct URL and they have peanut butter cupcakes.... OH I can't wait to taste these!!!

and here he is again

2010-05-19T08:47:00.001-07:00

I guess the real question here is: Does it look like the baby in the picture? My personal take is that the eye on the right side is a little to big so he looks more surprised that he actually is. And the mouth doesn't have the goofy smile as it does in the photo. Practice, practice, practice. I'm finding that for whatever reason I'm not spending as much time painting and creating as I ought to be. I have got to become more disciplined.

Oh Baby

2010-05-18T13:22:00.001-07:00

Here he is again! Now I got to do something about those eyes so he doesn't look so cross-eyed haha. This is really a time consumer, but good practice for me.

I've also started contacting animal organizations out there to see who is holding fundraisers. DO YOU HAVE A FUNDRAISER ? Would you like one of my gift certificates? I'm told that it always brings in much more than they are worth. Contact me at christinewinship@yahoo.com

Wednesday Night Creativity

2010-05-13T08:07:00.001-07:00

Seriously, Do you realize how HARD it is to paint baby faces???!@?!?!?!

This is a portrait of Kai, my nephew (who is now 7! BTW). Of course this is only a beginning but it's really really difficult to make that baby face really look like a baby face. I'm working from a photo of Kai when he was like lil' over a year. Anyway, the skin color is always a challenge and the mouth is a drool factory .. tough to convey in a portrait. But his eyes are that huge and blue, so that part is easy. I'm thinking lots of pink and burnt sienna for the skin color. I'll keep you in the loop of how this turns out.

And yes, that's my license and keys in the corner. Went out last night for dinner to the Common Ground in Allston to watch the Bruins loose (BOOO!). My constant GoTo bar/restaurant really disappointed me last night. They have changed the menu and have taken off practically every vegetable and all of my favorite dishes. And what we did have certainly wasn't worth the price we paid. Oh CG, Why have you forsaken me!?!?

What am I going to do this summer???

2010-05-10T11:43:00.000-07:00

So, this past week I found that my artwork was not accepted into the Somerville ArtBeat. At first I was like, WTF??!?! because I've done it for the past 2 years and had great responses to my stuff and I was broad casted on the Somerville Cable TV!! This letter, which included my check with VOID written across the front, really set my week off on the wrong foot. But then I'm thinking (and as I read my previous posts) I really don't mind NOT sitting out in the hot sun all day. And that it frees my weekend up in the middle of summer to do .... another show?? I don't know. I'm finding that these festivals are a lot of the same. Now, there's is nothing wrong with wanting to be creative and selling your wares, but these shows are filled to the brim with women who make their own handbags, hats and headbands. Not to mention the handmade soaps. Or the over saturation of Jewelry makers. I've heard some interesting comments over the last few years about these shows. Some are saying that they are "boring" and there's "nothing new to look at". Others are saying that there's no artwork and they're just filled with "crafters" and that even aren't that great or original.
Then the past weekend I went to the Somerville Open Studios. Each town or district of MA will have it's own open studios (Allston is in November, JP is in September, Vermont has it's own during Memorial Day Weekend). Open Studios is a time where artists open up their studios and/houses to guests to view and purchase their artwork. What's great is that you see first hand where all the art is created. Some reek of turpentine (I do love that smell!). Some provide snacks. It's all up to the artist of how much he wants to share with the viewer. AND the best artwork is found here. So I think that's going to be my plan is to get in on Open Studios. I was told during the November one that there's only one building that does it and that other artists can set up in the building but no one has opened their Allston home to visitors. Hmmmmmmmmm.

And this is Woody, my brother's Jack Russell. He's a little insane (the dog, not my brother) but my brother adores him. This will be a painting for him for sure :)

Wednesday Night Creativity

2010-04-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

So this Wednesday Night Creativity has really caught on with me and I love it! Last night, I went to T's house. While her Significant Other, T, was smokin' ribs on the porch, we did a still life that consisted of oranges, bowl of limes, a coconut, a bottle and lilacs in a vase. This is my first attempt at the still life:

This was done with charcoal that I've been holding onto since art school. (I swear, I don't throw anything away). I don't think I succeeded in trying to make that orange half look real juicy and shiny. Which is the challenge for me and what I'm aiming to achieve with these still life projects. I also haven't used charcoal in some time. But it's also nice to break away from what you are normally used to (in my case: watercolors). J said that he really liked how I worked the values.

Then I did it in color:

(this picture was taken at my desk at work this morning as my phone had no juice last night). This was created with Prismacolors. I didn't have a complete spectrum of colors in pencil form, I tried to kick those colors up a notch with a lot of layering.

What's funny is that years ago I started doing a lot of my work just with the prismacolors. Dry, no mess, no fumes.... but they weren't rich enough in color for me unless you had hours to spend coloring and constantly sharpening your pencil. Someone had suggested that I put a watercolor layer down first as that would give almost like a head start in getting that true color saturation. And I did, and then 2 layers and then 3 and then I just started doing more watercolors than anything else. So this piece is like almost a throwback into time. I could have spent more time on those lilacs, but there were so many.... and then dinner was ready :)

We had ribs, chicken, collard greens and cole slaw. OH SO GOOOD and then Chocolate Bread Pudding for dessert. YUM..... - More cardio at the gym this week.

A Monday in April

2010-04-26T10:49:00.000-07:00

Sushi, 8x10" painting layers

Sweet Sushi is almost done. I have completed the painted portion, now I have to go back in with some colored pencil to push out the highlights (I think the crown on her head is too dark) and add her whiskers and other small details. I hope the customer loves it!

So - this coming weekend is the annual Wine Tasting/Silent Auction to support the Gifford Cat Shelter. Location and time can be found here: http://members.petfinder.org/~MA44/events.htm

But I wanted to let you know that I have donated a gift certificate for a 5x7" painting done by yours truly! Come out and help the kitties!!!!

Hey - I like what I like. Everything else is sh*t.

2010-04-22T07:53:00.001-07:00

It's so true, isn't it? I will be the first to admit that when it comes to music, art, even wine, there is NO RIGHT OR WRONG ANSWER. I just have an opinion and I like to share it with you. And if you're smart, you'll agree with me completely. :)

Meet Sushi, the corgi. This photo was emailed to me (along with others) from a client wanting a pet portrait. She said, however, she wanted Sushi in more of a nature scene. Laying in some grass or something to that effect. And that ear on the right needed to be fixed. So here's the first layer:

Sushi, the Corgi 8x10" watercolor - 1st layer.

I've put up the photo and the painting so that you are able to see the nature and that fixed ear. I worked on this Tuesday night and plan to do more this weekend.

Last night was the Wednesday at the MFA and the model never showed up. And the MFA put our drawing session in the Chinese art gallery. One of the artists there volunteered to be the model all night. To her defense, she wasn't planning on being a model so I guess I can't complain about the outfit she wore, but.. She had the worst Mom Jeans that I had seen in a long time. It was difficult to see if she had a waist at all. She held the poses nicely but those pants. .. Couldn't get over it. AND the Chinese art gallery was SO dimly lit that it was really hard to get any good values. Owell, this is my sketch from last night. I did a lot, but this was the best of them

So when I leaned over and saw T drawing horses (there were statues of horses in the gallery) and on my other side H was just staring at the model I realized that the 3 of us weren't *feeling* it and decided to get out of there.

Interior at Stoddards in the Ladder District in Boston

We headed downtown on the suggestion of my friend H, who is also a food blogger for www.onenewengland.com. Stoddards was lovely. Expensive (apps are $10ish, entrees in the $20s) for my wallet, so T & I split the fondue plate and each had 2 beers. The food and drink were very good, our waiter was awesome and the interior of this place is BEAUTIFUL. This picture does not do it justice. From what I was told, they re gutted this building so that the original brickwork and interior design is showing. This building is around 1900's (maybe earlier) and has old T railings and Boston Lighting. You can read more reviews here
http://www.yelp.com/biz/stoddards-fine-food-and-ale-boston

Then came home and after a quick wardrobe change ( I had to get out of my work clothes!) met up with J at O'Briens, a local live music venue in Allston. We were there to catch 3 bands, but mostly we were there to check out Jim Healy's acoustic set. He has residency there on Wednesday's in April so if you have nothing to do on the 28th, you should head on down. He's a great singer, who knows how to use that mic to enhance his own, very powerful voice. You can check out his site here: http://jimhealey.net/

We also checked out Birds Make Birds. If you like the Strokes, you'll like this band. They were very tight and good at what they did. The other band, Lovers, Muggers and Thieves SUCKED. Lead singer was drunk, or acted like it. Music was unoriginal and not inspiring and they were really all over the place. At one point she, the singer, apologized for sucking (!) because they "hadn't practiced in a month". J heckled them "NO EXCUSES!" (I love him!). But yea, don't waste your time or precious sleep by staying up late to watch these fools.

Happy Patriots Day

2010-04-19T07:41:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday and to those in Massachusetts, Happy Patriots Day. Patriots day marks the start of the first battles of the Revolutionary War in Lexington and Concord. It's also the day of the grueling Boston Marathon. Since I'm not in a reenactment of the First Shots Fired nor am I running the Marathon, I'm sitting at my desk at work.

So I want to let you all know that my piece "Black n' White Farm" (shown here) not only sold during the New England Arts for Animals show, but also made the calendar for 2011. Yay!

NEAFA is an organization founded by artist Jill Flynne who wanted to help the people who need assistance animals in order to feel more independent. A lot of these organizations that train dogs, and therapy horses and the like are purely privately funded and need your help! If you would like to become a member of NEAFA go here: http://neartsforanimals.org/ If you want to see how wonderful therapy dogs really are, watch this video: http://video.pbs.org/video/1435104301 (So Sweet!)

Lastly, I received a commissioned order last week! Yee Haw! What was really nice is that this woman had held on to my postcard and price list from a show that I did back in 2007! I had expressed my appreciation and she said, "Well, you were so nice to talk to!" :) aw, shucks!

2010-04-14T07:40:00.000-07:00

Is there such a thing as Twitter Etiquette ???

(Winter Wren from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website)

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/netcommunity/Page.aspx?pid=1306

I put this guy's picture up because this bird is more known for being heard rather than seen and really isn't that what Twitter is all about? I believe, like most public places, that Twitter has a certain etiquette and rules you should follow.

I am, yes, a Twitterholic. I love it. But there are times that I get frustrated at the silly things that people post.

Rule 1. Don't post about the weather. Because I can get my local forecast on the radio and really that's all I need.

Rule 2. Don't post every 20 minutes where you are. Why would you consistently post about how you go to Starbucks every morning? I follow the word WINSHIP because it is my last name and I want to know, is anyone talking about me? (hope so!). So there's this dude in S. Korea who's handle is @winship and he posts CONSTANTLY about where he is ... I mean like every 5 minutes and he's always at some fast food joint. Makes me wonder about his health! But again, it's filling up my screen with 10 post in a row. "I'm at ___________" I'm at __________" Seriously dude, who cares?????? And I tried to block him but because it's under a search I don't think I can. At least I haven't figured it out yet (maybe you can help?)

Rule 3. No posts about television shows. I'm note a fan of TV, tend to maybe watch 2-3 hours weekly. I see a lot of posts about Lost, Idol, and Dancing with the Stars. Yeah, don't give a sh*t, really.

But then there's me and what I like to tweet about:

Aside from my usual tweets about my shows, events and art accomplishments....

Josh Homme

Kyuss, Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal, Them Crooked Vultures

I love this guy. I follow him, his bands, and any mention of him on twitter. Very much a guilty pleasure of mine. He's a fantastic musician, bad-ass personality and yes, HoT! That being said I've noticed that when someone posts something about him and it's wrong (*gasp*) I feel that I have to correct them. Makes me feel like the Cliff Claven of Stoner Metal music and somewhere, I'm thinking, there's this person on their computer saying, "Who the hell is this b*itch??" However, in my defense I have been told by marketing experts that it is good to comment and tweet on other people's stuff out side of your "circle" in order to get more people in your "circle." That's all I'm doing right? :)

Remember Cliff from Cheers? The guy who always hung out at the bar and spewed off facts that no body really cared about? Yea, I feel like that sometimes. Is anyone listening? Does anyone care?

So let me ask you: Do you Twitter? Is there a way to block someone even if they keep posting one of your search words? Is there something on Twitter that annoys the hell out of you? Or you one of those "Oh - I'm just getting Facebook, don't get me started on Twitter"?

"Brussels Griffon" 8x10 Mixed Media

I like to read other people's tweets that have interesting links. I follow a lot of foodies, musicians, bands, artists, and art marketing experts. I have made a few friendships through twitter (shout out to @feeaxilla who consistently is sharing his music with me) and again, hoping that this will bring more people to my "circle".

So if you're not on Twitter - you should be. It's got so much potential that hasn't been tapped yet. Just don't post about what your wearing because it's raining.....