New Skills

Last week I learned a new skill: recovering furniture. Sadly, I didn't have the foresight to take "before" pictures, but here are the "after". :)

My Cats Thank You!

Just got home from a week away. A friend of ours fed our cats.

Becoming

Watched the first half of Becoming Jane the other day. The good half.

Dragon

Grand

I saw this old woman at the Dr.'s office when I took my son in for his check-up the other day. I wanted to ask to draw her on the spot, or give her my card so I could meet and draw her later. But I just couldn't bring myself to it. For one, the other two ladies she was with were speaking Russian (I think) and I was afraid that she didn't speak English. For two, well, let's face it, I'm a chicken. So I studied her on the sly and painted her from memory.

Isn't she grand!?

The Runaway

I drew this after making a complete fool of myself by opening my mouth when I shouldn't have.


Proverbs 21:23
Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.

It's a pattern..

I recently did this letter K as a commission piece for someone who couldn't wait for my current show to come down in June. I really had a lot of fun with it and am quite pleased with how it turned out.


So pleased in fact that I decided to use the same pattern for the background on a portrait I was working on of my son.

Yes, I realize this picture is beyond a little creepy. The idea to continue the pattern over the portrait happened in the recesses of my mind and my brush just sorta followed through. I was thinking about how my little man is just beginning to develop, and yet, there is so much already in him that is obscured. I find myself wondering what sort of person he is, what he will be. At a year old he is a puzzle to me. A frighteningly beautiful puzzle. I love him for who he is and who he will be. I am so eager to get to know him, to help him grow into the best he can be, by God's grace.

I am not sure if the painting is done. I don't really care for the current degree of creepiness. I am entertaining the idea of fleshing out the portrait a little more, refining it... but I don't know. For now I'm "letting it cool" which is the best remedy for a painting that I feel stuck on.

New Paintings on display!

A collection of my oil paintings are currently on display at the 5th Ave. Anthropologie in Seattle. The show will remain up through June, hope you can drop by to take a gander.
Here are my two newest pieces.
The thistle painting was done from one of the photos I took while Seth and I were hiking in Switzerland in 2008. I don't usually do botanical illustrations, so this was kinda an experiment. I really enjoyed it and wouldn't mind doing a few more.
The lion painting was partly inspired by my trip to the zoo a while back and partly by my desire to do alphabet illustrations. Hence, L is for lion. :)