Update

I've been working quite a bit on my house and thought I would post some progress. I had a critique this morning with one of my faculty so I wanted to put some things up to give her an idea of what I plan on doing. So, the roof will be completely covered with the cardboard shingles that will be painted green. The brown wall may not be permanent. I was playing around with screen printing my own wallpaper but I may opt instead to cover the walls with fabric. The shelf is only temporary until I find something of the non-plastic variety and there will be MUCH MORE STUFF spilling out this house. Oh! and a floor, too.

I'm also working on this drawing/painting that will not be part of my show but has been fun to work on when I need some down time from this house. It's on 30" x 40" paper and I'm using paint markers which I'm in love with.

I'm doing all of this in the dreadful head cold haze. I feel like crap. I really just want to lay on my couch and sleep sleep sleep but there isn't any time!!

Good Friends, Good Show

Saturday night was so great. My good friend Maggie Sasso was in town. Maggie and I went to undergrad together and though we only live a couple of short hours away from each other now we haven't seen each other in years. I've decided that's ridiculous and will try harder to stay in better touch because Maggie is fab. And so is her friend Kara Ginther. They were in town because Kara was having a show at North Central Cyclery, the bike shop in town. If you haven't seen Kara's work yet in the blogworld then you're in for a treat. Kara's hand-carved Brooks Saddles bicycle seats have really blown up. Seeing them in person is great, they are gorgeous and the carving seems so delicate. If you're in the area I believe the show will be up for another week and then I think it travels to Colorado. If you are not near, you can see plenty more photos of Kara's work here and read her blog here and definitely check out this amazing interview here.

New in Shop!

I just added these to my shop. They come in a couple of sizes. Go take a look!

Friday's Balloons

Okay, so not to be too over-dramatic but my heart just shattered into a million pieces when I saw these faux balloons by Clementine Henrion. At first glance they look like real helium balloons but they are actually sewn fabric with stuffing. Amazing! And all my favorite balloons, too. I first spotted this at Design for Mankind yesterday and have been lusting after them since. The price tag is a little out of my budget but that doesn't mean a girl can dream, right? Until then I'll have to just keep going to the party store weekly for fresh balloons. They are way better than flowers...

This weekend I plan on working on my house. I have plans to paint it and wallpaper it. Plus I have a few different art pieces in the works and would like to have them finished by Sunday. That's the goal at least.

Last night I taught my class and I have to say that I really have great students again this semester. We just had our first critique Tuesday night and they really blew me away with their work. I would love to get some on here to share so I'll talk to the students and see what they think. Right now we are doing drypoint which can be a bit challenging because it's such a new medium but they are coming along. Sometimes I really like this teaching thing...

Have a great weekend everyone!

The Beginning of Something

So this is what I'm working on in the studio. Since last year I've been wanting to build a playhouse of some kind to display my work in. Since my work has so much to do with having a home and the comfort and permanence of home this seemed like the right thing to do. Honestly I set the idea aside because I was too overwhelmed by the project. I could tell my faculty really wanted me to do this, they seemed to express that at my last crit. I still pushed the idea aside out of fear. But then Cannonball came and you saw what all they did. Just watching those guys in action and seeing how they make their large sculptural pieces come to life made me realize I had to quit being a scaredy-cat. Now, with the help of my amazing boyfriend, I've started creating my house. This is just the beginning of it though I did decide to make it only have three walls because I thought it would work better in the gallery that way. I'm excited to start figuring out how I will cover the walls. I was originally going to make wall paper but now I'm starting to think fabric will be the better way to go.

Here are some pictures of the basics. I've started taking my artwork and placing it in the house to get an idea of what will go where but all that will change when the work gets framed. What do you think? Any suggestions or feedback? No one has really seen it yet so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

EDIT: To Elizabeth, in regards to the last post, I'm sorry I said you gave me hot dog fingers. I meant that in the nicest way ever. I love your hot dog fingers drawing. ( :

bad hair day

For breakfast this morning I made some bran muffins and they were so good! The best thing about this recipe? They come in a packet and you just add milk and bake. That's the kind of cooking I can stand behind!

Since I feature artists on here I thought I'd feature a couple who are near and dear to me. My nieces Elizabeth and Emily Kate make the best artwork for me.

This amazing drawing by Elizabeth is hanging on my fridge. My favorite things about this drawing are my hot dog fingers (that figure in red is me, pre-blond hair) the the toes that stick off to the side. I also love what Elizabeth has written in the bubbles. She is saying that she loves her Aunt Ann, her baby brother Charlie is saying Ga ga goo goo, and for some reason her younger sister Emily Kate is saying "Bad hair day!!" That is so funny! I can only figure that Elizabeth was trying to make herself look better than her sister? I'm not sure but I love it. It sort of reminds me of the Tammy Pierce is Unlovable comics in the back of Bust magazine. If you've never read them stop what you're doing and go read them now!! Now!!
These drawings are Emily Kates. When we draw together I always draw houses and hearts so she does, too. I think hers are better. I'm only a little jealous about it.

Today I have to rearrange my studio because of the enormous structure I just built, okay had built. I'll take some pictures and watch as some mysterious begin to reveal themselves.

Have a good Wednesday!

It's ten in the morning and I know I should end my computer and coffee time and head to the studio but what I really want is an extra hour to catch up on blog reading. I subscribe to so many amazing blogs and keep finding new ones every day. I'm so behind and just want to read all day. But I have to admit I am also plenty excited to get to work in my studio. The break over the weekend really helped to get me motivated again. Plus, I've started listening to a new podcast that I'm quickly growing addicted to. It's called Stuff You Should Know from the How Stuff Works series. I listened to three episodes yesterday and learned some great stuff. I've got twenty-three more episodes downloaded and can't wait to listen. Podcasts are the best invention since... the ipod? I think when I make the sign for my thesis show that thanks people I will also thank the inventor of podcast. I heard a guy on NPR once describe a musician's cd as his sonic wallpaper. That's what podcasts are for me.

By the way, you may have noticed the badge in the margins that says Blog it Forward. I plan on taking part in a really interesting blogging experience that will be happening a little later in February. To learn more about it click here to go to SFGirlbyBay's website. It's going to be neat!

Have a great day!