Hello Spring (plus: a SALE!)
“In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt” Margaret Atwood
Hello Spring!
Spring is my favorite season.. there’s something so magical about color returning to the landscape, to flowers blooming, to warmth and hope, to new life everywhere you look.
In honor of Spring, I’m having a 3 day sale that runs from today through Friday.
Bears and self-care
“It is a serious thing just to be alive on this fresh morning in this broken world” Mary Oliver
Oh friends, these past few weeks have been such a challenge. We’ve had two big family emergencies, I had a health scare, and Eric’s school schedule sped up incredibly before one of his final presentations this week. I’ve been completely overwhelmed but trying to keep life as normal as possible for our little guy.
And yet: we’ve now entered Spring, warmer weather is getting closer each day, and I’ve made a new and solid commitment to take care of myself (something I really haven’t done since becoming a mom). I’ve tried to keep art close especially through all the recent struggle, but instead of painting in my studio it’s looked a lot more like collaborating with Isaac while he colors:
Magical things (plus: new art!)
“The universe is full of magical things” Eden Phillpotts
Whenever I’m having a hard day, I try to remember that there is magic everywhere.
The definition of magic has never been straightforward for me, of course. When I think of magic, I’m not thinking of tricks or illusions. Instead, I think of stars glittering through the sky. I think of rainbows. I think of being with someone at just the time when they need it most. I think of color and music and flowers. I think of unexpected friendship and love.
Walk with the dreamers (new art in progress!)
“Walk with the dreamers, the believers, the courageous, the cheerful, the planners, the doers, the successful people with their heads in the clouds and their feet on the ground. Let their spirit ignite a fire within you to leave this world better than when you found it” Wilferd Peterson
Walk with the dreamers.
I’m happy to say that being part of the Make Art That Sells portfolio class continues to fuel both my imagination and my creative spirit. I love, love, love being surrounded by such motivated people (this in itself has pushed me to keep creating new art) and I’ve been having so much fun.
We had another mini assignment at the beginning of February, the prompt was ‘tea,” and we could interpret the assignment however we wished. Since I adore drawing animals, I decided to paint a bear floating in her favorite teacup to watch the stars. Here was an initial sketch I did while I sat in the car and waited for Isaac to wake up from his nap:
February: More art in progress!
Hello, February!
This is the hardest time of year for me (I much prefer warmer weather), and sketching and painting have been such a welcome respite from the cold. When I last wrote I’d been working on a book cover for kids. The assignment: what’s in JK Rowling’s bag?
The cover is now finished! I’d already do so many things differently, but that’s the fun and useful thing about learning, isn’t it?
Here’s where the cover ended up:
