Happy Spring Sale

My favorite time of the year is here, hurray! To celebrate, I'm running a special promotion in my Etsy shop for the next few days.  Spend $50 in my shop and get an art print (up to $25 value) for FREE! Read more about the sale here.

new work

new print, Destiny

I finished a new painting this week.  I initially wanted to call it Journey Home and then my husband said that it sounded like a movie about a lost dog and cat.  So Destiny it is. 

Whenever I paint a mountain in a scene, I typically imagine myself on a trail coming towards it . . . as if I'm being called to it.  Mountains have a deeper meaning for me than just mighty forces of nature.  They are a representation of God and His mighty nature.  I believe that God is all around us, but there's something about being on a mountaintop that does make me feel closer to Him.  And I don't think it's by coincidence that God reveals Himself and His plan for His people on mountains. It was on a mountain, after all, where God tested Abraham, spoke to Moses, and where Jesus was transfigured.

mini-painting, night radiance

work in progress

Although mountains are a favorite subject of mine to paint, I took a break from it one day this week and started this ocean scene.  Painting the ocean can be intimidating, or maybe that's just how I feel when I'm standing in front of it.  A mountain is still, whereas the ocean is constantly in motion.

I'm happy that this painting has come along rather smoothly.  I think I'll continue with the ocean theme with the next wood panel piece.

Starting in April, my art will be on display in Grand Central Bakery on Hawthorne.  So this new painting will be part of the show. 

my week

new painting in my etsy shop

/// big island ///

something about the way the water meets the mountains that reminds me of hawaii

latest vintage find

the cat seems to approve

 celebrating birthday no. 13
yup, i'm officially a mom of a teenager

new handpainted rocks and weavings for my pop-up shop at maven collective

:: here thru the month of march ::

                                                                                                                                                         image courtesy of maven collective

coveting pretty much everything in the se portland shop

including a hanging skull and cornucopia of small ceramic vessels

portland's garden sanctuary

Perched atop Portland's western slope is a traditional Japanese garden, complete with koi ponds, wisteria arbor,  and tea house.  Some consider it to be the most authentic Japanese garden outside of Japan.  

We decided to visit Portland Japanese Garden on the busiest day of the year- free admission day.  Even with the crowds, the place was still very tranquil and idyllic.  I loved all the winding stone paths and lush moss blanketing much of the 5.5 acres.  

One of the central features of the garden is the Moon Bridge.  The structure and scenery reminded me of Claude Monet's Giverny estate in France.  My husband and I were there 15 years ago, and I took this photo of the famous foot bridge.

Monet was an avid collector of Japanese woodblock prints.  The large water garden at the Giverny home was inspired by his collection of Japanese art.  He planted azaleas, bamboo, wisteria, and, of course, water lilies- which became the subject of 250 of his oil paintings. 

My favorite spot at the Portland Japanese Garden was the Natural Garden with its stone steps, cascading streams, and fluorescent greenery.  When you sit for a moment and take in the scenery, it's quite meditative and soothing. 

The beautiful and peaceful imagery from the gardens has stayed with me these past few days.  And, with spring just around the corner, I'm thinking I might try to bring a bit of Japanese influence into my own garden.  We don't have a pond, but I can think of a few great spots for some white gravel and moss.  I'll keep you posted with any successful progress!

new print, "beyond"

February tends to be a difficult time for Portlanders.  After months of gray, rainy skies and the cold, we start looking like Gollum from The Hobbit.  Okay, maybe that's a little extreme, but you get the point.  We are all chomping at the bit for some summer weather.  And I'm no exception. 

Our family had a blast last summer exploring the Pacific Northwest.  And we hope to continue the adventure in upcoming months.  Until then, I'll keep the fireplace crackling and daydream via paper and paintbrush. 

My latest vision of summer grandeur is captured in a new work called Beyond.  I've made it into a print that's now available in my Etsy shop.  And, this week, you can get it for 25% off the original price! 

I recently discovered that the sugar cane paper I've been using for my art prints has been discontinued.  I have one box left, but I'm transitioning to using premium paper made from bamboo fibers.  Although there are a lot of paper options for artists who want to make their own prints, there actually aren't very many eco-friendly choices.  Fortunately, the bamboo paper is nearly identical to the sugar cane paper.  So I'm relieved that the change hasn't been too problematic and that I can still offer eco-friendly prints in my shop.

a little bit of r + r

After a crazy holiday season for my husband and I, it was time for the two of us to get away for a bit.  We headed to the beautiful and remote Oregon coast.  As many of you know, it rains a lot in western Oregon, which keeps some tourists away.  But, if you're a true Oregonian, the drizzly coastal weather doesn't faze you and even the horizontal rain is tolerable.

In the three days we were there, we passed just half a dozen folks on the beach.  At first it was a little eerie to have the beach (more like the entire town!) to ourselves.  But we quickly got over the "left behind" feeling and embraced the solitude.  At one point, my husband decided to explore a tunnel in a hillside and I combed the beach for small treasures- one of my favorite things to do.   I found some shell pieces and a couple of small driftwood to use with my latest wall hangings. 

The three on the left are my newest additions.  This week, some weavings and art prints are headed to a shop in Moss Landing, California, which is between Monterey and Santa Cruz.

I didn't find any new rocks on the beach to add to my collection, but I did find some time to paint a few stones from a previous trip.  

The one remaining rock in my Etsy shop is the little black one, and it'll probably be awhile before I paint more rocks.  This month I'll be working on an exciting new project.  My art will be on a product!  I'll share more down the road once the process has commenced.  I also regularly post updates on Twitter and Instagram if you want the latest news or listings of available work.

be my valentine

I may not be much of a romantic, but I do look forward to going on dates with my husband.  One of my fondest memories out together was on Valentine's Day.  My husband was actually out of town that week, and I was invited by a few of my high school students to a birthday celebration.  The girls picked me up at my house and we headed to my favorite Mediterranean restaurant.  As we were being seated, the waitress led me to a secluded, candle-lit table for two, and there sat my husband with a single red rose in his hand.  I was surprised to see him there, and by the time I realized the high school girls were all in on it, they were already gone. 

I usually catch on to surprises, but my husband is a well practiced schemer.  It ended up being the perfect evening, definitely one of our best dates.

I'm guessing all the Valentine hype (thanks, Etsy) is making me a little sentimental this week.  So when I sat down at my art desk yesterday, this is what came from it.  I'm calling the new piece, My love for you.  As in, My love for you is a mountainside from that great love song by Little Willie John.  It's currently for sale in my Etsy shop.

The new painting also inspired me to make Valentine cards.

The cards are printed on nice letterpress paper, and there's room to write a sweet note to that special someone.  My girls have already requested several to give to their teachers and friends.

The Valentine cards are just available in my shop thru February 14th.  Click here to see the listing.

my crazy busy week

I have a pretty high tolerance for stress, but this past week proved to be one of the more challenging weeks in recent years.  I was simultaneously working on three major projects: the completion of a third painting for a London gallery, the fulfillment of a large wholesale order of art prints, and the launch of my first sample sale in my Etsy shop.  There wasn't much room for error with such a tight schedule, and yet, some things went terribly wrong.

I could rant about all the ways my printer gave me grief this week, but the lowlight of my week was the varnish drying unevenly on my painting.  Some imperfections can be fixed with additional coats of varnish, but I knew in this case the varnish needed to be stripped.

Stripping varnish is always a nerve racking process.  And this was the first time I have had to remove varnish from a painting with gouache.  Here are some photos capturing the process.

I used cloths soaked in mineral spirits to remove the layers of varnish.  It actually ended up going better than expected, but I did have to eventually repaint the top portion of the painting. . . 3000 gold dots and all.  To say that this was tedious would be an understatement, but I tried to have a good attitude about it.

I ultimately decided to leave this area unvarnished, because I prefer the chalky matte look of the gouache.  Here is a look at the finished painting.

It's titled Alpine Reverie.  I'm happy to say that the painting, as well as two other works, are now en route to London.

I also have 80+ prints headed to Dallas, Texas.  We Are 1976 is restocking their shelves with more of my art.  Yay! 

Even though it's been a crazy busy week and my patience and fortitude were tested to the nth degree, I am very grateful for it all.  And I'm so thankful for a husband who was willing to take on the role as art assistant for the week- scrubbing dried paint off of palettes, cutting cardboard, running errands to art stores, and making me tea.  Thanks, honey.  Now, do you mind tackling the mess on my art desk for me?