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trick or treating starts in, well, seven hours and i've still got one costume to make and some pumpkins to carve. zoinks. wish me luck! what time is it socially acceptable to start drinking beer and swearing at the sewing machine and trying to lower my kid's expectations? that's what i want to know.
in the meantime, here are some pretty pictures i took this week. i love the colors outside right now.
have fun tonight!
i've added five new prints to my shop this morning.
and i wanted to remind you that there are three more days to take advantage of my october sale. thank you so much to everyone who has come by and shopped. i've had fun packing up all of your orders and imagining them landing in your various corners of the world.
and pssst!! i love this sweet halloween pdf card from emily at the black apple. can't wait to give them to my kids.
and, um, how awesome is their kitchen? damn! double damn! i love it so.
they have a really unique, fun + quirky style, and though i've known them a little from the arts scene here in portland and caught glimpses of them at yard sales over the past few years, it was really interesting to hear them talk about the book, their various projects, and what drives them artistically. i have really been enjoying reading their blog, which features stuff from the book as well as various awesome finds from yard and estate sales.
i've been happily devouring their book. you can buy it locally at longfellow books, or here.
today was a perfectly gorgeous, warm and sunny fall day...the kind that doesn't come along often enough. the kind that instantly warmed the dark depths of my cold, cold heart.
i could use a bunch more just like this one, please.
did you know that halloween is right around the corner? i sort of forgot about it, for a minute, even though the kids have been diligent about reminding me. this year's costume requests: a piece of cheese and a totoro costume. the hunk of cheese is achievable with cardboard, paint, and some suspenders (thanks to the elaborate 10 year old sketches provided to me on a regular basis) but i am a little bit anxious about the totoro situation. i can't sew worth a damn, and it makes me laugh on a regular basis that some of the most-searched posts on this blog are for things i bumbled through with my sewing machine or embroidery floss. this year will probably be a lot like last year's uglydoll costume, in that i will lie him down on the fabric, trace the general shape around him, and pray. there will probably be beer and swearing involved, too. possibly some tears. possibly many tears.
there are actually a few tiny pumpkins around the house, finally. i think the kids would happily tell you that one of my biggest shortcomings as their mother is my complete unwillingness to buy creepy, talking, moving, plastic halloween decorations. it isn't enough for them to enjoy these things when we trick or treat in the neighborhood, so the kids roll their eyes and hand me more sketches of what our house could look like 'if only it was awesome.'
i've been itching to share this news here for awhile, and i'm so glad i finally can!
last summer i had the pleasure of working with modern twist to create a design for a table mat that is exclusive to nahcotta, as part of nahcotta's ongoing artist series. the mats arrived at the gallery on a day i was there a few weeks ago, and it was so much fun to finally see them in person. they're hand silk-screened, and have a really fun tactile quality. they're easily washable, and kids and adults might be happy to know they can be drawn on with washable markers, too! one thing i really like about them is how different they look on different table tops. the smoky grayish-blue design really pops on a white backround, but looks super subtle on a darker background.
i have been really wanting to do some surface design projects for awhile, and i was so happy that this was such a great first experience for me.
you can buy them here if you're interested. and there's a nice deal if you buy four at once.
if you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you probably have a good idea of the warm feelings i have in my heart for eyebuzz gallery in tarrytown, new york. i had a show there last spring, and i have really enjoyed getting to know the owners, tim and tara thayer over this past year. so i was excited when they approached me about being a part of public bookstore. in their words: Public Bookstore is a publication of Eyebuzz Fine Art. A printed collective of visual and written work. For this first issue of Public Bookstore, available mid-October, 2009, there is no theme or topical guidelines. Drawing, mixed media, collage, photography, painting, pen and ink, poetry, short prose, random rants and scribblings. The book will be perfect bound, black and white, 8" x 8".
if you're in the area, tonight at the gallery they're hosting an opening reception with some of the work featured in the first issue of public bookstore. i wish i could be there! i have two original pieces for sale in the show, including house on a hill, below. you can contact them directly if you're interested.
i love these featurettes with everyone involved in the movie.
i wanted to let you know that i am having a sale in my etsy shop from now through october 31st. i love offering a deal close to the holidays, and it is my hope that by doing it a bit earlier, it will feel saner around here in december this year!
if prints of drawings or collages are your thing, you can buy any two prints and get a third one (size 8.5x11" or smaller) for free! just let me know which free print you want in the notes to seller. as with all my prints, i only ever charge shipping for the first one you buy, and additional prints ship for free.
if you've been considering an original collage, (see above) now is a great time to buy one. i recently added all of my jen-11 pieces which finally made their way back from a three gallery exhibition tour, so there are more pieces in the shop than usual and they're all affordable - plus, i am offering free shipping, anywhere in the world, for any original you choose between now and 10/31.
please feel free to email me if you have questions or special requests. thanks a lot. enjoy your weekend.it's been surprisingly cold this week - i've reluctantly had to admit to myself that fall is here. i've had the wood stove going almost constantly, and it's been super cozy to sit next to it while drawing or catching up on emails. i love the colors of fall, but i am always slow to warm to the realities of extra layers and frost in the mornings. last weekend i did a lot of driving - i went to a wedding along the coast in massachusetts and then, the next day, a funeral in downeast maine, and the leaves i saw everywhere were overwhelmingly, pretty much take-your-breath-away bittersweet + lovely. it was nice to have all of that time alone in the car to soak it all in.
this time of year always makes me want to buy new smartwools. i'd love to draw designs for them - i love a lot of the recent patterns i've seen them put out. plus - smartwool tights? how smart is that?
i am really excited to go and see swoon's installation at space gallery here in portland. i'll try to share more about it once i've visited.
right now i'm working on pieces for a few different upcoming group shows, several art/craft holiday shows i'll be doing around maine, new card sets, and some plans for some special holiday items. it's fun and varied and i love thinking about it all and planning everything. more info on all of this soon.
thanks for reading!
