swallowfield :: jennifer judd-mcgee

it's going to be a good week

good morning!  last week was not a very good one for me, but i am here to declare that i've decided this coming week is going to be excellent.

early morning creeping frost patterns are making me happy:

here's a song that's making me happy:

 

the upcoming tiny art show makes me happy.

this post from rachel made me feel both happy and thoughtful.

and...i am very happy to say thay we're going to harry potter world in march for a few days, thanks to my dad. we are huge, ginormous, ridiculous harry potter fans around here, so even though i wouldn't consider myself much of a theme park gal in general, the excitement factor is pretty significant. if you've been and have any tips to share, i'd love to hear them. i know, we're dorks. i'm okay with it.

have a happy, happy week. it's going to be, i swear.

 

 

craft hope for konbit sante

i've been continually impressed with the work that craft hope has been able to accomplish in the good old grassroots style, so i was really pleased to see that their latest project is helping to support konbit sante's safe birthing efforts in haiti.  a big shout out to jade and sarah for helping to spread the word about and assist in konbit sante's amazing and important work.  i hope you will consider assisting their efforts - i know i will!

 

brrrr.

i think i am turning into my grandparents. it seems that all i can talk about lately is the weather, because BOY OH BOY is it cold.

stay cozy out there.

and thanks for all of the nice notes about my new tiny art.

more tiny art

i've finished up the rest of my pieces for the upcoming enormous tiny art show 9 at nahcotta.  i've been having a lot of trouble with my drawing hand, so the drawing in these pieces took me quite a long time over the past month or more, but i am so glad i was able to incorporate some into them.

all sweet things beyond, 8x10" (for reasons i can't explain, this is probably one of my favorite things i've ever made!)

tell my love the secret, 8x10" (also available right now as a print on etsy for valentines day)

a spirit kindred to my own, 8x10"

almost a loneliness, 8x10"

all by all, 8x10"

these will be at nahcotta by next week, for the opening 2/4/11 from 5-8pm, and up all month in the gallery and online at their enormous tiny art site. they've got a huge job of getting everyone's work online, so i am not sure exactly when they'll be posted, but definitely by the opening.

have a lovely weekend. and i just wanted to say a little thank you for the incredibly kind comments and private emails i have received from you lately. i really appreciate them.

enormous tiny art in the works

i thought i'd give you guys a few looks over the rest of the month at what i've been working on for nahcotta's next enormous tiny art show 9, which opens on friday, 2/3/11 in portsmouth from 5-8pm. there are a ton of artists i love (thus the enormous) from all over the place in the show this time.  all work needs to be 10x10" or smaller (thus the tiny.)  the openings are always packed, and tons of fun. i plan on being there for the opening - the tiny art shows are always the highlight of winter for me, and a good cure for the february funk.

you send me, 8x10" mixed media on panel (i've added this one as a print in my etsy shop for valentines day, too!)

off the page, 8x10" mixed media on panel

take flight, 8x10" mixed media on panel

these are the first three finished pieces. i've got five more in the works that i'll post soon.

elsewhere:

i made a mid-century-ish treasury list on etsy. that was fun!

home ideas i love board on pinterest. i seem to have a bit of a theme going here!  when my little rental house gets cluttered or it's hard to put everything in its place, this is where i go and visit.

snowy day

 

snow day today! we're still in our pjs, drawing, painting and listening to audio books. we might bundle up and venture out to the library later. i think we could all use a few more days like this, here and there.

i got two lovely cookbooks for christmas that i've been enjoying looking through this morning, too. momofuku and barefoot contessa's back to basics.  do any of you have favorite recipes from either of these?

stay safe if you're snowed in, too.

eleven in eleven

i'm honored to be in a group show at nahcotta this month called eleven in eleven.  this show features work from emma ashby, tim beavis, jennifer davis, emily gaines demsky, ned evans, jeff fitzgerald, marcia hermann, amanda kavanagh, teresa mccue, michael winters and me. 

i can't make it to the opening tonight, unfortunately, but it will be held from 5-8pm this evening (friday, 1/7,) and the show will be up for the month of january. the work i've seen online is lovely and varied, and has quite a peaceful, hopeful feel. i hope to make it down to the gallery sometime this month to see it all in person. 

i made three piece for the show, including the one below, which i am pretty fond of.

thank you to deb and abbie at nahcotta for inving me to be a part of the show!

happy friday.

finding and remembering the light

one thing i love about january is that everyone has new ideas and optimism about trying different things they may not have tried before. i'm loving that a lot of my friends on flickr are planning on taking 365 photos this year. while i don't feel like i can commit to that, and don't want to beat myself up if i don't follow through on it, i am inspired that others are taking the plunge, and it's giving me the push i need to take more pictures, especially of small everyday moments.

like this one:

i took this right before she left for school this morning. i loved the way the morning sun was glistening in her braid. i want to capture more moments like this, here and there, this year.

this week i am also loving the first listen of the new decemberists on npr. so pretty and peaceful to listen to.

i also made a gallery of my favorite twinkling, light filled photos on pinterest. it was fun to do, and i love seeing them all in one place like that. i am keen on pinterest - its format is so pleasing to look at.

cheers and happy tuesday. :)

to pay attention

continuing on my mary oliver kick, my friend liz reminded me of this quote of hers:

'to pay attention, this is our endless and proper work.'

that's a pretty perfect intention for 2011.

welcome, 2011

happy 2011!

we rang it in with games of farkle, a yummy dinner, some wine, and movies, barely making it to midnight.  the kids were super excited to stay up late, so we banged some pots around at midnight then promptly went  to bed at 12:05am.

because it's a new year and all, here is a little list of hopes and intentions (thanks deb, i love that word vs. resolutions!) for 2011.

learn to use my new wacom tablet (i am in love with it so far.)

silkscreen my patterns on paper and fabric, and put patterns on fabric in other ways

keep adapting my art in ways that work for me

take pictures every day

work on photo albums (i made one on shutterfly for 2010 as a christmas present, and it wasn't as scary as i thought. and it turned out beautifully. now i only have, er, approximately ten more years to document properly.)

continue to collaborate with other artists and craftpeople

perhaps a calendar? gulp.

okay, that's quite a list. and i won't bore you with the personal and household hopes and intentions, but there are plenty of those too. :)

finally, i just wanted to say thank you to emily and molly at habit for inviting me and all of the other 2010 contributors to post again all together for the month of december. it's been a pleasure i can't adequately describe, and i've loved being back in that space. (yesterday i attempted to take a photo of my ipod playing beautiful day* while i was working out on the elliptical trainer at the Y, but that had calamitous results of epic proportion, so i ended up with a photo of a much more peaceful sunset instead. my kids call me spaz nugget for a reason, you know.)

i hope 2011 is great for you. i have high hopes for it myself, in a quiet little way.

*say what you will about later U2, but that is one fine workout song.