success or optimism
acrylic on board
3 1/2" x 5"

Becky's word. I figured that little white tree in the corner, doing its own thing worked for both success and optimism. Still a lot of green trees down here in southern callie {if not all are green, I have yet to see the trees change colors}.
I look out on the park every day all green and sunny…really beautiful, but strange at the same time to realize that we are in december. The time for cold weather gear…scarfs, hats, mittens. {i should have worn mittens in nyc}
At least in northern callie {where I grew up} it rains, the fog comes in & it tries to pretend like its winter.

I think my next word is also going to combine the 'forest' thing…and the circles. The art is going in a new direction. Maybe to come back to something familiar again {those sad girls aren't speaking out}. But now its just new. Or rather different, for me. 

 I am going to miss these quiet moments after their year is up.
This online magazine is too fabulous. {thanks mylissa}

torrid
acrylic on board
7" x 17"
dayan's word

I was wondering why I was tired at the end of the day and realized I've been working lots, either on paintings or getting my studio in some sort of order…it feels good. getting things done, moving forward. I always like moving forward.

johanna tagged me for five things and I  figured I'd do it as specific to now, in terms of the hoiday season & being knocked up and all.

one::
we've taken to calling the baby michigan. since it seems like the baby doesn't want to perform, {um isn't that part of what kids are supposed to do entertain you, really this little one owes me.} everytime the baby will be kicking like mad, my belly is jumping all over the place and as soon as I call the Boy over little michigan stops, but as soon as the Boy leaves again its like a dance on my belly. {the singing frog on the wb is named michigan j frog}

two::
I love egg nog, even though I feel guilty about admitting it, feel like it is something I shouldn't like. But a little soy nog in my fiber {phah} cereal makes for an amazing morning.

three::
I have been listening to christmas music all sorts, the Boy is really glad my studio is the back room, because he could live without any sort of christmas music. {working at tower records in college during the holiday season ruined him}

four::
I miss the snow, the way the world seems to take a deep breath and the snow gives everything a white twinkle blanket. {but I don't miss the messy slush it turns into on the street corners of new york}

five::
we have been in la for a year…sometimes it seems like we have been here for much longer, sometimes not so much.

defenestrate
approx 3.5" x 4"
acrylic on board
{*update…I photographed this and it still is a little lighter, but not so blown out from the scan}

what I have been up to…{besides eating lots of cranberry sauce, I looovve cranberry sauce}

*stretched & gessoed five canvases

*started a three panel commission

*finished a way long over due commissioned trade

*working on some illustrations for a writer

*realized my favorite time of day right now is between two & five, when the light makes the park across the street unbelievably beautiful

*decided I really love pears, for some reason I was always quite dismissive about pears, but now with baby liking natural things I gave pears another whirl and I love them all. 

*did jen's word. defenestrate {to throw someone or something out a window}…wanted to really get away from what is 'normal' to me, what I automatically go to, and the circles kept coming up. and the colors feel a little like the cold winters of nyc that I am sort of missing.

*working on getting my 'store' uploaded for my "getting ready for the baby & new year art sale"

*I have just fallen in love with this photographer {via swissmiss} 

here is another little piece I did just for the funs of it.

approx 5" x 4"
acrylic on board

detail of an older piece that i am revisiting

I picked up a paint brush yesterday for the first time. It felt marvelous.

tomorrow shari is doing and interview of me. {i was so honored when she asked} 

this week i am going to be helping lisa s install her new show at little bird gallery {unbelievable excited}

this saturday night, september 8th.

at the opening of the "off they flew" show, a benefit show for the griffith park aviary, which suffered after a fire earlier in the summer. each bird is $100 and it is for such a good cause. here is my bird in a tree:

and while i was working on it:

lisa s is also going to be in the show, you can see her bird and some links to other fabulous artists here! 

book realized
acrylic on muslin
14" x 24"

*i am going to be here sporadically.
*i am going to be in a group show with lisa s in september
*there is a possible show in nyc for september {more on that later}
*i have a very exciting meeting near the end of the month
*shari is doing an awesome interview of me {she asks such fabulous questions} as soon as a get her some answers

i really like this close-up & i think you might see it again.
have a great weekend.

i will be at the The Venice Contemporary Gallery.
The opening is from 7pm to 11pm.
But tonight i am going to wait in line to get the final harry potter book,
so i might be a little book drunk tomorrow night.

Here is a piece in progress:

'book realized' in progress with 'book' and my feet

i changed her expression a bit & colors, but mostly it stayed the same.
{besides getting much larger that is}
i hope everyone has a weekend filled with good books. 

desire
acrylic on board
approx 4.5" x 6"
{coming down to the home stretch with these words}

lisa’s word.
lisa is back from her trip to japan {she even did a little update on her blog}. Can’t wait to hear about it!

The idea that cupcakes desire tea, happened quite by accident. I was sketching things…tea & cupcakes. I wanted to do something fun, something with humor. I tend to go melancholy…so I wanted bright things for desire. Like sugar. and cupcakes are kind of the epitome of sugar. Plus they always look so cute. So back to the sketching…I wrote the word desire and then above it I wrote cupcakes & below tea. Then I happened to look at it:

cupcake
desire
tea.

then I thought:

cupcake's
desire
tea

And the idea just went from there. The cupcakes…the tea…the pink, and there you have word 19.

On Saturday the 21st I will be at The Venice Contemporary Gallery with this painting if anyone wants to come by and say hey! The opening is from 7pm to 11pm.

a quick sketch of the new circus dog painting…

ephermal
3.5" x 5" acrylic on board

ky gave me this word.
after being quite stumped by it…i hit upon the idea of sea foam.one of my favorite things, always changing, quite ephemeral really. 
i like the way it looks, but it was hard going getting there. it was pretty hard there in the middle, when everything was looking rather bleak and i wanted to just scrap it and start again.
the middle when things don’t look quite right, nothing is fitting, the idea is there but so not looking well. kind of like a little painting hangover, it is over the rush of the first coats of paint, but it is now later on. you’ve been drinking a lot, but forgot to eat. so everything is going straight to you head, but not making any sense. your words are slurred, and you keep stumbling, but i am glad i pushed through.
i did scrap another large piece that i have been trying to push through for ages. And the new base makes me really happy to look at, fresh and ready. i also got some scrap wood from my local hardware store; so i am going to try a piece on wood…kind of excited about that…because i would really love to play with resin, but one step at a time.

have a good weekend.

she doesn't have a name yet
18" x 18"

This one is going to be at cannibal flower {with me} tomorrow night. The party starts at 9:30pm…$8 at the door. 

I also have five pieces up in Brooklyn at Flying Saucer. 

I am aiming for a weekend full of paint, what do you have planned? 

book {3.5" x 5"}
acrylic on board

Originally I thought that I would do books for monica's word {she did a great boat quilt recently}, but then I thought about what books did for me. A good one can transport me to a world unlike my own and so was born the idea of a boat in the hair. I was letting it sort of float around in my brain, how to have a boat in her hair, but still let you know it is hair and then I saw her.

Here is a little glimpse of me painting the final touches.