New Direction

I am getting married in 4 days.

It is not often that a girl gets to type these words.

My 15 year relationship with the wedding industry has made planning my own wedding, uncomplicated. My approach, simplicity.

Through this process I have discovered a gap that is not easily fulfilled for the quirky bride.

I hope to change the direction of my current company to best meet that demand.

I am excited for the changes that lie ahead.

The Season of Snow

It seems like it was just yesterday that I was painting away while foot after foot of snow fell on the ground. We've circled through a lovely Spring and a wonderful Summer and now, as I sit in front of the fireplace yet again, the reality that Winter is on the return has set in...and so, I have begun to paint my snow-inspired paintings and welcome back that cold weather season.

The Cowboy Kitty

I should be a more dedicated blogger, but I am not. For the most part I think a blog seems sort of self important. On the same note, I do like to share the inspiration behind my art. It is nice to have a place to share.

Today's piece titled, "The Cowboy Kitty," was inspired by my 2-year old friend and neighbor, Jack, who recently celebrated his Birthday. Every time he comes to visit he shows great affection for my black cat, Eli. In fact he talks about Eli when he is at home. Knowing that his bedroom was done in a cowboy theme, the concept of the Cowboy Kitty came to mind. I wrote the poem first then illustrated.

The Cowboy Kitty whistles a wrangler's tune.

He practices with his lasso, trying to catch the moon.

His cow's name is Milkshake. He wears a spiffy hat.

Such a handsome feline, that frisky Cowboy Cat.

I hope the painting brings Jack many smiles.

A Blizzard Visit

After a relatively mild start to the Winter, January and February here in the Mid-Atlantic reminded us that this is the season of snow, snow and a bit more snow. We got walloped with a 21" snow and less than a week later, got hit with another 21" snow. I love it.

The media pandemonium brought me quite a few laughs as I watched the peaceful snow drift down from the sky...for hours on end.

When the storms finally ended, a natural pandemonium occurred right outside my window in the form of hungry birds! Poor things couldn't find a snack anywhere under all that white stuff.

They were singing happily when I finally dug a path to my feeders~ Inspiration has come in many forms this season.

I was honored to be asked by local mainstay, Brown's Orchard to be Artist of the Month. I submitted three pieces, all snow inspired for my showing. I hope you enjoy them. And now that I have enjoyed this very snowy winter, I can honestly say that I am ready to start thinking about the garden, but the Groundhog has other plans...so for 6 more weeks we will snuggle in and have fun with the cold.

A Willow in the Birches

As if the Christmas season didn't spread me thin enough, I decided, at the 11th hour, to paint a piece for my 12 year old niece, Willow. Aptly titled, "A Willow in the Birches," this painting was inspired by her performance in the Nutcracker this year. She had practiced tirelessly the weeks leading up to the performance only to have the show postponed due to a sizable snowstorm. Lucky for all of us it was rescheduled and we were able to attend a truly magnificent ballet. As I watched my niece dance on the stage, I found myself realizing that right before my eyes my little Willow was growing up and turning into a beautiful, well poised and generally awesome young woman. I knew that I wanted to capture her ethereal nature on canvas and so I set to painting this piece.

Pumpkin Patch Serenade

It's no secret where the inspiration for this piece titled, "Pumpkin Patch Serenade" came from. It is that time of year again. My favorite time of year, in fact. My four year old daughter and I pull out all of the stops and have already had ample amounts of pumpkin based foods...Spicy Pumpkin Soup, Pumpkin Bread, Pumpkin Cookies, Pumpkin Pancakes, Roasted Pumpkin Seeds and yes, Battered Pumpkin Tofu (don't knock it 'til you try it). 

So there had to be a pumpkin themed painting. And, just as quickly as I complete the painting, the weather is dipping toward freezing and the leaves are just about off the trees...but the yummy pumpkin fare will continue all the way up to Christmas~

Elephant Dreams

The two pieces that I most recently created were for two little girls of Indian ancestory. The oldest girl is four and likes the color pink and loves elephants, so you can guess which one I painted for her. The younger sister is under one so I thought I would create something similar to big sis's but unique in style. I titled them, "Elephant Daydreams" and "Elephant Dreams." I hope that the vibrant colors will remind them of vivid India and that the whimsy appeals to their childhood in the United States.