Pensive Sunshine

Summer's in full swing and I'm soakin' up the sunshine.

This is all I've got...[click]

Official Inspiration

 Inspiration from the garden.

 Inspiration from someone else's garden.

Officially inspired.
[click]

Lettin' It All Go

Spending time at the coast refreshes the creative flow,

cleanses the fragmented mind,

enriches the...well.....you get it.

I brought along this [click], this [click]
and this [click] to pass the time.

Bare feet are required:

while cracking crab

shooting oysters

and grilling salmon.

Realize pedicures & sand don't mix,

beware of expired sunscreen

and by all means sit on a rock in a big floppy hat and stare for a while

then soak in that hot tub until there isn't anything to think about

(not that there really was to begin with)

This & That w/no Surprises or Pizazz

This July 4th I chose to stay behind and comfort an old friend. One who has had his fair share of explosive holidays (13 to be exact). It sounds like a war zone out there. In our part of the country fireworks are magnificently large and readily available to anyone willing to support the local organizations that sell them at the sidewalk stands. Our streets are lined with American Flags and the sweet smell of BBQ invisibly streams through the air.

Hand whipped made from scratch Vanilla Lemon Blueberry Mousse for my people as the firework mortars blast outside my kitchen window.

A hike to Elowah Falls on a warm sunny summer day.

Taking it all in.

A graphically prepared photo ready for encaustic work.

A cropping of a mixed media painting in it's infant stage, many weeks to go until completion.

Summer Solstice

Studio desk.

Old art.

Finally some sunshine.

And tasty fruit.

I've got some things going on that take time. Time to be in the moment, take it all in and move from that spot without expectations. That's when my imagination flows best. I am preparing for a gallery jury, slowly working on commission pieces, preparing encaustic photography and conquering anything that falls between the lines. Summer means my life will continue on it's fast pace yet the lazy days will reign over any stress and chaos. The family disperses during the day and always comes together on the front porch at dusk. There's an odd sense of relaxation when the sun sets at 10pm. As if there's plenty of time to accomplish everything that needs to get done. This [click] and this [click] are making me smile.

Silly Rain

A little something the rain made me do.

(click on play even if you don't see a screen)

Bee Girl

I finally finished my Bee Girl painting a year after starting it. There's a story in there somewhere. I couldn't help but write it in my head as I painted. I used old torn book pages, mica disks, oil bars, aluminum & copper leafing, acrylics, colored inks and a stablio pencil to complete her. I think the only thing I left out was the encaustic wax. She has turned out to be a mixed media piece, as all my painting do. She's already SOLD! but booked for a few appearances here and there before traveling to her new home in a sweet little girls room. I find it amazing each and every time I complete a piece, their final state is typically very different from the vision I originally create in my head.

Boredom leads to Porch Time

This week's been filled with mostly essay writing & preparing for finals. I did however squeeze in a home art project out of boredom, found an art piece I had forgotten about and spent some well deserved porch time with the person who makes me laugh the most. In attempting to "capture" the moment of sheer contentment I found myself distracted in taking shots of the lanterns that covered my porch. I failed by comparison and need some work in my photographic skills but did manage to snap what I believe to be some so so shots with my limited resources. Grace is how I was feeling one day when that peace was created. Not a typical feeling but welcomed when it arrives. My stairs were in need of refreshing, black paint and a silver sharpie did the trick for that little extra personality. Lissie's music is ringing in my ears [click].

The Weather Made Me Do It

 I've been snapping a lot of photos lately and altering them with new yummy tricks & filters. It's been raining an awful lot in the Portland area and perhaps that boosts my inspiration. I feel nurtured and in somewhat of a cocooned state when it's gray and rainy. What's left of the magnificent peony in my kitchen window is the remnants of a hostess gift from dear friends I had over for a dinner party a week ago. The tiny cobalt blue bottles cast a brilliant hue into the kitchen (more brilliant with less dust on them). The striped tights are of a stunning young artist type girl that was waiting to use the lieu at The Pied Cow [click] who graciously let me snap a shot when she caught my eye. The self portraits are taken in my dormer walk in closet in my 1920's bungalow. It's painted a light ballerina pink (no boys allowed) with random piles of laziness and personal treasures. It's my own little space full of icons of my personality. Check this song out [click] and this one [click] they are two of my new favorites right now...especially the second one ♥ ♥ ♥.

Bonus Scraps & Fresh Air

Bonus scraps of misc. ephemera stained with inks & encased in encaustic medium. Not sure what I'll do with these exactly. The bottom one I did use for a thank you note. Below I show the work I did today. While I have the encaustic mediums melted I try to use them for as many projects as I can. I'm covered in wax splatter and need some fresh air. Although my studio is well ventilated working so close to melted beeswax & pine resin makes it difficult to completely avoid the fumes. This [click] and this [click] were amongst the musing that flowed through my head while lost in my process...all...day...long. It was one GREAT day.