Springtime Cheer

 I know it's springtime when I'm walking through the Pike Place Market, minding my own business on my way to my favorite vegetable stand for supper sundries and I have to stop in my tracks. Cannot. Resist. Pussywillows! Love these little fuzzies dearly. This bouquet has been gracing my studio table these past few days as I painted up a frenzy. I've got works in progress EVERYWHERE - all in various stages of not yet done-ness.  Cept for one that barely made it just in time to get the show cards ordered.

My oh my - where has this month gone off to so quickly?

In other interesting news I just posted a little tour of my homestead over on Imaginary Commune. I've really been enjoying the daydreams over there. Check it out for some alternative living musings!

Back in the Saddle

Yep indeed - after nearly two weeks away this artist finally got herself back in the studio this weekend. And quite a full studio weekend it was!

Call me an oddball, but I LOVE love the sight of new works in progress all over my space. I'm working towards the Petshop show in May here in Seattle - which has my hands quite full. After 3 full days of painting I now have 14 nearly completed budgies. Yes, budgies.













I also got to spend a little time feeling avant garde by getting together with some of my gallery artists to curate our show next month together.  Imagine a large room with a floor space sectioned off pretending to be walls. Then imagine a group of artists moving pieces this way and that. I imagine it'd look something like this:

Why'd we have to fake the walls for this show? Well because the upcoming show is far far away - Monaco to be exact. Yep, THE Monaco. It's been quite a lot of fun and an interesting process. Suddenly this whole Monaco show is real. La Familia really is going to show internationally this time next month. Wacky...

http://artemonaco.com/eng-0.html

Vacations Come, Vacatations Go

Ah Borrego - how I miss your skies already.
I started to write this vacation re-cap post on Sunday but ended up waylaid by getting sick. Horribly sick. I'm better now but still not quite tolerating solid foods. Let's just leave it at that.

Our week in the desert was, as always, too short. Our gracious hosts, George & Lucy (Andy's folks) not only opened up their home to us, but adventured with us on jeep trips and kept us well fed with fresh avocados, dates & tangerines hand picked off their trees. Sometimes I think I could see myself living in this desert. This vast, harsh badland.

The desert in springtime hardly looks harsh at all when the vastness fills with a carpet of soft little flowers - lupin & sand verbena washing your eyes in purple. Even the prickly things will send out their blooms embracing the change of season.

It was a beautiful time to visit and many great hikes were had despite the cool weather. The coolness made for some high desert fashion though I must say:

Yes scarves can be worn in the desert - especially when one is sitting on a giant boulder tucked in a hidden canyon oasis.
~~~
And now it is time to knuckle down and get seriously to work. This lady's got paintings to paint! 6 weeks and counting till showtime. Oh. My.

Playing a bit of Catch up

And so the days go drifting by and here we are already fully into March. The two large panels I'm working on have not escaped the inspiration that spring time brings as seen by the addition of some floating petals.

I have piles of paintings coming along quite nicely but all too soon I will be setting them down to travel south for a week of desert hiking. Oh Borrego how my heart yearns to return! Two more days and this is where you'll find me equipped with watercolors and dates:

In the meantime today is a full on Seattle artist Friday. Having escaped (thus far) the wretched plague of the flu knocking down half my household I was able to spend the morning painting. Followed by a little art related business and soon to be capped off by a ferry boat ride on this gorgeous day to visit the lovely Miss Betsy. Yes - a get together with an Artist friend totally counts as part of a studio day ; )
The show I'm working towards in May is beginning to take shape and I can't wait to show you!
This much I can tell you though because it is now official: The name of the show is going to be "Pet Shop".
Loving it!