Sometimes

Sometimes I love painting SO much that I cry.

Today, with blue stained fingers I am happy.

Twelve days eh?

So it's been twelve full days since I've last stopped in to say hello. Why is that? Well because I've been happily busy of course!

There are many things in the works over here in the studio including lots of new oil paintings for the upcoming show at La Familia - one of which being 4 feet tall! I can't wait to share them with you. Go creative energy go!

Things have also been ramping up on a couple of side projects. Earlier this year I began an internship with another more established artist who just returned from an installation at SCOPE in NY. I helped out with some of the prep work which involved 300 dried Chinese Elm leaves and a whole lot of acrylic gel. The end result was another iteration of this piece called Branching Systems:

Ryan Wolfe is a kinetic sculpturist -- so all those leaves you see? Yeah, well, they move when you get close to them. Technology and art can make some gorgeous statements in the right hands.

Next step will be helping to get this guy organized so he can be as successful as he should be. No small task when you have a plethora of pictures from multiple versions to sort through, but video as well. Whew!

Got to go get busy again. Happy weekend all!

Note Cards

*New!*
Calendarling Drawing Cards $3
In the shop!

Finally - quality prints I'm happy with. Which means I'll have some more in the works soon. I really want to be able to offer quality prints of my paintings soon but I'm still in the testing phase. Anyone have any recommendations for affordable high quality color prints?

View Across the Desert

Alcoholic Pass across the desert
Originally uploaded by Rekoj Design

I'm back from the desert and it's all so bittersweet. I just uploaded my favorite pictures from the trip to Flickr which made me sad to be back to the good ol Seattle slog. Away from the sweet soaking sunshine, the blooming Ocotillo and creosote on the breeze and the seemingly never ending company of Andy & family. Nine days of bliss is hard to adjust out of - yet all in all I must admit the deep breath of "home" when I sat my bags down back here in the studio.

It was good to be away and it's good to be back in equal measure. Between breathtakingly beautiful hikes and incredible food I finally got around to reading Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert and have to admit it IS all everyone has cracked it up to be. Within the first chapter she had me scribbling in my journal and up with the sun to paint the sunrise. My week was filled with long walks, deep contemplations, adventurous dreams and stacks of desert watercolors. Sweet sweet wonderfulness that is =)

And now I'm barely home and already watering the seedlings of my next journey...

Candy Stuffed Valentine Tutorial

Hello there! As I was playing around with Valentines for my Valentines this afternoon I thought I would gift one to you as well - a quick & fun tutorial!

Here is precisely how I made myself some Candy Stuffed Valentines:

Supplies
Parchment paper
sewing machine
scissors
scrap paper
Valentines Candy

Step One
Cut one 5 inch piece of parchment paper off the roll. Fold in half and cut into a full heart shape leaving the fold of the paper at the bottom.

Step Two
Cut smaller hearts out of your scrap paper. I used mine to spell out the word "Valentine". Cut as many little hearts as you need for your Valentine message.
Step Three
Start at the base of the heart near the fold and sew up the sides. Stop halfway down the 2nd side. Leave the needle in the paper.

Step Four
Carefully insert your scrap paper hearts & candy into your half-sewn Valentine. (Yes it is possible to do this without getting chocolate all over your sewing machine - even if your using giant XO candy made by Moonstruck Chocolates like me!)

Step Five
Finish sewing up the side of your Valentine securing your secret message and treats inside.

Step Six
Give to adoring Valentine with pride!

Illustration Friday "Flawed"

Illustration Friday - "Flawed"

Love Enters but Does not Stay

4" x 6"

Ink & Watercolor on coffee stained paper

The deepest flaw of all is the inability to love - yourself or others - no matter the cause.

It has been a busy and fulfilling week. Most of my energy was pulled up with preparations for the grand opening of a building through work. The party was held in the penthouse with this incredible view of the city. After two years Seattle still never ceases to amaze me - it is such a spectacular city with such a soft quality of light to it. And Seattle really put the shine on for the party yesterday afternoon. The whole place just glowed...

See what I mean by glow?

Aside from the party (which was a fabulous success!) my energy was also spent with three successful attempts at getting up early to meet Rosalie at the gym pre-work instead of post-work. Such endeavours are certainly aided by knowing there is a friend waiting. I doubt I would have made it at all without her. It was still super tough though - I'm SO not a morning person but I'm working on it... =)

And thirdly my most favoritest of energy powerbars - painting sweet sweet painting!