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!

Cheerleadin Away

Sometimes running a small art business feels like this: You flail around with all the attention getting techniques you can think of... yet, no one is stopping to admire your window display. Unless you happen to be a blogger who stops to take a picture of said window display to make a musing point on her blog... sigh.

2009 has my head bustling with new ideas ... my pockets brimming with inspiration notes and my dreams filled with color... yet it is on the heels of 2008 which has me feeling pretty burned out on the whole trying to "make it" thing. I'm tired of thinking of my muses as a commodity. I'm tired of stressing over never updating enough.
I'm tired of being a cheerleader for craft.

All I want to do is paint. To follow those muses. So I'm off to go do just that

So if you pop on by, and this post is all you see for awhile I apologize.
I'll blame the wet paint on my fingers.

Road to Mecca

Last night I had the privilege of attending the opening night of this play at the Seattle Repertory Theater and it was fabulous. I really want to recommend it to all my friends just for how much I enjoyed the set alone.

Miss Helen is a reclusive South African artist, living alone in the house she has transformed into a fantastical masterpiece. But when the elderly woman's ability to continue caring for herself is called into question, her two closest friends —a passionate young schoolteacher and the local preacher—battle to influence her uncertain future. Celebrated South African playwright Athol Fugard brings us this stunning emotional drama about the struggle for independence—at every stage of life.

This play came at an interesting time for myself and my two cousins who I saw it with. We are facing a similar struggle with our Grandmother who is determined to remain in her home despite the disrepair of the place falling in around her. Her family has done what they can through the years to see to her wishes and to look after her but it has all gotten particularly bad in the last year. We are all worried about her.
The play certainly opened up a musing conversation between us - a question of safety verses freedom. Our Grandmother is one of the more independent women I know. It is a hard position to be in to have to argue the side of removing some of that independence.

Because the play really struck home to me just how important it is to follow your muse, follow your bliss. To remain true to yourself and your independence is the only way to live fully without regret.
The sun rises, the sun sets and doubt will come and go - but always cherish the blessing of a cup of tea with a friend.
It is a lesson that is already known by my Grandmother, beyond a doubt.

Olympia Weekend

I traveled to Olympia this weekend - as I often do - to see Andy & catch up with my friend & past roommate Jenna. Friday night with Jenna turned into silliness at Le Voyeur where I found and snapped this little spot of graffiti. It's one of my favorite yet. Snuggle - what a nice winter sentiment!

That evening it was brought to my attention that Jenna had airbrushed her van in camouflage. Now mind you, Jenna has had a thing for camouflage for some time - so for her, it's fitting. But still, when she told me that her funky maroon van was now decked out in camo I never would have expected this -

By simply airbrushing over leaves & pine with her artist's eye she created the most gorgeous glowing camo I've ever seen. Now half of Olympia is begging her to do theirs too. I don't blame them one bit.