ArtPrize

{Photos from ArtPrize, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2009}

{ArtPrize Artists Works Shown, 2009}

ArtPrize has been underway in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This year is the inaugural year with hundreds of artists participating from all over the world. I was lucky enough to be visiting Grand Rapids (completely coincidentally visiting my hometown) while the first week of ArtPrize was going on. The pictures above are some highlights from my excursions through downtown Grand Rapids. The show is absolutely diverse in nature, and so unique! I suggest visiting the ArtPrize website to learn more about it!

Harnessing the Butterflies

{Watercolor, 2009}

I finished painting this yesterday, and am excited to hand it off today. The client is someone I have known since kindergarten! This is a gift that she commissioned  from me for a family member that is having a baby girl soon. It is so crazy, because we are all grown up now, and our friends that are our own age are having kids of their own! I really hope the gift goes over well and that she is pleased with it! I posted the drawing not too long ago.

Scout

{Micron Pen, 2009}

I did this drawing of my parents' dog, Scout, who is a Boston Terrier. I love him so much! They got him as a puppy when I was a junior in college and still living at home. He wasn't much bigger than a guinea pig when we brought him home, but now he is full grown and just as sweet!

Illustration Friday - Infinite

{Watercolor, 2009}

{Watercolor, 2009}

{Watercolor, 2009}

This is a series of illustrations for "My Light" Magazine. The story is about a boy who wants to write a letter to his aunt in heaven and he doesn't know quite how to deliver it. He doesn't understand that heaven is an infinite and everlasting place where earthly possessions do not exist. I thought this series of illustrations fit perfectly for the theme of "infinite" for illustration Friday, because heaven is infinite love, enjoyment, peace and happiness and it is a hard concept to understand for any age!

Lurking in the Studio

{Oil and Colored Pencil on Wood Panel, 2009}

I know it happens to everyone... You start a piece of art with the willpower of a million fires... and then something comes up, followed by something else and so on. Well, that was the deal with this piece. I finally made my self add the last few details so that I could consider it a done deal. I showed the drawing for this painting on THIS post. I wanted to try a slightly different technique for this piece so I combined colored pencil lines with oil paint. I think looking at a lot of tattoos lately inspired the black line art. I also just really love lines! This is a symbolism painting... I hoped to convey innocence, purity, strength and hope.
EDIT: As my friend, Sara Butcher, commented in the comments... "what about a background?" I had the same thought. I was thinking a wispy and light background but couldn't decide quite what to put there. Any other ideas? Hmmm... maybe its not quite a done deal yet! However, this piece will hang, as is, in the faculty exhibit at the Des Moines Art Center into October... which gives me plenty of time to think of a background.

Illustration Friday - Welcome (color version)

{Watercolor, 2009}

I finished painting this today, and it is the colored version of THIS. It is a welcoming autumn forest scene depicting the American toad and an Isabella Tiger moth... as well as some early autumn mushrooms that I found growing in the woods behind my home.

Illustration Friday - Welcome

{Graphite on Watercolor Paper, 2009}

Welcome to autumn! I am definitely welcoming the change in the weather and the new colors of the trees! This little toad is just starting to think of burrowing into the ground for the cold, long winter months! American toads, like the one shown here, will burrow up to three feel in the ground. That is a lot of digging for such a little guy! I am in the process of painting this illustration right now, so I will post it as soon as it is done.

Helen Oxenbury Interview - Alice in Wonderland

I got clued in to a series of interviews with Helen Oxenbury via Alicia Padron's blog... so I decided to show the interview where she talks about illustrating "Alice in Wonderland". I remember the first time I saw her illustrations for "Alice" and I fell in complete love! It is neat to see what Ms. Oxenbury looks like, sounds like, and speaks like! She has a lovely manner and I really enjoyed watching these! You can see the rest of the interview segments HERE!

Illustration Friday - Strong

{Colored Pencil on Watercolor Paper, 2009}
CLICK IMAGE FOR BETTER VIEW

This would have to be a pretty strong little butterfly! This is a commissioned piece I am currently working on. (I promised not to name so no surprises are ruined!) So far, I have transferred the drawing onto the watercolor paper. I will finish the painting portion next week. I have a very definite color palette in my head, so I hope it works out as good as it looks in my imagination!

Cafe Food and Drink Concept Sketches

{Graphite on Paper, 2009}

{Graphite on Paper, 2009}

{Graphite on Paper, 2009}

{Graphite on Paper, 2009}

I spent a little time organizing and picking things up around my studio today. My husband was in Cleveland last week so I spent many late nights arting and crafting my little heart out... which lead to a pretty profound mess. Anyways, while I was looking through a tub of sketches from the recent past, I found this collection of cafe foods. They are from a freelance project that got killed pretty early on, but I had a lot of fun doing these drawings and I really wanted to share them!

More Halloween Etsy Updates

{Halloween Decoration, 2009}

{Mini Decorations, 2009}

{Halloween Decoration Detail, 2009}

{Halloween Decorations, 2009}

I've been working on these mixed media decorations, hoping to get them in my Etsy shop with enough time before Halloween. I still have a few to finish up, but they are all very similar. There are two sizes. The larger ones are $14.50 and the smaller are $7.50. Going to a Halloween party this year? Why not get one for the hostess as a special "thanks!"?

As always, thank you for stopping by, I love having visitors on my blog! 

Updated Etsy Shop: Buttons!

{pin back button set, 2009}

{pin back button set, 2009}

{new etsy banner, 2009}

My Etsy shop has been updated! I plan to have a few more goodies later this week, so please check back! There are a variety of new pin back buttons and a new banner for the fall. If you have a little one that has headed back to school, many of the buttons would look adorable on a backpack, lunchbox or lunch note!

Illustration Friday - Magnify

{watercolor, 2009}

I would probably need to magnify Bizzy's letter if I wanted to read it! Its so tiny! Ha, ha... get it, "Bizzy" Bee?! When I thought of the prompt of "magnify" for Illustration Friday this week, I thought I would make a larger than life bee and give it a little personality!

Also, I wanted to take a second to thank all of the people who follow this blog and stop by! Your comments are wonderful and I appreciate your viewership!

Also wanted to let people know that there was a little operator error when I submitted this earlier this week. Apparently it was directing to a post I did in 2008! (waaaaay back, ha ha) I resubmitted and hopefully will get some traffic to the piece I want to share!