Prairie Creek Farm

I've been field trippin' it lately- once a week.  That's my goal anyways.  I don't want to become one of these artists that just sits in her studio all the time, painting, alone, from a computer screen or pictures, forgetting how to go out and do things.  Forgetting how to talk to people.  I want to see the sights, you know?  To experience things.  To be inspired.  To meet awesome people who know some things and can teach me.

So, after days of cleaning off the dust from my last art festivals, I took a field trip to a friendly farm with red barns and Barred Rock chickens and lots and lots of blooming flowers.  I've been commissioned to paint this farm, which excites me so much!  There is character and coziness in abundance here.  Don't you just love old farmsteads?  They call this one Prairie Creek Farm.

There are already paintings in my head of red barns and clucking chicken portraits...

the last one

This weekend marks my final outdoor art event of the year: the Lincoln Art & Balloon Festival.  Lincoln, IL is where I was born and raised, which means this particular show will be more fun and comfortable for me in so many ways, not the least of which will be all the familiar faces.  I'll have quite a bit more work this time around than last including this painting of my dream home- a cabin in a pine forest.  Can you even imagine how amazing it would smell in your home all year round to, not only live among the aromatic pines, but to have a pine wood fire blazing inside?  I could also imagine some sheep and a few horses outside my window, grazing in the tall grass.  And maybe some chickens out back for fresh eggs every morning...

Come and see this painting- in its entirety- at the show if you can!  I'd love to see you.

Charlotte

Meet Charlotte.  She's a pretty blonde with an intoxicating fragrance and a charming disposition.  And she is, thus far, my favorite all the roses.  I say "thus far" because kind sweet Mr. David Austin has just opened my eyes to an entirely new world of roses to behold.  Tree Roses, English Climbers, Ramblers, Shrub Roses?  My gentle Charlotte is just the beginning!

I first spotted her at the hardware store near my work.  Her tag said "David Austin English Roses: Exquisite cup-shaped blooms with a tea fragrance.  Bushy, free-flowering shrub.  Exceptionally healthy."  She was staring me down from across the greenhouse.  I literally gasped when I saw those "exceptionally healthy" blooms.  And then again when I saw the price: 70 bucks.  Yikes.  Not today little roses.  Then the next week and the next I kept seeing her in each stage of her summery bloom, gently luring me in with those soft creamy petals and fruity perfume.

I love roses.  And English Roses are my favorite.  If Seth would have handed me a bouquet of English Roses on our first date, it would not have taken us almost 6 years to get married Icantellyathatmuch.

But Seth wasn't the one to give me these roses.  The moment I saw that 70% off sign I nearly fell out of my car, knocking down every old lady in sight, just to get to them.  Ain't NO granny coming between me and my roses.  I've waited too long!  (No offense granny.)

And now, after so much tender love and care, they've finally bloomed again!  I am already thinking of the possibilities...a rose tree painting?  In. My. Dreams.  A portrait of a girl surrounded by buttery blooms?  Oh my.  And do you want to know the best part?  Mr. Austin named this flower after his granddaughter, Charlotte.

I think I just came up with the name of our first girl.  ;)

*On a different note entirely, I just wanted to mention my blog redesign.  I needed something simpler, less cluttered.  I appreciate your patience as I change things around.  It needed to be refreshed!

Just popping in today to share a few instagrams from the past week of planning, drawing, and painting! Yesterday I took a trip to the zoo and was inspired by the bright orange birds, fluffy snow leopard, and the swan goose that reached his head out of the fence and bit my shoe!  The little guy in the glass cage is called a Tamarin and was leaning his white afro head over the branch to see what I was drawing.  And the top photos are little peaks into a brand new series of paintings that won't be complete for at least another month.  More on that later!

possibilities

It was a slow morning for us.  Aren't those the best kind anyways? It usually takes at least an hour to clear those clouds out of my head.  I sat on the front porch with coffee and breakfast and a stack of books, some to read and some to write in.  All morning I sat out there and watched the neighbors pull out of their driveways, headed to work.  Watched the finches eat their breakfast.  It must have rained in the night because the air today is thick and cool.  I sat out there until my coffee was cold and then came inside to find Seth had finally gotten out of bed.  Poor guy has been out of sorts lately and slept in today.  He even called in sick.  Now those are two things he almost never does.

I thought about the possibilities of the days and weeks ahead.  Perhaps I'll take a trip to the zoo this week.  I've been meaning to do that to get some new sketches and paintings going.  Maybe I'll unpack from the busy weekend.  Maybe I'll finish the paintings already on my table.  But for sure, what I long to do, is sit and think and plan and dream of my next series of paintings.  I have these stories already filling the empty space in my head, crowding out other important things.  Really, I've got to do some writing.  What I really need is some time away from the routine of things to gather as much inspiration as possible, to draw and travel and to write my stories.  To get out of the studio for a while and go exploring.  Then, bring all that inspiration back and begin brand new.

Speaking of inspiring, I found this postcard set from Yelena Bryksenkova which I hung in my favorite little corner of the house.  This spot in the kitchen at the sink is where I do a lot of my thinking and all of my dishes.  It's where I daze out the double windows and clean with candles going and perfume filling the house.  It's also where I watch my tiny African Violets bloom and where my gnome likes to hide.

I hope on a dreary monday like today you too can find inspiration in tiny corners.

Galena again

This weekend Corrie and I are headed to Galena, Illinois for one of my last art festivals of the season.  We're more excited this time because we know what's in store.  We've already made plans to visit our favorite Vanucchi's Italian Ristorante and one of the most beautiful vineyards in the state.  All my things are packed and the dishes are put away.

My favorite part about Galena is just walking and driving around.  Last year, as the thunder clouds rolled in and dropped heavy bursts of rain, Corrie and I drove through twisty back roads and rolling hills.  Tall red barns stood out against the dark green pastures where cattle grazed.  The trees were covered in thick and droopy vines.  

I'm a pretty simple girl raised in a flat prairie between fields of corn and fields of beans.  It doesn't take majestic mountains and stunning sunsets to impress me.  Just some hills covered in green or yellow grass, waving with the wind.  Cows in the distant horizon.  Barns so old and filled with stories.  Bright yellow birds darting in front of my windshield as I drive.

And that's why I love this particular art show.  Because I get to see all of those things while hanging out with my best friend and talking to complete strangers who also happen to be the nicest people in the world.  And, to top it all off, the weather has cooled to a breezy 80 degrees.  Could it get any better?

I'm hopeful your weekend will be equally wonderful!  Are you loving the cooler weather?  I'm afraid you summer freaks are dreading the Fall temps.  :)  But I'm loving it!

weekend images

My weekend in images include...

1&2. my brilliantly beautiful English roses I've been dreaming of for months

(practically a steal at 70% off) 

3. purpley and pinkish hued stained glass from a local artist- now hanging in my kitchen window (kind of matches the colors of my roses!)

4. our kitchen with a new light and new window art (painting the ceiling is next)

5. the start of a bathroom makeover

6. three new projects in the studio- Ulia, whales, peonies

7&8. studio inspiration boards include bright and playful colors next to neutrals- a nice balance.

The temperature has dropped a bit this morning thanks to a nice thunderstorm this weekend which means I'll be spending some time outside today.  Then, it's back to the studio for painting, packaging prints, sending emails, and doing laundry- all the essentials before my next show.  Hope your week is off to a great start!

(Go team USA!  I am loooooving the Olympics and losing so much sleep.)

artists i'm currently swooning over...

Yelena Bryksenkova

Rebecca Rebouche

Becca Stadtlander

Amber Alexander

Here's just a few of my favorite artists at the moment.  You should definitely visit their websites and drool over their fairytale-esk styles.  It's so inspiring to see all the new paintings these artists create every day.  I love the moody dark colors and dream-like imagery the best.  Do you have any favorite artists at the moment?