Lately

Just wanted to stop by today and share a few things that have passed across my desk in recent days. Color studies and mermaids for fun (to give you a hint of something to come) and the most darling little brick home with rose bushes out front. Oh, and so much sunshine in the studio of course.

Hope your week is off to a great start.

Mornings

As I sit here this morning the sun is pouring in the windows and all the flowers in the backyard are in bloom- English roses to my right, peonies in front. And there's this new songbird at my feeder I'm pretty sure is a Warbling Vireo. It's a drab grey in summer and would be tricky to identify if I wasn't sitting here all day long listening to it sing. Our neighbors have lots of trees and bushes in their yard where all kinds of bird families live, including (I'm assuming) this vireo. Listen to it singing here and tell me it's not the prettiest thing!

This week it's all house portraits for me in the studio. Yesterday I got up early and worked late to finish two. I get so lost in painting sometimes that I forget all about the time until my stomach starts to rumble, and I realize I missed a meal and nearly missed my bedtime! I love those long uninterrupted painting days.

thankful

Just so thankful today for beautiful sunshine and a job I love. What are you thankful for?

Spring music

In between podcasts and sermons and audiobooks I've been looping Taken By Tree's album Other Worlds on Spotify. It's the essence of warm weather sounds- birds, beach, relaxation. I'm obsessed. And in between that I've been playing Kinfolk's "Sounds of Spring" (also on Spotify). I'm pretty picky about the music I listen to in the studio as it can really affect my mood and thus my paintings. Not to mention, it's springtime, and I really need some happy music to pull me out of my winter blues.  I'm wondering if you have any musical suggestions?

new work space

I am really so excited to be writing to you from my new (old) desk and upstairs-by-the-window work space!  I love the light in our house and how the shadows shift from room to room.  In the morning it's soft and cool, but by 10:00 the shadows are already slanting into the hallway and creeping into the next room.  And then there's this golden hour that comes about 4:00 everyday when I come upstairs from my basement studio and find the entire house illuminated like a giant glowing balloon.

I just love natural light and the way it makes me feel so inspired.  So, this weekend I dragged Corrie along with me to this great antique store near my house, bought a new (old) table, and begged my husband for a little space in his office, which he so lovingly gave me as he rarely even uses the room.  Just like that I have a work space upstairs right in front of a big 'ol window that let's me in on that soft and cool morning light.  I must say, these squirrels digging holes all over my back yard might be a little distracting, but other than that I am loving it!

The screech owl painting was inspired by a this little guy who was disguised in a tree above my husband's head on Saturday when Seth came to pick up my table.  I've never seen a screech in person so close up!  It really made my day.  :)

Shop Update

Saturdays always feel like free work days to me.  I can slow down a bit and work on a few fun projects I've been meaning to get to all week.  So today, instead of updating my shop with new items, I've redone my Etsy "About" page with these behind-the-scenes photos and short descriptions of how I work.  Jump here to read more!

My studio: a fresh new look

Can I show you something truly frightening?

I can't even look at this picture without getting stressed out.

This place has been a distaster zone for the past few months.

With my busy schedule and haste in preparing for shows,

I've really let my studio go to ruins.

There were even a few weeks when I started smelling something bad down there...

before I realized my fern was rotting.

I know what you are thinking.

And yes.  Sometimes my life can be a bit...messy.

Like all messes though, this one finally got to me.

And, after weeks of avoidance and days of grumpiness knowing I'd have to eventually face the giant,

I finally buckled down and cleaned it.

* Sigh of sweet relief *

Here's what I did:

-bought another table for packaging orders

-moved my drafting table to a wall that doesn't creep me out

-nestled the small tables side by side

-cleaned, sorted, filled the garbage at least 5x

-bought a metal shelving unit

-purchased some inexpensive storage bins

-organized my inventory

-gave my unused art supplies to the Doolin kids (you will meet them later, I promise) who were absolutely thrilled and kept giving me hugs

I purchased the shelf and bines here and will be going back for more soon.

Those babies are rocking my world right now.

My studio is now tranquil, organized, clean, odorless, and has the important goods off the floor.

How did I celebrate this enormous victory you ask?

Homemade apple pie with fresh picked apples of course!

I ate 2 slices.

ok...maybe 3.

artist studios...



I hope you had as good of a weekend as I did!

I spent lots of time outside swinging on the not-on-our-porch swing

and lots of time inside framing some things to hang on our bare walls.

All of this down time really got me dreaming about home improvement...and studio improvement.

Yes, those are things I fantasize about.

Currently my home feels half finished.  As I stroll through one room to the next,

I admire the cleanliness of the kitchen and then stub my toe on the pealing lynolium in the bathroom.

Or I turn from my freshly painted studio to walk up the deteriorating basement stairs.

I suppose my next project will be to finish that half-painted half-molding basement of ours so that it can match the rest of the studio.

Speaking of studios...

Jackson Pollock's Studio



Garden Shed Studio



Picasso's Studio



Vija Celmin's Studio



Henri Matisse's Studio



David Hockney's Studio



Alexander Calder's Studio



 The messiness of Picasso and Calder's studios makes me chuckle. 

And it makes me feel a little bit better about my own messiness.

Viji Celmin's studio is something to aspire to.

I love her clean white minimalist working space.  How I'd kill for those giant windows!

But first, I need to think about storage...



Genine's Art Blog



Design Squish

...not just in my studio, but all over my house!

I'm still in the brainstorming stage (mainly because I haven't got the

courage to put the first nail hole in the wall). 

I think a thrifting weekend is in my near future.  I need to get me some of those old crates!

Anyone free to join me?