Sunday, May 30, 2010

Dive into Summer - Work in Process

A painting inspired by a vintage postcard and summertime dreams.
  
I'm dreaming of warm sandy beaches.  I'm dreaming of days by the pool.

I'm dreaming of fun in the afternoon sun, and week after week of no school.

 I'm thinking of swimsuits and sprinklers, imaging lemonade stands.

I'm lost in a daydream of squirt guns and ice-cream and plenty of time on my hands.

 I long to ride skateboards and surfboards.  I want to wear t-shirts and shorts.
I'd go for a hike, or I'd ride on my bike, or play lots of summertime sports.  Ken Nesbitt

Hoping your daydreams come true.
This summertime reverie is available here

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Student Art Spotlight

As the school year comes to an end so do my private art lessons.  Before summer camp begins next week, I would like to showcase the incredible work from my great group of art students.

STUDENT WALL OF FRAME:













A huge round of applause and a great big thank you to the students and to their parents for giving me the opportunity to work with their delightful children.

Wishing you a fun-filled, creative summer.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Ladies Night Out


 I invite you to sit back, relax and enjoy the party.

Let's get this party started!

Sharing a few painting techniques.


 Hand Painted Birdhouses

Hand painted pottery plates ready to be fired.

Cheers to the girls! 

A Note of Thanks

For her wonderful marketing blitz and articles on my art
"Times are tough, getting the word out about your business shouldn't be. Mommy's Pick is a weekly feature of the best Etsy Shops or Handmade Businesses out there. The "Because I Said So" blog includes my latest crazy musings about art, life and balancing it all.  Mommy The Marketer Online Magazine is a great way to get exposure for your Art or Handmade Business."
Etsy Momentum will take you over to the dark side. No not literally. Just to a smoking hot business blog filled with articles, tutorials and go-to guides for your handmade venture. Curious?  Head on over..oh, and grab that fire extinguisher just in case. Amber has an incredible team of contributors that make Etsy Momentum the blog to read!
Amber's weekly features promote the best of handmade. An online press release to prove that when an Artist Lives Their Life Outloud, It Shows! To learn more click here

Amber's light hearted musings ramble about all of her passions: art, handmade, parenthood and her attempts and never ending quest to balance it all.  Stop by for a good laugh on your coffee break...or if your life is like hers the two minutes you have that should have been used to pull your toddler off the new curtains. 
As a thank you to Amber and to those who read her blog - and mine - I have some great shopping news! 
 A Sale on all the Prints in my Shop
Enter "Mommy Found" in the notes to seller during check out and receive 10% off any Art Print
To see my selection of prints, click here

If you're looking for a little help with your business, be sure to stop by here for a little bit of Mommy Magic

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Two Surfers - Painting In Process

You can tell when the ocean water starts to warm up,
all of the beach boys heed the call of the waves.

Free from wetsuits,

And cold winter wind.

The boys of summer,

 are surfing again.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Two Surfer Girls - Work In Process

 The beginning of a painting
is a mix of composition, color, and line.

As the painting continues, my focus is on color

which I play with until

the painting is finished.
Acrylic on Canvas


Women Who Art - Student Spotlight

This weeks Artist Spotlight shines brightly on
Mimi Boseman and her gorgeous pink Camilla.

Mimi is an amazing gardener, which makes it easy to understand why she is drawn to painting landscapes and flowers.  Here she works on the beginning stages of a Camilla, of which the photograph was taken last year.

The colors she chose are like a luscious pink sherbet - all pinks, yellows and white.

   As Mimi adds darker shades of pink, gold and wonderful pops of white the flower just bursts from the background .

Simply stunning!

 The lady and her Camilla.  
This photo truly captures two beautiful flowers in the prime of their lives.

Friday, May 21, 2010

New Paintings In Process

A few new pieces that I'm trying to finish

Hopefully I'll have them finished by Monday - although we do have a busy
weekend planned - husbands 50th birthday celebration tonight - brother's wedding celebration tomorrow - movie date night on Sunday to see "Girl with the Dragon Tatoo"

Enjoy your weekend!

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Visions of Summer

Summer Equals...
Bright Sunshine, Outdoor Play,
Swimming, Sunning, Getting Away.

Backyard Diver in Red
Work in Process

Original Painting on Gallery Wrap Canvas

Turquoise Water, Pool Parties, Late Setting Sun,
Vacations, Family, An endless season of Fun. 

Can't Wait - It's Almost Here!!

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

A little get-away to Charleston, S.C.

Late last week my husband and I stole a few days to ourselves and headed down to the lovely city of Charleston, S.C.   ~   The place, upon which seeing for the first time with my then boyfriend~now husband, I exclaimed "If we don't end up living here I will be so sad!"  Needless to say, since this was a visit, we don't live there yet ~ but I'm perfectly content with an extended stay every now and then - or even more frequently if doable!!

Day One....  Time on Sullivans Isand

Our first stop was at a cafe called The Heron on the most lovely Sullivans Island.  The Heron is a little hole-in-the-wall cafe which has gone through many changes in it's 30ish years there on the island.  The owner, Tim Holbrook, was holding down fort when we arrived and treated us like long lost friends; giving us samples of a delicious, homemade lemon-infused cake, sourdough bread and Coca-Cola made from sugar cane syrup and not the usual high fructose corn syrup - my husband could have stayed there forever!  Tim also jotted down "must-visit" bars/restaurants for a progressive evening of sipping and dining in Charleston.

In need of a walk after eating Tim's great selection of morsels, we headed to the beach there on Sullivans Island.   It's hard to tell that I'm happy to be back in my favorite place - but at least my man is ready for the heavy surf with the purple noodle he found lying on the sand.

Day Two .....  A long awaited visit into the city of Charleston 

A few charming street scenes.

It's easy to see why so many people are absolutely smitten with this gorgeous city!

After an afternoon of sightseeing, we were ready for a mini-happy hour of cheese, crackers and a glass of wine at Battery Park.  Then it was off to check out a few of Tim's recommended sites.

  The first of which was the rooftop bar at Grill 225 ~ the place was gorgeous ~ truly a picture waiting to be painted.
The view of Charleston from the rooftop is stunning - the menu, although quite pricey, is extensive, and my husband highly recommends the Refreshtini.

The next stop on Tim's list was Pearlz Oyster Bar
Here I experienced my very first Oyster Shooter.  Pearlz shooter consists of Absolut Peppar, oysters, horseradish and spicy cocktail sauce - although I have nothing to compare it to - I can honestly see why it is their signature drink.  

After this we took a detour from Tim's list and, on a recommendation of one of Charleston's finest parking lot attendants,  made our way to Social Restaurant and Wine Bar for a wood fired pizza from their highly rated menu.

Day Three in the City ... 

 Viewing the amazing window boxes ~
various colors and textures along the street ~

a little window shopping

and Whoopie - My Fav - The Art Museums!!!!!!!
Shown above are a few of Jeff Jamison's 
paintings at the Ella Walton Richardson Fine Art Gallery  Jeff chooses to paint in the classical style and process used by the Old Master Painters - such as Velazquez, Sargent and Sorolla!!!

Our eyes were drawn to Fred's vivid palette, stylized trees that are puffed-out masses of color and the stark "Prussian" blue negative space.   His view of Charleston's cityscape is really dramatic and quite different from the usual city scenes.

Gorgeous oil paintings that play up the value of light and shadow through out the city.

Jamie Kunkle's  Abandoned Interior Series of Paintings is absolutely astonishing.  The detail, color and sense of forsaken, left behind property is overwhelming.   I covet one of her pieces and look forward to following her development of this series of paintings!  Her vibrant paintings are represented by Mary Martin Gallery


While we were discussing Jamie's style with the gallery owner, Mary Martin, we were greeted by the cutest Swedish man ever - who graciously offered us a taste of Chocovine (a fine french Cabernet subtly combined with rich dark chocolate from Holland) as he entertained us with his stories of Switzerland and his love of the Swedish language.


After visiting a view more galleries, we retired to the car for a little happy hour of cheese, crackers and a mojito with fresh mint and lime.  While deciding what to do on our last evening in the city, we received a call from a friend whom we had met at the University of Richmond during a college tour with our daughters. Her husband started and owns the Old South Carriage Company.  They have a farm outside of Charleston were they keep their horses on a rotating basis, and she invited us to join them there that evening.  Gladly accepting the invitation, we headed out of town.


Upon arriving at the correct road we were greeted with a gorgeous view.  Their driveway was lined with trees dripping spanish moss and we felt like we had truly arrived in the old south.  The horses heard our car coming up the road, and hurried over to the fence to welcome us to their land.


We spent a wonderful evening with our gracious hosts, thoroughly enjoying their company and friendship.  This was indeed a highlight of our trip.


On our last day of vacation, we returned to Sullivan's Island for a walk, and Isle of Palms for a little surf.  We waved good-bye, with a promise to return, and headed up north to our home in Virginia ~ each carrying memories of time spent together.