lazy days

it's memorial day and i am at home with the kitties preparing to head into the studio. i have many projects afoot from swaps on iATC's to a moleskine journal on AFA. i am hosting 3 swaps on iATC's: monochromatic 4x4 PAT (pick-a-theme), altered photo ATC's, and antler people ATC's. all of them need work done but they aren't due until july at the earliest. the moleskine for AFA is what needs immediate attention but i must admit to being stuck. the theme is ' the enchanted garden of oddities and delights'. basically a scene of oddness. previous entries include a zombie carnival and flowers with eyeballs. needless to say i am intimidated. but it's time to get this show on the road because i have been holding on to this book for far too long!

in other news, i have finished my swap cards for the blind drawing swap on AFA. the rules: with your eyes closed draw a face, then with your eyes open take that face, whatever it looks like, and create a character. i had fun doing these, even more fun was thinki9ng up the story behind each character. my fave is the sister mary catherine. which one is your favorite. leave a comment and let me know!

kitty love!

i last mentioned my 2 loves over a year ago when atticus (black kitty) was sick. he is still going strong, but as older cats do, he is becoming scrawny. he is 13 this year. elke (grey love muffin) is HUGE! she must way over 10 pounds! they are the loves of my life and are co-workers extraordinaire in the studio. elke loves to climb on the table and perch there like a queen. atticus has a special spot on top of my paper bin--it allows him to survey the world out the front window.

i wanted to take the time to introduce the 2 to ya'll again. i haven't spoken of then often, but the are my comrades and the world would be dull indeed without their mischief.

win peacock art!

here's a chance to win awesome peacock art from eraserqueenstudios!

some of my fave art!

1. 3, 2. My Goals Journal Page - Work In Progress, 3. How's Yourself, 4. traveling, 5. the kiss, 6. Floral Abstract, 7. Cute_Cat, 8. say cheese!, 9. granny smith, 10. A Monday, 11. Pretty Paris Blues, 12. broken f**kdoll, 13. Jack's Orange Whip - Crowabout Week 68 - Post Card 4"x6", 14. la belle Nuit de Noël, 15. Jellyfish, 16. transformation

2 new paintings

i have found the may/june clothpaperscissors to be extraordinarily inspiring. i've made 2 new paintings based on 2 different tutorials in the mag.

the 1st one is entitled 'flowers'. it is 6x6 and is up for trade for something of a similar size. leave a comment if interested.

the 2nd painting is a birthday gift for my taurus friend ryan. it's done partially with shiva paintstiks, my new toy! it's called 'persona and shadow' and is also 6x6. i love square canvas's!

collab journal

i am doing a collaboration with joanna crawshaw aka rubypaleface at iATC's. she is working in an altered book of mine and i am adding work to a journal of hers. i was silly and didn't scan her backgrounds 1st, but here are 2 finished (unless she wants to add to them) spreads in her journal.

burnout

it happens to the best of us. months of feverishly making art turn into listless weeks of inaction (at least where art is concerned). my friend annie (eraserqueen) posted some a burnout exercise. below are my responses. i encourage anyone else who is feeling the burn to give it a try. post it on your blog and let me know about it!

What kind of block are you experiencing?

i am definitely having an idea block and a collage block. i've been focusing a lot of energy on drawing lately (faces and more faces) and i can't seem to come up with any collage ideas for other projects. i am in a rut. i feel like everything i do is old and boring. i am sick of it, of the art i make.

How is this making you feel?

FRUSTRATED! i want to create! and i can't. i want to get messy and jucy with layers and instead i feel stuck in the mud.

What artist do you currently admire?

currently i am enamored with anyone that can watercolor decently. the first person that comes to mind here is reneenault.

with her art i love the simplicity of her lines and the juicyness of her colors. i love the intricate detail work she does as well. and her themes are always thought provoking.

Pretend you can right now travel to where ever you want and create art isspiried by your surroundings. Where would this be? What would you see there? and What would you make?

i would love to travel to berlin. it's art scene there is alive and well and i really dig urban settings. i lovelovelove german accents too, lol, and german food. i am german by heritage and i would love to explore the history there as well. but mostly i want to go for the humming, vibrating, colorful city.

What colors currently excite you, and why?

i love complimentary colors. all different kinds of them. i love the push-pull they create and their ability to make eachother seem more alive.

i also dig layers of pink with layers of orange. again, it's juicy.

How can you immerse you self in the color you love? Is there anything you can paint your favorite color?

i could paint anything those colors, but i can't think of anything i want to paint. i need some impetus to paint something those colors. like a swap theme or a trade.

What forms currently excite you and why?

faces. i love faces and the human figure.

How would you like to surround yourself with this form? What room do you want this form to be in?

faces are everywhere, lol!
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