Helllooooo Out There!!!...

Okay, so i let me blog go completely for waaaaaaaaaaay too long! I'm going to try and be better at it... and post at least once a week. *hmmmm.... we'll see* Just got back from a 3 Day Family trip to Disneyland. It was a great time for all of us. it's funny though, because for years now Mr. B has wanted nothing to do with that place. we're such a pro-Disney family, it's crazy having a child who's anti. Mr. B got his very first annual pass this past Thursday... and as you can see, he's totally delighted! hahaha i love this picture so much i can't stand it.

On the art front, i've been doing illustrations, shows and commissions. This is a tiki sign i'm working on. it will be going through some changes.. but you get the idea.

Also, i finally got around to putting up an etsy site. that only took a few years :) i have some small drawings and a few paintings for sale there.

Here's a little client piece i did a few weeks back. i love pirates!

And FINALLY i got a new fancy camera... the nikon d5000. i LOVE this camera. i'm even in a photography group called "52 weeks of Love". There's a theme posted each week.. here are a few of mine...

this was my pic for Week 2: "On the Shelf" I was never into dolls as a young girl, but years ago i spied this well-loved little gal in an antique shop and had to have her. she sits on the shelf in my living room so i can look at her every day. this is Queenie ... btw, this was my first time taking the camera off of auto and going completely manual :)

Week 3: Self

Here's my self portrait. i painted my whole face with acrylics to kind of look like one of my paintings. i wish i'd had the time to paint my whole neck, chest and arms, i think this could have looked really amazing taken all the way.

Week 6: Kissy Faces

This is my husband Bunches. We celebrated 14 years together and 6 years of marriage this past Valentine's Day

Week 5 - Hearts

These are my hearts... Mr. B - my dramatic 3 year old, and Mr. D - my dramatic 5 year old

Week 12: Worm's View... took this one today in the backyard.

At any rate, i keep that camera on me at all times... it's pretty much one of my most favorite things EVER!!! Here's a shot of my little hummingbird friend that lives somewhere in our backyard and stakes claim to both of our feeders. he's a stinker and jam-packed with personality... still thinking of a name for this little guy..

And finally, here's my Sammy Cat.

In January he had a large tumor removed from his spine area that was found to be an aggressive form of cancer. we seriously can't believe how amazing his turnaround has been since the surgery. Sammy's been with me since before Bunches... he's old school... and just an all-around bad-ass cat. Love ya Samel Toe!!

anyway, that's what's been going on in my world... well, there's been a lot more, but i suppose that's why i shouldn't go so long in between blogs. until next time, thanks for reading!

a couple of new pieces...

This is going to be a really short entry... the boys are both sick and i was up all night last night catering to the needs of one or the other. now i need someone to cater to my needs for a nap.
Anway, here is my most favorite picture to date of me and the boys...

Here's a new piece i did this past week for a fellow artist, Jeff Bertrand...

And this piece is in New York for the "Things to Come" show, opening at Bold Hype Gallery tonight!

Okay, hopefully there's some sleep and some healthy children in my future.... have a great weekend everyone!

a long time away

Wow! I didn't even realize how long it's been since i've blogged on here. Time to step up my program. This summer pretty much flew by, thanks to a lot of fun, and a whole month of being incredibly sick. Dylan starts his first day of kindergarten tomorrow morning. I can't believe it, time certainly does have a habit of slipping away. SO to catch everyone up....

This summer was filled with fun and frivolity with friends. Here's a video from Wine and Wig night :) thanks girls!!



Oh and here's another tattoo that Michael got from the amazing Mr. Jason Gallo. Now he's got Mom with him for all time :)


This summer i decided to keep a sketchbook and draw from life everyday. I actually fell out of sync on it though when i got really sick... and since then, i've been so busy playing catch up with everything, i still haven't gotten back to it. But i will, it feels so good to just sketch a little bit for myself. Here's a few of them... the birdbath outside one morning...

Mr. D watching tv...
Mr. B watching cartoons....

I love to draw hands....

This summer brought a nice array of roses... which also helped keep my spirits up while i was sick.

Mr. B has taken quite the shine to painting this summer. Makes me pretty happy. Dylan has always loved to paint, and i just kind of thought maybe B wouldn't care so much about it, but he seems to really enjoy making art now.

We spent lots of nights jumping into huge pillow piles this summer.

We also visited Ventura again, which was a really nice get-a-way. Mr. B has also become quite the gardener, and had this message for my bestie Sloan:



Here's our family picture at the beach. Very fitting really, that Mr. B chose to turn his back on us, and sit 8 feet away. He is a most independent little cuss..

And here are a couple of new paintings for shows... This is "Love Potion #9". It's on display at Thinkspace Gallery for the "Love Conquers All: Artists for Equality" show.


a crop...
And this one is for "Playboy Redux" celebrating the 50 yr anniversary of the opening of the first playboy club. My painting is titled "Wisdom and Virtue"


a close up of the bunnies...



Okay, i think that's about it for now... thanks for peeking peeps!

aaarrgghhh!!!

Finished up a 2'x 3' commission piece of pirate-y goodness! I don't normally work this large so this was a treat and a good experience!

some close ups...


and this weekend was our first overnight outing as a family. We took the boys to visit Sloan, Joseph and all our friends in Ventura. I hope the weekend made great memories for the boys... Mike and I were so proud of how well they did the whole time! Here's Sloan and I dipping into the water...

Dylan playing at the water's edge. I love how the light plays on the water.

And some more pirate-y goodness came when the Wench Fiona Hackaway of Ventura surprised the boys by stopping in for a visit! Thank you Fiona!!

I made this video for Michael. I was going to give it to him as a Father's Day card... but instead I decided to just show him tonight. I realize you should tell and show the people around you how much they mean every opportunity you get. My love letter for you Hon...

Voila!

This weekend is the opening for the Lunchbox Show at the Alcove Gallery in Decatur GA. Here's my contribution to the fun! "Voila!"


And right now I'm working on a 2' x 3' commission piece. Yay! Pirates!!! Here's the sketch...

and here's some progress... this is going to take me a few more weeks. So much fun to paint this one!

We said good-bye to camp a couple of weeks back :( *sniffle* but Hello to new opportunities for two of my favorite people in the World! See you soon Sloan & Joseph!

Spring is officially here! And so is the wild mustard! I took this picture on my walk with the boys yesterday

and it's no secret that i love mustaches.... so i gave myself one with marker. it almost makes me want to put one on everyday. maybe tomorrow i could do a pencil thin John Waters number :)

hope everyone is having a lovely week, enjoy your weekend!

Real Quick

Well, first off, it's official. i'm a soccer mom.
We've also been trying to get up to Camp Wrightwood once a week. Sloan and Joseph will be moving back to Ventura in a week or two. Our fun days at CW are coming to a close. very sad about this, but it's been such an amazing opportunity for all of us!



Have gotten some fun things in the mail this week. Thank you James, for this! He knows i love me anything 70's/80's. he sent this as a get well present.

And Amanda Crum sent this notebook made from a vintage album cover. she knows i love me some Cat Stevens! I have the most amazing friends.

A commission piece i finished this past week. All my deadlines are completely screwy since i was so sick for three weeks. thank you to my clients for being SO understanding about it all! Here's the sketch... there ended up being changes to the hat...
...and here she is in paint.

And finally, Michael got his tattoo finished. Thank you again Jason! This is truly a work of art!

Okay, now back to work for me!

tattoo you

I've been sick for three weeks now. The first week was horrible sore throat/laryngitis. my voice was completely gone. week number two brought ear infections to the table and this week i have been blessed with a major case of conjuctivitis... and now it seems i'm getting a sinus infection. my face hurts. dude. fml.

Here's a piece of art "The Blessed Bird"
And last night we went to Soul Expressions Tattoo so Michael could get his very first inkin'. My incredible artist friend Jason Gallo hooked him up with this amazing sugar skull design/tattoo. Jason and I went to RCC together many moons ago, and it's so cool to have a piece of his art on hubby :) If anyone out there is looking for an amazing tattoo artist, go see him!!!



I masked my conjuctivitis for the day by pretending to be hip and wearing big sunglasses.



I can't begin to explain how amazing the detail in the piece is. This is above and beyond anything we could have imagined. Michael goes back in two weeks to finish out the color. Thank you again Jason!!!

And on a side note... my sammy cat, a.k.a. samel toe, big man, samurai, etc. is starting to noticably slow down, can't really jump up on anything without falling. it bums me out seeing him getting old. you're a good boy sam i am !! you'd better stick around awhile.