Small Update

I haven't been on the computer this week because it is winter break for my daughter and I've had some other running around to do with my art. If you want to see some pics from the week go to www.keenescene.blogspot.copm to see pics from my camera phone. The first two pics are of Vaughan Gallery in Portsmouth NH, which I visited yesterday and hung my new blue pieces which you can see in the photo. The others are of SNOW.

but I needed to post today that my workshop tomorrow at the Sharon Art Center has been postponed due to weather. The new class date is March 22nd. There are still some opening for the class too so if anyone would like to sign up: Call 603-924-7256 x 305 or email melanie@sharonarts.org to register.

I have also started a new drawing which I will show you all soon.

Something for me!

I think I've mentioned I've decided to make myself a studio... we have this little grubby room in our house behind the stairs on the lower level. It has a small window, a space that could be a closet (but has no doors), a secret opening in the wall to access under the stairs (ok its a hole in the wall), and it is only about 9 feet x 10 feet. :-) Top that off with the bookcase my husband created out of 2 x 4's, without a level, and the room reminded me of the Weasley's house, the Burrow, in Harry Potter.

To commemorate this amazing event, I commissioned Paula Pertile, a very imaginative illustrator, to create an illustration of my own Burrow studio under the stairs. I haven't gotten it yet, but she's finished it and its up on her blog. Go take a look! http://drawingafineline.blogspot.com/2008/02/new-piece.html

Paula did an amazing job on this. I'd say that she took what I said I wanted and hit it spot on - but she did more than that. She exceeded my expectations in the hundreds and made something much more than I could have imagined. Thank you Paula!

Blast from the Past - Sort Of

This is what I worked on this week. It is a commissioned piece for someone who bought another one and wanted a set.

Besides doing that piece, I've been working on framing. Oh boy... not something I enjoy doing, but not something I like to pay for either.

I have some big deadlines coming up: I'll be the featured artist at the Sharon Art Center Juried Gallery in Peterborough next month, so I will be bringing a large collection of my work there. As soon as I have the collection gathered together and framed, I'll take a picture of them.

I will also be bringing 2 of my blue pieces to Vaughan Gallery in Portsmouth New Hampshire next week & I've brought new pieces to Monadnock Gallery in Keene, NH. So if you have been to these galleries before, its time to go see what's new.

& last but not least my youngest daughter turned 5 last weekend and this coming up Sunday she will be having a princess party at our house with her preschool friends. I've been trying to get ready for that, but I don't think you can ever prepare well enough for little birthday parties. At least she wants a princess party - I can remember my older daughter's 6th birthday party - Hawaiin - and how we tried to learn how to hula dance from a dvd and me running the show at the party... well let's just say that the other mothers that stayed had a laugh. Hula dancing is not my strongest talent.

Nothing Can Rescue Me

& here it is finished.

The title is from the spine of one of the books. I like how the broken pieces on the bottom of the box just don't make sense. Did the cup just fall apart and land on the bottom of the box? Did someone try to fix it, hang it back up, to only fall apart again? It really doesn't make sense - just the kind of thing that makes me happy.

Maggie Stiefvater just gave me a link to James Gurney's blog, the illustrator of the children's book Dinotopia. Not only is he amazing his blog is even more amazing. Every realist's trick! Take a look if you haven't before.

http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2008-01-21T14%3A00%3A00-05%3A00&max-results=15

more red.

I can't tell you how frustrated I am at how this thing photographs. What is it with reds? I've made a beautiful subtle red here - not the neon glowing one my camera displays! Oh well... you'll have to take my word that this looks so much better in person. I decided to not try and fix the levels in photoshop and just show you the weird light filled pics the way the camera spit them out. Well actually I tried several ways to fix it and gave up. :(

I've got some steps there for you too.