Two shows this weekend

Some of you might remember our first Continuing On exhibit in 2010 - post and pictures from that show can be seen HERE

This Saturday we celebrate again our friendship and artwork with

Continuing On and On ...

Also view our Facebook event page HERE

Unfortunately, my camera picked the absolute worst time to die!

and because of this costly little incident you might also remember ....

I must rely completely on my phone's camera!

We began installing the show yesterday and I am very excited to share a new piece I've been working on....

A life size dress made entirely of paint and painting medium!

Anyone in the Chicago area please join us this Saturday night!

And as incredible as it is, I am honored to participate in a show which also opens this Saturday at

  Ann Street Gallery in Newburgh, NY.

The show is, Gendered Object: Barbie As Art

so you guessed it...

 "Pink Cupcake"

put her traveling clothes on and will be showing though June 30th.

She is thrilled!

Painting Bombed!

How tragic ...

Work and work and it just explodes - so sad 

But move on I must ....

 with a white paper bag

wait - white? :)

yes...

"White"  

How colorful those whites can be!

Sold

8x10

another new 4"x4" present available next, plus more news soon ...
as always, thank you for staying tuned!

up next ...

I'm thinking Spring in Chicago (with ice ultimately to fall on new buds) and Nancy Switzer's delicious reflective paintings - love love love!

have a great weekend!

"Fourth" and "Fifth"

This entire series and the process of using a tiny painting to paint a larger one has been amazing for me!

"Fourth" 48x48

Available

"Fifth" 48x48

Available

It was such a great experience translating tiny brushstrokes into large areas of flat color .... 

and though it's a departure from my normal painting style...

 I am IN LOVE with how the exaggerated areas of paint and color ... 

emphasize how color shapes come together to make the image ....

and of course, the paint is so thick and buttery, I just want to eat it! :)

Once Upon A Time, continued ...

When we last saw our Turquoise family, they were eagerly awaiting the arrival of "Fourth"

What the family didn't realize, was that this tale was about to repeat in the biggest way ....

TWINS!

not identical twins mind you, but fraternal, "Fourth" and "Fifth" 

both a whopping 48x48 

"Fourth" more closely resembling her older sister "Third," and "Fifth" the spitting image of his older brother "Second"

detail picture of "Fourth"

Close inspection of the twins reveals strong similarities though, especially in their voracious appetites - tube after tube of paint!

detail picture of "Fifth"

So ...

 as our twins continue to develop and I rush off for more paint, I am excited to share that "Neha"

was selected for a group show at the Woman Made Gallery in Chicago.  I am very honored to be included in the exhibit which opens this Friday night.

Click HERE for more details on the show and reception.

and stay tuned for the arrival of the twins!! :)

This is a story about love repeating ....

Once Upon a Time ...

a beautiful turquoise bow wanted to see the world ...

(Sold 6x8)

so "First" was born.

Though eager to begin her journey, "First" simply didn't feel complete on her own.....

and decided she needed a tiny baby brother

(Sold 4x4)

Who was named "Second."

"Second" turned out to be much bolder and more dramatic than his delicate older sister "First," in spite his small size.

It was thought his boldness might have developed as a result of being re-created second from "First!"

Desperate and excited to test this theory again, "First" and "Second" pleaded for another sibling... 

and to everyone's delight, a new even spunkier girl named "Third" joined the family!

(Sold 6x6)

Overcome with joy for their new sister, the siblings celebrated!

Now you might think our happy family would end the story here, but such is not the case.  

"First" and "Second" knew right away that their flirtatious sister "Third" had bigger things in her future.  So the two convinced the new baby girl to strike out on her own and discover just how far she could stretch her boundaries.

(available soon 48"x48")

And the story of "Fourth" begins!

To Be Continued ...

December was a blur, welcome 2012!!

December was pet trauma month.

It began with Henry getting sick on the 15th.

We had to put our beloved cat D-con to sleep on the 19th.

It all coincided with a new chicken jerky treat they both ate.

  

Henry continued to get worse, in and out of the vet, until it was determined emergency surgery was necessary.

We can not be certain that the chicken jerky treats caused both D-con and Henry's sudden illness, but I have since learned that these treats, especially those made in China, have been reported as the cause of numerous illnesses and deaths in pets, so I thought I would pass along a caution to anyone out there who might have furry family members.  

new paintings to follow soon .... 

and finally the good news that "Clay" 

won "Best of Show" this past Friday night, at The Highland Park Art Center's annual competition. The show will be up for the month of January.  I am overjoyed to have received such an honor and a great start to 2012!

Thank you all for such a wonderful 2011, and a belated happy holidays and happy new year!

Biscuits or Rolls?

I haven't even gotten my shopping list together for Thanksgiving yet!!!! 

Am I alone here on this one? (resounding YES!)

I'm assuming most everyone has listed, shopped, and probably MADE half your meal, but just incase you're a biscuit vs roll household, here's my latest recipe for these buttery delights.

I continuously tweak this recipe in search of the perfect combo of flavors, so pass along all your secret ingredients!  

Neha

Neha is next in my portrait series.  She is another close friend of mine, and also an artist here in Chicago.  I am really lucky to have a great network of friends and artists that are willing to participate in this series.  You can check out her art and website HERE.  

This is a how the portrait came together:

Working from a photo that I've cropped to a square, I half my panel vertically and horizontally to find the center, and measure to find the center of the photo, which happens to be just under Neha's nose.  This gives me a starting point for drawing in the shapes.

(this photo was taken at night so it's a little off in color)

I've developed a habit of starting with the eye in light, then work my way out, trying to see each neighboring piece of color.

 Attempting to place these flat blocks of color right next to each other hopefully in the exact area I want them to go, then leave alone - no blending. 

Continuing out and around until finally piecing in her hair, hat and background.  Adding strong red outlining around her shoulders and neck, and the final bits of contrasting color.  

Thanks for reading! 

Hummmm ... now who's next? :)

Pink Cupcake

So ..... Barbie on a cupcake?  

I better not try to explain this one :)