A brand new LOGO for a brand new year!

My new logo!

Hi friends, I've been thinking a lot about branding lately, and I have decided that 2011 will be the year that I take my work and my "brand" (me?) to a new level. For many years, I have been too busy creating artwork to give any concerted thought to marketing myself. My 'logo' has consisted of my name slapped across any one of my painting images and used as a banner, facebook icon and/or business card (sometimes all 3 have been different!). And this year, when the bag & luggage company, Sherpani, began using my artwork for their catalogue and advertising, I realized it was time to become more consistent and professional. So here is my new logo! I hope that you like it. I've tweaked it a bit for the banner, but the base is above. I like it because it is designed entirely by hand using my encaustic process, and I've "branded" myself as primarily a wax artist.

As I embark upon this new marketing push, I will share my journey with you on the blog. I know there are many artists out there struggling to promote themselves in the same way, so this will likely prove interesting to everyone!

In the meantime, wishing you a joyous and bright New Year!!

Spreading My Wings

"Spreading My Wings" - 12x12 inch original encaustic painting on 1 and 3/4" cradled wood panel

Original is sold, but prints available here.

This is a new piece -- a commission - that I finished yesterday. This is one of my all-time favorite commissions because the woman I created it for had such a poetic and clear way of explaining the story behind the painting she wanted me to dream up. This piece is for her daughter (she actually has paintings of mine for several children), and it is meant to represent her transition from school to life ahead. So I imagined her as a bird leaving the safety of her little loving birdcage in the woods to fly to new heights in the big city. I added little touches like the ruler, pencil and half-filled out standardized scoring sheet to symbolize her school days .... though you can't see it too well here, the pencil is drawing out the word "dream." As a final touch, I added a 'diamond' (well a rhinestone!) in the sun in honor of the recipient's birthstone for April. :)

Box of Rain

"Box of Rain." Acrylic on Wood. (original is sold)

I painted"Box of Rain" a few years ago, but it has emerged in my consciousness lately. And I know that it's been on my mind because the weather inside of me is as rainy as the weather outside right now. I feel as though my heart and mind are a 'box of rain' that is on the verge of overflowing like a huge cumulous cloud in a thunder storm. But when I look at this painting, it reminds me that rain -- much like the sunshine in my last FAF painting -- can also bring flowers. Both the rain and the sun are agents of growth, and as an artist, it's important to honor both sides of the emotional spectrum. So today I am paying homage to the rain. Here are the lyrics to the Grateful Dead song that inpsired the title (and the feeling). I love this song - it feels like the box is a gift.