Counting My Blessings

"Counting my Blessings" original 24x24 inch painting on 1 and 3/4 inch cradled wood panel. Original for sale here.

This is my new, more abstract piece, and it expresses a sentiment close to my heart: gratitude (our FAF theme next month!). Sometimes we can get bogged down in the little things that don't work out during the day and we forget to be grateful for everything that is already going just right. I think of those right things as bright colors melded into a quilt that keeps us warm and supported behind the scenes. In this piece, I've literally counted... up to the infinity symbol. The different forms of numbers add some variety and keep the eye moving around the painting.

I'm grateful for many things, but today I want to give a special thank you to Dana over at her blog Leilaloo for posting my interview in her ongoing series about balance and motherhood. I love Dana's artwork, and this series is a great topic because, let's face it - it's not easy to balance any kind of career (let alone a creative one) with being a mom.

And another BIG thank you to everyone who has already purchased one of my calendars. They are almost sold out, and I am so grateful to everyone who chose to spend 2011 with me. :) I have to mention the calendars here because my husband, Christophe, is now making fun of all of my posts about them.

I've also just posted the original Autumn in New York painting on my etsy site. It's now for sale here.

Wishing you and your family a happy and safe Halloween!!

2011 Paintings Chosen for Calendar

I've had so many requests to see the paintings chosen for my 2011 Calendar, that I finally had to succomb to the popular demand (plus, I LOVE to turn over calendar in the stores to see what's inside). Here they are. I hope you like my selections. There are still a few more calendars left at my Etsy shop. Click here to buy.

Decor8 2011 Calendar Round-Up

Just wanted to shout out a big "Thank You" to Holly at Decor8 for featuring my 2011 Calendar in her annual round-up this year. I feel so honored to be among such gorgeous creations. Click here to check out the rest!

And, less joyously, I have decided to forgo Found Art Friday this month as I am completely and utterly overwhelmed. No other way to put it. :( I so adore puting the FAFs together, but Halloween, my upcoming show (post on that coming soon) and, of course, getting ready for the holidays, I barely have time to sleep. But please don't abandon FAF. There will be one next year, and, in honor of Thanksgiving, the theme for November will be GRATITUDE. :)

Autumn in New York

12x24 inch original encaustic painting: "Autumn in New York"

panoramic large prints available here

Okay, this one is my new favorite. It took me an entire afternoon just to cut the paper out for the trees, and let's not even mention the fact that I etched EVERY single window with my metal stylus so that the buildings would be 3D. Aside from this efforts, I am just really happy with this piece: the colors, the theme of Central Park, and the sky (modelled after the many beautiful sunrises and sunsets I have been watching lately from my bedroom window).

I haven't yet photographed the original on the wall, but when I do it will be for sale in my Etsy shop.

2011 Calendars are here!

Yay! My 2011 Calendars are here, and I think they are the prettiest calendars I have produced so far. I've titled 2011, "You Are Wonderful" because it's exactly how I feel about anyone who would buy a calendar featuring 13 of my paintings! Also, I think it's a nice cover for a gift - who doesn't smile when opening a calendar that says you're wonderful?!

This calendar has mostly images that I've painted over the last 12 months and all but "december" are encaustic pieces. A big thanks to my husband for scanning the calendars in full today so that I could showcase the 'calendar' part of the images. The scanner he used was fantastic and really captured the vibrancy of my colors.

If you'd like to purchase a calendar, they are now for sale right here. But, hurry, because I've only made 25 of them and Christophe sold the one he scanned while scanning it... :)

The Dreamlife of Winter

"The Dreamlife of Winter"

16x20 inch original encaustic & mixed media on 1 3/4 inch wood panel. For sale here.

This is the sequel to my painting, "Autumn Lullaby." In that piece, I was imagining that Autumn was a time when the earth was "falling" asleep. Then I thought that winter - with its long, frozen hibernation - might be a time not only of sleep but of dreams. What would the earth be dreaming about? This is my interpretation. So, while there is a winter scene at first glance, upon closer examination, we can also see flowers, butterflies and birds hidden in the icy colors. On the bottom of the panel, I added the word "DREAM" in color (so it is really hidden from most viewers who look at the painting head-on; it is beneath the surface like dreams themselves).

Nothing is Truly Lost

"Nothing is Truly Lost" - 6x6 inch encaustic painting on 1 3/4 inch wood panel. Prints for sale here. (The original will be available on November 1st. )

This is my new encaustic piece. I woke up a few mornings ago before dawn, thinking about the leaves blowing on the wind. Then I had this image of a tree cut through with missing leaves while one leaf was being squired away by a resourceful bird for his new nest. The word "HOPE" in the tree was an added bonus. I just found this piece of paper lying around with the word on it and thought, perfect! It was meant to be. But I do like the sentiment of this piece very much. It makes me think about our emotional history that falls away like dying leaves in autumn. And sometimes we mourn these losses. But it's important to remember that they are never truly lost or gone from the world. Even a brown leaf, withered and faded from its former brilliance, can be used to build something new: a blanket for the frozen ground, a plaything for children... a nest.