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.

Till the Stars Fall Down

"Till the Stars Fall Down" - Encaustic and mixed media on 1 3/4 inch panel. Prints for sale here.

This is my brand new encaustic piece -- it features the Brooklyn Bridge with a view of Manhattan. It took me about a million years to paint the sky and stars just right with wax. Plus I dripped clear wax downward onto the painting for a 'falling star' feeling. I really love this one... not sure about my favorite part, but it may just be the groovy water that I added at the last minute.

Happy Found Art Friday: CHANGE

This is a BIG change for me! This is my first foray into JEWELRY! These two pendants are created from my paintings: "When One Door Closes, Another Opens," and "Pretty Lady." Each piece is set in a silver square and coated with glossy resin. And, at the suggestion of my friend, Lisa, at Caffe Portofino, I've dangled them on simple leather cords. Buy one here!

Gorgeous drawing for "Change" by Claire -- who is in the oppostite time zone from us here in the United States. For Claire, the season change is Spring, not Autumn, and she has fittingly rendered a floral tree!

Beautiful "Change" painting by Esther. And I love her blog post about this process of creation. So cool. Thank you, Esther, for contributing this lovely piece.

Autumn Lullaby

"Autumn Lullaby" 8x10 Encaustic & Mixed Media on Cradled Wood Panel

Prints for sale here.

This is a new painting I finished today (the children are back in school!). It was inspired by thinking about our "change" theme for this month's Found Art Friday. I was thinking, of course, about the change of seasons and the word "Fall" in particular. I started thinking that Autumn was like the earth falling asleep for the cold hiberation of winter. So I incorporated music into the painting to convey a lullaby for this restful slumber.

Please join us for FAF this Friday. This may be my entry, though I do have another "change" I might be able to share as well!! Send me your blog link or jpeg, and I will post your creative interpretation of "change" at the end of the week.

ETA 8 Opens Tonight!

The wonderful Enormous Tiny Art Show opens tonight at the Nahcotta Gallery in Portsmouth, NH. I have 7 pieces in the show, and 4 are still available for sale! If you are uable to get to Nahcotta, you can still purchase any of the great paintings online at the Enormous Tiny Art website.