Yay!

"Higher Love" 4"x4" painting.

Good news! Christophe will be coming home from the hospital today. They found out that he has a cyst that has been pressing on his nerve causing all of the terrible pain. The bad news is that he will need to go back to the hospital on Monday for surgery -- the day before my birthday. :( But this is a small price to pay for his recovery.

Also, they have a computer lab on his hospital wing, and he was able to read all of your comments and well-wishes. These meant a LOT to him considering that he had to spend so much time alone in the hospital as our families are far away. Thank you!!! Have a beautiful day.

Finished 4some Tiny Portrait

Commissioned Tiny Portrait 5.5x7 inches.

I finished the teeny tiny cut paper flowers, and I'm very happy with the result! Once again, I had a ball creating the details on these tiny outfits. The polka dots were my favorite. I thought that it would be difficult doing a foursome, but these ladies had such an air of happiness and friendship about them, that they resonated together very easily. My next tiny portrait will be of my little baby Nicky. :)

Here is a close-up of the flowers.

Work in Progress

The sun is shining today at last, and I am so enjoying the spring air! Thought I would share my current work in progress. It's a tiny portrait grouping of four friends. I'm excited to start the flowers (which will be made of cut patterned paper). Hope you are having a sunny day, too, where you are.

So Many Castles to Build

"So Many Castles to Build" original 6x7 inch mixed media painting on wood. Available here.

The hot weather we've been having in New York is getting me in the beachy mood! I finished this piece today and feel like doing more beach scenes. This one was so much fun. I've been working on my figurative paintings lately... trying to get the right balance between realism and whimsy. This little girl was painted almost entirely from my imagination, and I like the way she turned out. When I was little I used to fill sketchbooks with little outfits. And, I must say, a part of me likes to paint people just to dress them in patterned clothing of cut paper and paint. Wish I could make my own clothes this way, too... (not very practical, I'm afraid).

Found Art Friday: TASTE!

"Ice Cream Girl" 5.5x7.5 painting on wood by Cathy (me). Available here as a print on ETSY.

After mulling over the idea of "taste" to no avail, I went upstairs to paint with Annabelle and found myself drawing a pink ice cream cone! The "Ice Cream Girl" was born!

"Neat Freak Pizza" by Veronica Diago. This awesome pizza painting was inspired by a picnic Veronica took this week with her little girl. Apparently her little one isn't as much of a 'neat freak' as mommy. :) Are they ever???!

"Yummy" by Christophe. Again, Christophe has made me laugh. This is a photo of a dinner he made for us last week. For me, it truly was a work of found art because I was very pleasantly surprised to find this dinner cooking when I came back from the park with the babies. I had to laugh when I saw Christophe exchanging our usual plates for these fancier ones. I was like... what are you doing??! Then I remembered. Found Art Friday. He is so funny.

"Tasty" by Emma. Emma was inpsired to create this deliciously green piece after going horseback riding. I love the heart on that little horse. So sweet!

A beautiful table with handmade centerpiece by Gina. So restful and lovely. I wish I had been there for the mimosas!!

BIG NEWS

Thank you all SO very much for participating in this week's Found Art Friday. I have some good news that hopefully will not feel like bad news. This is going to be my last Found Art Friday post (sniff) My friend, Melissa Moss, and I have decided to launch a brand new blog dedicated to collections of themed artwork. We were inspired by both Found Art Friday and our own wish to challenge ourselves to create and share artwork on a regular basis. The new site will be called THEME ADDICT (like 'thematic' ), and it will be a monthly rather than weekly collection of art on the same theme. I hope that my dear Found Art Friday participants will join us for more themed art sharing & community over at the new site. It will be bigger and better!!

I will provide more news about THEME ADDICT in the coming week, so stay tuned!!! Hugs to you!

We Love You Mommy

"We Love You Mommy" new original painting available here.

I couldn't help myself. I had to paint another set of owls. This particular one really pulls at my heartstrings. It reminds me, of course, of my own little 'owls' (that love me even though they sometimes stand on my head).

25% Off Sale Ends Today

Today marks the final day of my 2009 SPRING SALE! Original paintings will still be 25% off until today (4/21) at midnight!

http://www.cathynichols.com

Enjoy!