Happy New Year! Its takes me about a week (right on schedule here at January 7th….) to fully own and embrace the new year. A couple of days chocolate/carb/Christmas decoration hangover, a few days of nutrition/exercise/green juice guilt, a day of false starts in back to work mode and eventually a cheerful mosey into my […]
Happy Thanksgiving Week
Hello from my second lockdown to yours! It’s Thanksgiving week and it looks and feels a lot different than previous years. But you know what? There’s still pie. And there will be turkey and stuffing and it will be a very small quiet day but it’s a year of lowered (lowest?) expectations. I’m not traveling. […]
Bain de Soleil
I’ve just sent of a new batch of The Classics to Watson Kennedy in Seattle. I posted this funny memory lane image and the response was swift and resounding–apparently anyone who grew up in the 70’s or 80’s all have the same fond memories of this orange gel that was very fancy at the time. […]
En Plein Air
Do you paint en plein air? I have done it once at a festival, wrote about it my book and have thought about it ever since. Which to me is a sign, I probably want to go back to it. En plein air painting means to paint outside. The concept is that you paint what […]
Tennis Sweater
When I was in high school, I used to borrow-steal this beloved vintage tennis (cricket?) sweater from my dad’s closet. It was and remains the perfect sweater. It’s both nostalgic and classic, a perfect memory set to the soundtrack of Footloose, Breakfast Club, Flashdance and Pretty in Pink. My paintings are nostalgic. And sometimes funny […]
Beach Day
Well, not sure where you are, but where I am, it is most definitely NOT a beach day! Where I live in Ashland, OR we get summer weather: big storms, thunder, lightning, the actual bolts like Zeus is throwing a javelin, extreme heat and some nice frosty days with hail thrown in for good measure. […]
Lemonade
I’m in the mosaic zone! Collage, mosaic, patchwork, creative anthems, painted stories, whatever they’re called, I’m IN. I want to write about these came about for a couple of reasons. The primary being, in creativity, nothing is lost. Things you do or create now that seem like nothing or not satisfying, will most likely pop […]
Full Sail Ahead
It appears that the world is reopening, cautiously or with abandon, depending on where you live. My little town of Ashland, Oregon is in the slow lane and we’ve been given word that retail shops, salons, personal services can begin opening, or i should say, begin the application to open May 15th. The vibe is […]
Kindness
“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” Aesop Even though times are wrought with anxiety, sadness, worry and fear, there is profound kindness happening all around us. I see it or hear about it every day. It’s the tiny to the huge. The big tip the stranger leaves for the restaurant […]
Snail Mail Renaissance
You ok over there? I’m ok over here. Times are scary, sad, uncertain and…strangely morphing into a new normal. Day 25, day 26, 27. For me, I’ve found routine and purpose critical for this sheltering in place. In no particular order, I make the bed, do the dishes, walk the dog, cook, do the occasional […]
The New Normal
Remember when a bubble bath was a luxury because you’d been out all day or super busy and needed to destress? Yeah, me neither. Pretty sure we’re on week forever and a day of quarantine and for us here in the United States, we’re looking at least least another month. Exhale. How’s everyone holding up? […]
Sunday…Monday? Day.
Hello. I’d ask what you’re up to this Sunday but pretty sure it’s the same as me….under stay at home orders or quarantine or shelter in place. Yup. It’s a new world. What are you doing to stay sane? Or hopeful? I’m painting, walking Bella, staying in touch with people, organizing the towel cupboard, […]
Grab your bestie! Two spaces left for Paris!!! xo
Bonjour! If there is any part of you that is not so secretly craving a week in Paris, exploring, people watching, museum going, boat riding, painting and more….there are TWO SPACES left in this unique and wonderful art & travel workshop. There is time! Your hosts are Deep Travel Workshops. Your guest art instructor is […]
Top 10 Designers to Watch in 2020!
Hello from that equally slow motion and uber revved up time warp between trade shows. It’s a time where coffee in the morning is extra luxurious and slow but orders also need to be filled pronto and the day is planned strategically. I’m between Atlanta AmericasMart and Las Vegas Gift Show and appreciating every minute. […]
XO Stationery Stash
It might be less than two weeks into the new year but in the retail world…guess what is virtually tomorrow??? That’s right, Valentine’s Day! Just in case you’re the stash-that-perfect-card-away-for-the-right-occasion variety (you’re in good company), let me introduce you to a few new designs in the XO category. I’m headed off into the season of […]
Shipping in time for Christmas!
Hello and happy holidays from the studio! Are you painting? Holiday cookie baking? Shopping? Making your own Christmas decorations? Yes to all of it. I’m a big fan of things or experiences made by hand or small businesses and love the personal details that often accompany it. I have a small and sweet collection of […]
