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This is the final piece in a series of portraits I’ve painted to honor my best friends. As I worked steadily from November through March, in the appropriate succession of birthdays, the pieces evolved to reflect the processes I’m interested in. I began with small intimate portraits on wood panels; first oil pastels, then acrylics. I worked from favorite snapshots that I felt reflected a part of each personality. (see other portraits here.) In the last two I moved from painting on a white canvas-type surface to found paintings gleaned from Goodwill. Starting with an image that reminded me of that friend helped prompt a more expressive, free-flowing dynamic. This last portrait of my friend Paola began with a child’s painting of a bird. It made me think of Paola’s spirit and energy, and wonder what she would look like as a bird. I painted with no other reference and was terrified at first– like walking out onto a tightrope. But as I let it carry me along I ended up thoroughly enjoying the process, remembering the first feelings of how it is to create with such freedom. As a fellow artist, Paola has always reminded me to be true to my heart and do the work I truly love. Thanks, girl!

Just completed a project to re-design the chalkboard at work. Thrive is a raw-food restaurant that promotes health and vitality… I figured the piece that takes up the most real-estate on the wall should reflect that! (Board measures roughly 4ft x 5ft)

Both pieces acrylic on birch plywood, interior image 8″x8″, frame 14″x14″

7″x 12″ Acrylic on found tole-painted cutting board. (Flowers from original painting)

6″x6″ acrylic on birch plywood

6″x6″ acrylic on birch plywood

6″x6″ acrylic & oil pastel on birch plywood

I just finished this illustration (approx. 24″x24″, oil pastel on wood panel) for local folk musician Mike Greenleaf. I had illustrated and designed his last two CDs earlier this year (click here for that post). His new album, “Grandpa’s Dream” is currently in the works. I used Senellier brand oil pastels over an acrylic underpainting to achieve the vibrant color Mike was looking for in this piece. A fun project, & hopefully will provide some inspiration as he continues to write songs for the album!

A Giclee print is a high-end fine art reproduction of an original painting. The word Giclee (zhee-clay) is derived from the French word “to squirt,” and refers to the inkjet printing process. Not to be confused with personal deskjet digital prints, here’s what sets Giclees apart:

Pigments are used instead of dyes for a richer color that won’t fade. In fact, they have been UV tested to ensure that they will resist fading for over 100 years.

The printers used have a higher color range, (8-12 colors) instead of the usual 4-color printers. This means a better match to the original than any other process.

For each original artwork that is photographed, the artist works closely with the printer in the color-correction phase to ensure that the print matches the original.

Giclees are printed on 100% cotton rag paper, meaning that there is no acidic wood pulp to break down the image over time.

Limited edition prints, signed and numbered by the artist are valuable pieces in their own right and are the standard used by art galleries and museums.

Haven’t posted in awhile, been getting my head around some new ideas. This economy’s got me thinking of the opportunities presented by adversity– Lately been inspired by the kind of creativity and resourcefulness that emerges like a hidden well out of seemingly uncomfortable situations. The new perspectives that change brings…

mixed media: oil pastel, napkin, jewel case

I just realized, too, that the kind of black and white photos I’ve been collecting and working from for years come from the Depression Era… any time I talk to someone who has lived through that I am struck by their gutsy, can-do attitudes and the way they don’t take anything for granted. In the same way, I’m interested in cultures who would save bits and pieces of what we would consider garbage, making little shrines and treasures out of it. What I see in these people, too, is a happiness that I wouldn’t have expected– a certain sort of camaraderie that money can’t buy, but the lack of money can create.

mixed media: found twigs, acrylic, jewel case on found board

acrylic on book “Genghis Khan and His Mongol Horde”

I’ve taken to pairing found photos with found objects, because both are filled with histories I can only guess at. My job as an artist is to hint at the mystery while drawing out what I find beautiful about the objects themselves. I’m cheating with this one in that I know it’s my mom and dad’s car, but I don’t know anything else about the context of this moment, or how the photo even ended up in my hands. It keeps floating around in jewelry boxes or between the pages of books, begging to be noticed… it wasn’t until I found this cupboard door to paint it on that I truly appreciated the monochromatic greens of the photo.