The Vivid Fog

Oh it's been a while! April flew by and now we're rounding the corner into June...


My big weekend was only a week ago, but it feels like months. The Vivid Fog opened in Asheboro with a wonderful crowd. Somehow all the paintings were hung beautifully, the paint was dry, cookies were baked, and we even managed to have some real fog via dry ice! I was so happy with everything! I saw lots of people from my Asheboro days and some more new friends from Greensboro too. Four paintings sold at the opening, and since then I've heard that two more have found new homes too!





Emma, aka the greatest helper in the world, came to the show early and helped arrange the "poetry-ee's" with Hollis.



Here I am with my friend Carla. She and her husband, Toaster, took some of these awesome pictures.


And here I am again with my friend, Hollis. She helped me SO much with this show and I am grateful to her! She took the rest of these awesome pictures.


After the opening, Dave and I scarfed down some pizza with my parents at The Flying Pig, a new establishment in A-town. I was impressed! Even better than that part-- I ran into about 4 people that I graduated with (nearly 10 years ago!). They all looked the same, which is fabulous because it means we haven't aged a bit since we were 18!



After pizza at "the pig," we hopped in the car and drove to Raleigh for the night. Artsplosure festival was the next day, and even more paintings and giclee prints sold there! I was completely impressed with the festival. The artists there had really beautiful things and the show ran like butter! I'll most certainly be back. Speaking of butter, I'm off to bake a cake for Dave's birthday-- which is tomorrow!

Bright and early at Artsplosure 2010!

Plein Air Birthday...

The week of my birthday, I gleefully hopped in my car and buzzed down to Faytteville for a plein air workshop with artist Diane Johnson. It was a birthday gift to myself--and a swift kick in the pants as far as motivation goes. The ride down was full of heavy traffic (because Fayetteville is nasty like that), but once I arrived at Cape Fear Studios, I just fell in love with painting all over again.

On Friday night, we had a brief meet and greet, and then I stayed up half the night reading my latest Jodi Piccoult novel and eating jelly beans. In spite of my midnight novel rendezvous, I woke up early Saturday morning and met all the painter ladies to travel to a breathtaking farm outside of the city.



I immediately settled on the subject of a beautiful tree-line and a perfect reflection in the still lake behind the farmhouse. It was a gray day, but that worked in our favor because it shielded us from the glaring sun. I was so excited to find this composition-- mainly because I've been looking at a series that Monet did of a similar subject. If I lived on that farm, I would paint this scene on a daily basis-- or realistically--at least several times a year!

When I was about 75% finished with this painting, it started to rain. It wasn't a horrible ran though, so I was able to finish it before packing it in for lunch.



After lunch, I watched Diane give a demo and I was completely inspired for my next painting-- another view of the lake and the trees. This one was harder because the light kept shifting. Sun would come out and then hide again, and the wind started picking up and disturbing the reflections in the lake. I'm still happy with the result in spite of the difficulties.





We packed everything up on Saturday and gorged ourselves on local strawberries and other delicious food. I had to stop on my trip back home to purchase a whole box of the fresh strawberries. There is NOTHING like a vine-ripe strawberry warmed in the sunshine-- nothing. Once Dave and I move into a house again, I want to learn how to make strawberry jam. It may be a next summer project, but I can hardly stop thinking about it even now.





Sunday was more of a challenge. I woke up to ominous cloudy skies and a whipping wind. At the studios, we reluctantly decided not to make our pilgrimage to the botanical gardens for another painting day. All the ladies were smart enough to stay inside and learn about color mixing except for me--- I ventured out into the 20 mph gusts with my brush. I'm just like that-- stubborn.



I was out there long enough to pick a composition and being a blustery painting-- but then my palette started to blow away-- trailing paint all over everything. I cleaned up what I could and then shoved all of it in the trunk of my car. Oh well. Later in the week, I returned to finish it up and it's currently one of my favorite little paintings! There is definitely movement in the work, but I made it look much more sunny and bright than it actually was.

When the workshop ended, I came home to a wonderful home-cooked meal from Dave-- It was part of my birthday surprise. At 27, I have this to say-- I am lucky, I am happy, I am blessed, I am content, and I am grateful.

Last weekend I was driving around with the sun-roof down and the Dixie Chicks cranked up when I caught myself doing something my mother always did. I was tapping my hand on my knee… over and over and over again-- just like Mom used to in the minivan. For some reason, that drove me completely crazy in middle school. I thought everything she did was embarrassing and I’m sure I told her in no uncertain terms. Yet there I was… doing that crazy “un-cool” hand jive.

In honor of my wonderful mother and her subconscious hand-jive, I wanted to focus on Mother’s Day. It’ll be here before you can shake a stick at it—May 9th. Fortunately, you still have time to thank Mom for all her little eccentricities and for putting up with lord-knows-what from you.


My favorite Mother’s Day gift idea is from Suzi Cook and her one-of-a-kind jewelry creations. A Greensboro artist and mother of one, Suzi’s Mama Medals celebrate mothers everywhere and give credit to their daily heroic efforts. “Motherhood was more than I ever expected as far as how hard it was and the weight of responsibility it carried,” said Suzi. She created her first Mama Medal from a stray domino years ago to celebrate the milestone of her son’s second birthday. “Those two years were a difficult transition and I was proud to make it through!,” she said.” The Mama Medal recognizes achievements of motherhood with fun and funky style!


As her son grew and began to draw, Suzi developed a technique to capture his art in metal. She creates custom bracelets, pendants and brooches from children’s line drawings for mothers around the country. This offers cool mom’s everywhere a way to proudly display their child’s creativity. Starting at $68, these can be custom ordered from Suzi’s Etsy site (http://www.suzicook.etsy.com).


For the mother who has everything, check out Suzi’s hand-embroidered necklaces combining the delicacy of embroidered thread with chunkier chains and beads. These one-of-a-kind babies are featured at Art and Artifacts Gallery (http://www.artandartifactsbr.com/) in Blowing Rock, N.C. “They are fun, whimsical and different… not something you see everyday!” said the artist.


To see more jewelry by the talented Suzi Cook, visit her blog, Frills and Whimsy (http://frillsandwhimsy.blogspot.com/).

Shin-diggity-dog!

What, pray tell, is a shindig you ask? In essence it’s a dance, a celebration, a party full of merrymaking and exuberance! The best part of all is that this one is free! On Sunday, May 2nd in Downtown Greensboro at the 300 block of South Elm St., local artists, musicians, dancers and delicious restaurants will converge to offer you the best that Greensboro has to offer.

Over 80 artists, crafters and vintage sellers are joining together to display and sell their latest creations. Many of the artists are part of a new Greensboro movement called Handmade Triad. If you’re tired of mass-produced-made-in-China products cluttering our lives and our landfills come check out what these local artists have to offer. They’re real people using their hearts and minds to create beautiful art that will withstand the test of time. For a sneak preview of the goods, view the Handmade Triad website (http://www.handmadetriad.com/).

Eight bands will liven up the afternoon featuring music by Holy Ghost Tent Revival, Filthybird, Decoration Ghost and more. Their sounds range from blue-grassy and soulful to straight up rock and roll. Food from Zaytoons, Iron Hen (my new favorite restaurant), Fincastles, and Thai Pan will keep you fat and sassy and handcrafted local beer from Natty Greene’s will quench your thirst in the sweet sunshine.

The Shindig is an event associated with Art Beat Greensboro, the third annual celebration of local art that features over 60 events in 10 days. Theater, music and visual art events pack the calendar from April 30-May 9 thanks to professional arts organizations that call our city home. To see other Art Beat events in town, visit www.artbeatgreensboro.org and for more information on The Shindig, visit the blog of Mischief Makers816 (http://mischiefmakers816.blogspot.com/).

Art appreciation & Art communication

This painting excites me. It takes me right back to 7th grade when I was discovering that I could make a beautiful thing out of a few basic materials (markers, paper, tape, gule). Art lets you communicate without saying a word. That's what I've always loved about it. Even if you have a horrid fear of public speaking or there's something you can't say in person, you can still make a painting that tells your story for you-- while you stand back with a shy smile.

Art is such a fascinating way to communicate. For the longest time, art was so personal to me-- so ingrained in my very nature and self-identity, that I had a difficult time talking about it. The funny thing is-- everyone wants to ask you about your art! That's perfectly normal... it's just that talking about one's art is sometimes like airing dirty laundry or owning up to your secret hopes, dreams and fears to the lady at the DMV counter. It's not always an easy task.

I find a lot of artists composing complicated and lofty artist statements that seem to do nothing but lead their viewers down convoluted paths of confusion. I don't like that approach. If an artist statement contains the words "blur the boundaries between art and life" I'm no longer interested. Anyone can speak art-speak. It takes a lot more courage to speak from the heart.

To me, art is simple-- I don't paint for shock-value or to push the boundaries. I paint because I love to paint. I choose imagery that compels me to preserve it on canvas. I exaggerate colors, light, lines and moods that speak to me personally with the high hopes that others might appreciate those same things too.

Appreciating a painting is like appreciating a meaty little poem or a well-written work of fiction. When I find something impressive, I think- wow! I know exactly what she's talking about... I know what she's trying to say and she's said it beautifully and elegantly...That's all there is to it.

Cake Wrecks and Cup-cakes

One of the funniest sites I've run across this year is cake wrecks (http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/). I get a huge kick out of messed-up-cakes as long as they're not mine. Yesterday I had an order to bake cupcakes for a birthday party. I did what smart bakers NEVER do-- I tried a new recipe the day of my order. What resulted was a cupcake-spread that resembled more of a sheet-cake than perky little cupcakes.





I sulked for a bit, ate a few of the ruined edges (delicious!) and then ran out to the grocery store so that I could try again. Apparently I did something wrong in the mixing process and overfilled my cupcake pan. There's a chance the heat in my oven is off too-- but it's not THAT off, mind you.

The second recipe I used was an old-faithful cupcake-recipe from Smitten Kitchen's blog (http://smittenkitchen.com/). Her work never fails and the cupcakes came out beautifully! They were perky, fluffy, sweet and warm--everything homemade cupcakes should be.





I decorated them with gerber daisy icing flowers and then added these happy-go-lucky bumble bees that have goofy smiles. You can't look at them without smiling... I dare you...


I always learn by example-- failure failure failure and then ta-da, something clicks. Note to self-- give yourself enough time to mess up so that you can figure out how to make things right!

Emily's Bridal Bouquet

Who doesn't love weddings? I know I do. I love seeing every last detail that the bride picked out, especially her dress and her flower bouquet. Last year I began painting bridal bouquets for brides and for very special wedding gifts. This is an example of a recent commission for a bouquet painting. The goal is not to capture every last detail, but instead to capture the moment-- the joy-- a symbol to help you remember your special day.

The colors play a crucial part. Usually a bride or a couple will choose some of their favorite colors for their wedding flowers and decorations. These are always meant to be an expression of the couple getting married. Capturing those colors in a painting for the couple's home is a great way to ensure that they can use their wedding colors in a sentimental accent piece.




I usually work from a wedding photograph or an engagement photograph. Above is an example of the framed piece along with the photograph inspiration and a handmade card. When opened, the card includes a pop-up flower that is the same type of flower found in the bride's bouquet. I am so honored to be part of these special wedding gifts and I want every last detail to be extra special.