parrot scrolls on etsy

i've just added "parrot scrolls," which was included in my parrot scrolls pattern, to my etsy. check it out!

Parrot Scrolls (2012)

getting crafty

thanks to the amazingly awesome spoonflower.com, i have acquired some fabric printed with some of my illustrations.

Heart Flourish (2011)

Crested Cage (2011)

the design was too large on the first samples i ordered, so i decided to play around and try out some different uses. below is an embroidery i just completed, using the larger print. 

i think i'll do a few of these to be wall hangings. i love finding new avenues to combine fine art and decorative craft. recalling victorian pastimes, wealthy women sitting in a parlor, drinking tea and working on samplers and painting china. in my own little, slightly morbid, way.

and here is a new sample of fabric, with a much smaller print. and i decided to add a green background to the "crested cage" illustration. scarves in the making. now i just need to find the perfect fringe...

full view

here is the completed painting. painting flowers in oil is not my favorite. i'm always much happier with the results when painting flowers in watercolor. oh, well. hope you like it!

You Have Caught My Heart (2012)

more sneaking and peeking

a little more to see of "You Have Caught My Heart"

sneak peek

here is a detail glimpse of a new painting i'm working on. soon to be completed.

You Have Caught My Heart (detail) (2012)

rain and dry insides

i woke up to pleasantly dreary weather this morning, listening to raindrops drumming on the skylights. i have mixed feelings about how to go about my day when it's raining. on the one hand, i want to curl up in bed with my cat and a book or a movie and pretend like i'm a kid home sick from school. on the other hand, overcast skies are my ideal working conditions. i had big plans to finish up a painting for a show in a few weeks, but instead, after an hour or so of perusing the internet, i ended up opting for the bed, cat, and book. i may feel a little guilty, but i also finished an excellent book, riveting to the last page.

aside from reporting on my non-productive day,  i wanted to share with you an amazing artist whose site i came across. kikyz 1313 is a mexican artist whose works are subtly arresting and disturbingly beautiful. what i enjoyed most about these works were that the figures appear to be alive but are in a state of decay. the insides are revealed but they're no longer fresh, there is a dry staleness about them that i absolutely love. see for yourself.

kikyz 1313

blooming heart

my lovely friend Kat, whom I posted about below, recently got a tattoo of my "blooming heart" drawing. it came out absolutely beautiful and i am amazed at how identical it is to the drawing. thank you so much, Kat! i am truly flattered and honored that you would imbed something i created into your skin forever ♡

vote, please!

the past week has been very hectic and stressful, but in a good, productive way! i had two deadlines on the 31st, both of which i made just in time! one was an open call for a group show at a gallery on my dream-places-to-show list, and the other was for a huge national competition called Artists Wanted: Year in Review.

you can help me out by voting for the People's Choice Award.

two other amazing fellow artists also need your votes: RobRoy Chalmers, a former professor of mine from Pratt, who has taught me so much and influenced my work and my ideas of art in tremendous ways. check out more of his work here. and Kat LaRanger, whom i met my very first day at Pratt and later became my artistic soul mate and constant inspiration. check out more of her work here.

lastly, here is one of the pieces i quickly finished up for Artists Wanted:

Untitled Stain (mustard) (2012)