Also...Renegade Craft Fair

This weekend...Be sure to check out the Renegade Craft Fair in Fort Mason in San Francisco. I'll be sure to be there taking lot's of pictures and sucking up loads of inspiration. It will be nice to finally meet some of the local people I've been trying to connect to. I love these fairs...they give me so much hope and excitement about where my artwork can go.  I'm like a kid in a candy store...It is gonna be a awesome weekend!

just a little something...

I was so excited to see this. My husband's shop is mentioned in the Chronicle Books blog. One of my dreams would be to be connected to Chronicle Books in some way.  I'll take this for now...1 degree of separation. Does that count?

Feeling Green

I've been spending a good amount of time in the woods lately and have been really getting into the color green. I need to put more of it in my life.  I've gotta surround myself with GREEN... Here are a few greens that have inspired me this week.

 Green vines that hide

Amazing green vintage dress via chictopia

Always a favorite green, that Atonement dress.

If I could, I'd have this color kitchen....via 

I love these vintage green bottles. Find them here.

The ultimate green couch via EmilyStyle

A lovely photo via leaves of a feather blog

wouldn't you love to hang out here?

A salute to all that are lucky enough to live in the green...more cute owls here.

Beautiful Animation...Descendants

After spending the last couple of weekends in the woods, I really appreciate this wonderful animation, Descendants, I came across on ImageMakers. I love the emotions really good story can bring up. Enjoy. And thank you, Heiko Van der Scherm & Patrick S. Cunningham for creating it. I love the creepyness of it.  More about the making of it here.


Descendants on Vimeo.

another wonderful weekend in the woods

I grew up on the East Coast where being in nature was very different than it is in California. My family has a little cottage on a pond in Massachusetts and we were able to go swimming whenever we wanted. I really miss that freedom.

This weekend I went camping at Henry Coe State Park with a few friends and I finally felt a bit of that freedom. We camped deep in the park and hiked down to a spot called china hole which was like a mini oasis after walking in the 100 degree heat. Such a beautiful place that I'd love to go again.

Here are a few of the moments:

the picnic table by our tent. Isn't this the best place for writing?

China Hole...so clean and clear

so pretty

a place to cool off.

 jumping in.

more pretty...with butterflies

 walk back to camp in all that heat and sun

Now it is time for me to get back to work after a few days of sunshine. I'll be posting what I have been working on in a few days.

Mid-week music break...Emilie & Edith

I love soft dreamy melodies playing when I work. This is a beautiful one by Emilie Simon(who is new to me). I just love the sweetness of the video.



And here is another by one of my old favorites, Edith Piaf. She still and always will give me goosebumps when she sings. Love her...Enjoy.

howdy...

Ok, so I am a bit embarrassed to admit this but,  I have always had a huge problem with procrastination.  I think I am finally starting to break through this crappy part of my personality. To help with this, I've been reading, "The Now Habit" by Neil Fiore, and it has been super helpful. It has helped me rethink my approach to "work".  Maybe I'm crazy, but I'm getting pretty excited when I can cross things off my to-do list.  It feels so good.

I found this little guy outside tending to the lavender in the backyard. It is so cool watch how fast they fly around and get shit done. I'm working on that. So... finally as of this week  bluehour studio is an official legal business. All the paperwork is done. YAY!!!!! (I'm doing a happy dance now)

Little steps...can be kinda big. Don't you think? 

A Wonderful Weekend...

It was beautiful soul invigorating weekend and I am ready to get back to work. Looking forward to celebrating my amazingly wonderful husbands 40th birthday today.  Happiness all around.

A little me time...

This weekend I am going to the woods to have a few words with nature. It will be my first vision quest and I hope that I learn a lot about myself and the world. It will be quiet, peaceful and cleansing. Hopefully it will bring me to a better place with myself and my artwork and I will come out even stronger. It will be nice to get away by myself and just rest and stop my brain from spinning.

I came upon this lovely photo by Matthew Koudys on Design for Mankind today. Is it wonderful when the perfect thing just shows up?

Happy 4th of July!

 photo via this

Hope you all have a wonderful time with family and friends this weekend. Stuff yourselves silly. Get out and enjoy the sun. I know I will.  Summer is officially here in my book. Yay!

July Meetup

Wow...June flew bye in a heartbeat. I'm still trying to figure out my new life as a freelance illustrator. I will admit it has been kinda hard trying to figure out schedules and work/life balance. I'm creating whole new world for myself.  So you ask, what did I actually do this month? Well, I have 7 projects about 90% done. They are all done in oil, so right now I am literally waiting for the paint to dry to finish them. But hey, I haven't done this much painting and drawing in years so I will be pretty happy when they are all finished. 

I've been trying to learn more about business right now...bank accounts and tax stuff. There is so much to know....Yikes. And I have been getting better at learning all the Flickr, Facebook and Twitter stuff (also brand new to Pinterest). This social media thing is pretty interesting but I have to be really careful not to get stuck in the time suck.

All in all, I am feeling pretty good about myself(even if I don't have much to show today). I'm in the learning mode and I am working. 

So...July Goals

1. Draw and Paint daily.
2. Finish up the paintings I'm working on.
3. Try writing a story to illustrate.
4. Twitter Background.
5. Blog Header.
6. Create more for portfolio and website.
7. Start to Design website.
8. Daily walk/mediation.
9. Enjoy the sunshine, get out take lot's of pictures.

One other thing, I have been happy taking a few classes in June but they are ending soon, does anyone have any recommendations for online creative classes?

Here's reaching our July Goals!

About the Meetup: The Meetup is a group of creative  folks that encourage each other each month, set goals and try to finish them. If you want to learn more or join us, click here.  It has been very helpful to me, thank you Liz for getting this going for us all.