Mozart

I'm working on a project right now illustrating the life of young Mozart.
This is Wolfgang's father Leopold Mozart playing the violin.



And here is baby Wolfgang trying to reach the keys of the family's clavier.



Mozart spills ink on himself as he writes music.

float

It's been quiet around here because I've been busy, but I'll be back.

Trying to relax

Most of the paintings I make are fairly tightly rendered, and sometimes I feel like I start to spiral into a maze of details and lose sight of why I love painting in the first place. When that happens I like to take out my acrylics and do whatever. I try to forget about how it will turn out and just put paint on paper.

Cats

I think our cat Vinnie infected my brain with toxoplasmosis and now I have to draw cats. Here are a few.

The second cat is actually a study for a cat in a painting I'm working on right now. Recently a couple people have asked about my painting process, so I'm taking lots of pictures of this piece as it progresses and when I'm done I'll put it all up on my website.

Mona Kilauwea

I've been working on this watercolor in between illustration work.

After posting this, I realized it works very well for this week's Illustration Friday topic, Homage. As you may have noticed, it is a humble homage to another Mona.

My mom gave me these great pads of paper that she got for free from a friend who works at a paper company. They cut up their leftover paper and make it into pads; the quality of the paper is good, quite heavy with just the right tooth for sketching in graphite. Nothing stops me up creatively more than really expensive art materials, so something like this is perfect. If it's free I feel like I don't have to worry about making a "good" drawing; I can just draw!

This particular drawing is a study for a much larger painting I hope to make in the future.

Medio Pollito

These are two illustrations from a project I just finished illustrating a story called Medio Pollito for the Core Knowledge Foundation.

Hatchling

Sometimes when I'm cutting paper apart for a project, I'll have little scraps leftover that are just perfect for those in-between projects. It's refreshing to paint something really small after I finish a larger or more complicated piece, mainly because I get to see the finished product really quickly. Then I feel ready to tackle something that'll take longer.

Mockingbird

This is my most recent project. in progress...
...and completed

Valentine

Happy Valentine's day, especially to my David. I love you so much. Also, this would make a great tattoo, no?

from a recent bout of sketchinitis

Mayday

I sketched this today. Sometime I'm going to make it into a big oil painting and call it "Mayday."

Goldfinch Secrets

In a far away land, goldfinches whisper tales to fair maidens.

Black Swan

I'm working on a project, and the day before yesterday I started getting sick. Yesterday I felt awful and couldn't do any work. So, today I was feeling somewhat better but I was having such a hard time getting back to work, so I thought I'd do something fun just for myself. I had a small piece of leftover paper, and so I painted this little piece.

Framed

David, my husband, was so great to make a frame for my picture, and I am extremely pleased with how it turned out. Now it's all ready to go off to show. Thank you David.

Also, for anybody who hasn't tried it, feeding chickadees out of your hand is just about the most wonderful thing ever. David and I went on a walk today, and he took this picture of me feeding the chickadees. Their little feet felt so funny clutching the tips of my fingers.

More Imaginatings

a peek into the sketchbook

Checking the Cards

I love sketching from my imagination. I'm a bit impatient, and I like to see my picture appear so quickly. Now back to some sloooooow oils.

Participating in Bitter Fruits Show

I'm very excited to say that my painting "Country Gardens" is going to be included in the Bitter Fruits exhibit at the Altered Esthetics Gallery. The show opens January 31 in Minneapolis, MN.

Also, I'm working on giving my website a face-lift for the new year. I'll be putting up a bunch of new work, so keep your eyes peeled. It'll be up sometime in January.

Illustration Friday: Backwards

The enthusiastic but garbled backward chamber players

Country Gardens

The finished product