Cane for Team Chrissy

When I was showing at Vanessa's Studio this month for First Friday I met someone from Team Chrissy, which is a non-profit in the Chicagoland working to fight MS and reach out for people who need help. They asked if I wanted to decorate a cane for people in need of them and I agreed to participate. I have an Aunt who has been diagnosed with MS for as long as I can remember and if this is a small thing I can do to help someone then I feel honored to participate. Team Chrissy will be at the Abilities Expo in Schaumburg, Illinois Friday June 28th thru Sunday June 30th, 2013

So here is the cane I decorated for Team Chrissy! 





Tonight and Various Ramblings.

Tonight!

 

It's been a busy week with friends, work, and I even squeezed in a tiny bit of time to paint Wednesday night. I got a rejection for a craft show I applied to which is a bummer, but I can't get in to every single thing I apply for. Gotta keep chugging along! I'm really happy and confident in the work I've been making recently and my goal is to show in more galleries and more consistently in the next few years. I've been playing around with the thought of grad school too so I'm not sure how I would balance everything, but one thing at a time right now...  

In Progress

Just a quick update! Working on these 3 panel pieces right now and I have been submitting proposals to galleries as well. I hate posting paintings in this state but this is why my blog posts are a bit farther apart recently. I'm also prepping for First Friday this week at the Flat Iron in Wicker Park and I will have a piece of mail art in a show at Madame Zuzu's in Highland Park June 6-13. 

After I finish these paintings I think I am going to work on some fun non-project related things like making jewelry and writing my Postmark Society Penpal.

Pinterest

Did I ever tell you guys that I'm on Pinterest? Well, I am! Click here to go to my pins. I'm really loving it! I feel so organized now with all sorts of things from reference images and inspiration to recipes. 



Guest Post

Just a quick note to check out the guest post I did over at Quest for Inspiration, my friend's special blog feature where creatives share why they do what they do. I really liked writing the article and thinking back to when I first started to be interested in the arts. I actually teared up a little while writing this, sometimes I may doubt what I do but it seriously means so much to me and I love sharing what I do and make. 

Click here for the article!

Ouch

Needless to say there are no updates on new art stuff. I had the dreaded dental surgery Friday and it went well but I am still recovering. I have plenty of things I want to work on once I get better though! 

Post surgery icing my mouth so my giant chipmunk cheek will go back to normal big cheek size. Thank goodness they gave me anti-anxiety meds beforehand, I was pretty chill for the procedure (I was awake and didn't go under).

                                        

Ready for my AARP card. Watching Murder She Wrote on Netflix and reading the Spring Martha Stewart Living. 


I've been so out of it the last few days (woozy, tired) so I haven't read much, but I did finish reading the short story collection Stranger Things Happen by Kelly Link. I also read Magic for Beginners by the same author and loved both books. She has a way of telling a story that brings you totally in to this fantasy world and you quickly get immersed in the characters and environment that she created. I found out about her through the Humble Ebook Bundle that I purchased last year. 

Fellow book lover? Friend me on Goodreads!  








April Goals Wrap Up

Alright, so on April 3rd I set some goals for myself for the month, let's see how I did! 

Back to the basics: I wanted to practice more observationl sketching and life drawing and I only did one sketch, BUT I did get some professional head/body shots taken by Scott Nealon of OTK Photography so I can use those as reference for sketching/painting. I plan to do this in the next month to sharpen some skills that don't get used too often. 

Get new pieces ready to hang: I got my three newest pieces ready to hang, good thing because I sold one of my arrow pieces this weekend! 

Work out ideas more: I've been doing a TON of collaging and generally just working in my sketchbook more to work out ideas for new pieces. Doing so lead to 5 new washi tape collage paintings. I've also started a new series that I want to propose a solo gallery show to for a few places. I feel this is something I've been working towards for awhile and this is the time and the work to push forward with. 





Make Make Make: I'm very happy with the overall amount of time I've spent in the studio and things I've gotten done! I'm trying to stay in the zone and keep up the good pace. Last week I was distracted by jury duty for two days (I was exhausted for some reason) and this upcoming Friday I have dental surgery; but I'm trying to not beat myself up and let myself have downtime when I need it to keep a good mental balance. 







Sneak Peek

Here's a super sneak peek at a new series I'm working on. If you follow me on instagram you saw this already! Check me out there for all kinds of updates from the studio and random bits from my life. My profile is private so please request to follow me! 


Bits and Pieces

It's a gloomy Wednesday here in Chicago and we're still waiting for Spring to finally start. I'm fighting allergies and yet another cold and haven't worked on any art stuff since Friday and I'm getting a bit antsy. This weekend I was going to work on a lot of projects but I spent it in bed with cold medicine, OJ, and Netflix (finally finished Weeds!). I'm feeling less achy finally but still have this lingering tiredness and stuffy nose. 

I've been working on some collages to get the ideas rolling and this morning had an AHA! moment and thought of a brand new series to do and honestly, I can't believe I hadn't thought of it before. I've been debating what medium to use and I'm leaning towards fabric. It's crypic for now but I'll post the pieces once I get the idea fully worked out and start making. 

For now, here's some collages on paper I did last week. It's pages from my 1950's How you Look and Dress book on top of wallpaper samples. It's simple but I like the effect of the cut out faces with the color and pattern showing through.

 

BIG Sale!

Giant sale in the Etsy shop! Help me raise some money for dental surgery that I'm having May 3rd. The surgery is over $3,000 to start the tooth implant and I already have some money saved but it won't cover everything. Use the coupon code TOOFFAIRY at checkout for 40% off EVERYTHING through Sunday April 14th. Extended through Monday April 15th!

Thank you so much for reading this, please pass this on, every little bit helps!