A Walk in the Woods

As I mentioned in my last post, I had a chance to take a lovely walk today. The sun shone its slanting rays through the bare trees, touching everything with gold. An owl flew by with otherworldly quiet. Stone reminders of times past slumbered by the trail. Apple trees stood quietly nearby, with promise for the future.

Cascade Brook


I took my walk at Cascade Brook Conservation Area. According to the sign, this was a favorite spot of Rhode Island naturalist Ken Weber. I liked it too.

Fey Handmade!

It's official! I'm one of the lucky artists on Fey Handmade.



In other news, I snuck out to do a short hike today and took lots of photos! I'm still mulling them over, deciding which I like best, but stay tuned.

Glorious, Glowing, Green

Remember this color?



It's winter in my part of the world. Gray, blue, slate, white... I miss green. (Click on the image to see a larger version.)

Good News!

I'm excited to announce that my piece has been accepted for the "Virginia Woolf and the Natural World" exhibition at Georgetown College!



The exhibition will be held in conjunction with the 20th Annual International Conference on Virginia Woolf. The conference itself is June 3-6, and the art exhibition runs from May 13 - June 10. You can learn more here.

Yay!

A Perky Shade of Blue

It's a windy, rainy, miserable day outside. I'm dreaming of bright colors and blooming flowers! I love how this blue looks with the white petals and pink buds. I also love buying flowers in January! A luxury I truly appreciate.

Wax Flower

More Lensbaby!

Winter in the Forest

A Wintry Walk

I took a lovely walk in the woods this afternoon, at Snake Den State Park. It was the first time I've gone out with the camera in a while and I thoroughly enjoyed admiring the frozen scenery and playing with my Lensbaby Control Freak.

Snowy Trail


Shards


Frozen Hayfield

More Memories of Summer

Can you tell I'm craving warmth and light today?

Summer Grass

Sweet Summertime

Ahh... can't you just feel this warm summer day? Soon enough, those days will return.

The Greenhouse

Hump Day Happiness

It's a bit hard to remember there are things to be grateful for, after a 6.1 magnitude aftershock quake hit Haiti today (the aftershocks keep rolling in, the latest a 4.0 about an hour ago). My heart goes out to them. The Haitian people already had it so very, very hard it was barely conceivable to my American mind. And now the tragedies of the past several days.


Haitians wait in line for water distributed by Haitian Firefighters near the Haitian National Palace. Image courtesy United Nations Development Programme via Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/unitednationsdevelopmentprogramme/ / CC BY 2.0

So... today I'm grateful for:

1) The Red Cross
2) Doctors Without Borders
3) Direct Relief International
4) AmeriCares
5) World Vision

Please consider donating.

Store Crush - Anthropologie

I admit it, I have a big crush on Anthropologie. I have a mounted 34"x34" print of Specimen 652 in my living room and I think he would look perfect paired with these lovelies:



Clockwise from left: Woods Wallpaper, (Specimen 652), Pictorial Websters, Enzo Lamp, and my favorite of the bunch - the gorgeous Atelier Chesterfield.

Major dream of mine: to have my birdie photographs sold in Anthropologie stores. I'm going to see what I can do to achieve that.

Memories of July

Summer 2009


During the Narragansett Art Festival, the beach was suddenly overcome by fog and haze and these amazing clouds appeared. I briefly abandoned my booth to capture the moment.

Inspired by Words

Everyone needs beauty as well as bread, places to play and pray, where nature heals and give strength to body and soul alike. – John Muir

Glacier National Park


Have you seen this Ken Burn's film yet? It was so beautiful that I actually teared up. Also, this "Inspired by Words" post may become an occasional blog series, we shall see.

Have a happy Monday!

Handmade Helps Haiti

My friend Suzanne has just started Handmade Helps Haiti - providing a central place to learn about what's being done for Haiti by artists and crafters. Through HHH, you can find out different ways you can participate (choosing what will work best for you) and get support from a wonderful community of folks.

Check out the HHH blog here: http://handmadehelpshaiti.blogspot.com/

Hump Day Happiness

Happy Wednesday! It's time again for hump day happiness. Won't you join me in mentioning some things you're thankful for today?



Today, I'm grateful for:

1) The bursts of color Geninne's Art Blog has been bringing into my chilly winter season.
2) The inspiration, challenges, and support in the Interior Styling flickr group.
3) Music. I don't think I would ever get any work done without music there in the background to help me find my groove. Right now I'm listening to Band of Skulls.
4) Jane Austen
5) Having the house pretty much put back together after the holidays.

Ok - your turn!

Picture This: Living Room

During the past year, a few clients asked for help visualizing prints in a room. So, I created 3d models (using Google SketchUp) to display various print size and photograph options. Not only did I enjoy this process, but my clients responded positively - the models did indeed help them choose the right print for their space.

My brain started ticking, and the idea to present example rooms here on the blog emerged. I am thrilled to announce the start of this new series, "Picture This". Once a month for the next six months I will be posting a new room rendering and accompanying inspiration board. Do let me know what you think! Also, see below to learn about participating or being featured in future installments.

Room Rendering - featuring Specimen 652



Inspiration Board


Click on the inspiration board image above to find sources for the room elements used.

I'm also looking for collaborators for future posts. If you're interested in designing a room, sending in a photograph of a real room in your home, or if you're an artist who would like your work to be displayed alongside mine, please contact me to learn more.

Art and Literature

How was everyone's Monday? I had a productive day, and I'm happy with myself. I kept my focus on one of my goals for this year - getting national/international exposure - and didn't let myself get too distracted.

My big task of the day was starting to prepare a submission in response to a call to artists for the Annual International Conference on Virginia Woolf - Virginia Woolf and the Natural World. After reading the exhibition theme, I knew I wanted to participate. The artwork is to be based on this excerpt from Virginia Woolf's "The Waves":

"Sharp stripes of shadow lay on the grass, and the dew dancing on the tips of the flowers and leaves made the garden like a mosaic of single sparks not yet formed into one whole. The birds, whose breasts were specked canary and rose, now sang a strain or two together, wildly, like skaters rollicking arm-in-arm, and were suddenly silent, breaking asunder."

When reading the imagery about the birds, I was strongly reminded of a morning on the beach in September, when the swallows were flying about and singing - coming together in a whirl and then seeming to explode apart...



So we'll see. It's been interesting to translate the excerpt into imagery, hopefully it will get into the exhibition!

As an aside, this is actually a great example of why I love being involved with my local Arts in RI Etsy Team. I would have never heard about this if a team member hadn't mentioned it.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

I feel like hibernating. It's not all that terribly cold, hovering around 25 degrees F, but tonight is a warm blanket and good book kind of night.

Woodpile

Hump Day Happiness

There's so much to be grateful for this first week of 2010, don't you think? As usual, please feel free to share some of your happinesses.

Windblown Shore


Today, I'm grateful for:

1) The delightful new baby that has just come into my friend's life.
2) The color spring green.
3) Yummy new recipes to try.
4) Tegan & Sara, whose lovely music I enjoyed today.
5) The prospect of hiking in the snow and ice this weekend!

Your turn!

A Glimpse of Days Past

Played with some photos from the archives today...

Hawk Eyed

A Beginning

As 2010 starts, I know many of us are reflecting on the past year and looking ahead towards the next. Today, I scheduled time to work on some exercises meant to help me define and achieve my goals for this year. I'm feeling optimistic and I truly believe that any of us can make very real things happen if we determine to do so.

I don't think the new year is about feeling guilty for things we didn't accomplish last year, or about feeling obligated to work on something this year. I think it's a time to set realistic goals to get excited about and feel empowered to accomplish.

So, wherever your road is taking you this year, I wish you joy, excitement, and success. Below the photograph I've listed a few places where you can find some helpful exercises, if you'd like to use them.



When I Grow Up
Intarsia Concept
ink on my fingers - "The Word"