Music for the Soul

This coming Sunday afternoon my husband Mikel and I are going to the first NOVA Chamber Music concert of the season. I love going to these concerts because I am almost always introduced to something new. Often I find that while I might not enjoy listening to certain contemporary chamber music as a recording I thoroughly enjoy hearing it played in concert. All music is better heard live while watching the musicians play their instruments, don't you think? Good music, like all good art feeds the soul. T. S. Eliot said, "You are the music while the music lasts." I look forward to that this weekend.
Above is my painting, "Violinist", acrylic on wood, 18 x 24 inches

Tuesday Tea Time

My shop is now open on Etsy with a selection of sixteen limited edition signed prints. Included currently are food related illustrations and lots of tea cup prints—or coffee, if you prefer. The photo above shows how great they would look in a simple frame. And more of my work is coming to the shop soon!

Opening Soon!

Ever wanted to purchase a print of my art or illustration? In a few days you will be able to! I have been busily working behind the scenes preparing the images and information to open my shop on Etsy (a retail site for artists and craftspeople). For starters, my shop will offer beautiful limited edition prints that are numbered and signed by me. They are printed with archival inks on luxurious 100% cotton fine art paper. In the future I might also add small original paintings and other creations to my shop. This week there will certainly be lots of food oriented art prints for your kitchen or dining area. So get ready to shop! I'll supply the print. You provide the frame. And voila! Your spirits and your room get a colorful lift!

Tuesday Tea Time

I just discovered the iPad app called Paper by 53 which is simple and pretty great. This was the first thing I drew using my finger. Since it happened to be a cup and saucer (surprise!) I decided to share it with you. In the app you use the accordion fold paper notebooks to sketch, draw, write down ideas, or blend watercolor with your finger.

You can add new notebooks, add pages and even customize each of your notebook covers with one of your images. The accordion fold book appeals to me because I like to paint handmade artist books that fold this way. So now I have a new digital sketchbook to work in. I can't wait to get my stylus so I can draw with it...but my finger seems to work pretty well for a rough, quick sketch. See more about the app here.

Tuesday Tea Time

Fall is a wonderful time of year, flowers are still happily blooming in gardens, leaves are beginning to change color, and the weather cools enough to make long walks extremely pleasant. On my daily stroll through the neighborhood the other day I noticed the autumnal routine of leaves and their little twig branches beginning to fall out of the trees and all over the lawns and sidewalks. That inspired me for today's cup and provided the materials.
"Twig Cup", photograph