Thusday evening, Mikael brought me flowers and candy. See’s is my absolute favorite! (Yes, I already have candy on my pants.) We went to dinner at a local mexican restaurant and relaxed and people watched with our son. Friday I took Karl into San Francisco to Kinokuniya in Japantown. I found an awesome sewing magazine,…
Singing Songs of Love~
The sun had set and I’d just started watching David Fincher’s “Zodiac” for the first time. My cell rang and it was an unfamiliar number. I got a sudden thrill. “A cute boy is calling me!” I was pretty sure it was the guy I’d given my number to the day before. I let it…
Juggling Projects
Feeling incredibly rejuvenated. Karl is back in pre-school. Finished a large job for a client. And I have personal projects organized and ready to create. Today I put on Grant Morrison talking on Keven Smith’s Fatman on Batman podcast. I loved Morrison’s “Supergods,” which made me feel like I could accomplish anything despite my anxiety….
Zelda
Finished my new painting, “Zelda,” inspired by Hemingway’s passage in “A Movable Feast,”- 10″ x 10″ Acrylic and gouache on canvas “Zelda was very beautiful and was tanned a lovely gold colour and her hair was a beautiful dark gold and she was very friendly. Her hawk’s eyes were clear and calm. I knew everything…
If you’re in Williamsburg, New York, check out my Sketchbook!
My SketchbookProject, “Here Be Dragons,” can be viewed at the WytheHotel in Williamsburg, so if you’re in New York, feel free to check it out 😀
Tove Jansson’s Moomin Comic Strip, vol 1.
Tove’s commentary on modern art ;D And her thoughts on being an artist. The beauteous Snorkmaiden, beloved of Moomin. The Moomins go to The Riviera. Snorkmaiden meets “The Great Little Audrey Glamour,” (Audrey Hepburn). Snorkmaiden tries her first lipstick and bikini. And meets a Riveria rake. The Mymble and Snorkmaiden encounter adorable pirates and promptly…
Gifts
Recently two friends gave me the most beautiful gifts. They were complete surprises and way out of my current budget for myself. Everything I make currently goes toward paying for Karl’s preschool, and since we’re isolated from family and most of our friends up here, preschool is important for his socialization. Both of these were…
Happy Thanksgiving!
This land is your land This land is my land From California to the New York island; From the red wood forest to the Gulf Stream waters This land was made for you and Me. As I was walking that ribbon of highway, I saw above me that endless skyway: I saw below me that…
The Blood is the Life
Coppola and Eiko on Bram Stoker’s Dracula, part 1. This movie introduced me to the work of Eiko Ishioka, costume designer extraordinaire. Coppola’s Dracula has problems, mostly stemming from the stilted acting of Reeves and Ryder (I still remember the horror of realizing that Ryder had limited range. Up till then, she was my favorite…
Crazy Cat People
Crazy Cat Man and Crazy Cat Lady were commissioned by Lone Wolf Magazine and appear in Issue 7, available HERE. And they are also available as iphone, ipad, and tee–shirts in my shop.
English Country Murder
A few years ago I decided to make some jointed paper dolls. Unfortunately, after they were finished my printer decided to die, so I never posted them. But, gearing up for some painting has made me realize that, since I usually post digital work, no one is familiar with what my paintings look like. I…
Four Forests
Now that Karl is in preschool I can finally dig into my piles of sketchbooks and flesh out some of my sketches into paintings. The “Four Forests” is part of my “Imps” story, which has slowly fermented over the course of the last 7 years, beginning with Kid Krowley and ending with the Ladies of…
Dark Lady
I have two modes dictated by the seasons: Magic (or Magick if that’s your thing) and Space. Every Autumn and Winter I gravitate towards everything supernatural and every Spring I switch over to technology. Everything from the clothes I want to wear, the shows I want to watch, and the music I listen to. I…
F. Scott Fitzgerald, Zelda, and Gerald and Sara Murphy
September 24th is F. Scott Fitzgerald’s birthday. I have to admit, one of the joys of reading Fitzgerald are his abhorrent characters. Everyone is so rich, so pithy, so good looking, and above all else so fucking blond that they make me sick. And then Fitzgerald lets them have it. All of their darling vices…
LADEE -fly me to the Moon!
My husband started his archiving internship at the Nasa Ames Research Center. He’s wearing grown up clothes! Last Friday we went to the Nasa Ames research center to watch a broadcast of the launch of LADEE (Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer) from Virginia. There were lots of people all geeking out about science. And…
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place
Thanks to Karl, I’ve discovered Jon Klassen’s delightful art. After checking out, “I Want My Hat Back” and “This is Not My Hat,” I found this series written by Maryrose Wood and illustrated by Klassen. I wish wholeheartedly these books had been written when I was a child. They combine so many of my favorite…
Press your space face close to mine~ 5 years with my beautiful husband!
So, my husband and I forgot our anniversary. Someone well wished us 2 days before on facebook and that’s when we remembered. Whoops! In our defense, we were preparing to have Mikael’s parents come up for a 10 day stay, so we were scrambling to get the apartment into not just clean, but, “guest clean.” Five…
Happy Birthday Coco!
You were a mostly terrible person, but I find you endlessly fascinating probably because I have questionable taste in people. t-shirts, stickers, and cases here~ p.s.~ I was on vacation and am now frantically trying to complete a medium sized commission. But I have lots to blog about, including a NASA museum!
“Power Animal” exhibition July 30th to August 3rd.
My Mail Me Art piece, “Power Animal” will be exhibited at The Framers Gallery from July 30th to August 3rd. It’s available for pre-sale now at Mail Me Art. All the proceeds from the sales of the original mail is being donated and shared between these charities: Animal Aid, The Teenage Cancer Trust and WaterAid.
“Behold and Love This Giant” ~ David Byrne and St. Vincent
Last night I saw David Byrne and St. Vincent perform in Oakland. They were spectacular. It was nice to see musicians who wanted to perform instead of looking embarrassed to be onstage. I didn’t take any photos bc I really hate it when you’re trying to watch a show and people are flashing their phones….
Dolly
My doll making progress so far: That crocheted octopus was a gift from my sister-in-law Lauri. It’s amazing. The chicken was a gift from my grandmother-in law, Farmor (her real name is Ruth, but she’s originally from Sweden). learning to paint on fabric & experimenting with faces. Whoops! found out the dry time is about…
A Tiny World
A while ago Elsa posted about dolls which started me thing about making dolls- again. Years ago I became infatuated with volks dolls, especially the 1/6th scale. But adding yet another projects to drawing, painting, and sewing seemed pretty over whelming. But after Elsa’s post, I reconsidered making dolls and perhaps making them out of cloth. When I…
Isaac Mizrahi’s Sandee the Supermodel with paper dolls
I bought this waaaaaay back when it came out in 1997. Between the adorable paper dolls and Isaac Mizrahi (I was/am quite a fan) I was in love. It’s definitely a slice of pop culture which even now, only 16 years later, seems incredibly naive. Mizrahi pokes fun at fashion and modeling, from ageism (Sandee…
Moebius~ Arzach and Big Wow Comic Con
So in love with my Moebius Arzach. I can usually only find “Blueberry” here in the US, so I was pretty stoked to find a guy selling a bunch of Euro comics. This is all in Italian, but I’m primarily interested in the art. And of course some awesome Cosplayers! This is Anthony Misiano and…
Japanese Sewing~ Formal and Little Black Dress Book
Saturday Mikael, Karl, and I went to Big Wow, the San Jose Comic Con. I’ll blog about tomorrow. On the way home we stopped by Kinokuniya and I found this beautiful sewing pattern book. I freely admit, I bought it for the gorgeous William Morris wallpaper behind the model, as much as the simple, lovely…
Sketchbook Project~ Here Be Dragons
I sent my sketchbook off yesterday. It was slightly uncomfortable. I’m not used to being parted from my art, so this is still a new experience for me. I signed up for the “Mysterious Maps Tour.” I chose the title, “Here Be Dragons,” which is often* written on maps to signal unknown and therefore potentially dangerous places. I mapped…
Gatsby
I just saw The Great Gatsby, and it was fantastic. Those reviewers are obviously a bunch Tom Buchanans First of all, I saw the movie in 2D because I don’t care for 3D. There’s something incredibly freeing about Lurhmann adapting a work. Lurhmann is a unicorn who dreams in celluloid. There’s none of that disappointment, that-…
Happy May Day/Beltane~ Teen Crush Edition
Legend, along with Labyrinth, was one of my go to early teen movies. Even at 13/14 when this movie showed up on HBO/Showtime (who knows, we had EVERY pay station) I realized I wasn’t into Tom Cruise but I was totally into Tim Curry- who is dressed as a giant red devil/minotaur creature. And I…
40
My 40th birthday came and went. Lovely and mellow, it involved ice cream, buffalo fries and family and friends. I keep wondering if I’m supposed to have some sort of epiphany or meltdown but so far everything’s great. I feel as though I’ve already worked through all the freak outs I’m supposed to have had…
The Flight of Dragons by Peter Dickinson, illustrated by Wayne Anderson
Published in 1979, this book is amazing. Click on pictures to enlarge (totally worth it)~ Terrible confession (where the terrible person is me): I stole this book from my Junior High School library. I loved it, absolutely loved it & one day I noticed that someone had started to deface the book and draw over…
Angles and Lines
On my 3rd cup of coffee this morning. Reviewing the sketches for my maps project. Some I love & some are ho-hum. But hopefully the work as a whole will be strong. Yes, those are daffodils and ranunculus in an “Astroids” glass. Ranunculus win for the best “most ridiculous to modern ears” flower names. Daffodils, why are you so…
Mail Me Art 3
I am participating in “Mail Me Art 3.” It’s a fun project where you draw/paint/whatever on an envelope and mail it to Darren Di Lieto of The Little Chimp Society. It will be exhibited in the UK and any profits from the sales of the work will be divided between three organisations: Water Aid, Teenage Cancer Trust and…
Dare Wright’s “Lona” ~part 3
Here is the last installment of Dare Wright’s “Lona.” I hope you enjoyed it and it inspires you to seek out her charming work. I can only hope to one day produced such lovely, subdued work.
Happy Birthday to my beautiful husband!
Like the leaf clings to the tree, Oh, my darling, cling to me…
Dare Wright’s “Lona” ~part1
I remember this book in the library when I was little. I’ve searched for it for years, but couldn’t find it for a price I was comfortable with. About a year ago my husband and I came across a copy in a little bookstore for $25 and snatched it up. Dare Wright was the author…
DIY Couture by Rosie Martin
Ok, so I’m super into this. For Valentine’s Day I asked Mikael for “DIY Couture” by Rosie Martin. I’d been looking at the amazon preview for a while, but I already have so many sewing books that it was going to take something special to entice me to buy. I’ve been hit with sewing book…
Amelia’s Magazine | PPQ: London Fashion Week A/W 2013 Catwalk Review
Check out my illustration for Amelia’s Magazine | PPQ: London Fashion Week A/W 2013 Catwalk Review. I was really excited to work for them! I have a print issue from about 10 years ago that I treasure and they were one of the first magazines I started watching when I got into illustration 6 months ago.
Mysterious Maps Tour~ via the Sketchbook Project
Kind of nervous. I chose a tour for my sketchbook to go on: “Mysterious Maps Tour.” I decided to title it, “Here be Dragons.” I am mapping the interior world of the mind and showing its connection to the body. It’s an art project that I’ve been wanting to do for over a decade so…
V is for Valentine
My husband and I exchanged gifts on tuesday. We have a set budget and simple desires. He wanted another Elric book, along with a DC reprint “Ghosts” and the Mars Trilogy by Burroughs. I asked for a book of prints by Ernst Haeckel and “DIY Couture” by Rosie Martin (book reviews for both later.) Last…
“Daleks! A Whosical” promotional art
I had the pleasure of creating some promotional art for “Daleks! A Whosical” {check out their facebook group page!} I also discovered I hate drawing Daleks. They are really detailed. You wouldn’t think it to look at them bc they’re basically Nazi trashcans, but yes, very detailed. Seriously, Rose took about 20 mins bc she’s just…
Donuts vs. Beignets
Donuts vs. Beignets I often get asked if I can draw anything other than pretty girls. Yes, I can. I can also reduce complicated political ideologies to delicious fried food. Hunter S. Thompson said politics are better than sex, but I’m going to bet he always had a mental subtitle: fried dough topped with sugar is better than politics….
Anderson Brothers love fest
I realized today that I never blogged about these. For our Anniversary Mikael gave me “Chuck Dugan is Awol” and the Criterion edition of “Darjeeling Limited.” The Darjeeling Limited is my least favorite Anderson film, but even a weak Anderson film is better than many other films by lesser mortals. Plus, I really wanted to watch “Hotel…
lovely new Lone Wolf Magazine!
My copy of Lone Wolf Magazine‘s Winter Issue arrived! The design of this magazine is also just lovely! I kind of couldn’t resist this one because it starts with a quote from “The Wolf Man,” which is a movie near and dear to my heart. I think I’m one of those people who always sympathises with…
New Art~ “Garden Planning”
Spring is coming and I have peonies and parrot tulips on my mind… “Garden Planning” is available in my shop as an iphone/ipod case and as an ipad case!
new art~ The Continental Ladies’ Academy
My illustration is published over over at The Story Shack. Check it out! The Continental Ladies’ Academy — by Elizabeth Cook & Jordan Wester. I had a great time drawing this. I tried to think of all the braids I wore back when I had long hair. I also wanted their necklines to be reminiscent of maiko/geisha. I’ve…
Papillon Parade Blouse
“You took my hand and led me down to watch a papillon parade, And we let the kittens lick our hair and drink our chalky lemonade” ~Andrew Bird, Masterfade I finally finished sewing something. Finally. FINALLY. It’s only been three years, so I may be a little excited. I sewed up a frenzy while I…
The Dow of Hemlines
working on my portfolio~ I’ve always thought the theory of hemlines of pretty fun. Supposedly they go up when the stock market goes up and down when the stock market goes down. I also included tiny bull silhouettes on the miniskirt and a bear on the tea length dress in reference to the idea of…
posing for some new work
Yes, I do pose for my own work, simply because well, try explaining that look to another person. “more snarky- woah- no, ease up there! mmmmm, i dunno, can you get your mouth over on the side of your face?” And yes, I raided my husband’s closet for the shirt. Hmmm, on second thought, I…
Moonrise Kingdom Fan Art winner!
I’m so excited! I’m one of the winners of the Focus Features, “For Your Consideration Moonrise Kingdom Fan Art Contest.” I wanted to convey Wes Anderson’s love of symmetry, as well as the theater-like qualities of his film making. He often has plays in his movies, and his scenes alternate between exhibiting a static quality evocative…
nouvellegamine 