Merry Christmas!

I Will Keep my Lantern Bright to Light your Way

This painting is part of a small works show at the Phoenix Gallery in Park City that opened last Friday. It is the first of what will be my "lantern" series. A dollar to the first to tell from which cousin's blog I snagged the picture of the little girl.

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope you had a happy Thanksgiving!

We sure had a lot to be thankful for.

This Thanksgiving commemorates my 17th year as a vegetarian.

That's wacky.

The piece de resistance, I made a coconut cream pie - crust and all.

It was super delicious.

I finally ran a race (I've been running for a long time).

I ran the Mi Amigos Turkey Trot 10k with my sister-in-law, Kristin (sort of, I didn't actually find her till after the race).

It was a good time (especially the orange slices at the end).

Now let's go shopping and get crafting!

John Toone

A friend of mine asked me to paint a portrait of his ancestor, John Toone. Because I like him, and because I thought it would be a killer challenge, I took it on. I am pretty pleased with the turn out. I think I might be getting close to my ten thousand hours (read Outliers), maybe another year or two.

Here's What I'm Excited About

Felt Flowers

My new obsession, thank you very much sister #1. I can't stop making these felt flowers! I have been sewing most of them to rubber bands. They look so cute in my girls' hair. Hun sewed them to some pillows, cute, I think I'll try that next.

Canning

Wish I could can every day, thank you very much sister #2. Sari and our friend Laura and I did pasta sauce last time I was in Utah. It is so good. It makes me sad to be far away from them because canning isn't very fun alone.

Kleenex Box

As I instinctively reached out to grab this kleenex box off of the low end table, it hit me: I don't need to move this kleenex box. After more than eight years of swiftly getting kleenex boxes to higher ground, this is no more! No more winter wonderland on the family room floor, no more feeling like I am wiping my nose with a used kleenex that I dutifully got off the pile, no more steam exiting my ears when I see the mess, no more! I haven't moved the box back to its designated spot for a week now. I just look at it with a secret smile.

Here's What's New

We had a super Halloween.

I love Halloween so much, I almost can't stand it.

I'm thinking about changing my profile picture.

(I'm Storm from X-Men, if you didn't get that. I was Saturday morning obsessed in my youth, and though I liked Rogue better, I'll be Storm every day- I mean any day.)

Cloe had a wonderful Birthday this month,

with a magical fairy party.

Here's What's Old

Delia turned 8,

and got baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints by her dad.

We had way too much fun with all the family that came into town.
Beatles Rock Band
Camelback

Chump Reunion Show!

Was so much fun!!

Ya, Gav rocks.

OK, Hun, does this plop me back onto the face of the earth?

Totems

Totems is for a holiday show at Giacobbe-Fritz with 11"x11" paintings from all their artists.

Puppet Show

I sent Puppet Show off to Washington to be in Howard Mandville Gallery's annual miniature show.

Big Wonderful News

I can't believe it took me so long to post this great news! This summer Gavin and I took a trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico to find a fabulous gallery. (And this is how long it took me to get this gem of a picture off his camera... those old ladies made it so worth the wait.) Not only was it a fun trip (love Santa Fe), but it worked!

Here I am looking so very Georgia O'Keiff outside Giacobbe-Fritz Fine Art Gallery on Santa Fe's renown Canyon Road. The gallery has really fun and nice people that I am excited to work with. It also has a few admirable artists there that I certainly won't mind hanging next to. Hip hip hooray for Santa Fe!

Friday

I'll be flying to Utah this Friday for "Hortus Conclusus (The Enclosed Garden)" group show. My dad, sister Cass, and I will have a variety of paintings on display. I will have these four paintings and nine mixed media pieces on paper.

(Sorry the pictures aren't so good).

In her Garden - One

In her Garden - Two

In her Garden - Three

In her Garden - Four

There was a fabulous article in the Arts and Entertainment section of the Deseret News last Sunday (or here it looks better and easier to read) about the show and our artsy-fartsy-family.

The idea that gave us inspiration for this show last year, was medieval European enclosed gardens and the question, "What is in your garden?" As put in the article, "..the idea of enclosure was to create a protected and nurtured space, 'where ideas and people, like plants and flowers, can flourish. The idea of a controlled safe place can represent the family, the community or even the space in one's own mind."

I know this will come off as somewhat predictable, but my mind went to motherhood. Ya, ya, I can't help it. I was thinking about all the decisions we make for our children, from what they eat to what they wear and even the vocabulary they use. Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, but I've got the scissors and am thinking about when we can cut those strings. My oldest, who just turned eight and gets baptized this Saturday, is on the left. She is just recognizing the strings are there. Then there is my middle. I feel like I am always pushing her to do things she doesn't want to do. And my youngest who I am still keeping close. I'm not really sure what to do with the scissors, and honestly am feeling a little guilty for wanting to use them. I've put us in our garden with a slightly weathered fence which is rainbow in my attempts to make everything beautiful and everyone happy.

Come, if you can, Friday night. It should be a good time. Art Access Gallery, Salt Lake City, six to nine pm. The show will be up through October seventh.

**Gavin: a variant of the Scottish name Gawain, meaning little hawk or white hawk.**

September 18 - Art Access

I'm

almost

finished.

What happened to August?

Sunday Drawing

Entirely Factual

Branch,Axe

Paper, Scissors

These are works on paper for my show (with my sister, Cass, and my dad) this October in Connecticut. I gessoed watercolor paper, drew with conte and colored pencil, a little oil paint, crackled and glazed. These are what you would call mixed media. They are simple, but I think they will look neat when they are individually matted and framed, hung in pairs.

If you receive the Ensign (a magazine for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints), check me out on page 40, September issue. I may be quoted in over 50 languages...

Titling

Every so often I will start a painting with a title in mind. Even more rarely, a title will occur to me mid painting. Though, a great majority of my paintings are painted, varnished, ready to pack up to be shipped out just in time to make it to their destination by the long ago established deadline.... only to be held up in the documentation stage as I desperately grasp for a title. I am in such a position now. These "works on paper" were due two days ago. They are finished and ready to go, ugh!

In my discouragement, I researched (googled) the process of titling paintings. I found a Canadian artist named Robert Genn who said,

"The right title makes a difference as to how a work is seen and understood. Not only are titles a bridge to the viewer, they are also part of the art and need some careful thought."

True enough, but I already knew that. Some practical advice, please. He divided titles into five categories: sentimental, numerical, factual, abstract, and mysterious. I think I tend to go sentimental, but I've been known to give a little mystery to my viewers on occasion. How tempting is numerical. I would feel irresponsible.

Let's use Robert's idea and do a little exercise.

1. Sentimental: Holding the Responsibility of the Village

2. Numerical: Village #3

3. Factual: Village on Woman's Head

4. Abstract: quaker Winter's eve

5. Mysterious: Frank had said it with Candor

I just came up with seven sentimental titles and they all suck. Sentimental, who needs it. No wonder I have a hard time titling, I'm too sentimental. I should try to be a more factual or numerical artist for efficiency sake.

**Update** I went with Village of Devotion Pretty sentimental, blech.

Here is what I am excited about:

I haven't done this in a while, so my list is a little long, but I've narrowed it down to my very favorites. Oh, and none of them are art related, just so you know.

First Day of School

Hip hip hooray! We just finished our third week of school. School is the greatest give anyone could give a mother. I love my alone days, and I love being excited and enthusiastic to welcome them back home. Even my little ezzie is in school this year, 3 days a week for 2 1/2 hours, which is a nice break. Though, she is a fun little buddy to tote around with me, and an excellent studio companion.

Garmin Watch

I love to run so much. I also love stats. This watch has been so much fun to play with. I know my pace, my time, my distance (hello satellites), my altitude, sunrise, sunset, time of day, average pace, lap pace, fastest pace, location on map, heart rate, I could go on. Too much fun.

Total Immersion

My swimming sensei, Laurie, lent me this book. It is so great. I did all sorts of crazy drills, now I am gliding effortlessly through the water. My sensei, who claims blogs are for showing off, keeps telling me she is going to bring a camera to the pool in the morning so I can have a picture to post. Though, I don't think that would have the desired effect.

Oral-B Triumph

My dentist has been recommending this, but I have been afraid. I take my oral hygiene very seriously, but I couldn't make myself go electric. Turns out, it's not so bad. Actually, it feels really good and it's like I just went the dentist every day.

Litho Stones give me Butterflies

Once I got settled in Utah (for our month sojourn) I headed up to my dad's studio where I saw four beautiful, untouched litho stones laying around. I got some fluttery little butterflies thinking about what I could do with one of them. My dad was gracious enough to let me use one, and walk through the process with me step by step. So, I threw all notions of accomplishing any other work out the window. Though I was on vacation, it was perhaps not the wisest choice now that I have deadlines creeping up on me, not to mention the bill that came from the printer. Speaking of printers, my former lithography professor from BYU, the incredibly talented Wayne Kimball printed these for me. I absolutely loved the process, and am pleased with the turn out... hmmm, what litho will I do next summer?

If you make me say it, the image is about taking on the responsibility of children and trying to stay pure and wise and do a respectable job, when you yourself are a bit wicked with weaknesses and imperfections. But, I would rather you didn't make me explain, these things are too hard to put into words.

p.s. Selling some of these would be a good thing for me. Let me know if you are interested. I have 50 and they are priced at $85.

Home Sweet Home

We have been gone for just over one month! It flew by, we must have had a lot of fun. Our 4th of July extravaganza topped all this year. Games and Cul-de-sac of Fire rocked (especially the Fire Girls 550 South). If you have ten minutes, here is a rad video to give you a glimpse of the events. Projects, parties, bike rides, outings - we made some good memories this summer. I miss my family a lot. Still, it's good to be home.

With Strings

I kind of forgot I had a blog.  Summer fun, it gets a little crazy.  Before I get into that, I thought I would explain about the pieces in my last few posts.  These are for the show I am having at Art Access in Salt Lake with my dad and sister this September.  
They started as pencil drawings on gessoed paper.  Then I crackled, glazed, and added a little color.  I have had way too much fun making these.  It's all my favorite parts; I love drawing, and the magic of crackle and glazing is a scrumptious treat.