I thought I would share a few of my paintings:

"Jim" - 3'x3' house paint on 1/4" plywood; mid 90's

flower doodle - 12"x16" acrylic on wrapped canvas; mid to late 90's

"Hero" - 24"x16" acrylic on wrapped canvas; 2004

"Gibson Girl" - 16"x24" acrylic on wrapped canvas; prior to 2005

"Sea Turtle for Antonio" - acrylic on wrapped canvas; 2008

hmmm ... what's next?

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing" ~ Helen Keller

does anyone know how ...

... to make paper more durable/solid?

I have been working on a few ideas for the Think Pink Charm Exchange, but nothing is hitting the mark ... I really, really want to figure out how to make paper cranes that are sturdy ... they'd be perfect for the project (remember the Sadako Sasaki story?) - appropriate, don't you think?

I have these wonderful pink papers that would be perfect to use, some super fine glitter and pink Swarovsky bicone crystals that I could suspend from the center for an extra little sparkle ... I can totally see them and really think they could be terrific ... if anyone has any suggestions, I would be most grateful.

am I making this more difficult than it actually is?!?

I worked on three different designs for the 2009 Diary Project. I wanted to keep them fairly simple graphics and I think I was pretty successful at that ... here's the thing ... now that I have the basic images to choose from, I need to figure out how they translate from the black and white Sharpie drawings to an actual page ... I thought that I would be able to ghost the images so they would be in the background, but now that I am working with the template, I'm not sure that's the best plan. In an effort to clear my brain (and because I think it would be fun for you to vote for your favorite design) I am putting the three basic graphics out for you to vote on. I chose to work on Friday, May 29, 2009 (go figure, eh?).

Please take a look at the following three images:

(you should be able to click on each image to view a close up)

1.

2.

3.

Vote for your favorite by leaving me a comment in this blog post.

Feel free to share any suggestions that you might have.

VOTING WILL CLOSE AT MIDNIGHT THIS FRIDAY JUNE 27th

(all pages due July 1st, but I will be working on the three designs between now and then, so ought to be ready to send in the design Saturday before the party at Vanessa's)

What's in a Name?

I love letters. I could freehand personalized monograms for hours and hours on end. There is something about letters that my brain (and hand) finds so soothing. I'm sure that it has a lot to do with letters being symbols (yep, I love, love, love symbols & patterns - especially repetative patters and symetrical symbols) and that you can change the expression of the symbol by shifting the script/style of the letter. "M" has always been a great letter for me ... first letter of my first name, the month I was born, and the following fantabulous words ... mama, mother, magic, mystery, muse, music, moon, mist, myth, mirth, move, maze, maize (hehe, I like corn-knee stuff), mitten, mouse, mastery, maiden, moth, monolithic, mercurial, Matisse, Monet, Moore, marigold, mandolin, magnolia, macrame, malochite (sigh), macadamia (yum), mud, Mabel ... uh, I could go on and on, but I will refrain ... all this leads into a thank you to Monica for her fun post "Celebrate your name by throwing it a party" ...

... You see, I haven't been making anything for the last few days. Typical - I tend to feast or famine. It's not that I don't want to make/draw/paint/create anything, it's just that I'm ... dry. The feeble attempts have been just that - pretty feeble. I'm not good with that. Not good with trying to force something ... it's like, when I hold a pen in hand my strokes aren't just flowing, but stagnant or strained. It feels cramped ... that doesn't quite capture it, but I am at a loss for a better word ... so, I've been spending a few days checking out other peoples blogs which leads me back to Monica and that fun post ...

I decided to check out the meaning of my name .... drumroll, please

Michelle

ORIGIN: Hebrew
MEANING: Who resembles God

The French feminine form of Michael that debuted on the popularity chart in 1938 and has been listed among the top 100 since 1954. The name spent nine years at No. 5 after the release of the famed 1965 Beatles' song "Michelle" known for its bilingual lyrics.

I have been known to tell people that I was named after above mentioned Beatles song (I have always, always liked the Beatles, thank you ... plus, how can you not like hearing your name and then, "I love you, I love you, I love you ..."?) ... alas, this is not really true. My brother's first girlfriend was a pretty little strawberry blond with a serious lisp (they were 5) and her name was Michelle. My mom said she just liked the name ... want the better part of the story? My middle name is Dawn ... I have no issues there - daybreak is pretty spectacular - but, get this ... Dawn was the name of the bassett hound that lived next door ... such is life, eh? :)

Just the same, I don't think I'd trade it ... even for all the Sharpies in all the lands.