New Year, New Work, New Opportunities!

Hi Friends & Followers,

I am so sorry I have been so delayed in updating you on things !! It has been very busy in and out of the studio between daily mentoring sessions with students; teaching small group workshops in the studio and off site; and working to create new art! I feel blessed to have commissions in the pipeline and to have exhibits scheduled as far out as December!

So for now, I am about to present a new series of boxed greeting cards, “Color Crush” that came from samples for a workshop I taught at The Collective Home Supply last month! Those will drop this week at Urban Emporium in Bexley and the Ohio Craft Museum in Grandview, Ohio so please stay posted!

If you are in or near Columbus, Ohio please pop in to Kitties in Bexley for a coffee, baked goodie and a glimpse of my art! Boxed cards are also available for purchase there as well!

More coming your way so stay tuned!! And while Mother Nature is debating the start of Spring…surround yourself in happy color, doodle during the day and be well!

CSCCO Art Workshop

Saturday, February 9th, I had the pleasure of teaching an art collage workshop with eleven women who are currently battling or have somehow been affected by cancer. In our three hour workshop, we shared art supplies, stories, encouragement and chocolate! I believe the day’s 3 greatest takeaways were (1) that art is therapeutic and can calm and soothe stress (2) it is important to take time, schedule whatever time one can afford in their day, to sit and be creative and (3) color can be powerful in enhancing one’s mood! I encourage everyone to tap into their own creativity! It can be as simple as doodling on a scrap piece of paper, but I highly recommend taking it further, and add color!

Just Playing...

To know my work is to know I love big, bold color and texture! I like layers and lots of them! But there are also times that I like to change gears and strive for subtlety! In doing so, I tend to bring in white acrylic to soften the scene around the focal point, allowing it to speak. Lately, I have been playing with Alcohol Inks and testing them outside of their intended YUPO paper, to see how well they play with others...

Here's what I am finding...their colors are as bold as I was warned...loving that! They are similar to watercolor in terms of control, but they also lend themselves nicely to "happy mistakes"! They don't play well with gloss medium if they are being painted over, as they can bleed into the gel medium (even after they are dry) but they will happily sit atop of dried gloss medium!

I'm currently working on a series of 12" x 12" panels that combine acrylics with alcohol inks. So far I'm pleased with the results...happy mistakes and all! What do you think?

"You've Got This! Acrylic and alcohol inks on wood, 12" x 12"

These pieces are currently available, if interested, contact me directly for details!

"Poppies", Acrylic and alcohol inks on wood, 12" x 12"

Show Time...

Hey friends!

 I just want to remind, re-invite and if you hadn't heard yet, invite you... to...

Copious for an opening of my exhibit that will run through the end of the month! I hope you'll drop by tomorrow, 5-8p...if not, stop in before April 1st and have a meal, take a peek! I hope my colorful work will bring you some joy and happiness after the gray Columbus winter! See something you like? Take it home and add some color to your world! Why should happy be restricted to just one hour?

Happy Spring...

Ushering in Spring...

New greeting cards featuring Spring-like colors and designs will be available at the Columbus Museum of Art store this week...so be sure to stop in and get your color fix!

Bringing you more happy, bold color in the New Year!

"Snowy Garden (small)" acrylic & paper collage on panel, 10 x 10"

Ok folks...we have arrived. We are there. You know...the month on the calendar, where the skies seem perpetually gray and the bitter temperatures outside only add to the dreary mood! Personally, I fight back with a lot of bold, bright color and like taking a multivitamin, I have to take in color every day.

So, I have been painting daily and some of my new work, seen here (in this blog post and my website's illustration gallery) will be available soon as more boxed sets of greeting cards! I will be sure to let you know when they are hot off the press and available, so subscribe to my blog or check back to my Facebook page!

In the mean time, surround yourself with color, stay safe, warm and HAPPY!

'Tis the season...

With the holidays upon us and 2017 coming to a close, I wanted to wish everyone a restorative, peaceful, holiday season! Thank you all for following me on facebook and instagram and please know I count you followers among my many blessings!

Many have asked what is ahead...well, currently my boxed greeting cards are available through the Columbus Museum of Art store (and of course through me directly as I am working on getting my website's ecommerce section up and running). So in the mean time if you see something you'd like to purchase or commission me for, just email, pm me or the good ol' phone call will work too!

I have been painting a lot and so you can look for more blasts of color from me in the weeks and months ahead! I am still accepting commissions and will have some surprises for you in the near future!

Happy Holidays and may 2018 bring you great...

Looking ahead...

On October 6th, I turned 50. It has been a bit unsettling in some ways (I am still 21 in my mind) and in others it has been gratifying. I am blessed to be here, with a roof over my head, a happy, healthy family, genuine friends and to be working at what I love! My artwork keeps evolving and I'm grateful for those who admire it! Happy Birthday to me...couldn't think of better blessings.

So looking ahead...with fall coming on, I will be painting more and you can count on bold colors! Be sure to follow me on instagram for my latest updates and adventures!

Everything is coming up...well, roses!

I live my life in spurts, or rather there seems to be an ebb and flow, admittedly sometimes positive and sometimes negative! When I was going through cancer treatment from the Fall of 2015 and into the bleak winter months of 2016, my creativity was as drained as my energy. Now that both have returned, my mind keeps turning to the subject of roses when I'm in the studio creating. I started painting in acrylic back in January, out of a need for vibrancy. Those who share my hometown of Columbus, Ohio can attest to the long, bleak, gray winters that seem to drag on endlessly!

Every time I looked outside my window for inspiration I was met with the color of dirty concrete. Ugh! I needed a change of pace! I was craving color! Color that my typical soft watercolors couldn't provide. I needed bold, thick, happy color!

I have found a certain joy in painting and collaging on wood panels, working small for now. "Giddy" is a compilation of acrylic and the paper from the interior of security envelopes. The dots make me think of champagne bubbles. It is the second in what is becoming a series based on my return to creativity post cancer.

Here is the first...

"Undercurrent", Acrylic, paper collage on wood panel, 10"x10, $400

This piece is a statement on how one feels going through a cancer diagnosis, putting on the front that everything is just fine, just rosy, but if you look beneath the surface you find another realm, reality, world (depicted by the underwater colors and school of pink fish). This too incorporates the interiors of security envelopes, which for me, is a small way to fight back against the overwhelming clutter that accumulates from receiving mail!

Both pieces are finished and available for purchase by contacting me via email or facebook.