Things have been quiet 'round here

The rush of holiday commissions has finally ceased and I'm just finishing up some errands so things have been pretty peaceful. I'll leave you with some images of that peacefulness...

Something's happening and I don't know what it is...

A tree in the livingroom

Christmas decorations are up! By this I mean two orange candle lights and my little revolving Christmas tree. My grandmother gave me this tree last year. When her and my grandfather first got married, they didnt' have enough room in their apartment for a real tree, so they bought this little one, that lights up and spins around slowly. They've kept it ever since and I remember it from my childhood always being in their den at Christmas time. I was soooooo happy when my Grandmother gave it to me last year (because my apartment is too small for a real tree) and I hope to keep it for another 50 years.

It's all in the details...

I recently just finished the portrait of the two sisters I have been working on for over a month now. The younger girl has a teddy bear that is remarkably similar to my own childhood Teddy. This made me feel a real kinship to her while I was painting her. It's strange how intimate painting a portrait is. You spend so much time studying the face of another person, usually someone that you may not even know that well. Drawing might be the most intense form of observation.

If you didn't know already, you have plans for tonight

TONIGHT!!!
I have some work for sale in Prints Charming at the Pink Comma Gallery in the South End. The Gallery is at 81B Wareham St. and is open from 5-10. This is a one night only exhibition/sale and happens to fall on a First Friday, so make a night of it and check out all the gallery openings in the neighborhood.

Here are two of the larger prints I will have for sale...



...as well as a few other small ones. Check it out.

Birds connect us with the universe

So Paper & Chocolate was a HUGE success and the usually deserted loft building was swarming with Christmas shoppers. I sold a few prints, one to the lovely lady next to me from Mayday Studio, who had her own array of beautiful paper goods.

Back at home, I'm finally getting a grip on my commisions. The birdies are done! Which means I just have a few more jobs to finish up before I can finally start thinking about my own christmas shopping, which will mostly consist of me doing more paintings to give away as presents. I need a theme for this year. Last year, my whole family got bird paintings.


Maybe this year will be mountain goats.

Everyone on my Christmas list is getting either Paper or Chocolate or both.

Another reminder that Paper & Chocolate is this weekend. In case you didn't know already, it's a big deal. To prove that, here is a list of links where you can read about it, get directions, etc. I will have some prints for sale, both framed and unframed.

Boston Globe

Daily Candy

Decor8

Here are the images I will have there:






They are all monoprints or etchings with watercolor. Some of them have also been letterpressed with a matching poem. Framed prints are $85, unframed $45. Remember, the event is from 1-6, so gettem while they're hot!!!

hey fatty, get off my desk

This made me laugh really hard while I was painting it.

Nothing can stop me...not even Thanksgiving

So after relaxing for long enough to eat, play scrabble, and eat some more, I went to the basement to do some printing. Here is a painted version of the leggy-fawns etching that I chose to print on Thanksgiving day.



I'm actually trading this print for a doggie painting by Jess Golden. Although because I have 6 of them, I might bring some along to Paper & Chocolate and have them for sale with some of my other smallish pieces.

Speaking of Paper & Chocolate...it's this Sunday!!! (Dec. 2nd) from 1-6. It is an open house for Albertine Press and Taza Chocolate. The studios are in 561 Windsor St. Somerville, MA in between Inman and Union Square.
Please come to look at beautiful paper and eat delicious chocolate.

Speaking of chocolate...I usually am not a chocolate person, at all. But a few weeks ago, I ate some of Taza's Mexican Chocolate and nearly lost my mind. I think there is voodoo in it.


bing bong

Fall out the window

view from my tiny livingroom window

view from the thanksgiving house

birds, birds, birds (or I'm in love with a dead man)

One of the commisions I'm working on right now is of two birds. I'm taking a quick break from drawing to conduct a little ode to Leonard Baskin, who is easily one of my favorite artists. Here are some photos of me reading his book, Hosie's Aviary:




On further investigation of this book, which I recently bought from abebooks, I noticed that I may have some how been subliminaly influenced by Baskin's bird paintings even before I ever even saw them. Here is a side by side of the cover with a print of an Ibis that I did a few months ago:



hmmmmm....

oh well, in a way, i'm proud of myself.

Here are some more pictures that cause butterflies in my brain.

Wait, in case you need a close up of that last one...


basking in the baskin....

Weekend of champions

So the Vonnegut show was fun and there was a big turn out despite a location change from Galapagos to a loft in DUMBO, where I think Batman actually lives...Believe it or not this is the best picture I got of my peice on the wall.




There were few highlights of the trip which included a visit to friend Beth's beautiful letterpress shop, Greenwich Letterpress,



Baby bananas,



And a visit to St. Marks Bookstore where I found this sweet consignment book by Derek Van Gieson , which has caused me to be obsessed with his artwork.


And of course the best part was getting to hang out with friends:

christmas is killing me and it's not even thanksgiving

I am so busy lately with christmas commisions/shows which I am very grateful for. Children, birds, tatooed men are all part of the list of portraits that I am currently working on. I would love to post images of them, but feel that that would probably be invading the privacy of the gift-givers.

however, all this work is definitely turning me into a crazy person. I'm hoping that despite my self, everything will turn out wonderful in the end. but in the meantime:

the real thing

Psychadelic breakfast photo courtesy Meghan Rennie.

Tiny Gift

For the love of Vonnegut

Next weekend I'm contributing a peice in a extravaganza show in the honor of Kurt Vonnegut Jr. at the 208 Gallery in the DUMBO vicinity of Brooklyn. (Thanks to the lovely Lily Berizen(I hope I spelled her last name right))

I did a creepy portrait of the twins from Slapstick. It was a work out for my right arm as I used mezzotint for the majority of the peice. Here it is in progress:


And here is a close up of the finish:


AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!


It felt good to work on something so not-for-children for a change. Thanks Lily!!

Long live Finland

Yesterday I got a version of Alice in Wonderland out from the library illustrated by Finland's greatest illustrator/potato farmer, Tove Jansson. I'm surprised that this book is still in circulation as it is pretty rare now. Also book 2 of the Moomin comic strips just came out and I have been anticipating it now for months!!!

Let's all say a little prayer for Finland.

welcome

This is my little desk.