Holiday Card for 2010!

Hello Friends!

I am pleased to post my holiday cards for 2010! After I posted the Thanksgiving card on Etsy.com I received the greatest response possible; People bought them! I'd like to shout out to my friends Opera-John and Shawn and thank them for buying. Also, Jordan on Manhattan's Upper West Side, Rose in Florida, Jen in Maine, Melissa in Texas, and the Parsons Family in South Carolina! The boost to my confidence was incredible!

Here you see images of the card and two images of the envelope. My initial idea was to create a three image joke. The front of the envelope serves as our "establishing shot" and shows Grand Central Terminal, here in midtown New York. The person receiving the Holiday Card will (hopefully) flip it over and will see an image of an invitation, inviting someone to a Holiday Party that evening hosted by Orion. Upon opening the card the viewer will find that the Holiday Party is being thrown on the underside of the ceiling of Grand Central Station, with all of the Zodiac signs invited. (Taurus the Bull has a present, Pegasus has three gifts, and Cancer the Crab is bringing gifts and wine!)

The illustrations were created from scratch board and they are printed on a natural toned piece of recycled paper. I used a gold marker to try to recreate the gold leaf and stars in the Grand Central Ceiling. It is disappointing but the gold is impossible to scan into the computer. (Please pretend that each figure shimmers a bit!)

If I don't get a chance to post a message before the Holidays, I would like to wish everyone my very best for the last few weeks of 2010 and joy and peace for all of 2011!

Things I am thankful for

I have attached an image of a Thanksgiving card I am preparing to send out to friends and family. Everyone who reads my blog (all five of you) will be receiving a card from me. If anyone else is reading this and would like to receive a card please just send me a comment with your name and home address!

This is an image I have wanted to create into a card for several years. Over the years I have filled several sketch books with doodles in which I planned out this card. The sketches have never worked to my satisfaction and I always question myself and ask, "Does anyone actually send out Thanksgiving cards?" Each year Thanksgiving has passed me by making all of this moot. Happily, this year I managed to find one day to get all of the drawing done. Now I just need a few evenings to paint the white details.

The Thanksgiving Parade in New York was one of those things that I LONGED to attend when I lived in Chicago. Now as a New Yorker I just try to keep it in mind and avoid Times Square and Broadway on Thanksgiving. Often it is very cold and the street is always packed like a sardine can. One has to admire the Radio City Rockettes. Rain or shine they show up every year wrapped in short little fur coats and hats, but only wearing nylons and tap shoes. I'd have thought they'd have learned from the previous years and said, "Hey ladies, how about we wear pants this year?"

The card above is a scratch board illustration of the Dakota on Central Park West and 72nd in New York. This is the famous building where John Lennon and Yoko lived and where Mia Farrow as Rosemary cried out, "His eyes! What have you done to his eyes!?"

The large balloons in front of the building are stand-ins for the cartoon characters who float down the parade each year. I expected to run into legal trouble from The Networks if I put in Sponge Bob or Kermit so here is Nicky the Simple Squirrel, Georgie the Over-Indulgent Turkey, and Wilhelm the Aggressive Penguin. (All the names come from a non-fiction book I'm reading on the lead up to World War I.)

Later this week I will be posting some of these cards onto my Etsy site. Please check them out there along with some of my other work. I am thankful and proud to say that I have sold two items off of Etsy. The two images of the vegetables below were sold and will soon be hanging in someone else's kitchen.

Sacre-Coeur

This is a large format painting I have just finished of Sacre-Coeur in Paris. As I mentioned before Sacre-Coeur is at the top of the highest hill in Paris. The area is called Montmartre (the mountain of the martyr) and it is full of shops and cafes aimed at tourists. I was so excited to go there because the area is famous for the local artists who sit in their stereotypical berets, paint the street scenes, and sell canvases to tourists all day long. The souvenir I wanted the most from Paris was a small watercolor or oil painting from the top of Montmartre.

Disappointingly, I found these older Parisians, mostly gentlemen with gray hair, hard at work, creating art which was not based on observation, but only representing big tourist attractions. (In retrospect I should not have been surprised.) I just found it sad that in a city in which almost every view is beautiful, no one was painting from life. One of these older Montmartre gentlemen was applying generous amounts of glitter to a small work of art, making the Eiffel Tower silver, and the Moulin Rouge red. Perhaps the great French Impressionists would be rolling in their grave. (Or perhaps the impressionists just never thought to use glitter in their paintings of water lilies and sunflowers. Who knows?)

Here is my own piece of Montmartre, painted here in the U S of A. Although this church has been painted far more beautifully by far better artists than I, I was still very pleased to spend a few weeks working on this and remembering the food and wine of Paris. This painting is accurate in the combination of both the carnival like atmosphere at the foot of Sacre-Coeur and the serene grandeur of the church itself.

I know what everyone is thinking... this painting just needs a little bit more glitter!

Avenue de L'Opera

This is a painting I have just finished of a grand boulevard in Paris. This is the Avenue de L'Opera, which leads from the Comedie Francaise and the Place du Palais-Royal to the Opera Garnier. What I have tried to recreate is the view from the stairs in front of the Opera House down to the Comedie Francaise. It was my goal to try to recreate the beautiful shadows which had a purplie-blueish tone against the warm building facades.

Paris was so beautiful that I found just walking around to be both exhilarating and exhausting. I am someone who is easily overstimulated and the long walks from cafe to museum would leave me speechless. We stayed in an area called Les Halles ("lay-yall") which at one time had been the food market for Paris. Emile Zola wrote a whole book called "The Belly of Paris" about a convict who arrives in Les Halles after spending years on the run. The book overflows with descriptions of the gossipy fish wives, noble vegetable sellers, overweight butchers, stinky cheese vendors, etc. Much more recently in Julia Child's amazing book, "My Life in Paris" she speaks warmly about wandering the aisles and buying produce there. Sadly during a the 1970's in the name of Urban Renewal the original Les Halles was flattened and turned into a large underground mall. Being one of those New Yorkers who is angry about the loss of Pennsylvania Station it seemed appropriate that we stayed in a hotel right by Paris' identical large urban mistake.

Our trip was so full of fantastic food and fun diversions that I cannot accurately hope to recapture it on a blog. Highlights included visits to the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milos, as well as trips to Versilles, the catacombs, and Notre Dame. In one day alone we took a boat trip on the Seine, looked for lunch on one of the grand Avenues only to stumble upon the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysees. A quick visit to the Arc was followed by a long walk through Pigalle and Montmarte to Sacre-Coeur. The long winding walk back to Les Halles brought me past the Covered Passageways, or narrow streets of shops hidden within irregular city blocks and covered with piqued glass ceilings. A quick walk past the Folies-Bergere took me to our local boulangerie where the bread was still warm. Upon arriving back in the hotel room we would eat warm bread, watch dubbed television shows and discuss dinner plans. We cannot wait to return.

Making me want to cry...

This is a second still life of red onions and garlic. The artichokes told me they were lonely and suggested that I get them a friend. For the last three days these onions have been sitting in my bedroom. It is an odd thing to come home from work and smell onions and garlic as you sit on your bed and take off your shoes.

I'm pleased with the onions but less pleased with all of the random garlic bulb paper to the right of the illustration. Perhaps I will warm to it as I stare at this picture day after day. It is now listed on Etsy.com and available, like the artichokes, for purchase.

Now that I am finished with this illustrations these onions are no longer under my protection and free to become dinner. Perhaps onion soup tomorrow evening!

Twas a Lovely Dinner

Recently my boyfriend, David, and I had my sister, Kathleen, over for dinner. We were inspired to make artichokes from a cooking show that David loves. I was inspired to paint the artichokes, based on their interesting shape and color variation. Thinking myself to be terribly clever I looked at Etsy and found a HUGE number of people who like to paint (and sell) pictures of pears, apples, and artichokes. (Perhaps the Holy Trinity of fruit for still life paintings...)

At some point soon I shall put these three artichokes up on Etsy and perhaps in cyberspace they will meet up with other artichokes and discuss what it was like sitting for a portrait. (Exciting? Dull?)

Tomorrow I am back at work at my sales job but in less than two weeks, I will be taking a week off and flying to Paris (with the aforementioned boyfriend and sister). These next few days will be a flurry of tying loose ends up at work, Parisian research, packing, and stress! Please wish us "Bon Chance"!

Stinky!

This is Jen's baby Wyatt! (As this is his modeling debut, we decided not to do the runway shoot with wind machine as planned. Next time, kiddo.)

I am thrilled that Wyatt is wearing the very fashionable skunk onesie, lovingly drawn by his Wanna-Be-Uncle Dan, and painstakingly silk screened by his Momma. We had a lot of fun, although it was quite a chore to get the registration correct for the two colors that make up this pesky little skunk. With luck these will be available for sale on Jen's Etsy site soon.

As a co-creator of these onesies I cannot over emphasize how important this garment is to your baby's peace of mind. When Parent Number One says, "Ohhh! Somebody stinks!" baby just thinks, "Probably just the skunk... Silly Mommy." No embarassing situations. No hurt feelings!

This Little Piggy...

As the summer is getting under way I have found myself drawing fewer city scenes and working with one of my best friends on a small business she has started. My friend, Jennifer, has started Grow Baby, a line of organic baby items. As a recent Mom she has an in-house fashion model and a need for lots of fun and fashionable children's clothes.

(Her son, Wyatt, was born on January 10th! I'm trying very hard to be impartial when I say that he is very possibly one of the cutest babies EVER!)

Jen and I spend long nights playing Scrabble or making dinner saying things like, "What about an owl on a baby onesie?"
"An owl? Isn't everyone doing owls?"
"What about a elephant?"
"Won't that make your baby look like a little Republican?"
"Polar Bear? Too trendy?"

Last week I spent one of my very precious days off in front of my computer, listening to a book on tape, and drawing animal after animal. Most of them were either oddly shaped or looked sad (or angry or manic). ...Not baby appropriate! This little piggy seems to have successfully made it off of the drawing board, leaving behind him thirty-five or forty other animal sketches. I will see if I can get a photo of Wyatt wearing one of the Grow Baby Onesies. If you have a moment check out Grow Baby on Etsy.com!

Stationary Show at the Javits

Today I took a trip to visit a friend of mine at the Jacob Javits Center on the West Side in New York City. She was in town representing her company for the Annual Stationary Show. This show is always a great way to see what is new in the stationary, paper, greeting card, and gift wrap business. She suggested that I should bring my portfolio to show to other business owners. I put something together quickly. Once I arrived I realized that I had essentially brought a "knife to a gun fight". (...A very New York Metaphor!)

The Javits Center seemed like several football fields end to end with miles and miles of booths showing beautiful cards, artwork, and gifts. I was over stimulated to a point on par with a walk through Times Square or the Strip in Vegas. (When I told my friend I was overwhelmed she asked "But can you ever be just 'Whelmed'?")

After several hours walking through this environment (which felt larger than some American cities I have visited) I had a collection of promotional material from companies I admire, business cards from companies I would like to submit my work to, and a small mountain of promotional crap that was forced upon me by over eager vendors. Some very nice vendors agreed to look over my portfolio and I left my email address for a few company owners. I do not seriously expect to hear anything from them but my field trip today gave me a MUCH clearer sense of what is being created and bought in this market.

Along with this post I have uploaded an illustration I created of the south east corner of Central Park. This bridge is one of my favorite spots in Manhattan. It appears in the movie "Sweet Charity" and is even mentioned at the end of Orson Well's broadcast of the "War of the Worlds". The building to the right is the Plaza Hotel. I might go back and add a few layers of color to this illustration in the near future.

I'm on Vacation

Later today I will be leaving New York to spend a week with my parents in Chicago and to see the opening of the Chicago production of Billy Elliot. I am sad that I will be missing a very important week of the Brooklyn Botanical Garden's Cherry Blossom Festival. (As I promised in my first blog posting several weeks ago I am now proud supporting member of this fine institution and I encourage everyone to support their local botanical garden, community garden, or arboretum!)

Currently I am working on an illustration from one of my favorite spots in Central Park. When I return to Brooklyn I will have more time to sit down and finish it. For now I am posting an illustration I worked on a few years back of the Cherry Esplanade in Brooklyn in full bloom. (Imagine that this black and white illustration is in color! ...and not just any color, imagine that it such a crazy bright pink that it recalls cotton candy, 80's fashions, and Mary Kay Cadillacs simultaneously!)

I wish everyone an exciting Spring with beautiful weather!

Finished Product

This is a brief posting. I just wanted to upload an image of the completed Madison Ave window design. My painted birch trees are hanging out with the real birch tree trunks. All together I think they make a great looking window. (By the way, email me if you are thinking, "Hey that bedding would look great in my house!")

Spending Time in an Acrylic Forest

Like many fashion retail companies, the company I work for is already a season or two ahead of us. The people in the office are finishing up the Winter buy and looking at the colors for next Spring and Summer. (It reminds me of the publishing industry. Magazines are probably writing the copy now for their Halloween issues and selecting their must-haves for Christmas.) My company is holding a press event to showcase our Winter Collection and the visual team now has to think of stylish ways to feature rich gem tones in a classy winter-ie way.

I have been asked to contribute a few evenings of my time to painting birch trees onto large mirrored panels we have. The idea is to create an illusion of a real forest when we arrange real birch tree trunks in front of this mirror. So far I am pleased with what we have accomplished and I cannot wait to see what it will look like once it is properly installed. Today I will be adding some small details on the trees. Hopefully that will make them stand out a bit... I will post additional photos when this forest is in place.

A Walk Through Central Park

Today I was scheduled to work at my company's store which is located on Madison Ave. The commute to Madison Ave on the Upper East Side adds an additional twenty minutes to my morning but it really reinforced how rarely I get out of my usual 'groove'. (My day is usually some variation of the following; apartment, subway, coffee shop, work, coffee again, more work, lunch place, work, coffee again, subway, home.)

But today was different! I emerged from the subway at Carnegie Hall and I had less than one hour to dart through Central Park on a diagonal to the Upper East Side. Today was sunny and cool and Central Park was buzzing with families, tourists, joggers, bikers, horses, and trees that were just beginning to bloom. In the little time I had I took several photographs and put down this simple sketch of the boat house. Tomorrow I am off of work and with luck I plan to begin a more detailed illustration of this and several other Central Park locations. Please check back soon for updates!

Spring is Around the Corner

For the last few days New York has been hit by terrible rain storms. I even heard on NPR that in New York City during the worst of the weather, there were the second highest number of phone calls placed to 911 in the history of the emergency hot line. (The only time more people called was during the black out a few years back!)

I am hoping that March Showers will bring April Flowers. (A little earlier than usual, but I am optimistic!) Tons and tons of water has fallen over the past forty-eight hours so I believe there should be tons and tons of flowers. Even today, I am pleased to report that on a brief trip to the bank, I swear I could smell Spring, getting closer and closer. In honor of the impending pleasant weather I have set up this blog and a new Etsy page. It is my goal to place a series of illustrations I have completed on their web site for everyone to see (and buy?). I also have made a firm decision that this year I will become a member of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. It is the most beautiful spot in all five boroughs when the cherry blossoms begin to bloom. I have always felt inspired to sit and draw at the Botanic Gardens and I am eager and willing to take recommendations from any one else on great locations to sit and watch Spring arrive. (Hopefully someplace I can get to on my MetroCard. Or Bolt Bus.)

Thanks for reading my new blog!