7 x 5 in.

I couldn’t resist....I loved yesterday’s painting so much, I had to paint another one and this time with 2 houses. It just seemed right.

So, then. I originally had big blogging plans for today to share some more fun stuff with you, but the day has completely gotten away from me. That and I ended up drinking decaf coffee all morning like it was herbal tea and all I can say is that someone should really tell you that decaf coffee DOES has caffeine enough for me to have fierce caffeine headache. How did I not know this?! Yikes. Seriously, you did not want to bump into me at the post office just now :) Alrighty then, I’m off to finish up some things before we head off to a Groundlings show tonight for some much needed laughter!!!!!

happy, happy weekend and maybe I’ll pop back in and say hello before the weekend is up, otherwise I’ll see you in a couple of days when I’m fresh and not quite soooo agitated, I mean caffeinated.
(click here to buy original)

*Edit* Sunday, June 1 (happy June by the way, does this mean summer is here!!??) for some reason my comments were off on this post for the last 2 days. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to shut anyone out in case you had something to say, so I switched them back on :) I’ll be back tomorrow! have a lovely Sunday evening.

4 x 4 in.

Ok, plain and simple this little fellow was inspired by a recent call for entries for a show that not only am I excited to submit my work to, but also to share with you, in case you might be inspired to submit your creations as well!

It’s titled "Birds + Their Dwellings", and it’s hosted by the San Francisco Museum of Craft and Design. Turns out that a long time blog visitor, Raymond, aka Bacchus, just happens to be the store manager of SFMC+D and he recently let me know about the show and asked me to spread the word. Raymond writes " We are looking for artists in all mediums (ceramics, stationery, jewelry, wood, print, metal, fiber and glass) to submit work for the show, all pieces which will be for sale. The deadline for entry is July 10th." You can find more details here and download the entry form. You can also feel free to email Raymond if you have any additional questions.

You’ve probably already gathered that I like birds around here, so needless to say I’m completely intrigued by this show idea, and can hardly wait to create something special.

Also happy birthday today, to two of my most lovely friends, Gena Kay and Karin (who just recently started blogging)!!

(original is sold) ~ this one sold super fast (before I could even get this post up) and since it is super cute, I also had to make it into a print!

My very first blog giveaway win! And considering I was one of 5 who won out of 849 comments (before the comments had to be closed), that’s almost a little like winning the lottery! Especially since I won a fabric giveaway, such perfect timing with my present sewing adventures, from one of my favorite artists! I’ve been meaning to mention Emily Martin of "inside a black apple" fame so many times here on the blog. And really I think I’ve postponed it because there’s just so much to say about this lovely lady I don’t really know where to begin. And as I’ve mentioned before sometimes when I feel overwhelmed with what to say, I end saying nothing :) But eventually I do get around to it and today’s the day.

First I want to say thank you to Emily for this wonderful giftie! I received her bundle of fabric in the mail this week, including buttons, a beautiful postcard with one of my expressions of choice, as you know, "you are lovely", and the best part a sweet little handwritten note that says "happy making". As busy as this creative lady must be, to take the time to send out these thoughtful packages is so kind.

And when I say "busy", that is an understatement. I honestly don’t know how Emily does it all but as one of her many daily blog visitors, I see that somehow she manages, and she manages beautifully. To say she is an inspiration is also an understatement. There isn’t anything that Emily can’t create and everything she does create from paintings, drawings, dolls, stationery, sculpeys, t-shirts, tea towels, and on and on and on is so delightful and charming ~ you can’t help but want to have one if not many of her creations at home with you, which is why everything sells out in minutes in her monthly updates at her Etsy shop. So if you want to start collecting her work, you gotta move fast on Etsy!! I was fast enough last year and bought one of her "Sophie" dolls, and now Sophie sits across from me in my studio, flanked by my bla bla cat and red ozzie rabbit by le train fantome (another artist who’s creations I adore!).

While I’ve never met Emily in person, I can only imagine that she must be as kind as she seems. Her blog is one of my favorite daily reads, not only for the constant creative inspiration (she certainly has inspired me as an artist to try many different mediums in my creative expression) but also because after a year or so of reading it, I’m continually drawn to the genuine, giving and gracious voice behind it, not to mention a very savvy business woman at the ripe old age of 25. I’ve seen Emily handle a couple of touchy situations on her blog, and she always does so with honesty and grace. If you’re an artist wanting to start a blog and you don’t know where to begin, definitely visit Emily’s blog. I find she manages the perfect balance of featuring her art, sharing details of her personal life with honesty, while still keeping her privacy, sharing useful sources and tidbits, recipies, music and movie recommendations, featuring other artists, and some posts that are purely creative expressions of hers ~ Each and every post is thoughtfully written with simply pretty photography. I imagine these are just some of the many reasons almost 1,000 people commented on her fabric giveaway. Did I mention that she also has very fun fashion sense? You can also visit Emily at her "fashiony blog", called some girls wander. While her self-described "cottage industry" is certainly beyond thriving, I’m sure this is just the beginning for Emily and the black apple and I am excited to see where it all goes for her.

With all of that said I just want to say thank you again to Emily for being such an inspiring lady in this world of creativity ~

and before I forget, over the holiday weekend I made this apple pie recipe Emily shared on her blog, both the crust and the filling and it was DELICIOUS...definitely one of the best apple pies I’ve ever had!

and to pass on the sentiment "happy making" to you on this creative thursday!! I’ll be right back with today’s painting!

"lewis" and "oscar"
each is 10 x 10 in.

I created these two famous friends for a special project that I hope to be sharing more details about soon! In the meantime, I’ve released these larger size paintings for sale just in case you might secretly be hoping for large paintings of your favorite characters. I let my daily painting subscribers know about these first and now I’m letting you know here at the blog.

Also, I released this sweet little couple that I painted back in February.

we believe in LOVE
10 x 10 in.

(click here to buy originals)

7 x 5 in.

From left to right, lucille, the white owl, sunday, oscar and levi ~ almost all of the owls who have made appearances in my paintings over the last few years. It’s so fun to see them all together like this. (thank you for the suggestion Kelly!)
(original is sold)

*Edit* Wednesday, May 28 ~ I’ve made this one a print over at the shop.

The creating continued over the weekend...and it’s been a while since I created a gocco print. So here’s a little tuesday bear & owl for you, Oliver and I believe you know Oscar?! These prints are available at the shop and are a limited edition of 16 with 14 left. hope you had nice holiday weekend!

6 x 6 in.

Patrick: "Good morning Olive! Who are you going to be today?"

Olive: "Why a giraffe, of course!"

Patrick is another new character. I realized I need more boys in this Creative Thursday family! Of course he is a fellow after my own heart with his orange beanie and gloves. Thank you for all the softie love yesterday. I already have ideas for the next round of them....

And I know you will be thrilled to know that I got my weather wish as now it’s stormy and cold cool, so not "L.A." weather, but I LOVE it. Funny thing is, I always make fun of people who only talk about the weather, like it’s such meaningless conversation, no depth, nothing of real value, and here I am talking about the weather ~ but what I realized this week is that weather is something we all share and we can all relate to so it makes perfect sense that we talk, or post on our blogs about it. It makes us feel connected somehow. When I read other people’s blogs I truly enjoy reading about the littlest details they experience day to day. It’s never boring to me, because it feels like such an authentic glimpse into what their lives might really be like. Because all of our days are made up of tiny moments strung together. And it’s really nice to notice the tiny moments. So there’s my meaningful, thoughtful commentary about the weather :)

have a really happy holiday weekend filled with fabulous weather!

(click here to buy original)

3 x 3 in.

I’ve pushed being creative over the edge today. I ended up creating a purple "dancing bear" between yesterday and today and then I painted a tiny portrait inspired by the first blue bear. I’m usually inspired, but this is bordering on absurd. You see, all this creating in different mediums has opened up the the spigot to the creative flow even more. It’s all I can do not to paint or stitch on anything with a surface right now...

wishing you a happy creative thursday!

you can find everything in this blog post right here!

(thanks for your advice about keeping the first blue bear...after much thought I’ve decided to release her to a new home...but then again if she doesn’t get snatched up soon...she might have to stay with me after all! and she’s going to her new home! and it couldn’t be a better one, thank you so much Karen!!)

Like I always say, "gotta keep things interesting around here creatively" for me and for you! Outi and I were just talking about this yesterday, how important (and fun!) it is as an artist to create in different mediums, because no matter what your medium of choice is, the exploration into other ones really inspires and enhances working in your favorite one. Alright then, here’s the latest...softies, Creative Thursday style. I’ve been playing around with the prototypes I made a few weeks ago and this is what I’ve come up with. From my time as an interior designer, I’ve saved scraps from some of my favorite fabrics and I knew they would come in handy one of these days! It seems that even when I create these little animals I can’t help but combine color, texture and pattern, probably because of my days as an interior designer. When I work with fabric, I’m inspired to mix pieces to create a whole. My plan is to release a couple of these bears along with the tiny bunnies (and I made some tiny bears, too!) tomorrow at 1 pm PST, once again if I can part with them. I’m sort of loving this bear. I hope you enjoy the latest incarnation of creations :)

oscar and the sock monkeys 8 x 8 in.

This creamsicle colored cutie (that color orange just makes me think "creamsicle") is one of 3 recent commissions I did for a completely delightful customer, Jeni, expecting her first baby. I wanted to share it with you A) because I think you will enjoy the cuteness :) and B) because this is a combination designed/requested by Jeni. She loved the "sock monkeys 3" and she loved oscar, so she requested they join each other in this painting with this particular orange background which works so beautifully with the little bit of blue in oscar. My FAVORITE combo right now, and I noticed Martha Stewart’s as well, as it was adorning the cover of her May 2008 magazine. Just look at this painting next to "puppy dog" in the post below. It really just screams summer and makes me want to eat orange sherbert.

I digress...the other reason I wanted to share this post, and this might seem obvious, especially if you’re a regular blog visitor but C) I do take on commission paintings all the time, and I don’t mind re-creating a painting that is already sold, especially if you have or had your heart set on a particular image I created ~ I don’t mind customizing it for you like this example, colors, character requests etc. ~ more often than not I’m happy to make a print from my originals even if you don’t see it listed over at Etsy ~ you can even make painting "requests" and if I feel inspired by your idea it might just show up in a daily painting... if you’re order is a gift, just let me know and I’ll gift wrap it for you and include a little card! What I’m saying is "don’t hesitate to ask". At the end of the day, you, my customers, deserve to have a piece of art that you love, that inspires you, that makes you HAPPY!!!

(oh and since I was complaining yesterday, you should know that it was cooler today! thank God ~ I just had to put on a little orange (of course) jacket this lovely pre-summer evening.) hope you are all having a good week!!

5 x 5 in.

I haven’t painted just a regular puppy dog before. So here she is. I hope you had a good weekend. I actually took the whole weekend off, no work ~ I needed the break, that and it was so incredibly hot this weekend it was all we could to find a cool place to hide out, which we’re learning in our new house, does not actually exist so getting a portable air conditioner may be in our near future. I think it may also be time to resurrect the kiddie pool. We did manage get into the ocean water for some surfing yesterday!

As the temperature approached 94 degrees in my studio an hour ago, I realized there would be no more painting today, so I have since retreated to the coolest room, I mean the room with the most fans....they say it will cool down starting tomorrow...the kitties and I are hoping they are right.

(click here to buy original)

We’ve still been taking our regular walks, Lulu and I. Of course I’ve been wanting to post more photos for my L.A. walks series, but promised myself I’d wait to add more to the collection until I got the rest of my photos organized, which I did so here are some of the latest from our walks. These are from last Friday. I will say that what I seem to notice most on my walks is everything that’s blooming. This spring there has been this series of blooming trees and plants that even after 6 years living here in this city, I hadn’t really taken the time to observe before now.

Of course you can’t help but notice the Jacranda trees that bloom this time of year. On our recent walk to the post office, we crossed two streets in Beverly Hills, Palm and Oakhurst and they are lined with Jacaranda trees. It was like Lulu and I stepped out of our world into some enchanted garden. Purple petals were falling all around us while we walked through them. They covered the ground like purple snow. So incredibly beautiful and absolutely breathtaking ~ is all I can say.

psst....I painted some tiny portraits that were just released today for sale online at Twig. I’ve been out all day, making the nicest new friends and getting beyond creatively inspired, truly a wonderful friday. But as of 7 pm PST these little guys are still available for sale right here!

wishing you a happy weekend!

7 x 5 in.

Couldn’t resist more orange today. Yesterday I wore almost all orange. I guess the color is once again seeping into my painting, that and this one was inspired by one I did last year that I’m working on again for a commission piece. The paper in this painting is origami paper. I just picked up some new paper designs yesterday.
(click here to buy original)

thoughtful graffiti in Venice, CA 2004

So this is where I’ve been the last 2 days, finishing up this podcast. As I mentioned in the podcast, this one was particularly hard to write, but now that’s it finished I’m excited to share it with you. More about money, my theories and a little about licensing, wholesaling, pricing your art, discounts, and answers to questions you’ve been asking. It’s another long one. I thought about splitting it into several podcasts but since it’s been a while since the last podcast, I decided to leave it long, but it’s packed with information that I did my best to keep cohesive....I hope! And I hope this one is as helpful as the last one was for so many of you. It’s late at night on Wednesday or early in the morning on Thursday. I wanted to go ahead and put this one up but I promise to return later today with links to the references I suggested. See you again shortly...and happy creative thursday a little early!

click here to download MP3 Download Instructions Mac Users option click and Windows users right click on link above to download the file.

Links related to this podcast

Eckhart Tolle A New Earth,

Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose

Oprah.com

Hay House Radio

Michael Neill

Licensing Art 101

Graphic Artists Guild Handbook

21 Distinctions of Wealth (a new book I’ve just started and am really enjoying)

Surtex (I almost completely forgot to mention the biggest licensing trade show held annually in NY ~ I have not participated before so it slipped my mind in the podcast, but this show is one of the best ways I’ve heard to get your work out there for licensing companies and/or agents and reps to find you. In fact it’s going on in the next few days, May 18-20!)

Official Copyright Website

Edit *Monday, May 19* A couple more things I want to mention. One is that if you’ve asked me questions via a comment, unless I feel I can answer you best by emailing you directly, I am now trying to get in the habit of answering them here in the comments section so everyone can benefit from the answer. So I answered a couple of questions this morning and one from Cathy that I want to answer here in the post. I realized after I recorded that it might be confusing what I meant when I said, "I’d rather know in advance who I will be licensing/selling my work too before I sign any agreements". Don’t get me wrong, even though I did not know that Urban Outfitters was the customer on this latest licensing deal, I am of course thrilled that it was them ~and even if had I known in advance that they were the company, I would’ve certainly chosen to work with them because I feel like my art is a good fit, they have a great national and international presence, and especially because I have been and continue to be so fond of that entire company.

I do however, think that it is very important for an artist, or any business owner for that matter to know who will be selling their work so they too can decide if they think this will be a strong partnership and a good fit for the big picture of where their business will expand to. My point is that not every opportunity that comes your way will be the best fit for your business and you should feel free to make decisions based solely on that feeling alone, as to whether this feels like the right next step or not. I will even go so far as to say, just because it may be a good move financially does not mean it will be a good choice for you. And the reason again, that I mentioned it in the podcast is because upon further reflection I think it is unfair for a company to ask you to agree to sell to another company without knowing who they are first. I think this idea is based upon the impression that any one of us as business owners, especially artists should be so grateful for the opportunity that we shouldn’t even ask these questions, that we should just accept whatever comes our way. And that is what I’m suggesting needs some re-evaluating on the part of the artist, I believe, not the "appreciation for the opportunity part" but the part that says we will give up our fair rights for any and every opportunity.

And another thought on licensing in general. It is important to keep in mind that it can take a couple of years of getting your product out there via licensing channels before you can start to see some results. I was told this early on and now 3 years later have found this to be true. Not to say that things can’t happen fast, because they can especially if you’re already known as an artist. It’s just that it can sometimes take an entire year for a catalog, for instance to decide that it will pick up a particular image of yours to sell, something I have also recently experienced. So if you decide to license be sure to give it time to grow.

5 x 5 in.

Just in the nick of time, a painting for today with two new characters, pearl & teddy. All I can say is I can’t get enough of these color combinations lately. One of my friends told me recently that I dress like my paintings, and it’s true ~ I’ve been wearing orange, pink and red for 2 days now.

(original is sold)

To my most wonderful mama! Every few years my mom’s birthday lands on mother’s day and today happens to be one of those days ~ so today especially, I just want to celebrate her. It goes without saying but she gave me the best start any parent can give their child ~ the knowing that I have always been loved. And I can’t thank her enough for that, and so much more.

I’m saying a quick hello to show you what I’ve been up to today. Sewing tiny bunnies. The love for all things tiny continues on over here. And the weather was so nice, I sewed outside. Those of you that sew know this already I’m sure, but crafting with your hands either sewing, or knitting, crocheting, embroidering, all of which I’ve done over the years, can be so relaxing. It requires a different kind of creative focus that for me is a nice change from painting. Yet, I will say that when I sew the eyes, aka, the personality on to these little guys, I get the same thrill as when I paint on the eyes in a painting. Each time I put a face on one of these characters, that’s when they come to life, their individuality emerges and it fascinates me how different they are each time. Anyway, if I can part with these tiny bunnies, I may be listing them for the first time for sale in the ol' Etsy shop. I’ll be sure to keep you posted.

hope you’re having a lovely weekend!

More celebration of all the mamas out there. I couldn’t resist painting tiny mamas with their babies. I’m sorry for the short notice, but I decided to paint these last minute and wasn’t sure when I’d finish them. But this series of 6 tiny originals is officially up at the shop right now!

happy creative thursday!

This is a new stamp message that I found that is now adorning the packaging of all my orders. All I can say is that this message sums up perfectly how I feel about what I do. If I haven’t told you already, everything created here at Creative Thursday is made with love and I can’t tell you enough how thankful I am to do what I do. When you get a package from me in the mail, you should know that I send love with it. And you should also know that I can’t thank YOU enough for the continuous support you offer me and my handmade creations.

That’s all. Sometimes I just feel like I have to tell you these things.

(by the way... it’s looking like I’ll be back tomorrow on Creative Thursday with some tiny creations...)

4 x 4 in.

Well we know what special day is fast approaching ~ Mother’s day! This one is for all the Mama bird’s out there and especially to my wonderful Mama who’s birthday is also this week.

(original is sold)

5 x 5 in.

Oscar : "Good morning Olive, who are you going to be today?"

Olive: "Why a puppy dog, of course."

(original is sold)

We biked to the farmer’s market today. Fresh produce, sunny skies, bright yellow sunflowers, a red bicycle, pure joy. I don’t know what it is about going to farmer’s markets that brings me so much happiness, it just does.

hope you’ve had a happy sunday

12 x 24 in.

So here it is...the large painting I’ve been working on. It’s now officially finished and titled "enchanted forest". Or a second title by Sean is "polar bear who took a wrong turn".

A request by my licensing company, a combination of two prior pieces, I’m really happy with how it turned out. This painting will be licensed and printed as a giclee on canvas in a much larger size ~ so perfect for over a bed or crib. I’m also posting the original for sale right here. It’s one of those images you can gaze at endlessly, discovering the little critters or just allowing your eye to trace over the shapes and colors.
On a side note, I am working on the next podcast. I haven’t forgotten! After listening to and absorbing all of these Eckhart and Oprah classes lately, I’m taking great care to ensure that these podcasts will be written and spoken from my most conscious place, which is particularly important as the next one I have in the works will continue on the delicate subject of money, with an emphasis on pricing, licensing...and so on.

wishing you an enchanting weekend.

*Edit* Sunday ~ I decided to add some close-ups of the little critters, so you can actually see them :)

5.5 x 7.5 in.

A special request that felt like a perfect fit for these new wood panels I found last week. Oh, weddings are simply wonderful.

(click here to buy original)

*Edit* Monday, May 5 ~ If you are wanting to give this one as a gift, I’ve decided to make it available as a print over at the shop.