The longer you are an artist, the more your eye becomes trained to see inspiration all around you. 

It’s almost like you can’t help yourself. Every color combination even if it’s a pile of drying roses and the turquoise container that your farmer’s market raspberries came in, that you meant to throw away, but they just looked so pretty laying next to one another on your cutting board that you just had to take an Iphone photo, ok maybe two {with different camera filters} and then you had to use a portion of that new photo in your new blog header and then you might also use those colors in an new painting...

6 x 6 in.

Of course, there is a princess of everything.

A Friday evening painting and listening to music. Seriously ~ the BEST. Can you say 'domestic & happy'? Off to make some eggplant parmigiana.

happy Friday!

{original is sold}

What can I say it’s one of my all time favorite meals...still.

If you were to come over for dinner, chances are you might be served a spaghetti dish, and you’d probably find me reading the recipe from my orange and red polkadot binder ~ my official recipe collection that includes tear sheets from magazines, handwritten recipes, internet and email recipes.  {And yes that is my washing machine that the binder is resting on ~ it also doubles as a recipe holder while cooking}

You name it, I got it. I started collecting these recipes about 15 years ago ~ really, since I became a 'domestic adult' and started actually enjoying cooking. It honestly may have originally been inspired by Martha Stewart Living, which I bring you this recipe from, circa I don’t know because they didn’t put a date on the magazine page I ripped out. 

What I do know is this is one of the 'I’ve been meaning to share it with you', so I’m doing it now ~  before tomato season in this hemisphere comes to a close. I’m including a photo of the instructional images that were included in the article, incase you are like me and you also favor learning with visuals.

A basic, simple, delicious meal ~ it goes something like this ~ in the words of Martha Stewart Living:

"This recipe is perfect for dinner for two or as a first course for four. You will need 8 ounces of pasta and four 6 ounce tomatoes.

1. Fresh tomatoes should be peeled and seeded for best results. Bring a large pot of water (3 quarts) to a rolling boil. Add 2 tablespoons salt; use this water to loosen the skins. Cut a small "x" in the bottom of each tomato, and drop one or two at a time into boiling water, just until the skin begins to curl back at the "x".

2. Add your pasta to the water one portion at a time: one portion of spaghetti (4 ounces) is about as much as you can hold between the joint of your thumb and the first joint of your index finger. It’s important to stir the pasta frequently as it begins to boil to keep it from sticking together; stir occasionally after that. Begin cooking pasta right before starting the sauce.

3. Heat a 12-inch saute pan over medium heat. Add 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil. Heat slowly so the oil does not lose its green hue. Add 4 cloves garlic, sliced lengthwise 1/8 inch thick, and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden, about 30 seconds. Add 1/4 teaspoon each of red-pepper flakes and salt to oil; cook until garlic is medium brown, 1 minute more. Do not burn the garlic.

4. Tilt the pan away from you to avoid spattering; add tomatoes, along with reserved juices, to the pan. Cook over high heat, swirling occasionally, until tomatoes break down and become saucelike, 5 to 6 minutes.

5. While the tomatoes continue to cook, drain the pasta for about 30 seconds, reserving 1 cup of cooking water and shaking the colander a few times. 

6. Slide pasta into pan with tomatoes, toss with the tongs to coat. If it gets too dry, add some resrved pasta water. Cook until sauce clings to pasta, 3 to 4 minutes. Tear up 1/2 cup loosely packed basil leaves, and add to the pan; cook 30 seconds. Divide among two or four heated bowls; finish with a grating of cheese, if desired."

I have to be honest, as someone who tends to favor easy, speedier {but still delicious} recipes, I initially was a little intimidated by the whole getting the seeds out of the tomatoes and straining the sauce. It felt too 'Martha' style complicated, but really it’s worth it. It does make the sauce better, and once you’ve done it a few times it goes pretty fast. 

ENJOY!!!

6 x 6 in.

You knew there had to be a queen.

{original is sold} {now available as a print over at the shop}

6 x 6 in.

Not to be confused with the "king of the world".

happy weekend!

{original is sold} {now available as a print over at the shop}

https://vimeo.com/14249667

It’s official. The 'Creative Coconuts' starts this September 1, 2010.  And yes, that is us in the windows above :)

This is a short video interview we did for Amanda and her lovely SouleMama readers. For my Creative Thursday friends, I know you already know us 'Coconuts' pretty well but I thought you too might enjoy hearing little bit more about the inspiration behind this new community {and hear Garbo sneeze}. We’ll also be giving away a spot in the 'Coconuts' at Amanda’s blog this weekend.

Sean and I are not about hard selling that includes long lists of accomplishments, and bullet points about ourselves, our work or promises about what you will 'get' if you join this community. As with all of our creations and intentions, it comes straight from the heart. And you will know if it feels right for you. We will say that we’re really excited to start and build the kind of community we had always hoped to find....this is just the beginning.

You can learn more and register here. We can’t wait to see you Coconuts in September!

A few months back, I was hired to paint my first commission of a famous person. 

I tell you this only to say that initially, it felt a little intimidating. It’s important to note that I always feel some pressure when creating a piece for someone, especially if it is a gift for someone, and it involves their likeness and their pet’s likeness. I want them to feel like it truly captures them {in Creative Thursday style of course}. I want them to really, really love it. But for some reason, because this was a famous person I was putting extra pressure on myself initially.  I began to think about why I felt this way? Because you know I tend to do that, be analytical and think about these random things.  

After living and working in Hollywood for 10 years, you get used to seeing your share of celebrities. You become quickly aware of the fact that yes indeed, celebrities are normal people too. When you break it all down, what really separates us is that way more 'other normal people' know who they are. Ok, fine their life usually comes with way better perks because of this. 

In most societies your level of influence and popularity = your level of importance in this world. And the part that suddenly feels intimidating is when you buy into that, making someone else, celebrity or not, more important than yourself. It starts when we’re kids. We are socialized that certain traits and achievements make someone better and more valuable. I have spent a good segment of my life trying to undo that thinking, reminding myself that it’s not about being above or below anybody ever. Except when they are just so horrible or arrogant that I can’t help but want to talk trash about them and put them in their place ~ whoops. I said I was working on this. 

Most days, I do my best to remember that essentially we’re all living our lives in the best way we know how. 

Here’s the thing~ Chelsea is known for her Margarita Thursdays, she loves comedy, she’s a great performer {I went to see a taping of her show in person last week) she takes her work seriously, she’s brave about expressing herself and her opinions without apology {we do share the same, how can I say this nicely, sentiment about Angelina Jolie’s persona} and she appreciates the people who appreciate her ~ even taking the time to sign books for the audience members at every taping.  If we got together over a couple of margaritas, I think we’d have a lot to chat about and who knows we could even become friends?  Truth be told, I have really great clients, so feeling intimidated is kind of silly, especially when I remember that I’m always painting for friends.

'this is my kite'

Ah, I can’t tell you how much fun this was, well that was until I tried ironing the muslin while in the hoop which slightly burned/browned the fabric. I know that in itself could’ve been interesting effect, but not the one I was going for, so after I panicked I painted the finished embroidered piece with acrylic paints.

Here are some more details as to how this one evolved. As you know I’ve been experimenting with using my sewing machine to illustrate ~ so the polar bear came first. He hung around my studio for some time before I decided to put him in a hoop and added his little friend. Hand embroidered, the friend needed to hold a kite because for some reason I love stitching patches of fabric on to a piece.  I’ve had this hand printed Rebecca Ringquist fabric since June that I actually bought from Rebecca at the Squam Art Fair. Oh and on a side note,  if I wasn’t teaching, I would’ve been in Rebecca’s  "Drawn to Embroider" class in a heartbeat. Her students worked with these GIANT hoops, and it looked like so much fun. I’ve been dying to use her fabric, but have also been saving it for 'something special' that is bigger. So as you can see I only cut little snippets to use. 

I wasn’t so sure I liked it painted as much as I liked it natural, but to be honest when it was resting against the wall in it’s natural state, it was getting a little lost. Now the colors have really grown on me, looking very graphic from a distance and complimenting my yellow chest and another painting of mine that I have hanging on the wall behind it, really well.

Challenging, crazy fun, and pushing me to expand...everything experimenting with a new medium should  do.

One of the best parts of painting commissions is when a client suggests an idea that you hadn’t thought of yet. 

I mean, who would’ve thought that a baby giraffe and a baby octopus could be friends? As it turns out they are.

And this painting also has a story. Would you like me to tell you? Oh, ok I will.

I live in a lovely, peaceful neighborhood, on a very quiet street in Los Angeles. Very often when I print my postage from home, I also leave my ready to ship package outside on my front stoop for the mailman to pick up. I think it may have been one of those weeks, you know the kind, the one where things just don’t go quite as easily as you’d hoped... because I opened my front door to check on if my package had been picked up, only to find that yes indeed it had, but not by the mailman.  An empty, torn open priority mail box was carefully set on my stoop.  Yup, someone had stolen my newly finished commission painting.

You can only imagine how heartbreaking that was. I mean it’s bad enough when something is stolen from you, but something that you hand made especially for someone else. To add insult to injury the client I was making this painting for was actually giving it as a gift to her boyfriend.  So, so disheartening. And honestly, I’m sure the person who went through the trouble of stealing it was probably disappointed too. I mean, hey they got a painting. What are they going to do with that? Which is precisely what I wonder. I never found the painting. What I think happened is that someone grabbed it off the stoop, carried it around the corner, ripped open the box and discarded it, the box that is. Someone else must have found the empty box and kindly returned it to me.

Where did this painting end up?

I was pretty upset for a while and then I had to find a way to feel better about it all. First, my very understanding client allowed me to create another piece for her. So, I decided that maybe, just maybe this painting brightened someone’s day. I mean if someone was so down on their luck that they had to steal a priority shipping box off of someone’s stoop, they probably could use some cheering up, (along with a sever reprimanding about how wrong it is to steal) Maybe the person who stole it kept it, or if they tossed it aside maybe someone else found it and it brightened their day. I sincerely hope what I hope for all of my paintings, that they find their way to someone’s home and add a little joy to their lives. 

Hope it brings a smile to you today too, because they’re so cute aren’t they? And the octopus clearly loves the giraffe.

5 x 5 in.

With all my other plans for today, a daily painting was not actually one of them. But then, for the very first time I made a video for my present e-course students, sharing some of my daily painting process. Then I promised that I would finish this one today, so they could see the final piece. So there. My lovely, talented students inspired me. They do that a lot.

As is often the case, the teacher teaches what they too want to learn and practice...I’m encouraging everyone to challenge themselves and today this donkey challenged me. SERIOUSLY. Who would’ve thought it would be so hard to paint a donkey. I actually had one painted and then with a wet rag {another technique that works on the wood panel if the paint isn’t completely dry yet} I wiped the entire donkey away, and started over from scratch. Yup, I did.  And with it I wiped away a good couple of hours worth of work. 

This donkey kicked my a**, no pun intended.

But, I’m happy with him now :) 

{click here to buy original}

 
6 x 6 in.

Last Saturday I came across this post on Susannah’s blog. The final picture, the one with the sweetest, tiny baby Skyping at the bottom of the frame, inspired me so much, I had to paint him {and his favorite monkey}. Every week under the category of 'Weekly Wobble' Susannah shares the most adorable photos of her new baby nephew whom she endearingly refers to as the Wobble. With an often equally adorable and clever title to accompany the photos ~ Honestly, how can one resist the cuteness? I for one cannot.

happy weekend!

 
Continuing on with the month of randomness.

Today the digital organizing is all about my photos...and let me say I will do anything to stall on this project. I’ve already done two loads of laundry...and my bookeeping...and...I’m thinking about washing the cat.

But, I have made some progress, because I came across this photo that I "meant to share with you".

You know how I know that I’m creating what’s in my heart? Because when I was little I loved, was obsessed with anything miniature. In fact the tinier the better.

Last summer when I was going through my other clutter clearing phase, I came across this tiny ceramic mouse figurine that used to be one of my favorites when I was a kid. I LOVED it, still do actually. Standing at only 1/2" tall,  the mouse survived the clutter clearing and found a new home on my windowsill in my studio. Then one day, an even tinier bug found a new home on my mouse. 

Discovering this photo again, makes me want to turn this into a painting...Can you see now why I gravitate towards painting so small. I don’t know where it came from, but itty bitty things always inspire me. You should’ve seen my dollhouse, another childhood passion, obsession.

Speaking of videos...

Ok, if you were here earlier you may have caught a glimpse of a new print I released, well almost released. You see as the day progressed, I got a new idea for the print and I want to re-work it. I’ve never done that before, release something, then pull it. What do they say, "a first time for everything"?

But, I won’t leave you empty handed. Instead, today I’m sharing this video with you, and I added a couple of new prints to the shop.  One that was taken last fall I believe, one of the I "meant to post this" videos ~Outi’s one of my dearest friends and her studio also happens to be the place where I paint the ceramics that I sell. In fact she helps me glaze them {bless her}, so technically with each ceramic creation, you are getting a little of me and a little of Outi. 

This is just a quick clip of us being silly, and wanting to say hello to our friends Cathy and Melissa, who we used to be able to visit with here in L.A..  Just about every month we’d have a creative girl’s get together, accompanied by wine and take-out and by the end of each visit we pretty much had life as an artist figured out. They have both since moved to the east coast, and we sorely miss our get togethers. All four of these girls have inspired me more than you know, probably more than they know. Thanks girls!!

love to you Cathy & Melissa.

I’m back again! A year in the making, 30 video blog posts. Welcome to day 22. This one runs about 6 minutes.

Some thoughts on accountability, how it helps and inspires your creativity. It’s my accountability, my promise to you that I would complete 30 videos, that’s making me finish this project I began last July. Can you believe it’s been a year already? Turns out I’m really liking making videos now. Only took 12 months of practice ;)

It’s also my accountability to my e-course students that makes me committed to creating videos every week, which happens to  always encourage me to make a new video for you. You know, once the camera’s rolling, might as well keep it rolling.

Most of us are accountable to our jobs, right? We show up every day for work, or we would be fired. We show up every day for our families because they need us, our children are dependent upon us. This kind of accountability for most of us, makes things happen. What if we were that accountable to our own well being, and then what if that commitment to taking care of us spilled over into making creativity in our lives one of our highest priorities?

 9 x 12

Happy August everyone!

I don’t know why but I’m especially excited about this month, probably because I’ve got a lot of projects, as usual, {but I’m really looking forward to these, oh who am I kidding? I love my work. I’m excited about everything.} that have been in the works for a while that are coming together and making their debut soon. After my family left, I was able to look out at the next six weeks ahead and guess what I saw? Wide open space! I realized that for once this year, I have no pre-planned commitments, no traveling, no visitors, no appointments, and no events {except for the spontaneous ones, of course.} I also happen to feel particularly clear and focused on what I need and want to accomplish in these weeks ahead. It feels good, and it feels right to be completely dedicated to work right now, with minimal interruptions. Thankfully Sean feels the same, also because one of the projects is a collaborative effort between us. {Needless to say, it helps when your family is on board} So, this time coming up is about gettin' ready! And, as you know, I’ve been organizing...

In my ongoing organization, I’m coming across all kinds of things that I’ve been meaning to share with you here, and somehow I haven’t gotten around to it.  This might sound odd, but when I don’t post those things, they take up space in my mental 'to do' list, because I’m always thinking "Oh I bet my blog friends would like this" and then one of the other projects takes over and then it’s August 2010. 

Speaking of  August 2010, I’ve decided that this month I’m going to post a lot of  'been meaning to share with you items', in no particular order,  including everything from paintings, ideas, photographs, inspiration, maybe even recipes? I figure if I make myself accountable to you, I’ll do it and hopefully there will be some fun tidbits, and resources amongst the randomness for you to enjoy.

Ok, if that isn’t confusing enough? What I’m trying to say is I’ll be blogging.

The first post to share with you is this painting, which inspired my Alphabet Print I released in the Spring. I have to say it took a while to complete, and it’s one of my favorites, meaning I love each and every character on this particular painting so much, that it hurts. Sometimes I have to keep an original for a little while before I’m ready to release it for sale...but today I released it,  and you can find it right here.