Bridget's World

This world map has been my biggest project to date. It measures 2 ft. by 4 ft. and I am so glad I don't have to ship it! It's for a local client's little girl, who was born in China. If you click to enlarge the second photo, you can see a little heart on China, noting the town she was born in.

The prep work for this painting was very tedious but the last bit was very fun; I'm actually a little sad that it's over! I'm completely caught up on my geography at this point.
I finally have more art to post in my sparse little shop, and will try to get to that this weekend. Enjoy yours!

I'm Almost Done

I've been painting a world map for a little girl's room for about 2 months now, working on it a bit at a time when I could steal a few moments. I am so happy to say it's almost DONE!! I had the idea to add native animals and monuments to it but was petrified of wrecking the canvas. Instead, I drew them on bristol, cut them out and glued them on. Here they are before being glued (above). In a few days I'll get my husband to take a photo of it with the new camera, and I'll post it then.

It's a sad thing to say that for the next 2 or 3 weeks I won't be making any new art for children. Until the CPSIA ruling is finalized and put into effect, I don't want to (potentially) waste my time. If I won't be "allowed" to make art for children without expensive testing of the product, I am going to work hard on some new styles targeted to a more mature audience, and expand the dog portrait options. Time will tell.

Snow...and more snow

Today is the perfect day to honor Ezra Jack Keats' beautifully illustrated book. It's also the perfect day for endless cups of tea, cookie-baking, and roast chicken. With any luck I'll be getting all of those done. Right now, I'm going to put my worn-out, well-loved slippers on and snuggle up with a book.

A Good Cause

Goodbye, Snail! Our faithful friend the snail has been donated to the upcoming Worcester Food & Wine Festival, set for February 9. A silent auction will be raising funds for a local scholarship program. It's a good cause and should be a fun event. Snail has been with me since the early days of opening my shop and I'm a little sad to see him go.

More excitement...this happy bumblebee will be flying off to a little girl as her christening gift. Her name was painted onto it and I hope she'll enjoy looking at it for years to come! My shop is getting a little bare and I really, really need to buckle down and get painting. Today during some free time, however, I chose to drink a really good mocha and peruse a book about Chuck Close. His work is absolutely amazing! Another book I enjoyed looking at this week contains adorable illustrations by Jennifer Plecas. Her website is under construction but should be worth marking for later. We'll see....

Happy New Year!

STILL HERE!

I've taken a quite long and unexpected leave of absence from the blog, and I do apologize if you've been checking in to find.....nothing! Thank you for coming back. This year I'm going to experiment with some ACEOs (art cards, editions and originals), the fun and collectible little works of art. The bunny prowling the castle halls, above, is the first to be offered in my shop. I have purchased an absolutely adorable ACEO this week from Lauren Alexander, another Etsy artist. I can't wait to display it in my studio for a pop of color and cuteness!

I can feel myself gearing up for a great year...last year was the first time I had ever offered my art for sale, and I had some very unexpected yet pleasant surprises! Looking forward to more fun.