Paring Down the To-Do List

I've had several pieces to do for a customer that I've been working on for a few weeks now, in brief moments between caring for two kids, a sick husband, a back injury (better now), a wedding out of state, etc.... Finally I'm done with the work and just need to scan the other pieces for the client before sending them off. Here's a peek at one of them; it's an acrylic painting. My sketches are so minimal, sometimes I think it must take courage for the clients to give the go-ahead on them! Here's what the sketch looks like:
And here is the finished product:

Just a tad better, eh? Note the Green Monster-colored border! This was fun to make, though the teeny-tiny letters had me shaking my fist at whoever decided on such a complicated font for the Sox logo. I was using a brush with about four hairs in it, squinting a lot, and taking breaks to breathe...I tend to hold my breath when I'm doing detail work so I don't move the canvas. Probably not such a great habit. If I get too oxygen-deprived my work will evolve into some kind of surreal, Dali style.

Wild Memorial Day Weekend!

Not because we partied a lot, but because of the weather! Sunday was a gorgeous day, then clouds began creeping in, then out of nowhere the wind whipped everything into frenzy! It seems as though half the leaves on the trees landed on the ground.

Then the hail came down, very suddenly and an awful lot of it. I've never seen anything like it! Once it was safe to go outside, the girls collected a bunch of it and Andy took photos to post on the local town news website.

The entire neighborhood spent a good portion of Monday cleaning up. Cars were dented, vinyl siding was destroyed...I can't imagine what the delicate garden greens and buds must look like. One of our floodlights got smashed and we have a couple of small dings in our car hoods. I think we got off easy, considering!

Happy Anniversary

My better half and I recently returned from a little weekend trip to attend a friend's wedding. I must say my husband looks absolutely dashing in a tux, and we danced the night away until 3 a.m., which hasn't happened in ages. What a nice little break to get re-acquainted with each other without the distractions of housework, phone calls and children (though we did miss them a ton and talked about them constantly while away).

Once we returned, prince charming was immediately felled by some awful virus (no, not swine flu) and was bedridden for days. He was still lying about when our 9-year wedding anniversary came around, so we decided to just put celebrations on hold until another time. Later that night he had to go out for an errand and returned with a gorgeous Coach bag for me (see above -- mine's brown). He is very sneaky and I love it!! It was pretty risky of him to do, since for Christmas 2007 he bought me a Coach which I returned, feeling guilty of the expense. Not this time though....um, I don't want to hurt his feelings. Yeah, that's it!

Now it's time to get cracking on a few custom orders: some large-scale drawings based on the aceo I did (shown here), which are finished but need packaging, and a painting of two brothers dressed as Red Sox players. Once they're done I can concentrate on some summer marketing plans.

Have a safe and fun Memorial Day weekend!

A Little Spring in My Step

Spring has finally arrived in our yard! For some strange reason, our plant life is always a week or two behind the regular blooming schedule. It may be the way our house sits on the hill and the path of the sun. Patience is a virtue around here. I've been eyeing everyone else's lilac bushes with envy, as our teeny buds are still being shy. At least there's some action going on.

I have columbine to plant, and some red-flowering viney thing which I don't remember the name of. I need to wait a few more days until my back heals...who knows what the heck happened to it? Almost done with some custom work, then I can begin a huge mermaid painting that I hope to be done with just in time for the hot weather.

Have you ever eaten fiddleheads with hollandaise sauce, or just some butter? If not, now's the time to try them! Trim the cut end a tad just to get the dry part off, then throw them in a steamer basket for a few minutes, until you can pierce them with a fork...don't overdo it. You can find them at most large supermarkets. Delicious!

p.s.: Photos courtesy of my talented husband.