Friday, September 30, 2011

Ira Glass on the Creative Process

A friend of mine is always posting great stuff on his tweets....This was one of his recent posts and I love it...I am a HUGE Ira Glass fan.


Thanks Dennis for the great tweets and taking me places on the web I would never have found on my own! If your a creative, follow Dennis! And don't forget to check out his website here.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

brush in hand: this weeks sketches

This weeks paintings.  
My goal is to post my paintings once a week.  I was checking the number of hits on this blog and there are the most hits when I post my black and white paintings.  Why do you like them?

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

LOKALwear

I have been wanting to share with you a project I have been collaborating on...but as always...I can't share the details.  But I promise soon...VERY SOON!!  Until then I thought I would give you a teaser by telling you about the company, LOKALwear.  Their website says it best....
"Our passion lies on uniting the excitement and diversity that comes with fashion and design while exposing and at times re-discovering cultural gems that surround us. We are committed to work closely with local communities ensuring product authenticity, fair production practices, and long-term sustainability through contributing to the development of the local artisan communities and aspiring artistic individuals."
When Bruna approached me to discus working with her - I jumped at the chance.  We are going into production as I write this and I am super excited about the designs. This collaboration is a perfect match since my dream is to "create a line of home furnishings which promotes folk art by using traditional textile production, meanwhile helping sustain local artisan communities".  Sounds a bit like the LOKALwear mission don't you think?
The Matyó flowers are one of Hungary’s most distinctive folk art symbols. Originally from the Northeastern town of Mezőkövesd these flower patterns are believed to have developed in the 19th century by local women and are still used today as traditional embroidery motifs. Below are LOKALwear earrings.  Check out their website for more items.
The below photo is from the LOKALwear website - the Matyo women in the traditional clothing checking out LOKALwear's Matyo inspired earrings.  This photo says it all!

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Bonjour! Quilt preview

My grandma has been a huge influence in my life.  She taught me to sew at a young age and her creativity (which she would deny she has any) runs deep.  I remember in 10th grade sitting down with 2 dress patterns and telling her how I wanted the top to one and the bottom of the other.  She designed, cut, sewed, and fitted my homecoming dress.  So, you can imagine how excited I was when she agreed to make me a quilt out of my Bonjour! fabric.  She sent me these photos last week and I am so excited to share them!

It will be a queen size quilt - I can not believe she agreed to make such a big quilt for me!

Hard at work.
I will absolutely post photos when the quilt is finished.

Monday, September 26, 2011

Updated Website: Phase 1

Check it out! Phase 1 of my updated website is live!  There is my new logo, new homepage (which I love - Thanks Rene!) and some new product and press.
Phase 2 will launch in a month and will have a log in licensing section for clients to view my complete licensing portfolio.  I thought that with 12 licensing collections designed, it was about time that I showed them off in a way that was easy and accesbilbe for potential clients.  So, stay tuned!!

Thursday, September 22, 2011

flower journal: dahlias

I started taking flower photos many years ago. I think of it as my personal photographic flower journal. I take photos from all angles and I refer back to these when I am designing prints. I came across these and thought I would share. They were taken in Washington State many many years ago.

Interesting how the petals are coming out of petals. And the color is awesome!


Wednesday, September 21, 2011

brainstorming with my brush.

I have been very productive these last few days. So many ideas....

I think these would be great if they were HUGE paintings. What do you think?
Paint. Tear off paper. Throw on the floor. Next.
These are just ideas but I really do think if they were large and perfected a bit they could be cool...maybe a touch of color added?
Lets not forget flowers.
Never painted an iris before. They remind me of my mom. (She has been on my a lot lately.)
Below is one of mom's paintings. There is a glare on the glass-sorry.
(watercolor by Sheila Jordan Kappa)

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

this I believe...

"The Master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his education and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence in whatever he does, leaving others to decided whether he is working or playing. To him he is always doing both."
-Zen Buddhist text

Sketching while thinking about life and all its complexities.

Monday, September 19, 2011

making the first mark.

I have had these paints and brushes calling my name for a very long time. I inherited oils and the brushes when my mom passed 5 years ago. I don't have experience with oils - silk paintings, color pencils and water colors are my media of choice. But Saturday I decided to just start painting. No project in mind, no client to make happy. Just me, my moms brushes and paints and Billie Holiday:)

the beginning
I began by painting backgrounds on two small canvases. Looking at a blank canvas is so daunting. I figured if I covered it up with color it would eliminate the anxiety of making that first mark.

I set up the dining table as my "painting studio". My goal is to let this stay set up so that I can go paint on a whim without getting everything out and setting up. My flat is small so it is hard for me to leave a mess like this...but it is an inspiring mess.

the mess and not-so-white canvas
I will keep you updated with the progress.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Josie's special quilt

Do you remember my post back in June where I shared a photo of the beginning of a baby quilt for my soon to be niece? Well, here is a photo of both:) I could not to resist posting just one photo of her on this blog. (I am a very proud Aunt:)

My Grandmother made this quilt with fabrics from my Bonjour! collection. I am so excited she agreed to do this. What a wonderful gift for Josie.
She finished that quilt so quickly that I gave her another project...a queen size quilt for me made from the Bonjour! fabric. I am so excited. Here is the first test piece she sent me. I will keep you posted on the progress. Thanks Grandma!

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

inspiration from fashion

I love fashion. In school, I enjoyed the researching, sketching, draping and sewing - the fittings and tweaking the garments until they were just how I envisioned them. It is sculpture for the body.

Today I spent an hour looking though the latest runways shots. I thought I would share a few collections that make my heart skip a beat. Enjoy.

Carlos Miele. The silk, the colors, the watery prints...I am in love. These are so beautiful. I think I need to get out the silk paints again. It have been too long.
The silhouette contrast between the image above and below is awesome! Both are so beautifully executed. My favorite collection so far.

Diane von Furstenberg (one of my favorite designers-love her prints)
She can be so bold...
...and feminine

Chris Benz-notice the painterly prints...makes me want to get out that paint brush.

More painterly looks by Donna Karen.
Do you have a favorite designer? Someone who inspires you want to get out the sewing machine, the paints, the dress form?

Friday, September 9, 2011

Bloom. My favorite word for so many reasons.

My dear friend Bruna lent me this delicious magazine to inspired me-Thanks Bruna! I have always been a HUGE fan of Lidewij Edelkoort's trend books, magazines and presentations. I have learned so much from her presentations. Yes, the fashion, the colors, and the fabrics are always interesting to me. More excitingly, I have been introduced to new visual artists, painters, photographers and musicians through her presentations and her magazines. Bloom is a beautiful magazine that blends flora and fashion.

How can you not be inspired by this?
Some day I want a bun like this. It looks like a ball of yarn:)
Here is the great news! You can go to this link and view images from the book. You don't get the stories, the artist names or the trend info. But you can see the images and sometimes an image can set the wheels in motion for a whole collection. Enjoy the eye candy!