It is the last week of Art & Soul!

Visit Colliers in downtown Twin Falls to see my entry for Art & Soul.  My entry number is 10-014 if you care to vote!  This piece is called "Camp Host at Gros Ventre".  Gros Ventre is our favorite campground just outside of Jackson, WY.  Lots of moos in camp each year when we visit in the fall.

Crossings Winery Show - May!

Busy getting ready for the Crossings Winery Show where my work will be featured for the month of May.  The Show is called SEASONS.  I have a lot of new work to show at the winery and look forward to my Opening Night on May 7.  Stop by!  Would love to see you!

Getting Ready

My entry for Art & Soul this year is called Morning Still.  The contest is in April, but had to get my entry in early, so am posting it now so that I can direct interested venue owners to the site for a look.  This piece is large (22" x 30") and is just a bit of whimsy after breakfast.  The duck usually resides in my husband's office, but was borrowed for this breakfast occasion.  I rather like him!

Time for Aspens!

Nature Patterns is the name of this latest piece in my Aspen Series.  I placed it today in the Full Moon Gallery at the Twin Falls Center for the Arts.  Stop in the lobby to see it and let me know what you think.  Look closely for the residents of this piece.

Jardin de Fleurs

I have wanted to dig back into my long stem series for a while and have combined the flowers from my front yard to create this bigger piece.  Somehow digging back into my high school French for flower paintings feels right.   This painting and others are on display at the Twin Falls Center for the Arts as part of the South Central Regional Idaho Watercolor Society Show.  Good fun and good comments last night at the opening!   

Recipe Art Calendar and Teacup Calendar

My Recipe Art Calendar for 2015 is back from the printer and available for purchase! Great gift for the holidays, twelve of my favorite recipes for the year and original art for $16. You can find it at Rudy's - A Cooks Paradise in downtown Twin Falls, or email me and I can fill your order. Rudy's also has my Teacup Generation Calendar that is new this year. The teacup calendar has a different watercolor teacup each month. It is stands up on your desk or counter, and sells for $10. Find Rudy's-A Cook's Paradise at 147. Main Ave. W. in Twin Falls, ID.

The Teacup Generation Series: The Ann and The Janet

These two new teacup paintings are part of the current show at the Twin Falls Center for the Arts.  I have nine teacup pieces in the Idaho Watercolor Society regional show that is on display at The Center.  These two cups are named after two friends that I have known for as long as I have lived in Idaho - 35 years - a lifetime!  The Ann cup is from Ann's mother Winnie, I believe, and I was fortunate that Ann sent me a picture since she moved before I could photograph her cups. The Janet cup came from Victoria and is a memento of her trip to Canada.  I have had a lot of fun visiting friends and taking pictures of their teacup collections and hearing the teacup stories.  The bond to the past is alive and well!   

Art & Soul in the Magic Valley

Wood River Aspens!  

Ok people!  It is time again for Art & Soul!  Come see my painting at Randy Hansen Automotive in Twin Falls. (on Pole Line Road)  If you haven't heard about Art & Soul, it is a community wide art show beginning on Friday, April 18 and ending on May 3.  Art lovers and the people they drag along are invited to go by local businesses to view original art pieces and then vote for favorites.  My entry is number 4-043.  You can pick up a brochure/map at Twin Falls Center for the Arts or stop in and get one at one of the businesses displaying art.  Look around town for the colorful flags and stop by to see what it is all about.  It is a fun way to spend an afternoon!    And then vote for your favorites.  Did I mention that my number is 4-043.  Prizes are big...$32,000 in all.  That's walkin' around money!  Your local artists will appreciate your votes!

The Sherri

This cup is now in the collection of my niece Sherri.  It had been part of my mother's collection of teacups.  Mom loved to send things home with people when they came to visit.  I think that she wanted her prized possessions to end up in loving hands and carry the family legacy forward.  Sherri visited often and wrote down and published the stories that made up Mom and Dad's lives.  She has become the family historian and keeper of our history, so this cup is in good hands!

The Erin - The Teacup Generation Series

And it is March and the time to celebrate the green!  This cup is from my mom's collection.  Not sure where she got it, but the cup is painted in a style very close to the design on a teapot that I bought in Ireland years ago.  Love the clean simple style.  Time to get the teapot out, dust it off and have some Irish Breakfast tea.

The Heather - The Teacup Generation Series

The Heather was fun to create and speaks again to the younger generation of teacup owners.  I hoped to show their colorful style and give an impression of fun and sassy.  I love color and seeing the compliments pop is satisfying.

The Karla - The Teacup Generation Series

This cup, "The Karla" denotes the modern day generation in The Teacup Generation Series.  As the tradition of social time changes so do the cups.  The granddaughters in my family have treasured teacups from their grandmothers that remind them of times past and the tea parties their grandmothers hosted.  And as much as they would love the luxury of afternoon tea, their lives are different and their generation of daily teacups reflect the change with hearty modern styling.  As I see it, this cup created with a Zentangle design, speaks to the fact that social time is short, the cup needs to be practical, go in the dishwasher, and yet it must be beautiful and reflect personal style.  This one reminded me of my niece Karla.

My own legacy china cups sit on a display shelf while I pick a hearty mug to brew lemon ginger tea to enjoy while painting in the afternoon. No worries about knocking over the cup while flinging a brush.  I just have to place it so that I don't dip my brush and color the tea!

The Vi - The Teacup Generation Series

My mother's collection of teacups includes a set of cups with matching side plates which are great for serving a small finger sandwich or a selection of cookies or cake.  I love the delicate flowers and nice feel of the handle.  My sister and I grew up having tea in real china cups and my aunt would sometimes read the tea leaves.  She was a good story teller and we loved the experience.  This set has gone unused for some time and I think it is time to get it out and invite some friends over for tea!

Legacy cups

I am finding that many of my friends have teacup collections that were handed down to them from grandmothers and mothers.  The more I work on this project, the more I hear stories about teacup collections and the fond memories that they bring forward.  This cup was in my friend Jill's collection.  It was fun going to her house and seeing all the gorgeous cups she has and photographing a few for paintings.

Winter Is Here!

This series keeps coming back for more.  I did similar paintings last year and decided to have a go at the idea again since I am looking out my studio windows at early winter snow today.  This time I added some fall color since I am seeing grasses and berries pop up through the snow and I love the contrast.

IdahoTangle

Continuing to learn about ZenTangle techniques. This piece is larger than my regular drawings in my Moleskine notebook, and another direction with a landscape, so more of a challenge. Work in progress.