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I am very excited to now be a member of the Atlanta Artist Center. It is an invaluable resource to artist to have access to other practicing artists, models, gallery space and workshops! I was there today and was so impressed by the talent I saw! There were so many interpretations of this one figure - Here is just one!
I am thrilled to announce that I have been asked to showcase my artwork at B.D. Jefferies on Saturday, May 2nd. This event will coincide with the Moore & Giles Trunkshow. It is a great opportunity to pick up a unique gift for dad for Father's day. I will be there with several of my original pet portraits and I will be taking commissions on site. You are invited to bring your dog for a picture or just bring a picture for me to work from for the portrait.
B.D. Jefferies is an upscale boutique for leather goods, home decor & jewelry. This "high-end" retailer has been described as the "epitome of a Buckhead shop” – also specializes in “unique gifts" for upper-crust sorts and others with "discriminating taste”, ..and ideal for "quick hostess" presents to finds for the sporting enthusiast ....Custom Dog Portraits should fit right in ..Arthur is getting really pumped about the whole thing and has been posing all over the house ..in hopes to have his portrait done. I gave in.. Here is Arthur's progress.
I am thrilled to announce that my piece "Moore Coke" will be on display at the Coke HQ here in Atlanta this spring as a part of the global campaign that celebrates the ionic Coke Bottle Centennial - 100 years Young! The High Museum is also running an exhibit The Coca- Cola Bottle: An American Icon at 100 which explores the iconic design and creative legacy of the Coca-Cola bottle! While this coke bottle did not quite make it to the High it is exciting to included nonetheless.:)
Right now... it looks like a 12 year old girl's dream but then again I guess he is..:)
I have decided to carve out time to focus on creating a body of work that is solely mine. I decided to go back to "where it all began" so to speak and focus on my horses. My goal is create a piece each month so by this coming fall I will have a complete series of my own. I will be posting my process/progress on Instagram in the coming weeks.
Here is a piece I created when I was first experimenting with coffee stain… which I have subsequently used in many of my pet portraits. This is my horse, Johnny Reb back in the college days - It is called "Bending".
These two paintings were created on strips on print making paper which had been prepared with gesso, coffee and charcoal. These geese were painted in acrylic, black ink and chalk. It has a little bit of everything. These paintings will be framed and hung along a hall in this staggered formation so it will lead you down the hall. Follow the Geese…Southbound.
In Progress... This is a large watercolor (30" x 40") which was commissioned by Ann Elsas. She asked me to create something similar to Live Oak II as a gift for her husband. The subject is a White Oak which stands in front of the 1700 house at the farm.
This painting, called Our Family Tree will be the centerpiece on their den wall which faces multiple french doors which lead out to a spacious backyard and wooded area where their three children spend a lot of time! While it is a "grown up" painting - it does lean a bit toward something you might run across in the Hundred Acre Wood. It brings a bit of depth, whimsy and light in from the backyard.
I have been working on some illustrations for a children's book recently. The author is wading through the publishing process so this is just a sneak peek of what hopefully will turn into a full book. This is a mock up of the cover…..It is about a Christian children's story with a cat as the main character!
Acrylic & Pastel on 16" x 16" Canvas
This was a piece for the Metcalfs - They were engaged beneath this tree at his family home in Virginia. The colors really pop once it is hung on the warm yellow walls in their den.
LOVE is in the air - or rather Butterflies..
My client saw an installation of tin butterflies in the form of a peace sign. She asked if I could create a painting but spell out LOVE.
It is a custom size (58" x 28") so it will neatly fit on a column in the center of a modern kitchen. Here are a few pictures of it in progress.
Please pardon the radio silence leading up to the holidays but all my December commissions were gifts! Now that they have all been delivered, it is safe to share. Here are a few of my favorites…
A few weeks ago, I got connected with an Atlanta based Non-Profit called Paw it Forward. It is a "cause driven, lifestyle brand that values the human-animal bond and lives by the “Pay It Forward” philosophy – doing random acts of kindness without expecting anything in return." This is the portrait of the Schnauzer Girls was done for the winner of a raffle at the Atlanta Bark Expo.
Good morning!!
The show was a resounding success..so much so that I have been covered up with work and meeting with new folks over the past week. I have been working on everything from a 56" tall painting of the word LOVE in butterflies, to a children's book about a cat, bridal bouquet and an abstract landscape! Most of these projects will be wrapped up in mid December so I will have plenty of fodder for my blog! Never a dull moment to be sure.
For today I thought I would share some photos of my recent show!
I know fall is indeed upon us when I hear the honking….of geese - not cars. We live near the river and the geese use the Chattahoochee as their I-95 South. Every evening there is a chorus from these southbound travelers. When I was little and heard the geese going by - my father would always point out "Winter is coming - they are headed South". I was fascinated by this and would run outside to see if I could catch a glimpse.
There is something timeless about this migration. Fall is such a busy time in this city world it means football, school and the appearance of weird decorations everywhere and the NPR pledge drive. However, on the farm it means harvest, plowing and preparing for winter etc. The geese are a connection to that world even in the heart of the big city. The seasons are still changing even though we may not be as in touch with them in our climate controlled - concrete world. This is first part of a series and will be at my first solo art show this weekend - more about that next week!
My Gift Certificates have arrived!
Hooray! Hooray!
Over the past few weeks, I have had several folks approach me about giving a custom painting as a gift. I made up a fun printed certificate ...complete with a branded box. It makes a nice presentation for a truly unique gift for the person who has everything! Keep it in mind if you have this dilemma for that impossible person on your Christmas list..:)
Zebra is one of my oldest and most popular prints. I created this image back in graduate school at Hopkins for the National Aquarium in Baltimore. I studied the zebras at the American Museum of Natural History in NYC when creating this image so if you ever there - you may notice some the likeness..;).
The original is a 5” x 7” watercolor. However, Zebra has been reproduced up to 4 x 3 feet tall and all the way down to 1 inch on notecards. The last request was for him to be printed on a giclee canvas which turned out really well. He is a quite versatile chap.
If anyone ever calls you an ass, take it as a compliment because they really are just the cutest babies ever!
This little guy now resides in Vienna, Austria - a long with 6 other additions to my baby animal collection. Follow me on Instagram to see more of the collection.
Peacock I - 2005 and Peacock II - 2009
The Peacock series started back in 2005 when my good friend Lindsey Harper asked me if I would create a 5 ft tall Peacock. Lindsey is a fabulous interior designer based out of NYC. She has her roots her in Georgia and her clients all over the world so I was just thrilled that she would like one of my pieces to be included in her NYC office.
This became an adventure in mixed media. Peacock I was originally only coffee stain and watercolor. However, as it was a peacock - it needed a bit more … umph! I incorporated acrylics, colored pencil and even some gold leaf to give it that richness and opulence that makes a peacock a Peacock.
One of her clients fell in love with Peacock I and thus we came to have Peacock II. Even though they are the same subject, size and media, they are quite different. It is just a reflection of my ability, knowledge and confidence at that time. It is never the same "peacock" twice.. just like TJ Maxx..:)
Several people have requested a peacock of their very own so it will be interesting to see how they each turn out.
