Topsail Trip 2015

My family gathered on Topsail Island, NC in September for (our second annual) long weekend together at the beach.  Canoe rides, beach sittin', ocean swimmin' and lots of delicious food and libations followed.  Ted and I did some sandbar exploring in the canoe and i took a small sketchbook + some watercolors and snuck in some sketching time.  Gah - take me back. It was so much (relaxing) fun.

Dakota for Ginny...

I love the modern/graphic way this pen & ink turned out - a birthday gift for my sister, Ginny, of her sweet dog, Dakota.  It can be challenging to get a good photo of a black/dark colored animal, so I did a little photo shoot with Dakota while he was laying in front of a bright window - with me on the laying on the floor, as well, trying not to block the light (and him: wondering what the hell I was doing : )  I decided to do more of a line drawing for this one, instead of drawing in the large amounts of black fur (which would make for a 'heavier' drawing in the end) - and to highlight his expressive eyes with a pop of color.

Louie: A Sketch Series ---

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We were up on Beech Mountain (NC) with the fam for the weekend, during which my Lou turned 12! 

So, in celebration, i did a little sketch series…. 

NC Wildlife + Mother's Day/Father's Day 2015

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This pair of paintings went to my parents this year on Mother's & Father's Day.

An Eastern Chipmunk for Fulton and a Snowy Male Cardinal for Moms (both are acrylic on wood panel / 8"x 8" in size).

The inspirational images i used off of the inter-webs (below)...


Awakening II: Fieldwork

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When:   June 2014

Where:   1630 Meeting Street

In June 2014, Ted and I were selected with about 20 other artists to create an art installation to "awaken the landscape" surrounding the, now renovated, building at 1630 Meeting Street, downtown Charleston.

After walking the site, this was the sketch of our proposed idea that we submitted to Enough Pie.....

A few weeks later, we put together the real-life version of my sketch.  Ted built the teepee in our backyard, dismantled it, and re-built it on-site a few days before the event (easier said, than done).  We used branches from a crape myrtle that needed to be cut down in Ted's mom's yard - perfect for the job with their lovely bark and subtle curves.  Old sailboat sails became the teepee fabric, and to round out the scene, we added Ted's gorgeous (and well-loved) wooden canoe (built by him in 2009).  

I painted a series of (20) 8"x 8" paintings of air plants (on wood panels) that we hung (strung using brass s-hooks together, and suspended from a copper pole) in the teepee, now serving as a micro-art gallery.  To add to the vibe, we framed the air plant painting display with ferns, bromeliads, and amethyst crystals, and Ted created the perfect resting spot using a couple of oak stumps and a raw plank of majestic live oak for the bench seat.  

A link to more images from the event Awakening II: Fieldwork through the Enough Pie website and to see more of Ted's amazing boat-related work, go to Barrier Island Boatbuilder's website.

 

Awakening I

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when:    July 13th 2013

where:   1600 Meeting Street - Charleston, South Carolina

The local non-profit, Enough Pie, put out a call for artists to help "awaken" a recently purchased, 100-year old building, located in the upper peninsula area of downtown Charleston.  The building hadn't been occupied since the 80's, had no working electricity or water, and was in all-around disrepair.  The goal was to allow a select group of artists to transform their individual spaces (through a wide variety of mediums and methods) and host a one day art show/performance event before the building was to be renovated later that year (into a creative hub for artists and creative businesses!).

Here's a link to Enough Pie's website and the Awakening Announcement.

 

The conceptual sketch of my vision for the installation that i submitted to Enough Pie to be in the running to be a selected artist:

 

The before of my space, the set-up process, and one of my extra-special helpers…

 

THE DAY OF THE EVENT!!!   (and a yarn-bombed entrance to the building.)

Here's a link with more images from the event:  An Awakening In Review

and another link to The Awakening Mini-documentary.

Army Wives: Season 7

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In 2013, I was contacted by the set designer for Army Wives (which was filmed here in Charleston, SC) who was looking for decorations for an episode of Season 7.  For Episode 10: Reckoning, one scene was set in a vet's office and artwork was needed for the walls.  Fast forward to a few days later and my "Cheetah" painting getting printed at a larger scale and used on set!

Photo of the Army Wives' set of the vet's office in Season 7 with Cheetah hanging on the wall on the left-hand side.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheetah 

10" x 10"

acrylic on canvas