Cole + Josephine : an illustrated life

Loops...

2011-10-09T21:15:00.001-05:00

Looping together the long yarns, the fine threads, a story is woven full of fluid colors and clashing hues. Not every stitch is right, and sometimes the pattern is lost, but without the time and effort, the cloth would never be woven.

A stumble. A fall. A missed stitch. Without them, one wouldn't know how smooth the path can be, how right the pattern can loop.

A woman, years ago, looming a lasting thing for the pleasure of making something. Without the first stitch, the blanket would never be knitted. The path never traveled. The hues never mixed.

Prada One Two Punch

2011-09-22T10:55:00.001-05:00

So I can't afford designer...

But I can live vicariously through my paintings...

And maybe throw in some fight to keep it saucy...

Because that's how I roll...

Oh, and I'm still alive. Thanks for asking.

Original watercolors, 5x7s

Spire...

2011-02-07T13:57:00.001-06:00

The uses of sorrow...

2011-02-05T09:00:00.003-06:00

This simple, beautiful poem is by Mary Oliver and is from her collection of poems titled Thirst.

Illustration Friday: Reverse

2011-02-04T13:24:00.003-06:00

"Driving away the Monsters"
5x7 watercolor

I am a little out of practice on doing skin, but it will get better. It always does....

The blue shoe massacre...

2011-01-20T15:26:00.003-06:00

watercolor and pencil on coldpress paper
buy

Feed your karma and vote for my design on Threadless!

2011-01-11T19:56:00.004-06:00

Just follow any of these links and rate this design from 1-5.... 5 being the best, and what gets you the most karma points! Doing this completely makes up for you taking the last chocolate donut at work even though you knew the girl in the next cubicle over really wanted it. If it is rated highly enough, it will get printed, and my day will be made.

Share more love and spread this around using twitter, facebook, or your blog! Convenient buttons for social media are located right below this post.

Thank you all for your help!

I hope you're staying warm....

2011-01-11T15:21:00.002-06:00

Those of you in the chilly northern hemisphere anyway....

Ok, so she might be a little creepy....

2011-01-06T12:38:00.003-06:00

But I still like her.

Acrylic paint on wood, painted from a vintage photograph.

No, she wasn't radiating crazy stripes in the photo, but she would have if she could have.

And yes, she can be yours, just in case you were wondering.

Metaphorical monsters...

2011-01-03T09:45:00.001-06:00

Hiding...

2011-01-01T15:10:00.000-06:00

Red lipstick makes my day...

2010-12-30T15:46:00.006-06:00

Oh, and I am doing pretty good.

Some charity work...

2010-11-14T21:01:00.004-06:00

"When did it all get so complicated?"

I did a couple of pieces for the 5x5 charity event at the Art Center of the Ozarks in Springdale, AR. It was a lot of fun. I used acrylic, which I don't use very often, but I thought the pieces turned out really fun. I was on a very tight deadline and only had two days to come up with something. No problem. They won't be included in my anthology of greatest work, but I liked them.

"The blues only got in the way"

And the party was fun, so I'm going to call it a net win.

When did I become my mother?

2010-11-08T05:29:00.007-06:00

The more years that pass, the more I see the alarming similarities between myself and my mom. Of course, it started a long time ago. I have always had her smile, her laugh, a loud, unique sound that is either charming or abrasive depending on who is describing it. When I hit my adult height, we stood exactly eye to eye and crown to crown. I have her love of reading and her compulsive need to cute-ify. We both love organization, and even though our systems seem apparent to us, they are baffling to others. We get sidetracked from big projects with little busy works.

And we both constantly stress out about money. My dad says that my mother holds on to pennies so tightly that there are fingerprints pressed into the surface when she finally lets go. This does not mean that she is not generous; she gives money to the homeless, buys infant formula for struggling families, and brings sacks of groceries to needy people. It just means that in her personal finances, she is the wallet Nazi. "No pennies for you!". She is busy trying to save up for a future she is excited about living.

Me? I am the girl that replies "It was only three dollars!" in an annoying chirp when you compliment my shirt. There are similarities.

Like a lot of married couples, my ex and I fought about money frequently. He was like a little boy with a hole in his pocket that money fell out of like marbles. I am not that way. I am frugal and a saver. I squirrel away money in hidey holes, which is not always the most reliable place to store cash. For example, the other day I found a twenty dollar bill tucked away behind the sleeve on my iPod; I had no idea it was there. It was a pleasant surprise but would never have helped in an emergency since I had no idea of its existence. This isn't a new habit, either. When I was a kid, every time we moved I would have find a fortune (to a child) behind posters and in out of season shoes.

I tracked our spending down to the dime and grew confrontational and anxious when we were over drafting our bank account. Like almost everyone else, we lived paycheck to paycheck. It filled my stomach with knots and burning coals.

He told me many times that he didn't want to live past fifty-five years old, a view he still held after the birth of our daughter, a child full of a future that is brimming with opportunity well beyond the next 25 years. I want to be a part of that. He apparently doesn't. Looking at that, why would he ever want to save for the future?

A man that wants to die young spends money on the here and now; tomorrow does not matter. It matters to me. Eventually, he told me he thought I only saw him as a paycheck. Though that was never, ever my intention to make him feel that way, I had apparently lost my concerns in translation. He was much more to me than our sole source of income, but that was a very big and important roll that he held in our little family. Being a stay at home mom, I was the one expected to fry up any bacon he brought home and make sure said bacon lasted the entire pay period, and I was terrified of running out of pork and having our power shut off. And, I freely admit, I frequently shared my concerns. Did I mention frequently?

Our views of needs and wants could not have been more different. I don't care much for having an excessively large house (too much cleaning), and he longs for a mansion (which he longs to have cleaned for him). I think Fossil watches are just fine; he yearns for a Rolex. My plan is to drive my car until the wheels explode off in a deafening blow they will hear all the way across the pond in London, while his heart skips a beat at flashy new cars or expensively restored vintages. If you would ask him, he would say that a $200 dollar bottle of wine is a completely reasonable purchase even when you are struggling to remain in the low low lower middle class.

Like my mother, I can obviously be annoyingly frugal, though I would describe myself as pragmatic, so the question is this: Can two people looking at two completely different financial road maps ever find a path to a long life together?

Thank you.

2010-11-02T15:04:00.002-05:00

Thank you all so much for your kind words. I have been so amazed that people I have never even seen, could not pick out of a crowd, could give me such encouraging words.

Thank you.

When life gives you lemons...

2010-10-28T09:38:00.003-05:00

Flip it off and kick it in the head, then cry and eat a couple of pints of chocolate chocolate chip ice cream...

Then try to regroup and make some lemonade...

This is really difficult for me to share, so I'm just going to blurt it out thoughtlessly. The reason I haven't been posting in quite a long while is because I am going through a very painful divorce. We spent 13 years together, were married for five of those years, and have a beautiful daughter. To say that it's been hard is putting it mildly.

I don't know where this blog is heading, but I hope you will follow my journey forward as I try to put my badly squashed lemons back into something that I feel good about. From this point, I am starting from essentially nothing. I don't have a job, I am a single mother, people seem to think that it is more important to pay mortgages than to buy art, and I am living in my parent's extra bedroom with my toddler.

Yes, I am living the dream.

So the only place this could possibly go is up, right?

But I know things could be much, much worse. Here are 5 things, in no particular order, that are great about my life this very instant:

1. I have an ever expanding group of amazingly supportive friends, far more than I had when I was still with *him*
2. I have the most incredibly loving extended family that is behind me no matter what
3. My daughter is young enough that this is already becoming normal life for her, and she is too young to blame herself for something that is absolutely not her fault
4. I have a bachelor's degree, which is something no one can ever take from me
5. I have all of my abilities and cleverness, which will deliver me to where I need to go

Now when I write this blog, it won't just focus on my art but is going to expand to encompass my recovery from this devastation. I may share what I am working on, what I am thinking, what is inspiring me, or just some photos. I am focusing on the small things in life that make it all worth getting out of bed for. Some days, just pushing off the blankets and swinging my feet onto the floor feels impossible.

I know my situation is not new, nor is it unique, but it's the first time I've ever had to do it. Wish me luck putting it back together...

The best way to annoy your friends is to show off your craftiness...

2010-08-20T08:29:00.004-05:00

A tour through my house begins with the drapes I made, turns to the throw pillows I whipped up, continues by the clothes I hand embroidered for my daughter, and ends with some artwork I've done. Yes, I include other highlights, but it seems like people hear "I made this" repeatedly and they start to get a little aggravated.

Maybe it's just jealousy.

I'm just here to set the record straight. Before you start resenting my crafty awesomeness, just consider what I can't do. I am lousy at math; I can only parallel park if the space ahead and behind me is empty; I blurt out inappropriate things at awkward times; I have never truly grasped the deeper meaning of most poetry; Say "differential suspension" to me, and you might as well be speaking French (which I took two years of and only mastered the phrase meaning "I do not understand").

So I think that, in light of my shortcomings, I should be allowed to show off all of my handmade goodness. I'm good at what I'm good at, and you're good at what you're good at.

Flaunt it if you've got it, right?

own the print

Never hire a camera man available for both saucy videos and weddings...

2010-08-16T10:07:00.003-05:00

That's just asking for trouble...

I don't mean to alarm you, but...

2010-08-11T15:55:00.004-05:00

Summer is almost over (here in the northern hemisphere, anyway). I'm busy making my last swim dates of the year and gladly dealing with a plethora of tomatoes. The tilt of the light is different, and the days already feel shorter.

But don't worry, we're still in a heat wave. Thank you very much, global warming.

Fall fashion is being shown in magazines. Don't worry, you're not the only one who thinks that this is the most boring fall season ever shown.... how many ways can they show camel and gray? Forget ladylike and demure. Give me some bling!

I didn't make any goals for this summer, so I don't feel like I wasted a single day. I went to the farmer's market and made lots of fresh foods and ate lots of veggies. The watermelons have been fabulous.

Good enough for me.

An odd sort of portrait I loved...

2010-08-06T09:01:00.003-05:00

Are you a nerd, too?

2010-08-05T08:51:00.003-05:00

The humble nerd. So colorful. So sugary. So odd.

When I was a kid, I loved that they came in complimentary flavors that were in neat little compartments, complete with individual doors. There were usually surprisingly few interloping colors, with the pink nerds strictly segregated from the purples. A couple would bravely cross the rigid cardboard wall, but few dared.

I would begin with shaking little piles of them into my hands, but by the end of the pack, I would be dumping them greedily into my mouth, creating a slobbery bottleneck of knobby nerds, sticking and dissolving together into a delicious mess.

Grape was my hands down favorite flavor.

Besides being a delicious mess, how am I the personification of a nerd?

Aside from the glaringly obvious nerdiness of myself, there are other striking similarities. Sure, I may be slightly lumpy, but that's not all. I am colorful in most of my life, from speaking, to writing, to dressing, to art. I can be obnoxiously sweetsy, but my friends love me anyway. It might be pushing it to say that I bring a smile to the faces of children, but my own seems to like me. Also, I am a compulsive organizer with my pens neatly segregated from the pencils, and my loose buttons sorted by color.

The similarities are shocking...

Sweet new shades...

2010-07-31T15:22:00.001-05:00

I love everything about them but the fact that the tint makes it look like it's about to storm all of the time...

What's a girl to do?

Love stinks...

2010-07-30T17:07:00.001-05:00

A colored pencil and ink illustration I did a couple of years ago. I've always really loved this picture. Just thought I'd share...

The best things about home...

2010-07-26T10:09:00.002-05:00

My own bed, freshly made
Faces, happy to see me
A porch, perfect for sitting
A garden, just right for enjoying
My watercolors, waiting to be used
My favorite brushes, clustered in a cup
The smell, just right and familiar
My books, ready for reading

buy this print

An oil-free beach vacation...

2010-07-14T08:21:00.002-05:00

Tybee Island, GA, not on the gulf, is happily oil-free and lovely as always...
except for the devil jellyfish, which are always poised and ready for me.

Yesterday was perfect and clear.

Perfect for laying around and doing nothing.
No, neither one is me.

Illustration Friday: Giant

2010-07-05T12:20:00.000-05:00

I am obsessed with A&E's show "Hoarders", a program about people that compulsively keep objects to the point that their homes are nearly or totally unlivable. They push away friends, family, and even children or spouses because they can't stand to give up stuff. It is fascinating. I don't know why I find it so compelling because I know it would be a terrible way to live, and my watching their problem is so voyeuristic.

But do I stop? No.

These people cover themselves in objects, and confine themselves to horrid living conditions. Most of them see how vile their lives have become, but they can't seem to find it in themselves to get rid of items or stop shopping.

One of the biggest problems many of these people face is getting rid of anything that pertains to a good memory. Often, it is items from their or their children's childhood. Something that was meant to give comfort is now suffocating and overpowering with a choke hold on their emotions.

And a tiny memory becomes a giant.

Home is what you make it...

2010-07-01T10:03:00.004-05:00

If my daughter had her way, our house would be pink...

Other things she thinks would look great pink:
Motorcycles
Jeans
Bread and eggs
Wall paint
Dogs
Horses
Stars
Grass

Things we agree look great pink:
Toenails
Tutus
Flip flops
Flowers
Pillows
Toothbrushes

My hypocritical love of taxidermy...

2010-06-23T13:25:00.006-05:00

In a different world, in a different life, I may have been a vegetarian. I love animals, and not necessarily in that I-love-lambs-and-puppies way (thought I do love lambs and puppies - I am a girl, after all). Rather, I am amazed by the natural world. The incredible brutality and astounding adaptations are riveting, the way some animals evolved to be killing machines and some where made to be killed.

If I where not allergic to nuts, beans, and yeast, all cornerstones of a healthy vegetarian diet, maybe I could go without eating an animal. I do draw the line at babies; veal, though delicious and tender, is too hard on the soft part of my heart.

So here I am, an apex predator loving a good chicken leg (bone in, thank you very much).

I also love taxidermy. Though it strikes me as cruel and unusual, it is also such a compelling tradition, this cataloguing of kills. Blooming for centuries, with the Victorians embracing it as high art, and their obsession with recording and observing is still thriving today.

However, as a general rule, I think that creatures look best with all of their parts intact.

If only...

2010-06-21T09:00:00.004-05:00

Guns shot hummingbirds instead of bullets
Snoring sounded like owl wings
Cars emitted gummy bears instead of co2
Tabloids weren't so damnably addictive
I enjoyed Mozart half as much as I enjoy Naughty by Nature
Art was valued as much as video games

If only _______ ......

buy

Sketchbook...

2010-06-20T09:00:00.003-05:00

This illustration is based on a line from one of the submissions on the web site wouldhavesaid.com , a site dedicated to the things you should have said but didn't or couldn't. Some of the letters are sad, some are funny, and some are ridiculous.

This particular line was from a letter written to a girl with autism that a grown woman regretted making fun of when they were in junior high. The woman making the apology had an autistic child of her own.

I'm going to be posting more pages from my sketchbook on my facebook page, so be sure to "like" me here.

I should plan for rainy days...

2010-06-18T10:15:00.000-05:00

"I should plan for rainy days"

But I just get tired of planning. I plan my meals, my snacks, my painting/writing/work schedule. I plan my daughter's naps, our doctor appointments, her bath time. I decide when and where we go and what we do. I pack lunches and carry band-aids.

Really, I'm not complaining; I know this is just part of life, but I can't be the only one just plain planned out.

Maybe a run through a rain storm on the way to my car is just what I need to remember that I can't decide everything, and I don't want to.

buy

Painting preview time!

2010-06-16T09:00:00.003-05:00

I've been working on some very colorful pieces lately. It must be all of the blooming and growing going on making me dip my brush over and over again into bright blue, pink, yellow, and green.

I am loving the deer pieces, and they are very close to complete.

The flower bloom and home pieces are more in the loose stage but coming along nicely!

I'm into dialogue bubbles right now. Maybe I need someone to talk to?

Breezy day...

2010-06-13T09:00:00.002-05:00

Where has she been?

2010-06-11T09:00:00.007-05:00

At my cousin's wedding!

No big deal, just a forty hour round trip car ride with a two and a half year old. Twenty hours there and twenty hours back, sandwiched around a whirlwind of finger foods, chicken dancing, and a light brunch. Just the thing post traumatic stress is made of, if PTSD where a combination of car snacks, car seats, and screaming. And that was just me, not the toddler. She was lovely.

Nothing makes the time fly by like a portable DVD player and a fresh pack of crayons (though not necessarily used in conjunction). I love a brand new pack colors - the smell, the sharpness, the pristine goodness. Gentlemen, if you want to get me to fall for you, rub a little fresh Crayon around your neckline instead of cologne.

I splurged on the 32 pack because the 16 pack is just insufficient. I would have gone bigger, but space was a factor (so sad - I love to be able to choose just the right shade of purple).

Mmmmm.... deep smell!

This is the card I made for the bride and groom, tastefully photographed under florescent lights on the hotel bed at the last minute. The inside said "Congratulations, love birds". Yes, I know that's lame. I never know what to write in these positive message sort of situations. You may have noticed my forte is in sarcasm, not sentiment. But the envelope was handmade, so that completely makes up for the cheese-ness, right?

Lastly, the book I read on my trip, which I adored! Those of you that don't know me probably don't know that I am obsessed with zombies movies. Seriously, chronically obsessed. Being the upscale, sophisticated woman that I am, I find myself drawn to the esteemed genre of zombie lit.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith did not disappoint. From the opening line of "it is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains,", the absurd awesomeness builds exponentially. Not only are the Regency-era English ladies proper, witty, and uptight, they are also zombie killing machines looking for love and perhaps a ball to attend. To anyone who has ever read the original Jane Austen novel, you will be happy to know that Mr. Collins dies a very unfortunate death. I know I was ecstatic; he was a crouton.

And as if that weren't enough, there are also ninjas. No, I am not kidding. Ninjas.

Seriously, it is zany awesomeness.

Oh, and the wedding was nice, too.

Late afternoon sketching...

2010-06-01T09:00:00.003-05:00

In my sketch book, I let my creativity be completely free. It's nice to work on something that has no end point or goal. Not every piece has to be great or finished or even something that I would go forward with.

It's so easy to get caught up on the thought process that every piece has to be good, great, perfect. It feels great to just let go. This is how I got to the point I am today just artistically - sketch, sketch, sketch, and sketch some more.

The more you let yourself practice freely, the more chances you give your style to emerge. I work really hard on different styles of sketching people because I have the most difficulty with that.

I like to sketch in the afternoon because of the light...

My white whale...

2010-05-29T09:00:00.003-05:00

The colors have been blocked in, the outlines have been inked, but the illustrations remain unfinished. Why? Because I have been banging my head against the wall trying to figure out what all of the discussion bubbles are full of...

I have had these unfinished pieces for weeks, and they are driving me crazy! I think I may have a spark of a direction with these, but of course it strikes when on a busy weekend without time to work!

Any ideas?

Just when you thought you had everything you would ever need...

2010-05-25T09:00:00.002-05:00

A hilariously charming hand puppet walks into your life and makes you rethink it all.

I usually don't tie my happiness in with objects, but this is just too cool. Way, way too cool. Did you notice the monster has a tat? I rest my case.

This monster, complete with victims, was designed by milktooth, aka Lisa Mirella, and is available on spoonflower.

Because a blog is not complete without a picture of your own feet...

2010-05-22T22:39:00.004-05:00

Just to let you all know I'm still alive...

And doing well...

And will be posting more watercolor goodness again soon!

An impatient girl's handmade curtains...

2010-05-12T09:59:00.003-05:00

I was tagged by my friend flwrjane to re-post my 6th post on this blog... Turns out it's not completely mortifying or embarrassingly lame. I was pretty proud of my curtains. I don't live in this apartment anymore, but I definitely kept the curtains.

I cheated with this and used fabric glue to finish the seams instead of sewing them. Don't judge me! If I had waited to get the sewing machine out, the hacked up dress would still be sitting in some bin in my house waiting for me to admit defeat and throw it out.

I tag any of my followers out there that are looking for an easy post idea! Post your links back here so we can all enjoy your awesomeness!

Illustration Friday: Fearless

2010-05-10T10:45:00.007-05:00

"It never occurred to me that I couldn't"

An ant doesn't have self doubt, and it's an insect... Why should I?

The prompt from Illustration Friday was "fearless". This is such an open ended prompt... You could take it anywhere, really. I try not to look at any other entries before I submit mine because I don't want to be influenced by other people's solutions. I didn't post this until today because I spent a really long time agonizing over the line work. I would lay down some pattern, set it back to look at for a while, and then add some more over and over.

What do you think of the final piece?

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend, and thank you all for following me!

{print available}

What gets you out of bed?

2010-05-04T09:00:00.010-05:00

"The bliss of buttered bread is the only thing getting me out of bed"

I have a love/hate relationship with sleeping. I love to do it, but I hate how much of my life is taken up by it. I am the sort of person that requires a lot of sleep to function, and it drives me crazy! I could be up drawing, painting, cooking, or having fun.

But once I'm in bed, I have the hardest time getting up. Sometimes reminding myself why I like getting up helps. These can only be fun things, because making a list of responsibilities and obligations only makes me want to roll over and curl up in my blanket again. Here are some of mine:

* hot, black coffee
* a great idea to sketch
* pancakes & bacon
* morning painting
* my daughter's smiling face

Things that don't get me out of bed:

* knowing it's bill day
* cleaning day
* the alarm clock
* a to-do list
* rainy days

own the artwork

Illustration Friday: Cocoon

2010-05-01T11:46:00.004-05:00

"My Sprout is my biggest concern"

For these challenges, I try to go in subtle direction. The prompt is "cocoon".

This started as a pencil sketch, then I added the watercolor, inked the illustration, and deepened the color with colored pencils.

We all have something that we love the most in the world. Some people have dogs, some people have cars, some people have spouses, sisters, brothers, moms, dads.... I have my sweet little sprout.

own it

The early bird escaped...

2010-04-29T09:00:00.003-05:00

"I am constantly in pursuit of the elusive early bird"

Being a modern girl in a modern self-help world, I try to better myself as often as is strictly reasonable. One of these improvements, apparently, is becoming an early bird to really tackle the day and get a jump on a to-do list. After careful observation, I have concluded that the early bird is a mythical creature brought about by urban legend.

Here are some other mythical creatures in company with the early bird:

1. Big foot, misunderstood ape or exceptionally hairy woodsman?
2. Bloody Mary, who eluded me no matter how many slumber parties I went to.
3. The mullet free TransAm owner, for without one you cannot have the other.
4. The pristine landscape - does there have to be trash everywhere?
5. Happily Ever After... life doesn't stop knocking you around right after "I do".

Which mythical creatures have I missed?

buy the artwork

What do you think of my new logo?

2010-04-27T09:00:00.005-05:00

Logo: Skinny Text

Logo: Orange Text

Being in a business minded sort of mood lately, I decided it was about time to design an official Cole + Josephine logo. I chose to use the same self portrait that I have used for my banners and avatars to provide brand continuity. Not only is it one of my favorite pieces, but I also feel that it exemplifies the central thematic overtones of my illustrations of bold color, strong lines, and a humorous narrative.

Oh, and who doesn't love a self portrait? What could be more me than me?

I agonized over the font, which you can make yourself crazy over. I wanted it to be clear, readable, and full of character. I couldn't decide definitely, so I made two versions. Which one do you like?

Please, let me know what you think of it. Constructive criticism is welcome; I want to develop the best logo I can for my illustration business.

Thanks for your support!

Illustration Friday: Ahead

2010-04-23T21:37:00.007-05:00

"My idea of planning ahead is programing the coffee maker"
watercolor, ink, graphite - 5"x7"

My submission for this week's Illustration Friday challenge of "ahead". Because without coffee, there is no ahead!

buy

Lucky you, you can win one of my prints!

2010-04-20T21:42:00.007-05:00

Win This Print!

It would look great in your house!

You, yes you, can win a print of my painting "90 seconds of Eternity"! Go over to I Art U to enter. The giveaway ends soon, so hurry over there right now!

Enter here!

Good luck!

Illustration Friday: Detective

2010-04-18T21:39:00.006-05:00

"Upon closer inspection, I saw things may be optimistic after all"
Watercolor, 5"x7"

This is my first Illustration Friday submission, based on the "detective" theme. I had already painted the microscope, but I didn't really know where I was going with it. After I saw the theme for this week, I saw that it was just waiting to be made into a submission.

I'm a nerd - I have always loved microscopes and I had one when I was a kid. Really, I used it all of the time. It always amazed me that there are worlds within worlds, so tiny you can't see them by yourself.

It makes me feel both huge and insignificant at the same time...

Owl alert! Brace yourselves, they have been personified...

2010-04-15T09:41:00.011-05:00

Sorry for the lack of illustrations lately, but I am working on a super-secret, super-awesome, super-amazing top secret project. I'll have some tid-bits to share later, but rest assured that it is great! To tide you over, I am sharing more of my flea-market pictures, this time owl-centric for all of you hooter lovers out there. Enjoy the magic...

The pressures of religion and the crushing weight of guilt made Henry feel blase about Jesus figurines...

Despite his lazy eye, Maurice had an amazing eye for detail, and he knew that the disproportionally large wooden handles on those jars where a disaster...

Hazel and Horace resented their overly flashy upstairs neighbors, but at least they had their spinster neighbor Beatrice to gossip with about their raucous parties and egg free lifestyle...

The finch was nervous. It would seem he was surrounded by nocturnal hunters in the daylight. His day was not looking good, despite the presence of the guardian angel...

The Knightleys continued with their frivolity, gossiping on news of the London weather, oblivious to the white cloaked doom stalking them...

Life is so very colorful...

2010-04-13T09:00:00.008-05:00

These are some pictures I took while walking around in the country. I am amazed at the details you tend to ignore when you are not being mindful of where you are. For this, I challenged myself to take color related pictures to make this grid, and I found so much more than if I had just bopped along not paying attention.

My plates are telling me things...

2010-04-08T09:00:00.003-05:00

"Nothing says party like melted cheese"

*buy*

Today while doing the dishes, I realized that my spotty dishware is a perfect metaphor for my life. The pieces are random and odd sized. The forks do not match the spoons, and the butter knife is like a stranger crashing a party.

There is a huge number of tiny tea plates since most of my eating is done in snack form. I am like the gazelle of apartment living - I nibble my way through my landscape. The potato masher is missing its handle; the cups are chipped.

There is a disproportionate number of bowls in various sizes and patterns. I keep a variety around because I like to have just the right sized bowl for the meal. A cereal bowl will not do for a pasta dinner. Most of the Tupperware has no lid, and I have a pickle tray that is used for glitter gluing and not relishes.

Almost all of the pieces are hand me downs or gifts. The things I have bought have either been used or the odd clearance rack straggler. It used to bother me, all of this haphazard oddness. I wanted the perfect white dishes from a a magazine that I could stack on shelves without doors. I dreamed of having a tidy silverware drawer where all of the inhabitants are wearing the same suit. I longed for pans pretty enough to hang from racks.

Then it hit me that I would be really unhappy with all perfect possessions. If all of the plates were the same size, what would I want to eat my Graham crackers off of? Would all of my liquids have to go in the same sized glasses? One can't have the perfect yogurt spoon and the perfect pasta whirling spoon if they are all the same.

My life is better with the odd and mismatched. That goes for my kitchen and myself.

Who doesn't love a crazy flea market?

2010-04-05T09:00:00.004-05:00

"Don't you dare blink"

Today I have more pictures to share. I have been going to a lot of flea markets lately, and the world is full of so many crazy things that I just have to share them. One of the most funny things about these places is the arrangement of the things. I mean, why put a black rat right next to a set of teacups?

A mixer for weight loss smoothies? Look as skinny as the lovely in the dome...

Crazy faded out old guys leering at you from the window...

A perhaps possessed coffee mug giving you the side eye while you check out the cookie barrel...

This one isn't funny, just pretty...

I have so many more to show you that I'm just going to have to make flea market finds a series. Some gems include owl alerts, terrifying dolls, colorful plastic, and questionable but charming artwork.

I can tell, you're excited about this, too!

Happy Easter from your peep!

2010-04-04T09:00:00.003-05:00

You know you love instant gratification!

2010-04-01T09:01:00.005-05:00

"90 Seconds of Eternity"

I loved all of your responses to my last post "Why do you take a picture" so much, from your desire to tell a story to just because. Here are some of the pictures I have taken lately, and after I loaded these, I realized that most of my pictures are to capture something beautiful that catches my eye. Most of them don't turn out very well, but digital photography gives me the opportunity to take an almost unlimited number so I end up with at least one drop of cream.

A traveling fair, popping up over night and blowing away in a few days:

A tiny flower with amazingly minuscule spots in the perfect shades of purple and white:

Fuzzy pods on bare branches:

I would love to see your favorite picture; feel free to post a link below so we can all visit them.

I'm also going to start posting more pictures from my life on my facebook page, so become a fan today to join in the journey!

JMZMTMYUARNW

Why do you take a picture?

2010-03-29T18:39:00.003-05:00

"Is that a flash or a tanning booth?"

To remember a moment.

To catch a memory.

To record a perfect second.

To relate a mood.

To convey an idea.

To tell a story.

Why do you take a picture?

Acrylic painting, here I come...

2010-03-24T10:14:00.005-05:00

"Looking for Mrs. Right"

My forte is definitely in watercolor, but I have been working towards being proficient in acrylic as well. This is a painting I recently completed, and I am really happy with how it turned out.

With watercolor, you need a plan. The more color you mix up, the muddier the painting gets. You can't just paint over a piece you don't like.

I like that with acrylic you can change your mind at any time. If you don't like a bit, you just wait for it to dry and paint right over it. In this painting, the bird was originally perched on a branch, but I thought that was too bring, so I repainted a colorful, abstract background.

I would love to know what everyone thinks!

Remembering cafeteria lunch plates...

2010-03-22T09:00:00.004-05:00

"Serving up the basics - Spell it out or you won't get into Harvard. No pressure"

A couple of "food" items that I remember from my elementary and high school cafeteria days:

- square pizza

- fried, cooled, then reheated crinkle cut fries

- iceberg lettuce with nominal sprinkling of shredded carrots with copious amounts of ranch dressing

I was lucky (though I didn't think it at the time) to have a mom that made me bring my lunch from home. She probably saved me a lot of heart damage. I always felt different and kind of weird eating my hippie lunch out of my brown bag while all of my friends ate oddly shaped foods off of square, welled plates. I didn't need any help being weird; I can do weird all on my own.

Lately, I have decided to remove all the processed food that I possibly can from my life. That means making more from scratch and planning ahead. Since I have developed an incredible number of food allergies, I have had to read every label for every bite I put into my life. I am here to tell you, what you are putting into your body is scary.

I'm not going to stop eating sweets and snacks, but I will be making them myself. I am done with red lake #5, hydrogenated oils, and high fructose corn syrup. I don't want to feed those things to my daughter, and I know I'm going to be just like my mom and pack her hippie lunches in a reusable bag.

What do you think? Aren't you pissed that big corporations can sell you this horrible "food" and not take any responsibility for the heart disease, obesity, and innumerable other health problems they cause? I ate healthy before, but I am implementing a full crack down!

"Serving up the basics - Numbers, baked not fried "

On a shop update note, I am now offering prints in addition to the originals that had before been the only things in my store. They are more affordable, but they really retain the texture and color of the originals. As for the originals, they are now all framed and sent out ready to hang!

I hope everyone had an outstanding weekend!

The pigeon had a blase aire...

2010-03-20T17:27:00.001-05:00

I saw this pigeon decal the other day, and I loved its pixelated smugness. I don't know what it stands for - does anyone out there?

It even manages to make a neglected sidewalk seem interesting and artsy. I mean, why else would he spend so much time looking at it if it weren't compelling?

I hope you all are having a great weekend!

3 tips on training...

2010-03-17T09:00:00.004-05:00

humans or animals....

"Serving up the basics - Manners. You have to drill it in or our society will descend into chaos"

1. Repetition is the key.
Two of my toddler's first words were "please" (pweees) and "thanks" (tanks). People would say, "Oh, you're so lucky. She's such a nice girl." Like she just spontaneously blossomed nice. No. I ride her cute little behind. Now, she loves to chirp "Yes, sir!" It is so darn cute, and she knows it.

2. Do it on the sly.
My husband doesn't realize it, but he is bowl trained. I locate where he likes to empty his pockets, and I put a little bowl there. He always put his pocket junk in there, like magic. Seriously, it works. I don't try to change him; I work with his natural tendency to unload in various spots. And piles in jars is so much more orderly than just piles.

3. Be realistic in your expectations.
My dog cannot hold his pee for the life of him, and he never tells us when he needs to go potty. It took a year of frustration and carpet shampooing, but I finally got him to go on a pee-pad. Gross? Yes, but it is within his scope of abilities, while holding it is not.

Do you have any training tricks (human or otherwise)?

I miss my old bike...

2010-03-16T09:00:00.003-05:00

"I need some ape-hangers. Then this would be perfect."

My adult bicycle is hard for me to use since I don't have the knack for changing gears. The pedals spin either too fast with too little resistance or they resist my feet as though I am dredging through concrete. The seat is either too tall or too low; when it is high, I can't reach my feet to the ground and when it's too low, I hit my knees on the handlebars. I am Goldilocks, looking for just right on two wheels.

I remember the bicycle from when I was a child, the only bike I have ever loved. I remember the feeling of freedom, the wind stirring my hair and whipping it around my head like a flag. I would ride up and down our road, around and around our driveway. Once, while my brother and I played dare devil bike games, I fell off of mine and still carry the righteous scar from the gash in my elbow. That didn't deter me; I still loved my bike.

It was simple, easy to use. There was go and stop. How fast you went depended entirely upon how fast you pumped your legs. To brake, you spun the pedals in the opposite direction. It was simple, like childhood.

Now, my bike is complicated, as is my life. There is not just stop and go. There are layers of gears and settings, methods to use, standards to understand. Stopping is using your hands instead of your feet, engaging another piece in an already complicated dance.

I miss my old bike.

"In a world of rights and wrongs, I just want to ride."

My bike will never get the life it deserves...

2010-03-15T09:00:00.005-05:00

"Those hills look really big and my quads are already burning "

I have a bicycle. It is locked outside with a couple of millimeters of dust on it. It is basically a harbored fantasy. I want to love to ride my bike. I want to want to go on long rides out in nature. If you twist my arm and force me to be completely honest, I do not love being outside. I believe that central heat and air are among man's greatest achievements, right up there with the wheel and the incline plane.

I like natural things. Geodes are awesome, and I really love fungus and mushrooms. I like trees and flowers, and I think that lichens are among the most interesting things one could ever look at.

This leaves me at somewhat of an impasse. Basically, I am living my outside life vicariously through nature books and photographs. Despite the love for the natural world that I have, I cannot seem to get over my loathing of chiggers, sunburns, and chaffing. I hate blisters from hikes, and the trickle of muggy sweat rolling down my spine grosses me out.

I know this sounds whinny, but that's just the way I am. I love hot tea sipping while sitting in a cushy chair. I love watching cooking shows and flipping through magazines. I love my pale, unschorched skin.

I'm sorry, my poor, neglected bike, but it looks like your dust will remain. Maybe someday you will sprout a little plant so you at least get a trickle of nature in you lonely life.

"Pedal harder. I haven't got all day"

The finished pear has landed...

2010-03-14T21:20:00.003-05:00

I think it turned out just right!

Tiny.

Charming.

Cheeky.

Only one painting technique was just right, but that's why I made several to practice on!

Available now in my etsy shop!

Sculpture preview plus...

2010-03-13T09:00:00.006-06:00

I sold the painting "Trompe L'Oeil Pears" (wooo hoo) but it was rather painful to let go; it was one of my all time favorite paintings. Since I love them so much, I have decided to try making wee little sculpture versions of them.

Here's a little sneak peak of one in the making:

I just love how they are turning out. I made three for the trial round so I could try out some different painting techniques on them to decide which one makes the faux belt pop the most. I am really happy with how this little project is turning out. I have very little sculpture experience, so this is thrilling for me to see them moving along so well.

In other news, I have launched a companion site to the Cole + Josephine blog: The Cole + Josephine Visual Index. I wanted a venue to share the outstanding artists and designers that I find in my research while still keeping my core blog focused. I would love to have you follow me in this new venue, as well. Also, if you would like to nominate anyone to appear on my newest blog, I would like to hear your suggestions.

I hope you all are having an amazing weekend!

In the end...

2010-03-12T09:00:00.004-06:00

I really should have called...

2010-03-11T09:00:00.002-06:00

"I haven't heard from you in ages and I miss your voice."

I was busy sounds lame.

I couldn't find my phone sounds lamer.

I didn't want to talk to you sounds cruel.

I was afraid to call sounds weak.

"Hello? No, that's the TV. I would never call you that."

I don't know how we lost touch...

2010-03-10T09:00:00.003-06:00

"I heard you the first time. It's called selective hearing."

It's so easy to lost touch with people, almost frighteningly so. I've had so many friends over the years, most of which I don't really talk to anymore. You know how it goes - you move away, you call less and less, and then you realize you haven't talked to them in a year. I guess it's just the flow of life, but it still makes me sad to think back to all of the great people I've known and lost contact with.

"I meant to write"

Facebook has changed things a little, but commenting on someones status update and laughing together is completely different.

It makes me wonder, do these people think of me as often as I think of them?

If so, why aren't we back in touch?

Maybe it is the awkward first call. Maybe it is that we've all changed so much. Regardless of the reason, I still am left wondering how it happens.

To chase away the shadows...

2010-03-09T09:00:00.000-06:00

"The lamp had been stalking the side chair for ages"

I litter my house with lamps of all shapes and sizes to chase away the shadows. Even when it is sunny, I burn the lights at full strength. Their glow makes colors brighter and life warmer. If it is cloudy, they still make my day sunny. At night, I like to have a nightlight on; you never know when a monster is going to jump out of your closet.

"The lamp spent most of its time in startled alertness"

I am 29 and still a little afraid of the dark. The dark is full of silence and hiding places. The light is clear and bright.

"The squirrels were understandably on edge. The surrounding living room was malicious."

So I litter my house with lamps to chase away the shadows.

My living room drama...

2010-03-08T09:00:00.000-06:00

"The badger only charges when it is provoked."

The lamp was giving the chair the side eye;
The VCR was angry at the DVD player;

"Relax. The bear came with the house."

The boom box gathered dust while the IPod spun;
The couch resented the coffee table's smug demeanor;

"The shark made an unexpected appearance during Lost... it had waited for my attention to stray."

The empty vase sat and sulked;
I drank mint tea and ignored the baleful glare the console gave me.

A friend drew a portrait of me...

2010-03-07T09:30:00.000-06:00

My friend Lisa at Days Like Today drew a sweet picture of me and her other online friends and posted it on her blog. I absolutely love it, and the entire array of her other portraits (below) is so charming. I would love for everyone to visit her blog and give her some love! She certainly loves her followers back!

Also, I have changed the layout and look of my little blog here. I would love to know what you all think, and I have set up some polls to the right side to get your thoughts on what I'm doing here. Thanks for taking the time to comment and vote!

I love finger food dinners...

2010-03-06T12:33:00.000-06:00

I found myself alone for dinner last night. Maybe I should have been a little sad, but I was ecstatic. I never get to eat alone. Don't get me wrong, dining with others is great, but I never get to eat exactly what I want. Most people like a nice, square meal. Meat, starch, vegetable. I like to eat fancy, little finger food, usually vegetarian. I eat meat, but it is not my favorite of foods. Well, except for bacon. I love me some bacon.

I made a faux focaccia bread that turned out so very lovely (and, now that I think about it, would be awesome with bacon!). I am 100% confident that everyone out there reading this can make it as well. It is so easy, and all the skill you need is onion chopping skills and piling stuff on skills.

I call it "faux" because I took a store bought pizza dough roll and used it to make this. It was so easy. You'll need the following:

1 ready made pizza dough roll
1 small red onion
Feta Cheese
Parmesan Cheese
Olive Oil
Pepper
An herb you like (I used thyme)

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Cut the onion into small slivers. Roll out the dough on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Brush 1/2 of the dough with olive oil and sprinkle with the some of the onions, feta cheese, pepper, and herb. Fold the other half of the dough over the filling. Brush the top with olive oil and top some more red onion, feta cheese, pepper, herb, and the Parmesan cheese. Cook on the middle oven rack for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

So easy! I think it is pretty enough to serve to company, even.

I had some mini spanakopitas with them, and I'm not going to be a hero here. They were store bought. All I did was follow the directions on the back of the box. They were still delicious!

I hope you have a great weekend full of yummy finger foods!

Non-kitcheney kitchen tchotchke...

2010-03-04T14:06:00.000-06:00

My kitchen, like many of yours, is full of non-kitchen extras. I thought I'd share a few of mine.

This is a plaque I made with scrap paper, buttons and ribbon. I love it so very much. I have a serious thing for birds, geodes, rocks, and other things I find lying around. Some of the best stuff I have was found.

The owl trivets were thrifted, and the white bird salt and pepper shakers were from Target.

In this house, we tear through popcorn, so I keep some in a cute jar on the counter. My mom makes the best popcorn. She heats 2 tbs of oil over medium high heat. Then, she adds 1/2 cup of popcorn and covers. Pop until most of the popping stops and sprinkle with salt. It is way better than microwave, unless you love that fake butter coating.

The Monarch lion tag is from an old travel bag that was my great grandfather's. The bag is falling to pieces, I use it so much, but the tag is preserved.

A small sampling of the only plants I can keep alive - drought resistant varieties. There is also a grumpy child sculpture I made, a bottle opener my brother brought me from Hawaii, and a little bit of lime juice.

I made this little guy out of polymer clay, acrylic paint, and varnish. He has a metal wire that I stick in him and stand him over the plants. It's actually much less cruel than it sounds.

I love to cook, and I especially love to cook in a happy kitchen!

Tina Fey is my hero...

2010-03-03T15:16:00.000-06:00

"Tina Fey is my hero"

You're probably thinking my love of Tina Fey is lame, but here are several reasons why I love her.

1. She has a realistic body image and doesn't try to make you feel bad about yours. She said, "Not good on me? Spaghetti straps. It looks like when you tie up a roast before you put it in an oven."

You have to be honest to yourself and abstain from some looks. For example, I look like I'm wearing a diaper when I put on harem pants. On the other hand, you have to rock the looks you know work on you. And work them hard.

Which leads nicely into number 2....

2. Mom Jeans. Yes, she is the one that wrote the infamous SNL skit that ignited the faux pas phenomenon. Also, she was the first female head writer for SNL. Don't even get me started on the Sarah Palin impressions. They were born to live in the same time frame. Really, that whole situation was meant to be.

Will you check out the tucks in those jeans? I laugh just looking at this picture.

3. She has the same nerdy childhood school portrait that you do.

"We've all been there"

The quote at the bottom of the picture reads "Apparently, they cut my hair by folding my head in half and trying to cut out a heart".

My mom would cut my bangs, and she had to go shorter and shorter to get them even. By the time the haircut was done, I would have one millimeter of fuzz standing straight up from my forehead. I just did the same thing to my daughter the other day. The torch has been passed.

4. She is a normal woman in a sea of plastic T.V. stars and "reality" shows. Another quote:
"I feel like I represent normalcy in some way. What are your choices today in entertainment? People either represent youth, power, or sexuality. And then there's me, carrying normalcy. Me and Rachel Ray."

Before you ask, yes, I do love Rachel Ray as well. I'll come back to that on a later post.

5. Liz Lemon. In one episode of 30 Rock, she would make out with a guy for long stretches of time and then made him go to the deli to buy her a sandwich. That's right, snuggles and food. In the same episode, she grew out her lady mustache to make a friend feel better about herself. Now, isn't that a friend you would love to have?

The quotes are from the March 2010 Vogue, which pretty much summed the Tina Fey issue up very conveniently, and they put here on the cover, which you know I love.

p.s. the artwork today is a two-for. Buy the portrait and get the rocking haircut collage!

Talking toward a solution is frustrating...

2010-03-02T14:33:00.000-06:00

"The restitution of reason took considerably longer than I anticipated"

We sat and talked all night.

"We discussed the intricacies and arrived at no conclusion"

We said so many things.

"It's complicated. Stop embarrassing yourself"

I don't know if there was any resolution.

"I sincerely wish I had thought of the Snuggie"

Because words are easy to throw around.

A self portrait sort of Sunday...

2010-02-28T21:30:00.000-06:00

A slow afternoon with no new movies to watch, no place to be, a pile of vintage gold tone jewelry, and a camera. A dangerous combination in the hands of an artist. Strike that. A dangerous combination in the hands of a bored girl.

"The rarest thing in the world is a woman who is pleased with photographs of herself." ~Elizabeth Metcalf

I hope you have a picture of yourself that you love, because you are beautiful to me.

"Lush"

And when in doubt, wear red lipstick. It makes you the most confident woman in the room, even if you knees are shaking.

Four eyes are cooler than two...

2010-02-26T16:42:00.000-06:00

I love a good pair of glasses, and I know you do, too. They are able to impart so much meaning with just their structure and lines. They can tell the world exactly who you are if you pick the right kind. In my opinion, they are the ultimate accessory.

"Blink. Your eyes seem to be stuck"

Jackie O did it, and you know you wish you were more like her. Well, style and grace-wise. The wandering husband is a little iffy, even for the Kennedy. Shhhh... don't tell my grandma I just wrote that. She's still a little touchy about the topic. I guess she just needs a little more time...

"Don't move. Their eyesight is based on vision" SOLD

Well, not all librarians are sexy. But if I were a librarian, you can bet your booty that I would make sure to be a sexy one.

"I know that stating the obvious is unbecoming for a lady, but someone had to reiterate it"

I love geeks, truly, deeply, madly. Sure, studs are fun to look at, but how many of them go on to the NFL? Not very many. A geek, on the other hand, has the skills to pay the bills. That's right. 1001011000011101 ladies.

"Aviator sunglasses make me look like an idiot. And, honestly, I am not the only one"

Not everybody should jump on every trend. For example, I look ridiculous in jumpsuits and aviator sunglasses, especially when worn in conjunction with each other. Unfortunately, some lessons have to be learned the hard way.

Give me some color!

2010-02-25T08:08:00.000-06:00

"Move it Along"

Dear Winter,

I hate to be rude, but you have overstayed your welcome. I am ready to see some color. Your gloom is getting me down, and I am ready for you to leave for a while. There are things about you I like: pretty snows, winter birds, Christmas. You're not all bad, but this has gone on long enough. We can hook up again next year. You'll always be my non-summer love. I hope this doesn't cause any hard feelings.

It's not you. It's me.

I am ready to see some grass. I want to paint my toenails and have someone besides myself see them. I want to skin my knee running outside. Also, the blog world is covered up with this winter exasperation, so I'm not alone in this. We want to feel some non-freezing wind brush our faces and stir our hair. Maybe we'll take a bike ride or go on a picnic.

Thank you and see you next year,
Nicole

If you have never searched "common license" on flickr, you should give it a try soon. It is full of wonderful photographs that artists are kind enough to share free of charge. All these artists want is the credit. My current favorite is pink sherbert, aka D Sharon Pruitt. All of the photographs above are from this artist; I just dropped them in my handy, dandy Polaroid generator to jazz them up even more.

Another colorful tidbit I found is this video by McG for the Vapors. It was created for the Tate Modern's "Pop Life" exhibit and features Kirsten Dunst, Murakami, Nigo. Just to warn you, it is set to the tune of "Going Japanese", so if you hate that song, just know that you have been warned. I just saw "Lost in Translation" (yes, I know it's been out forever, but I just got around to it), and I fell in love all over again with the visual overload that is Tokyo. This makes me want to get a little sailor outfit and go all Lolita on this town.

I recently realized...

2010-02-22T22:33:00.000-06:00

That items look infinitely more interesting in relation to each other. This may seem like a very simple and obvious conclusion, but sometimes the obvious can be a little elusive. This is especially true when you apply it to yourself. Try putting your creations in a grouping and taking a good look. The results are very telling.

The reason that etsy treasuries, flickr photo groups, and design blogs look so compelling is that images of items are clustered together. One item relates to the next and finds meaning in context. Color relations build a story. Similar themes build context. The eye is drawn to a story, and these connections make you see that an object may have a place in your life. You buy a necklace to go with an outfit. You buy a platter to go with your dinnerware. You buy a rug to go with your sofa. Connection is everything.

Fashion designers create collections; artists build collections; interior designers assemble collections.

Admittedly, this is a very obvious concept, but when I put up all of my illustrations on one little wall, they looked infinitely more interesting in a cluster than when taken individually. In a way, it made me see my work in a new light. Instead of random, unconnected items they become a view of the world around me.

Looking at this picture, I can visualize my paintings hanging next to family pictures or beloved objects. It is the creation of a vignette that ties it all together.

Interesting isolation can be compelling as well. I took this picture outside my building yesterday:

The color against the pavement pops, and the subject of the card sitting among dead leaves and garbage lying on the blacktop is lonesome and has a sort of yearning. This item caught my eye because it is so disconnected to its surroundings.

The point I am trying to make? Context is everything.

p.s. I apologize for not getting back to all of your comments. My internet connection has been maddeningly intermittent, and I have grabbed a tiny sliver of connectivity to post this piece. I will be responding to you all asap! I truly appreciate all of the thoughtful comments that were left on my last post, and I want you to know that I am not ignoring you.

In this new frugal world, is art for art's sake dead?

2010-02-19T14:15:00.000-06:00

"I'm just going to throw this out there: the Beatles do nothing for me"

It is my dearest dream to be a working artist. "Working" as in "Honey, I just paid the rent with all of the money I made from selling my latest painting". However, I can't help but wonder if art without function is a dying thing. To be successful, will I need to put my artwork on tea towels or to-go coffee cozies to make my love into my career?

Everywhere I look there is amazing and compelling design at all different price points. Even Wal-Mart has modern and stylish designs. Where once there was a flood of hunter green and maroon florals, there is now geometric and organic prints in sophisticated colors. I am slapping myself even as I type this blasphemy, but go look and you will see that I am right. Sure, the fabric may feel like gravel, and the glass may be shipped in from China, but it is still an affordable, functional option. It is accessible, easy, understandable, and available immediately at any time of the day or night. Realistically, you could decorate an entire house in one stop. Sure, it wouldn't be nearly as interesting or personal, but it would be functional and can be visually pleasant. After all, the throw pillow matches the rug matches the art matches the curtains matches the comforter... These collections are designed to fill every function with a minimum of fuss.

I, like many of you, love the thrill of the hunt and the story behind a unique item. I would scream if my sofa matched my chairs. However, I have that friend, as I am sure you do, whose home looks like it was torn from a J.C. Penney catalogue. We are a society of busy people looking to live our lives as best as we can. We are struggling through two hour commutes, day care, late night t.v., and everything in between. I consider it a minor miracle that you have found enough time to read this post this far.

Looking around online, the most popular and most blogged about art prints are catchy, uplifting slogans in cool fonts. While I, too, long to be as happy as a bird with a french fry, does this leave room for my overly complex and over thought art? I fill my pieces with nuance and meaning and offer it to a world in love with simplicity and clarity. In case you were wondering, I do not begrudge any of the fine artists who are originating these works. Frankly, I am jealous. They are influencing our collective conscience using Helvecta typeface and a keep calm and carry on mentality.

In all honesty, what do you think? Is fine artwork no longer viable? Am I putting all of my luggage onto a sinking ship, happily ignoring the rising water? Should I put an owl or a cupcake on it?

"Owls + Bird Claw Talismans = Incompatible Etsy Trends"

ATTENTION! This is the coolest free thing ever...

2010-02-18T15:57:00.001-06:00

Seriously. The. Coolest. Thing. Ever. And it's free.

I'll just say that again: Free. Cool. Ever.

Makes your pictures into Polaroids without you knowing a damn thing about a single photo editing program.

All you do is drag a pic over to the camera it puts on your desktop. It took a marginal picture of yours truly and made it into a vintage-y morsel of goodness. And just like the old school real version, the picture takes time to develop, and you can shake it if you just can't help yourself! I know I couldn't, but I have impulse control issues.

Go here to get your Polaroid on.

p.s. I put it on my computer and haven't had any problems, but you know how all computers are a little quirky. Pursue at your own risk. Personally, I felt that the pay off was worth the risk, but I am a rebel... well, I try to live on the edge...

p.p.s. Sorry for the picture repeats. I just couldn't wait to load new pictures from my camera onto my computer to try it out. As mentioned, I have impulse control issues.

I've been photo tagged...

2010-02-18T14:56:00.000-06:00

I love having you near.

I received a photo tag from the lovely Trishie at Under Lock & Key (a really wonderful blog).

The rules of this tag are:

1. Open your 1st Photo folder.
2. Scroll to the 10th photo.
3. Post the photo and the story behind it.

4. Tag 5 or more people.

I was lucky enough that it was this cute little picture that I loved but didn't quite fit into my Valentine for all of you. They were going to be the couple's babies, but the scale ended up being completely out of balance, so onto the clipping room floor they went. I'm so glad I got a chance to share it with all of you!

I am tagging:
NeonPolish
Purple Deer
A Misplaced Country Girl
Hi Hi Hiii Hi Hi
Blue Eyed Dragonfly

In other news, I fell in love with this artist's work. MissMoniker apparently agrees that watercolor can be more than landscapes and still life compositions. Her work is funny, sincere, and refreshing. And VERY affordabley priced. I just don't know which one to get! The colors are so clean and bright, and I love anything heavy in white.

YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME Original Watercolor

Leave me alone. Original Watercolor

I Wear This On the Surface Where It Is Fragile...

2010-02-17T11:00:00.000-06:00

"I Wear This On the Surface Where It Is Fragile"

Hello hello
Goodbye goodbye
I see you near, I smile truly
I see you leave, my chest collapses
You tie my eyes
You tie my heart
Both are on the surface with you near
Like a patch and embroidery floss
Stitching intent and action
Hello, goodbye

watercolor, gouache, and graphite on cold press paper, 8"x10"

My horrible beloved chair...

2010-02-15T21:00:00.000-06:00

When my husband and I were first dating, we went on a trip to a cute little town full of galleries and vintage stores. Now, looking back, I can see that he was really trying hard to impress me because he likes shopping about as much as getting his back waxed. Anyway, poking around these little stores I found the cutest little orange velvet chair that I had ever seen in my life, and it was only 25 dollars. I didn't care that it had a huge mysterious stain on the cushion or that the legs were covered in orange electrical tape. I had to have it , but we didn't have room in our car to bring it home. I left the little chair behind with a broken heart.

I moped around fearing my little chair had been taken by someone else, and I swore to reupholster it so it was no longer tacky orange velvet. So my someday-to-be husband drove back the next weekend to get this sad little orange velvet chair for me, spending more in gas than the price of the chair.

"Here I am just trying to relax and you just tear through here and destroy my calm"

Almost a decade later, it is still orange velvet with mysterious stains and electrical taped legs. I just can't bring myself to change it. I like it just the way it is, flaws and all. I like looking at it and remembering seeing it for the first time, feeling that special kinship with an undervalued, quirky little weirdo looking for a home. My chair just wouldn't be the same kindred spirit dressed in khaki or stripes. I wouldn't recognize my treasure in tasteful damask.

There are more stains now, and there is no longer a 'good' side of the seat cushion. The tape on the legs is tattering, and orange electrical tape is an elusive item so tattered it stays. I don't really care how my sweet little chair looks or how many wear holes it has. It is just fine the way it is with memories in its flaws and stories in its sagging stuffing.

"We can sit in our modern chairs and have long, philosophical discussions"

Love from unexpected places...

2010-02-14T10:42:00.001-06:00

They were so different...

He was loud and forward...

She was shy and subdued...

He was too short, but she thought that short men tried harder...

She decided to give him a chance...

And they had their happily ever after...

Happy Valentine's Day!
xoxo, Nicole

A very surprising talent...

2010-02-13T10:08:00.001-06:00

My dad is not an artist. To illustrate the immense gulf between my father and art, here is a simile:

square is to round as kiwi is to Inuit seal hunter wearing snow shoes on a hunt in a polar blizzard.

You show him a painting with symbolism in it, he says that he wishes it were just a picture of a valley in autumn. Not that there is anything wrong with landscapes or enjoying the changing of the leaves. It is just that he likes his art like he likes his diagrams: straight and to the point. To clarify, my dad is an engineer with a flair for complex mathematics and concrete dynamics.

So it came as an enormous shock to all of us that when you put a digital camera in his hands, all of a sudden he is Ansel Adams. He takes the most amazing photographs. He notices the most surprising details and has a natural grasp on lighting and composition. In honor of his unforeseen talent, I have decided to start featuring some his photographs on my blog, beginning with some fungus and floral shots. These have not been color corrected; they are appearing exactly as he shot them. Other gems you can expect to see in the future are full moons, sunsets, slugs, angry owls, buildings, people, and so much more. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

The end of a dream...

2010-02-11T16:02:00.001-06:00

I had another post planned for today, but when I found out that Alexander McQueen, my favorite designer, had died last night, I postponed it for this.

In a sea of missy designs and safe fashion, Alexander McQueen pushed every limit possible. He transcended the line of what makes clothing fashion and pushed it into art and sculpture. His designs defied gravity, society, and conformity. Instead of designing for sales and line purchases, he followed his vision, regardless of how scandalous or avant garde the dream was.

A unique and brave visionary was lost last night. Many conversations have been cut short; many words communicated through design left unsaid. To call it just "fashion design" misses the point entirely. He was a sculptural artist and an unparalleled talent.

In a world without Alexander McQueen, who will bring us the show stoppers and the social flippancy that his voice carried?

Today, the world seems a little less grand, and I am crying while I am writing this. I know he never knew my name, heard my voice, or saw my art, but he influenced the artist I am today with his bravery and vision. I can only hope to have a fraction of the mastery he attained.

Bubble Gum Pink to counter those Winter Blues...

2010-02-10T15:23:00.000-06:00

I am feeling somewhat pessimistic today, so instead of venting all of my down-ness all over the place, I found the happiest picture I could find from my recent history.

I'll share my pessimism in a later post, after I gather my thoughts and come up with some way to illustrate a larger meaning with a metaphor...

Happy tiny toes and big toes wiggling together on a fuzzy rug, all dressed up and happy to be together even with no place to go.

We painted our toes together during a snowy, quite day. I let my baby pick the color, and she chose this cheery bubble gum pink. It made her think of Play Dough. If that doesn't cheer you up, I don't know what would.

It dried in about 60 seconds, which is like fourteen days to a two year old. She could hardly stand it, she was so excited.

Sometimes you need to find the little things to keep going on when the big picture gets too blurry...

All dressed up and no place to go...

2010-02-09T21:42:00.000-06:00

"A Piece of Fried Gold" SOLD

There I was, just minding my own business, just trying to live my life, when you walked into my world. You taunted me with your dazzling grace and quirky beauty. You promised me amazing parties and glamor without effort. You got into my head and into my heart. Then, you turn out to be completely unavailable. You broke my heart, but I can't get over you still.

No, I'm not talking about a boy. Unrequited love is so 2009.

I am talking about a pair of shoes, but it could have been that love that got away. That older man that you shouldn't be attracted to but are. That amazing person you meet at a party, fall in love with, and then never see again. That star crossed love that taunts you.

I love shoes as much as the next girl, but there aren't many that I freak out about. However, these tuxedo shoes by Harajuku Lovers make me really swoon. They have been on my mind since the very first time I spied them. I keep finding things in my closet that they would breath new life into. They could make me into a Bond girl.

They were last season, so this colorway is all sold out everywhere! I'm going to cry quietly into my pillow tonight. I mean, you wouldn't even have to dress up to go out if you threw these on. Just put them on and let them do all of the work. Now I'm stalking e-bay and amazon for them. If you get any hot tips, you just let me know.

And yes, they do speak to me. We were born to be together. Forget the perfect boy; I'll settle for the perfect shoe.

And before you get all "I only buy handmade" on me, you have to admit that a hand stitched Mary Jane does not replace these!

Here's a picture of the real thing (as if my painting doesn't do them justice!).

Do you have a "one that got away" dream item that you kick yourself for not buying? I know it's just an object, but some items just stick with you. Even a seasoned frugalista can't squelch every urge.

Raise your hand if...

2010-02-08T22:54:00.000-06:00

"Terrarium: Bringing the Outdoors In. Oh, and Making It Better." SOLD

You trim your own bangs regardless of how crooked they always turn out. Then you immediately regret it, but only because now the world can see how bad your eyebrows need to be plucked.

You eat snacks while watching your newest workout video... You know, so you can get the steps.

You only shave above the knee on holidays and anniversaries and get pissed if you don't get a return on your time/torture investment. This is exactly why this isn't a daily thing, fellas!

You never clean under the sofa because the amount of filth under there is shocking and disturbing. I mean, if you never move it, who's even going to know they are sitting inches above an abandoned mine shaft full of Cheerios and hair barrettes?

You push the old milk to the back of the fridge hoping someone else will dump out what could now be considered cottage cheese.

You feel like you're going into the confessional when you admit to your dentist that you mostly floss right after New Year's resolutions and popcorn.

You are bored to tears doing yoga but still want to be a yogi doing the scorpion pose someday.

You only have house plants that are either in a terrarium or are a drought resistant succulent because you damn well kill everything else.

You went to bed tonight in the same clothes you got up in this morning without a real outfit in between.

You (fill in the blank. I know you have one.)...

Just in case you were wondering how cute I look in a quirky hat...

2010-02-07T21:38:00.000-06:00

I got this vintage hat at Goodwill for only $2.99! It is so cool! It doesn't have a label or a maker's mark, so I don't really know anything about it other than it rocks. I think I might wear it to my cousin's wedding in June. Now I just need to begin the hunt for that perfect dress that I will probably spend $150 to match my $2.99 hat... plus shoes... Oh well, you can't quell the cuteness.

I sort of sneaked over to the Goodwill store when I said I was running errands. Shhhhh, that's going to be another on of our little secrets. I'm sure I was meant to go. I got the most amazing black pirate knee high boots, a velvet blazer with a skinny lapel, black spike heeled shooties with a military bent, and a lace shirt in this perfect pinkish blush nude. I am always surprised at how spot on second hand stores can be even when they just take whatever walks in the door. However, I am still on the search for the perfect second hand jeans... does anyone ever give up any style that's not a mom jean? I need some stylish women in my size to have a drastic weight loss or gain so they donate awesome jeans for me.
I'm trying not to think about how many people must have tried this hat on just for fun before I bought it...

Sometimes a desire to fit in trumps reason...

2010-02-02T14:01:00.000-06:00

"Trompe L'oil Pears" SOLD

Yes, I wore hammer pants. They were pink and my sweatshirt was a paint splatter print. I got up early to curl and tease my bangs into a fluffy pillow for my forehead. I had snap bracelets in every conceivable color and pattern. I wore multiple colored socks to create a rad rainbow effect rolled above my high top sneakers. Scrunchy was my homegirl.

See: friends doing it.

See: Seventeen saying it was cool.

See: girl I idolized wearing neon Lacrosse polos.

See: moral? A child must be taught to think for itself or it will continue to be another beast in the herd and fluff up its bangs like an idiot.

Color, you fickle mistress...

2010-02-01T08:41:00.000-06:00

"The Ones Your Mother Warned You About"

Before I started my new painting series, I had to get a handle on my out of control watercolor situation. In the beginning, I had a nice little set of paints that came in their own little case and where arranged in an orderly rainbow. Once I realized that this was without a doubt the medium for me, I began collecting colors. My name is Nicole, and I am addicted to color.

My favorite hues are always the misfit colors, the sale bin colors. I can relate to them. There is nothing wrong with them, it's just that the general population doesn't get their quirkiness. They are just being themselves, and that got them straight to the sale section. Oh cruel world with your obsession with simple, clean colors! Open your heart to the oddballs and your life will be richer for it!

So I scoop them up like a co-ed snatches up free Jello shots during row week. In my zeal, I have created a wayward orphanage of misfits whose labels you cannot trust. In watercolor paints, the outside rarely tells you what's on the inside. Yes, it may give off every hint of being bubblegum pink, but emerge from the tube and you just happen to receive the perfect shade of magenta.

So I set my little obsessive self down and set out to make a color chart. I love deciding on the dimensions and layout. I love sitting down with a ruler and making an orderly grid. Organization is a harbour for my frantic mind.

I ended up with a happy little set of charts. Since some of the colors lie to you, they ended up in multiple sections. One color that promised to be the most beautiful turquoise shocked me by being a fetching peacock green, but only after tricking me into setting it with the blues. I decided to forgive it; I can never stay mad at a pretty face.

The only colors that left me irked were the supposed staple colors, your burnt umbers and raw siennas. These colors varied so wildly by manufacturer that it made me question the whole concept of color basics. What if color theory is based on a shaky foundation built on fraudulent colors? Had my beginning art studio instructor been operating under faulty information? But I had to forgive my misfit colors; there are sometimes good reasons to end up on sale. I'm just glad I saw your true stripes before I started any ambitious color mixing.

And this is what I ended up with: neutrals nestled together and jazzed up with yellows and oranges, reds and purples getting cozy, and blues and greens walking that shaky like of separation. Each chart has room for more additions since I accept that part of myself that is a magpie for color. The metallics and gouaches were quietly segregated on their own smaller pieces of paper since my adoptive charity has not yet expanded to their genres. But they should brace themselves.
Pro tip: this was going to be tacked on to another post, but it became alarmingly metaphorical. I had no idea I had so many color chart issues to discuss.

My trail of lefts...

2010-01-31T11:21:00.000-06:00

"My Dear, I Neglected You"

A pile of books left unread
A sketch left unfinished
A bathroom left dirty
A picture left unframed
A plant left dry
A movie left unwatched
A stain left uncleaned
A thought left unsaid
A dough left unformed

Without regret

Lines, dots, and dashes...

2010-01-30T20:02:00.000-06:00

"I am Impervious" watercolor on cold press paper 5"x7" SOLD

A reflection on an empty day produces no interesting similes, and if you're waiting around for a metaphor, forget about it. Spinning in circles never got you anywhere. When time is a commodity and thought is a luxury, what is the value of this? Set goals, pursue goals, achieve goals. Does it all have to be about the end? Is a failed moment the worse that could happen? In a long line of wasted time, I found a moment to smile, to laugh, to nap, to breath.

For today, my plans can go to hell. Connect the dots, even when some of the lines end up being dashes. It's ok to stop sometimes, I tell myself.

An outline of my busy day...

2010-01-29T09:27:00.000-06:00

"Exclamation: Tacky!" watercolor on cold press paper 5"x7"

Today: snowed in

Goals: take shower, brush teeth, not eat every carb floating around the house, play with daughter, brush hair if feeling ambitions.

Certainty: Jammies, all day long.

Tomorrow: resume awesomeness

Thank you and here's a treat...

2010-01-27T15:43:00.001-06:00

"Animal Ice Cream Argyle" watercolor on cold press paper 5"x7"

This painting will seem very incongruous as it has nothing to do with today's post, but I needed something cheerful after yesterday...

I would like to deeply thank each and every one of you that left such gracious and kind comments yesterday when I wrote the post about my sick grandmother-in-law. It was so nice of you to take the time to send me well wishes, and I was truly moved. Thank you. I'm sorry I could not respond to each of you individually, but I have been feeling a little overwhelmed lately.

It was really hard to see her in the hospital. She is usually so full of energy and bustling around, but she looked so ghost like in the hospital bed. She had a hard time even talking she was so short of breath. I brought my daughter with us to visit her, which I think cheered her up some. But she couldn't even hug her, she was in so much pain and was so weak. I still don't know how this is going to turn out, but I'll let you all know what happens.

Since yesterday was so sad, I wanted to write about something fun, so here's my special recipe for the easiest fudge ever in the history of man. It is so crazy simple, and it turns out like a dessert you would spend hours slaving over. I don't tell people how easy it is when I bring it out because I want them to think that I am just that awesome of a cook. Let's keep that our little secret.

Ok, here it goes. Take one bag of chocolate chips (I like to use dark chocolate) and one can of sweetened condensed milk and dump them together in a microwave safe bowl.

Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between each cycle. This seems ridiculous at first as it takes a couple of rounds before anything starts to happen, but it is really important. Chocolate can scorch very easily. All of a sudden it will start to look like this:

Keep microwaving and stirring until it is all melted and smooth. Then, pour it into a buttered glass dish to set. I usually put it in the fridge for a couple of hours or throw it into the freezer if I'm in a hurry.

Cut up and enjoy! And if you don't want to share, that's ok!

A little worried...

2010-01-26T09:29:00.000-06:00

"The Frequency of Direction" watercolor on cold press paper 5"x7"

It's sort of a sad day today. My husband's grandmother just had double bypass surgery and has developed pneumonia. We're going to visit her today, and I'm really hoping it is not the last time. She has always been so sweet and supportive of us. When I was pregnant and Brandon lost his job, she paid our health insurance so I could keep the same ob-gyn and deliver in the hospital we wanted. She always puts others first, and is probably hating all of the attention she is getting right now. She is a great caregiver but not a very good care receiver!

I was surprised that she even had to have the surgery. They always talk about heart disease + obesity, but she has the figure of a yard stick.

We wanted to visit her earlier, but with all of us being sick, we weren't about to bring something else to her.

So we're going today. Wish us luck.

Linocut preview and a very loose visual tutorial...

2010-01-25T15:02:00.000-06:00

This is my very first attempt at linocut block printing, along with a copious number of pictures and a few tips:

The rough draft before the final cut
(which I will reveal with fanfare in a later post):

You can see that there are some extra lines that need to be trimmed away.

Make sure that you REVERSE your image or it will print incorrectly.
This would be especially apparent with type.

I used a sharpie to soak through the paper as I outlined the image since transfer paper wasn't working for me. After the first trace around, I went back and darkened the lines.

Remember, raised areas will be printed and removed areas will be blank.
In places I wasn't quite sure about which tool to use, I practiced in areas that I was going to carve out later.

The details have been roughed out. Now, onto the background.
The carving tools are very sharp! Keep your hands behind the cutting area or you will cut off your finger! Don't say I didn't warn you!

The almost finished version, looking very much like it was intended to look.

A few practice runs. This technique is very simple to do but does take some practice.

In my next linocut post, I will unveil my finished print, project cost (very low), and printing tips. I might even be feeling snazzy and give some away. Stay tuned to find out!

I would love to know what you think!

Painfully two but rocking the house...

2010-01-24T10:34:00.000-06:00

First of all I want to say THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! to all of the new followers I have. I really appreciate you taking the time to visit me and for all of the lovely comments you post.

Around here, we have been keeping busy building cardboard houses among other pursuits. You have to watch out, there are big pink bunny squatters about. After they move in, there is barely room for a tiny chair or a tiny person. He was evicted pretty quickly, but not before eating all of our chips and ordering some payperview.

This little lady is currently in the throws of being two. For those of you without kids, you should know before you decide to reproduce that the terrible twos start sometime around 15 months and will probably end about the time she is 13, at which point she will begin to be a snotty teenager.

Most of the time she is very pleasant, but tell her "no" and watch out. Her current interests include hitting, yelling, and throwing herself to the floor in a rage. What happened to my sweet little baby? Who is this devilish creature full of anger? And why would she pick right now to push through two more teeth????

But no matter how bad she gets, I always come back for more. I've grown rather fond of her despite her combativeness. It's a good thing she's so damn cute.

When Fleeing is as Daunting as Flying to the Moon but Staying is Atrophy...

2010-01-23T14:25:00.001-06:00

My nature is very homebody-ish. I really think I was just born this way. I would rather hang out at my house with a friend then go to a bar and yell over the loud music. I'm not very good at pushing myself out of my comfort zone.

However, I also want to have really great stories to tell, but I can't collect many sitting at my kitchen table. This means I have to change myself in some way.

My friends take spontaneous and wild trips. I don't. I plan, plan, plan. In my defense, I am allergic to almost everything, including yeast, peanuts, mustard, barley, and more. Yes, that means no bread (always the first question people ask). When I eat these foods, it is like getting food poisoning, and I panic if I get sick in a place other than my house. The nature of my reactions has even caused me to lose conscienceness, and I do not want to hit the pavement in some strange place. The illness hits suddenly and violently, and the only way to stop it is to take enough Benadryl to sedate a giraffe. Logistically, it is impossible to take long trips without eating. For some reason, the human body requires maddeningly regular fueling to keep going.

Most of the time when people get together, it revolves around food, and I can't really eat many foods. It's very depressing to be around, and it makes people uncomfortable that I can't join in. While the people around me are eating pizza and swilling wine, I'm drinking my nice glass of water in front of an empty plate. And eating on the road? Forget about it.

I am getting really tired of letting my personal cross get in the way of my life. I can't live in fear of getting sick anymore. I am rotting away in my safe places.

I am going to be more adventurous, even if it kills me.

watercolor, graphite, gouache, ink on coldpress paper, 8" x 10"

I am on such a roll...

2010-01-22T07:59:00.000-06:00

"Fresh" watercolor on coldpress paper 5"x7"

I have been on fire since I got over being sick. I am about to post another painting in the "Wind" series that is about my desire to be more adventurous. Also, I am working on a bookie full of coupons for my store, a linocut print, and more of my more serious work. I even got crazy and ordered some business cards and promo material. There are not enough hours in the day!

A shout out to all you people jittering with creative energy! May your weekend be full of awesomeness and your colors spot on!

My windy days...

2010-01-21T17:49:00.000-06:00

"Epiphany"

The days have swung back from frigid to inviting, and I can leave the house wearing only a jacket instead of snow armor. It's odd how quickly the wind brings change. You have probably noticed my preoccupation with wind lately; I find it hypnotic how quickly it oscillates between soothing and terrifying. Such a beautiful metaphor for so very many things...

Lately, my life seems to be in its own windy swing. The days feel as though they are passing so slowly yet it's already January. I cannot find enough hours in the day. I don't worry that much about cleaning or running errands, but I do worry about spending enough time with my little family while still finding the time to be an artist. My bathtub may not be spotless, but I do cook almost everything we eat from scratch. I suppose each day is just about choosing what is the most important, mopping the kitchen floor or story time with my daughter. I also try to pick up a pencil or a paintbrush every day because art and writing are my therapy.

Now, if I could just find time to read a book...