Alexandra's Kittens

Being a big sister is a big responsibility (just ask my older sister). So, I wanted to give Hrafn's older sister, Alexandra, a special gift of her own. Her mom said that she likes kittens and anything cute, so kittens she will get. Acrylic on canvas.

Ocean Creatures

One of my dearest friends and his wonderful wife just had a handsome baby boy named Hrafn Michael. Since I can't be there in Iceland to meet their son, I'm sending them ocean creatures.

Not-so-Scary Pumpkins

The girls in my book club got me hooked on watching the Food Network Challenges where the contestants make these great cake sculptures surrounding some fanciful theme. Around Halloween, I was watching an episode where they carved and sculpted pumpkins. When they started sculpting the pumpkins, my jaw dropped, and I sat in awe watching Ray Villafane create this:

And then this (some of the snakes actually move):

My jaw dropped, and I said, "I didn't know you could do that with a pumpkin. I want to try it!" So, I stopped at a church selling pumpkins on the front lawn, picked out two with loads of character, and gave it a go:

I was pretty pleased with it, so I gave it another go:

And then I bought a pumpkin squash:

I went home that weekend to visit my parents, and my mom asked me to carve some pumpkins for her as well:

He's ornery:

This is what you get when I carve pumpkins while watching a movie starring Russell Crowe:

And he's just so happy to be here:

A Piece That Defines Me

I had wanted some sort of artwork for my Family Room for a while. The background is symbolic of the art process for me. I start with globs of paint and watch them slowly transform into an image I see in my mind. The quote is my own. The original quote was, "There are so few things we really get to control in life that we cling to the few things we can. And that's why I paint. I control the paint and the paintbrush, and I watch globs of color turn into an elephant, or an octopus, or a dog. And when it's all done, I sit back and smile, because I made order from chaos. And it smiles back." I wanted a piece of artwork that really meant something to me and would make me smile whenever I saw it. It is, of course, acrylic on three 10" x 20" canvases. The font is based on Giddyup Std.