Happy birthday, mom!

Today is my mom's 60th birthday. Happy birthday, mom! I made this magnetic photo frame for her yesterday (I work best under pressure apparently). It's fiberboard painted with eco-friendly paint, has hand-painted type (my mom calls Malayna sweetie pie) and measures 12" square. That's one of my hand-drawn patterns in the background behind the photo. That section of the piece is magnetic - the little round mirrored pieces have magnets on the back and are holding that photo in place.

When I was trying to photograph this today, I put it on my wall and thought, "hey, that looks good there!" My parents' house is like a gallery of my work, yet I hardly have anything in my own house that I've made. I think it's because if I had my work hanging around here I'd constantly be critiquing it and wanting to change things. I wonder if that's common for artists?

Photo Friday

{Trying on the new backpack for kindergarten.}

A page from my sketchbook

Creativity, inspiration, and where to get it

Summer does this to me every year - makes me feel uninspired. Maybe not so much uninspired as lazy. I don't want to do anything productive. I just want to soak up the sun, go to the beach and work on my garden. Okay, that last one is a stretch since it involves actual work! Come to think of it, my "garden" looks like a jungle right now.

I think I'm at a transitioning point right now with my artwork. It feels like something is going to change soon, but I'm not sure what or how. I've been sketching for a few months, but I don't know what to do with those sketches. For now I've been turning them into patterns, which I then turn into paper to use in my clocks, cards, and wall squares. But I think I should do something MORE with the drawings. I want it to be real art, if that makes any sense. Right now I'm creating usable art, but sometimes I want it to be art that's made for no other purpose than to fill my need to create.

I remember feeling this way before Malayna was born. Taking a class would get that creative spirit moving again.

What do you do when you feel stuck creatively?

Ah, summer…

Hello there! I haven't dropped off the face of the earth - I'm just having a great, busy summer. Malayna and I have taken many, many beach trips this year. I'm trying to squeeze as much fun as possible into these last days we'll spend together before she starts kindergarten in the fall.

Seriously, look at this happy face! Would you deny her a day at the beach?!