Daily Sketch- Jack and Jill

Jack and Jill made it up the hill.

Ever since our trip and being on Central time, I've been waking up early, NOT CHECKING E-MAIL and working in my sketch book.  The best thing, is that anything can happen there, if I let it.

Illustration Friday- TALL

My tall cousin LennyIllustration Friday- TALL loved to feed the Giraffes.

Illustration Friday-Teacher

A little girl I taught in preschool is starting Kindergarten and she called me on the phone, this was part of our conversation.

Very Quick Mural Design...

Very inspired.

My new favorite- Evelyn Ackerman

I went to the Autry museum California's Designing Women today and am so inspired.  I loved all the work and the stories behind them.

Actually I'm freaking out I love Evelyn Ackerman's work so much!  And she also made art that was inspired by her daughter's and her school....yeah art mom!

P.s. If you go, take the time to listen to the women's stories.  They are inspiring and thoughtful.

Wakey Wakey

Waking them up for school....when it's still August.

First Day Musings

The new 4th grader bounced off to all her friends
The little sister bounced her backpack and liked the noise it made
Parents tried to remember the other parents names
And the sun starts to heat up the black top

Let go of one hand and take a picture
Now she's with all the kids that go upstairs
We leave her there, confident and smiling
And cross the sunny playground all the way to the other side.

Nervous as we pass familiar faces
Hey who's your teacher, she's nice, nice to see you too
Hand is held tighter in anticipation
Introductions are made as reality sets in

The bell dings, a familiar sound that the parents remember
and one that the kids hear for the very first time.
The door opens to a smiling teacher wearing an alphabet skirt
She finds herself letting go of the hand that holds hers tightly

and walks in

Sits on the rug checking back to see if we are still there
looking back again each time with more worry and holding back tears.
Be brave, I mouth.
A little girl pats her on the back and she bites her lip.

Time to go, I whisper to her Daddy
We are too big for these chairs.
The first day of Kindergarten
and we walk home to an empty house.

I can't wait to go get her.

Illustration Friday- FREEZE

I know this one from experience.  Who doesn't love a good Freeze dance with pre-schoolers!!!!

Illustration Friday

Sketch Book Painting

Write You

So at the SCBWI conference this is what Arthur Levine said, "We have heard  the words write or illustrate what you know... I'm going to say take out the what and the know, and just write or illustrate you."

I know he didn't mean it literally like this painting I did at the end of my sketch book this morning.  But, I am inspired by all  the musings at this year's conference.

Illustration Friday- BOUNCE

Benny the Bouncing Boy

I'm excited!

It's really fun when I like my paintings, my story, my style.  This is not always the case...but maybe, just maybe listening to everyone talk about voice, voice, voice and going back to my favorite medium, oil painting, and maybe well, it's all just starting to sink in.

Portfolio Review in 10 days!

Sprout!

It's that time of year again.  The SCBWI conference.  This year, instead of a manuscript review, I am doing the portfolio review.  I know about it all year, and for some reason still end up spray glueing and re-arranging it in the car on the way.  

Layers

Layers

Sketches from our wonderful 4 week road trip!  This is Arches National Park.

Design Star- some inside scoop!

She won!!!  Yeah Danielle Colding the new Design STAR!!!  We had to keep it secret since Febuary, but even we didn't know who won the whole thing.  A friend of a friend mentioned our family for a small cluttered house challenge...that's us!  We have been trying to live and work in a 900 square foot house and were getting totally bogged down with trying to fit our Chicago style and space into this California bungalow.  We had only 5 minutes to meet and tell her our design "style" ON CAMERA!  We love the form and function of the mid-century style, but our house did not reflect that at all.
There were camera's everywhere, one for the pilot, one for the show, and we kinda had no idea what the heck just happened after the first meeting. Yet, she was so relaxed, excited and easy to talk to, we felt pretty good leaving our house in her hands for the next 3 days.

dorky reaction we tried to avoid

You can see our genuine reaction (unfortunately, because I look like a total dork) when we came back in...seconds before we were mumbling to each other how to fake excitement.
 Danielle rocked our house!  She really really did.  The layout is perfect, I have been moving the furniture around every 3 months for the past 7 years to try and make it work, and she got it right on the first try. She created a work space for me as well as the girls.  Opened up the rooms so we can breathe and see and talk and write and work and paint and play.  Allen is spending more time writing at home.  We are all more productive.

Creative Design Space for all of us

AK writes

She listened and delivered so much more than we expected.  I'm so happy she won, she really listened and created a space that was unique to us, but with the design style of her.  The chair!  The lamps! The everything.  I kept saying if I saw this in a store, I wouldn't think it would even fit in my house.  That's why I think her new show about shopping is right on unique, helpful and fun.

Sunny Keller Design Star 2020

Classic Vintage Gidget

 More great photos from the show here.

Awesome Art Collaboration for Haiti

Process pictures of kids drawings turned in to mosaics

My friend Laurel True is a wonderful mosaic artist and she has been over in Haiti creating some really special mosaics there.  I am lucky enough to be able to help her with the project with Partner's in Health at the Mirebalais Children's Hospital.  Hoping to raise awareness and funding as well as a global teaching moment, she gave me some subjects that she wanted to include in the murals.  I had the kids at both my schools where I work, Carpenter Community Charter Elementary School and Sunnyside Preschool create drawings of birds, fish, flowers and butterflies that she shared with her mosaic community to piece together an inspiring and beautiful atmosphere for the Children's Hospital.  Please go to the Facebook page to see lots of pictures, and also to make a donation supporting the efforts.
Mirebalais Facebook Page

3rd graders proudly displaying their artwork for Haiti

Wish You Were Here

Reflecting Sunset

An excerpt from my blog about my Mom's Alzheimer's

Ancient Inspiration

oil painting, 12"x 12", Release

Painted straight on to canvas, no sketch, and totally inspired by our Saturday at LACMA.  Must see  Art of the Ancient Americas  the gallery alone is so cool, designed by Jorge Pardo.

Giraffes for Haiti- Sunnyside

Giraffes for Haiti- Sunnyside, a set on Flickr.

Giraffes make a great lesson in composition. The kids have to fit the whole guy on the page! Make room for the long neck AND the long legs. These 3-5 year olds amaze me every time. Then I gave them some little stamps to make the pattern, and the emphasize the height of the giraffe we gave them some leaves to eat.