I've Been a Bad Blogger!

Well, it's New Year's Eve and I'm finally writing another blog entry. I regret the fact that I didn't blog about all of the places I've been since April (Austin, San Antonio, New Orleans, North Carolina, Montana, Canada, Seattle, Portland, Boston, Maine). I wish I had posted all of the little art projects that I made here and there (logos, advent calendars, greeting cards, canvases, sketchbooks). OOOPS. One of my New Year's resolution will definitely be to write more frequently. I'm currently on Winter Break from teaching. The time off has allowed me to draw, paint, read, and visit with friends and family. Awesome!! I've been working on a scrapbook documenting my trip to Costa Rica with my boyfriend in 2012. It was a sweet little adventure and making the book lets me experience the fun all over again. Awww.... Here's a spread that I just finished (click to enlarge):

Luis: A Blast from my Teaching Past

I officially began teaching Art in 2002. One of my students from those first few years is now a senior in high school and he recently contacted me to invite me to his art show. It's crazy to think that these kids grow up, and even crazier to think that a few of them might remember their elementary school Art teacher. I was so honored that Luis reached out to me. I remembered him as an enthusiastic, talented boy with a big imagination. It made me happy to see that he is still upbeat and very creative. It's awesome that art plays such an important role in his life, and I hope it continues to do so. Here's a picture of the two of us at the show and a picture of some of his artwork:

Escape to El Salvador

At the end of January, I got to escape the frosty weather in Virginia by flying down to El Salvador, land of volcanoes, sunshine, fruit trees, and beaches! One of my best friends was born in El Salvador and still has family there. I'm ever so grateful to Veronica and her fabulous family for showing me around and making me feel at home in Central America. It was a perfect trip because I learned some Mayan history, practiced my Spanish, ate new foods, made new friends and strengthened old friendships, had crazy adventures on jet skis and in the back of pick up trucks, danced, laughed, made art, and relaxed. I hope I get a chance to go back someday. Here I am drawing a picture of a statue of Jesus out on the rocks in the ocean:

Here is what I ended up drawing:

Wrapping Up 2013

I painted this origami crane during the last few months of 2013. I gave it to my mother in hopes that it will bring her good health in 2014 (and far beyond!). Cranes are often thought of as a symbol of hope, healing and longevity.

I spent most of November working on an advent calendar for my friend Sophie. The calendar was in the form of a book. On each page was a seed packet envelope containing a drawing. I was so artistically drained from making the book and the 25 drawings, that I didn't make a Season's Greetings card this year. Sophie made an advent calendar for me too. Hers involved delicious chocolates wrapped in lovely fabric flags. Making the calendars was a lot of work, but it was a creative, fun way to share the holiday season with a friend who lives many states away. Here is a photo of my 25 drawings and a close up of the picture for the 25th day:

In December, I finished doing some drawings for my friend Margie. She's getting married and asked me to do some illustrations for her Save the Date and invitations. The wedding is going to have a country theme, so I drew a barrel, a wooden fence, a wagon wheel, a mason jar, and a barn. It will be interesting to see how Margie and Greg use the artwork on the final products. Here's one of the drawings:

 During the week of Christmas, I drove my mother, her dog, and my grandmother down to my brother's house in North Carolina. My sister and her boyfriend flew up for part of the week. It was amazing to be around so much family on Christmas Day. That hasn't happened in a very long time. My brother's wife had decorated every inch of their big, historic home, so that it felt like the set of a Christmas movie. One of the highlights of the week for me was sketching at the dining room table alongside my niece and my sister's boyfriend. I wish I had taken a photo of all of our sketchbooks. Here's what I drew that day:

Looking forward to making much more art in 2014! Happy New Year!

Deer Drawings

Here are some drawings of deer noshing on the grass in my mother's backyard.

Trendy Feathers

I drew these feathers at my mom's house out in the country a few weeks ago. Today, she and I did a little bit of shopping. We went to Anthropologie and Paper Source. There were clothes and paper at these stores with feather patterns. This is not the first time that I have drawn something and then seen images of that subject in stores. Owls and Russian nesting dolls have also been things that I've drawn and then seen them "everywhere." It's one of those situations where I start to feel like either my ideas are really on trend, or I'm brainwashed by commerce and don't notice it until I draw something. I was comforted by the fact that mushrooms seem to be a popular image for women's clothes and gift items, but I haven't drawn them. Because... EEW... mushrooms... bleh.

July D.C. Art Museum Visits

A few weeks ago, I took the metro into D.C. I went alone with no plan of where I wanted to go. First, I went into the Freer because I've always thought of it as one of the more boring art museums in the city and I wanted to give it a second chance. It was still small and sparse as I had remembered, but I enjoyed revisiting the nutty extravagance of the Peacock Room. Thomas Dewing's paintings "Before Sunrise" and "After Sunset" were pretty in a quiet, spooky sort of way. I copied a portion of a Japanese scroll into my sketchbook:

 

Next, I wandered through the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden and sketched one of the sculptures:

Inside the NGA's East Wing, I was impressed by the huge exhibit about Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes. I loved the costume designs by Leon Bakst. In the NGA's West Wing, I checked out some Pre-Raphaelite illustrations, a Munch exhibit (he seemed to have an obsession with women's hair), and lots of sculptures by Rodin and Degas. There were crowds of tourists in the rooms with the Monet and Van Gogh paintings. But the only painting that I really reacted to was Andrew Wyeth's "Wind From the Sea." It's not a pretty picture of flowers or people. But when I stepped in front of it, I instantly imagined myself in an old house by the sea, with the wind WHOOSHing through the window, the tattered curtain, and onto my face. I had a physical reaction to this painting and probably even said "Woah" out loud. It probably doesn't have the same effect with an internet jpeg:

You'll just have to trust me on this and check it out if you ever go to the West Wing of the National Gallery in D.C. I've never been a big fan of Andrew Wyeth's hyper-realism, until it blew my hair back with an imaginary gust of wind.