Who are the Bubble Coi?

This illustration started off as most of my finished artwork does - a series of pencil sketches in vastly different styles. In the end, I decided to go with "simplicity" and let a collection of multi-sized dots create the illusion of the fish. But, as often happens with art, the end result started to take on a life of it's own - similar and yet very different from what I had originally envisioned. I didn't plan for there to be so many layers and my original idea was for the dots to be perfectly round, not wobbly and water droplet-like. Still, I am pleased with the outcome and it was fun to let my right-brain (artistic) take over from my left-brain (logical), allowing the piece to be experimented with and become what it is, even while straying somewhat from the "plan". Looking at this piece now, I imagine dappled sunlight filtering through clear water and drawing moving shapes on the back of the fish as they twirl around. A mother and child spending the day together in carefree bliss. I hope you see it too.

A Trip Down Childhood Lane...

Isn't this how everyone remembers the neighborhood where they grew up? Houses decorated in bright floral fabric patterns, pink-trimmed trees, huge blooming flowers everywhere and inviting front porches which led to doors that were never locked. And of course all our friends were always waiting in their backyards where we would spend whole summer days in another world, occassionally refreshed by a glass of mom-provided iced lemonade.

Well, if that' not how it actually happened, it sure is fun to pretend that it did, isn't it? With this watercolor and ink illustration, I hoped to capture some of that imagination that ran wild in me when I was a child and to convey a feeling of carefree, endless playtime. Childhoold goes by so fast, but when you look at this piece, you can get a little of it back again, if only for a few moments.

Welcome, Songbirds!

In the absence of anything truly relevant to share with you, artwise (too many other necessities of life have gotten in the way of my creativity lately, filing taxes, a really dirty house, Easter activities), I thought I'd show an old favorite of mine. I painted this with watercolors a few years ago as a gift to a friend who was going through a difficult time. She has the original and I will never sell any copies, but I did scan it before I gave it to her, so I could enjoy looking at it from time to time. It was warm today, for the first time in I don't want to think how long (winter here has really been a drag this year), and the birds have been happily twittering all day. Their enthusiasm is contagious - I think I finally have enough energy to tackle a few more of those "necessities" I mentioned above and I really can't put them off any longer. The sooner they are out of the way the sooner I can get back to creating!