So Awesome

I'm in a book!

It's part of the Trunkt - Amazing Artists series (Art and Photography Edition.) It's beautiful. :o) There are 19 other artists featured as well.

If you're in New York City, it should be available soon in various boutiques and stores. If you're everywhere else in the world that isn't New York City, you can pick one up at Trunkt's Blurb store online. :o) They're available in hardcover (with a dust jacket) and paperback.

Also be sure to check out Trunkt.org, which hosts some of the most beautiful artist's portfolios I've ever seen.

Fun!

Lavender & Orange

:oD

I like this one.

This was a study for a larger painting I've been working on for a while. I'd been delaying on finishing it because I wanted to get a few things right without messing up what I'd already done. (No 'undo' button on paintings!)

I think I've figured it out. At the very least, I feel more confident continuing it. I already love the main piece so much that I think I'm going to keep it.

That uv image is killer. I'm really happy with how the colors look.

Here's the Etsy listing: Lavender & Orange

Aww. :o(

Don't be sad, Mr. Robot.


Sad Robot with Drooping Flower.

By Colin. :o)

(There's also a Frazzled Tree and a House in the Hills.)

Float . 9x12 inches . 2008

(Ingredients: acrylic, small amount of ground glass, varnish, phosphorescent pigment, water & light.)

Float, available now on Etsy.

One of the things I tell myself whenever I'm feeling stressed or frazzled is to "just float." I'm sure it's the imagery of that phrase that means anything to me: The idea of floating above the stress, floating through a situation... It helps me feel more separate from it, which in turn gives me the perspective to handle it.

When we were in Hawaii the last time, we spent an afternoon in the water at the best snorkeling spot on The Big Island. We couldn't make ourselves leave, despite the sunburns on our backs and practically drowning from exhaustion. It was so peaceful and serene, just floating above the turtles, watching them, unable to break from this strange trance that came over us, as though we couldn't be moved from the spot. We were alone there, the 2 of us, with at least 5 different turtles. They watched us back, and we all remained, floating in the clear, perfectly turquoise water.

We'd probably still be there now, if we didn't have a date with 2 needles and some tribal ink shortly after that experience.

glow, baby, glow

Just listed on Etsy:




Fun little color study. :o)

This one is "purple & gold," which might seem confusing since there are clearly other colors involved, but, you see, it was the purple and gold that I was learning about. That, and how this particular UV pigment works. I think I was studying "antique" rather than a particular color.

Anyway, this was made with the strongest glow pigment available. That picture was not even taken with all the lights off. I could have taken it with the lights off, but I wanted to show you how well it glows even with the lights on!! Supposedly it glows for over 12 hours straight, although I don't even know how I would test this, since it's not even dark out for 12 hours.

You know what that means, right? That means that it should still be glowing by the time the sun comes up, so it should never *not* be light reactive! Hee...

Who needs fireflies? [hey, that gives me an idea for something...]

Over the Hills and Far Away

(May 15th, 2005. Waialea Bay, Hawaii.)

The light was orange and lavender that day.


It was such a magical day. There were 25 of us on that beach. It's not something you can explain to anyone. Thin Spaces cannot be contained with words. It barely seems real. It was a dream. It was perfect.

Colin: You are my best friend. I wish I had always known you. You make me feel so beautiful that I am free to paint instead of model. Thank you for helping me find myself. I love you so much.

Partial Eclipse . 14x11 inches . 2008

Ingredients: acrylic paint, beach sand, crushed sea shells, finely ground glass, varnish, phosphorescent pigment, water & light.

I think one of the things that I find fascinating about eclipses is the time involved: Practically none! They only happen so often, and only last a few minutes. People make treks across the world to experience them first hand.

[you can see the sun's atmosphere!]

See the Etsy listing for all 5 lighting shots.

I'm working with REALLY BRIGHT colors right now.

One Year Anniversary Sale

I've been sort of busy since last week, and I guess I just tagged this on at the end of my blog about Colin's birthday, so in case you missed it the first time:

Heh.

(Graphic Artists are so handy to have around. I highly recommend acquiring one of your own.)

In honor of my One Year of selling on Etsy, I am having a 25% off sale. That's 25% off every single painting that's listed, including the giganto ones. I'm listing more as I finish them. IF you feel inclined to take advantage of the discount on the large paintings (16x20 or over) and you happen to be local, I would be completely fine with waving the shipping cost and hand delivering the painting myself. I'll consider "Orange County" as local, but if you're in LA or San Diego, we can discuss a compromise. :oD Feel free to email me (or "convo" me if you're an Etsy person.)

Otherwise, I am totally going to sell everything at some of my upcoming shows this year. ;o)

hehe

I also do cakes

lol...

Heh! I am so happy that Colin was born! :oD He turned 27 yesterday. (awwwww.....) I thought he deserved a cake. Not chocolate, because the poor kid is allergic. So sad.

By the way, I really love cracking eggs. It's thrilling. So is black frosting.


Mmmm cake.

In other birthday news, today is my 1 year Etsy anniversary! :oD Thanks for a great year of a semi-empty storefront and not having enough paintings to hang in the coffee house because I sold them already. Etsy, you rock.

To celebrate, everything (everything, everything, everything) is 25% off. Everything. I'm holding the sale until June 1st, because June is a wonderful month. Its very inspiring to me. I love June.

I will be adding new paintings throughout the next few weeks, and I will list them all at 25% off what their full June price will be. Go there. Celebrate with me. ;o)

No circles?!

Have I completely lost my mind?




I had this really cool idea for something, but since "yellow and white" seemed like a difficult thing to paint, I figured I should experiment first. I'm happy with the results, and I'm super excited to start my large version. I didn't intend this specifically, but I find it interesting that it looks like a plumeria. (My favorite flower.)

I was telling Colin that, it's not that it doesn't have a circle, it's that the circle exists outside the edge of the canvas. :o) (Or maybe that's just me.)

The full listing for this Color Study is in my Etsy shop.

The backs

Not quite as interesting as the fronts. Close. Not quite.

I finished a color study today. It has no circles. [?!] I know, you're curious now. Ha.

Sand Flower

Ingredients: acrylic paint, beach sand, finely ground glass, phosphorescent pigment, varnish, water & light.

It's like when I would build things out of sand at the beach, except now they stay that way. :o)

Go to my shop to see Sand Flower in all five types of lighting.

The Hoop Revolution

I have this goal: I want to be in better shape when I am 30 than when I was 20.

I have a year and a half to complete this, of course, but it certainly feels like it's rapidly approaching. The good news is, I have finally found a regime that not only works, but that I also adore.

Hula-hooping. That's right, you heard me, and I'll say it again: Hula-hooping.

Okay, that's not all I do to work out, but it's definitely the best part of it. Since I have been doing this regularly for months now, I am actually seeing results! Yay!

I love it for more than just the results I'm seeing muscle-wise, though. It's very therapeutic, and I come up with all sorts of painting ideas while I'm hooping. Mad World was an idea that just came to me in mid-hoop. I hoop in my studio (hooray for wide open spaces) and I get to observe all my in-process art at the same time. I contemplate my next painting decisions, and plan out my short term painting goals. After I hoop, I feel very centered and relaxed. It's just great. I can't say enough good things.

[Is everything in my life a circle?]

Vog

(usgs)

Oooooooo. :o)

(Baron Sekiya / West Hawaii Today)

... and ew.

Yep, that's Kona, on the entire other side of the island. Bleh. It actually hides the humongous freaking mountain immediately behind it. ::cough:: One guy said it was like a yellow haze, and that you could taste it. Mmmm.