Good Press

Orlando Arts Magazine, May/June Issue

Paper Paintings are featured in OAM this month's issue. It's hot off the press I just got it yesterday at Borders Books (it's FREE, so pick one up for a friend!). I am very happy with the reproduction and the size they printed both Life's Lemons and Mom's Best Key Lime Pie. Celebrate, by Robin Maria Pedrero (my friend, fellow artist and partner in marketing) is featured on the top far left (red sky). Isn't it funky how much her palette of color matches mine???

This editorial feature covers the Celebrating Citrus Show at COMMA Gallery which runs through May.

For the Birds

The last of the Original Eight Birds

Bluebird, 10x10, collage on panel

Here is the last of the eight birds I started and showed all the sketches and under-paintings for a few weeks ago. The birds have sold well and have been going fast! I have been asked to produce more small pieces like the birds, however I have to move on to another subject matter. Any suggestions? please send me ideas for what you would might like to see in a small format collage. I have done cupcakes, was thinking about donuts, and might consider fruit, any others?

Two Moo's

Cows from Gateway Workshop, Completed

20x24, collage on panel

Here are the completed cows, I worked on them last night until about 1am, as I was determined to finish them! I struggled a little bit with the white fluffy fur on the top of the heads and down the nose. I feel like I never have just the right white to work with, many of my papers look white, but when you glue them down and look at them, they are more of an off white or a "warm white" rather than bright clean white as cow fur and clouds would require. 

I ended up toning down the sky a bit and eliminating some of the busy clouds, there was too much going on with the patterns and text in the heads of the cows, I needed a restful space where the busy heads meet the sky. 

Collage Demo Tonight!

Under Paintings

20x24, acrylic on panel

As many of you who follow my work know, I start with an acrylic under-painting on panel. Tonight at 7pm, at the Gateway Center for the Arts, I will be giving a demonstration of my collage technique for their Artist's League. I will be working with one of these under-paintings which I completed last night. 

Some of my best advice I give in a workshop, is "do not fall in love with your under-painting!" because if you do, you will hesitate to collage over it. For this reason I try hard not to make a very detailed under-painting. I do like the way these came out, I was enjoying the process so much, I spent more time on them than usual. I am taking my own advice however, I am ready to paper over them!!

Inspiring Places

Hawai'ian Paradise

Relaxation and a tropical paradise are sure a source of artistic inspiration! We just returned from our trip of 10-days in Hawai'i and I have to say that I want to go back! The weather was wonderful, and the open-air architecture of hotels and restaurants was amazing. We had a constant comfortable temperature with slight breeze. Black sand beaches and tropical flowers. 

I completed two small 12x12 Paper Paintings in Hawai'i which are now framed and hanging in my studio. I believe I will do more botanicals from the fantastic photos that my husband took on this trip. I have an upcoming small group show at LoPressionism Gallery in Melbourne, FL in July. 8-10 Paper Paintings will be featured; stay tuned!

Lush Landscape

Bird of Paradise, 12x12 collage on panel

This piece was inspired by plants right outside our villa on the Big Island. I really enjoyed this place, we had a full kitchen and two bedrooms. The kitchen space allowed me to paint in the morning and evening at the table and look out over the golf course to the ocean, talk about tropical inspiration!

Morning Coffee

Kona Coffee, 12x12, mixed media collage

After visiting Kona and seeing how coffee is grown up the mountain and roasted and packaged at the Blue Sky Coffee Company, I was inspired to buy a pound, and make this collage in my hotel room! I struggled with the square composition of this piece, because my initial branch was simply horizontal. I was working from a photo my husband took that was just gorgeous. One morning I studied my Starbucks cup and noticed the line art of the very same coffee bean branches that I was working on, and it struck me! After adding line art and toned back additional branches to compliment my focal branch, it all fell into place!

Birds on a Wire

This Piece has SOLD

A New Bird

This Piece has SOLD

Birds on a Wire

This Bird is Currently at Comma Gallery