Happy Weekend!

Yesterday was soooo busy, but I did manage to get a new painting finished and listed! I really like this little red typewriter. It has a very sweet personality.

also, Nate, some friends, and I went down to Last Thursday last night and got to see Portland at it's best. If you don't live in Portland, Last Thursday is basically a huge street party with artists selling their wares, musicians playing in the street, and people dancing.

I ran into an old friend, Garrett Price, at Flight 64, where he was part of a group show. His lovely work is etched onto steel plates. He prints the images onto paper, but also shows, and sells the steel etchings from time to time. Most of the images are based on iconic, industrial, Portland architecture, and bridges. They're truly inspiring, and beautiful, and I hope you check out his website.

Okay, time to get ready for work! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Hello!

It's Wednesday and I'm still waiting for my new shoes to arrive.
I'm starting to get a little concerned...

anyway, while I've been waiting for them I've been getting a lot of work done! Yay!
I got a ton of bird etchings printed and painted for my show this weekend. I also have been updating my Etsy shop a little bit here and there.

Chloe, is as usual, sleeping it up, in true Chloe fashion. :) She has such a hard life...
and no, that isn't a dead animal laying on top of her. That's one of her favorite toys.

Well, anyway, just two weeks until my show opens. Egads! I think it's gonna be a good one!
Hope everyone is having a great Wednesday!

Friday!

It's Friday!

Yup!

Ok, I don't have a lot to talk about today.
The self portraits are slow going. It's really hard to do them.
Well, I have one drawn out and ready to paint...but the other one I am working on is tough.
I've drawn and erased all day, and in the end all I am left with is a gessoed panel.

Maybe today is not my day for drawing. Honestly, all I have wanted to do all day is drink Diet Coke and read People Magazine...maybe some US Weekly. Oh well....

So! Who's going to watch the debate tonight??
I heard John McCain already has an ad campaign that praises his winning the debate :)

Well, I think I'm done for today.
tomorrow is the farmer's market and steam cleaning the rugs!
Hope everyone has a terrific weekend!

Busy busy busy

Very busy day today.

Lots of printing.
Need to go to Utrecht.

Not a lot of time to write/talk.

Anyway, hope everyone had a lovely Wednesday.

Michele
ps. My treasury made the front page :)

Fall??

Wow!
The weather has been so great the last few days. Yesterday the high was about 65 and it was cool and gray all day. I actually got to wear jeans, a t-shirt, socks...and yes, a hoodie! :)

So I was pretty productive all weekend. I was really excited to print these plates that I had been working on all week. I have created somewhat of a work schedual. Paint and work on panels throughout the week, and print on the weekends. So far so good. It helps keep me focused.

So yeah. good stuff. I am participating in three "art fairs" this fall and I have been trying to get all of my ProPay and small business/taxes all squared away. It can be so frustrating. Oh well. It's a good thing my best friend is a super accountant who likes to be paid in art work :) Yay!!

Um...yeah I am just kinda not talking about anything important. I ramble. September is next month and I couldn't be more excited. Fall fall fall. Hoodies, lots of tea, cool weather, and warm socks.

Last Day of 27

Today is my lat day of being 27 year old.
Yes, tomorrow is my birthday. I'll be 28.

Happy Birthday Me!
I love my birthday...even if I am in Pontiac, Michigan...I still love it.

The last couple of days have been rough.
Just missing home, not really knowing what I am doing, and the heat, have all been factors of my over all feeling of yuck.

Today was a lot better, but I can still feel it.

My really good friends had their first baby on August 4th! A little baby boy, named Warren. Mom and baby are both healthy and happy, and I am so glad for that. I really wish I could be there...

Oh well, soon enough I suppose. Please, please, please time...go by quickly.

So I have been continuing my little works on paper. I am almost done. I need to go in and add a little sewing here and there, but I really like them. I have also been busy gessoing panels and collaging them. I started a couple of new ones today too. So a lot of work getting done! Which is good.

I am still having feelings of trying to figure out what I am doing, but I have been working at a lot slower pace, and I already feel better about that.

Oh! one of my friends from PU found me yesterday, and she found me on Etsy! We endured a summer of pure hell together a few years ago. An entire year of French in just 3 months! Anyway, I happened to be on the front page and he clicked on my illustration and figured the rest out from there. Mary also has a blog and it's a really good read. So you should read it if you have time!

So anyway, hope everyone is staying cool!

Thanks You!

Hey!
Wow!

I wasn't expecting such a great response to my post on Friday. I am so glad I have a great network of people who have such wonderful opinions and show so much support.

I have been thinking a lot about this over the weekend. Well, thinking a lot about what I posted on Friday. I think I have come to somewhat of a conclusion. I am no way going to stop making art. That wasn't even an option. I am, however, going to change my approach a little bit. Well, I am going to try. I think that from now on I am really going to put a lot more thought into what I am doing. I really like the work that I have been making over this last year, but I feel that sometimes I am just making work to make work, and I feel that has to change. I want to make work that I have a reason to make. I want to be a little bit more adventurous. I want to explore more subject matter. I want to try to let go of this mentality of "ok, that sold, guess I should make another one."

I think that is where I was getting lost. I think that I was really running out of ideas too. You know? So I sat down this weekend and really thought about my past work, and my work now, and what I liked and what I didn't, and what works, and what doesn't. I really want to focus on the work that make me feel satisfied.

So I sat down and did these little collages on paper. They aren't quite done yet... I also started a new series of bird etchings this weekend. Well, I finished one, but I am working on two plates right now. They really make me happy, and I know birds are kinda the hot thing right now (especially on Etsy) I don't really care. Birds have always held a special place in my heart (mostly because they remind me of certain family members and moments) and I just really love to include them in my work.

So thank you all for such great comments on that last post. I really appreciate it.

Printing printing printing

It came!

My press came! yay!
It came on Tuesday actually...but I wanted to post pictures of it when it was all set up and ready.

So we got it all set up and ready and I printed all weekend :)

I am so happy that I got it. Even if I can't really afford it...it makes me so happy.
So happy.

So yeah. I will be adding a lot of prints to my shop over the next few weeks.
I am also working on a group show that I will be part of in New Hampshire in September.

Printing and painting...I am happy.

Now...if my Etsy sales would just speed up a little bit faster...it's been pretty slow this last week. I am thinking positive thought thought. Positive thoughts positive thoughts.

Also! Something else really really exciting came in the mail on Friday!
Trish Grantham, one of my very favorite Portland artists sent me something :) A little portrait of my Chloe Bologna!! Yes, it's true!! How very cool of her!! I L O V E it! So much.
It looks just like her, and yes, she even painted her little tongue hanging out a little bit.

Prints!

OK!

I have been contemplating opening up another shop on Etsy.
Mike has been advising against it, mainly because I spend a lot of time promoting my current shop, and he isn't sure if I could really keep up with 2 shops.

I just think that I kinda have two styles that I work with, and I would like to have a more cohesive shop. I am also afraid that the second shop will be really slow, at least in the beginning, and well, with my recent purchase (see previous post) I kinda need some cash monies.

So......does anyone have any advice on opening a second shop?
Do you think it's a good idea? Is my shop getting a little cluttered? (I think so.)
Any opinions would be appreciated!

Also!! Post here today and you, yes you, could win one of my new screen prints!!
Yay!! Free art!! :)