August Wren

Chocolate and Migraines

2012-02-10T12:17:00.002-05:00

I've written about my migraines before..I'm doing
a little better the past few weeks!! But the chocolate.
It's a trigger but I can't seem to keep away. I can
eliminate wine and dairy but not the chocolate. So
I'm putting it out here now so I remember and I'm
accountable... No more chocolate, and I'll see how I
am in a few weeks. It'll be interesting to see if this helps.

IF-Suspense

2012-02-09T17:19:00.000-05:00

A chance encounter in the street, suspenseful....!

IF-Forward

2012-02-01T13:19:00.000-05:00

I'm off tomorrow to visit my parents in Florida for the
weekend! Just following the sun! Going Forward...
Off with the sweaters,
the flip flops are out! I'm happy.

IF-Twirl

2012-01-21T15:25:00.003-05:00

Twirl, The word reminded me of the little
ballerina music box I had as a girl, all pink
and gauzy, with a mirror behind her.The
music played and she twirled when you
opened the box. The first page of a brand
new sketchbook...
.....Monday, I just added the twirling girls,
we used to twirl around till we were so dizzy.
Now I think I'd throw up from that...It was fun
though.

Hopeful

2012-01-11T17:15:00.000-05:00

I'm not complaining here, just explaining.... about not working,
not blogging, not really living. The month of December and the
beginning of January were basically lost to Migraine... I just let
it go and tried not to stress on top of it, that just makes it worse.
The good news is that during it all I started going to acupucture
with the most amazing, intuitive, experienced woman, Dody.
I've had a week (1 week!!!! even that little seems amazing to me)
basically headache free. I did things, and saw friends, and cooked
meals, the small things seem SO special when you have chronic
pain for so long. I started drinking green juices daily, green tea
and raw veggies. getting all the toxins out.
My head isn't there for drawing yet, but I'm trying to get there,
and trying not to worry about not being there. I'm feeling hopeful
that the bad stretch is over.....

IF-Messenger

2011-12-25T14:55:00.003-05:00

A wish to all:
Have a wonderful, healthy, peaceful and happy New Year!

Sonoma Paintings

2011-11-29T15:22:00.001-05:00

When I got back from my Sonoma weekend, I started some
oils on paper, these are just quick sketches, from photos, but
also from my memory and feelings of the place. I'm going to
have much learning to really capture the beauty but this is
a great exercise and makes happy. There are many more
on the drawing board.

IF-Round

2011-11-28T14:26:00.001-05:00

A large juicy round fruit bowl. Just what I need to eat from
after the gluttony of Thanksgiving weekend!

Sonoma Weekend

2011-11-17T19:11:00.001-05:00

I was lucky enough to spend 3 days in Sonoma,
California, last weekend.. a tag along to a business
meeting my husband had in San Fransisco.
The landscapes are breathtaking out there, It was just
the thing I needed to unwind and relax. And then on
Saturday morning my son got his first college
acceptance so it was a very happy day!! We can now
step out of that ratrace and just enjoy his last year home...

IF-Stripes

2011-11-09T13:11:00.001-05:00

Here's a little silliness with the stripes. My goal was
to use stripes throughout the whole illustration but
not be overwhelmed by them.
Hence the monochromatic pallette....

Morran

2011-11-04T14:17:00.001-04:00

This is a collage portrait of Morran, done for Camilla Engman"s,
Studio Morran. Some of the submissions will be chosen for a
book full of Morran and the proceeds will go to charity.
I became close to him as I was doing the collage. I feel like
I know him.

IF-Scary

2011-10-31T15:36:00.002-04:00

From The Raven, by Edgar Allan Poe. Scary reading
for Halloween.

Mingling Seasons

2011-10-30T15:28:00.000-04:00

Really. Snow before Halloween. It was a doozy of a
storm too. Tree's down, power out, wind howling.
The leaves have just begun to change colors, the
hydrangeas still have that dusty pink late fall hue. I
haven't even taken my sweaters out of hibernation...
It's warmer today though so it will all be gone by
Tuesday. I hope it doesn't come back until the real
winter.

IF-Fuel

2011-10-22T23:41:00.001-04:00

I'm really more of a veggie gal, but when it came down to
the type of foods I felt like painting this afternoon to
depict "fuel", that junk food popped right into my mind!
The pear is thrown in for good measure. And I guess the
pink drink could be a nice healthy smoothie or one of
those fluorescent drinks from 7-11....!
Either way, you need food to keep going.....

Working Hard

2011-10-19T15:58:00.001-04:00

Views of Debbie in different modes,
sweating the books, don't mess with me,
just Debbie, practice makes perfect..
www.perfectscoreproject.com

This is from my ongoing illustration project. They are tiny little
(2.5x4") gouache paintings that I do quickly and spontaneously.

Here is a big pile of paintings!

IF-Contraption

2011-10-12T17:50:00.001-04:00

I'm not sure what this is but it can take you
up and away.. a flying thing..

IF-Hibernate

2011-10-03T18:11:00.001-04:00

The temperature dropped this weekend, It's time to
start pulling out the warm clothes and heavy blankets and
scarves. I'm definitely a warm weather person so I can
see myself sinking into this hibernating way of life during the
winter.

I should be at Yoga

2011-09-27T13:55:00.001-04:00

This is what I should be doing now, but instead
I'm at home in front of the computer. I need to
prioritize my day a lot better than I'm doing right
now. I need advice and motivation!!

Painting done for the Perfect Score Project.

IF-Ferocious

2011-09-26T18:30:00.002-04:00

I would call the weather lately incredibly
ferocious. It's unpredictable, it's unusual
and its unsettling. It's like we are hanging
on the edge......

IF-Mesmerizing

2011-09-21T08:28:00.000-04:00

So, This happens.... Especially for my teenage son.
We started using the Pomodoro Technique to help
break away. Set a timer for 25 minutes and do only
the task at hand during that time.. then time a 10 minute
break. Keep going that way until the work is done...
It really helps to keep the focus on your work
and not all the other fluff.

IF-Boundaries

2011-09-15T10:24:00.000-04:00

My post today is about something I don't usually write about.
I get terrible, horrible chronic migraines, every few days. The
kind that stop me in my tracks, block my brain, bring everything
to a halt. Last night when I couldn't sleep because the pain was
too much, the image for boundaries just came to me. It's my
brain, my migraine. I don't get colors, they have no shape. It's just
a big square thick thing filled with muck that I can't get out of.
The clarity is outside the box. All I want is to be out there but it's so
rare to have days that are completely clear and light. What it
would mean to me would be that I would have consecutive days
of creativity, I would get where I wanted to be, I wouldn't be
knocked down constantly.
I started thinking about people who have other diseases. My
mother in law had a stroke 7 years ago, and is now stuck
in a wheel chair, paralyzed on 1/2 her body, but she is so positive
and living a full life. It's encouraging.
I'm optimistic I'll get through this. Not with Doctors anymore.
No luck with them, but with natural remedies, dietary changes
acupuncture. I'm going to get over this.

Collage and Resin Necklaces

2011-09-14T18:23:00.000-04:00

I've been taking a journey experimenting with collage and resin,
on wood panels but also in some jewelry pieces. I love playing with
the shine and textures and colors, when the resin hits the paper, it
blends the colors together, to create something a little
different than what I expected.
I love that randomness.
I'm making these long, about 29-30" chains. They are fun all layered up.
I will start putting them in my shop later this week.

IF-Mysterious

2011-09-08T12:53:00.003-04:00

I saw their faces on vintage photos.
I don't know who they are. I always
wonder about the lives of the people
in my pile of old family photos.
She is painted with gouache on
cardboard.

IF-Disguise

2011-08-31T14:08:00.000-04:00

Disguise illustrations done for the website Perfect Score Project.

IF-Influence

2011-08-19T17:31:00.001-04:00

Influence: My 11th grade Art History class. I think
the book was called Art through the Ages.
I had my first great teacher, I can't remember his
name anymore, but I remember exactly what he
looked like. Young, curly hair, thick rimmed glasses,
and very interesting. Wonderful class!!

Maine

2011-08-17T12:56:00.001-04:00

I finally got some R&R in Maine this weekend..
It is so beautiful and full of inspiring vistas
and colors and textures. I had dreams about
new collages all the way home. Those fresh
picked blueberries were amazing!

IF-Obsession

2011-08-02T17:32:00.002-04:00

Obsession, I was going to draw
something I was obsessed about,
like tea or books but I decided
to post something that I'm obsessed
with doing. I've really been more of
a literal artist, always drawing
something that I can see or explain
but in the past year I've become
crazy about gluing bits of paper
onto all different surfaces. Rocks,
Blocks, Sticks, Paper, Canvas, and
I've made some jewelry too. I can't
explain it, When I'm working this way
the time passes so quickly and it
feels so right!!

Farmer's Market

2011-07-28T17:40:00.008-04:00

Fresh stuff from the market this week!

Herb Markers

2011-07-26T15:42:00.003-04:00

This year I've planted a veggie and herb

garden. It's all fenced in so the critters

can't get to it. The tomatoes are growing

abundantly, I have peppers and leeks

and strawberries.

My favorite part from the start though has

been gathering fresh herbs to cook with.

Watermelon tastes so good with mint, and

fresh basil on the tomatoes!

But when I send out my husband or son,

they don't always know which is which,

And that inspired me to go out and
collect rocks

and make them into little herb markers.

I always get what I need now!

IF-Perennial

2011-07-25T17:22:00.001-04:00

My garden is really parched right now and
I hate running the water so much, it feels like
the wrong thing to do for the environment,,
so the seed packet looks much more luscious
than the reality..It's drizzling right now,
I couldn't be happier.
......and the Pansyish one isn't a perennial
but otherwise I think all the other flowers could be....

Faces of Terror

2011-07-21T12:12:00.001-04:00

My son Sam is going into senior year of High School.
I'm so glad I never need to go back to that, I had nightmares
into my 30's that I was stuck in Senior year English class
with no final papers...
But Debbie Stier is essentially doing just that, with
The Perfect Score Project. Here are the faces of terror and
horror that go along with relearning Math and English for the SAT!

IF-Gesture

2011-07-15T21:19:00.001-04:00

It's such a nice gesture to receive flowers
from a friend if your feeling down.

IF-Stay

2011-07-11T12:29:00.001-04:00

So many places to stay in a big city.

Silence

2011-07-10T11:18:00.000-04:00

Silence except for chirping birds,
There is time to think and process,
There is time to see the butterfly
on the leaf.
It's important to step away from
all the action of every day and just
see.

IF-Remedy

2011-07-05T21:15:00.001-04:00

I have house guests this week. My brother from Japan
is in town with his wife and 3 kids. 5 extra people
in my small house.. for 10 days. I love it, and it's
wonderful to have them here, but the chaos and noise
and mess can be overwhelming.
I want to curl up with a good book and a hot cup of tea
and silence. That would be my remedy, I won't get
much of it, but I'll try to get a bit.

IF-Launch

2011-06-21T12:54:00.002-04:00

Launching paper airplanes!

Nature Collage Project

2011-06-16T10:29:00.001-04:00

I crave color in my garden....
but I have lots of shade
and and lots of animals that come and eat up whatever
I'm trying to grow. (Although, this year so far I've been
combating that with the wonderful motion water sensor
machine that startles them away.
http://www.amazon.com/Havahart-5265-Detector-Sprinkler-Repellent/dp/B000BO71NY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1305806737&sr=1-2

So I began collaging rocks and sticks and placing them
around the garden, surprising me, and catching my eye.
I had a party this weekend and people were asking about them.. they are a fun conversation starter. Next up,
some BIG ones.

IF-Swept

2011-06-13T12:46:00.001-04:00

I got some pretty new papers this weekend
so I went back to collage which I haven't
done for a few weeks.
The word that comes to mind with butterflies
is really flutter more than sweep but I was able
to get a 2 degree of separation in the thesaurus,
so I just went with it....

Perfect Score Project: Act 2

2011-06-08T16:32:00.001-04:00

I've been busy working on illustrating the Perfect Score Project

It has been SO much fun working with Debbie Stier

She makes me laugh and teaches me things and is my guru.

Her quest to get a perfect score on the SAT is amazing but

more than that, in a compelling way, she gathering all this info

so high school kids and their parents can navigate the whole

system more efficiently and have better outcomes and less stress.

She already has a big following, check it out..

Cupcakes

2011-05-31T21:35:00.001-04:00

yummy cupcakes.
These will look nice as a new card set.

IF-Asleep

2011-05-31T09:43:00.001-04:00

Why I can't get enough sleep these days:
I have a 17 year old son who's finishing up
junior year in high school in the next few weeks. This weekend went like this...
1. Friday night, new scrape on car.
2. Later Friday night, we were at the movies, came home, went into bathroom to find remains of insane bloody nose. not cleaned up. If it was a LA Law episode, they would have been looking for the body.
3. Saturday morning. Found car window open after huge thunderstorm. Car soaked.
4. Son still in bed at 10:42 when job starts at 10:45.
5. Open food in bedroom.. Ants.
6. Sunday. Found out photography final project due Tuesday hasn't been started and camera was left at friends house.
7. Home late after curfew, cell phone dead.
8. Today is a yoga day for me!
PS Besides all this, He's a great kid!!!

IF-Soaked

2011-05-22T13:05:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was pretty much the first day it didn't rain for weeks. (until 5:00 at least)
I finally got out and worked on my garden, started planting new flowers and working on the vegetable garden. The most frustrating thing every year is that all the deer and rabbits and groundhogs just eat up everything. So we are trying something new. A motion sensor water sprayer.. I tried it and I got completely soaked when I walked past! So I'm hoping it's enough to startle the animals out of the yard and keep my garden safe. We'll see.

Calypso Cards

2011-05-17T11:42:00.001-04:00

I was at The Stationary Show and Surtex yesterday in NY and I stopped by the beautiful booth of Calypso Cards. A few months ago they chose 4 of my pieces to license for cards. They look so beautiful in real life,
I was thrilled to stop by and meet the team.

IF-Safari

2011-05-14T15:38:00.001-04:00

I think of Safari as sitting in a jeep and taking pictures of the animals from a distance.
I have spent time with elephants but not on a safari.
Three years ago we went to Thailand and spent a day feeding, cleaning and riding them bareback. It was an eco camp to care for elephants and keep them safe and healthy. It was so fantastic. What a great memory. My son here is 14 I think, now he's 17 and I can't believe what a difference 3 years makes!

IF-Beginner

2011-05-09T17:51:00.001-04:00

Trying to post this today made me

feel like a "beginner". It just wouldn't

post properly for some reason..

Anyway, The first level of swim lessons

are called the beginner level. I also wanted to try to capture the movement of water and the look of the body underneath. This is collage with

acrylic painting overlay.

IF-Bicycle

2011-04-23T16:23:00.001-04:00

circa 1977

2011

For ever..(I actually don't know how long it's been) RISD requires students who are applying to do

3 supplemental drawings to their portfolio..One

of them has always been a bicycle. I came across this old polaroid, faded, dusty and yellowed of my submission. You can tell from the style of bike this is very dated.. I remember setting it up in my front hall and spending days drawing!
The color drawing below is a detail from last weeks word "journey".
I happened to have had a bicycle in there too. You can see the full drawing in the post below.
So 34 years apart, I still draw crooked wheels!!

.....and I was admitted to RISD.

IF-Journey

2011-04-20T12:23:00.001-04:00

We all take journeys in so many ways,
I thought I would depict some of them
here. From the short bike ride, the leisurely
boat ride, a commute to the city, or a

plane ride to somewhere distant.

IF-Bottled

2011-04-11T15:20:00.001-04:00

I was totally inspired to get all fancy this

week and paint this elaborate desk with

lots of pretty shaped perfume bottles.

Come to think of it bottles are a great

image to paint because of the amazing

shapes and colors they in.
I might need to try more.

Perfect Score Project

2011-04-04T15:25:00.001-04:00

I'm SO excited to be working with Debbie Stier on her new venture,
the Perfect Score Project. She has set a goal to get a perfect score on the SAT's in a year! She has tons of fantastic info on her site, she's great and and it makes the whole process a lot more fun.
These are some of the illustrations that will go with her blog posts.

IF-Duet

2011-04-04T11:49:00.001-04:00

Duet: a musical composition for two voices or
instruments or an action or activity performed
by a pair of closely connected individuals.

It's spring although it doesn't really feel like it yet.
Some daffodils are popping out in the yard,
and many birds are singing.. I'm waiting for
that day that it turns 70 degrees or higher
consistently, then i'll be out there singing a
duet with whoever wants to join me!

Stacked Bowls

2011-03-30T17:20:00.001-04:00

I'm feeling completely psychotic, if you look at my last few posts the
work is completely all over the place, I have so many things in my
head and I just want to get them out and feel my way into what I
really want to be doing. One of the images I keep coming back to
in all different techniques and styles are piles of things, teacups,
bowls, animals, just about anything.
Anyway, I'm on an oil painting kick, I'm loving it,
I think I'll try to focus and do a series of stacked stuff from
around the house.
(Maybe a way to feel like I'm organizing my clutter)?

Ferns

2011-03-29T11:15:00.001-04:00

I have done many of these digital collages, using photography and drawing
in illustrator, using transparencies, and I love the effects and I've been very
happy with the series.(ie:The bottom one) Lately though I've been doing a lot
of painting and collage and I just started wondering what would happen
if I just took the image I already made and and kept working it in a new
technique. It's a completely different piece now and I sort of vacillate between
liking it and not. I don't really plan on doing too many like this but I'm curious
what anyone else might think?

IF-Cultivate

2011-03-21T20:08:00.001-04:00

I've been painting a lot with gouache lately, I decided for the word
cultivate to go back to my textile roots and paint a sumptuous, rich
garden. I lost a bit of the separation of color and depth of color in

the scan but it's pretty close.

I just added this 2nd piece. (on top) I have a studio tour coming up

at the end of April and I am working on a series of early spring gardens,

I did this in one illustrator.

Eco Blankets

2011-03-19T14:17:00.000-04:00

I just received these photos of the summer blankets I designed.
They are eco blankets, all recycled cottons, a beautiful feel and weight!
I have one that I wrap up in when I read, Love it!!!
www.in2green.com

Japan

2011-03-15T15:00:00.000-04:00

My brother Ivan is a Ramen chef in Tokyo with two successful restaurants, Ivan Ramen and IvanRamen plus.
He's a hoot, always having fun, making delicious food. With this disaster in Japan I just can't stop thinking about everything that is going on there, about him and his family, and all the people affected by this.

This is the update he wrote about whats been happening.

A somber update

I'm sorry I haven't made some "official" comment until now, but
as you can imagine, things are pretty crazy here. It has a very
9/11 feel to it, which, unfortunately, I was all to close to when
it occurred. Here in Tokyo, nobody really knows what's happening,
we see the same images that people are seeing in New York,
London and Rome. We are fearful of what might happen with
the nuclear reactors and how that might affect the nation,
worried that a large new earthquake is imminent, and rumors
of new disasters swirl and spin. And our hearts ache as we
see interviews of people who can't find loved ones, lost
homes and have seen their hometowns disappear before
their eyes. All I can do is to soldier on, keep my shops
running, and offer people a bowl of comforting ramen and
hope it gives them a mild respite from all that is going on.
Many of the Tokyo ramen shop owners are meeting next
week to come up with a concrete way to help the survivors,
possibly trucking up food to feed those in need. Until then,
around town all the shops are taking up collections, and
using as little electricity as possible to help the city
deal with what is now an inadequate supply. We're strong
here in Japan and will keep on keeping on. I've passed on
to my Japanese friends the outpouring of support and
distress felt by my fellow Americans and they were truly
moved. Thank you for all the emails and phone calls
and continued thoughts and prayers. Ivan

http://www.ivanramen.blogspot.com

IF-Alarm

2011-03-09T15:36:00.001-05:00

I'm working on a fun new project where I'll be illustrating a new

website with little spot drawings for each post. (More on that

another day) A few days ago I drew this little clock, thinking

more about time, rather than "alarm" but this morning when my

17 year old sons alarm clock went off... I realized.... there it is,

nothing is worse than that sound early in the morning, before

school, to a 17 year old who stayed up too late the night before.

Teacup Collages

2011-03-08T14:33:00.001-05:00

These teacups were passed down to me from my Grandmother,
They've been tucked away in the closet for years. I don't drink
from them very often at all. So I felt it was time to pull them out
and start a series based on something I love.

IF-Swarm

2011-02-28T16:52:00.001-05:00

I had such frustrating trouble with my scanner

today which always gets me off balance

and totally is a waste of time. I have serious

"baddies" swarming in my head now too....

need to go off to yoga.

IF-Layers

2011-02-22T17:47:00.001-05:00

A layer cake...

IF-Reverse

2011-02-07T17:56:00.001-05:00

I realized I want to be doing more of my imagery and artwork

as collage and painting and maybe a little less digital for the

moment anyway...

IF-Surrender

2011-01-31T16:48:00.001-05:00

The past 10 weeks I've been meeting with 5 wonderful

women, in a creative, artists group. We talk about creativity

and our fears and blocks and ways to move forward and

be productive and happy. One of the themes that keeps

coming up for me is to have the ability to inject magic

and hopefulness and some whimsy into my art.

For the fun of this project I am going to continue
to work on this image and post all of the variations.

IF-Dusty

2011-01-24T16:21:00.001-05:00

I'm doing a little renovation in my house this week

and it's incredibly dusty...But I needed to take myself

away from my situation here, so my next thought on

dusty was a hot midday in the desert, with one of

those dust storms starting up. I'd be running as

fast as this animal if I was in this place..

Painting the Winter Landscape

2011-01-23T13:53:00.001-05:00

I have never formally learned how to do on oil painting,

I have painted in gouache, watercolor, I do lots of collage,

but never just a straight oil painting. I'm taking an online course

Painting the Winter Landscape with Jamie Shelman.

I'm finding it to be fun and challenging. A whole new way of

thinking about painting and technique. It's also

great for refocusing me on observing my surroundings.

Here is my progress so far:

First we made ink sketches from our photos to get the values.

another ink sketch

Then we mixed color and did quick roughs to lay out the image.

This is maybe 1/2 way done painted on board. I'm still a bit shaky with this
technique and it seems tentative to me.

This is from a different view of the Hudson river, looking towards NYC.
I just blocked out the basic areas of color.

Here is my second layer on this one, It still needs work.
Whether they come out as I'd like or not, I'm having a great time
learning and experimenting with the oils.
I'll post more after the next assignment.

7 Random Things

2011-01-20T16:13:00.001-05:00

It took me a little while to get to this but Shelby Healy passed along the stylish blog award to me. Thanks so much Shelby! She is a great artist who lives on what sounds like a fantasy island somewhere in the Canary Islands! When this comes along you are supposed to write 7 random things about yourself and then pass the award along to other great blogs.. So here goes,

1.My father's father had children late in life. He was born in 1888 (!!) in Russia, he lived to be 102.

2. My Mother and her sister are best friends. When I was a little kid they used to dress

my cousin and I in matching outfits....

3. I love to read and I'm in 2 bookclubs. One of which is been

going on for 20 years. We meet in the Hat Shop in NYC and

get to try on beautiful hats before we start discussing the book.

The proprietor of the shop, Linda Pagan is a friend and

book club member. My favorite book so far this year has

been Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann

4. I went to RISD, graduated in 1981 in textile design.

My husband also went there and studied architecture.

It was a great place, we still have many friends who teach

there so we go and visit when we can.

5. I LOVE to travel.
The last place I visited was Istanbul last August for an amazing wedding.

6. My brother lives in Tokyo and against all odds has become a

pretty famous Ramen chef there. He has 2 restaurants and is

on TV all the time, and is recognized in the street,

If you go it's worth the bowl of ramen. DELICIOUS.

IvanRamen

7. On a whim last week I had the walls ripped out of the some

of the rooms in my 1916 era house. They were crumbling and

unpaintable. Now I'm living through a major mess.

8. I thought I should just add on #8 that i have a great 16 year old son
who is a junior in high school and
he loves to cook, do photography and loves
architecture too!

The next post will be the blogs

I am passing along the stylish award to.

IF-Chicken

2011-01-19T17:57:00.001-05:00

My neighbors used to have 2 chickens they kept in a coop.

They loved them as pets, once in a while they would escape

from the yard and a big chase down the street would ensue.

If someone drove by who didn't know about the chickens

it was always a big surprise and a little laugh.

They were finally gotten by some foxes, it was a sad day.

IF-Deja Vu

2011-01-12T12:57:00.001-05:00

I was thinking a lot about that feeling you get when you have

a deja vu, being in a momentary different space in

time. I can sometimes feel that when I am doing yoga,

it's a great different space to be in.

IF- Resolutions

2011-01-02T17:32:00.001-05:00

I'm always thinking about resolutions, and ways to change,

there are so many thing I'd like to accomplish, but I think

my main goal this year is to slow down, be mindful of the

things that give me joy and just try to be happy.

Happy New Year

2010-12-31T11:23:00.001-05:00

Best Wishes for the New Year

IF-Winter

2010-12-28T19:47:00.001-05:00

We just had a huge blizzard here in NY,

tons of snow..there were snowball fights

going on all over the place!

(If it only wasn't so cold...)

IF-Mail

2010-12-17T20:28:00.001-05:00

I was just planning to make a postcard to mail to

some friends for the holidays, so I drew a winter

scene with the bird flying the tropical

stamps away, to friends and places.

A Chance to Win 2 Prints!!

2010-12-17T16:47:00.000-05:00

I can't wait to see which ones the 2 winners choose!!

There are 5 more days to try to win ant 2 prints in my shop!!

go to: http://papernstitchblog.com/2010/12/08/giveaway-august-wren-prints/

Giveaway!

2010-12-08T11:53:00.000-05:00

I'm having a givaway over at the papernstitch blog!

Go to the link below and try to win!! There are a total

of four prints to two lucky winners (two prints to each winner)

If you love, follow my blog or "like" me on facebook!!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/August-Wren/186144623320?ref=mf

Good Luck

Prizes worth a total of $80 retail!

http://papernstitchblog.com/2010/12/08/giveaway-august-wren-prints/

IF-Savour

2010-11-29T14:16:00.001-05:00

I working on preparing for 2 craft shows this weekend

so I really don't have the time to draw for the prompt

this week, but I hate to miss it and I really love this word, Savour..

So I'm putting up 2 collages I did recently and I'm just thinking

about savouring the colors and textures.

IF-Sneaky

2010-11-23T16:49:00.001-05:00

Uh oh...there's a little mouse in the house! Sneaky...

IF-Burning

2010-11-15T15:55:00.001-05:00

It's not even Thanksgiving yet but I feel this Holiday Season in the air.

Gifts in a pile, burning lights, twinkling lights, warmth, happiness.

IF-Afterward

2010-11-05T14:30:00.001-04:00

I very often get terrible migraines, I mostly need to crawl

into bed, take my medicine and hope this isn't one that will

last for days. Today I woke up with one and luckily the

medicine seemed to tame it. But I sat down at my desk

and was unable to do anything for hours. The "afterwards"

of the headaches render me just as useless as the

headache itself. I finally just decided to draw

something that makes me happy, flowers! They are in my

headache colors though, and are sort of blurry which

is how I'm seeing right now....

IF-Racing

2010-10-25T14:09:00.001-04:00

As soon as I heard the word "racing" I thought of all

the different breeds of dogs and their energy levels, how

hard they run and how much fun they have.

And of course, how adorable they look.

IF-Spooky

2010-10-18T11:06:00.002-04:00

Spooky Night coming up!

Inspiration

2010-10-13T17:47:00.000-04:00

Today I just needed to take a walk around town to see what was around.
First this intense teal colored doorway looked great, I wish the flowers below
were colorful and alive...

These beautiful purple mums were in a friends window box on her porch.
I don't usually see them in this color and I love it!

Which led me down to the river, (I live a little north of NYC on the Hudson)
to the Eileen Fisher Lab which is a great store of her current line, samples
and recycled stuff in an old warehouse.

and I got these great heavy knit tights
that I've been dreaming about for winter...

IF-Transportation

2010-10-12T10:35:00.001-04:00

A wheel, a flower balloon, a dog and a bird,

I just threw it all together.

Woman Reading

2010-10-06T15:43:00.001-04:00

I wanted to challenge myself to do a larger canvas. This one is 12x16"

The inspiration is from an old photo I had of a woman on the bed
with a book. It was a black and white photo so
I got to imagine what the colors were, the mood
of the space. I love the unknown of those pictures.

IF-Beneath

2010-10-04T17:51:00.001-04:00

The life beneath the surface of the ocean is always

mysterious and unknown.

IF-Old-fashioned

2010-09-28T15:54:00.001-04:00

I'm still working on the series of paintings from the old photo album

that was buried in my closet. This is my Mom in 1954. She is carrying

the poodle bag, has a beautiful sheer white scarf wrapped around

her head. This actually seems very stylish but since it's in the past

and reflects a distinct era, I'm calling it "old fashioned"

I am also showing a bit of my process here and the original

photo that was my inspiration.

Girl on a Golden Path

2010-09-24T10:46:00.001-04:00

I've been going through old photo albums

of my family. I love to take these beautiful pictures

and reimagine what was happening, where it was

and the colors.

IF-Acrobat

2010-09-21T16:44:00.001-04:00

I have my first show in a gallery, opening this Sunday!!

I've been spending the week finishing up and framing, generally

getting ready. For this week I went back to drawing digitally

and in a simple, quick style. Actually, Now that I look,

both this week and last I'm flying.

2010-09-20T14:34:00.000-04:00

I'm so thrilled and honored to be chosen as
Pick of the Week at Illustration Friday this week for Proverb!!
It was so exciting to see my work posted up there at
the top of the page!
Thanks for all the wonderful comments :)

IF-Proverb

2010-09-13T21:45:00.001-04:00

Time Flies

At first I drew a portrait of myself as a child, but I realized
I needed/wanted to be more literal. So here it is,
me and time, you and time, flying by.

IF-Dessert

2010-09-07T13:12:00.001-04:00

My new work has been focusing on painting and collage, it's been

a great challenge to play with the texture, color, composition.

Here is some afternoon tea with chocolate cake. I'd love to

take some time in the day to enjoy this!

2010-09-01T10:40:00.001-04:00

For my sketchbook project, A Day in the Life,

This turns out to be my grandmother,

She was out in the field that day, I

wonder what she was doing?

IF-Immovable

2010-08-30T15:54:00.001-04:00

When my parents moved out of the city to an

apartment in another state, I became the

holder of of all the old family photos. For years they

have been stuffed into a closet and not looked at.

Yesterday my Mom and Dad came over and we

pulled them out and started looking through the images.

I was struck by the fact that even though I hadn't looked

at them in a long time they were etched in my memory.

I'm very inspired by them and plan to do a series of paintings

based on the pictures and my memories.

This is my Aunt Selma.

I'm using this for "immovable" since each moment in time is

captured and will always be there to observe.

This series will also be for the 2011 Sketchbook Project,

where my theme is "A day in the Life"

IF-Atmosphere

2010-08-26T14:09:00.001-04:00

I just got back from an amazing 3 week trip to Istanbul, Paris
and London.There were times when the weather was beautiful,
I was very tired, so I would lie on the grass near an amazing
garden and building and just watch the clouds go by,
listen to the chatter around me and just let it all sink in.

This spot is the Louvre, I was waiting for my family, just soaking up the day.

Istanbul Color

2010-08-13T05:37:00.001-04:00

As an alternative to all the patterns, the beautiful subltle color schemes were so soothing. The crumbly buildings, paint chipping off. Love it.

Patterns in Istanbul

2010-08-12T13:41:00.001-04:00

Istanbul! For Pattern Junkies like me this place is an overload!

In the Mosques, the palaces, in the bazaars, the streets.

What a feast. And the food too! Definitely worth a visit.

IF-Artificial

2010-08-01T16:50:00.001-04:00

Delicious buttercream flowers on top of a fancy cupcake!

It could be considered artificial but they're also pretty perfect.

packing art supplies for vacation

2010-07-28T12:51:00.000-04:00

I'm so lucky to be leaving next week on an amazing
3 week trip, a wedding in Istanbul, visiting my sister in law
in London and then Paris,(just because...)
My goal is to always pack light, which doesn't
come naturally to me, and this time I'm totally committed
to drawing/painting/collaging every day.
I'm trying to decide the most useful tools to have
with me without it weighing 20 lbs.
This is what I've come up with so far.

IF-Double

2010-07-26T12:07:00.000-04:00

The ideas that came to mind with the word Double,

were pairs, two, the same, reflection. I chose to make

a pattern of the 2 birds reflecting to achieve a

"double/double" (If that makes sense)

Fruit

2010-07-22T10:15:00.002-04:00

I've been experimenting and playing with collage lately
and am really enjoying it. I'm loving that I can play with pattern, texture
and color by layering it all up. Here are some apples and strawberry studies.

watercolor teacups

2010-07-19T13:00:00.001-04:00

small teacup sketches

IF-Breakfast

2010-07-19T12:49:00.001-04:00

Breakfast usually consists of the paper, a big cup of tea, orange juice, a bowl of yogurt with berries and maybe a piece of fruit saved for later...

2010-07-19T10:34:00.002-04:00

My morning tea.