I call this one "running out of juice." I couldn't think of a dang thing to paint. And I also spared you from another self portrait that I did, further down on the page...

The past few days I've been trying to paint without penciling anything in first. This, for me, is huge - my tagline should be "anal-retentive since 1971." Letting go of the need for everything to be perfect, crisp, and able to erase and clean up is a huge step for me. It doesn't mean I won't ever use a pencil again, but it's good to give the perfectionist in me a vacation.

'nother one.

Hellllooooo - it only took 27 days of doing this and 29 painting to realize I have been putting the wrong date on the pictures. May = 5, not 6.

Maybe I can pretend that everyone was so breathtaken with the artwork that nobody noticed? :)

I started tracing around the edge of this little mirror I have on my drafting table, and drafting in whatever I see inside.

I have no idea where this came from.

Spooooooooooooooooooooooooon! (listen to The Tick yell it here)

Sign one: I'm running out of room on my server. I just had to delete pics to post these. This is even more of a kick in the pants to get the complete overhaul of the site going - time for a cleaner, simpler french toast girl site.

Sign two: Last night, I lost my engagement ring. After flinging clothes around, and poking around the ginourmous piles of - I will say it - junk - in my studio, to no avail, Paul had a brainstorm and found it in Angela's car seat where it must have fallen off while I was buckling her in.

Sign three: this morning, while telling a co-worker about all this, John Lennon's "Clean-Up Time" came on the radio.

Once these recitals are over (tonight!) and the 31 days of non-stop painting end, there will be an enormous cleanup that will be heard round the world.

Look for a new site, and me being able to see my floor, sometime in June.

Painting spoon-self-portraits is addictive. If you've never done it, I highly suggest you give it a whirl - everything's distorted, and you can make goofy faces. Then post the link here so I can see 'em. :)

Recitals have begun. Sunday night was the first night - I carried three sleeping kids upstairs home from Grandma's house, grabbed leftover strawberries and a glass of white wine from the dining room, and tiptoed up to my tower studio where I painted (again! no pencil!). The heat from the lamp on the drafting table was making the strawberry smell even stronger, so I pretty soon the painting was finished (and so were the berries).

Spoon doodles. Look ma, no pencil - I cut loose and used nothing but paint for this. No erasing!

I've known people like this.

With assistance from Angela and Sophia. I really like how this one came out.

I have no idea what this one means. You tell me.

The lovely Miss Sophia.

There are two because Sophie is HARD to paint. She refuses to look into the camera, always flitting and twirling around, and the fact that she had surgery on her right eyelid makes it hard to capture her look and her wonderful, lovely spirit.

My boy Petey-pop. He makes my heart go giddyup.

Had a lovely mother's day. No breakfast in bed; but Chinese take-out, a fun trip to the library, a hugely needed nap, lots of 5-way family hugs and kisses, and flowers from both my husband and my babysitter made this day super-special.

I began the morning with a rosary for all mothers, and for those trying to become one.
Happy Mother's day to every one of you.

My Angela, contemplating some devilish mischief. (Seriously, how many horns and halos can you look at?)

i. am. so. tired.

I have to admit that I was slightly inspired for this one... if you've never seen Passions, the worst soap opera in the world, I urge you to check it out. It's over the top, delightfully tacky, and now, has a mermaid as one of the characters. She spends lots of time in the bathtub. (That clip is pretty darn typical of the style of the show.)

The kids and I had a painting party this afternoon. They LOVE to paint! I've resisted giving any more input other than "Good colors! Nice swishes!" and encouraging stuff like that, but I felt it was finally time to do some art instruction. I put an apple and a pear in the center of the dining room table and asked them to paint a picture of them. We talked about their shapes, how the fruits weren't only red and green but so many other colors as well. I pointed out textures, speckles, stripes, light. I showed them how I did it, and painted right along with them. I didn't have to worry they'd copy me or overthink it; they each did their own thing and had a blast.

When we taught them their colors, we also taught them:

There are so many colors in the rainbow
So many colors in the morning sun
So many colors in a flower
And I see every one.

And here's their gorgeous artwork!


Apples and Pears by Sophia, age 3 (we ask them to title all their pictures. She had another one called "Pears and Apples".)


Words by Angela, age 2


Apples by Peter, age 2

While waiting for this to dry, I did my final project in my CSS class. Can I say I completely understand CSS in all its greatness? Heck no. But I do have a few more tricks up my sleeve for when I redesign the site.

This one, I like.

I've decided that I'm way more of a skirts girl than shorts. Swishy, decorative, pretty skirts. They're dressier, and much more romantic and fun than shorts, any day.

Did I mention they swish?

Still doing a painting every day. Some days it's amazing to do, and other days it's really hard. Check out what everyone's been creating here.

ps ~ If you haven't seen the new iFri site, GO! It's gorgeous!

Well, I originally had this long post about creativity, cooking, growth and adaptation, and what to use as a substitute when you run out of baking powder, but my computer took the last train to crashville. Eat a pumpkin muffin and pretend I said something witty and sparkling and inspirational instead. :)

There's a story that goes with this, I swear. I'm just too tired to tell it right now. Off to paint!

I started a Flickr group here: Every Day In May. Go! Share your stuff!

Painted directly from an record cover from the 70s that my brother and I played like crazy. And speaking of my brother, I am not the only one to interpret "sea" a little differently.

For those coming from iFri, I need to explain that I'm doing a new painting very single day in May. Feel free to join in! You can read more about the challenge here.

Self-portrait while working on Illustration Friday pic (which is #2 and will be posted soon).


Yes, my hair really was behaving. The mirror was at an angle, leaning up against the window right in front of my drafting table. I suppose I was leaning over to see myself in the mirror, which is why I look sorta skewed. And distant. I'm concentrating, okay?