Art Candy

Wish Ball

A few months ago I was approached by a representative of the Make A Wish Foundation in Minneapolis to make a piece to donate for their Wish Ball. I was asked to work with one of the children and come up with ideas for an image. My wish child, named Natalie, is six years old and fighting cancer. She drew pictures with the pastels I brought to the "Wish Party" at the foundation's office in Minneapolis. We talked about her favorite things to do, what she liked to eat, her dog and her sister. She drew many images and it was my job to sort through them later and come up with a composition and turn it into a final painting.

Natalie and I worked together for an hour, and enjoyed cupcakes and juice after all of our brainstorming.

I enlisted my friends, the Lees, who own Art and Frame World, to donate the framing for the finished piece. They accepted the task and put their own stamp on the frame design which really made my painting pop. Hopefully our efforts will help raise money for a wonderful cause. This is a picture of the piece, aptly titled " Make A Wish."

 

Finally an end to Ground Hog Day!

Ground Hog Day is over! My art fair season has come to an end which means no more weekends of hauling and setting up art in all kinds of weather. I am back in the studio which means after an opening all I have to do is close the doors and go home... no tear down to deal with. There have been a few changes to my studio- for one my roomie decided to work from home, so she moved out this month. Alas...alone again. At any rate I have all of this extra space again which inspired me to move some things around... now I have a cool little office and some more wall space to hang work. I have also gotten around to finishing up some of my commissioned pieces- It's nice to actually have a good block of time to work now that the kids are back in school.

 

The Studio

I have been busy doing some spring cleaning, painting , and hunting the ever multipling dust bunnies at my down town studio. I have a big open studio tour at the end of this week and I want things to look as presentable as humanly possible. I took some photos of my studio in its clean and dust bunny free state to share and remind me of what clean actually looks like.

Just Pause

I thought that I would post a piece that I just completed. It is about being still and taking a pause from the hectic flow of life. Hmmm....That almost sounds spiritual. I like the idea of just being. I know that my life is filled with children and the activities that come with them, but lately I have felt the need to slow down the pace and take things one step at a time. The image itself is full of pattern and color, but the figure is taking a pause from the insanity of life.

In the Waiting Line

Waiting Line Originally uploaded by chankins

I think that I am on a roll. I worked on this piece for most of the week. It is kind of frivolous. I wanted to add elements that are around me all of the time. I also collect Chinese lanterns and wanted to include them. They are fun to hang and are so colorful. They also make me think of summer and sitting out on my porch before the mosquitos come around for dinner. My pets have been included as well. Sam, my English pointer, spends the better part of the day following me around waiting for food or just trying to figure out where to plant himself to be in close proximity. I also added my cat...she spends most of the day sleeping or trying o attack my feet. The coffee is a staple because I am not actually human until I have my first cup...just ask my kids.

Falling Slowly

I was craving romance like I crave chocolate with this piece. I tried to think of a romantic scene involving a couple that maybe just met or possibly have known each other for a long time. It could be anyones story really. I have been married for 15 years and have a handful of kids so those romantic moments can be fleeting. But I have to say that when they happen they are highly appreciated!

The Swan and the Blackbird

Like all moms I was looking at my four lovely rugrats and I thought- wow, where did the time go? They are no longer lap children...in fact they hardly fit on my lap. Even my youngest- my mommy magnet, no longer sticks to me like glue. So I had this moment of sadness because those baby days are gone...not that I miss the diapers, lack of sleep, and 3 a.m. feedings, but because It went by in a blink. I drew this picture about bed time and when my kids used to fall asleep in my arms. When you are in the middle of it- taking care of babies ,you just want to get through the day. I say this because I had 4 children under 5 years of age and was constantly moving...no time to smell the roses or even consider how lovely they all were. This piece is about all the good and the hardship that we endure while raising little ones. The swan represents the beauty and the blackbird the hardships. But even the hardship is worthwhile.