Shannon Redrawn

Nursery photos

2010-06-17T16:26:00.005-05:00

I thought I'd post some pics of our nursery. These are a few weeks old now, but it's mostly done. Will post more soon - she's almost here so we need to finish!

Little birdies vinyl decals from Etsy.

Origami crane mobile that I made :)

I saw something similar and thought 'I can do that!', and for once I actually DID!

The furniture and many decorations (including the frog prince) are from Ikea.

A New Grey-baby

2010-04-30T07:46:00.005-05:00

Since greyhounds are like potato chips - you can't just have one - we've added to our little family. Meet Tully! He's 2 years old, and a real lovey dog. He gets along great with his new greyhound brother Rua, and is learning our house rules fairly quickly. (We're still learning that, just because someone's in the kitchen it does not mean you are getting a treat...). :D

Logo for charity

2010-03-28T08:58:00.004-05:00

I just submitted a logo for a contest. It's for Alamo Rescue Friends (ARF). Great name, isn't it? Here's my submission:
If you'd like to enter, there's still a few days before their deadline of April 1. Here's the info:
http://lovelypaper.blogspot.com/2010/03/please-help-arf-logo-contest.html

Our girlie Willow, 1998-2010

2010-02-21T10:57:00.003-05:00

Jason and I are heartbroken to say that our Willow was put to sleep yesterday. She had been diagnosed with a tumor on her heart in early January, and because she was almost 12 we decided not to put her through any aggressive treatments. We thought we were going to lose her at the end of January, but she rallied for a bit. She finally started getting worse a few days ago, and so we made that tough decision, before she was noticeably in pain. We will miss her terribly.

MIA...

2010-01-27T20:51:00.002-05:00

Just a quick update to explain to the 3 people who read my blog why I haven't posted anything in ages (although you probably already know!). Jason and I found out in November that we're expecting a baby! Yikes! I've been pretty ill for the past couple months, so have been laying low. We're due July 4th. No patriotic name suggestions, please, we've had our fill. :)

a few new jewelry pieces

2009-09-15T11:57:00.005-05:00

Hello! I've been very fortunate to have 2 shops downtown in Charleston start carrying my hand made jewelry - Utopia on Broad St, and the soon to open Seeking Indigo on Upper King St. I thought I'd post a few pics of my newest creations.

Kierkegaard portrait

2009-09-05T08:07:00.005-05:00

We took a little break from these, but we're back! Love the crazy hair this guy had! A man after my own heart.

A business card for a friend

2009-08-09T08:39:00.003-05:00

I just designed and had these cards printed for my friend Glenda, and I'm SO happy with them! Thought I'd share!

front

back

Latest illo

2009-07-11T07:57:00.002-05:00

I submitted this to a magazine for it's cover. I haven't heard back from them yet, but I'm hopeful!

More fun with wire

2009-06-24T09:18:00.003-05:00

I just made these yesterday, and sold the pair on the card to my lunch companion for a birthday gift. That wasn't planned, but Yay!

Crunchy critters in my salad

2009-06-24T09:13:00.002-05:00

Always wash your organic salad greens. I'm just sayin'...

Critters for Erynne

2009-06-10T07:08:00.007-05:00

My sister Erynne is much more of a bug and critter person than I am, but I do love taking close-up pictures of them! I usually have a toad in our pool first thing in the morning, and I get them out before the filter kicks on. Today I had one toad (easy to catch), and two kinds of frogs (more difficult to catch), including this cool little guy! I didn't realize until I downloaded the pics that he was pulling his head in like a turtle when I held him. The photo in the grass he's more relaxed. He was pretty!

I also took this photo the other day of a giant moth/bug, who I thought was dead. He was NOT! I caught him just as he was opening his wings to take off and dive-bomb me! Expletives were shouted, I can tell you! No idea what he is - anyone?

Oh! I forgot I took this one! Pretty and strange little dude on my calla lilies. I really like this one. I hope you do, too!

Sketching at Shem Creek

2009-06-07T09:22:00.005-05:00

Yesterday I had the overwhelming desire to get out of the house and people watch and sketch. None of my sketches of people are very exciting, but I thought this one I did of the marsh behind Vickery's in Mount Pleasant came out ok.

Still Wrappin'!

2009-06-04T17:07:00.002-05:00

I re-wrapped my shell, so you can see it now...

I also made these earrings. Love the pod shape!

More Wire Pendants

2009-05-27T07:17:00.003-05:00

Just a few more pics. Not completely successful, but fun nonetheless, and learning experiences!

A 'before patina' image. This particular spool of wire is too bright for me and it doesn't take my patina. I thought I'd tone the whole thing down with patina. It's ok (I got compliments the one time I wore it out).

After patina

Captured shell. I really like this idea, but my wire wrapping is too tight to tell what's in there. I think I'm going to cut it open in places to reveal the shell.

Still my favorite shape!

the Egg

2009-05-14T17:57:00.003-05:00

My second wire pendant, which started out as a silver rectangle and evolved...

I love wire!

2009-05-13T11:53:00.005-05:00

I enjoyed working with wire so much I recently found some new projects to try. This is my first one! Took awhile, but I'm a patient person. I really like how organic the shape is despite the hard metal material it's made from. I'm already working on another one!

From Kathy Frey's book, 'Elegant Wire Jewelry'.

A Website I've created

2009-05-05T09:26:00.007-05:00

These are screen shots of a website I've just finished for a jewelry store in downtown Charleston. This was a lot of fun! It's live now: www.croghansjewelbox.com

Jiddu Krishnamurti portrait

2009-04-15T23:16:00.004-05:00

I hadn't heard of this interesting man before - YouTube has some good clips of him. I think this is my favorite portrait so far.

Helen Keller portrait

2009-04-15T23:13:00.002-05:00

Photos of Finished Pop Art Portrait

2009-03-19T14:30:00.006-05:00

Just thought I'd post these of the final portrait of 'Baloo', printed on canvas 16"x16" and stretched on 1.5" deep gallery stretchers.

Henry David Thoreau portrait finished

2009-03-06T13:50:00.005-05:00

He had the craziest beard!

Thoreau

In Another Treasury on Etsy

2009-03-06T13:18:00.003-05:00

Thank you to Christy of TheWorldIsMyStudio.etsy.com for picking my Cliffs of Moher charm for her treasury! There are some of my favorite sellers in here, too!

New Pop Art Doggy Portrait

2009-03-05T15:05:00.005-05:00

Meet Baloo! The final will be stretched 16"x16".

Jennie Gerner Barrett MacGrogan, 1917-2009

2009-02-27T09:21:00.008-05:00

We lost our Grandmom late Wednesday night. She passed quietly from what I understand, having slowly deteriorated for the past several months. She lived with my family for most of my life, and was always quietly strong. I was very fortunate to make a trip to see her last year while she still knew who I was (most of the time). We played bingo at her senior center and went out to lunch, something we always did when I visited her. She loved games, and usually had a deck of cards or a puzzle within arms reach. She and my Grandpop, who died in 1982, were always my favorites. I hope they are together now.

Jennie, 20 years old

Cy and Jennie, how I always see them in my mind's eye. 1977

Two New Philosophers

2009-02-18T16:40:00.005-05:00

My latest portraits! My next one will be Thoreau.

Viktor Frankl

Friedrich Nietzsche

...and Another!

2009-02-13T08:36:00.002-05:00

I'm in another Treasury on Etsy! This time it's Greyhound-themed. :) Thank you Kathy, aka Caelestis!

Etsy Treasury

2009-02-11T11:27:00.007-05:00

It's always so nice to get positive feedback for things you make! One of my new charms has been chosen to be in an Etsy Treasury! A Treasury is comprised of some of a person's favorite Etsy items, usually along a theme. This one's called 'Hot COFFEE...YESSSSS'. Hee-hee! Thank you, katherynmd!

New work

2009-01-29T17:19:00.007-05:00

I've been inspired recently to make some new glass charms. They aren't officially for sale anywhere yet, but here are some pics. These are 'example' pieces, fronts and backs. The larger 1" square ones I've made with bridesmaid bouquets in mind, but they can be worn as well.

More Philosopher Portraits

2009-01-03T11:15:00.014-05:00

Here are a few new digital portraits I've done for The Financial Philosopher:

Ayn Rand

René Descartes

Blaise Pascal

Jesus

A New Look

2008-12-28T08:38:00.002-05:00

Hello! Yes, it's still me, you're not on the wrong blog! I just finally made time to get rid of the old template I was using and made my own header image. It will most likely change again, since it is obviously NOT 'drawn', let alone 'redrawn', but I love this photo of one of my bud vases and it seemed a good choice for playing and learning.

Cookie Party!

2008-12-25T23:23:00.009-05:00

I'm a bit late in posting this, but here are some photos from our First Annual Cookie Decorating Party. Paula, who has much better pictures than these on her blog if you'd like to see them, taught us all how to decorate sugar cookies like a pro.

Making cookies is so much better with a glass of wine handy

That's melted chocolate! Feel the cavities forming?

Paula showing her detail techniques. Betcha can't tell which ones she decorated and which ones the rest of us attempted!

Katherine proudly displays her 'Whale', formerly Santa carrying his bag

Some of my Snowflakes got dressy, too!

I also brought my cookie press and showed our friend Katherine how to use hers. My mom always made just this one kind of cookie for Christmas, "Snowflakes", using her mom's old metal Mirro cookie press. A few years before mom passed away, she bought Mirro presses for me and my sister - identical to the old one we always used. So now every year I make at least one double-batch. The recipe, which came with her mom's press, uses cream cheese, orange rind and cinnamon, and I'll share it with you!

SNOWFLAKES
(aka The MacGrogan Family's One & Only Christmas Cookies)
Note: uses a cookie press

1 cup shortening (we always use half butter, half Crisco)
1 3oz package cream cheese, softened
(we always double recipe and use a whole 8oz package)
1 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon finely grated orange rind
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (give or take 1/2 a cup or so – see note*)
1/2 teaspoon salt (if using salted butter may want to use less)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (we always use more `coz we like it!)

Oven at 350˚

Cream shortening and cream cheese together. Add sugar and continue creaming.

Beat in egg yolk, vanilla and orange rind, cinnamon and salt.

Add flour about a cup at a time & mix & mix & mix! The consistency you want is soft dough just past sticky.

* My Mom’s note says: “I double this recipe and use less flour, maybe half a cup less. You want the dough firm enough to hold well through the press, but not so
stiff they end up hard. Takes practice!”

Fill cookie press and form cookies on ungreased cookie sheet. Decorate if desired.

Bake 12–15 minutes, or until edges are a medium brown color. Remove cookies to a flat surface asap. Allow cookie sheet to cool before pressing more, or they’ll not stay put on the sheet.

Enjoy!

Blasts from the Past!

2008-12-10T13:42:00.004-05:00

I just went through my old t-shirt designs from many years ago when I designed shirts in Florida (hence the abundance of fish) and thought I'd share some with you! Wish I had all of my old designs - I know there were some good ones that I never got a print of. These are from the pre-computer days, so they're hand drawn and hand separated - no clip art here, Mateys! (I know, I'm confessing my age with that statement).

By the way, the silver and/or gold glitter ink was not my idea....

Rudolph's Second Cousins Twice Removed

2008-12-08T11:18:00.002-05:00

Took the Grey-babies to Charleston's Farmers Market on Saturday, where they were a big hit in their sweaters and antlers. Thank you, Brenda, for keeping us warm!

Plein air painters painting in the park pics!

2008-12-04T08:19:00.022-05:00

Well, due to a bad memory DIMM in my beloved Mac I've been struggling to do much of anything in Photoshop/Illustrator/Firefox. Turning the computer off for a night seems to have helped, though, (shhhhh, don't say it too loud!), so I'm finally posting these from about a month ago!

These are from an annual plein air fundraising event in downtown Charleston. It was really inspiring to see other artists at work and chat to them. Some were really friendly, some not so much. I especially love to see underpaintings (my friend Paula is laughing, I know, 'cause I keep on about underpaintings!). Some artists brought props, some photos, and some just picked a spot and started painting what they saw. Here are a few of my favorites:

Nathan Durfee is a talented local illustrator and prolific painter, and his imaginative artwork and sense of humor always makes me smile! Nathan's definitely one of my favorite painters in the area, and he's always nice to talk to.
Robert Lange's gallery on East Bay is my favorite art gallery downtown. Robert's portraits and trompe l'oeil are lovely, and Nathan shows his work there, too. There are a lot of art galleries downtown, and so many of them have typical Charleston-area scenes: Rainbow Row, palmetto trees, swamp views. Some of these are nicely done, some are not, but it's refreshing to go into a gallery where there is not a palmetto tree in sight except for the ones planted outside.

Robert should win the Neatest Pallette Award!

Having said that there are an over-abundance of 'Charleston area' scenes in the galleries, here is the one artist who can paint Charleston scenes and make me want one. Jennifer Smith Rogers' colors are so beautiful, and her style is just the right mix of realism and looseness (is that a word?). In any case, I love her work, and she's very nice to chat with, too!

Rhett Thurman brought a model - I think she was the only one who did.

Simon Kenevan and I talked about England, where he's from, and how he ended up in the US.

Blogging begets Blogging...

2008-11-14T10:34:00.003-05:00

I must thank the lovely and talented Paula P for suggesting I put a post about my philosopher portraits, because it caught the attention of the wonderful folks at the iSpot, and they put me on their blog as well as a shout in the Art Talk section of the iSpot. Thank you, too, to Dave Tabler and Jami Giovanopoulos!

http://arttalk.theispot.net/artnews
http://theispot.blogspot.com

Philosopher portraits!

2008-11-09T09:27:00.003-05:00

For awhile now I've been creating portraits of philosophers for Kent Thune and his popular blog the Financial Philosopher. Here's a screenshot of them in use in his blog!

more TTV fun

2008-10-26T23:05:00.008-05:00

Today I finally made time to build my 'contraption' to block the light. My pics aren't wonderful, but now I can concentrate on making them and getting better! This is my Contraption (of course, I had to make it purty!).

Toadstools

2008-10-25T11:36:00.002-05:00

It rained 3-5 inches yesterday here in SC. This is who you can find in your back garden in the aftermath! Thought these were seed pods from the squirrels, but they're fungi. Weird.

Oktoberfest, South Carolina Style

2008-10-05T09:59:00.003-05:00

15 Years ago today!

2008-09-25T08:21:00.002-05:00

And we're still laughing!

Note my Guinness on the table - an 8 hour round-trip drive to New Orleans was made to purchase a few precious cases of the 'new' draught widget Guinness in cans. We couldn't buy it anywhere near us! We kept it on ice in the bathtub in our hotel room, and only a chosen few were allowed to sneak up and get one. We're so posh!

Somebody out there likes us!

2008-09-19T09:09:00.003-05:00

One of my coasters was chosen to be in an Etsy Treasury! Oh, rats, I should have taken a screen shot - I forgot they expire. Oh well! Nevermind! (There was a link here...).

Fused

2008-08-31T11:09:00.004-05:00

Last week I organized a little glass-fusing class for some artsy friends of mine. I'm not much of an organizer usually, so I'm so excited to report that it was a huge success, and we had such a good time we may just have to do it again! Trisha at Blue Heron Stained Glass had lots of little bits of glass ready for us, and we just made little glass sandwiches that they then fused in their kiln for us. So much fun! Here's my final results, and I'm hoping to post a pre-fired photo as soon as I get one off my friend Paula (who also posted her before and after pics here). They're meant to be pendants, but I can glue them to anything. Hmmmmmmm....

Update: Here's the pre-fired pic from Paula P! I kinda like how they looked before we melted them. :)

Itsa Puzzle...

2008-08-22T08:38:00.005-05:00

I've finished some little puzzles for our local Greyhound Pets of America chapter. Vice Prez Kirstin found these blank puzzles and asked what we could do to them to use as fund raisers. I thought if I did a linoleum cut image and printed them, that would be fairly easy and fun to do. Then I found out about the soft rubber blocks they sell now (see previous post), and here's the result! I did the design so that kids (or kids-at-heart) could color them in themselves. What do you think?

Avoiding actual work...

2008-08-14T08:45:00.002-05:00

Yes, it's almost 10am and I have succeeded in wasting 2 hours this morning. Shame on me, I know, but look! I have a new signature! Woo-woo!

If you would like one, too, go waste a bit of time here:
http://www.mylivesignature.com

Lokii's Doppelganger

2008-08-04T22:46:00.006-05:00

Finally, I can post pics of my attempt at a felted critter! I made this little guy for my sister for her birthday. She just got a new Siamese kitten (Lokii), and I thought I'd make her a felty one, too. Apparently, they both have humongous ears, so I wasn't far off....

Here's the real little fuzzbutt, on the right.

O Frabjous Day!

2008-07-31T15:33:00.003-05:00

We didn't tell too many folks we were looking, but we just brought home my new car! And I mean NEW, not just new to me. My very first new car ever. I'm so excited I've been having trouble sitting still for days! This picture isn't wonderful, but this is me sitting in my 2009 Scion XB for the very first time! Hee-hee! Isn't he (or she - not decided yet) purty? Like a 1930s gangster's get-away car! The color is 'hypnotic teal mica', and I love it. My mom would have loved it, too. Teal was one of her favorite colors. Keep an eye out for more (and better) pictures!

OK, I'm going to go figure out how to use the stereo....

Carvin' Rubber...

2008-07-23T09:36:00.005-05:00

I've always loved print-making, and have meant to do some linoleum cuts for the past year or so. An opportunity (or kick-in-the-pants...) came up recently when the local Greyhound Pets of America asked me to help with a fund raiser. This little guy was my test-image on rubber instead of linoleum. (Soooo much easier to carve than lino!). Apparently the rubber-stamping craze that's been going on for the past several years has inspired do-it-yourself rubber stamps. Who knew? Not me! Well, my lovely new friend Cherna spent some time with me last week showing me the joys of making your own rubber stamps! Woo-hoo! Watch for my bigger greyhound print in August!

It's Here, It's Here!

2008-07-15T08:53:00.006-05:00

As if I don't have enough ideas of things to do swirling around in the cosmos of my head, I've recently become enamored of something called TTV. It stands for Through The Viewfinder (but you already knew that, right?). Basically, you find yourself an old camera such as the lovely Argoflex Seventy-five above, and use your digital camera to take a picture through the viewfinder of the old camera. Distortion, dust and color shifts are the appeal, aside from the very cool bakelite retro camera. There is definitely a need for some processing on the computer afterwards, which is also fun! Here are a couple of my first tries. There's glare on them - I now need to fashion a 'contraption' to block out excess light. There's a whole bunch of ideas on Flickr about how to do just that. (Google TTV and you'll find tons of examples and images on Flickr). Some are basic (many cereal boxes, much electrical tape, even a black sock...). Some are so fancy you just know the creators don't watch much TV and do have some kind of engineering degree. Anyway, these aren't great examples but I had to try it out right away! Mine has some great dusty particles in it, but the viewfinder is mostly nice and clear. Oh! And the camera was my first Ebay 'win', too! Hee-hee!

Look Ma, No Hands....

2008-07-14T13:00:00.003-05:00

More life drawing sketches. Funny how I always seem to run out of time to get the hands done.... She had the coolest red hair, twisted into these little buns. Fun!

Itty Bitty Buildings

2008-07-14T12:14:00.004-05:00

I'm so excited about re-connecting with an old friend from Ringling. My friend Palmer made my first year at college so wonderful and colorful! He was always going in a million different directions at once, and always coming out with the most hysterical sayings. I've missed you, Palmer! He has a company called Firewood Creative Ltd, where he designs and sells kits of scale architecture for model railroad enthusiasts. How cool is that? No plastic made in China stuff, either, he laser cuts them from North American basswood. Go see, and if you know any model train folks, let them know about him, too!

On yer bike, mate

2008-07-13T08:16:00.006-05:00

Every time Jason and I go over the Ravenel bridge into Mt Pleasant on the bike, I wish that I had brought my camera. I love looking up as we pass under the cables - it really looks cool! I'm sure the other drivers think I'm a bit weird, but what do I care. They're probably right. Anyway, last week I finally remembered to grab the Canon, and I had great fun taking pics. Most are crap, but here are a few I like...

Figure class

2008-06-23T12:30:00.003-05:00

Just another sketch from figure class last night. It was the last one for a couple weeks, and I've missed the last 2 weeks. Phoo. I'm going to keep going! It's very relaxing to just go and draw with other artsy people, and not have to worry about what the end result will be. I like how this came out. It's sepia colored pencil.

Froggy 911

2008-06-19T07:55:00.005-05:00

Every morning I go out and check the pool to see who or what's been partying in it overnight. In spring there is always a need to play froggy 911, but we haven't had to rescue anything in awhile. This morning Jason looked out from an upstairs window and saw this little guy. Shannon to the rescue! The filter was already on, so he was getting tired of swimming and would soon be sucked into the basket. They're usually fine unless we don't catch them quick enough and they give up. I hate trying to get them out of the filter, though, as they have places to hide in there!

As you can see, this little guy is safe and sound, and I even picked him up and put him in the shade after I took this.

My Lovely Birthday Prezzie!

2008-06-11T13:38:00.004-05:00

Paula made this beautiful wool felted portrait of Besom as an angel for me for my birthday. Isn't he just perfect?

Oh, and here's a pic I had the waitress take of me and Jason having dinner at La Fourchette in Charleston. I know it's a bit blurry, but I HATE the auto flash, so I fiddled with the settings. :)

Blue Berries for Brother-in-law!

2008-06-05T07:46:00.004-05:00

I had to take a picture this morning of the beeyoootiful blue berries Jason picked from our little backyard bush. We've had this little plant for a couple summer's now, and this year it's just so happy, it's loaded with berries! My brother-in-law Scott will be so jealous!

I'm not a huge fan of the taste of blueberries, but they have a special meaning to me nonetheless. One of my earliest memories is of picking blueberries on or near our property in NJ with my mom. She loved them, especially in pancakes! Hmmm, maybe I'll make pancakes today...

Sleeping Beauty

2008-06-02T22:51:00.003-05:00

This is Rua napping in my office. Hee-hee!

Figures

2008-05-20T07:19:00.004-05:00

Sunday night I went to a local figure drawing class with the lovely and talented PaulaP! It was great - and a definite college flashback for me! Figure class was always one of my favorites - not the least because we had a crusty old teacher, Charles McCurry, aka 'Mac'. Mac liked to go drinking with us after class. Ah, the good old days.... You'd never have guessed it, but he was a successful romance novel cover-illustrator in the 60s/70s! Anyway, I digress. I just wanted to put up a couple of my sketches from Sunday. Enjoy!

Sir Squeaks-a-Lot

2007-12-23T13:53:00.000-05:00

I did this little guy for my niece, Brianna, and for Aunt Lynne, too! :)

Charleston Photoshoot

2007-10-10T08:18:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago we met up with our friends Glenda and Susan downtown for a wandering photoshoot! It was terrific, and we plan on doing it again soon! Here are some of mine....

Shaggin', Swamps and Sweaters

2007-10-08T09:45:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd post a few recent pictures, since we've had Jason's homecoming from Iraq and our dear British friends, Brenda (aka Mum) and Jeff, visiting.

One of the first places we took Mum and Jeff was the 2nd Annual Shrimpin' and Shaggin' festival in Charleston. Anyone who knows the Austin Powers movies will know 'Shagging' has a different meaning in the UK than it does in South Carolina, so this had to be done! (It's a dance, for all my British friends). We had a lovely day, and we'll definitely go back next year.

After the Festival we went to one of our favorite places to have a beer and watch the pelicans, Red's Ice House in Mount Pleasant.

Another great day out was when we went to Cypress Gardens, in Goose Creek. What a beautiful place! It was so peaceful, and a great bargain! We took the guided boat tour first, and then later took a boat out ourselves and just explored. You would think it would be hot and buggy, but under the trees it's cool, and there are no bugs because of the tannic acid in the water. We highly recommend a day out here!

And, last but not least, while Brenda sat out by our pool, she knitted 2 lovely 'jumpers' (that's sweaters, for my American friends) for our grey-babies! Don't they look ready to go for a Fall walkie? Now, if only it wasn't 90 degrees out....

Kinda Cool...

2007-09-16T21:33:00.000-05:00

One of my photos of punts (boats) in Cambridge, UK was chosen to be used in this online map. If you click on 'photos' it scrolls through some, and mine comes up eventually. There are some really nice pics on there! We used to live near Cambridge, and it really is a lovely place!

Home!

2007-09-08T18:10:00.000-05:00

Well, I see I haven't updated in many a moon. Whoops! No good excuse, just lazy I guess! I've been busy while Jason was away, but he's HOME now! Alive and well and not even sunburned! Woo-hoo! This 4 months is the longest we've been apart in our almost 16 (!) years together (14 of them as a married couple, in case my family starts counting).

I'm sure I'll have some good pics of our latest adventures to put up soon, but for now I'll post a few of the things I've been up to.

This summer fate stepped into my life and had me wear one of my glass art charms the day I decided to drop my business cards in small artsy shops on King St in downtown Charleston. Long story short, I've been selling my charms and working one day a week in the fabulous The French Hare Gallery & Galleria. I've made some dear friends, and it's great to get out of the studio and meet people, especially downtown!

I've also been to Milwaukee again with my Dad and Robin for the Irish Festival there. We had a lovely visit, despite the rain and my horrible cold! Along with my Irish charms I took a pop art pet portrait of our dear Besom, hoping to get some commissions. I don't think anything will come of it, but I met loads of fellow greyhound worshippers, so that was a bonus! Here's Besom's portrait:

I also donated a portrait commission to the local SPCA's silent art auction in August. It was so exciting to see people bidding for my artwork! It was a fabulous night, and I will definitely do that again.

Well, that's it for now. I'm sure I'll think of more, but those are the biggies. :)

Pop Art Pet Portraits

2007-06-20T07:22:00.000-05:00

Well, I've just delivered a comissioned pet portrait and I thought I'd post a jpg of it here. The actual portrait was giclee printed on canvas, 16x16". The background image continues and wraps around 1.5" deep gallery stetchers. My customer (and new good friend!) was over the moon with it. What a great feeling to make someone so happy! This is of her beloved rottweiler named Bear, who they affectionately called Boo Bear. Sadly, she passed away a couple years ago, and this is just what my customer wanted. The poem is from a condolence card they received. It may be familiar to some of you. We received the exact same card from a dear friend when we lost Besom.

Here is another portrait I did recently of our friend's dog, Casper, in his Hawaiian shirt!

Another birthday....aaack!

2007-06-08T06:39:00.000-05:00

My wonderful husband Jason sent me roses for my birthday! What a nice surprise! The teddy bear came with them, to give me my birthday hug. Awwwwwww.

I'm somehow keeping the flowers in our front and back gardens alive, too. Our canna lillies, calla lillies (my absolute favorite), begonias, petunias and a bunch more are all doing well! I've never spent so much time outside in my life! Here's the evidence.... (and yes, that's a tomato growing out of the bottom of the grow bag!).

BobKat get Hitched!

2007-03-19T07:19:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple of my favorite pics from Katherine & Bobby's wedding. It was a perfect ceremony and reception - happy, easy-going and stylish, just like the two of them!

A St Patty's Hen Night!

2007-03-17T12:21:00.000-05:00

My dear friend Katherine is getting married today, and we had her hen night (or bachelorette party) last night. Here's Katherine with her special dessert, compliments of the waiter after she asked him rude question and called him 'Sexy' (one of her many dares).Amanda & Allison

Me and Katherine

Allison, Nicole and Katherine

There were a couple more girlies there, too, but I didn't get any good pics of them! As you can see, we had a bunch of silly accessories, which we kept switching. It was great fun, and I hope Katherine's head is OK this afternoon....

Pet Portraits

2007-03-04T08:24:00.000-05:00

Since I enjoy doing these so much, I thought I'd advertise...

Illustration*Friday "Gravity"

2007-02-21T17:37:00.000-05:00

New Product Helps Earlobes Fight Gravity -- Without Having Surgery
Big earrings, although popular and big in the fashion world, cause big problems for ears. Chandelier earrings and oversized hoops look great but tear earlobes and cause stretching and sagging. To address this common problem, a new product has been developed called EarLift™, an invisible adhesive disc providing instant support for torn, damaged, or stretched earlobes.

Seriously. I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried....
http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2007/2/emw505753.htm

Illustration*Friday "Crash"

2007-02-15T01:16:00.000-05:00

A one-in-the-morning, one-hour jobbie. Fun! And I really did...

Bullet's Bitten, by Golly!

2007-02-02T16:58:00.000-05:00

So, after some playing around with paint chips this morning (most of which I've had for 6 months), I made a rash decision at 9am and bought a gallon of turquoise paint. It took me about 5 hours, but my living room is now Sherwin Williams' "Spa" colored - and more importantly, it's no longer New House White! Go me! The whole time I painted I thought "Jason is going to hate this", as it's nothing like what we've discussed. He just came home, though, and he likes it! Go me x 2! Willow is also thrilled with my choice, as I'm sure you can tell....

mom

2007-01-31T12:45:00.000-05:00

Today would have been my Mom's 67th birthday. She's been gone 10 years this year. So hard to believe. I still think 'I've got to tell mom about that...'. Then I remember.

Jason's Birthday Oysters

2007-01-29T23:25:00.000-05:00

Just a few pics from the Oyster Fest on Sunday. Was fun - once we finally got in! What a clusterf#*k! By the way, note the short sleeves. This is January, folks!

Anyway, here's moi and The Birthday Boy...

Hey, there's an oyster in there!

Jason, Katherine, Bobby and Mark - one last beer (or two) before the sun goes down.

He's a Keeper!

2007-01-14T18:03:00.000-05:00

We've decided to adopt 'Roger'! We took him and Willow to Folly Beach yesterday. Jason got to see how good he is on the lead, and we both experienced for the first time how good he is in the car. We even went for lunch and left them both alone (windows down, parked in the shade, right by our window so we watched them the whole time). They were both excellent! We decided on the drive home that we really liked his personality, and the couple little things that bothered us would most likely come in time. Well, we know we can get him to listen to us once we show him what's expected and reward him for correct behavior. We're just hoping he settles in and wants to play with Willow a bit more. They have run around together out back, but it's mainly her chasing him. We know he played with another female dog at his last home, so fingers crossed he'll play in time.

We've also decided to change his name - we aren't fond of the name 'Roger' for a dog, and he didn't really respond all that well to it anyway. After much searching we've decided on the Irish Gaelic word for 'red-haired', which is Rúadh. (It's pronounced ROO-ah).

Here's a couple pics from our day yesterday.

"Roger"

2007-01-12T08:33:00.000-05:00

Well, we met Roger the brindle boy last night, and he stayed for a sleepover! Here are 2 pictures of him. He's a sweet, goofy boy, but isn't too interested in playing with Willow, which is disappointing. Maybe he'll get to know her and want to play later. I'm not sure if he's gong to stay with us yet. There are 2 male greys coming in next friday from FL, and we were to meet them. I guess we'll just play it by ear. Roger's previous owner is moving and can't keep him, and the greyhound rescue women who brought him last night had all his belongings in the car. It seemed a shame not to let him stay here and see how he worked out.

A month ago today

2007-01-11T14:54:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it, but today marks one month since we lost our beloved greyhound, Besom, to cancer. It's taken me this long to be able to post anything about him. Although I know most of our friends and family already know, I still feel like I should memorialize him in some way. It was the worst thing to happen to us in a long time, making the decision to end his pain after one agonizing night that seemed to come out of nowhere. His tumor was growing rapidly, but he seemed to be doing pretty well, even playing a little. Then wham.

Besom would have been thirteen tomorrow.

We are all doing OK now, though. We took Willow through Magnolia Plantation's gardens for the "Trot for the Cure" last Sunday, which raised money for canine cancer research. We also drove up to Columbia last Saturday to meet a lovely big brindle male greyhound, but we decided he wasn't really right for us. Today we are going to meet another brindle male. Maybe he will love Willow and become her 'brother'.

An anniversary of sorts…

2006-10-05T15:33:00.000-05:00

I'm feeling a bit low today. It's the one-year anniversary of when we left our friends, our home and 11 years of life behind in England. It's so hard to believe it's been a whole year already. Jason and I still sometimes have the fleeting thought - 'this is nice, but when are we going home?'.

Ah, but we are Americans, we are 'home' now.

Perhaps. Perhaps not.

Things I miss:
Friday night curry
Walking into town
Stopping in at the pub for a pint on the walk back home from shopping in town
OK, the pub in general
My old co-workers and the relaxed atmosphere at work
The relaxed atmosphere and slower pace of life in general
Tesco & Waitrose
The racehorse pavements (sidewalks) in Newmarket - mind the poo!
Cambridge, especially the park between the Grafton Centre and the bus stop
My Tai Chi classes
The older men riding pushbikes (bicycles) in a full suit (even when it's hot out), with one pant leg cinched up to keep it out of the bike chain
The architecture
The history
Driving aimlessly through picturesque villages
The 'Suffolk pink' thatched roof cottages (pink keeps the witches away, don'tcha know)
Crazy pub names/village names/street names (we lived near Six Mile Bottom - need I say more?)

OK, I suppose I could go on and on. Let me just say this - if you've never been anywhere but where you grew up, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE for a while. Get a different perspective on your life and who you think you are. Who knows, you may find a place that feels more like home than your current home.

OK, I'm done.

Local Contest

2006-09-18T09:36:00.000-05:00

Here's my submission for a local poster contest here in Charleston. I know some illustrators don't agree with contests, but one has to start somewhere, and I'm dragging my feet (mouse?) about getting my name out there. Perhaps this will give me a kick in the arse. I'm really pleased with how my design came out! Wish me luck!

Milwaukee Irish Festival

2006-08-28T11:45:00.000-05:00

Last weekend I was in Milwaukee, helping sell my parent's lovely Celtic pottery at the MASSIVE Irish Festival there. It was great fun (and hard work!), and I've volunteered myself for next year's. Here's a photo of my dad and Robin before they sold almost all of their stock! :)

Here also is a photo showing my little display of glass art charms. I sold almost 40 of them! What a nice surprise! By the way, if you are near Atlanta GA October 21-22, we'll all be at the Stone Mountain Highland Games, so come out and visit us!

Website

2006-08-03T08:39:00.000-05:00

Hello! I just wanted to post about my new website! I've had it up for about a month actually, but I didn't tell too many people as I wanted to be sure it all worked OK. Now I've updated it and added some new pages, including ones for my Glass Art Charms. I'm pretty excited about these, and I hope you like them!

IF* Clean

2006-07-31T15:48:00.000-05:00

Wow, this one's from the pre-computer days! Considering my niece Brianna just turned 16, this one's pretty old, but I've always liked it. Not really a style I work in anymore. (What, actually pick up a REAL paintbrush?). Done in watercolor and colored pencil.

Aaaaahhhhh...

2006-07-20T06:38:00.000-05:00

It is finished! The water was 90˚ at 9pm last night. How did we ever live without a pool? My fingers are perpetually pruned. That's the bar Jason made in the background. Now we just need to put some grass back down!

IF* SKYLINE

2006-07-12T16:14:00.000-05:00

My post for Illustration Friday's topic 'skyline'. This is a manipulated photo I took of Ely Cathedral in Cambridgeshire. Every time I drove into Ely from Newmarket I felt a little tug at my heart when I saw the cathedral rising up from the surrounding flat fenland landscape. It's known as the 'Ship of the Fens'. So appropriate.

It will be worth it in the end...

2006-07-06T08:56:00.000-05:00

This is what's happening in our back garden this week! What a mess!
It's 84˚ in the shade at 10am but feels like 91˚ with the humidity (that's 29˚ feeling like 33˚ for you Celsius folks). It's only going to get hotter next month, so may I just say WE CAN NOT WAIT for this to be done and in action!!!

IF* Stick-y

2006-07-05T11:26:00.000-05:00

My submission for Illustration Friday this week - a Stick man. Get it? Har-har. Stick man. I know, I'm a laugh riot...

IF* - Dance

2006-06-22T14:18:00.000-05:00

This is from one of my favorite pics of my brother-in-law, David. I took this on the eve of his wedding to my lovely sister! You go, boy!

A long day and a cherry ice...

2006-06-17T18:44:00.000-05:00

My dear friend Meg and her daughter Maeve came to visit us for a couple days, and we wandered Charleston all Friday. I hadn't seen them since they left the UK over 3 years ago - when Maeve was just a wee baby! A great time and Italian Ice was had by all. Oh, and here's a 'before the cherry-face' picture!

The 30th anniversary of this birthday party...

2006-06-09T08:05:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my birthday.

Illustration Friday - Portrait

2006-06-05T07:41:00.000-05:00

Apologies to all of you (OK, the two of you) who have seen this one before, but I'm posting it again for this week's topic. I'd much rather be creating a new portrait than what I am doing, which is going through countless years' worth of photographs, old artwork and 1980's New Wave posters (how can I throw out old Love and Rockets posters? Maybe they're worth something on Ebay...) that have been stored with my father while I lived in England. Slow going, mateys. Sloooow going.

Anywho, this is my first attempt at a vector self-portrait, and I kinda like it. Whatcha think?

IF-Angels & Devils

2006-05-15T16:28:00.000-05:00

"Here's one I made earlier..." (sorry, that's a British joke).
This is an image I made for my good friends, whose little dog Koa has his Little Devil side as well as his Little Angel side. (Don't they all?).

Wanna See a Greyhound Puppy?

2006-05-08T14:49:00.000-05:00

Cleaning and organizing yesterday I came across these 2 pics of my Greyhound, Willow, taken by her breeder when she was only a few days old. It's not often one gets to see a Greyhound puppy, so I thought I'd share these. Now you know, their noses are short just like any other puppy! To see her all grown up and pointy-nosed, you can click on my Blogger icon. (And if you're really bored, you can visit her Dogster webpage here: http://www.dogster.com/?43443).

So much more to see...

2006-05-06T08:44:00.000-05:00

Following links from links from links (as you do), I came across this neato-groovy site that makes a map of the world showing where you've been! Here's mine:

create your own visited countries map
or vertaling Duits Nederlands

I've actually seen more of Europe than the US, though. I've only seen the states up and down the East Coast. One of our goals now that we've moved back here is to see more of our own country! Oh, they have a map of just the US, too. Here we go - I've not missed as much as I thought! (Although a few are ones I've just driven through, but hey, I was there!).

create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.

FattyFatFat

2006-05-05T17:34:00.000-05:00

Two in one day! Neither are earth-shattering, but they were fun.

Lost 'Under the Sea' (and late...)

2006-05-05T12:01:00.000-05:00

Well, I knew it was Friday when I woke up this morning, but somehow managed to forget by 9am, convincing myself it was Thursday and I had time to do an Illustration Friday picture. Halfway through I checked my email, and there was the NEW topic. Sigh...

In any case, here is a quick piece using a sketch from last night's local Artist Guild meeting, where we drew still lifes (lives?). It's pencil and Photoshop.

blaAAAAARRRRrrrrrgh

2006-03-30T16:32:00.000-05:00

I'm sure this is what's in the woods behind our house.
I've heard him.

Self

2006-03-22T08:46:00.000-05:00

Oh yeah, and I did a self portrait yesterday, playing around with that vector-people style. Was fun, but I think I like more lines. Now I know!

Illustration Friday - feet

2006-03-22T08:26:00.000-05:00

I love my boney Greyhounds' feet. They smell like fritos.

Illustration Friday Insect

2006-03-09T08:55:00.000-05:00

Thought I'd try a scratchboard look. I used to love scratchboard when I was a kid! I forgot all about it. Done in Illustrator and colored in Photoshop.

Illustration Friday - tea

2006-02-28T18:55:00.000-05:00

When I saw this week's word 'tea' I immediately thought of the Japanese tea ceremony, although I've never seen it done. I had mentally pictured a more western-looking tea cup and pot, but my research into the subject changed all that. This is a tea bowl, a tea whisk and a water container or kettle. I really enjoyed researching for this one. I wanted it to look reminiscent of a Japanese print, so I researched them, too. Great fun!

Well, at least it's SOME kind of painting...

2006-02-23T16:50:00.000-05:00

Just thought I'd post this for those of you who knew or cared that we actually painted a room in our house this week. Yay! We broke the seal! This is the darkest I'd ever consider painting a room. It's supposed to be terracotta, but depending on what the light is like it can be quite dark or bright orange! We like it though!