Why I Don't Do Manicures

We have a black tie event to attend tonight, and the thought crossed my mind that I might want to consider a manicure. But logic won over, as I realized once again that manicures are pretty much a waste of money for me.  


I have to keep my nails super short so they don't interfere with the creative process, and with the amount of paint I get on my nails just from working, it's difficult entertain the thought of purposely adding another layer of color on top of that.  Besides, nail technicians scold me for how awful my hands look. I usually have oil paint wedged under my nails, cuts from the tools I carve with or crimson-stained fingers from the pomegranate juice I sometimes use as a natural dye.


That said, my hands are my best feature. They enable me to create whimsical, fantastical pieces, like a 3 x 4 feet pegasus soaring over an abstract sky or a delicate birch forest exploding with springtime blossoms.  

In this Uncharted Journey; I Somehow Knew Our Paths Would Cross
11 x 14"
Oil and mixed Media on Canvas
Available here

My hands are my livelihood, the way I communicate, 

my life force.

I've been showing my work in art galleries for nearly 5 years now, and I get such a rush looking around and seeing all that my hands have brought to life. My energy flows thorugh them, whether they're tingly and numb from overuse or the veins are popping out, fresh from standing on them during my yoga practice.  My hands may look kind of worn and older than my 32 years, but they are my tools, and to me, they're beautiful.


But, I will gladly go get a pedicure with you any time. :)

New Painting: If I Find My Way, How Much Will I Find?

New Painting

If I Find My Way, How Much Will I Find?

24" x 28"

Oil and Mixed Media on Canvas

Available

This painting will hang in the Dallas Public Library System's "It's All Just a Story" art exhibition this month, a group show where participating artists interpret a selected childhood story. This painting was inspired by Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden.

Detail

“One of the strange things about living in the world is that it is only now and then one is quite sure one is going to live forever and ever and ever. One knows it sometimes when one gets up at the tender solemn dawn-time and goes out and stands out and throws one's head far back and looks up and up and watches the pale sky slowly changing and flushing and marvelous unknown things happening until the East almost makes one cry out and one's heart stands still at the strange unchanging majesty of the rising of the sun--which has been happening every morning for thousands and thousands and thousands of years. One knows it then for a moment or so. And one knows it sometimes when one stands by oneself in a wood at sunset and the mysterious deep gold stillness slanting through and under the branches seems to be saying slowly again and again something one cannot quite hear, however much one tries. Then sometimes the immense quiet of the dark blue at night with the millions of stars waiting and watching makes one sure; and sometimes a sound of far-off music makes it true; and sometimes a look in someone's eyes.” 
― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

My Gift to You - Etsy Discount

And Then Came the Day
20" x 24"

This holiday season and always, I am so grateful to be able to live my art every day and could not do this without the support of my family, friends and the wonderful folks out there who follow my art.  

And You Will Rise Up Like the Sea

"Shhhh...Listen"
12" x 12"

As a way of saying thank you to my online friends, please enjoy FREE SHIPPING this month on all items in my online shop. Click on the link to view over 60 original paintings, prints and cards for sale. Simply use the code "UTOPIAPKWY" when you check out. Your support of my artistic endeavors, comments and likes add color to my every day. :)

Nw Painting, " Would You Even Know Me if Your Eyes Were Closed?"

36" x 48"

Oil and Mixed Media on Canvas

Available

Peace comes from within. 

Do not seek it without. 

~ Buddha

Was playing around with some new colors and working slightly larger than normal...a little out of my comfort zone, but that's when growth happens. 


I worked on this piece at the same time I was working on a commission in the same color scheme. The commission is totally abstract, but I felt like this one needed something more subjective, more tangible.  The idea of a branch came to mind and then the painting took on a life of its own.


I am often asked how long it takes me to complete a painting. it's so hard to quantify, as I work in so many stolen moments out in the studio of 10-30 minutes while the kids are occupied/napping/playing outside with me...but that works and has actually enmeshed with my process because the pieces contain many layers, many intricate applications of colors and drips and carvings and geometric shapes and lines one on top of the other, and in the end I feel like they are done when I have found a way to calm my monkey mind and resolve the busyness and find peace in my composition and in my heart. 


That's when I know they are done...when I look at a painting and feel peace. A peace I continue to feel when I close my eyes, which is sort of where the title came from.


It's crazy how the seasons influence my painting on a subconscious level: think about the tree from "Our True Nature" done in the Spring, 

and this new one, with its spicy , earthy, warm colors is so completely Fall...here's a detail pic:

New Painting, "TAKE ME AWAY, DOWN THE STAR MILE"

24" x 28" x 1.5"
Oil and Mixed Media on Canvas
Available


Music inspires me. One of my favorite ways to set the table for my muse is to pop in the Ipod with the playlist entitled "Studio" and let the music flow through me onto the canvas. This painting was inspired by the Joshua Radin song, "Star Mile" below:

old doubt and a girl by your side she's feeding your pride
as you go for a ride
down the star mile
worlds rise as she lets you come in
a duo begins to the hollywood din
of the lonely 

and all the gold dust in her eyes
won't reform into a ring
you had and lost the one thing
you kept in a safe place
remember the face
the girl who had made you her own
and how you left her alone 

all's well at the base of the hill
you might need to fill
a prescription to kill
off the sirens
look down from your tower on high
and take in the night
look her right in the eye
she'll listen 

and all the gold dust in her eyes
won't reform into a ring
you had and lost the one thing
you kept in a safe place
remember the face
the girl who had made you her own
and how you left her alone


life comes to those that'll choose
the regular news
over playing the blues with the light on


and if you burn the road that'll lead you
back to her in time
i'll watch you turn to stone
can't find the sublime
she's moving on without you
the tide breaks
you watch the stars fake
they gather you back to their homes
i guess it's better than being alone

The Seven Project

About a month ago I was approached to be part of The Seven Project, a collaborative art project that is the brainchild of Peruvian-born, Denton-based Visual Artist and Creative Director, Christian Millet.  This project is a revolutionary concept, and a new way for Artists to work together.  As solitary Artists we are often left to our own devices to toil away in the studio, struggling to explore and develop concepts on our own, all the while keeping our process under wraps. This project turns that upside down and introduces a completely new way to work together.


Here's the bare bones of it:

About	The Seven Project is a collaboration between 7 artists from different styles and backgrounds. The idea is to create 7 fine art pieces between 7 artists in 7 days each.

Each of the 7 pieces will be a timed, rotational collaboratiosn between all artists. Considering that the 7 artists live in various cities throughout North Texas, this is a challenge in and of itself. To make this even more challenging to the artists (and to the project itself), each artist has been assigned a different rotational process point for each piece created. Once the compilation of all 7 pieces has been completed, we will mount an exhibition (to be announced) to benefit a local charity. Artists Liz London, Carolyn Collins, Gina Marie Dunn, Nix Johnson, Taylor McClure, Christian Millet, Richard Ross, with Exhibit Direction provided by Frankie Garcia of FGIIIART The most meaningful part of this project is that the fruits of our labor, these seven collaborative projects, are going to be auctioned off with proceeds benefitting  Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women's Leadership School. This DISD school is the first public all-girls' public school in Texas whose mission is to provide young ladies in grades 6-12 with a global education preparing them to be empowered leaders of tomorrow. It has been an amazing journey thus far to work with such an esteemed group of Artists who are dedicated to producing quality work.  That's not to say this project has been easy: pieces have been tricky to transport, transportation itself all over North Texas has been a beast, artists have dropped off the radar as life gets in the way, and perhaps the biggest challenge of all has been maintaining a level of sophistication and depth in each piece. The chemistry between our group is amazing, especially considering that many of us had never met before.  We are visionaries, caretakers, organizers, cheerleaders, creative directors, media mavens, workhorses...and together our collective voice offers a platform far greater than any of us could reach alone. It has been exhilarating to work with such an esteemed group of Artists producing quality work and I am honored and proud to be a part of this team.  We are unveiling the Project in Highland Park on November 5. Find us on Facebook. Follow our progress and support an original project undertaken for a good cause, the empowerment of young women. Stay tuned for details. It's going to be big...

San Miguel De Allende 2011

An end of summer hiatus in San Miguel. Third time was a charm. Long days, filled with family and friends from around the world. Watched our children run in the courtyards. Ate mango that tasted like heaven. Discovered curiosity after curiosity in the local markets. Captivated by artisanal handmade treasures. Danced to mariache bands and margarita sunsets. Gazed in bewildered awe at ancient cathedrals. Soaked the culture up in my bones.



Now we are home. Inspired. Renewed. Ready to paint, teach and write. Collaborating with others to give them a voice and in exchange find my own.

New Painting, "Remain Fluid in All Things"

12" x 12" x 1.5"
Oil and Mixed on Canvas
Available HERE

When I completed this painting, I was reminded of the Charles Bukowski Poem, below...

no help for that / Charles Bukowski

there is a place in the heart that
will never be filled

a space

and even during the
best moments
and
the greatest
times

we will know it

we will know it
more than
ever

there is a place in the heart that
will never be filled

and

we will wait
and
wait

in that
space.

~ You Get So Alone At Times That It Just Makes Sense, 1986

And isn’t this the truth?  The space haunts me. It follows me around wherever I go, no matter who I’m with, at any given moment. At the darkest moments, it feels like a gaping hole in my small universe. At other times, the space is shallow, but it’s never full.

This space is restlessness, a longing for more, not be confused with unhappiness or depression. It’s fidgeting, constantly going and moving and talking and thinking. For me, it is a fear of never feeling complete or always adrift in the world.  But here's the thing I focused on while painting this piece...that's not always a bad thing.

But even in the best of times, times when I should feel like I have it all, there is a glint of something missing…

I have always thought that I just wasn’t occupying the space with the right things. It is an ongoing challenge for me to be comfortable there. So, I have always tried to fill it. I have tried to cover it up with family obligations, friendships, yoga, partying and work. But, I realize now, the space can never be filled.

As Bukowski writes, there is no help for that. The space will always be with us. What I strive to do is learn to accept it and face the insecurity, rather than fill it.

The space is not supposed to take us over. It is there to remind us that there is more and there will always be more. It is our motivation to continue searching for those things and people that keep the space small. And  there is nothing wrong with that faint indication of longing…

New Painting,"The Valley in the Middle of My Soul"

The Valley of the Middle of My Soul

30" x 40" x 1.5"d

Oil and Mixed Media on Canvas

Available

" A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving." -Lao Tzu

This painting began as a study for a larger commissioned painting. I was able to play with the colors and textures and movements that felt right instead of worrying what was manifesting itself on the canvas met the requirements of the Client. In a sense, it came from a more authentic place. It evolved through me, flowed from somewhere in the valley of the middle of my soul...hence the title.

Detail

It struck me how much significance this piece had in and of itself. It is a part of the journey, and the journey itself is home.The path to enlightenment--and more practically, the path to mental, physical, and spiritual peace--begins, like most journeys, with a leap of faith. Through philosophical enquiry of just a basic surrendering of something we refer to as "ego," we may take the first steps of learning.