Facing Your Fears

Help! I really need to start working on a piece for the show called Facing Your Fears that the Launch Pad Gallery is organizing.  The piece is due at the end of the month, and I have no idea what I am going to do.

I am afraid of lots of things- I am an overly cautious person, I am the type of person whom if I leave the front door unlocked, I will convince myself that there could be an axe murder in the house.  :) So maybe I have too many fears to choose from and that is the issue.

One of Tim's biggest fears is spiders, and here are some big gross ones hanging around my house (on the outside).

Green

Painting of NW Portland- in the industrial district.  Portland is generally known as being such a green place,but it's funny when you go out to the industrial district, there isn't much trace of the green.

I really struggled with the railroad tracks and the gravel.  I do love how my little Basco sign turned out.

Parisan Painting

A painting from Paris- this is right by the Louvre and it was a beautiful day.  This was our first day in Paris and everyone kept telling us to stay awake and no sleeping the first day because that would adjust our body clocks the fastest to European time.  We were walking around like zombies, but we caved and eventually cracked and did do a evening nap.

The Parisians kept talking about how rare of a gorgeous day, since they got a lot of rain over the summer.  Oil on Canvas 12x12

Monday Motivation

Alright I am all business this week.  I am going to get a lot of work done and I am Captain Motivation! I'll have some painting pics up tomorrow! Woohoo! I hope everyone had a good weekend, it was gorgeous here on Saturday.   

  My sisters, nieces and nephews were all in town and I was subjected to family time. My nieces and nephews are all little kids with out sensors while running and screaming.  I was actually surprised at my parental tone when I told the kids to not touch my dog's eyes and they should drink their milk like a grown up instead of with a spoon and spitting it back into the cup.

Both my sisters tell me- ""This is just birth control, Erika."

ATC ! woohoo!

I agreed to do an artist trading card for Portland Open Studios, they give them as a little Valentine to all of the press organizations that they use.   Isn't he cute?  Portland Open Studios is vast approaching which I am a little freaked out about.

 Have a creative weekend everyone!

No Place Like Home

I just finished reading No Place Like Home by Brooke Berman and it's a memoir about a playwrite trying to basically make it New York City. I thought it was fitting for my trip to NYC- since we both share that magnetic pull to New York.

MOMA

I was a little heart broken on my MOMA visit because the 4th floor was closed. :( So I didn't get to visit my Jackson Pollock painting or my Lichtenstein painting. It's awesome how you can take pics of the artwork. Here are a couple pics of some of the paintings I love from current and previous trips.

Alice Neel

Jackson Pollock

Monet

I heart NYC

Oh New York- how I love you. I need to devise a plan to move to New York City. I don't think I could ever get my husband to leave Oregon permanently. I love to travel but sometimes you go to a place and you know you are more then likely to never really go back. New York City is my place and I love everything about it and I can't ever get enough- it's almost magical.

The Buildings.. The People.. The Art... The food. .. The Shopping. I instantly feel inspired in New York City and I could just sit and watch. In New York City I feel like I have nothing to lose.

Up Up and Away!

Yah I leave for NYC later this week :) and I am already in the count down.

Once I get back I need to be focused and be in the studio for all the million projects I have coming up. Yes a million!

Here is a beautiful picture of Sauvie's Island and the funny part is that this is a nude beach. All the naked people are behind me while I took the picture- and no I was not naked. Haha.

Have a great weekend!

I just watched this incredible documentary The Art of Failure about an artist Chuck Connelly whom makes it and then looses it all. Well at least he thinks he has lost it all.

Have a great weekend! Hopefully we will see a smidget of sunshine.

Preposterous!

Launch Pad Gallery is having an interactive show this Friday called the "The Writings on the Wall."I thought that this was such a neat idea for a show. The gallery provides hundreds of 3X5 cards with push pins/markers and empty wall space- and it's an experiment of words mixed with interaction. There is also an open mic for improvisation and a little bit of live painting.
I pre-made my cards since I have a tendency to freeze in large groups of people. I think it's the introvert in me. :) I picked some of my favorite words- "obnoxious" and "preposterous." Why do I even like these words? Maybe the way they are said or maybe the fact the word can be used as statement and doesn't even need a whole sentence.

What are your favorite words?

A little motivation..

I meet up about once every other week with one of my close girl friends and we talk strategy. I think the most difficult thing about being on my own is that it's all me! Sometimes it can be extremely overwhelming with all of the choices and all of things that need to happen. Always at the end of our pow-wow, I feel like I am back on track.

Here is a little inspiration for Wednesday, and some more pics from our last trip from Europe of the Mediterranean. The water/sky is so calming, isn't it?

"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step." Martin Luther King JR

Drinking while Painting.

I keep thinking today is Monday and I can't believe summer is gone! Can you believe it? I am sitting in a coffee shop and I am already wearing my winter jacket.

We snuck out of town for the long weekend with the trees and the dogs with the goal of wanting and needing to recharge the batteries. Mission accomplished! I slept, ate cookies, watched movies, walked around barefoot in the grass, and of course painted. Well.. what I learned drinking cocktails and painting doesn't mix. I mostly doodled.. :)

Also we got a call that there was a black bear on the loose. My first question was- Do you stand still or do you run? Thank goodness, we never saw the bear.

I hope you enjoyed your Labor Day :).

it's a bird! it's a plane!

The Orly Paris Airport- which I think is the more attractive out of the two Paris airports. :)
I am so ready for the weekend and to enjoy Labor Day. Have a long creative weekend cyberspace!

Paris...

Thoughts are in Paris today..

The Artist Way

Do you ever feel the need to revisit a book? I have been thinking maybe I need to reread The Artist Way by Julia Cameron. I feel like I need some help focusing and staying on track.

I always wondered if people kept up with all of the tips or even some of the tips in the book.

Paris Airport

Here is a little sketch from my sketch book- the airport in Paris. Oh Paris- how I miss you..

New York- Here I come!

I am super excited! I am going to New York City in a few weeks and I just love love love New York.
I need to start working on my itinerary so that I can squeeze in all of my favorite museums and visit some of my favorite paintings. I think so far I have on the list, MOMA, Frick, Brooklyn Musuem, and the Guggenheim.

I need recommendations for New York anything :)