:: blarg ::
{ about face }
Monday Dec 19 | Jane
I like being busy. My brain works better when my dance card is full and I tend to be a bit happier as well.
Sadly, my body doesn't much care for it. Generally speaking, I don't deal with stress or anxiety very well (I tend to get insomnia, or run-down, or full-stop sick), recently my anxiety and stress took a change of course and manifested itself in the form of a nasty case of perioral dermatitis (that's FANCY for face rash - $40, please), the cure for which being the same meds that are prescribed to people afflicted with LEPROSY.
Damnation, Y'all.
That said, things are going well (facial-hideousness-be-damned). I have three shows coming up in February ( two group, one solo), two collaborative projects a'brewin' and a solo show scheduled for June.
And, not for nothing, I'm very fortunate to have some truly lovely friends in my life - one of whom, The Divination Diva, pulled this badass card today:
10 of Cups: Fulfillment. Here we must learn to be fully present and participate in fulfillment, and enjoy it. Let all of your emotions truly be yours. Satisfaction is hard to stay with. We are often looking forward to the next issue or challenge. Stay with it a bit, enjoy what we have earned now. Let's enjoy the goodness this life can offer. This card invites us to celebrate life with our chosen family. This can be called the happy endings card...the moment at the end of the film where everyone is happy, all problems are resolved and the credits roll...so we can just linger in that moment and not plan the issues for the sequel 
Good stuff to keep in mind. Happy Holidays everyone - I hope you get everyting that you want and want for nothing!
.
{ holiday show at Leedy-Voulkos Art Center }
Wednesday Nov 30 | Jane
I am super happy to be a part of the Holiday Show at Leedy-Voulkos Art Center! The show opens this December 2nd and will run through January 28th with an opening reception this Friday from 6-9.
See you there?
PS - here is a sneak peek at one of the drawings in the show (please forgive the crappy photo)
{ studio }
Saturday Nov 12 | Jane
Things have been stupidbusy lately - I'm really happy to be working and the studio is finally starting to feel like my place. Wanna see? Lookie!
I've been collecting images for inspiration for a while now - random stuff, but stuff that I like to look at just the same. I'm not sure how all of these things will tie in together, but here is a peek at it in no particular order:
{ whoa }
Tuesday Oct 11 | Jane
My goodness, it's been a while. The process of buying a house, selling a house and moving into the house that I bought pretty much took over everything this summer and I am just now getting back to something that feels relatively normal. To wit, this week I put pencil to paper for the first time in months - I've missed it so much and it has felt really wonderful (and incredibly humbling) to be working again on something.
After being free of any kind of deadlines for nearly a year (A YEAR), I am happy to have a few new projects lined up that I'm excited about :
- I'm collaborating with my brother who is in the process of getting his first novel published. John asked me to make some preliminary character sketches which will be shown on his website - I will provide links and images as this project moves along.
- My friend Nancy Greer Weber has asked me to make a small show for her salon, Vincent and Greer and the space is so amazing! The best part - besides having my work in her gorgeous space - is that the pieces I've been experimenting with will work really well there. I love it when things come together unexpectedly.
- Thirdly, my cousin Sara got herself hitched recently and one of the awesome bi-products of her wonderful wedding was forming a new friendship with an incredible couple (what's up Missy and Ajit!) In addition to having new friends, I'm excited to be doing a trade with the lovely and talented Missy DiPiero-D'sa!
Managing my time will be the tough part - it always is - and I'm hoping to avoid the anxiety-fueled insomnia situtation that happened that one time (shudder). Fingers are tightly crossed.
{ this one is on the house }
Friday Jun 24 | Jane
Things have been nutballs upinhere.
We spent the first two weeks of June traveling for out-of-town weddings (congratulations to Brian's sister Heather and her husband Cory - and to Caron and Patrick Parnell) and we up and bought a house WHILE we were traveling...you know, like you do. Because we are real estate moguls. (no, we are not). I am very excited about the new house - it will be a good move for the kiddos and I will actually have a studio space to work in. I've been gradually moving my belongings over to the new space this week and it's been a bittersweet process - I've loved being able to work in close proxemity to Linda Lighton (I have rented a space in her building off and on for 10 years and some change) as well as the other artists who work at the Allsman building and I will miss being there. That said, I am excited to NOT be trying to make drawings at my dining room table at 3 in the morning under the dim light of a clip-on lamp, I think I'm just surprised a bit by my own sentimentality over moving.
Anyways - this is the deck behind the new digs - I fell in love with this deck and am already looking forward to having big outdoor dinners on it and then passing out directly under it.
Because of the pending move, I have made very little artwork lately and I have to say that it feels really weird. I'm looking forward to setting up a good work space and getting my hand back drawing-wise - it can't happen soon enough.
I did finish one piece that I have been making for a very dear friend of mine. Her name is Amy and she was diagonosed with a very rare kind of cancer this April - she recently underwent a pretty scary sounding, aggressive surgery and I am very glad to write that she has been doing really well since then, though her recovery from it will take a while. She had asked me a to make something for her to hang on her wall - I finished the piece today and will be either mailing it or delivering it to her in person very soon!
(colored pencil, paint pen on wood panel, 2011)
{ pink eye }
Tuesday May 10 | Jane
I finally finished a drawing that I've been working on for a while. Prints of the original drawing are now for sale at my Etsy shop, Heart Full Of Break.
{ pretty pretties and linky links }
Monday May 9 | Jane
This Mother's Day was a stand-out for sure - we were supposed to be in St. Louis over the weekend to attend my sister-in-law's bridal shower, but unfortunately both kids got sick on Friday (the likes of which can best be described as BARFAGEDDON) and our travel plans got cut.
Luckily the kids both got better and the weekend was warm and sunny (and thank fucking Christ for that, I was getting so pissy and depressed from our lack of a real Spring, this weekend was the first in months in which I haven't fallen asleep with a space heater blowing directly on my face). I was able to run, do yoga at the Nelson Museum lawn with instructor/artist Maria Calderon and I was the recipient of some awesome loot! My son Danger Butter gave* me Christopher Elbow chocolates and my daughter Wee - who insisted on dressing me yesterday (see enclosed photo) and whose sartorial sense has been head and shoulders above mine from day one - gave* me a gift certificate to Donna's Dress Shop and she and I had a lucrative shopping date! We picked an awesome calico print sundress with some '70s detailing and I will probably wear it everyday until it falls off of me in tatters, like I do.
Which brings me to my next point. I've been looking at a lot of fashion blogs lately, hoping that my late-night, insomnia-fueled, internets-trolling would result in my becoming a better dresser - this slightly obsessive habit endeavor has been a huge source of inspiration for me to draw from, though more for the actual drawings I am experimenting with. I am super impressed with one in particular - Alexandra Grecco's blog - her pieces are stunning, the photography is beautiful and her posts are well-written. I've been really floored by these young, smart, creative women who are out there doing interesting things (Hannah Metz and Tara-Lynn Morrison are both favorites of mine - and these lovely ladies all seem to be well-aquainted with one another as well)! I think the connections between different art forms (film, dance, literature, music, fashion and good ol' fashioned visual arts like drawing, painting and sculpture) have always been there, but to me they seem blurrier than ever now.
It might just be my particular mood, but lately my hole-ridden brain has been pre-occupied with concepts of broken-hearted devotion, poorly-executed (but well-meaning) displays of adoration, pretty ladies shedding heart-shaped tears, elaborately coiffed hair, and Mr. Tesla. For some reason, the fashion blogs are helping to tap into those strange little corners of my mind....
Anyways, I highly recommend checking out Alexanra Grecco's Etsy shop as well as her website - her garments are vintage and ballet inspired and man-oh-man did they blow my skirt up. Super pretty.
*Obviously my husband was behind the giving of awesome gifts and such, for which I am extremely thankful. Bee really knocked it out of the park this weekend!
http://stayfancyfree.blogspot.com/, http://hannahandlandon.blogspot.com/, http://www.alexandragrecco.com/
{ you are old garbage }
Wednesday May 4 | Jane
A few weeks ago I posted a story on frothygirlz.com about my daughter's particular gift for administering a well-worded insult. The story amused the likes of my sister, Anne (writer/gallerina/bunny-owner/soft-things-enthusiast) and my friend, Hilah (food blogger/web-show-hosting/musician/force-of-nature) - both of whom encouraged me via The Twitter to make tee shirts bearing the phrase made popular by my child, YOU ARE OLD GARBAGE. When two ladies and general badasses such as these tell you to do something, it is best to do it - and so I did. I'm selling prints of the original drawing here on my etsy shop (and am presently considering making a limited run of more tee shirts to sell there as well...)
<----Here is Anne, modeling hers
<--- And Hilah, modeling hers
And finally, Josephine, modeling her customized version (she requested two heads, 'to better scare daddy with') ---->