More New Tea Towels!

Hi there. How are you?

I'm excited to share my new expanded tea towel line with you. I've added 2 new designs that I'm very proud of.

New screen printed tea towels are here! Click to purchase.

Filling out the dala horse line

As my long time patrons know, this is not my first foray into Dala horses. I did this initial illustration back in 2012 and it went over big in my very Swedish hometown. After making and selling at least 3 originals, I put this dala on cards, prints, pillows, and pins. Even after almost 5 years, my dala products are consistently top sellers.

For the past 5 years, my dala products have been top sellers.

This is that dala horse that sits our living room. Matt and I got it as a wedding present (I think?)

I've got a thing for hearts too

Hearts have shown up in my work for years. Back in 2011, I had my first solo gallery show at JR Kortman Galleryright around Valentines Day. I made a series of small collages with a heart motif to sprinkle in among my chair pieces. They were a big hit. See my name in there? I wasn't even married yet!

Mixed media heart art I made back in 2011. All have since been sold.

"Recycled" hearts

The hearts I used for my tea towel began their life life as a coloring page. I gave it away as a freebie to my mailing list last year.

I first used this pattern as a freebie for my mailing list. Want to join the fun? Click the photo and join. You'll get a whole bundle of coloring pages!

My new hand printed "hearted" tea towel is now for sale. Click through to purchase.

Now, it's a darn cute tea towel that I'm proud to add to my existing line. I've now got 6 different tea towel designs all in stock. You really should buy one of each, don't you think? :-)

Click here to see all of my tea towel designs.

My newest hand printed tea towel designs feature a dala horse and hearts. Click through to purchase!

Well, that's all for this week.

I'll be back next week with a sale. Ciao.

P.S. If you enjoy the work that I make, please share this post with your pals. Thanks!

New Work. New Inspiration.

Hi there. How are you?

For the past month, my studio time has been very limited.  Life has simply gotten in the way! Finally, things are slowing down and are mostly back to normal.  It's time to get back to work!  I'm looking forward to a productive July.

An new abstract drawing.

This new original drawing is shown here with a virtual frame. Click to purchase!

Virtual Framing is Cool!

I just finished up this new piece last night. With the power of Photoshop, I was able to show it here in a "virtual" frame. Adding that frame gives it a little more polish. Don't you agree?

Inspired by a Walkabout

You may notice that this hole motif is new. It was inspired by something I noticed along my neighborhood walk the other day.  Light was breaking through the leaves on a tree to create this pattern on the sidewalk. I'm quite taken with this idea, so expect to see more in this style in the future!

Ballpoint pen, Prismacolor marker, and a white gel pen were used to create this abstract work. Click to purchase!

An Experiment with Color

I also did a little experimentation with Prismacolor marker last week. If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you probably read/saw the struggle I had with this piece. I almost ruined it when I added the marker!

I shared this artistic misstep online. (I think it's good to show the good, bad, and the ugly sometimes!) I was overwhelmed by the positive feedback I received upon posting. Some liked it as was, others had suggestions on how rectify the composition. All that virtual love was inspiring, and I decided to give this piece another shot. The next morning, armed with some good suggestions, I went back into the studio. With just a little bit of white gel pen and a touch more black ballpoint, I was able to resolve this composition.

All three of these original drawings are now available in my shop. Click to purchase!

Now Available

All three of these new original pieces are available in my shop. They all measure 8.5" x 11" and would work as a trio or could stand alone. I've decided to offer these drawings unframed for a couple of reasons. Framed pieces are difficult and costly to ship and I also think it's nice to be able to tailor frames to your own taste and decor. This pieces were all intended to fit in a standard 8" x 10" frame, which are available everywhere.

One More Thing......

Would you like to purchase these pieces as prints? Do let me know and I will be happy to oblige. Thank you for your continued patronage friends!

Ciao.

How to Get Out of a Creative Funk

Hi there. How are you?  

I drew this pattern in my sketchbook the other night. I must admit, I love this one! It's organic, a little bit elegant, and very much me.  I don't know how I will use this new pattern yet, but you will see it somewhere. Maybe on a card? Maybe in a coloring book? Perhaps on a textile? (Stay tuned!) 

This drawing came to be after hours of creative struggle. Read on.....

A pattern drawing from my sketchbook.

In a Funk

Before I made the drawing you see here, I was working one some drawings for a new coloring page. (I'm not going to share it with you because it was CRAP!) Everything I was drawing looked forced. I was frustrated. No good was going to come from these drawings.

Instead of sticking with it, I opened my sketchbook to an empty page and let my pen wander.

I came up with this new pattern by loosening up and letting my pen wander around the page.

Loosen Up!

This is what I drew. The shape that became the repeating element in my pattern organically emerged from this doodle. Just as I've said time and time again, the looser I am the more the work flows. All I had to do was loosen up and turn off my inner critic.  Just moving that pen along the page with little thought and absolutely no judgement was enough to get me out of my creative funk.

If you're struggling with your creative work, try this!

Seriously, just get out a piece of paper and your favorite drawing implement and let your hand wander. It's terribly therapeutic!  (If you do try this, I'd love to hear about it and see your efforts.)

My other favorite ways to get out of a funk include walking, cleaning, and organizing. Just a change of scenery, rote, mindless movement/activity is usually enough to get me in a better space. (The time I spent today removing excess mortar from the shower floor tile we are installing in our new bathroom was incredibly therapeutic!)

What do you do to get yourself out of a creative funk? Do share!

That's all for today. Ciao, and Happy Thanksgiving Week!

PS. If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your pals