Thursday, November 30, 2017

Autumn 2017 New Dog

I took quite a challenge creating my Chinese Crested dog. I knew it would take more time with all the hair but I fell in love with this dog once I saw them. The eyes that are somewhat hidden yet speak to the heart with so much love. The hairless body just wanting to be held. They really do need and love us. I just wish more people could see that.  Who could not love these dogs!





I have been working between my dogs and some more mixed media this fall. With a few shows coming up next year I need to get prepared! Mounting the dogs to the panels, creating more work while coming up with some new work takes quite some time, but I love what I do.

In the meantime, I keep collecting found objects whether in thrift stores or on the streets, there is always something to find if one just keeps looking. I will be posting my new work soon so stay tuned!


Monday, October 16, 2017

Recently I have been jotting down some goals that I want to achieve by the end of this year and the end of next year. One is to get my art out there in my local community. I live in an area that does not  have much appreciation for the arts. My location is much more into sports. Me not being one that is into sports puts me at a great disadvantage as I am on the other end of the spectrum of interests.

I did over the summer attend an art fair that did "ok" for my first one. I sold a couple of pieces of artwork which was good; of course would like to have sold more, but it is what it is.

I also brought these three mixed media pieces I did earlier on at a local resort art gallery. It will be for a short time as it is getting near the end of tourist season.
Mixed Media Collage 10" x 10"

Mixed Media Collage 10" x 10"

Mixed Media Collage 10" x 10"


These mixed media pieces incorporated some of my "findings" at garage sales and flea markets. Parts of old books, metal pieces, skewers, hand made papers and lots of texture to name a few of the components that went into these. 

I really like collage a lot as it really lets me express what I am feeling. I tend to like the weathered and aged look (boy I sure hope I don't resemble those two aspects)! 

Tuesday, September 26, 2017


A while back I started playing with Yupo and Terraskin paper. I wanted to see if there was a difference or one I liked over the other when applying acrylic paint. 

I found that I liked both! But I will say it seemed the Terraskin was more stronger to withstand my mark making. When I applied varnish both seem to warp the same but once I laid some weight on them, both came out flat.

I found I absolutely love working on either of these papers. Most of my paint was applied with a brayer, which is a plus for me, as I love the unpredictability of using a brayer and the geometric like lines I get with it. 

Some subtraction was achieved with stencils to give it even more depth. And you know how I love letters and numbers in my work!

Acrylic and Ink on Terraskin 11" x 14"


                Adding mark making with various types of pen and ink adds another dimension. 

Acrylic and Ink on Terraskin Paper 11" x 14"


                                                  Acrylic and Ink on Yupo Paper 11" x 14"

Although I love my oil and cold wax I will definitely be exploring more on both of these papers with acrylics!

Friday, August 4, 2017

Art Show in July

Well I did my first official art show in Moose Lake Minnesota. I had just found out a few months before of the show, so never had the chance to "scope it out" the year before to see what it would be like, so I just went in head first.

What I found was quite true what people say, "go a year before and see what type of show it will be." This is good to see what type of work vendors are bringing and the crowds in the area. Well like I said I never had that chance, but I am doing it now with other shows in Minnesota.

There were a lot of crafters that may have had nice stuff, just not fine art. I did bring some of my jewelry and upcycled clothing I have made in the past (yes I wear many hats), and those did seem to sell.

I did sell a couple of my smaller collage art so I can't say I didn't sell any artwork, just would like to have sold more. But hey, it was my first official show. Here is one of the collage art that sold.

                                               "Mom, I'm Going Places" Collage 6" x 6"

 This one was inspired by my 8 year old granddaughter who wants to be a scientist someday. When I saw this picture in an old vintage book, I had to use it. At the time I did not know how I was going to incorporate it, but I knew I had to use it. It just seemed to fall into place as a lot of other things I do.

"Sing Me a Song" was another that pulled together nicely. I especially like how the postcard with the bird "fit in."

                                                   "Sing Me a Song" Collage 6" x 6"





A nice gentlemen popped in my area and stopped to look at my work. This one in particular caught his eye. I explained to him that I was just looking inside some old books when I came across this picture with these two little girls, looking like they were heading off to some new adventure with their suitcase in hand.

As I pieced this one together with an old letter, some mulberry paper, collage papers, an old book spine, a bamboo skewer, and some coffee beans, it was not until a day later I found a nice surprise.

I was looking in another book and there was this little treasure. Hand written words on a piece of paper that had been tucked in the book, someone from so long ago. It seemed to be some titles of some kind, and one said "The Two Sisters" I remember my excitement when I found this because I knew exactly where I was going to put this, in the piece with the two little girls. I love when things like this happen!



The other thing that struck me after this is that my two sisters and I love coffee. There was something telling me to put the coffee beans on this collage. At the time I didn't know why, but now it all makes sense.

I am excited to try some more collage this weekend, but we are painting the exterior of our house, and the lawn needs mowed, the laundry needs to be done etc, so somewhere I will have to squeeze some of my "therapy" in.

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

Throwing Paint

                           Teals and Warm Tones Abstract. Acrylic Paint on Canvas 12" x 12"

Some days I just feel like throwing paint on the canvas and wait to see what I come up with. No certain intentions, just intuition. The evening I painted this was a result of my" intuitive" side.

Did it turn like I expected it to? Maybe not, but it sure felt good to let go of the days busy schedule!

Sometimes we need to listen to our inner voice that sometimes holds us back or says "why not just let go." I find that when I paint like this, I am in the mode and nothing else really matters, well really not true......

Yesterday, another beautiful soul left us. Chester Bennington from Linkin Park. Recently Chris Cornell passed away too. I am in shock and heartbroken and at a loss for words.

When Chester sang the lyrics "in the end it doesn't even matter" in In The End, it really does matter...to me. I have direction of where I want to go in life, no matter how long it takes.

I started back my art later in life than I would like to have, but what is important is I did. Instead of saying "what if?" I am working hard at making it a reality, even at my age now.

Most of my waking moments are thinking of creating, and what I hope to achieve when I do my artwork. Many evenings I have a goal or thought in my mind of what I am going to do. Some evenings I am not so sure, I just do. As long as I create, and know I did the best I could that day, then it is ok.

Because in the end, it really does matter.

Tuesday, July 18, 2017


When we were having these little fur babies a few years back we were pretty much set in not keeping anymore. Then along came Topo. Short and stocky, he has an attitude of iron yet melts when you hold him. 

He is our little "mouse man" I called him, hence, that is how he got the name Topo, after little Topo Gigio from the Ed Sullivan show back in December of 1962.

"Topo" Chihuahua Mixed Media on Paper 16" x 20"

I had to incorporate him into one of my Urban Collage Dog series which shows his perky bright and energetic personality.

Making handmade papers and searching for the right ones on my many adventures is quite time consuming. Yet, that is the joy in making these collage dogs. 

I am also looking at adding some of my ephemera to these dogs as I love many types of collage. I would keep with the color schemes I have been using though as they are my favorite color combination on the planet.

I am currently working on more dogs and hope that they will someone else happy with their fur babies!



Wednesday, June 28, 2017

Dogs and Newfound Objects

                                                "Elliott" Mixed Media on Paper 16" x 20"

I love the coming of summer days. Winter in Minnesota can be quite long, even if it is a short one. This year Spring came sooner than usual so it was a blessing in my neck of the woods.

With the nice weather, my daughter Jessie has been taking our corgi for a walk almost daily. She has such a keen eye to look for objects that I can use in my art while she is walking. She knows exactly what I like; rusty, worn, forgotten or tossed metal that has been run over by cars. I came home from work today and she had found an old rusty paint can lid that some of the metal has completely rusted away. I am getting quite the collection. I am working on some collage work with these found objects and will be posting them soon.

For now I have been working a lot on the urban dogs. This one is our corgi Elliott. He absolutely loves to walk and is really such a great companion. I am sure he wonders what Jessie (his mom) is doing with all these found object she has been picking up and plucking in her bag!

Well those found objects are finding their way into some of my recent work, which I will be posting shortly.




Friday, June 16, 2017

More Dog Art

I love all dogs. I am a dog mamma. That's it.

I own four Chihuahuas and a Corgi (who his mamma is actually my daughters, so I am termed his "grand mamma"

Every day I come home from work, I am exhausted with both of course the working, but also the strongest desire that I needed to paint or collage all day, yet could not. What is also exhausting or should I say, overwhelming, is all I have to do before I can get to my art. Most nights I wish as soon as I walk in the door, hold each of my Chihuahuas individually, Loretta usually gets her way and is the first to be held, change clothes and get to my art.

One evening my daughter (who owns the Corgi) showed me a video with a chihuahua and an Italian Greyhound. I absolutely fell in love with the Italian Greyhound!

I had done some previous work on an earlier dog series my Boho Dogs, and had done an Italian Greyhound as one of the first few here,

                                     "Italian Greyhound" Pastel on Rives BFK Paper 22" x 30"

and later on when I started my Urban Collage Dogs series I of course, had to do an Italian Greyhound again.

My Urban Collage Dogs consist of handmade and store bought collage papers, acrylic paint, stenciling and pens on watercolor paper.


                                        "Italian Greyhound" Mixed Media on Paper 16" x 20"

I can say I love my pastel dogs but as I have been doing more collage work, these collage dogs are becoming addicting! The ripping up the paper whether they are store bought or hand made are desirable in itself! This one I also used a piece of punchinella on the chest. I think in time I will be adding more elements to these. Only time will tell.

Friday, May 26, 2017

My World Has Gone to the Dogs

So much I want to create and so little time! I have so many ideas for my art and I am somewhat frustrated due to lack of time. Yet, in these frustrating times, one somehow finds a way.




It is a usual dilemma that artists run into sometimes to have so many ideas and not sure where to start. My inspiration a lot of times comes from my dogs.

Late last year I had an old canvas lying around that my daughter had drawn the outline on a few years ago, of our beloved Chihuahua Aiden who suddenly passed away a couple of years ago. The canvas sitting there for a couple of years with just the initial outline, not sure what I was going to do with it, figured I would just gesso over it and go from there. I decided one day that I did not have the heart to cover “Aiden” so figured I would try to make something of it.

What started with acrylic paint in the background, soon led to collage papers I had in my stash, some handmade, some store bought. I also have always had a love for urban art and collage, so decided this was how I was going to go about this piece.

I of course, reached for my two favorite colors, oranges and blues and decided to stick with that.

                                           "Aiden" Collage Mixed Media on Paper 16 x 20

As the artwork emerged it became clear to me what I needed to, was to do more!
I became hooked on these as my love for dogs is so great (we currently have four Chihuahuas and a Corgi). So this is how my Urban Collage Dog Series started!

Each one is done on watercolor paper that has been under painted and pastel primed for texture. From there just collage, stencils, some mixed media materials, with some paint along the way!
I hope you enjoy this series as much as I have. I am currently working on more, so more on the way!

Monday, May 22, 2017

All Things Rusty and Weathered

There is something about the color combination of teal and rust or copper that draws me closer every time I see it. Old weathered buildings, rusted metal, decaying walls, and patina. It just makes me stop dead in my tracks and I have to get a closer look.

Why do certain things attract someone where there are no concrete answers as to why? Maybe it was my upbringing living close to the cities in California. Or maybe now living in Minnesota and seeing all the rusted tractors and farm equipment on my way to work? Or could it be something deep inside that is begging to get out?  I do know one thing, I tend to pick up these colors a lot when I paint.

I took this photo of a copper flower with gears in the middle at an arboretum not far from my home. I like the "steampunk" feel to it. Again, I am drawn to objects like this and these colors.



This particular painting came to me one evening as I was settling down from my busy day. I don't particularly remember what I was thinking of at the time, or even what music I was listening to, but that evening I felt I needed to paint with abandon, to let go, and not think about the outcome.

Sometimes I feel my best work comes when I do not give it much thought, I just do it.

Loose flowing brush strokes were the key to this painting, while adding and subtracting paint was the start of this piece. Warming up with bigger deliberate moves with my arm helped to get the feel of this type of painting. Drips gave a "grungy" feel to the painting. I added the rust tones to give it a nice warmth to the cool tones in the painting. The circle to the left gives a nice balance and dramatic effect of warm color.

                                                          Acrylic on Canvas 18 x 18

Although my art is always evolving, (what artist is not?) I feel I am being drawn into a direction that actually makes sense to me. Only time will tell where I go.

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Time to Reflect on What's Most Important

I spend my days all the time reflecting what is most is most important to me. My family first and foremost. What I struggle with is being able to spend enough time with them. That is why I am pretty excited though now as in the early summer months I have plans to be with my son Hayden and my grandson Avery in St. Paul, and then my daughter Angie and two grand kids Anna and Will in Moose Lake.

Life really does get in the way with time constraints so I really cherish these times.

Spending time on my art is another challenge as it seems there just is not enough hours in the day to do what I want to do. I do somehow find time when I can.

This painting series is actually quick to do compared to the cold wax painting, which takes much more time.

                                                          Acrylic on Canvas 12 x 12

With the busy summer months coming, it will be nice to fit a few more of these paintings. Small in size, but intensely dynamic.

Monday, May 15, 2017

Spring is Finally Here

After the many cold months living in Minnesota, Spring has finally arrived.

One of my favorite things I enjoy at this time of year is watching all the birds come right outside of my kitchen window to my honey crisp apple tree and the several feeders we put out for them. The chirps and discussions these birds have is music to my ears. I will never tire of listening to birds.

Sparrows, Robins and Finches are what we usually see, with the occasional woodpecker.

This year however we have been seeing morning doves on our property. Listening to their coos before I even get out of bed is such a beautiful way to be woken up. I love them as they seem so docile and calm, yet they know where they are going in life, with their partners by their side.



This year I have been having an urge to apply more birds somehow in my paintings. I did not intentionally do this on my painting "Early Flight" but that the bird somehow had to be there, to pull the painting together.











Oil and Cold Wax on panel 10 x 10

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Am I a Dark Artist?

Today as I look at what I have learned these past few years on my journey of art is that I am still discovering something new each and every day. When I see something that inspires me, a building, trees, peeling paint, found objects on the ground when I take my walks, it stirs something inside of me that I cannot explain. Color, texture and mood comes to mind. Yet when I create what inspires me, my own emotions take over, and my anticipated work is usually different than what I expected.


In the past I have produced darker paintings, that depict a darker side of the human connection to life. I have even been dubbed a "dark artist" by some, but I don't really think of myself as "dark".

In fact, I feel the opposite. But maybe, just maybe there is some dark to me that I did not realize. I struggle day by day to find time to do my art with lifes' obstacles getting in the way, and maybe I am just frustrated deep down inside.

Or maybe I am still searching for that inner voice that keeps telling me there is more I need to do, and I am just not there yet. Yes, frustrating.

I will say I like things that are worn, disheveled, rusty and old. Maybe that is why I tend to paint in deeper darker tones. Yes, maybe that is it.

I keep on discovering and I do see some changes in my emotional response to my art, I am just not sure where it is going as of yet. I will say that in the near future here I may have a few surprises that may surprise myself!


My Journey

Well here I sit, wondering where to start. I put this on the back burner way to long. Now I'm not only a wife but a mother of 3, and grandmother of 3. Well technically I have 7 kids if you are including my pet chihuahuas who are of course, my kids.

Where did all the years go? I started off good showing my artwork off at the tender young age of 4. Maybe even sooner, I just find it hard to remember that far back.

This grew to drawing pictures for my grade school friends, to painting murals on high school walls (this was also cool as I got out of a lot of class time).

In my early twenties I was doing commission work, making gifts of art for the holidays, to sign painting for baseball fields.

Years later I did some custom tattoo work and became a published illustrator, and it felt great to still keep up with the art.

But then, hey life happens. You work hard at growing up, getting married and starting a family, well not actually in that order, but you get the drift. Then you find you need to pay for all that life has to offer, your house, kids, clothing, food, bills, so working got in the way of what I wanted to pursue.

Now at the tender age of 50-something I find that deep inner drive that started so long ago, the drive to do art.

Getting back into this was a challenge yet it felt good doing something I know I need to do. What started off as one style has turned into so much more. I have tried many mediums in the past few years but I can tell where my favorites are. I am still taking the time to develop my own style and I realize this will not come very quickly. Doing art is fun, doing great art is not easy, especially when you are still not sure where you are going with it. But day by day, I plug away and continue, as I know this is what I need to do to grow.

My regret, wishing I would have started back sooner.