I forgot to mention that I have some of my artwork hanging in a friends store in Liberty Place in Center City Philadelphia.  The name of her store is All By Hand.  I went to check it out this past weekend with Nic and was very impressed.  It is a seasonal store for the holidays.  Check out this review from the Inquirer.

All of the work and gifts were made by local artist, hence the name of the store.  There is some really great stuff in the store.  I ended up actually getting a Christmas present in there. 

My work is also there to buy.  It is on the wall immediately to your right when you walk in the door and it looks really good! 

The owner of the store is Julianna Lose.  She is very talented and did an amazing job with the store.  I’m not sure how long she will be having the store open but it will definitely be there throughout the Christmas season so if you want some unique, interesting gifts stop by the store.  There are handmade books, children’s clothing, clothing for adults, jewelry, purses, furniture, artwork, cards, and so much more.  Go check it out, support local artists and enjoy walking around Center City Philadelphia.

Again the store is All By Hand in Liberty Place, Philadlephia, PA.  Liberty Place is located between 16th and 17th on Market and Chestnut.  You will find the store on the ground floor so enter on the Market street side.  If you enter on Chestnut side you have to go upstairs.  Click here for the website of Liberty Place but let me warn you the store directory is not up to date. 

Here is the blogspot for the store and go visit! Buy artwork.

A post or two ago I mentioned that my studio is out of commission until I find a new place.  Well, I haven’t found a studio space yet but I have been doing other things to keep my creative urges at bay.  One of those creative urges inspired me to create a mural on the wall above my bed.  I am really obsessed with trees right now so I decided to do a silhouette of Aspen trees.  I think they are beautiful.  I wanted something graffic and simple so I chose Aspen trees along with light gray, middle gray and black.  I like the way it turned out.  Below are some more pictures.

Along with the mural, I have also been designing “thank you” cards for when I get gifts for Bearclaw (name I use to refer to the baby growing inside of me).  I first designed a stamp especially for Bearclaw and then went to it.  I really like how they turned out.  Below are a two different versions but I did about 4 or 5 different ones.  Check it out.

Along with murals and cards I have also been making holiday cards and wrapping paper.  It all started when I needed to wrap a gift for my niece and I didn’t feel like buying wrapping paper and I wasn’t too fond of my choices anyway so I made a stamp and made my own. 

As you can see I also started making some holiday wrapping paper.  For some reason I couldn’t help myself.  This baby is making me want to create.  Yes it is “crafty” but it is fun and really enjoyable.  I am also thinking of selling them.  I made cards to match and plan on selling them too. 

I’m trying not to turn into Martha Stewart (not that there is anything wrong with that, I respect her and find her stuff impressive) so I am also working on some artwork.  I want to have another art show so I will start taking pictures of the work I have been doing.  I am still using maps and incorporating my obsession with trees into that.  It could be interesting we will see.

A lot in this post but I had to get it out.  If you know of anyone interested in buying some handmade wrapping paper or cards, send them to my website.  Thanks for visiting.

Hello all,

Above is a picture of a piece hanging in my window.  My talented sister Lisette Child made it for my husband and I for a wedding gift.  We were married in 2008 but it was worth the wait! 

This piece is amazing and shows that stained glass isn’t just animals and church windows.  I’m impressed by the empty spaces she left in between the pieces of glass.  The use of the glass droplets are also beautiful.  Many people don’t think of stained glass as organic but this piece is definitely organic.  The title says it all. It is called “River”.  It is an appropriate title for this piece and reminds me of something you would find during the Art Nouveau period, which happens to be my favorite period. 

Below are some close-ups.

I wanted to share this with all of you because I am truly amazed with her talent and ability to create wonderful art with glass.  She has definitely taken after our grandmother whom was also an amazing stained glass artist.

Nice job Lisette and thanks again!  Keep creating art.

Yes I am back.  I am sorry for my absense.  A lot has happened since my last post.  I have been creating art and getting knocked up as well.  I am due in February and it has changed my artist life a bit. 

I also moved to a great new space but it does not have studio space so right now most of my stuff is in storage until I find a new studio.  This has been more difficult than I thought so if you know of any cheap spaces let me know.  Since I don’t have a space in my apartment I have been thinking of new ways to be creative and get my fix.  I will be posting pictures later in the week or later today but to give you an idea I have been putting my energy into smaller pieces and “craftier” projects.  Not a fan of that word but it is necessary in this situation.  Finding safe materials to work with have also been a bit of a challenge.  Being pregnant has forced me to rethink what materials I can and cannot use. 

For instance I wanted to paint a mural on my bedroom wall so I had to use acrylic paint or paint that had no VOC.  I went with the acrylic which isn’t ideal for the wall but we shouldn’t be in that space too long.  I made stencils of aspens trees and used light grey, middle grey and black.  I layerd the trees on a white wall to make it look like a forrest. I really like the final product and it is very graphic and relaxing.  Pictures will soon follow. 

Another project I just finished was making thank you cards from Bearclaw (the name I use to refer to my unborn child).  He/she needed to be represented so I designed a stamp especially for the Bearclaw and designed some cards.  I think they turned out great.  Again, pictures to follow.

Lastly I just started making wrapping paper because printing is fun and another way I can get creative.  I needed some wrapping paper for my niece’s present and I didn’t like the wrapping paper in the stores so I decided to do my own. I carved out a stamp of a birthday cake and printed different colors all over white paper.  Turned out pretty nice and while I was at it I made some birthday cards just to have around the house.

I know, this is a long and random post but I thought I would explain what I have been doing so I can post some pictures later.  If anyone knows of any studio space for an artist let me know and stay tuned for pictures of projects I have been working on.

Till next time….

marie

I dropped off the painting over the weekend.  I had to travel to Salisbury, MD to drop the painting off.  It wasn’t a bad drive and I stayed at my brother’s house.  The couple are good friends of my brother and his wife.

When I got into town on Saturday we went over to their house.  I didn’t let them see it till I was ready. I showed them the painting and they seemed ecstatic.  I told them not to lie but they were genuinely happy.  They wanted to put it up right away.  The funny thing was that it went perfectly with the house.  Their walls were a light blue…very similar to the lighter blue in the painting.  The couch that was underneath the painting was a dark gray suede…perfect!  So basically the painting popped off the wall and their decorations (vase, pillows, lamps, etc.) accentuated the painting.

If I would of walked into the house before starting the painting I don’t know if I could of matched it any better.  I think just seeing the wall color was all I needed.  Being blind to what the rest of the room looked like helped in my creation.

This was a great experience for me and really helped to give myself some confidence in what I am capable of doing.  I’m happy the piece went to a great home and it looks great in their house.

Thank you to all who have commented and given feedback.  Thanks to my supportive husband for putting up with my reclusive nature and most of all thank you to my brother and sister-in-law for having such great friends–Sara and Stayton thank you!!!!

Well here you are folks. I promised I would show you my progress on this new commissioned piece so here it is. This is a picture I took this morning. Now, I know I have said that I was trying to used geometric shapes and straight line, but hear me out.

So the couple that has hired me saw the most recent works that I have been writing about for my show at Proximity Gallery. They really like them, the colors and the round organic forms I use and so on. I figured that I might as well stay with what I have been working on and put it in the commissioned piece.

As you can see I have changed the background color and added black, this all will change again. I like to layer my background to get some depth. I plan to work again on this piece this evening since my hubby is going on a trip to Boston. I will be in my studio a lot this week….it is definitely a good thing even though I will miss him.

Stayed tuned to the next picture for this piece. Again, please don’t hesitate to let me know how you think the piece is going. I like the feedback (good or bad), it helps me to grow and look at things differently.

Thanks for reading. Let the comments flow!

A couple blogs ago I wrote about a commissioned piece that I have begun to take on.  So below you will find a picture of the beginning. I have added a layer of color since then, so the picture you see is not how is looks now. Hope you enjoy it…let me know what you think. This is new for me so I am exploring as I go.

The picture isn’t great but you get the idea.

I have been asked to do a painting for a very nice couple. They told me their colors, showed me pictures of the room, and gave me the size of the canvas. They did request that I use geometric shapes, mostly rectangles and squares.

I’m really excited to do this because 1.) the colors they chose, I use already 2.) I have begun using rectangles and squares in some of my new pieces and 3.) this will be challenging for me. I hope it turns out the way I imagine it in my head everyday.

Having someone commission me to do a piece of artwork for their house is a little nerve racking. They have seen other work from me and have checked out the website and really like the work. I know I don’t have much to lose but doing a piece for a gallery show is different than doing a piece for someone specifically.

I have the canvas and have been staring at it, but I hope to begin tomorrow. As I go on I will post pictures just to see what you all think. I also plan on posting pictures with my updates for now on, I just have to remember how to post a pictures.

As for my upcoming show…..things are moving along and I have finished 3 solid pieces that I am happy with. I have started a 4th. I think working on the show and then starting this commissioned piece is a good thing. I like to working on multiple pieces at one time because it seems to spark a new idea for another piece. Hopefully this commissioned piece will rub off of me in a good way.

Until next time……