Bless this Tiny Alley

Rise Up's New Sign

It has been quiet the last few weeks over in Tin Pan Alley at the Rise Up office/studio... the RU gang has been busy doing "production," shipping out orders and the like, so it's mainly been me and Kelt holding down the fort.   

 

A week of stagnant creativity has lead to a flourish the last two days, however, mainly thanks to The Source.  They keep me busy. This morning I interviewed Maria Roberts (co-founder of Rise Up) for a Local Hero profile, and I am working on a peice about the artwork of Joe Kimmel who is having a show at the Evergreen in November.  These two people are inspiring to me, creatively and otherwise, so I am encouraged to get back to work on my collages.  Therefore-

There is debate going on about her face... hmmmm....

The Lion Tamer is getting closer and closer to completion.  Chicken Little just needs some final ink, and I am about to work on the Owl.  The narratives behind most of the pieces are feeling more resolved, and the craftsmanship, while slow going, is following suit.

Besides the art and the interviews, I am doing some serious yoga.  The Oregon Hatha Yoga Championships are November 23, and though I am not participating in the actual event  (I will be in Connecticut visiting the niece and nephew) I am pretending that I am competing to give myself a little focus and to hang out with pretzel-like people (also inspiring).  This means focusing on five of the twenty-six beginer poses from Bikram's Class, as well as two optional poses.  I am tackling Pigeon and Crow (birds, again, coincidence? perhaps) Practice is four times a week in addition to typical 90 minute classes that I attend five to six times a week in a 105 degree room.  It may sound like torture, but it provides a wonderful counter balance to thirty degree morning walks with the dogs... Namaste.

about face

Miss Little is starting to really come around. I continued feather shapes for the structure of her face, which is a little dramatic and may be a little too faceted, but I think that when I add the details it will settle down a bit.

The calender for the fall is really starting to fill up-
This Saturday is Elevate- the underground art festival- and PoetHouse will be hosting a booth as well as some LookieLoos (don't know what a LookieLoo is? Think Jellystone Park: Yogi and BooBoo painted on a board with holes cut out at the heads, then stick your head through the hole and smile for the camera... super fun)
I have a show booked for the end of October at The PoetHouse, with three fellow art ladies, more on that soon-
I was asked to participate in the Good Things Come in Small Packages show at Bohemia again this December.
Time flies and there is much art to be made.

Slow Starts In Summertime

Some people think being a full time artist is about being on permanent summer vacation. On mornings like this one, I understand why they would assume so. It is absolutely gorgeous out today- but through an amazing display of self control, I am working.

Chicken Little is coming along slowly, but surely. I have been avoiding her face, and today I may just tackle it.

I finally got moving on The Owl- a slow one because I am creating the pattern as I go. The only thing I am quite sure of on this one is the pallet, which I borrowed from a monochromatic perfume ad full of pouting golden girls.

A special thank you to Owl for finally completing my beautiful desk so that I could really get to work. He started building it for my twenty sixth birthday. Three years later, it is lovely and the perfect size for the studio. I need to take photos of it to show it off, but that would require some organizing.

Scouring the sketchbook for Ideas.