- putting on a poncho and scrubbing the outside of the house in the rain
- teaching two four year olds how to do a cartwheel
- them teaching me how to pretend to roll down hill on a flat surface
- saying goodbye to my brother and alison, who left for Indiana yesterday
- sitting out on the […]

A windshield on a rainy day. That’s me right now. The wipers swoosh back and and forth, momentarily clearing the droplets from the glass and allowing a clear view. But even before the wipers are back at their resting place, the next rain droplet touches down and again starts the process of obstructing the view.
I […]

sitting here in an abandoned cafe in raleigh north carolina. The only place I could find with free internet. (Internet should be free everywhere, dammit… although, I hear all mcdonald’s have free wi-fi. No thanks. I’ll probably be smacked down by god if I step inside a McDonalds. Or turn to a boiling vat of […]

- flannel pjs and a thin red woobie with black piping
- mug of hot chocolate
- all caught up on laundry… fresh sheets
- swept floors
- remembering the new mental videos I created this past week of bike riding with my mom, brother and husband
- more mental snapshots of gardening and digging toes into the sand
- skipping […]

does art have to be difficult to be good?
and what is good art anyway?

You’ve always got someone around for some mac photobooth fun. one… two… three… POSE!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3Rw_3ky-uo

hee! here’s another one that made me grin: click.

We’ve had guests the last five days… Colin’s sister and her friend Tricia. It’s been wonderful to spend time with them, but of course, the weather didn’t cooperate most of the time. So we’ve been reading and napping and talking and just hanging out. Which is just as well. Enjoyable. :)
Woke up to fog this […]

Still unable to write for some reason. I can’t quite get out what I have to say and I’m not sure why not. (It’s getting to be a bit frustrating.) I just keep thinking in pictures, trying to write the words that accompany… to make sense of it for you, but maybe we don’t need […]

description: confused. alive. deep. dark. filled. empty. giant. here. aware. unattached. about to burst.
anything to add?

(16×20 mixed media on paper)
Been feeling quiet lately. I tried to write, but it won’t come out easily… what I have to tell you. So I decide not to force it. It’ll all be said when it wants to be.
Been hanging out a lot in my studio, working up a storm. Projects that I’m […]

I’m a little bit behind schedule in announcing that the registration for Squam is open! Slots seem to be filling up fast with a great response the first week! So get in there and reserve your spot soonish!
There are a lot of fun class options to choose from… I will be teaching Earth Project, Travel […]

I wanted to say thank you to everyone who bought a print. You truly made my day, and I’m happy that this image will have a place in your home. Thank you. :)

Finally! — Surprise #1!
I am very happy to announce this new print! Offered exclusively here through Penelope Illustration.
This piece was originally created for a gallery show, but it’s stayed close to my heart since the day I painted it. To me it represents strength and grace, even through difficult times… It was inspired by this […]

Sunrise for breakfast. Sunset for supper.
And in between, snacks of rain showers, beach combing and grapes.

hello there… I want to thank you for your kind words about my grandpa’s passing. And for sharing stories of your own grandparents. We all experience this, don’t we?
I had a couple of surprises to reveal last week, but didn’t foresee being out of town. So they will have to wait till next week […]

I remember your giant hands. Like bear paws or canoe paddles. Totally capable of anything. I remember the way they looked as they snuck another cookie without grandma noticing (even though she still did) or stole a pickle from my salad plate. Always followed by a high-pitched “hee hee hee” and an elbow nudge to […]

I’m going to take a bath in this thought for a while. I need it to sink in. And sink in. And sink in.

Ten things worth cheering about right now:
1. Carrots dipped in hummus.
2. Not being scared to go to an event/party/thing. (A dress and shoes that I felt comfortable and groovy in were KEY. Who knew. I am really embracing this girlie crap. hee)
3. Coffee-shops with enormous mugs and green walls.
4. Finally putting together all our […]

I’d forgotten how fun it could be to be a girl…

Well, I had some good thoughts to share with you, but my work ended up taking much longer than anticipated. Ah well. There will always be time later. :)
I wanted to just pop in to wish you all a lovely weekend though!
(I’m going out for a late Valentine’s dinner tonight. We even made reservations cause […]

working too much + sacred life thoughts X playfulness candle lit = lope with a mustache.
I love math.

My walk this morning was cold and gray. I walked past this tree and noticed about 50 birds perched, all talking to each other. Caw caw! It seemed like they were bitching about the weather too. Grumpy little birds. I thought bubble gum would help.

Warming up for the day… My left hand draws more wigglier.

happy weekend, lovelies.

Gosh, I’ve been thinking WAY TOO MUCH. I’m going to turn into a worry-wart. Swarming around in my little head getting all out of whack. Time to shut everything off I think. Time to power down and paint.
I am sorry for the lack of blogging lately. I can’t think of anything to say. If you […]

I just wanted to pop in here today briefly to say thank you for all your insightful and caring thoughts on yesterday’s post (comments, emails and phone calls!). It really shed some light on how I was already leaning… I’m so grateful. Thank you for taking time.
Today the sun came out for just a brief […]

Ten things to smile about right this second:
1) Beautiful new ceramic cups handcrafted by Amy Esther to replace leaky old plastic cups.
2) Sacred Life Sunday (I am doing my own sacred life thing on flickr these days: a daily photo and small blurb about it.)
3) Working with a client in a true collaboration. It’s fun […]

I am never very far away from a song. Any starter sound will do. The quick, high “bee-beep” of the microwave timer turns into “bee-beep. ahhhhh! bee-beep. ahhhhh!”. The low rumble of the garbage truck starts me humming to mimic its pitch, and that hum usually rambles right into some sharp-witted lyrics about pick up […]

- 11 candles lit
- 1 fire roaring in the fireplace
- 2 glasses of apple cider
- 2 people in love
- 1 dog sleeping
- 2 cats dozing
- 1 notebook
- 34 written intentions
- 1 feeling of living the way we want
- 1 early bedtime
I am feeling so optimistic about 2008. On the verge of something good. I can […]

A few posts ago Lesley tagged me to write 8 random things about myself. (sorry so late Lesley!) Here we go:
1. I have a pretty good innate sense of direction and usually know which way I’m facing at any given moment. (It’s because I see the world in kind of a map-view.) This is extremely […]

This post is dedicated to my husband, who is completely paralyzed by has some mild anxiety about the environment — and how we are affecting it. This is a topic that, for us, has been escalating in recent years, probably because it’s so widespread and talked about now… everything is going green. And so […]

Print Regional - Best of Show

I recently got an email from Nina asking me two questions. (I’ll tackle the second one in a later post.) But the first one was: “I am interested in learning about techniques people employ for developing better connection with color - special exercises? do you keep library?”
I thought this was a great question. And you […]

still sick. :( But work deadlines don’t care, so I’m painting with layers and layers of clothes on to keep me warm. I dipped the end of my scarf in the paint on accident. My eyes are tired too.
Last night I took cold medicine, bundled up and watched this movie. I thought it was beautiful. […]

I don’t know about you, but I needed the reminder… shape it, create it, live it, fear it and walk through it. Make it YOURS.
sending this out to you. and me.

also: happy halloween!

This weekend we headed over to the farmer’s market to get some pumpkins to decorate the front of the house… I love pumpkin time. I don’t know why exactly, but it always makes me feel really happy to be standing surrounded by hundreds of pumpkins and haystacks and gourds, all waiting to be selected. There […]

getting back to normal… or at least trying to. Sometimes I feel like taking time away for a week is more hassle than it’s worth, because when you come home, you have so much to catch up on — email, projects, house cleaning, dead flowers, unpacking, etc. It’s seems you work twice as hard as […]

And with that I am off on an adventure…
Sending you a beautiful week…
penelope

I’ve been doing some good journaling lately. Lots of lists seem to be popping up in the pages (one of my favorite ways to journal!). Lists like — fun things to do, things to see, places I’d like to visit, collaboration ideas, etc. But one list in particular has me thinking: “Things that scare me.”
And […]

The first thing I’m going to do when I finish these paintings is CLEAN MY STUDIO. oh my. It’s like a tornado hit in here.

One of my kitties is sick… He’s in good hands with our vet (and thank heaven there are emergency vets), but please send some goodness our way that he gets better soon. Poor little freckle nose…

I’ve been using some different techniques with some of the solo show pieces (are you sick of me talking about this show yet? It’s totally consumed my life, so please forgive me). Leaving behind the linework that I thought made my work what it was. Venturing into new territory involving graphite (like the nashville pieces […]

(14×18″, mixed media on paper)
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how I eat… what I put into my body, how much time I spend cooking versus going out to dinner, what I enjoy making, etc. Many nights i work late and then by the time I look up it’s getting dark, I’m starving and […]

Yesterday my brother was promoted to a Captain in the Marine Corps. The ceremony was originally supposed to take place on base this morning, but Alison had chemo at that time and wouldn’t be able to make it, so instead it was held at their house. I think that made a big difference for people […]

Anamama tagged me a few posts ago. A few random facts about me.
1) I am obsessed with all things blue and white right now. I used to especially HATE dark blue, but now I can’t get enough. Give me a couple more months and I’ll be over it and want to change my house again. […]

(click for larger view)
I attended only two sessions of the HOW conference. One was about how to use handmade stuff in your design, which I found inspiring… found paper, ink blots, imperfection… Things we already do, but it was nice just to see examples. And the other was about designing a kick ass website, […]

I’m back. Not quite sure what to say yet about everything. So I’m just going to give me a day more to simmer and give you this space scene. (It was used as a backdrop for people to paint on at the conference… fun!).
I do know that it’s good to be home. I missed my […]

Sorry for my absense lately… I am slammed with work this week! And tomorrow I leave for the HOW Conference in Atlanta. I hope it’s fun… anyone out there going? Come say hello!
Click here for pics of last year’s event.
xo,
p

I just wrote a post about life creeping into art on the IF blog. Maybe you’ll dig it… I would love to see your connections too!

*image from an article for Balt Sun, available as a print here.
Do you ever get sick of all the “self-help” and “improve yourself” books that are out there? Man… I try to avoid that section of the bookstore like the plague. Every now and then they are good for a boost, I guess. But most […]

hi there.
I’m back from a trip up north filled with family and bookended with long periods of driving. And driving always seems to make me contemplative and quiet. And I haven’t really shaken that feeling since I got back.
I am feeling the need to simplify. And simplify. And simplify. A need to find where my […]

I love that you can change the expression on a face just by slightly adjusting the eyebrows… a little furrowed… a little lift… a little sideways. Bushy eyebrows. Manly eyebrows. Thin ones. Arched ones. Eyebrows can be so easily overlooked, but I think they are the key to a character’s expression. These small lines in […]

What can you soften?
This is a question that my yoga instructor asks frequently during our classes. We’re in a tough pose and arms are tense, muscles tight, jaw clenched and she asks: “What can you soften? What can you do to make it more comfortable and have it be a good sensation?”
And that question always […]

sitting here freshly scrubbed. completely content and tired and alive. I like it when a shower comes at the end of a good workday… removing your paint fingerprints, wrinkled yesterday clothes, mash of hair that I’ve been pushing out of my eyes all day, inspiration that’s been felt and nodded to gratefully, remnants of walking […]