Happy Halloween!

My fiance Matt and I carved pumpkins last night and roasted the seeds, instantly taking me back to childhood. I have so many fond memories of sitting on the back porch on a fall afternoon, with crisp maple leaves falling to the ground as I drew a face on my pumpkin. I love the pumpkin smell that explodes as you cut the top off, and the fantastic feel of slimy guts as you pull out the insides. I don't think I will ever get to old for pumpkin carving. I also look forward to roasting pumpkin seeds every year. I first recall tasting them many years ago in my Grandma's kitchen; a delicious salty snack. This year we roasted them with Cajun seasoning to add a little spice, and they were fantastic. So, I hope everyone has a wonderful Halloween weekend, and if you get trick-or-treaters, enjoy passing out the candy!

Giveaway from The Orange Windmill

The Orange Windmill is hosting an exciting giveaway for a gorgeous gray-green leather journal. Visit the blog Trees Hides to enter the giveaway. You can enter until November 7th at noon. Good luck to everyone!

Photo courtesy of The Orange Windmill (artist Shirley).

I've Been Featured

My artwork has been featured on two blogs this week, and I wanted to thank Terri Gordon and Pamela Bates for spreading the word about my art! Please check out their wonderful blogs: Designs by Terri Gordon, and Mercantile Muse. I really appreciate your positive words and encouragement!

The Connor Meigs Art Award

I just got some very exciting news - I've been chosen to be the recipient of The Connor Meigs Art Award! I will have a month-long solo exhibit in September 2012 at Florence Mill's ArtLoft in Omaha, Nebraska. To learn more about it, please visit http://connormeigsaward.blogspot.com/ I will post more details as the show gets closer.

The path in my dream

I had a dream that I was walking on the beach, on a brick jetty, down a gentle slope. Miles of sand stretched out on either side of me, as if the whole earth were nothing but sand and water. And the waves came up, up over the beach, rushing across my path. Everything succumbed to water, but I continued down the path, letting the water crash against me and push me down. My destination an infinite distance, seeming to move farther and farther away. But still, I walked on, keeping my eye fixed ahead, traveling out into the water toward my unknown destination.

This is a sketch from my dream. I'd like to turn this idea into a drypoint print, and also a large oil painting.

The Search

It's difficult to know where you're going all the time, especially when there's no one to point you in the right direction. I'm at one of those points in my life, a transition from the path laid out before me to the path I have yet to discover. Independence - the freedom to choose what I want to do next - is very exciting, but the possibilities are overwhelming. What do I want to do with my life? It is a daily question that I still haven't answered. And so my search continues...

A memory from childhood

We walked along
the frozen shore
barefoot,
deep inside
cold, wet sand.

We skipped along
the slippery rocks,
and watched
as ice floated
out to sea,
melting.

Sloss Furnace

I participated in the 2nd Annual New Jersey Print Exchange this year. The theme was 11x11, which didn't really conjure up any ideas for me - other than math class - so I let my mind wander to other things. I spent a few hours walking around the historical Sloss Furnaces with my fiance in Birmingham, AL, and we both filled up our memory cards with great photos. It was a relaxing and inspiring visit, and I chose to base my print off of one of my photographs. Visit: http://www.slossfurnaces.com to learn more about the national historic landmark.

Because I was restricted to 11"x11" paper, I chose to use several small woodblocks to construct my image. I thought this made it a little more dynamic.

Here is the final print. I had a great time making it, and I can't wait to see the prints I receive back from the exchange. I should be getting 10 prints from other artist in the middle of November, and I will post images of the prints once I receive them.

Visit: http://www.printnj.org to learn about the Printmaking Center of New Jersey!