Colorful turkeys?

So, Thanksgiving is coming up...

I thought it would be fun to make a lovely little turkey coloring page for people to print! Feel free to download the larger printible version here. Have a happy Thanksgiving!

P.S. I would love to see what you come up with...maybe post on facebook? ♥

Inspired

I've spent a lot of time in my head lately - really thinking about my art and it's direction. I've been marinating on thoughts of what's happening out in the world beyond Spokane, and setting some goals as an artist. I keep coming back to the realization that Etsy is where I've discovered some of my very most favorite artists. It's sort of unexpected - and at the same time delightful.

If you're not already familiar with them, here's some favorites you should definitely check out:

Betsy Walton

Jennifer Davis

Julia Pott

Caitlin Shearer

Lisa Congdon 

I've also been extremely inspired by some of the group shows and collaborations I've been hearing about. I'm a sucker for a good theme.

Jennifer Davis (from above) is currently exhibiting in a show titled Homeroom - at Subtext Gallery in San Diego, CA. This maybe one of the greatest themed shows I can imagine...each artist reinterprets a work from their childhood in their current style. There are some big names in this show....kinda wish I could hop a plane down there just for an evening to check it out!

I'm also seriously considering finding some of my own childhood art when I'm home for the Holidays. So I can reinterpret a piece of my own - just for fun.

I was also happy to discover 'Delightful' -  an ongoing collaboration between Davis, and the artist Amy Rice (started a few years ago). For part of it they did a series of paintings in which each others works were used as inspiration to create a corresponding piece....

Birthday Party Pony by Amy Rice
Favorite Bird by Jennifer Davis

Most of the time I find the internet a little overwhelming - realizing there is so much work out there and so many talented artists. It can also be very inspiring. ♥

Scary (IF)

Here is my Illustration Friday drawing....theme: Scary.

Happy Halloween! ♥

Coffee and...

Some of you may be familiar with the poem 'For Connor' by my friend Mark Anderson...(as I have posted about it and him on several occasions). This time the post comes in the form of a film collaboration I got to participate in.

A video of Mark's poem 'For Connor' was selected to be part of an exhibit at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture titled Need|Want...(a collaborative show with Terrain - that I also have a painting in). I got to work with, the most talented - Chris Dreyer and Amy Hunter. We put together this little short film of him for the show. It will be playing through the end of the year at the MAC - (how exciting!).

We shot (starting at 5am) in Mark's favorite Coffee Shop - Atticus, and were lucky enough to find a song by the The Horse Thieves that fit absolutely perfect. Aren't they fantastic?

Let me know what you think!
Also...Here is my piece for the exhibit. It's about my obsession of cheese:

P.S. I started a second mural collaboration with Darcy Drury (painting live) during the opening of this exhibit last Friday. I will have to post photos when it is finished! ♥

A wedding...

A friend of mine asked if I would photograph her wedding (This is the 2nd one I've done now...does this make me official?). It was at the Steam Plant - a historical Spokane building turned restaurant. Believe it or not this was the first wedding ceremony ever held there. It was a little difficult for photographing in - but so aesthetically pleasing!

 The lovely wedding of Devon + Jason (some of my favorites):

I also shot some photos on our stroll over to their hotel. I will post a few of those gems in a bit when I get them all finished up. ♥

No Boundaries (Illustration Friday)

Every week I decide that this is the week I will do the Illustration Friday drawing....and then every week I do not.

This week the topic was "Boundary". I can't lie, I kinda hated it...which made me think a lot about it. It took a while to figure out what to draw - and then voilà!

Now I pretty much love it. What do you think?

A Sunday Mural

This is my house! We spent a full day painting Sunday...Well - painting, drinking, and consuming ridiculous amounts of delicious food! Our 10 min planning session after breakfast (fueled by mimosas) lead to this materpiece....

A few other friends stopped by to help later that evening (after work) - sadly we were to worn out to think about photographs. Also, there are still some final touch ups, and windows to be tangerined....so, I will have a clean pro photo to post in the next week or so!

We are super lucky to have such amazing friends - and the coolest house on the block! I wish all weekends could be this productive!!!
♥

...Allen Duffy, Cori McWilliams you kick some serious ass! Also, Johnny, Karla, and Carolyn we were sad you had to work but soooo happy you got to hang out later!

P.S. there are rumored birds being added tonight by the lovely Miss Karla!

Shirts!

This past weekend we went to the Garland Street Fair. I got to see some t-shirts I designed for Blue Button Apparel. They printed them on a bunch of different colored (super soft) tees and organic cotton bags...and turned out amazing!

Running into friends that had picked some up - I of course made them pose for a photo!

Head over to their shop on Garland to pick one up (totally inexpensive) and proceeds help support this fantastic local print shop!

♥

Chicken update

The ladies are at a month and a half now....

Lady Rene is getting quite the chub face - so cute! She is a grasshopper fiend. The neighborhood children sneak over and catch them to feed to her through the fence. Mimolette is such a little fatty, and only getting fluffier. She is a digger after discovering worms in a hole I made while transplanting clover into their pen.

The coop is dubbed the "Co-op Mansion". It is fully insulated with tin roof and a wall that opens behind the nesting box. It has a porthole window for light in the winter and a cleaning door (facing front).

Parades of children now come by to see them...it's as if we created a zoo in our neighborhood! We will be sitting in our kitchen with the windows open hearing little voices calling "Oh Lady Rene!"

♥

So Stoked!

Yay Karyn! ♥ This last winter she had me do a custom design for her first tattoo - I had all but forgotten about it when she posted this....(click image to view)

I think it's so interesting seeing your work created by another artist...two styles married in a mini collaboration  - tattoo by Caleb at Evolution Art Space. It turned out lovely. Congratulations lady!

A Montana Wedding

My cousin asked that I take some photos at her wedding - the first of several wedding requests I've had lately. It was fun, but deathly hot at 4pm in the desert. The wedding was at Makoshika State park in Glendive Montana. (We get to go back for the driving tour one of these evenings...so excited!)

Here are some favorites...