Laurelines

My interview for Kate Johnson's upcoming book is here!

Here's the link for my interview relating to Kate's book,  Artist's Journal Workshop, to be published by North Light Books in summer 2011.

The blog Kate has created as an amplification of her book has become wildly successful, chockful as it is of advice and inspiration for artists, art lovers, and, you know--- for just lots of people! In addition to interviews with the 28 artists included in her book, there are guest posts on technique, materials, book binding, design, and links to other books (Kate alone has written 34!) that all of us will find compelling. So, go now,  won't you, and check out the blog, the book, and my story, too!

Amaryllis variations, updated slide show!

I'm like a toddler with a new toy--- can you bear with me through one more slideshow, starring Amaryllis Variations 1-17?  I can't promise it'll be the last, but it'll at least be the next to last!

Book interview, more amaryllises, journal pages!

Am I too superstitious to say 'So far, so good!' about this new year of ours? Apparently not. 2011, to this point,  is sure beating the heck out of  2009 and 2010. Whew.

Anyway, lots going on, so here's a peek at a bit of it:

I'm one of 28 lucky artists to be included in the fantastic upcoming book on illustrated journals, written and edited by my dear buddy Cathy Johnson (aka Kate.) [Click on the link and pre-order it!] She has created a brilliant blog, too, on the topic of making illustrated journals as an offshoot and amplification of the book. She's interviewing her artists and here's the announcement of mine.

Inspired by the book and by her own rich and lovely journals, I've begun a new one this year, about which I'll post more in the next week or so. Here are my latest amaryllis variations and also two recent pages from my new journal:

Journal pages:

Amaryllis variations!

I told you I was going to play in the studio and I did! I've had this project going for a while. I decided to take this imagery and try it in various mediums and using various techniques.  The images will be reproduced on various colored backgrounds. Out of dozens and dozens of studies and sketches, here are ten. Now, a day later, eleven----just added this morning's harvest!

Here's a link to my flickr set of Amaryllis Variations, in case the slide show doesn't work for you. I'm going to be adding new ones over the next couple of weeks. They're addictive. And besides, some very slow-evolving bulbs I've been watching for weeks are on the verge of blooming!

It's a new year in my studio, too!

I finished tidying and organizing my drawing/watercolors studio on Monday and have been happily ensconced there all week. I now know every single tube of paint, brush, pen, etc. that I own and what a godsend that is! I'm having fun experimenting with stuff I'd forgotten I had! It's all very much in the work-as-play spirit I have embraced for this year. Here it is:

 

I have another little studio for painting with acrylics. It's small, but it's serene. I don't have space in it to spread out and do watercolors and drawing, so I appropriated my stepson's old bedroom for the workspace you see in the photos above.

 Here is my painting studio, when IT was newly tidied,  in December 2007. It's a bit more grizzled now, but aren't we all?

Here's to a productive year for me and for you!