my week

new painting in my etsy shop

/// big island ///

something about the way the water meets the mountains that reminds me of hawaii

latest vintage find

the cat seems to approve

 celebrating birthday no. 13

yup, i'm officially a mom of a teenager

new handpainted rocks and weavings for my pop-up shop at maven collective

:: here thru the month of march ::

                                                                                                                                                         image courtesy of maven collective

coveting pretty much everything in the se portland shop

including a hanging skull and cornucopia of small ceramic vessels

inspired by the beach

Recently, I was flipping through some photographs that I took at the Oregon coast last summer.  The photos were taken with a vintage camera that I picked up at an estate sale.  [Not bad for a metal box that is over 75 years old!]



I snapped a number of shots of the scenery around me.  Realizing a few of the photos went nicely together, I was inspired to create a set of mixed media works on cedar wood slices.  So, here's what I came up with yesterday.

And I just finished this new work, Beach Mountains. 

One of my photographs is layered in this work as well. 



Both of these items can now be found in my Etsy shop.  These may be the last pieces of the year, at least for my Etsy shop.  For the next few weeks, I'll be focusing on creating new work for Lilk Gallery in London.  They acquired a space on Broadway Market.  So, if you happen to be near there at the end of January, come see my art!



Oh, by the way, there's still time to snatch a free linocut with your order in my Etsy shop.  Last day of special promotion is Christmas Eve, or until the linocuts are all gone.  About a dozen left! 

the splendor of mt. hood

Trillium Lake, located at the foot of Mt. Hood, is indeed as beautiful as locals say.  The water shimmers at dusk, and the view of the majestic peak is hard to beat.  Shortly after arriving to the campground, our crew of three adults and four kids headed out onto a two mile hike.  Along the lake's edge is a picturesque trail that leads you through meadow, marsh, and forest.  It was like a Disney film as we were greeted by a host of dragonflies, butterflies, and little creatures along the way. 



Our stay at the lake was short but magical.  The girls and their friends swam in the frigid water.  We fished for trout (no luck this time around).  And we indulged in the latest campfire fad- S'moreos! Very rich, but oh so tasty.  Good thing a 6.5 mile trek was planned for the next day.

Near Trillium Lake is Laurel Hill, considered the most treacherous stretch of the Oregon Trail. Early settlers who traveled 2000 miles to Oregon discovered that traversing the wilderness to the south of Mt. Hood was faster than traveling through the Gorge to the north.



Part of this historical route is still accessible by foot, so we thought it would be a fun adventure for the kids to hike it.  The first part of the trail heads up a very steep hill- hard to imagine how wagons navigated such a narrow and sloped path.  The trail eventually connects to the original Mt. Hood Highway built in 1923.  In the photo above, there is an arrow that points to the stone bridge wall that still stands today.



After the hike, we had time to spare for some huckleberry milkshakes in Government Camp and a quick visit to the infamous Timberline Lodge.  Many of you movie buffs may recall that Timberline Lodge was in the 1980 classic, The Shining.  Only the outside of the building was actually filmed, but the interior of the 1930's lodge is just as impressive.  All of the original features and furnishings were handcrafted, and some of the decor was even made from recycled materials.  The hooked rugs, for example, were made from recycled uniforms and blankets.

Timberline Lodge is an amazing building, but Mt. Hood steals the show.  The views of the mountain and from the mountain are spectacular.  Although Mt. Hood is not the tallest peak in the Cascade Range, it is the most popular summit.  I just recently learned that it is the second most climbed mountain in the world (Mt. Fuji being number one).



I'm not itching to climb to the top of Mt. Hood anytime soon, but the mountain does constantly draw me in.  Even when I paint a mountain from my imagination, it ends up looking like Mt. Hood.  There's something about it that keeps me intrigued and inspired, and I'm always looking forward to coming back. 

shopping for inspiration

I try to avoid malls and big box discount stores as much as I can.  I easily get disheartened by modern society's insatiable appetite for consumption.  The mix of mass manufacturing and instant gratification has become a dangerous cocktail for today's consumers.  We fill our homes with things that lack handcrafted tradition or thoughtful production, and, by the end of the day, we still find ourselves longing for a connection to others and this world.



Only buy what you love.



This was the motto of our retail store that carried handmade goods by independent designers.  As shop owners we likened ourselves to storytellers who sought to connect our customers with the stories and the makers of our products.  I believe it is this connection that gives a product its true value.



When I shop, I'm always looking for the history of the product.  Many of the items that I purchase actually come from second-hand sellers.  Shown above are some of the used things I picked up this past weekend at estate sales.  In general, I try to only bring home items that inspire me to take action (draw, cook, garden, etc.). 

/// recent finds ///

classic books, including two Pearl Buck early editions

a vintage Kodak Retina in near perfect condition

linoleum cutter set in its original box

yarn remnants for a new zigzag blanket I started

vintage backpack for hiking// whoops! snipped the fabric when opening the package . . . 

mended by affixing triangle patches

things i'm fond of today

un cuadro by gabi piserchia

natural wonders.

left: annular solar eclipse by hiromitsu t.okra

right: eastern oregon by david ewald

handmade dolls by ryoko ishii

vintage bedspread hand-dyed by liane tyrell of enhabiten



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .



musical marriage proposal in portland:

new work: alpine trail

The sun is shining once again in the Pacific Northwest, and it is truly glorious.  My eyes have yet to adjust to the brightness- granted, I do work in a cave (aka my basement) all day.  I've been drawn to neon colors lately, and I'm sure that has a lot to do with the sunshiny weather.



I just finished a small work yesterday called alpine trail.  While I was working on the piece, I snapped a few pictures.  I arranged the photos in a slideshow so you can see the progression of layers.









I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I'm working on six new originals for an online show.  I'm currently working on painting #3.  The show goes live June 5, but I thought I would give you a little peek of the two completed paintings. 

Also, my art prints are now available at Silver Moth in North Portland.  I had a lovely chat with one of the owners, Rita, who is an artist herself.  The shop carries a mix of vintage finds and handmade goods, and all at affordable prices.  I love my new (well, used) striped ceramic jar I got from Silver Moth.  I'm not sure what to store in it yet.  Maybe tea bags?

new work and new series

New painting in my Etsy shop, Harvest Moon.

Harvest Moon in progress.

Like birthing a child, some works of art can be a lot more laborious and complicated than others.  My latest piece, Harvest Moon, was one of these works.  It was as if I was working in slow motion the entire time; everything just seemed to take twice as long.  Like any other work, I had to get over that hump, but that marker was pushed much further into the creative process of this painting.   The most difficult section of this work was, surprisingly, the water.  I had initially painted some natural ripples in the water.  Ultimately, I didn't like how it looked with the green zigzag, so I painted over the waves. 



The painting came out a little more linear than expected, but I am very happy with the finished piece.  I like that it has a retro Atari vibe to it.  Pong anyone?

close-up of finished painting

And I normally keep the sides of my wood panels natural, but I went for a darker look with this piece.  Think wood paneling on an 80's station wagon.  Yes.

After a great experience [albeit challenging] with the 30 works in 30 days project, I wanted to start another series.  You may remember the box of vintage note cards I scored at an estate sale last year.  Some of them are handwritten and others typed, but all of them have something to do with plants.



I like working with vintage and found objects.  There's already a story there that I've now become a part of.  And I love the idea of making treasures out of ordinary or expendable objects.    

I don't have a timeline or a number of completed pieces in mind for the vintage note card art series.  I figured I would get to at least 20 and see how I feel.  I priced the pieces at $25, which I think is fairly reasonable for small, original works of art.  Overall, a series like this is more work than one large painting, but if it means the start of a one-of-a-kind art collection for a buyer, it is well worth it to me.

I swoon for Pendleton

I've been focused on a big
client project (will tell soon) since returning from Ireland. 
Yesterday, I needed a little break, so I headed to the Pendleton Woolen Mill Store.  The store is just a ten minute drive from my home, but this was my first visit.

I dragged my husband along
and the second we stepped foot into the large warehouse, he knew that he
had a rabid Pendleton fan on his hands.  My eyes got really big, I had a
huge smile on my face, and I turned to him and said this is my Disneyland!



It is really quite amazing how powerless I am to bolts of exquisite
fabrics.  And there were so many beautiful fabrics to look at, my eyes
were speed jumping from one pattern to the next! Then, I turned the
corner and saw this spectacular space.

It's an enormous showroom of
blankets and tapestries- one of my favorites being the gray panel on the
right. My husband noticed the floors right away, which is the original
hardwood flooring from the Pendleton Mill.

The initial reason for the
store visit was the remnant table.  I was thinking of making some throw
pillows for our couch, until I found a queen size wool remnant I
couldn't resist.  It would go perfectly with the rustic headboard
we made last spring!  The wool fabric just needed a finished edge,  so,
I bought ten yards of wool tape at the store for $1/yd.  The total for the remnant, edging,
and cute little pouch (in first photo) came to $55, which I thought was a
great deal considering Pendleton blankets go for upwards of $200 -
$300. 

It took me about two hours to
double stitch the binding onto the blanket's edge, which includes the
cutting and pinning.  My husband is thinking that we should give
blankets to family for Christmas, but I'm already talking about making
blankets for our future cabin in the woods!

image via The Portland Collection blog

I love good fashion as much
as I do good blankets, so I was pretty much freaking out when I saw
this new collection online.   It's called Pendleton, The Portland Collection (TPC),
and it just launched a few weeks ago.  The three designers all hail
from Portland, and, together, they have created a stunning collection
that marries modern, indie fashion with Pendleton heritage.  This video captures bits of their inspiration, work space, and creative journey.