around the studio

just wanted to share a few of my studio favorites today....

mary englebreit doll, watercolor paint pan

calligraphy pens and paint brushes, hugs from a kindred spirit

bookbinding supplies, vintage button stash

celebrate you!

no one in this whole wide wonderful world can be you better than you!! let's celebrate!!

journal page finished using hand-carved stamps, pentel colorbrush, micron pens and watercolor pencils

inspiration monday

not too long ago i received several comments on this post about the painting that hangs on the wall in our living room. there's always a good story behind every great piece of art.....here's this painting's story:

back in 1998 my little dutch boy was commuting from florida to quebec, canada, as the general manager of a gorgeous hotel, the Chateau Cartier (he would work ten days and come home for a 4-day weekend. this was supposed to be a temporary 6-month assignment and lasted 18 months. good times....not). during this time, he met a budding artist from brazil, Marcio Melo, who was invited to solo exhibit his artworks at the chateau.

my dutch boy and marcio found that they had quite a bit in common, one thing being marcio's fabulous artwork! this particular painting is of marcio's studio house, located on moffat lake outside of ottawa. marcio knew how fond my dutch boy was of it, so out of appreciation and friendship, he offered it to my dutch boy as a gift....and i wish i could tell you how we treasure this (let me put it this way....in case of fire, i would grab the dog, the family photos and this painting!)

but probably one of the most interesting things about this painting is the way it's put together. the story goes that when it came time to paint this, he didn't have any large canvases (this measures about 60" x 46"), so he taped white paper bags together to create one large canvas to paint on (and then he just painted right over the tape!)! and while we hear so much now about taking care to use archival resources, i just love how marcio was so inspired to paint that he did what he had to do to create the canvas!

to me, that's true artistic passion....he paints because he has to.

you can visit marcio here, and see the photo of his studio house here.

for a larger view, click on photos

perfect balance

this is my idea of a life in perfect balance....heavy on the art, and light on all of the other stuff!

and speaking of art....head on over to gina lee kim's blog and put your name in the hat for her giveaway! wait until you see the gorgeous artwork she's offering!

happy weekend to you!!

journal page finished on fabriano medioevalis paper using micron pens and watercolor pencils.

and the journal goes to.....

i am completely overwhelmed by your response to my giveaway!! thank you SO much for supporting my little blog....you are awesome!

random.org has chosen the number 14, which means that doda has a new journal coming her way! (doda, i'll be contacting you shortly for your address!)

i'm planning another giveaway in the near future.....it's easy to find things to celebrate, don't you think?! now if i could only figure out a way to serve ice cream, we could really have a party! :))