My studio is finished! Ironically, it was finished over a week ago but in the transition I lost the cable to my camera so I couldn't download these photos. It feels so good and so different from before. My favorite part of my studio are the walls. I love Aleah and Eve's writing and drawings on the walls it really feels like a part of a painting. Finally, a studio that is me. Now I need to get to work!

I just spent two days going through five years worth of paper! Keeping things can come back to haunt you! I decided to clean out my studio and be more like some of my artists friends. Honestly out of all my artist friends the men are by far more organized and clean. Jeff Hein, Sean Diedeker, and Greg Stocks... just to name a few. My studio was made up of some very random items of furniture. I had a computer desk that I bought over 8 years ago at a Down East Home tent sale for $50. Then there was the little dresser I bought from a garage sale. I sanded it down and painted the drawers blue. I took both of those along with other random things to D.I. today. Although I am excited for the new, I felt a little sentimental about these little pieces of furniture that have brought me this far. So I am painting my studio white, yep I said white. I have not painted anything white for years. I have decided however that I am going to let my girls draw on the wall and then I will paint it with various shades of white like I do my paintings. It feels good to be giving myself a fresh studio space. I will post photos of it when I get it done.
If you have seen my studio before it will shock you how good it is going to look. As a person who is so affected by my environment I can hardly wait to see how this will influence my art.

This is my second plate for the VSA Arts 300 plate fundraiser. This painting was inspired by Bonnie and Margot (sorry for the bad photo). They belong to one of my favorite collectors Grace Ivory Rock. In 2003 Grace bought two of my first oil paintings, and recently purchased "Kids In the City 2" from my show at Coda. I had the privilege of going to Grace's home and seeing how my art was displayed. I love the way she has decorated her home and is definitely an artist in her own right.

It feels good to be creating again. This is a sketch I did of Aleah. Sometimes I am able to catch something in my sketchbook that becomes difficult for me to duplicate. I feel like this sketch captures something about the 9 year old version of her. I love the messy hair and freckles.

The painting is one of three plates I am doing for the "300 Plates" fundraiser at Art Access in May. Some of you may have noticed my current love affair with the color orange. Yes, it can be difficult to sell paintings of my girls. But if I am going to paint a little girl why should I try so hard not to paint my own who I intimately know every curve of their little faces, the colors of their skin, the flip of their hair.

The show friday night was a blast. Thanks to all who attended. If you couldn't make it here is a glimpse although as many people have said recently that photos just don't capture what you experience in person. I want to thank Coda for all of their support and excitement about my show. Tami, thank you for the best cookies! Thanks to my stepdad Kevin for coming up for my show, and most of all to my two little ladies for their support and patience with me as an artist and a mom. Aleah commented to me yesterday how empty our house feels without all of my paintings in it. I agreed, so I am going to get off the computer and paint again for the first time in a few weeks.

Travis Tanner of Tanner Frames is the best! I just want to let him know how grateful I am that he caught my vision when I was picking frames for my show. Most of the frames are actually three moldings put together. I just got done with all of the frames this morning (right before I loaded them into my car to take to Coda) and they look beautiful. They are all made from Roma moldings and I want to thank the rep Travis works with for making it possible to frame my entire show in Roma. Travis, thank you for helping me out with my last minute emergencies and producing such quality work.

My show is now less than one week away. Often times people will ask me if it is hard for me to let go of my paintings and for the most part I always answer "no". This time however, I can't say that. This painting "Birds of a Feather" is one of my favorites. There is a special energy about this group of work for my spring show. I am feeling a little bit sad to see it go. The other day I had taken the majority of my paintings to be photographed and my studio felt empty, and a little lonely. I have felt so many things in the last months while I have been painting this work. It has come from a place deep within me and I do feel a personal connection to each piece. I want to thank Karen, Michelle, Susan, and Maridin for buying some of this work. Somehow it makes it a little easier to let go of these pieces knowing that they will be close by. I want to thank all of the people who have bought my work as well as those who continually encouraged me to keep painting.