The little things

 I found a pink-petaled mug covered in Siamese kitties at the hospice thrift shop down the street.

It might be my new favorite thing.

Or at least its' currently tied for first with homemade dark chocolate peanut butter cups. 

The cold snap hasn't been good for much, but it's certainly made hanging around indoors easy.

I've been working on some doodle illustrations for a fun new project.

Here's a little sneak peek:

Last night I sat drawing at the kitchen table for hours, wrapped up in an electric blanket.

So I guess winter isn't so bad :)

And in case you're eager to give them a try...

Here's my (highly unscientific) "recipe" for peanut butter cups:

- Unsweetened Baker's Chocolate

- Coconut Oil

- Sugar

- Vanilla Extract

- Salt

- Peanut Butter

- Paper cupcake cups

1. Chop/shave chocolate and place in small sauce pan

2. Add about 1 tablespoon of Coconut oil for every ounce of chocolate.

3. Add about 1.5 tablespoon of sugar per ounce of chocolate. (All I had in my cupboard was sugar in the raw, so I ground it very fine using a mortal and pestle.  Store bought powdered sugar would probably also work, but I can't recommend a dosage so you'd have to just add to taste).

4. Add a pinch of salt.

5. Place pot over low heat and stir until all ingredients have melted.

6. Remove from heat and stir in a teaspoon of vanilla extract.

7. Pour a thin layer of melted chocolate into cupcake cups (it may help to place cups in a cupcake pan if you have one, but I didn't and I managed just fine).

8. Add a dollop of peanut butter to each cup

9. Cover peanut butter with remaining chocolate, and place cups in freezer to cool.

Enjoy!

Home again, home again.

So now I live in a cozy cabin and have a work space with a big desk overlooking beautiful Lake Champlain.

I cannot express how grateful I am to be here.

It's so peaceful.  And there is so much space for creating!  

So I've been playing guitar.  And teaching myself violin.  And cooking and baking and compiling original recipes.  

Then just yesterday, I started playing around with Illustrator and some of my beloved hand drawn doodles.

These two are my favorite so far:

I think they do a pretty good job of expressing how I'm feeling these days :)

Doodle Meditations

Spontaneous.  Free-flowing.  Childlike.

Doodles present a little window into what's just below the surface of our consciousness.

And might just be my favorite kind of art to make. 

The process helps me ground in the moment, and gives a helpful indication of the type of energy currently moving into and influencing my life.

Always full of surprise symbols and insights.

 

It's fun when new totems present themselves.

Groundhog was the first to emerge today.  

He carriers some surprisingly powerful archetypal energy for such a humble little rodent.

Who'd have thought?


For those eager to experiment with the process for themselves, I present to you:


Requirements for successful doodling:

1. Low-quality pen and piece of paper. 

2. Opposable thumbs.

3. No expectations.


Let it flow.

And then use words to describe what you see.

Have fun :)

Snail Mail Art

Two of my friends recently welcomed their first baby into the world, and yesterday I got to sit down and create a special card to send them.  It was a great opportunity to pull out one of my favorite inventions: the watercolor postcard.

The set of watercolor cards I am currently using I have had for some time, and came all the way from Germany.  I had just finished up a semester abroad in Rome and was traveling through Europe by rail.  Poking around the city of Freiburg, I stumbled upon a cute little art supply shop where I picked up my first set of Aquarell Postkartenblock.

Back then, I never could have guessed that 8 years later I would still have a handful of these cards to spare, let alone that I would be using one to send to my friend of 12 years in honor of he and his wife's first-born!

And how exciting that this would also be my first time painting in my new home studio  :)   

So much magic and mystery in life.

Speaking of which, at the time I sat down to begin my postcard painting project, the subject matter of the piece was still entirely unknown to me.  So I did what always seems to work best in those situations when I simply haven't got a clue: I doodled.

And wouldn't you know that just the perfect thing presented itself almost immediately:

A handsome elephant with a curved trunk.

Elephants are beautiful symbols of family, so I was happy to roll with it.  After just a few minutes, with a little tweaking, I had come up with a simple, symmetrical design:

And then added, of course, a baby.

Started out by laying down some green grass and yellow-orange sky.

Then threw some color on the pachyderms, plus a little red to bring out the heart silhouetted by their trunks.

Hmm... still missing something...

Ah, perfect :)

I hope this inspires you to try sending some crafty love via snail mail.  Thanks for stopping by!

Into the Unkown

I quit my day job. 

And it feels so good. 

With rainbow power, fox leads the way!

Puppy Love

Just a fun doodle from the other day. 

I love simple lines and shapes.

Here is something different - a bit more color and movement.

Just a quick sketch I did while journaling about a dream of a tiny fox companion.

Fox has always been with me, but lately she has been teaching me about magic and transmutation.  How to consciously manifest a positive reality, and how to turn fear and negativity into fuel for the creative fire.

Speaking of creative fire, today I was presented with a dozen blank canvases!  I have been commissioned to create some paintings for a healing arts office.  I will be posting photos as the work unfolds.  Can't wait to get started!

Whee!

More doodle friends.

Funny how these simple, child-like drawings please me so.

Experimentation

It's alive!!!

The Tao of Doodling

In both art and life in general, I appreciate simplicity.

One gentle stroke, seemingly effortless - or even accidental - creates life.

When I draw like this, I begin not knowing what image will emerge. 

The line seems to know what it wants to become.

Without trying to control it, I let it flow.  Often I am tickled by the outcome. 

 

This little squirrel might be my favorite.   

I feel like I'm channeling Pablo Picasso.