Let the Games Begin!

Time for another update on Maria and Alex's painting:

In other news, I finally received a coveted badge of honor from the queen herself.  Ok, so I'm not referring to the Queen of England and referencing the Olympics.  Nor am I referencing that Martha Stewart actually sent me a personal email with a jpeg in it.  Fine, some editor's assistant sent me the following badge to plaster all over my materials.  This is more than most wedding vendors have which allows me to inflate it to something bigger than royalty and games broadcast over the entire world.  My world just got a little more start-studded.

College Flashbacks

I've been working on Maria and Alex's painting lately, and every time I'm painting it, there's something familiar about it.  Yes, I've painted many a calla lily and fiddlehead fern, but that wasn't it.  No, it isn't the flowers.

It wasn't until I got to a certain area that I realized, "I've painted this before!"  Memory triggers usually occur with sound or smell, but I had a very strong visual remembrance....take a look.

This is the section that triggered the memory:

Here's where it flashed me back to:

Flashback to 10 years ago, 200 hours of painting and many overnight stays in the art building. This is a 6 x 6 foot painting I created for my college thesis.  Crazy, right?

Can you see the resemblance though and how Maria and Alex's painting would take me back in time? 

Close up of thesis painting

There are so many colors going on in one area that it's kind of like an iridescent rainbow effect.

I no longer paint like I did in college.  I've simplified my process and technique to be much more time efficient and a tad bit tighter.  I don't allow myself to see and paint every color of the rainbow like I did for this college painting...thus the 200 hour tag on it.  I often wonder what this college thesis painting would look like if I painted it today.  Would it be as interesting looking as it is now?  How long would it take?  Funny enough, I still have the printout of this piece, so maybe one day in my spare time I'll try my hand at a recreation.  Ha!  For now I'll just feel nostalgic while working on my current masterpiece.

Family Traditions

It's Friday the 13th and I've decided it is in my best intention to stay indoors tonight and paint.  I'm not that superstitious, but it may be smarter to play it safe and be productive.  That being said, allow me to introduce you to my newest painting:

You'll remember Christina and Jovan's painting...

Christina's lovely mom purchased her painting as a gift....and now she's having one made for Christina's brother and new sister-in-law!

I love these kinds of family traditions!  How about this composition too!?  

I can't wait to show you future updates as these colors start to pop and the cala lilies and fiddlehead fern come back to life.
 
Happy Friday!

Milwaukee...a Sister City

Happy Monday!  I feel like it's another one of those times where I've taken a crazy hiatus from blogging and now have so much to catch up on.  I'm finding myself antsy right now cause I really want to get painting instead of writing (no offense).  Ah, but it is my duty to shower you with fun happenings and neato images.

Can you believe the 4th of July has come and gone?  Part of my leave of absence was celebrating this holiday up at my cottage in Wisconsin but not in the cottage.  Our un-airconditioned space kept me away from a computer and swimming in 80 degree water at night.  Unfortunately, the weather left us without fireworks due to a county ban....way to dangerous to shoot them off since there hasn't been rain for ages.  I got my fix during a brief encounter indoors on the tv.  Thank you Fox 6 News...

In order to beat the heat, my parents and I decided to capitalize on some free ac and visit the Milwaukee Art Museum on Thursday.  Now, even though I am an artist, I am terrible at keeping up with the art scene (still haven't been to the Art Institute's "new" Modern Wing).  Visiting the Milwaukee Art Museum has been on my list forever, but somehow getting down to the beach and out on the lake always trumps a culture boost.  Who would have thought a 90 degree day would prompt an outing!?

The architecture is beautiful in this space and provided many a photo op.

Besides the ac and free Thursday, our other reason for our visit was the amazing exhibit the museum is currently featuring:

Ah, to be back in Paris for a couple of hours among the dancing girls of Montmartre, bright colors of a color lithograph, and swanky history.  If you find yourself in the Milwaukee area, I highly recommend this exhibit.  It was excellent and enjoyed by everyone.

An additional attraction to the museum is the Burke Brise Soleil by Spanish artist Santiago Caltrava.  This amazing structure actually opens and closes when the museum itself opens and closes.

Open

Closed

Architectural genius!  The day started out brutally hot, but ended in perfection.  Thank you Milwaukee for such a lovely experience....I should visit you more often.

Ok, you'll have to come back to the blog later....I really want to go paint now.  You know there will be updates to come!!