Painting Progress

When I paint, I like to stop and take a picture of the process. Many times I have an idea in my head about what the final product will look like, and every time, the finished result is anything but. My latest flower painting, is quite dramatic (and somewhat romantic). I used high contrast of dark purple and white to give off the affect of shadows. I was going to paint the flower in more orange-pink tones, and then went against it. Here's how it all worked out! ENJOY.

COMPLETED!!!

SASS and COFFEE : Two Things I Can't Live Without

SASS:

Thesaurus Legend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun 1. sass - an impudent or insolent rejoinder; "don't give me any of your sass"
back talk, backtalk, sassing, lip, mouth
comeback, rejoinder, retort, riposte, replication, counter, return - a quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or critical one); "it brought a sharp rejoinder from the teacher"
Verb 1. sass - answer back in an impudent or insolent manner; "don't sass me!"; "The teacher punished the students who were sassing all morning";
answer, reply, respond - react verbally; "She didn't want to answer"; "answer the question"; "We answered that we would accept the invitation"

COFFEE:

Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark, slightly acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia, South Asia and Africa. Green (unroasted) coffee is one of the most traded agricultural commodities in the world.[1] Coffee can have a stimulating effect on humans due to its caffeine content. It is one of the most-consumed beverages in the world.[2]

Coffee has played a crucial role in many societies. The energizing effect of the coffee bean plant is thought to have been discovered in the northeast region of Ethiopia, and the cultivation of coffee first expanded in the Arab world.[3] The earliest credible evidence of coffee drinking appears in the middle of the 15th century, in the Sufi shrines of Yemen in southern Arabia.[3] From the Muslim world, coffee spread to India,[4] Italy, then to the rest of Europe, to Indonesia, and to the Americas.[5] In East Africa and Yemen, it was used in religious ceremonies. As a result, the Ethiopian Church banned its secular consumption, a ban in effect until the reign of Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia.[6] It was banned in Ottoman Turkey during the 17th century for political reasons,[7] and was associated with rebellious political activities in Europe.

Coffee berries, which contain the coffee seeds or "beans", are produced by several species of small evergreen bush of the genus Coffea. The two most commonly grown are the highly regarded Coffea arabica, and the 'robusta' form of the hardier Coffea canephora. The latter is resistant to the devastating coffee leaf rust (Hemileia vastatrix). Once ripe, coffee berries are picked, processed, and dried. The seeds are then roasted to varying degrees, depending on the desired flavor. They are then ground and brewed to create coffee. Coffee can be prepared and presented in a variety of ways.

An important export commodity, coffee was the top agricultural export for twelve countries in 2004,[8] and it was the world's seventh-largest legal agricultural export by value in 2005.[9] Some controversy is associated with coffee cultivation and its impact on the environment. Many studies have examined the relationship between coffee consumption and certain health conditions; whether the overall effects of coffee are ultimately positive or negative has been widely disputed.[10] The method of brewing coffee has been found to be important to its health effects.[11]

Here's Whats Happening (September 2011)

Lately I've been busy doing a lot of little projects. I guess a "perk" about being a painter is that I'm always being approached by people with art problems, such as what kind of art should they be filling their homes with. It's intimidating to know exactly what one should want. I get it. I too can never make up my mind as to how to decorate my own space and commit to an image to look at forever (my roommate can attest to the fact that our apartment still looks like we are just moving in after a year and a half together). But to me the answer is simple: if you love the way an image makes you feel, buy it.

So, the latest commission I was given was by Amanda Carver. She moved into her own apartment this past winter and let me tell you, I loved it!! HELLO JONATHAN ADLER!!!! Grey walls, modern furniture, and a cool "beach theme" throughout. I was happy to come over to her place and decide what we were going to put over her desk in her living room. With so much pattern going on, I suggested that she needed a "feminine" painting to contrast with the rest of her space. So of course we went with a floral design (what girl doesn't love that?)... Her home was already filled with brown, grey, light blue, and green, so I thought purple, white and a little orange-pink would balance the rest out. I'm already off to a good start :)

Pics below!!



Picture of Amanda's living room (love the white desk and wall color)

Begining of flower painting (09/17/2011)

Picture of final painting to come! I'm excited to see how it will turn out :)

Book Art By Cara Barer

Cara Barer not only is a sculptor, but fine art photographer that documents the "physical evolution" of paper. Her focus, books, represent knowledge in which one gets information... and yet with technological advances of the internet, paper no longer maintains the importance it once used to. Barer wrote that she hopes "to raise questions about these changes, the ephemeral and fragile nature in which we now obtain knowledge, and the future of books". Personally, Barer's photography takes on a more design role for me. I look at the lines that her sculptures create and the lighting that showcases each fold of the paper. One may not know the subject at first of her work, but as you see her collection of photographs, it becomes more clear. I would love a wall of her "book art" in my home, her earthy tones, and choice of subject matter seem nostalgic and beautiful.

Nail Art

I will be the first to admit that there are a few things in life that I love (and have always loved since I was a little girl): bows, sparkles, color, pink, slumber-parties, cupcakes... all things "girly".

So, it comes as no surprise that when I had accompanied my Mother to a beauty supply store I bee-lined it straight to the nail polish section and proceeded to test all the sparkle nail polishes on sale. What started as a test-run, became a full on nail session right in the middle of Ulta Beauty Supply store. Within 5 minutes, all my nails were painted a ridiculous sparkle-purple that I was secretly proud of (picture below).

Painting my nails got me thinking about nail art...

Fun ways to paint your nails is always the rage on beauty blogs and online magazine sites. It does require talent (and skill) to decorate your nails and I've posted some really creative nail ideas below! ENJOY!!!

Traditional Polka-dot

Twitter Nails (tweet tweet tweet)

Bacon Nails (yum)

Holiday Nails (how awesome are Rudolph's antlers?)

Sponge-Bob

Zipper Nails

Mario Brothers

Pac-Man Nails (my personal favorite)