spring

we received a thick blanket of snow this weekend, as a special wrap-up weekend edition of winter. oh no, winter won't go down without a fight or at least a temper tantrum. Fortunately for me, I have just acquired a new set of gouache and I was able to show indifference to winter's taunting by creating fields of bright happy colors.



I have a few projects coming up that I am looking forward to sharing, but not yet! Have a good Monday :)

back in full effect

Costa Rica was a dream.
I have been back for a few days but am only now really coming out of the fog of traveling.

1. Dogs rule in Costa Rica, or at least in Montezuma. The dogs ran free, but I wouldn't say "wild". They were very polite and loveable. On our first full day there, a dog guided us into the forest to a series of waterfalls. His name was Java. The dog in the image above prevented Bez from swimming in dangerous water by jumping in after her and pulling her out, seconds before the water turned rough. Seriously. The dogs are amazing.

2. Taking allergy medicine before embarking on a mountain hiking expedition wherein one scales the side of a mountain in flip flops is not advisable. I did this, and the result was me scaring myself half to death unnecessarily several times, and then spacing out once we reached the desired location. Still an adventure though!

3. Howler monkeys sound SCARY.

4. Joaquin Phoenix has a house in Montezuma and I visually stalked him hanging out in the street. He looks kinda crazy but had an agreeable demeanor from what I could tell. He DID cut in front of everyone in line at the beer store though, and that got me going on a "who does he think he is" rant. Aye, actors who rap.

5. Wave-jumping is fun until the waves become so big that you actually consider death as an imminent possibility. Apparently I am not a strong swimmer because what was a leisurely float in the ocean quickly became a battle for air as the waves overcame me so strongly and repeatedly that I did not know which way was up. We all survived but I didn't go back in past my hips after that.

....
Looking at the list above, you may think that I spent a week in Costa Rica in sheer panic, but really I spent most of the week laughing and trying to come up with the sound that a hermit crab makes as it scuttles sideways to get away. I ate a lot of fresh fish and read a book and plotted ways to make a life in a place so far south that the moon turns on its side and the stars multiply by the second. I love you, Costa Rica.
....

Back to work this week, busier than ever. I am going into my shell and scuttling sideways.....

pura vida

on vacation for the next week, friends. I'll be back soon!

what the

I don't know what happened, guys. I have been working on a new series and I wanted to work differently than I have been - trying something new. I didn't have a plan, I just got started, and the first image shows the direction i took. the colors and landscape got me really excited until i fell into a pit of doubt and painted over it all. it didn't feel like "me", even though I liked it. I wasn't ready for a change so i brought it back to my comfort zone, and now i am wistful for the rolling hills and bright rays of happy color. you live and learn, right? This will reappear later - maybe that was just for practice.

Speaking of rolling happy landscapes (sort of), I am heading to Costa Rica next week! I will post a hold on my etsy and email accounts during that time, but if you are looking for me I will be in a beach house on the Nicoya Peninsula with a big smile on my face. Pura Vida!

Bryan Nash Gill

I am in love with this large-scale print by Bryan Nash Gill. He makes his images by laying ink on a cross section of a tree (in this case a Hemlock) and carefully rubbing the imprint. A quick google search will give you a lot of other examples of his work and probably cause some drooling. Too bad the print above is $4000, but I'm sure it's truly beautiful in person.

available at Ashes and Milk. Feel free to buy it for me.