Far off Places

Hey there folks,

It's April! It's Spring!

Sort of...

The cold weather seems to be holding on, reluctant to make way for warmer days. I don't know about you, but I have been dreaming nonstop of warmer weather and far off places.

Penguin Parade

Hey there blog readers,

The crazy jobs are just about quieting down... juuuust about. As far as I can tell, there actually is a light at the end of the tunnel. Huzzah! Because I'm starting to find a handful of minutes between jobs, I'm finally, finally starting to get back to half-finished projects (and, I swear, the dear, patient folks in my critique groups... I'll have things for you soon!).

One of my recent projects, a silly sort of make-me-giggle-over-my-drawing-table painting features a few of my fave characters - a passel of penguins and one goofy, pink fellow.

As always I started with a whole bunch of sketches,

 that I composited into one ginormous sketch parade. (Click to get a closer view.)

And finally, with a bunch of stolen minutes over a handful of weeks, paint! 

 

Paper cranes

I've been back from visiting my sister for not quite a week yet, and it's already been a bit of a rocky homecoming. Two days after I arrived, I received some incredibly sad news. A college friend had passed away.

I have been struggling with how to process it. Between the cancer diagnosis late last year, her death earlier this week, and the funeral yesterday in D.C., I feel all wrung out. Words fail me as I try to write this.

She was an extraordinary person bent on saving the planet and helping anyone and everyone. She had a smile that could light up a room, and today the world is just a little bit darker.

Kirby Capen

(1983-2012)

Up, up, and away

Hey there blog readers!

Today I'm headed out of Brooklyn, off into the wild blue yonder. My very talented, lovely sister is currently an art conservator at the Mauritshuis, and I'm off to pay her a long overdue visit.

And what better time than to post a recently-finished piece... it seems thematically appropriate, somehow. This piece is from a personal project I started a few weeks ago, and this particular painting is actually the third in the series. I have the other two images all sketched out and ready to paint, but I tackled this one first because it was my favorite. (More posts about the project when I return.)

Up, up, and away!

Next post from the Netherlands!