Happy Fourth of July Everyone!

Go out and enjoy the day and the freedom we take for granted!  Thanks to all of our service men and women who risk their lives to keep America safe and strong.

Here’s a piece recently completed for Seven Days, Burlington VT’s alt. weekly.

I know it’s been months since I posted anything, but I’ve been busy, I swear!  Something is going on with my blog, that it does not allow me to upload pics anymore.  So in the meantime, I wanted to post a quick update on recent events.

My first novel, Quintessence has been shelved for the time being, so that I can take what I learned (both good and bad) and jump into my second novel.  Thanks to some brilliant brainstorming with my husband, Brian, this book promises a much more cohesive and exciting storyline.  I’m about halfway finished, but have decided it better to take my time and really flesh out these interesting folks than to rush and have half-baked characters.

On the art front, it’s been fun catching up with old clients ~ Seven Days in Burlington VT, and Extra! Magaine in NYC.  A few more art jobs over the summer would really pad the fund in place to remove the 60 foot Silver Maple in our yard, so that the fence can ultimately go up.  A mailer is in the works to remind all that I am ready, willing and able to paint up a storm.

Hope eveyone is enjoying the last few days of spring.  HAPPY SUMMER!

Last April with art jobs drying up and magazines and weeklies folding left and right, I decided to split my creative energies and thus split my blog into two directions: art and words.

I wrote a young adult novel.  I finished it over the summer and after numerous critiques and revisions, I’ve been actively shopping it in the hopes of finding an agent who will be my champion in this field.  I’ve had requests for partials and fulls, but the process is painstakingly slow, so I’m trying to be patient.  Something I’m not very good at.

It’s been an invigorating process and I’ve loved just about every minute of it.  The hardest part are the rejection letters.  While I know it’s part of the process they suck just the same.  My thin skin is being peppered with them, but I smile and say thanks for looking anyway, and go about my business.

I’ve taken author Phillip Margolin’s advice to heart when he told me to forgot that I even wrote the first book and write more.  So I’m now writing a new book that I grow more and more excited about with every page. 

I have almost completed the outline for, my next novel. My goal is to document my journey from outline to published novel.  I hope you join me.

This piece for Extra! Magazine (I think it’s for their January 2010 issue,) started out a bit troublesome, but I was thrilled to see how it ended.

A tip of the hat to those who hired me in 2009.  My hopes are 2010 will give me the opportunity to work with many new faces. I am excited to see what the new year will bring!

Happy New Year!

It’s been a while since I last posted.  This year seems to have flown by!  Things have been slower than usual the last few months, but I was busy throwing my talents into another creative venture so it was okay, (more on that in a later post.)

I was happy to work with Diane at Seven Days again-always a fun project and straight forward art direction-no revisions…just like I like um!

If I don’t hear from you in the next month, Happy Holidays!  Hope to work with you next year!

Here’s the latest cover I did for Extra! Magazine.  I just love working for them & Deborah in particular.  I never have to guess at what they are looking for.  These Extra! pieces are always a lot of fun!  Keep um coming!

I’m pretty sure this one comes out this week.  This was not one of my easiest pieces.  I generally get approval to move to the final after a sketch, maybe a few tweaks, but this one had 4 sketches before it was ultimatley decided that we would use my inital favorite.  All in all, I think it ended up ok.  I am really happy with the final colors.  I have found that the more I end up changing a piece the less I tend to like the final.  I wonder if this happens to other artists…

I just handed this one in, but figured since I was posting and it might be weeks until I get back to post some more I should just post it now.  I love working with Andrea at Fort Worth.  She had a clear cut idea for this one and even sent me a rough - which when working on such short notice is always appreciated!  I thought that not having to do a background would make this one a bit easier, but boy was I mistaken.  I spent just as much time cleaning up messy edges as I would have painting a background!

Here is a interior piece I did for Spokane Metro.  The one with the man was the one originally approved, but the one with just the sign was what they ultimately went with.

It’s been a busy couple of weeks with two new pieces for Fort Worth Weekly, another piece for Spokane Metro and the beginnings of a new one for Urban Tulsa Weekly!  Loving it!

I am planning on taking the evening off however for a much needed break!  The kids have been sick so being nursemaid on top of Administrative Assistant, on top of illustrator has left me feeling a tad bit exhausted.  One evening to recoop is doable I think…

Well here is the 1st piece I did for new client Fort Worth Weekly.