Queen Mermaid~ Queen of the Sea

She enjoys relaxing in a nice cup of tea. :) I personally love tea and have to have it everyday, English style with a little milk added. I thought it would be fitting for me to do a piece that combines two of the things I love- mermaids and tea! Of course she couldn't be just any mermaid, I had to give it a British spin.
I included the page from my sketchbook where I originally worked out the idea. My Moleskine sketchbook  is where I work out all the images and ideas for new art. It's fun for me to look back at where the idea began and how it changed into my final piece.

.

SUP paddleboarder

It's no secret. I do love paddle boarding. So, I just had to create a paddle boarding girl.
And we all need to be reminded that "Life is short.. Enjoy the Ride". Enjoy whatever moment you are in, enjoy the process. It's not always about the finished product. Or the finished achievement. Just enjoy the process. Art is very much that way for me. Sometimes I get caught up in the feeling that I have to complete a piece just to have it done, but it's actually more about the process of creating it that's the most fun.
So here she is - in blonde or brunette available in my  Etsy shop

Never the Same Wave...

I'm very happy with my newest surfer girl. : )

I was inspired to write this quote when I sat watching the kids in a surf competition. My older daughter was on Surf Team at school this year.

I watched the waves, and the kids catching some, having a good ride, missing some waves, occasionally wiping out,etc. and I just thought about how every single wave is different. Every single ride is different moment to moment. And how it's kind of like life. ;)

This one is now available in my Etsy shop for all size prints on paper, canvas and wood too.
Etsy

Sisterly Love

                                

A very dear friend of mine recently bought my Mermaid Sister art print to give to her sister as a gift on her 50th birthday.

What I love is the story behind why she chose to give her sister my mermaid art. She truly has the gift of story telling so I want to share the story in her words....

I have to tell you both a little childhood story that explains why this piece resonated with me. When My sister and I were little kids, we lived in a Spanish style house in Glendale. The bathroom had pink and black vintage tile from the 30s and it had a big tub separate from the shower stall. On the wall above the tub, my mother had hung two glazed, ceramic mermaids. Their tails were a beautiful iridescent, pearly blue. One was slightly larger (the older sister) with long, flowing hair and she held a hand mirror in one hand and primped her hair with the other while looking into the mirror. The other mermaid was smaller (the younger sister) with a perky pony tail and she held a large, pink iridescent pearl in her hands like a beach ball. She looked out towards anyone in the bathroom with a playful, sly look. My sister and I used to take our baths together and we would sit at the top of the back of the bathtub and slide down the "hill" into the water. We would do this over and over again, all the while pretending we were the mermaids on the wall. We must have been really tiny because we were able to slide down together, side by side, "swim" under water in that tub and, then, safely stop before we, in our imagination, were taken under by the "waterfall" coming from the faucet! When my parents sold that house and moved to the SF Valley, then to Simi, the mermaids got packed away. My mom can't remember what she did with them. Over the years, My sister periodically looked for them in boxes in the garage. They were important to her. 

So….you can see why this is such a sweet birthday present! The mermaids are now in their 50s, but we are still as close as those two little girls were. We still have our alter egos — My sister having a wicked sense of humor and still being cute and perky. Me, I guess I have to admit I'm a belly-button gazer, always analyzing myself, much more self-centered than my sister, just like that mermaid looking in her mirror. Ha ha ha!

I think this gift will set the tone nicely for the 6 days I will spend with my sister this week!

I loved hearing this story. This is what my art is all about, childhood and imagination, pretending you are a mermaid with your sister, what a great memory. And they are still good friends. I love that my art can be relevant to both young girls imaginations as well as older girls and women, maybe finding and regaining a piece of their own childhood.

Ride the Waves

My brand new surfer girl. : ) This was a fun one to create. I've included the quote from John Kabat-Zinn on Surfing. Love this quote. It applies to life as well as surfing.
She's up for grabs in my Etsy Shop!

Find your words

Find your voice, express yourself. Create. Find your spark. Be bold, be true. Always be true to who you are.
That's the message behind my newest art. : )

Why I do what I do

Sometimes we are all filled with self doubt. Am I right?
When I'm being negative, I think, why am I creating all this art? It just hangs on walls or collects dust.... sometimes I really do think that.
But then, I hear the stories from the people who buy my art and hang it on their walls. The father who is away overseas fighting for our country who buys my book and art for his little girl to show her how much he loves and misses her, the women who need a reminder to start living their dreams so they buy my art that has inspirational quotes, the little girls who just love unicorns and love to look at them on their walls....
Then I know why I'm doing this everyday.
To quote one of my favorite artists again
"The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away."
~ Pablo Picasso