Violet drew a picture of me and the baby today. She calls it "Mama and Baby Hippo". I must be overly emotional from all the pregnancy hormones swirling through my body, but I thought it was very sweet.
Here are some details in case you wondered.
Violet has only recently started drawing things that are vaguely recognizable instead of just squiggles. I think that's exciting!
At this point, I'm just sitting around with my bags packed waiting to drive to the hospital.
I have a question for you guys:
What blogs do you LOVE?
I have my tried-and-true favorites, (I never miss A Fanciful Twist, Posie Gets Cozy, and No Big Dill) but I always like to check out new blogs. Especially now that I am in 'hurry up and wait for the baby' mode.
I like blogs about families, crafts, art, photography, sewing, knitting, cooking, traditions, fashion, decorating, and Halloween.
Any suggestions?
I've been trying to finish redecorating Violet's room before the baby arrives. I decided to paint her a family portrait including the new addition.
"A Walk in the Spring Rain"
Violet loves to walk in the rain under her frog umbrella and splash through puddles.
Yes, I painted myself not-pregnant. Adam (at great danger to himself) pointed out that I am much bigger right now. I wanted to have this in Violet's room for a while, and I will only be pregnant a little while longer, so----I painted me post-pregnant.
We're all kind of cartoony and not very realistic. I wanted a loose, colorful, folk-arty-type painting.
Oh! I'm excited to get the baby carriage back out again. We restored the pram Adam's parents used for him and his brother when they were babies. I didn't get enough of it last time around.
I think I showed y'all this, but I wanted to show you the completed case. A client had me make custom train cases for all her daughters. I already made and sent a Peter Pan case, and here are the Toy Story and Ratatouille cases.
front
side
other side
inside (ignore cluttered kitchen)
Ratatouille case
back
inside
This one had the original tray and keys! I'm always scared to lock luggage, though--I'm scared I'll lose the keys while traveling then be stuck without my underwear. Or whatever.
"Rubbing Noses"
I wanted to get some photos of me and Violet with her little sister 'on the inside' before I give birth. As is the case with a lot of 7 1/2 month pregnant women, I'm not too happy with my size right now. Not the pregnant bit---but the 'can't wear my wedding ring' bit. My face and body are swollen and I'm uncomfortable most of the time and I'm not exactly thrilled with the thought of photos. However, I'm pretty sure the girls will like having photos of this time in their life when they are older. I probably will, too. So photos it is.
I wanted some photos that were simple and classic. Mama and daughter in front of some greenery in (hopefully) not-too-trendy clothes. I used the paintings below for inspiration.
"Cache Cache" by Morisot
"Mother and Daughter" by Adam Buck
"Good Night" by Arthur John Elsley
"Summer Love" by Eduard Niczky
"Portrait of Mrs. Sarah Otway, in White costume with her Daughter Jane before a Window" by Joshua Reynolds
Due to my lack of energy, I also wanted as simple of a shoot as possible. Just getting us dressed made me tired---wow, I am lazy these days! I plunked an old chair in front of some greenery and set my camera to an automatic portrait mode. I alternated between that and an automatic setting with a large (4.0) aperture. In case you cared.
"Belly Kiss"- (I like this one best, I think. Maybe because my puffy head is out of it and Violet looks so sweet kissing her sister.)
This is such a "Violet expression".
(If you click on this image, you can enlarge it in another window.)
I took about 150 photos to get even a few that weren't a mess. Getting a 3 year old to wear white and stand still and look at the camera on a beautiful spring day is harder than you might guess. Trying to waddle back and forth between the photo area and my camera on a self timer was a challenge, too. I'm so slow these days.
Close your eyes, mother-people in my life. Closed? Good.
I was thinking about giving our mothers and grandmothers a portrait this year. Which 3 photos do you guys like best?
Why don't I ever get to sit by people like this on an airplane?
Nina Katchadourian has a new art project.....read on!
"While in the lavatory on a domestic flight in March 2010, I spontaneously put a tissue paper toilet cover over my head and took a picture in the mirror. Th image evoked 15th-century Flemish portraiture. I decided to add more images made in this mode and planned to take advantage of a long-haul flight from San Francisco to Auckland, guessing that there were likely to be long periods of time when no one was using the lavatory on the 14-hour flight.
I made several forays to the bathroom my aisle seat, and by the time we landed I had a large group of new photographs entitled Lavatory Self-Portraits in the Flemish Style."
Genius.
I adore all things 'moon'.....you?
"A Carnvial Evening" by Henri Rousseau.
Fun idea----I don't know where this came from. I'll be happy to credit it if you know.
From Apartment Therapy. I think one would be enough, don't you? It seems to lose the moon-ish impact with more than one.
I'm crazy about old paper moon studio props. I will make one for my studio when the building is finished. Get ready, everyone who knows me---when you visit, you will be required to take a moon photo.
Have I shared my admiration for Chris Sickels from Red Nose Studio? His tiny dolls and sets are charming. The image below is from a set of wine labels he did for the Blasted Church Winery.
He recently shared a few works in progress. If you've ever been curious how an artist goes from idea to sketch to finished project, take a look. Obviously, everyone works differently. However, this is a great sequence of shots showing how he works with real-world clients.
Original sketch approved by client-'Deliver Magazine'.
Working to fit junky pieces into the collage idea.
Sculpting the figures
All coming together
Website's masthead.
Here are some additional shots of his work.
I can relate to the huge pregnant ladies and kid junk everywhere. Boy, I sure feel heavier than I used to. Just getting out of a chair is a chore some days. I can't wait to be back up and running around full speed again. I am NOT a 'sit and do nothing' person. It feels so wrong.
I renewed my CHL (concealed handgun license) yesterday. The classes are boring...they're like defensive driving, but with guns. I have to wait until after I have the baby to finish the shooting portion of the test. My doctors said the lead levels are high, but the main thing she was worried about was the decibel level on the gun range. We wouldn't want to damage the baby's hearing before she's even out, now would we?
What great details.
I decided to buy this painting. I can't wait for it to arrive in the mail!
I've had good and bad experiences purchasing art without seeing it in person. However, I think I'll really like this piece. I love the soft colors (particularly that muted shade of lavender in her dress), the crescent moon, the flowers in her hair, and her serene profile.
Have any of you seen Lisa Clague's work?
It's odd, but I like it.
I don't think I could live with it, though. It would be too disturbing to wander into the kitchen for a glass of milk in the middle of the night and have it waiting for you in the hall. Not like a have a hall big enough for sculpture, anyway. Or like a big pointy top heavy piece of sculpture would be a good idea with a 3 year old, either.
Hmm...maybe it would work well in a performing arts space?
Her smaller pieces are intriguing, too. I don't think I could drink out of that cup, though.
Are there any artists you feel like that about? Love their stuff, but don't think you could incorporate it into your daily life?
If I were still single, I think my home would be much different. However, I share my life with my husband and daughter. They have to be considered. And, what I would like for myself is not always appropriate for the two of them. How do you resolve 'house I want' with 'house we need to have to function'? It's a tricky one.
