Tuesday, January 26, 2010

When Friends Have Babies...


...you make them things, like paintings! One of my besties is having twin boys and I'm super excited for her and her husband. I offered to make a couple of paintings that she could either put them up or just have them as a keepsake for the boys. She suggested animals like lions and zebras so here are my variations. The deep edges are painted as well. I used a palette knife to paint the zebra's background. I hope the boys like them one day! I know Amy and Jamie will make great parents too : )

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Birds Birds Birds...and a Porcupine!




These are my latest pieces commissioned for Lauren, my brother's girlfriend! She recently moved into an office space where she has actual walls. Lauren asked me to come up with something for her new space. She suggested something on a larger scale so the space doesn't swallow the artwork up. I had purchased three 10x10 canvases with a deep edge (my fave) that were on clearance this summer during the Des Moines Artstop. I thought using the three as a triptych (the groundlines match up) or spread out as three separate pieces would be fun and could be rearranged if preferred. There are three different birds along with a small porcupine in the bottom corner. One of the birds is my take on a peacock, another is a giraffe/flamingo like animal. The bowerbird is Lauren's favorite bird and this one was the most fun to make. This bird is super smart. It's like a little architect and builds its home using colors that are all similar. If anything takes a piece of its home while it's out looking for more materials, it notices and has a full on tantrum! It's a pretty smart and cool bird.