i've just listed 3 paintings on etsy. it's nice that i feel like painting again, though i certainly have not been doing as much of it as i would like to. my "regular" job has been particularly stressful and physically challenging lately. i don't especially excel at physical work and i've had a lot more of it than usual. i hurt my back about a week and a half ago and am getting better but it certainly slowed me down and i've been coming home pretty tired in the evenings! but i've done some painting and some knitting, and i guess that keeps me going!

i'm really into combining rust with cool colors right now.

how i spent my day off!
today i listened to an audio book (connie willis' To Say Nothing of the Dog while painting. These little watercolors are 3 x 4.5" and I will be matted them and listing them on Etsy. Maybe not quite yet.. I only have white and black mattes and have not decided if that is what I want to use plus I suspect I am out of acid-free mounting tape.

i have finished the 3 little paintings i was working on and started a 4th. three are on etsy. i worked on these while listening to celloist Adam Hurst and the audio book "To Say Nothing of the Dog" (by Connie Willis.) Hm. I see more of Adam Hurst in them, to tell you the truth.

i had a lovely weekend.
yesterday my friend jesse and i went to the fremont solstice festival, then i had a much needed massage. then we had dinner and sat on the beach for a while. it was quite a enjoyable and relaxing day.

today has been fraught with painting, reading, and naps. i listed 2 new little paintings on etsy.

tomorrow i am off to work in our tacoma studio -- getting ready to freeze textiles to kill bugs.

i had a notion it was going to be something rather different than this, but sometimes things have a mind of their own...

crazy busy weekend.

friday i came home, napped, and went to the greenwood artwalk. that was fun. i went to neptune coffee to see michael alm's art, and to the greenwood art collective to see megan marie myer's art.
http://www.michaelalm.com/
http://www.meganmariemyers.com/

then saturday i painted and went to coffee with my mother. in the evening i went out to dinner and drinks with a group of friends and had a great time, though i was sooo tired today!

today my friend kathy and i had breakfast, then went to the mar goman show at francine seders gallery and it was so cool. the fiber pieces were my favorite. and the space was really cool, too.
http://www.sedersgallery.com/
so, a good but busy weekend! and i am off to work in tacoma tomorrow.

last night i went to greenwood art walk and it was good. then i came home and painted. this is what i have been working on for the last few days. these are each 4x4"
i just listed 4 paintings on etsy, but one of them sold immediately. these 2 are available at this moment..

i have some social plans this weekend, and some chores to do, but i want to paint lots! thank goodness my artist block has passed.

i am so glad i am painting again. because work is so stressful but it helps a lot. soon i will list a few on etsy, i think.

i am so happy it is friday! it's as crazy as i have seen it at work in a few years, i think. pretty bad. it's wonderful to be able to get away at the park at lunch, and then to come home and make art. though i think i am going to go look at art tonight, before i go make art.

returning to watercolor after some fallow time..


i have some more things i am working on. i am a bit rusty feeling. i wish i had more time and i wish my energy was a little less drained by some other things that hinder my focus..

some art happenings in the Seattle area for you to enjoy:

Michael Alm's show : Animal Retentive. June 4 - 27th at Neptune Coffee, 8415 Greenwood Ave N. Opening June 12th, 7--10pm.
http://www.michaelalm.com

and, just a hop down the path:

Megan Meyer's has 2 shows:
Wedgewood Alehouse, 8515 35th, already opened
and
Urban Light Studios, 8537 Greenwood (87th and Greenwood, opening Friday June 12th, 6--9:30pm
http://www.meganmariemyers.com/

i have been quiet because i have been having a bit of artist block. it happens a few times a year, and i find it is best to just ride it out and to amuse myself in other ways. i have been reading a lot, sometimes in the park, knitting, napping, watching some movies, etc. (by the way, i recommend geraldine brooks.) anyway. now i am inspired and am working on some watercolors. i am inspired by j.r.r. tolkien's beautiful landscape watercolors.

i have been sick nearly 2 weeks with a bad head cold / sinus thing with the IBS flareup that often comes with a viral infection. THEREFORE i have: slept, watched BAD tv (hard to find any other kind) read, and knitted. i have NOT done any art that came to fruition or i was satisfied with beyond the knitting. this is not a very soul-healing situation, i must say. but my body is not very healed either. i have a 5-day weekend coming up and i hope i am well enough to enjoy it. i would like to spend some time enjoying nature! maybe go on a photo-safari someplace. i need to spend some time organizing my surroundings and cleaning. this week is busy at work because we are short staffed due to the layoffs and people being sick and working on several events. i would like to feel like me, really feel like me.

i have more new web content! i have added a page of my pen and ink drawings.
drawings.

this is a prototype, made in wool felt, for a beaded boat i want to make. the actual boat will be 2 layers of ultrasuede, stiffened of course by the beads.
i am trying to decide if i should bead the inside AND the outside. also i
think i will make the bottom wider. i will probably use black ultrasuede for
this. any thoughts, my fellow beaders?

1) survived 3 sort of stressful meetings. well, 1 was only stressful because i did not have a clue what it was to be about and that often means bad news but this time it did not.

2) got an interesting research project at work. researching for an essay that will be published in the catalog of our next gallery show.

3) finished bug research, other than renting a truck, just waiting to schedule the freeze. ick.

4) got an idea today that is exciting and should help me out of my creative rut

5) website enhancement continues.

more new content on my website! my creative knitting. i only included my creative knitting.. not my "just follow a pattern" knitting :) i hope to add lots more! enjoy!http://www.megannoel.com/textileindex.html.

i added yet more content to my website, watercolor. still working on that, so will probably add watercolor page 2. i am trying to evolve my website into the direction >i< have evolved the last few years while it sat still.
http://www.megannoel.com/watercolorindex.html

i got as far as i can get on the medici coat without getting the pattern back from my friend audin's house where i left it, and i needed something to knit, so i made this swatch for sonnet. it's knit side to side and i am doing stripes. i will substitute seed stitch for basket stitch and make it more random, and maybe add a few stripes of novelty yarns as well. the pattern:
sonnet.

these faces are from earthenwood studio:
earthenwood studio.
i will use them for a series of paintings with beaded figures.

the green and gold knitting continues..

the front panels of my medici coat, designed by jane thornley (and me!)