Currently!

ATCs for Swap-Bot.com swaps.

Postcards for Postcrossing.com.

Many, many prints waiting to be cropped and bagged and added to momentofstars.etsy.com.

Current book: Yes Man by Danny Wallace (I'm on GoodReads!)
Current album: A Roadtrip Mix CD that Daniel made for me.
Current shame-inducing guilty pleasure: Eating too much ice cream!
Current color(s): Turquoise & gold.
Current link: honeybeeinthecity.blogspot.com (new favorite blog!)
Current fetish: Drawing drawing drawing.
Current drink: Chai. Lots of it!
Current favorite creep: Me. I'm a big ol' Creepy McCreeperson
Current wish-list: I'm in need of more time. More and more time!
Current favorite song(s): "Possum Kingdom: by the Toadies
Current triumph(s): Finally making a doctor's appointment for a checkup. Cannot remember the last one I had.
Current celebrity crush: Ryan Adams, for a long, long time.
Current indulgence: Sleeping in.
Current slang: "Aw NERDS!" (trying to cut down on the bad language w/ Maz around.
Current excitement: Working on an owl tattoo this weekend!
Current mood: Determined. Doing work, son!

Spring Break!

We decided to be brave, daring, bold and take a vacation. Let's throw our cares to the wind. Let's not worry about how much money is sitting in the bank. Let's do it!

And we did. Daniel used vacation days and Maz was on Spring Break from school. I skipped class and we hightailed it to Chattanooga for two days. We had planned for three but rain cancelled our third morning plans and by then, we were ready for home.

Of course, in list (-ish) form: Easy Atlanta driving, Pigging out at QuickTrip, Early check in at the hotel, decided that 3 star hotels are the way to go, plush pillows and free internet, first stop: Hubble 3D at Imax (AMAZING!), then the Tennessee Aquarium, Jellyfish! Seahorses! Crabs! Fish! Touch Tanks! Butterflies!, Dinner at Mellow Mushroom, the goofiest server, to the corner for Ben & Jerry's, talks of wanting to get out of town more, back to the hotel for a quiet evening.

Day two filled with potential, but first stop at Walmart for hoodies (cooler than we thought it'd be), lunch, then triple tourist attraction time! Incline Railway, Gift Shop, Ruby Falls, Gift Shop, then Rock City, & Gift Shop. Lots of walking, walking, walking, exploring, fantastic tour guide at Ruby Falls, plenty of penny squisher machines, beautiful weather, no crowds at all, finally got my hands on a SEE ROCK CITY bird house, Driving around Chattanooga looking for a place for dinner, finally settling on a steakhouse, when seated we discover that this is a FANCY restaurant and I'm almost ready to just get up to leave, then the server comes over and she's super nice, she suggests food that Maz will eat, and I say "screw it! We'll be fancy for dinner!", I have lambchops, and Daniel orders a steak, we spend 75 dollars on dinner and vow to never do that again (hah!), but I thought my food was AMAZING! (wish I could eat like that everyday!), back to the room to relax, Daniel and Maz check out the indoor pool while I enjoy some quiet time, then finally sleep.

Rain sneaks in overnight and we're a little bummed. We have the best complimentary breakfast ever and decide that we're going to stay at Holiday Inn Express hotels whenever we can. We pack up and head on out. Drive drive drive home and we're glad to see our puppybaby Dexter again (he got to stay with a friend who has two dachshunds, so he had fun!). Then we're out for the rest of the evening. Happy that we spent some super quality family time together.

I'm back to work the next day, attending a luncheon, etc. etc. while Maz and Daniel get to stay home, in their pajamas, playing video games. This Spring Break has been very much needed and hopefully we can get up tomorrow at the break of dawn and try to remember our old routine.

Oh! Look! Robins decided to start a family right outside our door! I can't wait to see the new babies. Maybe it's the same couple from last year?

New Large Paintings

I enjoy working on a large scale: wall murals, sets for performances, floor to ceiling windows, etc. I don't get to do it often, mostly because I've become better at saying "no", so when I do take the chance to paint big, I have lots of fun.

Both photos are of the tattoo shop. Painting the windows is a fun and (almost) easy way to attract attention to our small business. It only takes me a few hours to whip up a scene, and the paint lasts for weeks and weeks. Unless, there's a really hard rain the day after I've painted, then it slowly starts to peel off.

We've decided we'll change the image seasonally. The first was painted right before February so it's full of hearts and love in honor of Valentine's Day. The second was painted at the end of March. We thought a hula girl would fit perfectly in the middle frame and she did. She's loosely based on the hula chick on Sailor Jerry Rum bottle. I'm sure she's going to stay up for awhile. Perhaps until July? We're already thinking of other awesome scenes to paint and looking forward to the Halloween season!

Speaking of large paintings, I finally hunkered down and finished the peacock painting from my last post. Have a looksie:

It's 24"x48" and I'm so glad to have it done. Now what do I do with it?

My Plate! It is Full!

I've had two weeks off of school and by the looks of this blog, it seems I've also taken two weeks off from it. I decided I should take advantage of this extra free time and do as little as possible. I've caught up on my ongoing to-do list, as well as my sleep, and spent as much time as possible with family.

Spring is here in the south, although some people might disagree. Since today is supposed to be close to 90 degrees, Georgia might have skipped a season and started up summer. I'm extremely excited about the warmer weather. This past winter was extra rainy and dreary. I didn't feel like I was very productive or creative from November through February. But the sun is out and my ideas are blooming! I almost can't keep track of everything.

I've been working on more watercolor paintings, mostly traditional tattoo-influenced. I think it'd be awesome to be a custom tattoo artist eventually, but for now I'll just practice on paper.

I've been working on script (swirly lines, I call 'em!), the praying hands image, and Pink Floyd flash. I would love to publish a book my own personal flash in the future!

Since I've been working on bold lines and bold colors, I decided that I need to switch it up and work in just black and grey with no outlines at all. This is just black gouache on 300 lb. watercolor paper. I'm not quite finished with it yet, but should be done by the weekend. I need to make color copies of my recent work and add them to my art portfolio at the tattoo shop.

And finally! Something on canvas! The last time I went to a Micheals there was a crazy-good sale on large canvases, so I bought a couple. Here's a large peacock I've been working on. I wanted something simple, with bold, thick lines and bright colors. So, of course, a peacock! I keep fixing small things here and there, so it's becoming tedious. I hope to finish it soon and put a nice gloss coat over everything. It should look awesome!

In addition to all this art, I'm also working on curating a feline photo show at a nearby bookstore (scheduled for November 2010), organizing an art fundraiser for July 2010, working at the arts council and the tattoo shop, taking care of the family and the dog, planning a three day vacation (very much needed!), and part time at the technical school (new class started today). So, I'm busy but I love it. I wouldn't have it any other way.