Tiny Angels II

I don't know where to begin with this painting. I am so grateful to have done it for two wonderful, amazing people. Two people that I've never met, but have been so touched by. No one should ever have to experience what they have experienced as parents. I can only hope that through the paint that was applied and the brush that it was applied with and the love that it was done with, I was able capture a bit of joy in a far too-'short life. I did a painting about a year ago for Robyn and Keith, they had lost their premature, twin girls about 6 weeks apart. It was a devastating loss and as an artist I was challenged not only artistically, but emotionally. I was given a poem for my muse and the rest was my vision of their precious angels and their journey. I was very happy with the outcome, and on the opposite side of the spectrum, Robyn and Keith were expecting Rowyn and I was happy to do a nursery piece for their new little girl's room. Fast forward, and little Rowyn's journey into this world wasn't the smoothest and during a time when most parents are struggling with exhaustion and diaper changes, these two individuals were discussing things that no parent should ever have to discuss. Little Rowyn fought a valiant battle, and gave her parents time to snuggle and love her, but she was called to heaven to be with her sisters far too soon.

I was contacted by Robyn to do a memorial piece for precious Rowyn - I thought about it and oddly enough our visions were almost identical. I took my time with this piece, knowing I am doing something so special and meaningful for a family can be kind of stressful. Being a mom, I wanted this to be just perfect for Robyn, knowing I would expect nothing less for myself. I am so pleased with the outcome, I am so happy that Robyn loves it as much as I do. It is interesting how people come into your life and what you learn from them. I am grateful for the trust this family put into me and I am grateful that I can share it with you. (photography by Leslie Webber -thanks Les!)

Tiny Angels II

Thanks again Robyn and Keith - my love goes to you both.

Thanks for everyone stopping by - I have a few more paintings to share and some crafty fun coming up!

08-08-08?

I was contacted by one of Ryan's co-workers, Courtney. Courtney is a delightful group, who recently got married and spends her "free"time in a Christian singing group. ( I quote that because I believe she spends most of her time that isn't in the office singing) Courtney asked if I could do a painting to memorialize their wedding date, colors and flowers. I was happy to oblige and created the following little 8 x 8 gem:

Her flowers with light green hydrangea's with dark purple, white and tangerine iris', her girls wore tangerine dresses and it was the perfect color combo for a summer wedding. Sometimes I wish I could get married again, if for no other reason to plan out another wedding. Curious why I put a question mark in my title? Well I'll tell you, I'm 2/2 so far this year - Courtney sent me an email with the specifics and details - which included the date. I sent the painting and packaging to work with Ryan to give to Courtney - she loved it, but well, uh, the date was wrong. She got married on 08-08-09. I called Ryan towards the end of the day, because I hadn't heard from him and I was concerned she was displeased. So he answered and told me the problem - I freaked, I could have sworn she told me 08-08-08. Good thing I'm an organized gal - I located the email and I was right - she sent me the wrong date. I find this hilarious for two reasons first - this is my second painting this year that I had to modify the date and second she got married less than six months ago - it just made me chuckle. So Ryan brought it home, I fixed it up and it now displays the appropriate date. It was really no problem to fix it at all - you'd be surprised how easy you can make corrections. In any event - thank you Courtney - I really enjoyed doing you little painting - I wish you love and happiness in all the days of your marriage!

Fortunately my next painting does not include a date - so at least I have that going for me! Thanks!

Ft. Flipper

Okay - so the title of this blog probably makes no sense, but it is the theme of my latest painting. Before Christmas, my dearest and oldest friend Jen asked me if I would do a painting for her to give to her brother as a present. I was touched and nervous - Jen is pretty particular and I knew that she had something cooked up in her head and it was going to be no small task to get that out and on to paper. We sat down and we discussed the painting for over an hour, details, location, font, etc. She wanted a vintage resort poster look, her brother loves to fly fish, so that would be our focus for the painting. Her brother's in-laws have a cottage in Maine and that is where he proposed to his fiancee. The final touch was to give this gem a name - apparently Jay's pet name from his wife is "Flipper, " I'm not sure why, it isn't my job to ask - in their home they have a basement or what is fondly referred to as the "man-cave." Jen thought it would be fun to label the painting "Ft. Flipper" since it would go in the basement in his space.

I was excited to do this painting because it made me work with a bit more realism, I used Mt. Battie as my reference (which worked out well because that is where Jay proposed - I love when things work out that way!) and then started looking up fly lines, baskets, the type of trout that would be in a stream in Camden, Maine, etc. I am really pleased with how this turned out and best of all Jen was too. I present to you - Ft. Flipper:

I decided to line the painting with an irregular border and the bottom edge would be a copy of a fly rod and reel. A funny side note, the painting has since been altered. When Jay received this he liked it, but after awhile he had to ask Jen what the significance of 2007 was. She said it was the year you got married and bought your house. He laughed and said, "No, it was 2008." Oops! Well at least I'm just the painter and didn't stand up in the wedding like Jen did! Ha! All is well though and we are now Est. in 2008!

This actual fly basket was in an auction on the Orvis website for $1,500!!!

I learned that Brown Trout frequent the fresh water streams of the Northeast.

Thanks again Jen for trusting me with this project - I had A LOT of fun doing it and creating it with you. I hope Flipper enjoys it for years to come in his man-cave. Thanks again - stay safe and watch out for all that damn snow we're suppose to get tonight. My kids are praying for a two hour delay...

Kaden

So I have been painting, SURPRISE - I wanted to do a little painting for my nephew Kaden, who is about 15 months old. His room is done in navy, dark red and beige and in typical boy fashion: sports. His dad, my brother in law, is the only other sports lover in the family, so I appreciate this about him very, very much. We are few in number so we need to stick together and anything I can do to help Kaden along is fine with me. I decided to do his Christmas painting on an 8 x 8 canvas and modify my sports theme to suit their favorite sports. It allowed me to stretch my painting legs so to speak because I am working on a very large canvas (another Christmas present) that is different from anything I have ever done before - which is terribly scary and fun. So without further ado -Kaden:

Thanks!

McCartney's Watchful Princess

I am really excited to show you my latest painting.  It is for a little girl, McCartney, who is 2 1/2 years old.  I was contacted by Mike, whom I went to high school with and reconnected on Facebook.  I seriously love Facebook.  He said that he and his wife wanted to do something unique and special for McCartney since they don't get to see her as often as they would like. I am all about unique and special! He checked out my Completely Art page and mentioned he liked this painting (now that I am looking at it I am horrified at the photograph and may need Ryan to bring it home from the office so I can have Leslie take a crack at it with her new lens). After thinking about it for a bit, I thought that while replicating that painting wouldn't be difficult, it was a bit mature for a two year old.  Since I am a fan of trying to make something that will last, I thought why not add a bit of something to make it more age appropriate and beyond.  So I decided it would be neat to have a tower and princess leaning on her balcony looking out into the waters and at the moon.  Maybe she is a night owl, maybe she has insomnia, maybe she's waiting for her prince to return, whichever the interpretation - I am very happy with the result.  What I am happiest about is the reaction I received when I delivered the painting to Mike's house this afternoon.  I have to say I am always nervous to ship out my paintings, I just don't know what the recipient will think.  Art is so subjective and you never know what people envision in their minds vs. what they actually receive. So when I delivered the painting today, I am please to say that they were really happy with the finished work.  What I think I love the best is the look on their faces, like, "you really did that?" Perhaps I don't look like a "typical" artist, whatever the case, I am pleased as peas that they liked it and I can't wait to hear what McCartney thinks. 

Thanks again Mike and Lee Ann for letting me create this fun piece. I really had fun with it and I am so glad that you like it.  Thanks again for letting Penny and I crash your house - your family is wonderful!  So much fun!  I look forward to seeing you again soon and maybe even working on something for you!  Thanks!

Lindy

So my dear friend Heather, or Hea as we like to call her contacted me EONS ago to do a custom 8 x 10 canvas piece for her friend who just had a baby.  Well this was all in the midst of my Seattle trip, Meredith's table, getting ready for the Relay and my Indy Star blog starting up, and to top it off in the middle of baseball season.  To say that I bit off more than I could chew was the understatement of the year.  So much for under promise and over deliver - thank goodness Hea is a thoughtful and understanding friend.  A lesser person would have fired me!  Anyhoo - she didn't and thank goodness because I had a lot of fun making Lindy's canvas.  I love doing custom pieces, I love getting basic information and translating it.  For Lindy, being born and to be raised in Kentucky, her room is Thoroughbreds, navy and white ticking stripes and batten berg lace.  A dainty country girls dream!  So I pulled that together and came up with:

Lindy's horse ranch

Neigh!

Notice the "L" on the horse blanket - yep, did that on purpose!

So cute! Here's what Heather had to say:

Annie, 

I had to email to tell you know that I absolutely LOVE the lindy portrait.  Better yet, Susan LOVED it.  You are a remarkable, amazing artist and I am so proud of you!!  It was PERFECT!!!  I loved the different horses, the hay bale and silo -- simply wonderful!  I can't thank you enough for your beautiful work and your time.  I am so glad to be your friend.  :)

Thanks, my sweet friend.
Love, Hea

hello conner...

Well I certainly did my best impression of Andy Rooney yesterday didn't I?

I am happy to report that Rooney is gone and Annie, er Penny Pickles is back!  I delivered a nursery piece that I had been working on for an old high school friend, Tanya.  It turns out Tanya (who found me on Facebook) lives in Noblesville about 10 minutes away from my house (such a small world).  It also turns out that Tanya is expecting her second son, Conner, in four weeks.  She contacted me about a month ago to do a tile spread spelling out her newest son's name.  What was so nice about this project was that I could go to her house, see the room, the type of furniture and bedding she was going to use, the other art pieces she was considering and sit and talk with her and her husband about what they were looking for.  I don't usually get that opportunity, so it was a welcomed chance.  That and I was able to hand deliver the painting, so no panicking about whether I wrapped it well enough or whether it shipped okay.  Plus I get to see my clients reaction in person, which is worth it's weight in gold!

Their bedding is pretty simple and quite handsome, yellow, light blue and chocolate brown, I copied the bedding a bit, modifying it slightly and changing the blue tone a bit to work with some of the other pieces they intended for the room.  I also really like the double matte look with these longer canvas', it really frames the final piece.  The result was adorable and it looked great up against the cocoa colored walls in the nursery.  Once they finish the nursery I will hopefully get a few pics sent my way to see how it all comes together. 

I present:  -CONNER-

secretly wishing i had a wide angle lens

Thank you so much Wilhite family for having me over, and allowing me to work on this great piece for your nursery.  I just know when baby Conner comes home he is going to have a very, very special room of his very own.  It was my pleasure to work on this for you! Thanks again!

Next up: Merdi's table and Penny's easter dress.  I scored at the fabric store today and found some fantastic fabric to add to the fabric I already had - I just can't wait to start and from the looks of it, I'll get a one day turn around on Saturday!  Ahh!

lots to do, lots to do

My Girls...part two

Okay so I lied I didn't do it everyday.  Each day seems to escape me - it is unreal.  But my next girl is Angie.  Angie is another one of my HNTB girls, she now works for Ball State. She lives on this fantastic little farm, she has horses, and chickens and cats and dogs and is even thinking about goats. Oh how I love goats, I would love to have enough property to have some goats, I wanted to buy one at the State Fair a few years back - they only run about 30-50 dollars, but Ryan talked me out of it.  I wasn't properly zoned to have one anyway... So I allow my inner farmer to live vicariously through Angie and her family.  

Angie has two little girls nearly the same age as Jon and Drew and they are ADORABLE!!!!  Angie and her husband Aaron are a hoot and they are all around a wonderful family to spend time with.  So as our girls weekend was approaching I wanted to think of something that seemed "Angie" to me.  She has this great collection of what I call "Kitchen Chickens," I am sure they is some better name for it - but that's what I call it.  Seeing that she enjoyed those, not to mention the farm that she has and the abundance of roosters she has in her chicken population at the moment I thought a rooster would be a perfect fit.  Beyond the obvious, I can not tell you how much I admire Angie, she works all day, gets her girls to and from school, manages to keep up her house, get food on the table AND take care of her farm.  I know that her husband helps, but I know that Angie is the glue.  I admire her desire for living more simiply - working on her farm as a more full time thing and expanding into organic farming.  I liken Angie to a rooster on a farm, in charge, overseeing and makings sure all is safe and sound.  She is just a very, very cool person.  So my painting today is my rooster for Angie - I love you and hope you enjoy it!

I will admit that I painted this THE day we left for girls weekend, I had another one done, and I decided I didn't like it as I was wrapping them up.  So I decided to start over and I am MUCH happier with this Mr. Chicken.  Ah amen to last minute decisions.

Thanks again and have a great day!

Next up: Brooke

My Girls....

It has been awhile, but not without good excuse.  Last week seemed to blow by and then I was gone for the weekend for a much needed and anticipated girls weekend. I've mentioned my girls before: Annemarie, Angie, Brooke, Hea, and Jill.  They are my girls from my HNTB days and I have known them for nearly 10 years now. There is no price for what they are worth to me.  We try to get together every 6 months or so - Jill living up in Chicago and Hea down in Lexington.  To commemorate our 10th anniversary and just to say I love you, I painted and framed a canvas for each of the girls.  Each day I will highlight one of those paintings.  Today will be Annemarie.

Now it is weird how things work out, but I thought long and hard about each of my girls, where they were in their life and how I see them. Along with my blessings and prayers for them and what I see for their future.  So when I thought about it I saw the Tree of Life being the perfect muse for my painting for Annemarie.  The beautiful thing about art is that you don't have to recreate the wheel - you can take things that exist and make them unique because they are YOUR interpretation.  Here is Annemarie's Tree of Life:

There are few reasons why I chose the Tree of Life, the first being that Annemarie is adorably pregnant and expecting her second daughter at the end of April.  The second is that she is evolving as a working woman, part time working woman/stay at home mom to full fledge stay at home mom.  If you have ever made this transition, it is much, much harder than it seems.  Lastly, I am blessed enough to have a bible study with Annemarie and my other girlfriend Brooke, which is not only taking our friendship to a whole different level, but helping us, Annemarie flourish and set deep roots as a Christian. Thank you Annemarie for your friendship and your love - I am truly blessed!

Next up: Angie!

Thanks!

Four!!!!!

I am excited to show you another one of my Christmas gifts.  One I am pretty proud of, since I know nothing about what I painted.  I have a wonderful friend name Jen.  Jen and I have known each other for since we were about 11 or 12 - so a little over 20 years, which makes me feel a tad mature if you know what I mean, to have known someone other than my family for that long.  Needless to say, Jen is one of my very best friends.  She is known as Auntie Griff to my kids and she is officially Cyd's girlfriend and home away from home. (With all honestly he tolerates us, I believe, because she comes over and he goes to her house, but I digress)  Jen was an essential person for me and my family during the time my mom lived with us and ultimately died. She would come over and have dinner, visit with mom, mom felt very comfortable with Jen, so the turban would come off and mom would be "big mare" once again.  My mom would always sing that stupid girl scout song - "make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold..." when I would talk about Jen.  She was so happy that we had remained in touch and such good friends.  When we were in the days prior to losing mom Jen would show up and do what "good polish girls do, we cook!" and made several dinners, breakfast and miscellaneous snacks for me, my family, and my brother, Anna and dad.  She took the kids with her for a slumber party and Wii fest the night before mom died and kept them all day, the day of her passing.  She took time off work to watch the kids for me when we had mom's wake and funeral. 

She has been instrumental in my healing and I quite honestly don't know what I would do with out her.  I love her and she is the sister I was never given by blood.  All that being said, I wanted to do something special for her for Christmas.  She had mentioned eons ago about doing a golf painting.  So I thought, eureka!  So I did a golf scene with her nickname - Jen is quite the golfer and I could go on about her handicap and scores and such, but I have no idea what the hell it all means so I won't waste your time - but she's good and she loves it.  You would think that since I live on a golf course that I would be able to paint one up in a jiffy, but I didn't like the tee box I am on so I went online and found a beautiful course in Connecticut to model my scene. Without further ado....

I had to give my golfer a "pouf" of hair, because if you know Jen, you know that she has a pony tailed "pouf" at all times, it is adorable!

Four!

The dreaded sand trap!

I am pretty sure that Jen loved her gift and I am so very happy that it turned out, especially since I am, ahem "handicapped" when it comes to understanding golf.  Pun intended!  I believe it has found its spot above her desk in her office at home.  A perfect spot for a hobby/sport tribute!  There is more where this came from, so stay tuned and thanks!

 

Go Pack Go!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas - I know I did and I can't believe it is already over.  The best part is that now I can post some of my finished pieces that were Christmas presents!!!  

It is no secret that my brother is an enormous Green Bay Packers fan.  He has traveled to the frozen tundra alone and with friends and family to support his team.  He's pretty passionate - to the point were he can be downright ridiculous, but we humor him all the same!  My mom, an avid Bears fan, wondered where she went wrong with my brother (the Packers fan) and me (the Colts fan).  Lets just say it would make for some interesting fun when our teams played one another!

In any event, a while ago Steve had asked me to do a Green Bay painting for him.  Years ago I did a 16 x 20 canvas with his name: Mr. Renzino, for outside of his classroom.  It had all of his favorite things on it, the White Sox, the Packers, Basketballs, his black cat, and much more.  I thought I would do his new canvas in the same size, in the event it was vetoed by my sister in law for home display and he could at least take it to school! So I painted the Green Bay and Packers names in their authentic green and gold, but instead of the typical "G" logo, I decided to switch it with a much more interesting icon.  The cheese wedge!

And yes my brother does own a cheese wedge hat - courtesy of me many birthdays ago.

Steve was surprised, which was nice, and I am pretty sure he liked it:

Once again, I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas holiday, there is more to come!  Take care, travel safe and thanks!!!!

Merry Squirrels.

Are you done with your Christmas gifts?

Sorry - I was screwing around on YouTube with my girlfriend Jen and we were watching those fainting goats -anyway, knowing that YouTube is a treasure trove of video delights, I stumbled on this fellow -I thought it was hilarious and had to share it - it never ceases to make me laugh. It also seemed appropriate since there are just a few shopping days left until Christmas!

One of the nice things about this Christmas and creating this new little company this year, I had instant presents for my nearest and dearest.  One those happens to be my photographer Leslie.  She has become a wonderful friend who I enjoy tremendously.  I truly believe that God sends people your way for a reason -  I have been blessed to gain some new friends in the last few years and oddly enough some of them embody different qualities that are so similar to my mom's it is almost like having her around.  Leslie is one of those individuals.  I felt instantly comfortable with her and we have similar parenting styles, not to mention politically we see eye to eye and she is one of those people who appreciates a random phone call just to brag about my latest bargain.  She also could handle discussions on random things, like Sicilian cooking, Abraham Lincoln and best of all Squirrels!!!!

It was obvious to me that I needed to do a Squirrel painting for Leslie for Christmas.  She is from a small town called Olney in Illinois.  I think I have mentioned it before, but it bares repeating.  Olney is known for their Albino Squirrels.  In honor of her heritage I painted this for her:

(I hope you don't mind I grabbed it!!)

I have a few more paintings to share this week - but for now, enjoy this one - I'll be back after this weekend away.  Thanks!

let's hear it for the boys....

Yes, I have returned after having fallen off the face of the Internet.  We went for a long visit to the in-laws in Tennessee.  It was interesting not checking email, facebook, web page statistics, etc.  It was freeing, really and with all honesty I didn't miss being "connected" every second of every day.  We are back though, it is nice to be home.  We got in late last night and this morning we got up and went to get our tree from Dull's Tree Farm, where we have been going to since Jon was a baby.  After the Colt's game, we need to pick up Cyd from his doggie hotel and commence decorating and grocery shopping (ugh).  

In the mean time I am so happy to be able to share these canvas' with you.  One of my contest winners, Steph, was kind enough to order two canvas' for her nephews for Christmas.  They were 6 x 6 canvas' with simple wooden frames.  The first was my Vroom, Vroom, Whoosh theme - that Steph specifically asked to focus on trains.  

"G" transportation

I decided to give "G" an sleek express train instead of a freight or steam engine.

The whoosh in Vroom, Vroom, Whoosh

The second canvas I did was my Dino-rific theme.  Every time I do this theme, I have a few dinosaurs that I like to include, raptors and barosaurus, and certain scenery, volcanoes (which were Jon's idea in the first place).  I do like though, to try out new dinosaurs and I am especially happy with my triceratops and pterodactyl.  Yes,I am very pleased with how this canvas turned out.  

"T" in Dino-land

"T" is for triceratops!

Uh-oh - it's going to blow -good thing I'm in water!

I love reviews - of course they've always been good, so I am fortunate - but I love them nonetheless.  Here is Steph's comments on the paintings she's received:

The paintings arrived!!! Oh and they are great! I can't WAIT to give them away at Christmas this year.  I am only disappointed that "G" and his parents won't be traveling since they are expecting a new baby in January and want to stay close to home, so we won't see their reaction in person.  

I'm so impressed with the way the colors on the dino-rific tile will go AWESOME with my nephew's room, even though we didn't know the room colors ahead of time! It's amazing and I love love love the little dino details. The teeth on the one in the water and the dots. The dots are always my favorite little touch!

The train on G's tile is perfect too.  I love the helicopter-- I don't think I'd notice the landing pad before and it's such a great touch! amazing!

Thanks so much again!!! The paintings are so great!!!! I love checking the blog and seeing all the other things you are doing too-- it's especially awesome to have the photos of the little details although having my own and having seen the two others in person, seeing photos does NOT do these paintings justice!!!

Thank YOU Steph - I can't tell you how wonderful it feels to have a repeat customer.  I really enjoyed working on these canvas' and like I said before it is always fun to tweak and change my existing themes.  I can't wait to hear how your family likes them, please drop me a note and let me know!  

I have a few more pieces to share in the days to come - I have a few busy weeks ahead of finishing up my own Christmas presents and doing a large piece for a new client.  I hope every one's holiday was a good one - take care and thanks!

garden girls...

My girlfriend Angie put in a request to have me do two paintings for her girls for Christmas. I was so excited to do these, because Angie's family lives on a farm and her girls are two of the sweetest little farm hands you'd ever lay your eyes on.  Maddie, is my son Jon's age and Avie is a few months older than Drew.  So I've known these girls since they were babies. Angie had requested my flowers are de'vine theme, but wanted to add a bit of the great outdoors to it.  Specifically adding some butterflies and roly poly bugs, which are the girls favorites.  Her girls aren't afraid of dirt, but definitely have a girlie side.  It is always so much fun to customize themes that I have, especially when I know the children I am painting for.

Who doesn't love a lady bug picnic?  I have to admit, Betsy had this song on her website and I was just starting this painting at the same time.  I thought - hey I can have a lady bug picnic!  So this is mine.  And yes they are eating watermelon and chicken legs.

Acrobatic roly poly bugs!

Thanks again to Angie for ordering these fun little pieces!  I can't wait to hear how the girls like them after Christmas!  I am leaving for Tennessee this weekend - have a wonderful holiday and once again...

Thanks!

Princesses of all kinds

As much as I hate to push the delightful cupcakes and ice cream cones down, I have a few princesses I'd like you to meet.  Welcome Ava and Mia:

Mia the mermaid

This crab isn't so crabby!

Ava the dancing princess

A princess has to have a castle!

If you've followed my blog, then you know that I have a new addiction of playing on Facebook.  It has been amazing in putting me in touch with so many people of my past.  Grade school, High School, College - people that I was close to, but with distance and time, have lost touch. One of these individuals was Elizabeth.  I went to college with Elizabeth.  We were two of 7 or 8 in our Urban Planning program at the College of Architecture and Planning.  Elizabeth and I connected through Facebook and pretty soon there after she contacted me about doing two 5 x 7 canvas' for her nieces.  I was thrilled!  She wanted me to expand upon my existing themes of Under the Sea and the Dancing Princesses.  I was so excited too, because her nieces have the shortest, but prettiest names and I would be able to fit their whole name on the canvas.  I think you'll agree they are perfect for two little princesses!

Thanks again Elizabeth for letting me work on this fun little pieces. I hope that your nieces enjoy them very much!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and stay warm!

Thanks!