chasing rainbows

in the summertime, we love taking motorcycle rides through the country. and on this trip out to viroqua, wisconsin we found ourselves chasing rainbows!

five seconds before we pulled over to snap this photo, we both caught the double rainbow, looking incredible all arched over the kickapoo river...as an eagle flew by!

it was sad that the adorable red and green shops were closed by the time we got there, but i still admired the handmade aprons and sweet canisters in their shop windows.

and seeing the rainbows quite made the entire trip.

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HOW TO PAINT AN OWL e-course: Summer 2011 starts on Monday! If you'd like to paint with me this summer, there's still time to register!

weekend adventuring!

these days i just can't get enough summertime-flowers, long walks and exploring new parks! 

last weekend we did a bit of adventuring in a nearby nature conservancy. the 5 mile hike was just amazing and took us through farmlands, woods, marsh and prairie!

i snapped so many flower photos! i just adored all of the natural shapes and think they just might find a place in the new paintings i've been working on!

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a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone for your support during last week's shop update! Thank you so much!

sweet dreaming

ever since my trip to england, i've had loads of new ideas and dreams! and i wanted to put them all together into one vision...

so i went out into the backyard with a big tablet of newsprint and my last dream board. and i scribbled onto the newsprint all of my wishes, goals and dreams...

then i grabbed a new sheet of paper and started decorating it with spray painted lace and stencils! 

i'd printed out lots of photos i'd found browsing the internet or scanned from magazines...i just paged through everything until i found the thing i loved. even if it wasn't the perfect image, that photo represented what i had in mind.

and this dream board encompasses everything i'm dreaming of...a kelly green ball skirt i had in college, but lost during a move (i've been dreaming of it ever since). inspirations from surface pattern designers rachel taylor and lotta jansdotter. love for home and fashion deigns from orla kiely.

and then i sketched in the part that was me...all of the flowers and color and home decor dreams. and i wrote in the wishes i'd scribbled out earlier, making sure to incorporate each one.

the last thing i did was hang this new dream board beside the other in a special spot in my studio...a place where i look at it every day and remember all that i am inspired by and dreaming of.

i love the reminder it brings every day!

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for anyone in madison or nearby in the midwest, i'm hosting an art opening and music party on friday! hope to see you there!

a painting in progress

this painting has evolved so many times. and i just can't seem to finish it.

image by Yoshitoma Nara, taken from Yoshitomo Nara: Nobody's Fool

lately i've been especially inspired by artist, yoshitomo nara. i saw a wonderful documentary on him, his art and exhibitions called Traveling With Yoshitomo Nara. 

image by Yoshitoma Nara, taken from Yoshitomo Nara: Nobody's Fool

Then I picked up the book Yoshitomo Nara: Nobody's Fool. 

And ever since, I've had it on my mind to paint close-up self-portraits inspired by Nara's artwork., especially now that I'm painting larger pieces.

I've been photographing them along the way too... and this one started out as this girl in a sweet red dress (inspired by a red velvet dress I wanted to wear every day when I was little).

And looking at this in-progress photo now, I love this piece...and i wonder why on earth didn't i stick with that girl?

And then she evolved into this blond girl...and I have to say, especially since I'm having trouble finding and keeping this girl's eyes, I'm loving her now too.

But with this girl, I just haven't been able to stop. 

And when she finally got this crazy hair...I really fell in love with her!

She currently looks pretty much like this. i hate to white out her eyes again, but something just isn't speaking to me. So I've been looking at her every day...standing back and wondering. i'm happy to be giving it all a bit of time, because i know she will come into herself...but i am just wondering what this painting will turn into next. 

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once she's finished, i'll share with you all of the in-progress shots...quite a story behind this piece too.

time for a grill out!

getting people together for dinner parties is one of my favorite things. and in summer, that so often means grilling out!

and what better occasion to get together at a friend's place, pull out all of the lovely vintage tableware and cook!

we had two grills going...one for veggies and one for meats.

we grilled a bit of butternut squash, apple, and potatoes with thyme.

friends brought tabbouleh (made with herbs straight from her garden!),

and there were some fabulous dipping sauces too... like a homemade barbecue, spicy chipotle, and my favorite-a chipotle mayonnaise!

for dessert, we also enjoyed a homemade pear schnapps and grilled pears brushed with molasses over vanilla bean ice cream...but it was all gone before i even thought to take photos!

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have a lovely weekend, everyone!

strawberries, scones + summer motorcycle rides!

the weather has been gorgeous and as soon as summer hits, we love to take motorcycle rides through the wisconsin farmlands. and the other day we were lucky enough to find a roadside stand selling organic strawberries!

so of course we pulled over a bought a carton!

and made these delicious scones later that evening! i love to experiment with different fillings whenever i bake so we made some with strawberries and almonds, some with fresh chives from the garden (mixed in with a little cheddar cheese), and some with door county cherries. 

my favorite was definitely the strawberry almond straight from the over with a bit of cream and strawberries sliced on top.

and since the weather has been so sweet, we had to concoct a sweet strawberry drink too! this one was made with strawberries, a pinch of sugar, and vanilla bean...all mashed together and then pushed through a metal strainer, so you get a beautiful thick juice. i added a bit of ice then poured in some seltzer water...completely refreshing! and just perfect for summer!

feeling like summer!

all of the iris are in bloom in my garden! 

it's just so beautiful to walk down this path and soak it all in each morning!

the colors are incredible and i just adore this purple with the brilliant yellow of the little flowers scattered behind it.

i just love the flow between these flowers, especially beside the rock wall,

the way the purple melts into the white here,

and all of that amazing green!

i planted this garden with a lot of love (and help) three years ago and it's just amazing to see how much everything has filled in and grown!