The desire to be creative has taken over me again. Check it out, you might like the Emma the tortoise inspired necklace.

This particular painting of mine gets lots of attention on this site. I have recently been asked permission for it to be used in a video being produced for the state of Maine- something about solar energy, which I approved- and have gotten requests to buy it. So I have set up a little gallery to sell some prints. I plan on adding some more images once I get a chance and I would like to have this one scanned on a large format scanner so that I can offer it in larger sizes. That should be coming soon. If I can find some time, I would love to start doing some more paintings as well and have some fresh content available.

Click below to go to my ImageKind page where you can order prints if you like. More works will be available soon.

UPDATE: I got a couple more paintings scanned on a larger scanner and added them to my gallery, but the scanner wasn't big enough to do all of the ones I wanted. I will have to travel a little farther to use the one really large color scanner in this county, maybe this weekend. The scans came out really nice- you can see enlarged versions in the gallery.

Okay, lately I have been pretty boring. I know that and i am okay with it. Sometimes life just isn't as exciting, and actually that can be a good thing, because boring is better than constant chaos and strife. Anyway, I thought I would clue you in to one of the things I have been up to lately, and that is aquiring artwork. I am a big fan of original art, especially since I am an artist myself, and have found that there is a treasure trove of original paintings available for downright reasonable prices on eBay every day. I vow that in my new house, when it is completed, there will be nothing on the walls but original art.

This painting is one I bought from fellow blogger, TJ from Zazzafooky. Isn't it great? I just love the fact that I can get great original paintings for affordable prices. I am surrounded by bunches of paintings from various artists that I have found and they are all so colorful and inspiring. It makes me so happy to surround myself with such beautiful artwork. It also makes me long to have a place where I can paint some creations of my own, though it doesn't look like I will have a good place for painting until the new house is done.

I found this great liittle shop online called Pixel Girl Shop that sells unique handmade items from different artists. I ordered all three colors of these great monster pouches and they arrived today. Shipping was fast, the packaging was great and these are just the cutest things ever. I don't know what I am going to use them for but they would be perfect for an iPod plus accessories, a PDA, or anything else you want to carry in your purse or bag but don't want getting scratched. Pixel Girl Shop carries a variety of items including iPod cases, pet collars, and jewelry. Check it out for some neat gifts or sell your items there on consignment if you are an artist with a product to sell.

I have been busy most of the day putting together a scrapbook. I am new to the madness that is scrapbooking, and I don't want to be a "scrapbooker," I just want to document my travels and adventures instead of leaving all my stuff in a box and letting it rot. I have discovered a few things about scrapbooking in my first trips to the store. One is that you can spend your whole life savings on scrapbook stuff if you want to. Someone is getting really rich off this stuff. Another is that the more creative you are, the less you need to spend. And also it is a very messy process- I covered the entire dining room table with crap and most of it is still there.

I am tired now after spending most of the day searching and sorting through photos and scraps and stuff, so I will have to post pictures of some of the pages I made later- if they are good enough!

This is another one of my paintings from a while back. It is watercolor and gouache on heavy paper and the interesting thing is that the whole thing was painted with Q-tips and a cut up kitchen sponge. It is a huge painting. The story behind it is that my friend at the time (my first year in college) told me the story of how she was with a bunch of people swimming in a lake with a floating dock, they were tipping people off the dock and someone managed to hit her in the head and she went unconscious. She actually drowned, but was revived, of course. The painting was my view of being under the water with all those people around. I have not gotten started painting again yet, but perhaps this weekend. Things have been so busy with getting used to Cody's treatment and all.

In other news, I had a great day at work today; I got a commendation from NASA, which is always good. The surveillance cameras seem to be working well after one bout with a defective 9 volt battery. I know, it is illegal to point cameras at a neighbor's property, but they are really pointed at my sidewalk and mailbox, you can just see their house in the background, and I can't help it if they can be seen too. HA! I am starting to think there actually could be a meth lab across the street. I saw one of the guys carrying a container of either acetone or paint thinner into the house today. There is no way those lazy fucks are using it for any good purpose; they can't even be bothered to take out the trash, so I am sure that they are not painting or anything. I will be watching their every move.

This painting is oil on Gesso-ed plywood. It was done from memory of one of my favorite beaches in the Virgin Islands. Many times when I visited that particular beach there was one local pervert that would hang around, so that it who the person is.

Ho hum, it is Monday again. There is so much to do, and so little time. I am looking forward to Friday when I have an appointment to get my hair cut and highlighted at my favorite place, La Bella Spa. It is so relaxing there.

I think I need to hold a little garage sale or an eBay garage sale soon. It seems like the house is getting a little overrun with crap, and I would really like to nip that one in the bud. Maybe that would be a good project for me this week in the mornings. Another benefit is that if I can get rid of a lot of crap, I can clear a nice spot for me to start painting in. My eventual goal is to finish an attic room right off our bedroom into the perfect studio space, but that will be quite an undertaking. The hardest part about that is that the trusses would have to be modified, and we would have to have a structural engineer come in and show us what to do so that we don't end up falling through the floor. So it is still something we want to do, it is just that the cost is a bit prohibitive right now.

This is a watercolor self portrait where I am sitting beneath a huge suspended wooden propeller. Notice that due to a knothole in the wall behind, my shadow is in the shape of a bird. This is also watercolor on paper.

I used to be an artist, but I have abandoned it for some time lacking the necessary inspiration, but I think perhaps it is coming back to me (I hope so) and I can create again, YAY! I have posted some of my older artwork, mostly from college, and will see if I can dig up some more. I used to be quite prolific, believe it or not. I am off to take some more pictures.

This is a still life of aviation related items in watercolor on paper.

This is a monochromatic still life watercolor on paper.