Kid Drawings

I love kid drawings, especially before about 3rd or 4th grade, when they all start to look the same and kids start to lose their confidence about their ability. I love love love preschool - 3rd grade drawings. I am moved and intrigued. Shadow #3 draws everyday and I hang her drawings around the whole house, and then the older shadows ask why none of their drawings are hung up. Hmmmm. They have grown out of that best stage.

'Mama Fox and Baby Fox'

by Evie age 4

Studio Space

So a few of you have been asking for pictures of my new and majorly improved studio space. So here they are:

 I decided I wanted to start with a bright white background to minimize the visual clutter and I love it. So most everything is white or wood. This is in our basement and was formerly 2 bedrooms and a storage room. I had some handyman tear down the 2 walls, put in 13 can lights and drywall the ceiling and the storage room. It is crazy amazing how much difference it makes to me as I paint and even as I dream about going to my studio to paint. It is now a refuge for me to sit in quiet and be surrounded by things and images that inspire me.

 This is looking toward the old storage room, which is now my framing area. Let me just say that the husband is very glad to not have me framing in the kitchen anymore.

 In one of the old bedrooms, I kept the carpet in (we may need that bedroom someday for one of the kids turned teenager). I want it to be kind of an inspiration area with a couch and all my books, and magnet boards for lots of images to draw inspiration from, and my drawing desk.

I love how clean it is, and organized and I actually have space to stretch out and get some distance from my paintings I am working on. It is not quite done, and needs a little more "decor" but the bones and organizing is done. You can see in this picture a little table and chair I have for my little art shadows that love to paint with me. I am so lucky and grateful that I have my own area to create in and that my family is happy for me and they all love to show it off to their friends, which I find hilarious.

Kayo Show with Chelsea

The show at Kayo Gallery was great, thank you to everyone who was able to come by and be with me and Chelsea. And thank you to Shilo for inviting us to show our work.

 'Only if it Has Smocking'

18x24"
I went through a phase in which I would only wear dresses or shirts with smocking. My poor mother.

 'Handmade 1974'

20x20"
My mom knitted this when she had 3 little girls under 3. I was the third.

'Halloween 1978-1984'

16x20"
My alter ego for most of my childhood was an Indian princess. Every Halloween from preschool to 5th grade I wore the same costume. I loooooved it. I would also don this costume when doing yard work or bathing in the sun (we have pictures to prove it).

New Kitchen

We have been working on our kitchen over the past year. And by "we", I mean hiring professionals that know what they are doing. It took forever, because I hired one person at a time instead of planning them all at the same time. Purely because I didn't want a few months of complete chaos, but over a year of inconveniences...
It finally is finished, so here are some pictures.

BEFORE: (in case you cannot tell)

We were only going to change out the upper cabinets and keep the lowers and paint them, but once I got the uppers in, the lowers looked ridiculous. So I listed the cabinets on KSL, sold them to a nice polygamist man who is building his own house, and went forward.

AFTER:

I love it so much and I cannot believe what a difference it makes to me as I cook everyday. Who knew that elevating your environment would actually elevate what you create in that space? I suspected, but it is so nice and light now. And it makes me happy everyday.
P.S...the blacksplash is stainless steel penny tile, it is hard to see in these photos.

Here is the other side of the room just for perspective: