I like this painting so much better as a physical page, as an object that you can hold in your hands, than as the digitized image from my last post.  I'm thinking about a limited edition of little handmade books.

Here's a little preview of the next page.  It will be a little while before I get to work on this more.  I'm going to be teaching full time this coming week, going on vacation after that, and then teaching full time for four more weeks.  

Lately I've been fighting hard against the fact that my mind has been flitting crazily, uncontrollably all over the place.  But I had a little epiphany yesterday during my prenatal yoga class.  Instead of fighting against my absent-mindedness, I just need to accept it and work with it to get through it.  (Labor metaphor, anyone?)  This is such a basic yogic principle, and I've always thought that I understood it, in a "yeah, yeah, I get it" sort of way. But in the context of being pregnant (which is a particularly physical context), I actually, really, truly get it.  So far (in the last 24 hours, anyway) this approach has been working, and I've stopped feeling so overwhelmed and frustrated.  I allowed myself to nest all day yesterday in completely superfluous ways.  And I allowed myself to enjoy it.  I can't explain why I needed to sweep the attic, but I can tell you that it gave me incredible peace of mind.

IF:Paisley

As you can probably see, there are still several unfinished little details lurking about in my submission to this week's Illustration Friday theme, "paisley."  I'll get to those tomorrow.  This is the start of a whole series I have planned about Great Uncle Archibald and his comically doomed first marriage.  Stay tuned for a juicy scandal;)

Oh!  And we're having a boy!

Here's a teensy little peek at the very very early beginnings of my next body of work.  This specific image was originally inspired by this week's Illustration Friday theme, "paisley."  But my imagination got a little crazy and came up with a whole paisley story complete with pages and text and a whole bunch of  illustrations.  So that's what coming next.  It's fabulously ridiculous.  I think you'll like it.

Sunday Morning With a Lady Called George

The neighborhood is so quiet and peaceful this morning, and I love our little treehouse apartment, with its big, breezy windows and cozy reading spots.  I'm reading George Eliot's The Mill on the Floss and regrouping after one seriously rough week.  Is anyone more brilliant and insightful than George?  Or more hilarious?  Sometimes, when I'm reading a really fantastic bit of dialogue, I get distracted by the genius of the writer, and start wondering about her.  I have to reread a lot of passages.  

I Matched

Yesterday I unwittingly matched what I was working on.  Even though this is a fun little commission, (which I still can't really show you) I'm still dying to plunge into my next project.  At the same time, I can see that forcing myself to hold off for a few days is serving me well.  Things have more time to percolate and develop and deepen this way.

My spring term classes come to an end this afternoon.  I've had a charmed term this go 'round--such fantastic energy and chemistry in all three of my Tuesday classes.  I won't have too much time to miss them though, since I'm teaching a ton this summer, and also in the fall, right up until the Tiny Spawn makes his or her appearance.  Speaking of which, we'll find out next week whether it's a him or her:)

What's Next

I always experience a little lull after a show opens.  Pushing to complete a body of work, packing it up and shipping it off is both cathartic and scary.  My studio is virtually empty--a deliciously blank space full of endless possibility.  There are no loose ends trailing anywhere.  I'm ready to begin something totally, wonderfully, brand new.  At the same time, I always experience an absurd little pang of fear: what if that was it?  What if I never come up with any new ideas, and I end up working in a bank or something equally horrific?  This back and forth between excited anticipation and worry results in the lull.  Luckily, during this lull, I had a commission to work on, and an ever-growing fascination with my unborn child's new little post-meal dance parties, to pull me through without too much fretting.  I can't show you the paintings I've been commissioned to make, since they're a surprise.  But I have figured out where to begin my next body of work.  Here's what I've been looking at and thinking about:

Things with compartments and "doors," like this little card box I've had kicking around in my studio, holding my thumbtacks for a few years.

Narrative forms that open and close, like books, and specifically like medieval illuminated manuscripts.

And altarpieces.  Altarpieces are big with me right now.  

IF:Trail

A trail of trailing hair for this week's theme.  Click on the image for a better look.

My show at Three Graces opened on Friday!  The gallery was packed, and people were very kind.  Check out the trees that Kim installed in the space:

Photo courtesy of Kim Ferreira.

And here I am, trying not to blink and sporting a crazy flip at the end of my bangs:

Photo courtesy of My Mom.

You can take a peek at all of the individual pieces that are up in the show, and even purchase work (if you're so inclined) right here.

IF:Slither

I've created a slithery snake dress for this week's Illustration Friday submission.  Click on the image for a better look.  The word "slither" makes me shudder, and I wanted to address that  visceral, physical response in my drawing.  Snakes are my absolute worst, over-the-top, fear.  When I go outside part of my brain is on snake alert at all times, whether I'm hiking on a remote trail, walking across the front yard, or crossing a busy street in downtown Boston.  You can never be too vigilant.  This lady seems rather comfy in her snake dress, though, and is clearly not a fellow ophidiophobe.   

My show at Three Graces Gallery opens tomorrow!  The fabulous Kim Ferreira, who owns and operates the gallery (and who is also a fantastic painter), shares my love of whimsy.  She has some really cool plans for the installation, and I'm dying to see the end result!

And have you seen these illustrations of craigslist "missed connections" by Sophie Blackall?  I heard about them last week on NPR's All Things Considered.  Needless to say, I'm smitten.

A Tiny Visitor

Someone seems to have left the nest a little too early.He's been hopping around our yard for the past few days.  His mom was still feeding him today, hovering nearby and dive bombing my head when she felt that I was getting too close.  
I'm trying very, very hard to embrace the whole "cycle of life" concept, and the possibility that he won't survive!