Wexford Girl

Save the Date

Before Eric and I got married in Ireland in 2001, we sent out save-the-date magnets (which, I am always delighted to see, still grace the refrigerators of many of our friends). The magnets were photo booth pics of us holding hand-made signs with the date of our wedding. Eric made one of the signs and I made the other.

We didn't send out the originals; we made copies, and I recently dug out the originals from where they have been for the last five years - inside a book on Ireland's 32 counties that my mom gave me.

I love seeing them all together. But my favorite part is this: Here are a bunch of different poses, smiling, laughing, mugging, and I think I look pretty good in most of them. But what the hell happened in three down/three across? Suddenly I have bug eyes and a snaggle tooth. I look like I'm coming after Hansel and Gretel. Click the pic to make it bigger - prepare to be frightened!

The Guide Is Out

Artspan's 2006 guide to San Francisco Open Studios came out today. It's smaller and easier to navigate than last year's (although I liked last year's cover better).

Artspan has treated me well this year. They picked me for the Open Studios preview show at Canvas in July, where I chatted with several Artspan board and staff members, including Kay Weber, Dyana Curreri-Ermatinger, and Sharon Reaves. They were all very supportive and encouraging, especially when they heard it was my first show. I am also pictured on their website (but not identified).

And then there's this. As well as my image in the guide and spot on the map (along with about 900 other artists), six images were chosen to illustrate an article about collecting art, and mine was one of them. Check it out:

Pretty cool! It fired me up to paint a lot tonight. I have taken hostage of the dining room table:

Cool and Hot

Here are some cool things I found on a recent stroll through the Internet.

This jewelry by Alex and Chloe. I love the Kate Moss pendant. (How come she's more ubiquitous than ever after the coke thing?)

   

Orla Kiely mugs. I love her prints. One day I'll get a bag, but I have too many bags right now, so I will start with mugs.

Blik wall decals, especially the iron vines (below) and space invaders designs.

The Print and Pattern blog. Fantastic inspiration for someone who loves design.

Mattias Adolfsson's blog for great drawings.

And more drawings, this time my husband's journal drawings.

Pug Love

I don't even particularly like pugs, but I decided to paint one and it came out quite well I think. They are delightfully duochromatic dogs - chocolate and coffee with cream. They look kind of yummy.

Perhaps I need a snack.

As Dead as a...

I don't know about this. I kinda love it (I have great affection for the dodo, a bird that had the misfortune of being both slow and tasty), but on the other hand, I'm not great at this kind of illustration and it's a bit lame. But, who knows, it might be like grumpy Charles and be the first to sell.

Saturday

It's beautiful here in San Francisco, hot and sunny. We were watching the Ryder Cup on TV earlier, and it's blustery and rainy and cold in Ireland. I am so glad we got great weather while we were there (only one day of rain).

It's back into the swing of things now. Busy at work again, and busy at home with all the painting I have to do for Open Studios. Plus, Canvas Gallery called me and they want me to do a wall as part of a show in late October. I'm thrilled, but it means I have to be tireless with painting between now and then, because I don't want to bring anything in that was part of the last show; I want to hang all new stuff. But I don't want to hold anything back from Open Studios to save for Canvas a week later, because if it sells at OS, I get the full purchase price, not 50%.

Mom said to me on the phone this morning about painting, "do you have any new ideas?" Good question. I've been doing so many wrestlers because they are popular, but I need to find something new. I said before, and I still believe, that skulls are over, but at the same time, that dumb painting I had of a girl with a skull for a head was the first to sell at Canvas, so maybe I'll do a few. Are pugs hot? What about elephants?

Christmas stuff is already up at Walgreens, and Halloween superstores are popping up all over the city like poisonous mushrooms. I'm a Halloween scrooge. I don't like it much, and we never get trick-or-treaters. Just as well, because we always forget to buy candy.

Some sights in Hayes Valley this week:

Back from Ireland

It was a wonderful trip, one of the best. I am still a bit groggy from Jetlag (I was up at 3:30 this morning), so until I have more energy to post, here are some pictures from our visit to my sunny (!) homeland.

A walk on beautiful Ballineskar strand with my sister Liz, her husband Dave, and kids:

The view from Liz and Dave's of endless rolling green:

A Wexford street, and the ruins of Selskar Abbey:

My Niece Lauryn, with Aaron in the background, the night of our final meal in Wexford:

Three of the coolest guys around. Eric with nephews Aaron and Jordan:

In Dublin we spent time with my brother John, his wife Geraldine, and these two lovelies, Chloe and Kaylin:

I also spent a nice day with my brother Michael, drank gallons of tea and Guinness, saw probably the most unintentionally hilarious play ever produced, had nice catch-ups with friends Barbara, Maria, and Julie, and visited Waterford Castle and Crooke Church where Eric and I got married five years ago. It was just a great, relaxing, family-focused time. It was hard to leave.