Wexford Girl

Apologies to Amy Cutler

I can't find her painting of two struggling girls with their hair braided together, but I think Amy Cutler is amazing. Here is a painting and a drawing inspired by her.

Thank You Aer Lingus

My dad told me today that this was a done deal, papers signed, routes planned, starting this fall. I thought it was still in talks (all politics, not logistics). But it's really going to happen: a direct flight between San Francisco and Dublin.

Until now, I've always had to connect somewhere: Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and (because it was often the cheapest), London Heathrow. My last experience with LHR was such a nightmare I vowed never to do it again. The international and domestic terminals are so far apart, and the flights are so frequently delayed, that you have to give yourself 3 hours connecting time (miles of corridors and tunnels, a bus, escalators, lines to get on the bus, lines to get on the escalators). And even with that, I was sprinting through the airport last time like I was a contestant on The Amazing Race.

Well, no more of that horseshit. I need never see Heathrow again. Hurrah!

Happy Easter

Eric's family from Michigan just left tonight, and the house is quiet. It was such a good trip. It's a good sign when a family of four has stayed with you for a week, and when they leave you miss them! We also saw Eric's sister Sheila and her son Corey today for lunch in Tiburon. Look how cool these kids are:

Here are some little drawings I did today, paint chips, acrylic, and collage on paper.

Hummingbird at Rest

Lindy took this in our garden with her kick-ass, 10-megapixel Pentax, which Eric and I both covet.

Delhomme

I love this French illustrator, Jean-Philippe Delhomme. His work reminds me of Maria Kalman, another favorite. I admire when an artist works with gouache or watercolor in a fresh way. I've always been wary of watercolor, partly because it's hard to fix your mistakes, and partly because the effect of watercolor is often so old-lady still-life boring.

I know people who have taken up watercolor as their introduction to painting, because it seems so much more manageable than acrylic or oils: small tubes, easy clean-up, no fumes. But it's a difficult technique, and it's easy to get discouraged with it. For anyone thinking of taking up painting I would say start with acrylics; it's much more forgiving.

 

 

Where I've been

From left to right in Yosemite this week: Dani Me, Jeff, Eric, Tyler, Lindy. (Jeff is Eric's Hunter/doctor brother. Lindy is his funny, kind, stained-glass artist wife. Equestrian show-jumper/band photographer Dani and soccer-playing/skateboarding Tyler are their extremely cool kids.)