Montserrat Orange + Peonies

Remember the rainbow spectrum of luscious oil paints I received for my bridal shower?

I made something with them! It was a long overdue painting for our super talented wedding photographers Ashley and Philip Colhouer. The first attempt didn't work out how I wanted it to, which led to the delay.

I thought something graphic and sweet would be perfect for their adorable little girl. Here are the progress shots leading up to the most final image. I'm tempted to go into it one more time, I think that it's a little flat, but overall, I feel that it's finished.

Oil paints are really wonderful. It's like painting with butter.

I think I'll consider this finished. I don't want to delay more, and don't want to mess it up.

I like how writing makes you feel more confident about your endeavors over time.

Yeah yeah yeah...I know....

The longer I waited to write, the lazier I got. So I took some time off and just enjoyed my summer...and then some more summer, and a bit of fall (wink).

I've missed you all! Without further ado, some excuses and photos in a semi-coherent package:

Lots of rollercoasters at Hershey Park with my best friend, godson (cutest boy alive), Mike and about 20 of their closest relatives.

An end in sight to hundreds of fabric flowers. I have this down to a 2o step art that takes 1.5 minute per flower. Ghetto of course, but they'll hold up and have their volume.

Enjoying the oil paints that I received for my super sweet Bridal Shower from one of my best friends, Heather. She was certainly listening when I said I wanted to start oil painting. It is so much fun!

Starting small, with color studies. But more to come!

A bit of tie-dying and fabric dying to create some more fabric for those billions of fabric flowers I made. I don't regret it actually, and I saved them all to make some big fabric filled pillows when my callouses heal. Just kidding.

Packed and partied and packed and planned and packed and left town for our wedding in July! Road trip from Philly to Ft. Lauderdale to get hitched in my hometown.

I decided to just keep going with the fabric flowers. It was 20 hour drive, so why not finish up the stash of fabric I had? As you may guess, these flowers will be a recurring theme in this post...

Shoeboxes and my organizational and resourceful nerd skills came in handy. It reminded me of roadtrips with my family when Andrew and I would create our own little spaces for all of our belongings, lest we get bored! And if we crossed that invisible line, madness and hitting would ensue.

I made a ringbearer pillow from scratch from Philly to Baltimore. I was quite impressed with myself. It even had a little fabric handle on the back side.

We arrived in Florida, and had a few days to enjoy with family and friends in town to finish up some last minute stuff. Excluding the fabric flowers, we really didn't go crazy with the DIY stuff. We only made the chuppah (Mike built it, and I'm not sure what the term for it is if you're not Jewish, but that's what I've been calling it since I'm a South Floridian), fabric flowers for the chuppah and the faux-to booth backdrop, programs, some paper goods, etc...

We had a wonderful day, and we didn't expect or want everything to be perfect. I slid down a floating ramp while taking photos (before the ceremony, so that we could have more time to party), skinned my elbow and nearly fell into the intercoastal. And you know what?! It was hil-arious (mostly since nobody got hurt). Thankfully, I stuck in that position from the boning in the dress and lack of abdominal muscles from laughing so hard, so I had time to yell out, "Take a picture!!!!"

I cried and laughed repeatedly at the same time for two days straight. I'm such a girl....

My dad and I danced to "Rainbow Connection" by Kermit the Frog. And I cried some more. Then him and my BFF Brooke both made speeches that had more than just me crying.

How cute are my mom and dad below?! I had them both walk me down the aisle, since they're both equally important to me. Plus, my dad wouldn't have had it any other way!

I threw my bouquet at the girls, it hit the ceiling and with my water polo goalie reflexes, I caught it myself.

Yes, I caught my own bouquet. I backhanded it a second time, because I am not doing this again!

All of the colors worked out beautifully, and our wedding party looked gorgeous. We had told them to just buy any dress that fit into a palette of poppy reds to oranges and yellows. They enjoyed having the choice, and it was better than if we had even tried to plan it.

You can see a short blog post of our photos from our brilliant photographers, Ashley and Philip Colhouer here. I can't say enough great things about them. If I move back to Florida ever, we are so hanging out! You'll also see my crazy self and friends making insane faces for the faux-to booth, including a couple who ended up knocking the thing over, cracking up and kissing. I love my family and extended fake family.

We had people from Sweden, France, Indiana, Florida, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Philippines, Canada, Missouri, DC, California, etc. We were overwhelmed with love.

I talked to everyone that I could, tried to stay in the present and focus on all of our loved ones, and just enjoy the ride.

We watched a storm roll in off the ocean, and swam with friends. Found out about new babies and engagements! Went on a short cruise in the Carribean since a road trip with the whole set of Fiesta Ware that my mom scored for $30 at a yard sale (!!!) and other super-generous gifts and my 100K mile car just didn't seem feasible at the time.

It was perfect, and we had time to get back to Philly in time to hang out with my mom and her twin that was visiting from the Philippines for our big day. So I ditched the new hubbie after a few days and took a road trip to NYC with the twins. We had a blast and saw Mamma Mia and ate lobster for lunch at Bergdorf Goodman, and tons of Filipino food. Mmmm!

We wrote millions of thank you cards and didn't mind it one bit. We were so grateful for all the love and generosity.

We've been cooking and baking A LOT. Having knives that aren't broken off at the tip make such a difference. Bliss....

A glimpse of the Fiesta Ware. My mom is the best. That and an Audobon bird clock are just about our favorite gifts.

Bread has been baked.

Dutch babies and muffins have been baked.

Farmer markets have been visited. Books have been read from the library. And someone you know has gotten hooked to True Blood and Arrested Development (on Netflix).

Oh, and an iPod cake was made for one of my favorite Apple obsessed uncles!

Thanks for visiting me again! I'm glad to be back.

Love,

Marissa

Stamps, Purging + Best Trail Mix Ever

We finally mailed our invitations out. Being the artsy people that we are, we really liked the Abstract Expressionist stamps. I didn't realize until I brought them home how large they were. The Pollock and Motherwell stamps are about a whopping 2" x 3" stamp! I found it hilarious, and made sure to give some of our sillier friends both huge stamps on the front of their invite. It was also fun to pair up some of the stamps with our artist friends, since we have so many of them!



Every time the season changes, I feel the need to purge and donate many of the belongings that I no longer need or want. I like to take advantage of these moods, so I can finally rip my emotions away from a 15 year old tee-shirt with my name in plastic letters back.

My friend Kari used to say that she wanted to own a uniform of 7 outfits, and I thought she was nuts. Some days, that starts to make more sense. I definitely need a bit of a makeover in the clothing department, but that's for another day.

When I was going through clothes and belongings, I finally tackled a box full of projects and research from my Interior Design program in college. I trashed most of it, but it was fun to look at the old projects and sketches. I always loved the beginning of a project, where we could sketch and dream big. I'd sketch quickly and just let a roll of trash paper (or tracing paper) keep going and going so that the ideas would not stop. If it was 2am or time for a chocolate milkshake break after 2 days of not sleeping, we'd use my 11 foot long drawing as a faux wedding veil to tease one of our wedding obsessed pals.

Needless to say, this 11 foot drawing was one of the things I kept. And my final project boards with the original illustrations, I just can't trash those! Plus, it's fun to see how your work and style has evolved over the years.



On the flip side, it's funny to see how some things do not change. I'm looking at this latest recipe card I made, and my handwriting and line quality are about the same. I've gotten a little looser with my line work, but other than that, it's pretty close!

Moving on. Behold, the Best Trail Mix Ever. It's the Pumpkin Seed Dried Cherry Trail Mix by Claire Robinson. My Martha Stewart-like friend in the office gave me a taste of hers, and I asked for the recipe mid-bite. I finally made it on Tuesday, and I am in heaven. Just thinking about it makes me want more.



I followed the instructions, but had to go out and purchase Grade A Maple Syrup on hand (you shouldn't use Aunt Jemima, which I'll admit, I love on pancakes sometimes!), and added pomegranate to the mix.

It is so good. And the colors are lovely too, with a green for the pepitas and a maple brittle that makes everything stick together. It satisfies the sweet, salty and crunchy categories (which is my favorite, probably since I was a biter as a kid).



Why aren't you making this yet?! Go on, and git!!!

Enjoy your weekends, everyone. I'm looking forward to a weekend in D.C. to celebrate my cousin's graduation part deux for her Masters from George Washington University!

Color Mixing

Feeling inspired by the geometric prints and bright and muted colors led me this piece. I've been enjoying mixing random colors to create new shades, and placed some of my favorites here.



Oddly, I'm finding myself drawn to the muted shades, and neutrals and browns lately. (Oddly to me, since you know how much I love bright, bold hues). I think I'm influenced alot by the season of year, and the colors popping up in design and fashion.

Here are details of some of my favorite pairings. Minty blue-greens, non-1970s avocado, blushes and corals.



Pinks and purples. Those have been my favorite since age three!



And grays and browns and tans. I love them, lately. The tan on the right is what I mistakingly thought my natural skin color was before I moved to Indiana for college, and was not in a bathing suit playing waterpolor or diving daily... The bright yellow/green is lovely too.



Other than my latest obsession, we're getting ready to mail off invitations for our wedding. I got the Abstract Expressionist stamps, since I could not stomach the wedding cake ones, and they were out of the King and Queen of Hearts. Mail is so much more fun with pretty stamps, but I'm not going postal (pun intended) and doing the vintage look.

I'm attending a Green Building event tonight, and know I'll be glad I went. Paying in advance helps this cause.

But right now, I would prefer to either go home, eat some pineapple, address mail and watch the most recent episode of Lost that I missed last night due to Quizzo! Or attend a free seminar on urban gardening (one can dream), or hear Charlaine Harris of the Sookie Stackhouse fame read from her newest book at the Philadelphia Free Library. And of course, see my knitting gals and especially Miss Regina at Rosie's.

Color Study No. 1

The summer before I met Mike, I had fully intended to try oil painting. It's one of the mediums I have not really tested out. The not being able to use water issue seemed hard to wrap my mind around at the time, especially to someone who mainly works in water based mediums. Then I started dating a painter, and became friends with an astonishing number of painters. Hearing about their trials and errors with oil paint, along with the level of expertise that came with years of practice ended up deterring me in some way. It felt so foreign, that I stuck to other mediums that felt more familiar.

As I've been painting and drawing more, and want to try new things, I'm thinking of trying out oil paints once more. Using oil based inks for gocco printing and linocut seems much easier to comprehend now. Months ago, when I told Mike I didn't know where to start with oils, he suggested I try some color studies. That sounded like a good idea, so I filed it in my brain and carried it around to revisit later.

One day in February, I returned from work and the light was just setting as I stepped into my apartment. It made the room glow pink and orange, and there were pieces of sunbeam littered throughout the apartment. If there were a day to capture some color, this seemed like the day to start. I tried to get the color of the pink shadows, and the sunlight shining through my now almost dead begonia.

So I did. I decided to make a 5" x 7" color study, and to try to focus on the colors and isolate the shades to communicate what I had seen. I decided not to try to overthink it, so that it did not become a chore. I'll keep the format the same, and it will probably stay pretty true to horizontal rectangles of color on a vertical frame. It's helpful to have some limitations in my opinion. Endless possibilities can seem paralyzing sometimes. Anyone else ever feel that way?

I will only paint colors that I see on the same day, but can use whatever medium and will try to keep it loose.

I want to have a goal of how many to make. I'm at about thirteen right now, but am still deciding how many I want to create. One hundred seems too small, five hundred too large, and I'm partial to odd numbers.

So far, I'm enjoying this project, and am finding myself noticing the small bits of color, even if it is a piece of trash on my sad little sidewalk. It's also forcing me to practice mixing colors instead of just using ones that I have, even if they nearly match.

Oil paints will be used, that's a promise. (wink)

I wished it could stay wet, but that's not what watercolors do!

Color on My Mind

I can't stop thinking about shades of turquoise, grey, fluorescent yellow, blush toned pinks, and warm purples. I even cleaned up my studio wall and just hung up these felt squares to get them out of my head.



Okay, and hot pink, ugly-pretty shades of green and mauvey purples.



Color study projects are in the works. The thoughts just need to finish stewing.

One or The Other?

I'm trying to carve out more time after work to draw and paint. Why is it that we feel the urge to get all of the chores done before we can take time for ourselves. I think it's important to be a little selfish, if it's for a good cause, such as yourself.

I played around with my markers to make geometric shaped grids. I thought of it more as a meditative exercise like Jess at Sweet Eventide's zendalas. It was a fun exercise to get my hands moving again, and not to put any pressure on myself. After all, I hadn't drawn anything in quite awhile, and want to change that.



I'm also taking advantage of having my very own art instructor handy. Mike was helping me draw ellipses better, and we ended up having an impromptu lesson on shadows and color. I was pretty impressed, he's able to make you understand things that you felt were beyond your grasp. Now I just need to practice my newfound understanding. And practice some more.



I mean, this guy really knows what he's talking about, especially when it comes to drawing from life. The example below is his huge painting in progress out the window of his studio. The notepad shows some of the math that he uses as one of his references when site measuring the view. Who says math and art don't mix? Just thinking of all that work makes me anxious, but he loves doing it. I guess someone who sees a knitted shawl that takes a year may think the same of me, but everyone is different.



Sometimes I wish I was one of those people (like Mike) that had one thing that they were uber passionate about, and wanted to focus on that particular thing. But I don't think that's how I'm built. I love the thrill of a new interest, and learning as much as possible about it. This does mean I can get bored easily, I guess, but I don't think I'm alone in this. We all need challenges to grow and learn, or life gets stagnant. A wise friend said to just go with the flow.

What's your take? Are you all about one thing, or a medley of a few things like myself? For conversation's sake, my current core list of interests is design, art, crafts, and a side of baked goods.

A Studio of My Own!

Mike had his studio in the back of our apartment for the past three years. His friend Meghan asked him to share a studio with her, which has a great view of downtown, and is quite affordable. This means that we moved all of his supplies out of the studio in our apartment, and my things right in!



The room has windows facing south and west, so it gets amazing light at the end of the day. We relocated a small sofa into the room, which creates a cozy little reading nook. (This also improves the layout in our living room drastically!)



My bike fits right underneath the mountain of books. This meant that we could get rid of the wall rack that was getting to be an eyesore, and the kitchen is less crowded.



There huge graphite drawing is Mike's, which is a view from the opposite side of the room. The pretty Florida scarf is from Shona, and has certainly inspired our wedding palette and Save the Date cards. (I'll show them soon).



This wall was a mess from the start, so it's practically a bulletin board by now. We will fix it up quite nicely when it's time to move out. It is so wonderful to have an actual room for myself. I can listen to music or podcasts and work on whatever my heart desires!

If you were thinking of carving out a space for yourself, I highly recommend it. Whether it's an entire room or a desk in your kitchen, it's great to have a place that inspires you to create.

I'll have lots of things to show you soon!

Cacti and Patience

Patience. Required for growing succulents and cacti and for learning to become better at drawing and painting from life.

I love using my watercolors for filling in and painting, but usually with pen and ink. It's entirely different when trying to actually draw, site measure and make it look like the object. Luckily, I have a university level drawing instructor and fine artist as a significant other. My ellipses are improving than from when we started dating seven years ago. (However, my other ellipses and propensity for tangent run on sentences will probably never improve!)

This drawing shows the beginnings of my still life.



I took a second pass this weekend, while watching the end of Dirty Dancing on television and crying at the end. Is it just me, or do you all do that as well?



This is the second pass. I may go over it a final time to get the spikes and improve some of the details. It's all about a path, not the end result. Alas, the patience part.



I hope at least one of you is humming Patience by Guns N' Roses at this point... I'm sure I'll probably do the Axl dance here in a few.