Endless Rain

I finally listed Endless Rain in my etsy shop. I really like this one. It looks fantastic in a snappy black frame.



This weekend was pretty weird. Milo kitty went to the hospital due to some urinary tract issues, and if you've ever met my cat, you'd know that it wasn't a great experience for him. He screams so loud when strangers are around it's like carrying an angry wolverine in a cardboard box.

I have no idea how they shaved his leg before sedating him. NO IDEA.

He came home last night, just waking up from his ordeal (oddly bathed and clipped...), and it was frightening to see him wobble around unable to move half of his body. His silence was unnerving. He's only just getting over it this afternoon.

But Maggie kitten doesn't recognize his smell and so it's pretty tense up in here. I can't imagine what that's like... to be a cat. To look at an old friend from a distance and go "oh hey, Joe! Nice to see you - *sniff sniff* Wait, you're not Joe. What are you doing in my house? GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

Joe: "...Why does she keep YELLING AT ME? *sob*"

Pressed Flowers Journal

As planned, I made journal #6 look like the journal spread I made the other day. I'm rather pleased with it.



This is it for journal-making for the next little while. I'm out of paper and have decided to take a little break, even though I think I like making these more than I like painting.



A neighbour received her Sketchbook Project in the mail yesterday, and since I'm pretty sure we ordered within hours of each other, I'm hoping to get mine today! So excited.

Of course things never seem to arrive on fridays, or if they do, they don't fit in the box and then ride around on a postal truck all weekend and then I have to wait until monday knowing full well that I should have the parcel! Blllaaahh! *crosses fingers*

Let Love Spread Like a Weed

Now that Canada Post is more or less up and running, I've finally posted this painting in my etsy shop:



Available here.

Love it.

Due to the sun being on the other side of the building, I won't be able to post last week's painting on etsy until a bit later ;)

...

Running out of time to sign up for Kira's True to You (2) workshop!

If you've never visited her blog, you are seriously missing out. She needs more sign ups! It would be nice to have more people to play with!

Lovely Time Journal

I'm not excited about this particular violet colour but there it is.



There's nothing quite as satisfying as building a book. Even painting doesn't quite compare. I finish a painting, I scan it, I put it in a book and that's it. But these books... I have them stacked together on my desk and I can't stop touching them. Piling and repiling them.



I like flipping them open, turning them over, touching the covers. Part of it is definitely the possibility of each one. Will they find a new home someday? Will someone fill them with amazing memories and colours and words? Will they end up staying here?

Blank journals blow my mind. If I open a blank page now, I am looking at the future. Parallel dimensions open up and I can see myself writing. Something. Maybe I'm a few weeks older, maybe a few years. Maybe something horrible has happened, maybe something wonderful. This must be what it feels like to go back in time, open a journal and find all of the pages blank, all of my memories have disappeared.



How would someone else fill a journal like this? Endless doodles? A jumble of words? Pasted movie tickets? Spraypaint?

Corrugated ribbon journal

I love this journal!



I kind of want to keep it for myself, but I probably wont. I'll just have to make more of this style because it's so pretty.



The binding thread is a deep dark burgundy colour. Paper inside is heavy strathmore like the others.



What I need to do is get an old book for ripping the pages out and reusing! Right now I've been tearing out less useful pages of actual books we have and that can't go on for much longer.

Workspace Peek

I love looking at artist studios! Particularly the at-home kind that are just tucked away somewhere. Visiting a studio is a lot of fun in a "let me read your diary" sort of way.

There is an industrial building in Vancouver that is all artist studios. You could probably access the studios during the culture crawls. A few are dark and crampy little concrete dungeons. Others are actually beautiful little art galleries buried in shabby, winding hallways. Keep your eyes peeled!



Useful note: Peg boards are awesome. Once you get a pegboard, you will want to fill your house with them. We've got two. I'd like to get one more in the kitchen! :D

I had photos of this workspace on my old blog, but since I tidied it up, I'm posting updates! Would anyone be surprised to know it's only been a couple of days and my desk is buried under a mess already?



Everyone's got these little ikea drawers, it seems. Mine goes through a makeover every once in a while. Today it is blue.

I don't actually call this a "studio". I just call it a workspace. It's a corner of my living room!



My precarious bookshelf! My palette on the lower left side there... it's just a white plate. But look how clean it is!!! :D Usually it is a hideous lumpy rainbow of colours.

My workspace doesn't actually look quite like this anymore. It is always evolving, bigger messes, smaller messes, new things here and there. A new blue stain. This is just a snapshot of one rather productive afternoon. :)

Lucky Clover Journal

This one is a tad bit "shabby" looking, and has the same heavy Strathmore paper as the others. I've been trying to use all sorts of things as "stencils", but it's difficult to do with the watercolours.



I'd like to try some of those nifty looking ink sprays someday.



Maggie is chasing down a lazy fly this morning. Best part of summer!