Trick or Treating shouldn't be just for little ones...

Never Grow Up~iPhone Photograph from #Mailart Series Being Human in Time

Apparition ~ iPhone Photograph

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After the little ones have gone to bed and left their coveted stash unattended is the perfect time to raid the booty of all of YOUR favorite sweets along with some extras to add to this delectable cookie...Blowout! This particular cookie has become a yearly splurge ever since my mother gave me a copy of Lee Bailey's Country Desserts. It is what every peanut butter cookie strives to be with the addition of dark chocolate chips, honey roasted peanuts and chopped miniature peanut butter cups (pilfered from the Trick or Treat bucket). And like all the creatures you see on Halloween, don't be surprised if all these cookies disappear overnight.

Surf and Sand

While we enjoy heading to the beach year-round, many make it a special event with summer fun and 4th of July celebrations. A favorite spot to catch views of two fireworks displays is sitting seaside on Studio Beach just on the south end of Cayucos, California. From that beach you can watch the colors fly above the Cayucos Pier to the north and over Morro Rock to the south. Get there early, claim your domain and don't forget all the necessities.

 
Beach Life-iPhone Photo from #MailArt Series

The Ocean is Calling-Watercolor on Paper, 7 x 9.5 inches (17.78 x 24.13 cm)
Original painting is sold-prints available at ALTAMIRA  or on imagekind and ACEO on Etsy

A Summer Tradition

Camping in the Sierra's is a summer tradition for me and my Mr. We have a couple of secret* spots that allow us to get away from group campgrounds and really explore the serenity of escaping our busy schedules. Don't worry; I recognize the humor in running up to the mountains to get away from what are almost weekly surfing Sundays. But there truly is a calming quiet you find among the trees that can't be reached listening to the wind and waves of the West Coast beaches.

Being Human in Time-How This Generation Spends Their Time
iPhone Photographs from MailArt Series

One of our favorite areas is Chiquita Creek near Mammoth Pool Reservoir. There are many areas to explore without the crowds you may find in Yosemite National Park throughout the summer.

 Chiquita Creek-photograph

 Along the Path-panoramic photograph

 
The Water’s Edge I-Original Acrylic Painting on Paper, 7 x 15 inches (17.78 x 38.1 cm).

 
The Water’s Edge II-Original Acrylic Painting on Paper, 7 x 15 inches (17.78 x 38.1 cm).

How do you take your coffee?

I am a fan of "a great cup of coffee" especially the perfect cappuccino. I will also admit to having developed a wonderful rapport with the ever overwhelmed yet still friendly baristas at the nearest Starbucks. Getting just the right balance of steamed milk to the tasty sweet foam makes all the difference in MY perfect cappuccino.

 
Being Human in This Time and How to be More Productive in This Time-
iPhone Photograph from #Mailart Series

Most days for me though are spent entirely at home, working in my studio-and since the nearest Starbucks is about five miles from my home, running out for a cappuccino is completely impractical. Over about the last ten years I have tried a handful of personal espresso makers, everything from budget friendly to the ones with all the bells and whistles. For whatever the flaw many of these machines simple didn't survive but one still remains and will continue to be my stand-by, tried and true caffeine supplier. The affordable and classic brand of Mr. Coffee has designed an industrial styled, straight forward maker that continues to outperform the others I have tried all for the low price of about $40. The most used small appliance in my kitchen.

While I wouldn't say I am "obsessed" with coffee, I do love my series of coffee cup drawings. Originally designed as a class project years ago this series continues to inspire my exploration of a subject from many styles and concepts.

 
...and what goes perfectly with a great cup of coffee?

Dried Cranberry, Walnut and Lemon Scones

Life's Better Surfing

On a cool fall day I was hanging out on the beach with the teenage daughter of one of our surf buddies. In between texting her friends and listening to her iPod she started telling me about that morning  on the way to the beach. They were in the drive-thru line at Starbucks when her father was starting to wonder if they should make the 30 mile drive to the beach and waste a day surfing when he had to start his week of graveyard shifts that night. She looked over at a lamppost and saw that some other slacker had already been there and left his words of wisdom with a sticker that read "Life's Better Surfing". She of course pointed it out and any reservations he may have had floated away in the wind, because as he has known since he was a teenager-even in the worst of waves you never regret a day in the surf.

 

 

Life's Better Surfing-MailArt, iPhone photo.

Call it a Day
Watercolor on Canvas, 7.5 x 8.5 inches (19.05 x 21.59 cm).

 

#MailArt

This last fall I participated in an art project called "#mailart", developed through networking artists on Twitter. Organized by artist Mark Philip Venema (@Art_News on twitter) artists were to create postcard size art depicting the chosen theme "human in time" and send out the works to the other artist. As we received the small originals in the mail we were to post them to a Flickr group pool for viewing including any new textures created through the mailing process. The styles and mediums varied amongst the artists and so did their individual interpretation of the theme.
For my series I tweaked the theme to "being human in this time, how this generation spends time". I also decided to create all my work on my iPhone employing various photo and drawing Apps available. I see it as an extension of how this generation spends time. Throughout the series you can glimpse how I spend my days, while also seeing how I see the world around me spending time. All the pieces start with a photo I have snapped on my iPhone then I edit and add effects to enhance and emphasize the scene or message I am portraying.
Some of my days I am lucky enough to spend time at the beach. Whether surfing or sitting and photographing, there is something to the refreshing serenity of being by the ocean. While I snapped this photo in the middle of the day but edited it for sunset, it just doesn't matter what time it is-it's just always relaxing. The original print that I sent out was one that did not fare so well in its' travels. Prints available, please contact me for details.