watercolor bunny

After receiving Apolonia's gorgeous package of art cards she so generously sent from France I was very charmed by the rabbit she drew and painted on the envelope. Gazing at its large, expressive eyes and perfect, round proportions made me remember my own bunny pet and I was inspired to make a small portrait of my late little friend and companion, Tama-chan. (She made us all so happy but passed away unexpectedly one night in her sleep earlier this year. We were devastated for weeks.) 

I realized that finally, enough time had passed that I felt I could create a little portrait of her to see every day and recall her sweet and spunky nature. It had been a while since I had painted with watercolors but everything returned very naturally and I'm happy with the result.

So I have to thank Apolonia, her giveaway contest and her kind emails for getting me back to painting again. Life has been throwing so many things in the way of my creative time that I feel quite buoyed to have started and finished this little work. This was an unexpected 'extra' gift to the giveaway ~ thank you!

mailbox: from apolonia of st~ainolopa

Lucky, lucky me! I entered Apolonia's card giveaway and... I won! As soon as I opened the envelope I was utterly in love with the rabbit she drew for me. Its shape is so adorable and its big, thoughtful eye pulled me in right away. Love at first sight! And her signature bright colors look so good.

The little card to the right of the bunny is her business card. Such a nice one! The image is the same as on her blog header and on the other side there are several links that I'll share with you here because I think you may enjoy her art as much as I do:

blog. st-ainolopa.com
twitter. twitter.com/stainolopa
etsy. etsy.com/shop/stainolopa

Do visit all three!

Just look what she sent to me. They are printed so nicely and the quality of the card paper is very nice ~ a good, heavy weight.

On her etsy shop she sells these very greeting cards with her unique, colorful animals on them, plus many more designs. And right now she is offering free shipping, so it's a good chance to stop by!

Her characters are so quirky and imaginative, I keep admiring these cards she set me again and again. Each has a very distinct personality, so I've been thinking about what friend should receive what card and on what occasion. (Of course, I'm thinking of far-off occasions now as I don't want to part with them yet!).

Thank you, Apolonia, for this generous and uplifting giveaway prize! I'm really inspired by your work. It has made me very happy!

a visit with anna

Last autumn I started a traveling sketchbook on the theme of self-portraits and home landscapes called portrait:landscape. Seventeen female artists that I met via twitter joined in and although the book's first stop was just a few cities away from mine, it soon traveled to the Pacific Northwest, the Rocky Mountains, the South and the East Coast before sailing across the Atlantic to the U.K.

Anna Jane Searle was the first artist outside the U.S. to receive the book and she has made a clever, personal and beautiful contribution! I wanted to post these on the proper portrait:landscape page, but have run into a boring technical difficulty that is really cramping my style. But! I did not want to let a silly glitch delay enjoyment of Anna's clean and elegant illustrations and besides ~ I figure that the first works from across the pond deserve their own post. Enjoy!



Anna's portrait page features herself as a bear in her trademark glasses and cute illustrations of her favorite things. Her blog, Annarack, is always fun to read and full of actual objects of a similar nature to these drawings, plus her ace artwork ~ amazing dioramas and three-dimensional papercrafts, very detailed and incredibly textured embroidery, fashion, handmade buttons, book arts and much more. Do follow her if you don't already have the pleasure!


I really love her landscape pages. She turned a local landmark into a piece of the British flag, effectively combining her region and country in one eloquent drawing of her location. She also drew Hadrian's wall, which somehow really makes me want to go there and walk along it on a sunny day.

She has already sent the sketchbook on to Valeria Poropat in bellissima Roma, Italia! I am sooo looking forward to seeing the Eternal City through her eyes. Valeria paints and draws at her blog Valeria Draws and her style is quite distinctive. From looking at her many female portraits, each a bit magical and a bit mysterious, I am coming up with a guess in my mind of how her she may go about her own self-portrait. Very curious to see if she keeps her signature painting style or heads in a totally different direction.

After Valeria, the book will travel to nine more artists before arriving back to me. At that point... we shall see ~ the book is becoming so tremendously precious as its pages are so beautifully filled that I feel I should think of something really marvelous to do with it. Thank you, my artistic friends, for your heartfelt drawings and paintings in our round-the-world collaboration! You are inspiring me with every page!

liebster award

because I love you! :)

Juriko Kosaka recently honored me with a blog award ~ the Liebster Award ~ which I was very surprised and happy to receive, especially since I admire her blog and her artwork so highly. {Thank you, Juriko!}

Juriko has been doing a drawing each day, which has been centering around food. In Japan, she painted delicious meals that made my mouth water. Now she's on a trip to New York, so she's sharing sketches of the things she's seeing there. It's fun to see the sights through her sketchbook, (though one of my favorite recent drawings was the cake she saw in the bakery right before she left Japan).

I had only recently heard of this Liebster award, which she says is passed on to three to five of one's favorite bloggers that have less than 200 followers. A simple comment on their blog lets them know that they're one of your favorites. I surely have more than five favorites, but will try to stick to the rules. I'd like to recommend Juriko and the bloggers that she chose, as well as the following five blogs. Do check them out!

Seeds of Happiness
is a blog by Yuuco, who lives in Japan where she makes art and teaches art projects to children. I love her art's simple, friendly lines and bright yet soft colors. As the title of her blog suggests, her art is designed to make people happy and I definitely feel that way when I look at it! She is the one who initiated our "Trans-Pacific Art Show" that ended up involving ten artists at our show in January! I'd say she is very talented at being able to make things happen far away from her, to motivate others and organize people and events. She has many good (and happy!) ideas.

Nature's My Friend 
is the blog of Jessica Gowling, who lives in Canada, immersed in nature, where she draws constant inspiration from the wildlife and scenes around her. She is very outgoing and connects artists around the world through mail art. She takes her art out places, setting up booths and selling directly as well as on Etsy. On her blog, she shares her process, art, mail art and activities so there's always a lot to learn from her. I'm amazed at how prolific she is and how she manages to keep producing such a variety of work at high volume while still keeping us all posted! I always enjoy reading up on her latest adventures.

Saylor Made
is by Jeannine Saylor, a talented artist and mother of two young girls. Reading her blog is like having tea with a friend that's showing you her sketchbook or latest crafts. I always look forward to seeing what she's been up to. Like Jessica, she keeps up with many artists through mail art and shares what she sends and what she receives in lovely photos. Jeannine is presently working on her Limited Edition Sketchbook Project, with watercolor and ink drawings on a family theme. She lives in Canada and sometimes draws on aspects of the various places she's lived in Canada in her art. Reading her blog is relaxing and cozy with lots of inspiration.

Good Things
is written and photographed by Emily Orpin, who truly has a knack for finding good things. I love the photos of her home, city, dachsunds and wide travels (she lives in Seoul but seems to regularly hop around the world to all sorts of continents and countries). She hosts a "Colour Lovers" monthly color collection collaboration and it's fun to see the collections her readers gather in the color theme of the month. Emily's collections are beautifully curated, she's a very good writer and she has a lovely sense of design. She has quite a number of followers and when you see the gorgeous photos and conversations on her blog, you might become one too.

Harujion Design
is written by Hiromi Widerquist, who can make just about anything with cloth, thread and yarn. She lives in Indiana and shares projects that she sews for her daughter, home and Etsy shop. Her work is finished so beautifully and she uses pretty fabrics in interesting combinations. I enjoy reading her blog because many of the things she makes remind me of things my mother used to sew, knit or crochet for me when I was small. She also posts some great tutorials that I hope to try one day. Most recently, she's made some crocheted necklaces, embroidered pendants and a stuffed animal, all very cute and unique.

* * * *

I was inspired by the idea of the Liebster Award and made the award banner above to acknowledge how I feel about some of my favorite blogs and their authors. I changed it quite a lot from the original that has been going around the web for some time, but felt I absolutely needed to add color and personalize the design in order to express how much I like these blogs. Anyone that would like to use the banner and pass it on to their favorite bloggers is welcome to use it. I look forward to finding some new favorites to follow!

handmade cards

I really wanted to make handmade cards this year, but with one thing and another I just didn't have time. (New Resolution: plan better next time!) However, I was the delighted recipient of a number of handmade cards from artists in Japan and Canada, so I want to share them with you here and also send a huge "thank you!" to my accomplished, artistic friends. <3

from Ikecoo in Japan

Painted on both sides; folded and tied with yarn to keep closed.

Getting to know Ikecoo in the past couple months has been very inspiring. Although I cannot understand all the Japanese on her blog, I love looking at the photos she posts and the brilliant ideas she comes up with using materials that can be found anywhere. Check out these brightly colored lamps she made in a recent workshop (scroll down past the text to see two photos). Neat, hm?

from Kanae Nagashima in Japan

Kanae made her card with washi tape and a print of an elaborate wreath that she drew. You can see a gorgeous picture of the original on her blog.

from Yuuco in Japan

Also from Yuuco ~ beautiful papers that I'll use in my art!

Yuuco is generous, talented and has a gentle style and a big heart. I'm so glad I met her in 2011! You shouldn't miss this delicate wreath of screen-printed cotton leaves that she made "to heal our hearts hurt by the earthquake in March". She calls it, "Beautiful World" ~ and it really is.

from Pen Artist Santacc ~ a traditional kerchief & a printed card

Pen's artwork has a distinct style and I've really enjoyed all the pieces she sent over for our Trans-Pacific collaboration. Pen is also the owner of the Make Merry Box Gallery, where artists rent out little boxes to display and sell their work. You might enjoy a browse through the gallery's blog to see the huge variety of handmade goods there! Lots of fun!

from Shingo Akiyama in Japan

Shingo's art ranges in scale from giant murals to tiny paintings. I would love to know more about his process, materials and inspirations, and I hope to visit Japan one day to see his murals on the city walls. In the meantime, I treasure my original Akiyama card. Thank you, Shingo!

from Jeannine Saylor in Canada

She used her hand-carved pine cone stamps inside and out.

I feel so lucky to know Jeannine, who is not only talented and creative, but one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. I love reading her blog and sharing ideas, gathering inspiration from each other. She's genuinely one of my favorite artists to talk to and follow along with her creations and works-in-progress. Additionally, she is really fun to exchange mail art with, and she is looking for more people to exchange with in the new year, so drop her a line!

*  *  *

Wasn't that a lovely tour? I really want to send something back to everyone. Thank goodness for Lunar New Year, which gives me a second chance to send my best handmade wishes! Thank you again, dear artist friends. ^_^

so thankful

My painting is off to its new home with Sharon. ^_^

The past two days have been so rewarding. I am very thankful to Akio, Terry and Yukie for welcoming me to the Claymates show and sale. I met so many interesting people ~ many artists themselves ~ and got some very positive and heartfelt feedback about my work. This event was not only the first time for me to show my work in public, it was also the first time for me to represent and assist other artists as well. From the Bay Area, I invited Toni Rica, Chiori Tasaki and Sewasew to display their work. From Japan, five artists sent me their creations: Yuuco, Ikecoo, Kanae Nagashima, Shingo Akiyama and Ms. Pen Santaac.

On Thursday evening, Toni Rica met me at Akio's to help set up our art. Yukie and her husband Larry had gone out of their way to purchase a set of display grids that very morning and had them all set up for us when we arrived. (Thank you!)

Yukie's pottery in the foreground & our art on the panels.

Yuuco's flower bags, Chiori's oils, my acrylics & Kanae's postcards...

I should mention that it was my first time to meet Toni Rica in person; before then we'd only spoken on twitter, email and phone. It was a joy to meet her and to work together, as she is full of enthusiasm, warmth, positivity and talent! Together we placed all the artwork so that everything was ready for the show.

Sewasew's woven Ethiopian paintings below, Ms. Pen's book covers, postcards by Kanae and more...

On Friday morning, Chiori met me at Akio's studio to help for the day. We added her paintings to the display, added some finishing touches and watched as people began to arrive.  

One of Chiori's en plein air oils, made while her husband and son were fishing.

There was already quite a crowd when the doors opened at 10:00 am and all the artists were busy answering questions or helping to wrap purchases. It was an exceptional moment for me when I turned to find a woman gazing with great emotion at my larger acrylic work. Wow.

She explained that she could not purchase it (though she would have liked to) but we talked for a bit and I can only say that to have my painting create such a positive impact on someone else... well, just that was enough to make my day utterly fulfilling. As a painter, and especially at my very first show, her reaction was tremendously rewarding and more than I hoped for. While she thanked me for making that piece, I thanked her for appreciating it so highly. It was quite amazing to connect with a stranger through an artistic communication. (Of course, I saw her again when she returned the next day to show her husband the painting, and I'm sure I'll see her again since she's beginning ceramics classes ~ so she won't be a stranger in the future! ^_^)

Other artists' work were beginning to sell. Lots of Yukie's and Akio's pottery was chosen, Margie and Bobbi's glass jewelery table had a big crowd, and Terry's homemade chocolate truffles and jams were extremely popular.

Debbie chose Yuuco's flower bag and also bought my smaller acrylic. Thank you!

Not long after my sublime experience in front of my painting, I heard my name being called. Two sisters (Sharon and Debbie) were very interested in my acrylics! We talked about my process and thoughts behind the works. I signed the canvases to each of them and in a whirlwind of a morning, my paintings were sold! I nearly had to catch my breath, it had all happened so fast. I was glad that Chiori was there to celebrate with me and I really liked Sharon and Debbie and felt very comfortable to send my art home with them.

Thank you very much, Sharon and Debbie. 

I hope you enjoy the paintings for years to come 

and that they bring you much happiness in your homes.

After those paintings sold, I brought out the large gold painting I'd just finished. Even though it was already spoken for, I thought it would be nice to get feedback on the work. Indeed, I enjoyed some very nice talks with other artists about the work, its layers and techniques ~ conversations I wouldn't have had without taking my work out of my home and putting it in the public eye. It was very rewarding.

I was also quite happy to get exposure for the artists who sent their work from Japan. I wished they could also be there to talk about their creations.

Ikecoo's sculpture and pastel with Yuuco's cute cards.

Yuuco's bird of happiness cleverly mounted on stained balsa wood.

Kanae's triptych attracted a lot of attention for its detail and emotion. Rica sold several of her prints too!

On Saturday Toni Rica returned and spent the day helping at the sale. Three of her prints sold and it was really fun to hear the stories behind her drawings. She has a definite sense of humor! :D

I brought another work in to display, a large 4' x 6' painting that I completed a couple years ago. I made it when my husband's family came to visit us from Italy so they would feel even more welcome in our home.

Displaying this painting led to many more engaging conversations with visitors and artists. It was really fun to meet so many delightful and passionate people who appreciate handmade goods and arts. I am very grateful to everyone who came to Claymates. It was such a pleasure to meet you!

Special thanks to Chiori and Rica for their help, to the other artists for a wonderful two days ~ Bobbi White, Margie Dickerson, Adriane Dedic, Yukie Nakanishi ~ and to our hosts Akio and Terry Aochi. I learned a lot and am looking forward to the spring show in May at Yukie's garden and studio!

So much inspiration ~ thank you all!

biking with my canadian mail

Jessica's bison fluttered in the breeze.

What do you like to do with your mail art after you receive it? Hang it about your studio? Admire it on your desk for a while? Tuck it in a secret drawer? I've done all those things, but today I decided that my mail art needed some fresh air. So I borrowed a bicycle and gave my treasured envelopes from Jessica Gowling and Jeannine Saylor a first-class view from the front basket.

As we rode along, certain places seemed to fit particular pieces of mail art. Both Jessica and Jeannine are always very generous and full of creativity with their mail art. I'm excited to share how these treats from Canada fit so well in their new home in California. Away we go!

* M A I L - A R T from J E S S I C A *

Jessica's (signed and numbered!) roaring buffalo print felt at home with the tall grasses. Their bushy tails mimicked his fur.

The bay horizon made a nice contrast to the yellow stripe. (And I tried to have creative hands when photographing the "Creative Hands" book spine.)

Jessica's cute envelope of road trip stickers nestled in with the bicycle tire.

The lightning bolts on this sticker were a good match for the power lines.

Jessica also sent me a proof of her moose print. He was so fine we took his picture on the path where the grey road could let him shine alone.

I really loved receiving Jessica's package and discovering all the delights inside. She also sent a little book about apple picking, perfect for fall and back-to-school. I should have photographed it on the lawn by the park's playground, but by the time I got back there I was so hot and tired that I forgot! The mail and I rode about six miles today and I made the dreadful mistake of starting around noon on what turned out to be a very hot day.


The ride was definitely worth it, though. Look at all these pelicans!

And now...

* M A I L - A R T from J E A N N I N E *

Jeannine handmade her envelope from a magazine with a turtle on it. He liked this spot in the plant where he could appear to be climbing into the water.

This part of the path had lots of dry branches. A passport tag, a paintbrush and a teeny framed picture of the universe hung on in the breeze.

I really like her silhouette series. The feather and the leaves joined her cave mixed media piece in the flowers along the path.

Close-up of the cave ~ it's one of my favorites. So simple, yet very rich with subtle texture!

It turns out these flowers have the same name as me.

We returned to the turtle theme at the end of the ride. A tiny "outer space" envelope housed four Canadian stamps that hung out with the turtles in the sand.

Now I shall get busy putting their replies together and into the mail. As usual, I've been gathering bits and bobs but need to sit down and perfect the collection for mailing. Thank you Jeannine and Jessica for being so patient until I could get this post together and share the wonderful things you sent me. Keep an eye on your mailbox for my replies! ^_^

glass adventure

Some years ago, my mother introduced me to her friend Margie, who is both a potter and maker of glass jewelry. Margie had six of us over last night to try our hand at making some glass art. This was my first time with this medium so I started with the glass bits from her scrap box.

Bounty in the scraps.

I learned how to score and snap-cut the glass into smaller sizes and shapes, but then decided it would be a fun challenge to use only the pieces as I found them.

I was a little hesitant at first, gathering colors and trying to figure out how they looked together. At first I didn't like any of the combinations I was coming up with.

Um... now what?

In the meantime, my friends Noriko and Hiroko (who had just arrived from Japan and were completely defying jet-lag) seemed to know exactly what they were doing. They were cutting tiny pieces for earrings and gluing pretty stacks of colored glass on top; scoring larger pieces for necklaces and making everything match.

Noriko's work in progress.

PJ, on the other hand, had already fused her glass on an earlier day and was now grinding off the rough edges and finding pretty cords and fixings from which to hang them.

A little water is needed when grinding, just like when cutting tiles.

Finally I got my wits about me and made five mini artworks for necklaces. The big white and silver piece had been fused before and tossed into the scrap bin, so I just added a couple accent colors on top. Perhaps it will make a good magnet.

Craft glue holds the pieces in place until they're fused in the kiln.

After everyone's pieces were ready, I closed the kiln and fired it up. It's all digital, so that was just a matter of pushing buttons. By now the pieces are fused and ready for finishing, but I can't return as soon as Hiroko and Noriko, who will finish their jewelry this week while I'm at work.

In the kiln: mini glass collages ready to fuse by Noriko, Hiroko, Yukie and me.

These are some fused pieces that Margie had for us to see as samples.

And here are just a few of her finished earrings made with this type of glass technique.

I'm keen to see how the pieces transformed in the kiln. I wonder how much "spread" occurs and how the colors I've chosen will blend. Looking forward to my next appointment at Margie's to find out!

Thank you, Margie, for a very fun and creative evening. ^_^

thank you juriko!

A little update to the story of my personal desk illustration from Juriko ~ I'll share with you the photo I ended up sending to her. I had to take one at night because of all the reflections on the desk from the sunlight coming in the windows. 

She took the time to turn it into one of her beautiful drawings, making it light and bright and adding little touches of color here and there, softly showing just a few select reflections in the glass. I admire her work so much. 

Please go see my desk as interpreted by Juriko on her blog here!

Some of Juriko's other paintings and works are in her online gallery here.

And... if you missed it before, you might also like the collection of her work I posted earlier this year. I always find there's something honest about her work that resonates with me.

I'm very excited because she gave me permission to print off her drawing so I can frame it to hang near the window. Thank you, Juri!

wedding {handmade details}

My sister's wedding was a small and sweet affair in the garden with many people contributing their talents to make it personal, pretty and (in some cases) delicious!

Our friend Cooper took the photos and another friend made the bouquets...

My mum made the vases and several family members and friends helped arrange and hang decorative bouquets ~ these flowers came from another friend's garden...

(The wine cork is the pull handle to open the gate.)

My mum also made 100 cups for guests to drink from and take home as favors. The "P & T heart" stamp was carved by my step-dad.

The sketch I made when they got engaged marked the entrance so guests would know they arrived at the right place. We also put a fancier version in a large photo frame with plenty of mat surrounding where they could sign in ~like a guest book~ with a special message to the couple.

I folded many origami cranes to decorate the tables and pamphlet-stitched the wedding program that I designed for the happy couple. I printed it on a beautiful, slightly metallic paper that doesn't quite show in the photo.

Our friend Terry not only cooked almost all the amazing food, but she also made the cake bites. These are the bride & groom bites that graced the top of the tower.

I don't have any pictures of the handmade washi paper pennants I made that hung about to lend a festive air. But there this shot of some of the photos that we hung about showing the couple in their younger years. These were a nice way to share some history and also sparked some fun conversations.

It was a beautiful and very happy wedding day! It was heartwarming to see all the people that cared so much and gave so much of their time and handmade contributions to make it perfect.