Good News!!! My bracelets are now being sold at Capitol Clothing, a women's boutique located at 102-626 Broadway Avenue, Saskatoon (across from the Broadway Roasterie). Keep checking back at the boutique, because I will be adding new items... Here is one of my favourite bracelets!

In June, I have artwork in a group show. Here is the invite (click on it to enlarge) ... go check out my scanner photographs, I am planning on showing three large scale photographs-I want to blow them up as large as possible.

I came across Brazilian designer Maria Elvira Crosara. She designs clothing under the fashion brand Anunciação. One of her techniques is to commission guest artists to design the prints and embroideries used in her clothing. Artist Catalina Estradda's illustrations appear in the winter 07 collection. Her illustrations are seen in the orange and blue dress below.

What is most striking for me is that the print and embroidery seem to be more meaningful in her collections than the actual design of the clothing. The following picture is an example of embroidery on her clothing. Although the jacket is beautiful, it is overshadowed by the the bright embroidery. I do love how much colour she uses in her designs, and I love the playfulness of the prints she selects.


Another designer-team I love is Jovovich-Hawk. I especially like their collection from Fall/Winter 2005. It is so feminine and tom-boyish at the same time!

Well, I dragged out my sketchbook today, and decided to do a little sketching. I haven't just sketched for the fun of it in a long time, so below are some of what I finished today. Here are some artists I found this week and whose work I love! They are Maria Ikonomopoulou, Kiki Smith, Mar Hernández, Julie West, and Saskatoon-based artists Yuka Yamaguchi and Kristin Bjornerud.

Here are the scans I finished today. I am still working with 'vanitas' symbols- the flowers, fruit and hourglass; but these newest self-portraits are also Alice in Wonderland inspired. To see more of my scanned images from today and the past few days go here.

Here are a few more of my attempts at self-portraits. I added a skull-like rosary as a reference to momenti mori. The skull, dying flowers, and seashells are symbols used in many vanitas paintings.

I have started working on my piece for a group show in June at the Snelgrove Gallery. I will have three self-portraits based on 17th Century Dutch still-life paintings, also known as vanitas. Typically vanitas paintings are highly symbolic and are meant as a reminder of the transience of life, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death. Pictured below is my first try at scanning myself with flowers. I want to somehow include more vanitas symbols, such as skulls, hourglasses, bugs, rotting fruit and flowers.


This summer, I am working in a collaboration to photograph fairytale narratives. I was trying to find images from Alice in Wonderland, and I came across Arthur Rackham. He illustrated a lot of fairytales, but my favourite illustrations of his are from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Some of these illustrations are pictured below.

Here are some scans and photographs I have been working on lately, I am loving the antique look with touches of colour ...

As promised, here are a couple pictures from my photo shoot with Zachari and Barrett today. I edited all the naked body parts out and antiqued the pictures afterwards. Both guys looked very stoic in the photographs, and true to the real definition as well. It was very cold where we were photographing and they don't seem to be affected at all.


I recently discovered Spanish photographer Eugenio Recuenco. He mainly photographs for fashion and advertising. He sets up these elaborate backdrops and then manipulates his photographs afterwards, which creates a cinematographic style to his work. I especially love these works of his, because they are very macabre. Below are some more of his recent photographs with fairytale narratives.

Pictured below is the most recent painting I have almost completed. This is just a detail of the larger painting.


I am doing a photo shoot this coming weekend, and if all goes well, I will have some of those photographs posted soon. Here are some pictures I had previously taken last fall of Zach.

I found some great photographers' websites. The first two are New York based photographers Sarah Wilmer and Meike Nixdorf. Sarah Wilmer is mainly a portrait photographer, whereas Meike Nixdork mainly focuses on cityscapes. Both of their work is stunning.

Another photographer I really admire is The Polaroid Kid. He mainly photographs people. I especially love how he will take 2 or 3 photographs of the same person, gradually moving closer to reveal what they are holding in their hands; a way of giving a clue into their character. I love the rawness of his photographs, and I especially love his polaroids. Pictured below are two of his polaroid photographs "The Bird Man" and "Long Live the Derelict".


Oakland-based artist Monica Canilao's work is amazing!! She is very versatile, she works with many medias. I love her illustrative style and her uniqueness. Pictured below are two of her works "Destroy Everything" and "Typewriter Hands".

Click on images to view at larger scale.

Here is a picture I took at home today... a small ceramic bunny on my kitchen window sill ...



Tamar Mogendorff creates these fantastic creatures, from different birds to bunnies, mushrooms and dogs. She uses different fabrics and assorted vintage buttons and ribbons. They are so arty, funny, and crafty. Here is an example of her work.


Here are some great blogs to check out...

art indulgence
house on hill road
love forever
polka dot pebble
tru design
kay starr
hodge podge farm
monmartre's sketchbook
free people
handmade-design

The Perception Laboratory and the University of St. Andrews have developed the face transformer. You can upload an image of yourself to see what you would look like as different ethnicities, at different ages, and as different artists would have painted your portrait.

This first picture of me is if Bottecelli had painted my portrait.


This second picture is of me if Modigliani had painted my portrait.

I am trying to illustrate all of the 'The Gladys Elegies' by Barbara Nickel. Shown below is what I have finished so far for the first letter. I am going to start on the other seven letters and continue to re-work all of them as I go. I will have more work in progress posted in the next few weeks.



Here is another of my illustrations that I was working on last week.

I found yet another artist that I admire... Emily Ryan. Her website is so funny! Shown below is one of her works .

Emily Ryan's Gold Flake Girl

And here are yet more little illustrations I have finished, these are all inspired by Valentine's and Spring... I think I may take a break and actually do some painting...

As promised, here are the latest little illustrations I have been working on. I finished these today, and I am still working on more, so check back soon.

This is one of my favourite drawings I have done in the last year. It is based on The Gladys Elegies by Barbara Nickel. The book opens with a sequence of letters back and forth between two twin sisters. These letters are sonnets based on the fictionalized lives of twins Gladys Muriel and Marion Carol Rungee. I liked how the author wrote about the relationship between twins, as it is an unknown relationship for most people. Nickel uses very feminine and pretty words, but the entire story is quite violent and dark. It is beautiful!

Here is the original sketch of the twins, as I see them from Nickel's work.

Then I added the girls into the forest... The first letter Marion, 1935: To My Twin Sister reads, "The Hudson River, where we used to fish in freckled rushes damp against our skirts; its water like a silk scarf wound a hush around our guarded chatter, laced with hurt. I fashioned our escapes. We slid from naps unnoticed to the woods and narrow path; the junipers whose crusty tears of sap seemed like our own. . . We clasped our hands and cast for rainbow trout. You hauled one in-I raised the stick and hit its judging eye, like Father's, shot with soot. We battered it a hundred times in mud; out petticoats emblazoned with its blood."

I want to illustrate all the letters, I think there are about eight in total. The letters are written back and forth between the twins throughout their lives; from the first one as young girls and eventually into old age.

Here is the latest 'fashionista' painting I am working on. I have nearly completed it, but I thought I would post what I have finished so far. Below there is detail of the background as well. For the background, I used an old sewing pattern and layered paint over top of it.



Here is an old painting I dug up from storage, I painted this about three years ago. It's kind of hard to believe that I have been working on raw wood backgrounds for this long! I thought I'd post it because I used to dislike it, but now this painting is starting to grow on me...


I will be posting some new illustrations I have been meaning to finish for quite some time, so please check back soon, as I will have them posted in the next week or so.

Tonight I picked up the March 2007 issue of Romantic Homes magazine and there were a few things I absolutely loved in it...

There was an article on England-based artist Kate Sutton. She describes herself as an illustrator/maker and finds inspiration in knitting, children's books, vintage fabric, nature, the sea and goats, among other things. She also donates part of the proceeds from several of her projects to breast cancer research. I like her simple line-drawing style and her playful childhood designs.

Pictured below are some examples of her work.


Kate Sutton's "a beautiful scrap paper project"


Kate Sutton design on a product for nookart

The magazine also featured designer/crafter Alicia Paulson's Home in the article "a colourful outlook". She is one of my favorite crafters, and the photographs of her home are eye-candy; everything is sweet and pretty and showcases her nostalgic style. Her home is absolutely colour-saturated, and also reflects the style and creativity found in her crafts. Her home is like a museum for nostalgic, pretty and feminine things, as they are craftily composed into vignettes throughout every available space.

Pictured below are some photographs of her home from the Romantic Homes magazine.



I am constantly working on new bracelets and here is one of my newest creations. It is named 'hearts and saints'. I made this bracelet with springtime in mind. The soon-to-be season has also inspired my most recent painting. It is watercolour inspired and is pictured below, showing the first touches of branches and blossoms that I have painted.