Kilmainham Gaol, 2008: Evolution of a Drawing

In the summer of 2008, I made a trip to Dublin, Ireland in search of my Irish roots.  My Nan, my grandma on my dad's side, always told me we had Irish in us.  She was from Wigan, England, as is the rest of my family on this side, and no one else agreed with her.  I journeyed around Dublin for a week, searching through pages of old death, birth and wedding certificates but found nothing.

When I headed to Wigan to meet up with my family, my cousin Kathleen helped me search in the local ancestry library there.  Joyously, we found them!  My great, great, great grandparents came to England at the age of 17 and married in Manchester Cathedral!

Anyway, while in Ireland, I did some touring.  I visited Kilmainham Gaol for one, and was fascinated by the history and the feeling of the place.  This is my first piece from what I hope to be a small series of drawings of the gaol. I love the way a drawing comes alive in its various stages, so chose to show that here.



Dougle the Dog

I was needing more samples of dog drawings for promoting the portrait aspect of my work, and this pic of my cousin Gaynor's dog Dougle has always grabbed me.  Dougle lives in Wigan, England, and is the love of his mommy's life!

Recent Summer Work

So the summer came and went, and school starts tomorrow.  I am excited to meet all the new kids...many have stopped by already for a hug and a chat.  Can't beat that.  But I did complete a couple of pieces amidst the hectic summer comings and goings.

The first one is called "La Cena", or The Dinner, drawn from a photo I took years ago in Lombok (an island in Indonesia).  This little girl was sent alone to fetch the fish for the family dinner.  Such a simple life.  I always wondered where she got that big, lacy shirt...maybe from a tourist?  It was meant for her.

The next one is titled "Manos con Anillo", or Hands with Ring.  The age of the person shows a long life, and the Claddaugh ring symbolizes that life filled with friendship, loyalty and love.  I went to Ireland a couple of years ago researching my heritage, and found it.  There will be more to come on the Irish theme!

Frida Kitty is Chosen to be on a Wine Label for Arts Benicia!!!

Wowee!  My kitty drawing was chosen (one of four total selected) to be on Arts Benicia's first run of wine from Torchlight Cellars!  Must be her alluring eyes.  I am really excited!  I will post more soon about when the wine will be available for purchase.  It will be possible to buy it online and have it shipped to your house.  Congrats to the other artists as well, although I am not sure who they are....just Freddy Camargo and myself is all I know for now. 

To see all the labels entered, go to www.beniciapatch.com.  Type Arts Benicia wine labels in the search bar, and you can see all 55.

Ezri Turns One!

Just got back from Paso Robles and the celebration of the birth one year ago of the beautiful Ezri Bay Karp.  Love that kid, love her parents, their parents, all the brothers and sisters....you get the point!  Fun time!  This crab drawing was her present.  When her parents finally get around to decorating her room, they say she will have an ocean theme.  I was NOT hoping she would get crabs, as her sarcastic grandpa Ron suggested!

Sue Hutch's Fine Baxter

A most amazing woman, Susan Hutchinson, just retired this month, June 2011.  I could go on and on, but mostly, I am so thankful she became part of my life because she hired me to be the art teacher at BMS.  My life changed after that. 

Thanks, Sue, for trusting me.  Here is your Baxter.  You already know this drawing is your gift, as it is already in your hands. 

Hey....and happy wedding, too!  Congrats to you and Harley!

Wine Labels Created for Arts Benicia's Label Competition

Yep...Arts Benicia will be selling wine soon, and they have invited artists to contribute their designs for possible use as labels.  None have been chosen yet. So I used my Jose picture and made him a girlfriend with Frida...but Frida is a lush.  Just look at her expression!  Frida represents the cabernet.

My sister recently helped rescue a sea lion in southern California, so I called my white label Clara after the rescued little girl.  However, she has been transplanted up to the Carquinez Straits!

The names I did not create, but came almost as a joke out of a forum of AB people trying to name an upcoming show.  "Tabula Rasa" had pretty much been agreed upon, but many thought it was too obscure.  So now our wines will be Tabula Rosa and Tabula Blanca, but only a few people will know the inside story!