Whoopie Pies

In Maine. Introduced the LA nephews to Whoopie Pies.

They Likey.

Finding ways to ignore Gustav.

Next Phase Mary Portrait

Quick sketch

Doesn't look like her yet, sketched her and transferred outline of sketch to big paper (2x 3 feet).

Bulding up layer after layer of color.

Cannot wait to get those eyes darkened!

Maaary Po-trit

Phase one of new project: Portrait of Mary Tuminaro. She plays accordion, sings real nice and plays drums, too. Mostly with The Bruisers. You should go see her sing every other Thursday. She might inspire you too.

Maaary

Definitely embroidering the front flowers....just trynig to decide whether to use oils or gouache with the silk thread.

Cheese Roll 2008 - Gloucester, England

Crazy bastards.

The Colorized Version

Paper cut-out version

Though the yellow would not be its proper self in the process of becoming digital:

Violet Has a New Brother!

New Nephew Forest Christopher Greer!

My sister, Mandy and her husband Jess welcomed Forest into the fam this week! Yay!

I assume that the photo is by Manna...

Fantasy Poppy, 2008

Cut paper, gouache

11x14

Finally

Finished the darn thing.

Greta and a Cat

A Welcome to the World to Dickie and Christine's second child, Greta!

I made her a world-warming present, this little kitty pillow out of old cashmere sweaters:

Yay!

What I've Been Up To

Making an album cover for the band Gold and Glass. I just finished step three right this second. Photos are wonky because I am tired and the scanner isn't big enough for the thing. It is a silhouette cut-out and eventually will be accentuated with embroidered flowers and lines. The rule was four colors only, (black, white and two pinks) so texturize, texturize, texturize is my current mantra. The boys wanted a car parked under a Japanese Saucer Magnolia tree, with a suggestion of a person in the car.

Step One: Sketch (blown up from 1x1 inch)

Step Two: First Mock up (9.5" x 9.5") Sharpie and Chalk

Step Three: Final Draft Base (white silhouette shapes over black gouache layer)

Next step: days of embroidery. Days.

Lunar Eclipse

Sat outside during the lunar eclipse drinking Prosecco with my neighbor, waiting for a break in the clouds in order to catch a glimpse of the eclipse. The clouds never parted long enough during the sliver-moon phase for good shots BUT I did get a few interesting photos around 9:45. It was a beautiful night, with the clouds rushing past with the that swiftness you see so often here in New Orleans.

Sunday Sunset on Jackson Avenue

Random Ruthie

Ruthie's growth has plateaued and I am crazy busy so I am starting "Random Ruthie" pictures to replace Ruthie Monday. Here's the first:

Here We Are!

Billy took these pictures of The 13th Ward Marching Band and the Cadiz Creepers, marching in the Krewe of Pals:






A nice, dreamy picture of Ethan, Kristen and John H (with a very pleased unkown man in red).

A friend of mine sent this to me and it's from a man named Renso's blog:

It's a very cool concept-blog where he took pictures every hour of Mardi Gras and posted them!
Cannot wait til next year!

Cadiz Creepers

Gonna be a ribbon girl in the Cadiz Creepers, marching in the the Krewe of Pal's. Here are our colors:

I am super excited. I am hoping that my ribbon moves look a little like this:*

or this:

But really would love and dream to look look this:




Our poster:

Rolling at 10:30 am

Our Route (With Stops):

It will take us awhile to get to the quarter, but look for us!

*ribbon dance and color pictures come from the net. The poster and map courtesy of the Krewe of Pal's.

Ruthie-Bird-Dog

Been making doll-puppet-thingies lately. Dressed Ruthie up with some materials and it's official. She hates costumes. No Barkus for her. I had to hold soprosata up in the air behind the (hence, shaky) camera to get her to stop sulking,

spoiled little thing that she is.

Believe it or not, the skeleton and doll-head-in-progress were not posed.

Too bad she looks REALLY good as a bird. with a bow. Sigh.

Change the Y to I and add ER

As if I was not busy enough...

I have started teaching art again at the International School of Louisiana (aka ISL). I started out there when the 7th graders were in 1rst grade, just one year after the school was founded, in order to start up an art program. I left to go back to art school.

I called in just to see if I could pick up a few hours and suddenly I am working every morning.

As most teachers (and parents) know, when you get back into a school building, it takes approximately three days to get whatever illness is smeared all over the desks, pencils, etc. The more involved you are, the better the guarantee.

Welll. Went in on Monday to talk things over. Started teaching Tuesday. Felt the weird itchiness in the throat Wednesday. Fell prey to the nasty bugger of a flu Thursday. I have been laid out FLAT -which never, ever happens to me since Friday afternoon.

This season's flu rrrrreally hurts. I missed Krewe de Vieux AND the ball!

Oh, well. Just have to hunker down and get my Cadiz Creeper costume ready for Krewe of Pals!

But more of that later.....

Ruthie Monday

Back from the Family Hollar Days.

What the "H" I been doin'

Well I have not been posting as much this year. Maybe this hu-jungous house project has something to do with it. My first post-Katrina freak out purchase was a dog. That I did by myself. But together, my husband and I committed ourselves to New Orleans in the best way we knew how: to suck every ounce of equity from our starter home and take on a colossal dinosaur of a formerly glorious house in a sketchy neighborhood. We've jacked it up, stabilized it, re-plastered like we oughtta and all that good stuff -and we still have a ways to go, of course. We have recently been able to paint, and well, me being a pesky artist and all...I experiment. Here's one trial run below.

I call it "Hibiscus in the TV Room"