There is so much to report… I don’t know where to start. Paralyzed by my slow typing skills, I decided to make a list…

-Engaged. My lovely, amazing boyfriend proposed. It involved a surprise trip, a secluded cabin on a cliff over looking the ocean, a day of wine tasting and a five course dinner at a tiny french restaurant. It was beautiful. Now we are trying to figure out if we want to have wedding or run off and elope.

- Accidents. My sturdy little Italian father fell from a 16 foot ladder and broke both legs. He’s currently staying in a rehab center in Ohio until December. Weekend trips to Ohio on the horizon.

-Beautiful Bean. My sister is pregnant with her second and a bit overwhelmed with a one year old, teaching math and science to 7th and 8th graders, and caring for our dad.

-Buried. In free-lance projects. For about three weeks it was 16 hour days in the studio with very little sleep. Thrilled beyond reason (yes, I danced around my living room pumping my fist in the air) after  getting an e-mail from my dream client. All those promo mailings actually paid off!  More on this later.

-Edited. The website has gone through a major over haul. It was hard to take down the older work, but very necessary. I’m happy with the new direction my work is taking and would rather have a smaller portfolio of fresh work than a large portfolio of work that seems less consistent.

-Obsessed. With this election. If Sarah Palin winks at the media/American People one more time, I might lose it. Seriously if this whole “folksy, hockey mom, maverick, pro-war, Gidget goes to Washington ” strategy works… I’m afraid for this country.

-Shop. Finally I got the nerve to purchase the big expensive Epson Printer. The Etsy shop is coming for anyone interested in buying archieval prints for your loved ones this Holiday Season. Due to the economy, handmade is the hot ticket this year!

Over and out for now…

So…my very talented and wonderful friend Alison has been searching for the perfect puppy. She wanted to find a  breed  small enough to fit comfortably in a studio apartment, but larger  than those hamster like dogs  the models in Soho carry around in their hand bags.  Also on the list was a pooch that tends to be less vocal than the average dog (her apartment has a no pet policy). Finally, she wanted a dog that was a bit on the lazy side and doesn’t mind lounging around the apartment until she gets home from work. I was a bit skeptical that you could find such a “Super Dog”  but last week she sent the above photo of her new love. Ahh… New York, the city where you really can find anything you want.

Lots of work going on in the studio this month… illustration assignments and a couple personal pieces in the works.  Although the picture of the ocean is not really the view from my studio window, it’s nice to know the ocean is just a few blocks away (I heart California!). Last week I had lunch with a wonderful artist/illustrator who just publish her first graphic novel with Chronicle Books. The illustrated memoir called The Heart Break Diet is a heroic story about love, loss and the courage to rebuild one’s own life. Thorina Rose’s book was full of humor and hope. It’s always inspiring to meet someone who takes a dark situation and shines their light straight through it.

“never resting upon the oars of success or in the doldrums of disappointment…Getting started, keeping going, getting started again-in art and in life, it seems to me this is the essential rhythm.”

-Seamus Heaney

There is something to be said about the daily rituals that give us comfort.Creature of habit or not… it’s the little things that make certain days better than others.

-drinking out of my favorite extra tall coffee cup

-a long sweaty run by the ocean

-working at an ink stained desk with views of the park

-fresh pasta with marinara and basil

-falling asleep with the windows open

As much as I enjoy shaking things up a bit, the rhythm of this new routine sure feels good.

Finally! We settled in our new place in San Francisco. Feeling inspired and I’ve been thinking (and reading) about detoxing. Maybe it’s the idea of a fresh start here in California, or just the result of shopping at too many organic grocery stores.  On Saturday I had dinner with my friend Jeff, we talked about eliminating the superficial elements of an illustration until your left with a pure honest image (no bells, no whistles). This is like a detox for your creative work, and I love/hate the idea. The more I fear taking the decorative elements out of my work, the more I know it’s time to experiment.