color is my muse

that might be the douchiest thing i've ever said (there are so many moments to choose from)..

but if we are speaking in truths, and we always are around here...it is absolutely the truth and how i approach painting.

i am not a schooled artist so i go with my gut at all times.

sometimes my gut is very wrong and colorblind, but most of the time it's on point.

so as i lay in my bed this morning asking myself what in the ding dong i was going to blog to you all about today i thought all about the colors in my head these days and where they come from.

and a little of how i build on them, what paints i use and how i apply them.

lately i have been obsessed with sennelier soft pastel chalk.

 the colors are so highly pigmented and i dream about layering them over paint.

for the paint i use mostly acrylic but some oil and a lot of oil pastels..

i use several brands of acrylic and gouache paint.

gouache paint is really really pretty and runny and expensive.

acrylic comes at many price points.

and i use all of them.

all in all paint is expensive.

i tend to use brushes very little these days and instead i apply the paint with an artist's palette knife and i use a shit load of paper towels to spread the paint around and even as a "brush" sometimes.

i will dab the paper towel in the color and smear it on the canvas or paper.

it's not very conventional but there is a connection for me between hand + paper towel + surface that a brush prohibits. 

i.e. i seem to have more control.

 there are certain types of paintings i do that are all brush. 

like this:

the princess and the witch- SOLD

but for my paper pieces i use a brush very little. 

color inspiration comes from this magical place called...pinterest.

here's a sampling of some recent paintings and some images that may have inspired them..

somewhere in iowa - SOLD

incense

saffron road - SOLD

all in all color has a LOT to do with it.

i liked doing this post.

did you like it?

i think i'll do more of these.

what do you think?

poop pee.

this is a painting post

i have painted up a storm this week..

working on commissions and adding to my shop.

i am a lucky girl. 

burial ground

memory foam 

you were in my dream and tangled (respectively)

part of a pair-

forget you know my name

the earth is not amused

cruise

yolandi

flash the crowd

a few of these are commissions (1, 3&4, 5) but the rest are available in my shop.

if you want to commission your own painting just email me here. 

and p.s. i will have some pretty awesome news to share in the next few weeks.

hold onto your boobs, for real.

you guys..

very few things in life get me wound up more than shit like this.

let's talk about it for a minute..

first of all it's a cat on a roomba.

fun fact: apparently cats all over the world ride roombas.

not so fun fact: apparently lots of people actually own roombas.

no seriously, google "cat on a roomba".

more than 1 will pop up in your youtube search.

second of all it's a cat on a roomba in a shark suit.

because cats LOVE costumes.

third of all it's a cat on a roomba in a shark suit ENJOYING THE SHIT OUT OF HIMSELF!!

fourth of all...and perhaps the one bit that takes this from very amusing into david lynch movie..

there is a duck just walking along like the eccentric motherfucker he is.

no real place to be.

speaking of hair...

i'll bet a lot of you are wondering what my hair looks like.

sorry for leaving you hanging on that..

i got super busy yesterday and then my internet was out for a bit so..

all apologies.

both girls did a great job (cut and color)..

good blonde butteriness.

good nicole richie-style layers.

i will go back.

come back tomorrow for some selling of the paintings.

lot's of 18 x 24 papers.

cat on a roomba ya'll.

cross your fingers internet, i'm about to do something very dangerous.

as a blonde i am highly irresponsible.

i go months and months without root maintenance.

this is partly my fault and partly my colorist's fault.

my fault bc usually when i make an appointment it's on the day of my existing appointment when my intentions are good but then 6 weeks later my appointment rolls around and i have $75 in the bank, total.

but then when some money rolls in and i go to make an appointment my girl is on vacation (like a lot) or i am victim to her ridiculous schedule (saturdays- always booked or tuesdays after noon- terrible time for me).

so i decided i needed someone new.

and instead of asking you (my usual protocol) i asked google.

and now i am going to a totally unknown to me colorist who has good reviews but i always wonder if those reviews aren't written by the reviewee or at the very least the reviewee's grandma and cousins.....which means at 9:30 this morning i'm off to a weird part of town for a salon with one person working inside of it.

i know!! 

livin' life on the edge!  

i'll update you with instagram and a post tomorrow.

in the mean time enjoy these images from one of my favorite interiors magazines,

AD espana..

neutral perfection.

delightful color combination.

 so luxurious.

it would be so hard leaving this room.

i am into the coral + rose combo so much right now.

it's a punch but a soft punch.

ok then.

wish me luck.

man chairs

why are they so ugly and so necessary?

i admit the chair that mike sits in now is probably a negative zero on the comfort scale.

in fact it's so bad he piles it high with a giant floor pillow plus small pillows and several layers of blankets to essentially turn it into a chaise lounge.

he obviously needs something comfy and worthy of his manly manness.

unfortunately the shit that's out there is dreadful.

i mean recliners are not only supremely hideous they are really really expensive.

why?

bc of all the ingenious lever/pop up foot stool action?

he needs a chair that he can basically lay in while we watch mad men and game of thrones.

i have been searching for chairs that are cute, ridiculously comfortable and affordable for probably 2 years.

why is that such a tall order?

why can't someone make a chair that appeals to the man's need for snore inducing comfort and stealth-like ding dong stroking all the while appealing to the woman's need for clean lines and handsome fabric?

here are a few chairs i found that run from $ to $$$...

the bliss down filled chair and a half from west elm is moderately pricey at $649- $949 depending on fabric.

i've actually sat in this chair and can attest to it's comfort.

it's wide so it's fairly loungey. 

as in you could sit sideways too.

but you'd need an ottoman for full lounging.

which jacks the price up substantially.

an additional $500 to $650.

bringing your grand total somewhere between $1000 and $2000.

also from west elm, the sedgewick leather recliner.

it's probably the most handsome recliner i've seen but it doesn't actually look that comfortable. 

too narrow maybe?

it's also around $1300.

here we have the travis leather lounger from abchome.

this guy is on sale for $1599.

which is great considering that narrow recliner from west elm is almost as much and this one seems much more comfy and man friendly.

also from abchome the mysticism chaise.

awesome base and cool overdyed jaquard fabric.

this one is the most expensive at $2495.

it's a lot of chair but with sleek and barely there lines.

i'm not really sure why i like this but i do.

i think the color for one is amazing.

but it seems both comfy as all get out and it wouldn't take up too much space.

it might be too close to the floor though which would make tv viewing difficult.

but it's almost $2000 so it's out of the question.

lastly...

ikea to the rescue.

the kivik chaise is priced out at $339.

and it's not ugly.

and it looks comfy.

they even suggest that you lay on it and eat popcorn.

though i'll bet they'd sell more if they had a picture of my husband with his hands down his pants and a giant smile on his face.

what are your thoughts?

have you sat in the ikea kivik?

do you know of any secret chair sources that you should be sharing with me?

don't judge me. but send help.

poop on my face i am changing my mind again about my living room walls.

writing this hurts me more than it hurts you.

you might think it's the idea of me having to paint out all my trim that's the reason behind paintgate 2013.

nope.

i mean, that part truly sucks but honestly i have to paint it anyway bc it's chipped and dingy.

there are a few reasons behind paintscandal 2013 but the main reason is..

 i think white is the wrong choice for the room.

it's kind of like coochie cutters.

in theory coochie cutters are cute but when you put them on and understand why they are called coochie cutters, you should proceed with getting them off of your body immediately. 

i think white would be great in a larger room but this room is honestly the size of a large closet.

i want to like white and i DO like white rooms, probably best of all.

but this room is not telling me it wants to be white.

it's telling me it wants to be black.

black blue to be exact.

and that's the end of it.

hopefully.