the annual “balls out” group show at grass hut is upon us! i took the opportunity for another addition to the Anima family: northwest spring butterflies, and the flowers they love! above is a super bad scan, but i’ll get a better one after the show.

there’s plenty of super rad artistic company in this show, can’t wait to see it!

one more stop on the friday gallery hop list is kate bingaman-burt’s book release / show at land. i had the opportunity to preview the book and the gallery space today and am so so excited, and proud of kate and all her work!

just to geek out on you a bit, she and i have been emailing each other since we were both in college and it’s been lovely to watch her work grow and evolve over the years, and getting to know her in person now that we both live in the same town, and teach at the same school. yay kate!

i’ve mailed a few pieces of artwork to the uk for… calm air all ice [aka claire elizabeth platt and camilla stacey] presents “fifty-two”, a collection of work from 52 favorite artists at room212 in bristol, uk.

the blog for the show includes mini interviews from all participating artists!

more info:
march 28 – april 4
calm air all ice presents 52
room212
gloucester road
uk

opening reception: march 28, 6 – 8 pm

office pdx is hosting their annual “women in design” event at north ad agency this wednesday. moderated by office’s kelly coller, the panel will include lourri hammack (president of LAIKAHouse), kelly tweeden (Global Creative Director for NIKE) and rebecca armstrong (General Manager of NORTH). all the ladies will share insights on how they got where they are, challenges and success stories, rules of the road and resources.

afterwards, shop a special sale: 15% selected goods from my collection! i’ll be on hand towards the end of the night, once i’m done teaching my class at psu!

TIME: 7 to 9 PM
LOCATION: North 1515 NW 19th Ave.Portland, OR 97209
MODERATED BY: Kelly Coller, co-owner of OFFICE PDX
COST: Free and Open to the Public; seating is limited
RSVP: shop@officepdx.com

visit the design sponge blog today to see my go-to social gathering recipe: sushi rolls! once you get the hang of it, they’re super easy to make and everyone is always so impressed!

later this summer i hope to feature some fruit sushi recipes – i’m testing them now!

i’m excited about this as it’s an opportunity to visually showcase the entire process of how my original artwork is transformed into posters and other goods.

of course there will be new posters and goods [see the post below] debuting at the show, so if you’re in portland that evening stop by!

2 new art prints, one new gocco print in my online shops today, take your pick: my website or etsy!

the two new art prints will be featured in my art show opening next friday. i’ll post about that now…

thanks to a very generous donation by blog reader clint, lucy has a new set of wheels that’s much easier for me to pull along behind me running errands around the neighborhood than the garden cart!

today was our maiden voyage with this new cart which was so exciting for lucy that she’s been sound asleep since we returned home several hours ago! she got to visit many of her favorite spots and people today in the neighborhood, bark at passing skateboarders as usual, and hang out in her favorite grass patch.

we can’t wait to try it out hiking this weekend!

it’s wedding prep season! last week i finished a private commission for a mendocino coast wedding illustration, which i can’t show you yet, and the last few days my studio was in full invitation gocco-printing mode with a certain someone visiting from the east coast [above], and i have a wedding kettubah design on deck in the next few weeks…

over the weekend i completed these custom wallets for a client who wanted a replacement wallet for a similar one i made and sold at cog and pearl in brooklyn a few years back. this was absolutely the last two i could squeeze out of this piece of fabric!

now it’s going to be even harder to part with my anima babies… these two have just come back from the framer’s and look ah-mazing! custom custom hand-rubbed whitewash finish on maple, shadowbox technique, uv-resistant plexi… wow!

mr. bear was the firstborn in the anima series, so he’s my sentimental favorite. while octo was the last one i finished in time for the december show at land and is the most complex so far. both will be featured in an upcoming show here in portland that will reveal the process of turning my original drawings into posters, cards, etc. more details on that next week.

shortly after the land show debut, one of my editors at chronicle gave me a book on spirit animals. there’s no entry for octopus, but the bear entry is spot-on, especially considering he was my first foray into this new body of work:

“bears teach us how to bring dreams into reality. they tend to move slowly [unless in hot pursuit of prey], and they teach us to take time when searching for inner wisdom. if you’re feeling a creative block, consider the counsel of this spirit animal. the bear will show you how to remove yourself from daily stress and how to get truly quiet. no artistic challenge can be met in the midst of distraction, chaos, and confusion. the bear will help you create your masterpiece by providing the clarity of vision one can only achieve in silence.”

yup. this is what my bear friend taught me as i was bringing him to life! you can also have your own bear friend to help guide you in creating your own masterpiece!