the gifts in our lives

Most of my posts lately are about creating and being an artist .
But today i've been lucky enough to have an experience that reminded me that there are things and people in your life that have such a profound effect on you , that you have to acknowledge them.
We take so much of the bad news and sorrow in life as commonplace, that the good things seem to fade into the background. When someone acts simply out of the kindness and good in their nature, it should be celebrated and told to everyone that will listen!
I had an experience like that today. Someone who has not known me very long and has never met me personally , treated me with such generosity and love today that it was extraordinary .She didn't do it for the thanks or the "karma".She said that she'd been so blessed that she wanted to be able to share her good fortune.And it moved me to tears..and it made me realize that we don't know how lucky we are or how the people we know care about us, want us to be happy, want to help and make a difference in our lives.
I won't spoil her gesture by using her name here..that's not how she meant it. But i will promise that when i am similarly blessed and have an opportunity to impact someone's life simply by acting on a good impulse, i will do it without hesitation, in her good name. And my hope is , that everyone that reads this will do something for someone else, simply for the joy of it. Here's to my angel.. you know who you are and i thank you with all of my heart.

Decorating your kid's room..it's child's play!

So you read the title and you're thinking "yeah , sure..if it's so easy..YOU do it!"

well, actually, i do....I've been painting murals in kids' rooms for a long, long time..since dinosaurs roamed the earth! And i handpaint all kinds of accessories for kids' rooms as well as creating art prints for children..so trust me..i've got you covered!
The main thing to remember is that your child's room is a fluid, everchanging reflection of who she /he is becoming. They have very distinct likes and favorites just like we do..although i can't imagine anyone of us wanting "barney" on the wall.

When most parents start out decorating the nursery, they usually coordinate EVERYTHING around the bedding set, not realizing that in about 18-36 months, they've got to upgrade to a big kid bed and real sheets..and that's when it gets weird! Your little one has become fixated on Elmo, or Dora or Disney Princesses or (insert character here)! And just as quickly as they love that special "someone", it changes again! I usually advise parents that want a "Winnie the Pooh"mural or "Diego " or "Shrek 3" to consider how quickly their child will outgrow it..it's usually better to choose a theme that little tootsie can grow with..like sports , or flowers or pick a color scheme that you love and change the theme every few years by changing the items in the room (quick plug for my shop..piggy banks, frames, growth charts, bookends...ok, ok.

Yes, i've done elaborate, expensive Disney murals and themes from "Dr.Suess" to "Star Wars" ..but cars and trucks, transportation, ballet, planets,even the beach tend to have more longevity and will give you creative pleasure each time you make a change to accomodate your maturing child.
In all probability, if you take your time figuring out how you want to decorate the room, you'll get some mileage out of your theme befiore your toddler turns into a pre puberty goth - loving baby teen that paints the wall black and won't let you in the room ( it's probably for the best).
No matter which direction you choose, have some fun and imagine who your child will be..and remember who you were when you were little..what did you want to be when you grew up?

Why i draw and draw and draw......

I cannot have a piece of paper near me if i have a pen or pencil in my hand.
The need to cover that blank surface overwhelms me , like the need for chocolate or coffee or (insert your drug of choice here).
Amazingly, there's always something in my head that needs to come from my hand onto that beautiful, clean, waiting empty space.
This illustration is an example. I hadn't even thought about summer, hot dogs, laughing dogs, or chubby little kids eating too many apples, but there was the paper and zoom!! ...it began.
I'm embarassed to tell you that "the Andy Griffith" show theme was on tv and the next thing i knew, there was an apple pie on the window sill (yeah, Aunt Bea's voice and kids' laughing = 4th of July) and a kid with his shirt up over his belly and a laughing dog and the other kids just miraculously appeared to join him,so that he wouldn't be alone.
I created this print just a short time ago, but so many people pre-ordered it that i decided to list it on Etsy and Artfire so that more people could enjoy it. I guess that it evokes a time that triggers good memories in people..a safer, gentler time when you could be goofy with your friends and smell an apple pie cooling on a window sill.
I'm just grateful that my art reaches an emotional place in people, cause it comes from an emotional place in me.