Latte Lounge

Yes, Melissa, there IS a Latte Lounge!  This commissioned piece has a great story behind it. As I love my art to be narrative, it was a joy to create.

My client and his wife met online several years ago. After a few emails and phone conversations, they agreed to meet for coffee at a central location, as they lived in cities about 30 miles apart. D. looked up coffee houses in the mid-city, picked the Latte Lounge and sent the info to M. The appointed time came and passed. M. was desperately driving up and down and around the given address but no Latte Lounge, as was D. After multiple, harried cell phone calls, they finally met (for the first time!) at a corner gas station and went on the hunt together. Alas, the mysterious Latte Lounge was never found but Cupid’s shot was straight. The story has become part of D & M’s family lore and I was honored to put it on paper.

I like incorporating arcane details in my illustrations and paintings; there are several in the Latte Lounge, including Spike, the lizard with the mutated tail. Watercolor, gouache, colored pencil and ink on hot press Arches paper. 16″ x 12″.

 

It’s Christmas, dear.

It’s no great revelation that the holidays are more fun for some than others. But some buck up and participate anyway with a sporting, if slightly begrudging, attitude.

My holiday offering for 2011. May the spirit move you. Or spirits.

Dreamer’s Ball

Last year I was commissioned to do a series of Italian Greyhounds (which you can see here). I did many preliminary sketches – I loved their graceful lines and the possibilities they presented my imagination. This masked and Mercury-winged Greyhound came from one of the sketches that didn’t make the final cut for my client. Shades of ice blue and Phthalo green seemed just the right color choices. Watercolor, graphite and ink on hot press Arches paper. The original is 10″ x 10″ and is available for purchase as are prints, which you can buy directly from me or order online here.

Raising a glass

I’ve been blog-neglectful the past month. Busy with various projects, including rebuilding my website which is a challenge as I have no idea what I am doing! But as tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in the U.S., which is pretty much the start of the (sometimes relentless) holiday season, here’s a little something to start the season properly. Cheers!

Want one for yourself? Print available at my Etsy shop.

Imperial

It’s not about size, it’s all about attitude. The subject in question has plenty of it.

Watercolor, ink and graphite on Arches paper. Prints available here. 

Tempted by the fruits

I am happy to present my annual Halloween artwork on the first day of October, one of the most glorious months here in Texas. October diminishes, at least a little, the misery of August. Especially the recently past August of 2011. But back to the art. This year’s offering, Tempted by the Fruits, is a one page illustrated story.

“The temptation of proffered fruits trumped caution of feathered familiars.”

Fini.

Prints for purchase available here.  Previous years Halloween illustrations: The Witching Hour  and Wicked Halloween.

It’s a dog’s life

Meet Ella, a pampered pooch with a penchant for sneaking a drink from your glass when your head is turned. She isn’t really that spoiled, but it was fun painting her in the classic reclining odalisque pose. She enjoys the finer things in life, just like her owner. Prints available in my Etsy shop.  Salud, Ella!