Be Happy Today

A friend of mine, who is dying, sent me this link, which turned out to be the best Christmas present anyone could give me. If he can find happiness, we all can. This video made me.....happy! 24hoursofhappy.

I found this photo of Emile Nolde's beautiful watercolor flowers in my "Inspiration" folder this morning. What a cheery way to start the day!

West Elm Follow Up

I thought you might enjoy seeing a few photos from last weekend's Etsy Pop-Up Shop event at West Elm Edina. What fun! Even though it was one of the coldest days of the last three winters, holiday shoppers were not about to let a little sub-zero weather put a damper on their holiday spirit! This is, after all, Minnesota! The photo above depicts my display table stocked with my holiday cards and posters.

Here's Clare surrounded by her very charming paintings! In addition to her individually hand painted canvases, she specializes in commissions and custom work, which you can check out in her Etsy store here.

And here we have the display area of Michael and Tom, two friends who came up with a very innovative design for displaying wine, along with an assortment of rustic copper wall decor that can be customized per your request. Check out their website/shop Vetrina Del Vino. Thanks to all my friends who braved the cold to come visit! And for those who would like to do it all again, West Elm Edina is hosting another Etsy Pop Up Event this Saturday, December 14th, with seven more Etsy artists. We know you're not done shopping, check it out! Directions are on West Elm's website.

Nothing Says Thanks Like a Chocolate Cake

If you'd like to say thanks, why not do it with a chocolate cake? You don't even have to bake it, just stop by my shop and order a set of 6 thank you cards featuring my painting of a chocolate Bundt
cake.   mmmmm....thanks!

Big Gift, Little Car

I think that's the proper ratio, right? This set of cards with my illustration can be found in my online Etsy shop here.

Let's Frolic Shall We?

Nothing makes a reindeer happier than to have ornaments in his or her antlers! My illustrated holiday cards are in my shop here.

Bringing Home the Tree

The driver of this tiny colorful convertible is determined to bring home a big Christmas tree. My illustration adorns a new set of Season's Greetings cards, available in my Etsy shop here.

New Cards

If you want to join in the cyber week spirit of things, come on over to my Etsy shop where you will find my handmade holiday cards. This serene reindeer and feathered buddies can be found here.

New Website

My brain is fried. I finally redid my website, something I've been meaning to do for a long time, and I finally could not procrastinate any longer! Now that it's pretty much set up, I can't wait to add new images and revise it when necessary, something I could not do with the original site. Take a look! andreetracey.com

West Elm Event

Once or twice a year, West Elm selects a few local Etsy artists to partner with them in a one day sales and store design event. I'll be there, December 7th at the West Elm store in Edina, Minnesota along with four other Etsy artists. I love West Elm's modern home decor, and I feel so lucky to be asked to participate. Mark your calendars! Come visit! For more information, check out their website.

Hayride

I don't think I ever went on a hayride. Now that Fall is falling all about me, I'm thinking that it would be a lot more fun than raking leaves. This acrylic illustration was created as part of a fabric design.

Double layered chocolate cake

What can I say......how about, YUM! Just another sweet addition to my current obsession with painting cakes and candies. You can find it here in my shop as a card.

Pink Bonbon with Chocolate Swirl

Now, let me first say that it is not always true that bigger is better, especially in desserts....but what the heck, a bigger bonbon is always better! In case you want to tell a special someone just how sweet they are, or perhaps suggest a rendezvous at your neighborhood pastry shop, I've turned this painting into a delicious greeting card. It's available in my Etsy shop here.

The Missing Piece

At first I wasn't sure I liked the slanted horizon. It was intentional, but then after I painted it, I wondered if it looked odd. I fussed with a copy of the image in Photoshop, just to see what it would look like if I had painted the horizon perfectly straight, and I decided that it was much more interesting with the slight inclination!

Pink Truffle

I've spent a lot of time working in pen and ink, or on my computer, so I've decided to switch gears for a while and indulge myself in sloppy paint and canvas. I'd really like to indulge in my subject matter, but  I'm afraid I won't be able to fit into my clothes if I start consuming my still lives!

Working on a small scale  (6" x 8") and working quickly is really fun. I've decided that after one sitting, it is done. No do-overs, no going back. It is what it is, an on to the next one. Very liberating!

Get a jump on it

School starts soon. This is probably not the reaction of most kids when they realize that their glorious summer vacation is ending.

Another bad Photoshop moment

What happened to her teeth? OK, no more bad Photoshop examples after today, I PROMISE!

Bad Legs

I love to collect photos I find that are real bloopers in the photo re-touching department. Here's one I clipped out of a fashion magazine. It looks like the poor woman's left leg has been reduced to a ribbon!  I swear I did not Photoshop it myself, this is exactly what was published! Someone really goofed up!

Mad for Mod

A while back I was asked to create a whimsical mod couple for a website. After a bit of cruising on the Net, I spied these 2 vintage patterns. Whoa, nothing says sixties for the dudes like plaid trousers or a Nehru jacket! And then of course, there was the classic Yves St. Lauren's  Mondrian-inspired dress for all the groovy chicks. Oh those were the days. Or daze, depending on what you were doing.

Don't Upset the Apple Cart

One of my favorite summer treats is a juicy crisp apple. This small painting was part of a fabric pattern I created years ago.

Aphrodite @ the MOA Sketch

I've been very distracted by nature lately, so back to the drawing board! My last post (before all the Nature stuff) was my painting of Aphrodite at the Mall of America.  Here's the study from my sketchbook. I'll add the painting again, too, so you can see the before and after effect. The sketch is pretty worn, but you can see all the notations I made to remind myself of colors and other details once I got back in the studio. I love sketching on location, it makes for a personal connection to my work that doesn't happen with photos or other scrap references. All those "in-love" flying people? Well, they were there, you just didn't see them. You must look again when you go shopping.

The Storm

It's been quite a week! I've been without power for five very long and hot days! Over 600,000 people lost power, and wouldn't you know it, my home was in the last remaining 1% to have power restored. It has been a very rainy month, so when the storm rolled through with straight line winds, huge trees just toppled over because the saturated ground could not hold the roots. Everywhere I look I see trees down with huge root balls sticking up out of the ground! The wind was so fierce that almost every house in my neighborhood including my own above, had a tree or a limb come down. Fortunately no one was hurt, and my roof was not damaged. It was not fun, but it was a bonding experience for my entire neighborhood, and we are now in the planning stage of the Post Storm Party to be held in the cul-de-sac next week. Welcome to summer!

They Flew the Coop

This month has been an urban wildlife month for me: huge snapper turtles crossing the street in front of my house, garden snakes sliding through my backyard, and carpenter ants showing up as unwanted guests on my back porch. The best surprise was discovering a turkey hen sitting on her nest under my picture window. Apparently she did not Google "wild turkey nesting habits" as I did. She would have read that turkey hens abandon their nests when they are discovered and rebuild it elsewhere. Instead, Mama Turkey stuck it out, in spite of her celebrity status, with all the neighbors and delivery people coming to take a peek. This morning when I opened my front door to take Miss Suzi-Q for her morning walk, there was Mama Turkey, leading her brood off to their uncertain future! She was making soft little clucking noises. Oh, it was all so darling and it made my day!

Aphrodite at the Mall of America

DETAIL

The long busy weekend of Art-a-Whirl is over and I'm just now coming up for air! My studio building has over 200 artists in it, and has been nicknamed the Mall of America of the art crawl scene!

Which reminds me: I just received an email out of the blue from the woman who purchased my painting of the same name. It just made my day, it's so nice when people articulate their appreciation of your art. I'd like to share it with you:

 "I'm the lucky person who purchased Aphrodite at the Mall of America a few years back. Just wanted you to know that it improves with age. It is the center piece of my living room and every day I thank you for creating this fun piece of art. Thanks M.L."

In this series of paintings, the mythical goddess patrols popular contemporary meeting places, and every where she strolls, people fall in love. Often, someone who is blue is rescued by the therapeutic effects of Love.

Art-a-Whirl 2013

It's here - Spring and Art-a-Whirl have arrived, hand in hand! Tomorrow evening begins the largest art crawl in the nation, 3 days of open studios, gallery shows, demonstrations, music, food stands, performances - over 500 studios will open their doors to the public. It is so much fun, and a chance for the artists to connect with the public.  Come on by!

STUDIO 350
1500 Jackson Street NE
Minneapolis

 Friday, 5 to 10 p.m.
Saturday, noon to 8 p.m.
Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.

gloooom

 This is today. (MAY FOURTH) It is also yesterday, and the day previous,and according to the news, 26 days of last month. Where is that big yellow thing in the sky? Just askin'....

Saturday Yard Work

Only after 6 long brutal months of never ending winter could I say that today, doing the dreaded yard work, was fun. I couldn't wait to get out into the sun to prune and trim and rake and sweat. After a couple of hours the thrill wore off, though. There's always tomorrow!

Laundry

Remember when we used to do laundry wearing our high heels? No, I don't remember either, but I'm sure our mothers and our grandmothers did, according to the magazine ads of the fifties! This print is available in my shop, along with other retro cuties engaging in their domestic chores.

April 19

Last year, in fact most years, on this date it is 60 degrees and we are all thinking about gardening. Today I was thinking, I AM SICK OF WINTER!!! We had 9 inches of wet heavy snow fall, with sleet making for ice covered roads. Will it ever be warm again?

Never Too Much of a Good Thing

 My latest print...but frankly, I'm not too sure I believe this old English proverb. I can attest to the fact that YES, I HAVE HAD TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING. Many times, in fact. Just one look at my scale will confirm this!

Diet Wegman

Stolen!

The above is MY original illustration.

The above is a detail of a logo that a "designer" in Europe created in a logo contest, seemingly using my illustration (without my knowledge) as a starting point. I wasn't too annoyed, until I checked out the contest and found a logo design (detail below) that is actually my illustration, except there are flowers added to the wheels. Now this is ANNOYING!!!!

This is the downside of the Internet. Anything you post can be seen by anyone and can be stolen unless you take the necessary precautions - which I did not.

The upside of the Internet is that you meet a lot of very nice people! This whole situation was brought to my attention by an email from a complete stranger in Germany, who wrote to me saying that she thought these logos were borrowing heavily from my style. Her name is Gila von Meissner, a graphic designer with a marketing background. She's busy creating logos, strategy, text, fan pages and if that isn't enough, a line of baby clothing seen on iStock. Check out her website  for more. Thanks for the heads up, Gila!