Inspired by Anahata Katkin / Papaya!

Halo of Roses

Digital Painting/Collage

This is a photoshopped painting/collage of my paintings, except the labyrinth image, that came from Dover. I've had this girl half painted laying around and never knew how to finish her or what else I could do with her, so I scanned the painting and this is what I came up with. I borrowed a lot from Tattoo Nouveau- hair roses mandala background. The composition is inspired by the gorgeous work of Anahata Katkin.

Anahata is one of my artist/designer crushes. When I grow up I'd like to have a freakin' awesome inspiring art bizz like Papaya! I'm always wowed by everything the Papaya team does, especially anything paper. I'm a wrapping paper & stationary & office supplies nut-especially when its pretty-pretty.




detail view: layers texture layers color layers!

Etsy Treasury!

Chrisy from Sophism Press has featured my painting in an Etsy Treasury. (Protecting)
Being a complete Etsy-newb I didn't even know how to make these. But they look like fun! It's a giant fun mosaic wish list of Etsy items!

Click to get to the full Treasury!

February?

Where in the world did February go?!
OH my.

Everything around Katlandia is stuck in that odd sort of sped-up but slowed-down sort of time frame. Days go by slowly, joyfully, and then they turn into weeks... then zoom! February just passed us right on by. A lot of wonderful February days were spent simply day dreaming, doodling, lazily painting, and waiting for the weather to get just a bit warmer.
It is beautiful in Florida right now, cool and breezy. All the flowers on our bushes outside exploded into being, all of them are pink pink pink! We keep the windows and doors open all the time. We can grill outside, its strawberry season (YUM!) and if it warms by just a few more degrees, we can swim in the pool. This is my favorite time to be in Florida.

We moved into a much nicer home with an extra room and are preparing for the baby. Sometimes you just get so swept away with the whole packing and unpacking thing that moving into a new place feels like it takes months!

Only a month and a half to go until we get to meet the little guy, my due date, according to the ultrasound, is now officially April 19th. Not that it means anything to a baby, they do what they want. Right now, judging from all the movement, I think its the hokey-pokey.

Miss Vanessa over at A Fanciful Twist tried my favorite recipe right now, Sticky Lemon Chicken, and took the yummiest looking photo. Now I know the recipe I want to try out on the grill next.

Party Party Party!

Yay it is Saturday! That means it is time for masks and tea and snacks and partying.

Of course, I had invited everyone, all the faeries and mermaids of Katlandia, over for a very special tea party.... and my camera broke! No fun!

Here's Marilyn and the Twirly-que bird, with our Gypsy fortune teller faerie. I used my video camera instead, to capture some group shots of the party after my camera gave up. We made Tazo Passion tea, with lots of tupelo honey..

Super yummy! ( it is one of my favorite teas, try it if you haven't yet! )

Group shot! Everyone is ready for tea and cakes!

Some of my guests brought delicate tissue paper flowers as party gifts, and are hiding behind them because they are camera shy.



And lastly, here is the finished version of the digitally colored and textured drawing I made. I love dresses that look like confections! And her striped socks!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful time, the faeries and I will be spending the day drinking lovely (and tiny) cups of tea and making masks!

<3>

Party! Party!

Vanessa of A Fanciful Twist is hosting a party for her 200th (... 201st?) post. I've not joined in for festivities with other bloggers before I'm never really sure where to start. I think I get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of creative, interesting people who blog. I normally feel like an ugly step-sister going to the ball... but not this time. I'm excited! There have been all sorts of things in the works here in Katlandia, and a party is just the thing we need. A crazy costumed mad tea-party!
So much cleaning and decorating to do... and I need teeny tiny cups for all the little Katlandians to drink tea. Perhaps this should be a BYOM (Bring Your Own Mask) event... never mind that. I need to find where my glitter has gone. The mermaids and fairies that inhabit this place like to steal all my shiny/glittery/feathery things, maybe I can entice them with a sparkley mask instead.
Stripey socks, teensy tea cups, glitter masks, ribbons, fairies and mermaids, oh my!

no sleep...must scan

I was counting all the Works In Progress while I was scanning. I have quite a few... I hope there are a million other people out there just as bad as I am. I always five or ten different projects and get stuck on some, like some more than others, or have more inspiration for some. Then I am sitting back feeling accomplished because I've finished one, and there are nine others starting back at me. "Finish me! Finish me!" Which, of course, I do not... I start up another five or so more. ^_^

Speaking of finishing things, how do you know when you are done? I never know. I have this one poor little painting that has been at least four other paintings, but I keep painting over it. Maybe I can name it Indecisive. Ha! (I am really horrible with naming paintings, really horrible. Sometimes I just name them the first thing that comes into my head.)

I am really proud of my little printer/scanner. It prints so nicely, and fast, and Quiet. I can't wait to start making millions of paper craft things like some of those from Paper Forest I will end up covering our little desk with armies of paper birds and people, mwahaha!

Of course, this post wouldn't be complete with out some art lovlies: These two are The Rain Queen and Angel Hair (See what I mean about titles ?) The Rain Queen is all sorts of mixed media on bond paper. Markers/colored pencils/glitter gel pens/paint/collage papers/tissue paper/mica powders... and more probably. She is metallic and glittery in some parts. I really don't know when to stop ^_^ Angel Hair is simple, markers and colored pencil on Bristol. The no-iris thing bothers some people, but I like it the way it is. I also love the scribble technique ... Ursula Vernon of Metal and Magic had a tutorial for it on her deviant art page, and it is ever so much fun. If you are ever feeling to 'tight' with your pencils or paints or whatever, it is a fun fun fun way to scribble and create texture and shading. Scribble! Basically you create a colored ground with acrylics (I used markers) and then over the top of it you make little scribbly bits with colored pencils. So, uhm, check out her art. (Or her blog...) Because she is can paint and is hilarious, and...uhm... I said so.


Well then. The next three are pieces from last year, two are from when I was playing with monotype printing techniques, and the other is a painted sketch which has the same girl plus floaty hair thing that I've been doing for... well, since I started doing this art thing many moons ago. I believe I named them Pink Heart Star Girl and Painted Hearts. The names don't really matter to me. I just keep having this image in my brain and I paint it and draw it and doodle it, and it doesn't leave me. Hearts and stars and pink and girlies oh my! It seems I have stopped being able to speak intelligently about my work.