Tuesday, May 6, 2014

As Spring Arrives...

Hello Lovelies~

I hope this Tuesday finds you all doing well out there! It's been a busy couple of weeks for me and I find as spring creeps into Maine with its longer days, budding trees, warm winds and sweet smells, it causes me to look at life in a new way every year. I find this time of rejuvenation energizing and my artistic pursuits (so sensitive to the weather and seasons) benefit from this new energy and a fresh outlook on life in general. I've been working on some exciting things and I would love to share them with you. Want to?


To start, as I continue to build the client work in my portfolio, I wanted to do a more editorial project that would visually document a local Maine business: their daily workings, the tools of the trade, the people who run things. I specialize in highly styled people-based shoots, so these day-in-the-life projects allow me to exercise a different aspect of my creativity as a photographer.

I decided to work with a business called Mid-Coast Shoe Repair on this project and what a wonderfully accommodating group of people they were! Plus, they loved the work and plan to use it on their website, so it's a win/win! Always a good thing, no? Some of the candid outtakes are below and the entire professional album may be found over at my portfolio HERE. I found the idea of young people apprenticing as cobblers in this day and age and then taking over a 20+ year old business instead of letting it close, absolutely fascinating. It's so nice to find people who value traditional trades and help keep them vibrantly alive, don't you think?








What else? Oh! The fine art prints for the Modern America Series are finally available for sale! You can find 8" x 10" prints here at Stapelia, or, if you would prefer additional sizes, here, at my Society 6 store. I just received the first order of these prints in and they look amazing. I am using metallic inks on these so they almost look three dimensional. Get yours, today!



I am also adding some great new things to STAG this coming week! It's been awhile, and I have some things piling up. So many neat items, including this nautical scarf that looks like the W (Whiskey) flag in the nautical alphabet that also has monogrammed initials on it. Really clean and really unique, this would look great stuffed into that blazer this summer. And the transistor radio below was fixed by a friend and now, we all think it's haunted. Apparently, it only plays Frank Sinatra and other old music despite there not really being an old music station in the area... Odd. But cool.




And finally, I believe I mentioned a couple of posts back that I am doing the illustration work for Portland Maine's Old Port Festival Weekend this year. Well, that illustration is finally done! The work should be posted online etc. very shortly. Until then, here are some sketches and the final thing (taken from my computer screen... yikes) below! I'm so flattered they asked me to do this project.




So much work being done, but that doesn't mean I haven't taken time to relax. How do I relax, you ask? Oh, by going up to my good friends' house in the country and helping them take down their old greenhouse and put up a new one! This may not sound very relaxing, but for me, working in the sun with power tools and laughing a lot is one of my favorite things to do. I mean, sure, none of us really know how to build a greenhouse, but we'll get there... I'm sure we will. Haha.


Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Monday, April 14, 2014

Bright Spring Days...

Hello Lovelies!

It has been awhile since my last post. Life has been very busy, almost too busy to take time to share it with you lovely readers out there. So let's play a bit of catch-up, shall we?

Let's start with some business news. I have released the entire first part of my Modern America Series! It took almost a year to shoot and complete the first 7 shots in this series. I am very happy with how the series is going so far. I'm planning to do 5 more to finish this work off. I am actually opening these last shots up to my followers for suggestions. I will be asking for ideas over on my Facebook page in the coming weeks, so follow along for that. A few of my favorite pieces in the series are below, and you may view all 7 over at my Behance site. This is some of my best work to date as an artistic photographer: I'm very proud of it. A big thank you to all of my models, assistants and hair and makeup people for helping me realize my vision. I hope you like it!







I have also been listing and selling things like crazy over at STAG as usual. A ton of great items in the shop and more to come very soon, including the amazing buffalo plaid vest, women's Russian jacket with gold buttons and an amazing vintage Windmill brand stadium style overcoat for the ladies, all shown below! Stop by frequently, new things are listed almost weekly...




And the final bit of business news is in the area of illustration. I was recently hired to do the design work for the Old Port Festival Weekend here in Portland, Maine. It's the biggest music/vendor/arts festival in the state of Maine and this year they're extending it to an entire weekend, so I was delighted to be asked to do it! I'll pass along more official site/poster information as I get it, but here are some of the sketches and then the final work. I am happy with how it came out...





I mention life has been busy, and boy, it sure has. A lot of great things are happening and the weather is getting warmer and spring is here in Maine! Here are just a few of the beautiful things I've seen, done and enjoyed since my last post...












And finally, today is my birthday! As with most people, birthdays are a fun time of reflection for me. I like to take the opportunity at least once a year to stop for a moment and really appreciate all of the wonderful things that have happened over the last year. I have so much to be grateful for: amazing friends, a studio, the ability and opportunity to make art and get paid to do it on occasion, a life right near the ocean that is so beautiful in a community of kind, caring people. I co-celebrated my birthday yesterday with my dear friend Timothy and I realized I'm a very, very lucky girl. I hope the next year is as good as the last...




Until next time: unpleasant dreams...

Monday, March 17, 2014

Top O' the Mornin' To Ya!

Hello Lovelies~

I hope this St. Patrick's Day finds you all doing well out there. Things here in Maine are fantastic and despite some cold days, the snow is melting and you can hear the birds and smell that earthy early spring smell. Perfect St. Patrick's Day weather!

I have a ton of things to share, so let's hop right in, yes? To start, some new items are going into Stag this week in the clothing arena, including: a great Irish hand-painted tie (shown below), some short-sleeved summer shirts, long-sleeved plaids in cotton for spring wear, and the amazing nautical tie and red vest shown below! Stop on by and check in, because some of these items will go quite fast!



What else? Oh! I have been doing head shots quite a lot lately for a wide range of clients including authors, professionals and even actors! My most recent head shot shoot was for Dick "Ike" Hamill, a horror author up here in Maine who wanted some shots that ran the gamut from sexy to creepy. I love how these came out and so does he! Take a look... what a great face, no?





I love surprises, don't you? Well, this past weekend, I helped plan a little surprise dinner for one of my very dear friends. We decided to go with a theme, and since St. Patrick's Day was right around the corner and she's Irish, it made sense that the theme we chose was: St. Patty's Day. We got a bunch of things from the dollar store to decorate and made a pot pie from scratch and then I baked some St. Patrick's Day cupcakes, complete with some gold coin action and a whole ton of rainbows! She was quite surprised and very happy, so we're winning! So fun. Take a look.






And that about wraps it up for this week. I'll send you off with this really cute screen shot of Darby O'Gill and the leprechaun king from the 1960's Disney classic: Darby O'Gill and the Little People. It's adorable and stars a very young (and very handsome) Sean Connery. Check it out this St. Patty's Day.



Until next time: unpleasant dreams...