A very merry un-birthday to all.

dear-hearts, i have some exciting new projects in the works. my schedule is a bit more open for the next few weeks, and i am using the time in the studio, making things that have been percolating in my brain for the last month. you should see some fun new offerings in my shop by week's end (oooh! that's tomorrow!) does it seem like i'm being mysterious and secretive? well, that is where the Very Merry Un-birthday comes into play. (Click this link if your memory of "Alice in Wonderland" is a bit shady.) life seems a bit serious right now, and i need a reason to celebrate the little things... the random things... the unexpectedly magical things. so happy un-birthday, dear readers!! (if it happens to be your *actual* birthday, then HAPPY BIRTHDAY). in honor of this special day for all of us, i suggest we undertake some celebratory behaviors:


1. eat cookies;
2. drink tea in bare feet on the back porch;
3. take a walk around the park and smile at every person you see!

also, i have a little present for you: it's a downloadable crown chakra {the bliss energy center} coloring sheet. i created this in sumi ink. if you click on the image and then save, you'll have a 8 by 10 version of your own: to print and color or just print and look at. (this *might* have something to do with the surprises i have up my sleeve for the shop, but that's all i'm saying!) if you do happen to color the chakra (or have a young-one in your house who colors it) send me an email-- kellyloveswhales {at} gmail {dot} com. we'll have a little online show later on!

all love, k

Progress. la la la.

Dears,
Here is the work I managed to squeeze in yesterday on these two pieces. I was filled with such joy to plan in the studio between conference calls. PURE joy. My plan is to finish up this series of paintings (click the links to see all of them) and then get moving on finding someplace to actually show this work locally.
If it gets any sweeter.

Solar.

I don't think I've posted about this last one. So, presenting......Flow.

Le Tigre.

Hello, dearies. I forgot to wish you a happy, lovely saint patrick's day earlier, so I'll do it right now.

happy st. pat's, dudes!

i was just thinking about child rearing and celebrating lots of world holidays, whether it is customary for my people to do so or not. i think we will when Mr. Loves Whales and i decide to settle down and raise a family. (my thoughts were inspired by a story i heard on npr yesterday on Nowruz, the Persian New Year, which begins on the vernal equinox. i like anything associated with the equinox.)


and by the by, here is the newly photographed progress on le tigre. clicking here will remind you of what he looked like last week.

The path of least resistance. Svadhisthana.

Dear-hearts,

I finally have something fun to share with you. If you have been reading for awhile, you might remember that I have been working on chakra art for the last nine months or so. And I have occasionally written about the chakras and subtle energy body. Although I have had sporadic bright spots in my work on the chakras (pieces I liked on their own), I struggled to find my voice or angle on presenting the spectrum of major chakras of which there are seven. So, I would ocassionally create a chakra piece that I liked, but I never felt like the idea could carry through to seven separate, yet unified pieces.

A few weeks ago, while working on my illustration friday assignment, I scribbled out the first trappings of what I really wanted to convey in taking on this subject (one that has been studied by so many before me). What I sought to achieve with this series was the movement associated with the chakras. Instead of memorializing them in a heavy and static nature (which I DO find quite enchanting), I wanted to capture the dynamic fluidity of our subtle body of energy. Ultimately, the piece will consist of all of the major chakras, which I have yet to finish. I wanted to share this bit with you as it happened, though.

I'll be back soon. I have a hilarious story from my class last night involving one of my favorite topics: typography.

Happy Friday!

I started this painting this summer, and have taken delight in moving forward inch by inch, petal by petal. The image itself is one of my favorites, and I am contemplating using it graphically in my holiday cards. Here is the first draft, if you will.