LOVE is enough.

i was too late to submit this illustration to illustration friday, but i thought i'd share it with you lovelies just the same. this week's prompt was enough. to that, i say "LOVE is enough."
this was a little experiment with block-printing + acrylic paint + digital play.

speaking of experiments, the vegan experiment has really been treating me right. it feels quite natural. the only thing i miss at all is milk chocolate, but i have been discovering the wonderful world of darker, milk-less chocolates. yum.

happy friday!

this calls for some pineapple juice!

darlings, before i sign off for the weekend (i'm taking a much-needed break from my 'puter), i simply must share with you the icing on the cake of awesomeness that is this week:

that's right: i'm in the inaugural issue of paper + wire. my little illustration, "the unicorn's portrait," gets a full page of her own. can you believe it?? you might remember this particular illustration from such appearances as illustration friday & right over this post on the blog's banner. it will probably make its way to my shop, as a print.

paper + wire is available electronically right now, and it will be available on cd in the near future in cities like portland and dallas. the print version should be available for purchase after may 15th at blurb. (i will certainly let you know, dears.)

with that, i wish you all a lovely weekend.

smoooch.

k

illustration friday: homage.

dears, it's been a few weeks since i've played the illustration friday game, but boy am i glad i did. this is my homage to an idea: a bud in the brain.
xo
kelly

illustration friday: heavy.

Dudes, there has been a lot of doom and gloom going around lately-- and for good reason, with the 5th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Mars in retrograde, the recession and what-not. The trouble is, our energy flows right to where are thoughts go. Negativity begets negativity, and positivity begets positivity. There is something about depressive thoughts and speech, though, that more easily take over one's consciousness. Perhaps this has something to do with gravity.

A few weeks back, I read this wonderful post about lightness on The Happiness Project (written by another J.D. doing more than the law with her degree). One of Gretchen's koans is

It is easy to be heavy. It is hard to be light. (G. K. Chesterton)

If only for today, let's find the strength to be light, to dwell in light, to become the light.

loves,

kel

illustration friday: leap.

This week's Illustration Friday topic is leap. My submission is a mix of acrylic paint on paper and photo-illustration.

leap, bound, jump, bounce, dive into paint, my friends.

Peace, kids!

Illustration Friday: Multiple.

Dudes, I seriously have not been taking this week off, even though posts have been on the light side. Oh no, to the contrary: I have been working my booty off on new pieces, the shoppe, the yoga and all that jazz. I played around with some ideas for Illustration Friday (topic for the week = multiple and you know how I love math). Here is my submission. Created with acrylic paints on mat-board, text added in photoshop.

xo

kc

illustration friday: theory

This week's theme for Illustration Friday is theory. The word theory brings up so much in me, but I finally settled on String Theory. I created this piece by first collaging with tiny scraps of colors I sliced from magazines like LUCKY & Yoga Journal (there's a juxta, right?). I then photographed this piece and altered it using Photoshop.

In a major nutshell, String Theory is a mathematical modality of theoretical physics that supposes the particles making up the universe are vibrating strings, rather than the point particals (that's standard partical physics). One of the coolest aspects of the vibrating string constituent of reality is that under it, a unified theory of quantum gravity (!!!!) is possible. Alright, I said major nutshell. If you want to know more, I suggest reading The Elegant Universe, or at least watching the NOVA special on The Elegant Universe.

A little background on why this is important to me:
Reading A Brief History of Time changed my life. I never had a very personal, spiritual or deep connection to science before I read Stephen Hawking's book, and had what I would call a moment when I first really connected to the concept of space-time. When I say "a moment," I mean when you start to think about things in a way that causes your whole universe to kind of teeter. If you know what I'm talking about, you know what I'm talking about-- regardless of the impetus behind the moment. Anyway, cosmological physics has a way of really making marrying the science and spirituality behind the mystery of our existence.

P.S. Want to see more submissions for this week's topic? Click here.

Illustration Friday: Choose.

It was fun for me to come back to watercolors for this week's Illustration Friday submission. My beloved copy of Meditations from the Mat, day 29 on perseverance inspired this piece.

In his musings on a spiritual practice grounded in right action, Rolf Gates talks about how each right action "infuses us with the energy and the ability to take the next right action. Thus, the initial decision to choose right action is the one that takes the most concentration and perseverence.

Namaste, my dears!

illustration friday (take one): blanket.

This week's illustration friday topic is "blanket." I have gobs of ideas on this topic, so I'll be putting a couple of these posts out this week before I choose which one to actually submit to the site.

Presenting..... Blanket.

Layered by a blanket of barnacles, lady whale dreams under a blanket of stars.

illustration friday: tales & legends.

Mr. Unicorn, the subject of many tales & legends, sits for his portrait. Pen & ink on layers of acrylic paint upon cardboard.

I like the idea of stately animal portraiture.

Have I mentioned how much I love illustration friday? Well, it's true!

illustration friday: plain.

I am still trying to get back into the swing of things since returning from our weekend away, and in the process, I missed my chance to submit my contribution to Illustration Friday. Nonetheless, I am sharing it with you, my dears. Last week's prompt was "plain." This is a pen & ink drawing on newsprint.

Illustration Friday: Stitch

Stitch. I imagine this little bird is helping Cinderella sew some wonderful dress for her fancy night out with prince charming.

Illustration Friday rocks.

illustration friday: SOAR!

Soar, little birds, SOAR!!


This is a true mixed media illustration: watercolor and acrylic components collaged together plus a dash of digital illustration tossed in for good measure.

Illustration Friday: why did I wait so long to start playing along?

Illustration Friday: Backwards

Dears,

I had such a lovely time putting together this week's illustration friday submission. The topic is "backwards." Since we get lots and lots of moisture this time of year (and right around the solstice, I begin to need a little reminder of why the rain is so wonderful), I thought it might be fun to turn the water cycle on backwards and let the flowers and foliage give back to the clouds for a chance! I made this by first painting all of the components with watercolors, then cutting them out and collaging them on a watercolored background.

I do hope you are enjoying your Monday!

Little things!

Darlings,

At long last, I mustered the courage to participate in the wonderful Illustration Friday. This week's prompt is "little things" and I imagined a council of little things (spiders, inch worms and the such) meeting by moonlight.