Revamped Christmas Masks

Sometimes I go to thrift stores, craft stores, or rummage through garbage to find items to paint on. These masks were a craft store clearance item (I think they cost $.45 each). They're my homage to Frieda Kahlo, an artist whom I really love, but can't seem to find many books on. She loved her pet monkeys so I made a monkey to go with her.

The idea sprang from a brainstorm. The masks were pre-cut and pre-drawn. The monkey was a snowman and Frieda was a reindeer (can you tell?). I traced the outlines and drew face after face until the idea for a portrait of Frieda Kahlo sprang out of my brain and onto paper. The monkey, of course, followed shortly after.

Adelaida: A Cuban Cinderella, now available

Adelaida: A Cuban Cinderella, is now available at the Barnes and Noble website. This a version of Cinderella with a twist, and was a lot of fun to work on!

Moonbeam Children's Book Awards results are in!

Moonbeam Children's Book Awards 2008 results are in! And Corazón de Piedra (Heart of Stone in Spanish) won a medal!

Spanish Language Book

Gold (2): Ensonacion y el Jardin de Suenos/Dreamygirl’s Field of Wishes, by Jorge Betancourt Polanco (Stephens Press) and El tirburón que me enseñó ingles/The shark that taught me English, by Michelle Markel; illustrated by Bo Young Kim (Lectura Books)

Silver: Piedrin y Goliat: El Verdadero Heroe/Stony and Goliath: The True Hero, by David P. Alcorta; illustrated by Jill M. Schmidt (Book Publishers Network)

Bronze: Corazón de Piedra, by Ana Monnar; illustrated by Nancy Michaud (Readers are Leaders)

What an honor to have taken part in the making of an award-winning book!

Flower Dunny

My boyfriend, Marcin is practically obsessed with Dunnys: vinyl toys made by Kidrobot and designed by hip artists. Lots of Dunny aficionados like to customize Dunnys by painting them. This is my third, and most successful attempt.

Art Show at The Investors Center

I recently had an opening for a solo show I had at The Investors Center in Avon CT.

I'm in the background talking to Jim Wagner, another artist who has had a show at The Investors Center.

Mural at Beechwood

Me standing in front of the finished mural

I just completed my first solo mural project at Beechwood Rehab & Nursing Center in New London, CT. The Therapeutic Recreation Director there, Michelle Behr saw the mural Allison Valentine and I did last year and decided to offer a project to us. I ended up taking up the project solo, and after about a month of emails and sketches, I came to Beechwood and started the installation.

A close-up shot

It took about a month of painting, but the final product is pretty nice. The room is small, and the mural spans the length of it. It makes you feel surrounded. The residents at Beechwood were very pleased (they would often visit me while I was working and root me on).

Michelle decorated the room to match the mural, and created a little sanctuary for the residents at Beechwood. She really did a great job bringing the whole project together, and I'm so glad that she decided to have me work on it.

Lebanon Library Show Pictures

Marcin is making me laugh, but I don't remember what was so funny....

Equinox and the Arts XIII went very well. The opening was very enjoyable, and the show is still up until the end of the month.

To view the show, come to the library during normal library hours. They are posted on the library's website.

Jonathan Trumbull Library
580 Exeter Road
Lebanon, Connecticut 06249
http://www.lebanonctlibrary.org/