Mel Spillman's Artwork

♥Christmas memories

2011-12-28T21:14:00.000-06:00

Christmas was great this year. We chose to keep it simple financially and it was very nice :)
The best part of Christmas was after going to Bobby's Mom's house we came home and celebrated Christmas as a couple, alone- with no children and no family drama. It was just Bobby, me and our fat cat Nipsy.

I am blessed to have such a great husband and a quiet, peaceful home. Thank you Bobby!
Here are some Christmas photos from our house.

a glass of prosecco with a raspberry garnish and an envelope from art center for bobby!

my hello kitty Christmas lights!

nipsy under the tree with my new hello kitty 3D puzzle ball.

stuff under the tree :)

♥k.i.s.s.♥
(keep it simple, silly)

joy to the world

2011-12-22T17:52:00.000-06:00

"heaven and nature sing"
mississippi mud, gouache, acrylic shimmery ink and charcoal on wood

new artwork at Bari

2011-11-29T17:23:00.000-06:00

This is my new artwork at my favorite restaurant, Bari Ristorante e Enoteca, in midtown Memphis.

rimmel nail polish

2011-11-07T17:09:00.000-06:00

Rimmel London nail polish is the best. It is better than O.P.I. and half the price.
The greatest part about is that the paintbrush is a thick flat synthetic bristle, it coats your nail in one stroke.
It is my new favorite obsession.

birds and corsets

2011-10-08T12:25:00.000-05:00

i garden, therefore i am

2011-10-01T18:58:00.000-05:00

shots from our garden, my favorite place

my hand, throwing a peace sign

garden gnome under elephant ears

parsley, green bell peppers, cucumber and 'maters

pumpkin blossom

heirloom hydrangeas

divine intervention

2011-09-21T18:55:00.000-05:00

i can't keep thinking of these amazing drawings by Robert Longo. they are amazing and still fascinating to me after all of these years. black and white is so delicious, so timeless.

all are from Robert Longo's "Men In The Cities" series from 1981-87
charcoal on paper

enjoy

i don't care anymore

2011-09-10T18:34:00.000-05:00

sumi ink and charcoal pencil on paper

46" x 57"

Maman

2011-08-27T19:50:00.000-05:00

I have been thinking of this sculpture lately, perhaps because I have been painting dark silhouettes?
Or maybe it is because I like spiders? I never knew what Louise Bourgeois was thinking about when she made this sculpture until I read this text taken from wikipedia, don't hate on wikipedia, it is usually reliable. I do not share Ms. Bourgeios love for her mother. I actually do not really like my mother, if you can call her that. But this is not a post about that, it is simply a post about a wicked badass sculpture that I love dearly. Enjoy.

Maman (1999) is a sculpture by the artist Louise Bourgeois. The sculpture, which resembles a spider, is over 30ft high and over 33ft wide, with a sac containing 26 marble eggs. The title is the familiar French word for Mother.

The Spider is an ode to my mother. She was my best friend. Like a spider, my mother was a weaver. My family was in the business of tapestry restoration, and my mother was in charge of the workshop. Like spiders, my mother was very clever. Spiders are friendly presences that eat mosquitoes. We know that mosquitoes spread diseases and are therefore unwanted. So, spiders are helpful and protective, just like my mother.
— Louise Bourgeois

look away

2011-08-07T12:33:00.000-05:00

painted sumi, walnut and india ink silhouettes on xerox copies of vintage hand-written letters.

30" X 40", on canvas.

simplicity

2011-07-31T16:28:00.000-05:00

collage made from vintage Simplicity pattern, grosgrain ribbon, irridescent ink and crayon

decadence

2011-07-23T13:54:00.001-05:00

"decadence" (full view, plus two detail shots)
sumi ink on paper
51" x 42"

Recipe contests

2011-07-10T19:44:00.001-05:00

As an artist I have entered many art competitions and contests over the years. My new passion is to broaden my creativity into different venues. I just entered the Betty Crocker Baker's Challenge for gluten free recipes and the Better Homes and Garden's Creative Twists on Hummus contest.

My first contest to enter won me a recipe published in Dr. Gott's No Flour No Sugar Cookbook. The recipe is for Three-Cheese Crabmeat Stuffed Mushrooms, oh yeah. There is more what that came from. Bring it on recipe contests.

hand written letters and painted silhouettes

2011-06-28T19:19:00.000-05:00

my new painting is titled "courtship" and it features painted sumi and walnut ink silhouettes layered on top of photocopied enlargements of vintage hand-written letters (written by Alison Duffy's Grandfather to her Grandmother in the 1940's).

30 " x 40" on canvas.

Happy Father's Day to our Father who art in Heaven

2011-06-19T10:10:00.000-05:00

painted sign on Lamar

the great outdoors, the beach

2011-06-13T20:07:00.002-05:00

Bobby and I took a sweet road trip to Seaside, Florida. The first photo is of me outside a truck stop in Alabama (Jason's favorite state...NOT!).

This next one is of my zebra beach towel, very sexy...I know, and what is that book I am reading? It's by Duane Chapman (Dog the Bounty Hunter) and it is called "Where Mercy is Shown, Mercy is Given" and it is AWESOME.

This last one is of my favorite landscape in Seaside. It's right between Grayton Beach and Seaside Beach and it is stunning. Cheers to summer 2011 and being a teacher with a paid summer vacation! It is the only way to roll.

Happy Birthday Richard Scarry!

2011-06-05T10:45:00.000-05:00

Happy 92nd Birthday to the creator of Busytown and Lowly Worm (my favorite)!

hit the road jack

2011-06-04T19:58:00.000-05:00

i am feeling the urge to leave town, to drive with the radio blasting and the windows down.
i drove to west memphis to fill the need and it satisfied with mucho sweet signage.

Happy Memorial Day

2011-05-30T20:41:00.000-05:00

Blessed are the artists of America, free to express ourselves without fear of punishment by "the man".
May your holiday be AWESOME!

Jasper Johns
Flag, 1954-55
Encaustic, oil, and collage on fabric mounted on plywood
42 x 61 in

bette davis eyes

2011-05-22T21:18:00.000-05:00

wrapping it up

2011-05-18T19:00:00.000-05:00

this marks my 4th year as the art teacher at the same middle school. this year my 8th grade students will graduate and move on to high school. i have taught this group of students since they were in 5th grade and am proud of their accomplishments not only in their artwork but in the development of their personalities. i will miss these kids and will never forget them, they are the reason i do this often depressing job, that and a steady paycheck and insurance (duh, that is why all artists have jobs...so we can afford to make and show our artwork).

here are some pictures of 8th grade toe socks, a plate of junk food from our end of year art party and the cover of Dr. Seuss' Oh, The Places You'll Go a classic story for graduates. tomorrow at school we will open the time capsule we created at the beginning of the year. the students have completely forgotten about it, hell they forget what they posted on facebook yesterday. i can't wait to see what they put inside the capsule!

stuck in my head

2011-05-13T22:18:00.001-05:00

this song has been stuck in my head ever since i saw the infomercial advertising the gospel cd.

i play it for my 7th graders at the end of the day sometimes while we are cleaning the art room.
we all laugh our butts off and sing into our paintbrushes like microphones.
good times.

clean up, what i messed up

Rest In Peace my Dear Granny

2011-05-05T14:17:00.000-05:00

My sweet Granny, Dorothy Louise Dupree Hollomon just passed away today.
She was the nicest person I have ever met and was more like my Mom than my Grandmother.
I will miss her dearly and am relieved that she will never suffer again.

Here is a photo of Granny and Ju-Ju with me when I was 1 year old.
Isn't she beautiful?

grits and gravy

2011-04-25T19:52:00.000-05:00

web

2011-04-24T17:34:00.000-05:00

I have been messing with the design of my website
and Bobby and I are painting the outside of our house the best shade of yellow called "Cornbread" by Martha Stewart paint.

The house looks funny because this is a big job and we are determined to do it ourselves.
In the meantime we have to endure a striped house until we are finished.
Ha ha, can you tell I am really short (because only the bottom 5 feet of the house is painted)?
Poor Bobby gets to stand on the ladder.

The rose is from our garden :)

somewhere over the rainbow

2011-04-14T20:10:00.000-05:00

somewhere over the rainbow
bluebirds fly.
birds fly over the rainbow.
why then, oh why can't I?

my great grandmother

2011-03-14T10:27:00.000-05:00

my granny just moved to an assisted living home. while moving her furniture i spotted this victorian photograph of my great grandmother.

i can see the resemblance between her face and mine and i plan to put her image into my new series of paintings"vintage war letters".

new website

2011-03-05T16:31:00.002-06:00

I am working on my new website :)
check it out!

http://melaniespillman.com/home.html

work

2011-03-01T19:16:00.000-06:00

work away today. think about tomorrow.
never comes the day, for my love and me.

friday, hurry. i miss my man.

for my Bobby Love

2011-02-12T21:41:00.000-06:00

fragile

2011-02-12T11:52:00.000-06:00

my canvases just arrived from French Canvas in New Jersey.
fragile...must be from Italy!

2011-02-04T16:20:00.000-06:00

glamorous life

2011-02-02T18:35:00.002-06:00

"she wears a long fur coat of mink,

even in the summertime"

(lyrics from glamorous life by shelia e.)

this is a graphite drawing of artist john currin's wife, rachel feinstein

27 " x 52"

Memphis vintage world war II letters

2011-01-21T13:52:00.002-06:00

Here is a sneek peek at new work in progress. My project is being funded by Rhodes College C.O.D.A. program and the artwork I am working on is based on the lost art of letter writing.

The idea came from my old friend Alison Duffy who showed me her entire collection of vintage war letters that her grandfather wrote to her grandmother. The letters date from the late 1930's to the late 1940's and immediately struck me when I saw and read them.

I plan to make collage-type paintings using enlargements of the actual letters and envelopes. Here are some of the images.

flower girl

2010-12-28T19:36:00.003-06:00

A sweet flower painting I made for Bryce, my niece for Christmas.

"For Bryce"

tea-stained paper with ink, gouache, watercolor and superfine glitter

for JoJo

2010-12-05T17:10:00.002-06:00

My new painting

"Behind Blue Eyes"

8" x 8"

gesso & iridescent blue ink on wood panel

Alison Duffy commissioned it to give to JoJo Antell,

shhhh don't tell JoJo~ it's a Christmas gift.

cig gal

2010-11-27T18:12:00.002-06:00

i started this yesterday and finished tonight and i love it!

i have some extra studio time thanks to some time off from teaching for Thanksgiving break.

bobby gave me the walnut ink, it's my first time to paint with it.

i will be getting some more.

"cig gal"

walnut ink on paper

31" X 27"

Hollywood's Thinnest Stars Insist...

2010-11-21T17:09:00.002-06:00

proposals, Fruit Stripes and Flower Power

2010-11-04T18:57:00.002-05:00

These are images for my 2 proposals for Tigers Around Town, an event that will feature 100 large public art tiger sculptures to commemorate the Centennial Celebration of the University of Memphis, where I earned my Masters Degree in Painting/ Fine Art.

I am excited about this because I rarely do 3D work and I have never done anything on this scale (the tigers are HUGE!).

Wish me luck! I hope the Fruit Stripes wins, it's my fav.

3 Angels Diner

2010-10-18T17:59:00.004-05:00

My show from Material has moved down the street to 3 Angels Diner :)

Here are 2 shots including the blue walls of the diner.

images from my show at material

2010-10-11T14:17:00.002-05:00

my show was awesome! it was the same night as the Broad Avenue Art Walk and there were probably 2,000 people up and down Broad Avenue.

after my show we ate at 3 Angels Diner. it was a great night indeed.

finishing touches on my show

2010-09-30T16:59:00.002-05:00

me in black and white

2010-09-05T09:35:00.002-05:00

i love black and white photos, drawings, paintings. jason took this photo of me outside Bari Ristorante e Enoteca

my show is coming soon at material gallery, all of the work is black and white.

Carnival ladies

2010-08-19T08:55:00.003-05:00

I took these photos at the Delta Fair. I have always loved sideshows & circus "freak" shows, hence my love for the photographs of the great Diane Arbus.

I did some research and found that these banners were painted by Takeshi Yamada.

another sneak

2010-08-16T20:30:00.002-05:00

a sneak peek at a small portion of one of my new sumi ink paintings for my show at material in october.

detail shot of "with your feet in the air and your head on the ground",

sumi ink on paper.

studio time

2010-08-08T15:58:00.001-05:00

a sneak peek at one of my new paintings for my show at material, opening on october 8.

sumi ink on paper, 23" X 29".

titled "this time will be the last time".

chair

2010-07-29T14:40:00.004-05:00

the image in this painting is adapted from british pop artist Allen Jones' sculpture also titled "chair". i used gouache and graphite on wrinkled paper mounted to a pink wood panel, 8 " X 8".

here are some of Jones' sculptures from 1969, chair and table. i can relate to these for sure.

Art for Earth's Sake

2010-07-27T13:09:00.003-05:00

This is my painting for Emily Walls' show, Art for Earth's Sake- an auction to raise funds for folks impacted by the gulf oil spill. The event is this Friday, July 30 at 6:00, Marshall Arts, near Sun Studios in downtown Memphis.

The painting is watercolor and sumi ink on wood, 8" X 8 " and is titled "This is planet earth".

dear daddy

2010-07-25T20:39:00.003-05:00

this summer i cleaned my studio for the 1st time in 3 years,

i found a lot of work that i have not seen in a while.

this is from 1993 when i was at UT Knoxville studying painting.

it is a dye transfer on silk that i made in dick deihnert's fabric class.

i hated that class, this was the only piece that i kept from all of the crap we sewed and made.

i also made a quilt of kurt cobain as a patron saint with a bloody head, funny he blew his brains out a year later. too bad i threw that one away.

being a girl means being cute

2010-07-13T18:39:00.003-05:00

these gals are professional at being cute,

move over sally mann- my photos of kids are good too sister!

(that comment was a compliment, i have always loved sally mann's photos)

studio cat

2010-07-13T17:08:00.002-05:00

i have a show coming soon, october 8 @ material- so i don't want to show

the new work on my blog yet

here is my sidekick kitty "nipsy russell" observing me in my studio

he likes to watch

one more thing

2010-07-01T15:32:00.003-05:00

"one more thing to put in line,

one more thing to waste my time,

one more thing that i can't take,

one more thing and i'm gonna break"

L7- One More Thing, from Bricks are Heavy

i love these

2010-06-21T13:16:00.003-05:00

page 155

Harper's Bazaar

April 1954

page 156

(photo by Richard Avedon)

its a wild wild west

2010-06-14T11:21:00.004-05:00

"I'm in the front line of this battle of mine, but I'm still alive"

from "Soldier of Love" by Sade. This song is wicked bad ass.

Some vintage magazine ads to accompany the lyrics.

more layers

2010-05-29T10:36:00.003-05:00

this one is titled " a swift and painful prick".

it features paris hilton, adriana lima, gisele bundchen and a woman from a random porn site.

another oldie

2010-05-24T21:33:00.003-05:00

another old painting from around 2004, close to the date when martha stewart was indicted.

it is titled "mommy will you read to me?" and has a lot of layered images.

i have always loved this painting.

it is huge, about 5.5 feet tall by 7 feet wide,

mixed media on rag paper.

scream for your submission

2010-05-20T19:13:00.004-05:00

this is a painting from 2005 .

it is probably my favorite of all of my work.

i have not seen it in a long time (it's in storage)

and i ran across the jpeg today while looking for

some images to show my students.

b, g & d

2010-05-16T17:06:00.002-05:00

photography is so easy, easier than drawing or painting in my opinion.

a cool photo of bobby, gadsby and dwayne.

classic

2010-04-29T19:36:00.004-05:00

A photo taken by Becky Severs of chef Jason Severs and me in Bari with my paintings.

We were acting like we were taking "high school dance" photos.

Yes, I know we are dorks.

Artwork at Bari Ristorante e Enoteca

2010-04-28T15:40:00.004-05:00

Here are some photos of my new paintings at Bari.

Lots of color for me!

I prefer minimal pigment, but I guess spring colors had an influence.

Enjoy~

"Tulips"

Ink, colored pencil, watercolor on wood panel

24" x 24"

"Italian Damask Rose"

Ink, colored pencil, watercolor on wood panel

24" x 24"

"Hibiscus"

Ink, colored pencil, watercolor on wood panel

24" x 24"

"Dandelion and Trumpet Flower"

Ink, colored pencil, watercolor on wood panel

24" x 24"

New paintings to be shown at Bari

2010-04-13T18:37:00.004-05:00

I am excited to announce that I will be showing 4 new paintings

at my dear friends Becky and Jason Severs' restaurant.

More information is available here... Bari Ristorante and Enoteca.

There will be a reception on Monday April 26 from 5:00-6:45 pm.

Come by and see some new art!

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T10:03:00.002-05:00

for Easter Sunday I have dyed some eggs with PAAS dye (so fun).

Here is a studio shot of a new painting of a yellow daylilly.

new ink painting

2010-03-31T12:39:00.004-05:00

this painting is titled "whiter shade of pale".

it is sumi ink on paper.

the left side is lightly stained with green tea.

i was not sure if it is finished for a few weeks, but i decided today that it is. i like the 'unfinished' quality, it leaves a little mystery.

my painting professor passed away

2010-03-23T17:45:00.004-05:00

Michael Brakke was my painting Professor at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville in the early 1990's. I took his Intro. to Painting class at a time in my life when I left my dysfunctional family to find a happier way to live. I left my family and their foolishness behind in Memphis, TN while I went on to become an artist, a woman and myself in Knoxville. I met people who transformed my future and made me the strong artist and leader I am today. Michael Brakke was one of the people who molded me, he was actually the first adult to guide me in an artistic and powerful way. Mr. Brakke and I had a lot in common, we both suffered immense family abuse and the pain that follows a dangerously dysfunctional family. We shared a kindred spirit through the power of our ability to express ourselves through our painting. I will miss him dearly and his mark on this earth will leave a bittersweet stain like a giant bruise on the brightest, biggest, juiciest, reddest apple. His knowledge and wit and sheer size (the man was vary, very tall) were impressive and his artwork followed suit. R.I.P., you will always be my art hero.

Michael Brakke received his M.F.A. from Yale University. His work has been exhibited at numerous galleries and museums including The Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; The High Museum, Atlanta; and The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York. His work has been the subject of reviews and articles by Jack Burnham, Judith Russi Kirshner, Peter Frank, and James H. Beck, in publications including Art Forum, The New Art Examiner, Arts Magazine, Art News, and Art in America. He has received several grants including a National Endowment for the Arts Grant. His current work uses materials ranging from cast polyester resin to computer modified or generated images output as Iris prints which have been included in group shows at the Bill Maynes Gallery, New York, and have been the subject of a solo exhibition at the Santa Fe College of Art.

(This image of his work is from the University of Tennessee Art Department faculty website)

"Intercessory. Law of the shadows."

Miscast polyester resin, Lego blocks and trees 15" x 15" x 20" -. 6" x 5" 1992-98

follow my cake crumb trail

2010-03-18T13:44:00.004-05:00

another "peek a boo" painting.

the legs and panties part is on 'see through' vellum paper which overlays the

text painting which is on heavy watercolor paper.

fun with graphite

2010-03-11T16:46:00.002-06:00

graphite drawing titled

"our reasons are the same"

adapted from the song "The Actor" by the Fantasy Moody Blues

(ok, I added Fantasy)

"Our reasons are the same

But there's no-one we can blame

For there's nowhere we need go

And the only truth we know

Comes so easily"

little girl with duckling

2010-03-07T14:34:00.001-06:00

for easter, a small painting in ink and gouache of a little girl holding a cute baby duckling

peek a boo

2010-03-07T14:30:00.007-06:00

this painting has a "peek a boo" factor.

the little girl is painted with ink on vellum. underneath the vellum is a piece of watercolor paper that says "and now i know you don't care"

(you can actually see through the vellum piece to the text piece underneath)

new floral painting

2010-01-30T15:31:00.002-06:00

This new painting is sumi ink and varnish on gessoed wood panel.

It is small, 8 inches square.

I normally paint with sumi ink on paper but I decided to try the wood panel.

The ink absorbs differently, but I enjoy the process and the results.

The title is "Sun-up".

I finished

2010-01-01T21:44:00.004-06:00

I finished my new painting. It is sumi ink on paper.

The part I added at the end was the little girl with the gun

in the lower left corner.

new painting

2009-12-18T18:29:00.003-06:00

It has been a long time since my last post. This is what I have been working on.

It is sumi ink on paper and it is not completely finished, but it is close.

The title is "With Your Teeth in Your Mouth".

I added a photo with me (and my messy closet) so you can get a sense of the scale.

Merry Christmas!

lash out

2009-11-23T15:45:00.002-06:00

nipples

2009-11-08T17:50:00.002-06:00

graphite on vellum

jackie o

2009-11-08T17:45:00.002-06:00

graphite on vellum

duh

2009-11-01T16:06:00.002-06:00

colored pencil and graphite on vellum

pretty

2009-10-25T16:30:00.003-05:00

graphite on vellum

blackout

2009-10-22T17:57:00.000-05:00

graphite on vellum

at macy's today

2009-10-04T16:46:00.003-05:00

i was shopping at macy's today and saw this in the cosmetics department.

it is an ad for mac cosmetics featuring the artwork of richard phillips. i was lucky enough to have him as a visiting artist when i was getting my bfa at u.t. knoxville in the early 1990's. his work has hugely influenced mine for nearly 15 years.

adios summer

2009-10-04T16:32:00.002-05:00

i am proud to say that summer is officially over.

memphis summers are really hot and humid...actually they are wet, sticky and gross.

here is a new painting to say goodbye to summer 2009.

studio shot

2009-08-22T15:18:00.002-05:00

i took this photo for my 6th grade students using my camera's timer.

they did not believe that some of my work is bigger than me.

the painting on the left is one i have been working on for way too long.

it just won't seem to let me finish.

look at the goofy expression on my face! ha ha

adriana lima

2009-08-04T13:06:00.002-05:00

a drawing of adriana lima

i love how my feet are in the picture!!!

supernova

2009-07-26T03:08:00.001-05:00

mik and stevie

2009-07-22T19:38:00.004-05:00

from "gold dust woman"

"did she make you cry,

make you break down,

shatter your illusions of love?

is it over now,

do you know how,

to pick up the pieces and go home?

slip sliding away

2009-07-21T21:07:00.003-05:00

that's the title of this painting, based on the song by paul simon.

the detail shots help to see that the painting is very hazy and atmospheric, and yes that is intentional.

paris hilton

2009-07-14T10:09:00.004-05:00

paris is not my favorite celebrity and i do not want to be her b.f.f.

i just wanted to paint her shoes, which led to painting the rest of her.

watercolor, graphite and shimmery ink on paper (her lips and ring have a little sparkle to them if you zoom in)

for Deana and her awesome blog "Dooder City"

2009-07-09T14:30:00.005-05:00

Today is Courtney Love's Birthday.

This is a sumi ink and gesso painting I did of her holding Frances Bean when she was a baby.

This is from her song "Plump"

"Shakes his damn rattle,

spittle on his bib

and I don't do the dishes,

I throw them in the crib.

I'm eating you,

I'm overfed.

Your milk's in my mouth,

it makes me sick"

Lay your head upon my pillow

2009-07-09T14:05:00.004-05:00

Claudia Schiffer painting with sumi ink

"Lay your head,

Upon my pillow

Hold your warm and tender body

Close to mine

Hear the whisper of the raindrops

Blowing soft, against the window

And make believe you love me,

One more time,

For the good times"

from the song "For the Good Times", Ray Price's version

tabloid

2009-07-07T19:59:00.005-05:00

drawing of m.k. olsen from Star magazine (July, 2008 issue).

click on the picture and you can see the details.

an old drawing

2009-07-01T19:52:00.007-05:00

this is an old drawing from when I was in grad school

(MFA, 2003- The University of Memphis: Painting Department).

it is charcoal and gouache on paper and is big (it is as tall as me). the title is “my very worst behavior”

i am not sure why the text in this post is underlined

christian louboutin shoe

2009-06-25T21:28:00.003-05:00

for elizabet, a painting of the shoe she will wear at her wedding this saturday!

no bye, no aloha

2009-06-22T18:37:00.006-05:00

new drawing with graphite and ink wash on tea stained paper.

revlon, the cosmetic that changed the whole idea of makeup

2009-06-15T13:04:00.002-05:00

collage with vintage revlon magazine and and a drawing of a sexy woman

have a coke and a smile

2009-06-10T17:49:00.003-05:00

This is a graphite drawing on vellum. The image was appropriated from a vintage Coke ad.

I love how happy these gals look under those industrial helmet hairdryers. I remember those things very well...they were not fun, but they looked really freaking cool.

i love graphite

2009-06-09T12:57:00.003-05:00

Kate Moss drawing on vellum.

vintage McCall's

2009-06-05T18:06:00.002-05:00

This is a collage I made using a vintage McCall's dress pattern and a 1960's magazine clipping. The background is green and yellow swirly watercolor.

background pattern

2009-06-03T07:00:00.004-05:00

I added a pattern behind this painting of Dita von Teese (I posted the drawing earlier in May). The pattern was created with black tea that I brewed in a mason jar using solar power.

fashion inspired collage

2009-05-28T08:00:00.002-05:00

creepy doll photos

2009-05-10T18:13:00.005-05:00

For those of you who do not know me very well, I take a lot of photos.

Most of my artwork is painting and drawing based, as well as my education

(I have a BFA and a MFA in painting), but I still take a lot of photos.

I learned about photography under the Master, Professor Baldwin Lee.

Diane Arbus and Robert Maplethorpe were all I needed to learn about to become obsessed with taking photos of strange people and things.

Here are some photos I took today at Bookstar from 'Haute Doll' magazine, so freaking strange. Thank you Baldwin, for all that you taught me about my strange self and my camera.

lingerie and fishnets

2009-05-03T18:06:00.002-05:00

two new ink washes,

sorry the pictures are not the best quality

kooky collage

2009-04-28T19:02:00.003-05:00

I made this collage out of some old sewing patterns that Mattie Edwards's gave me after I cleaned out her and Larry's attic. Click on the picture to enlarge so you can read the tiny text.