Dance of the Dead

Today it is 72 degrees and raining..but I know a brisk and delightful autumn is right around the corner. Fall includes so many of my favorite things, I wanted to try and capture some of it a little earlier this year. I was partly inspired by these beautiful headbands made of flowers I saw on Etsy, and of course the celebration of Dia de los Muertos.

Becca Stadtlander

Here is a really lovely interview with artist Becca Stadtlander from illustrationmundo.

I love how her brushstrokes create such a great feeling of texture and movement. I've also always been very attracted to folk art and especially early American folk art. It is simple, yet exquisite and fragile at the same time. 

Summer is Over!

Summer is over...finally! I love the fall so much I've already completed a Halloween piece!

Here are two pieces I completed in the last couple of months.

Bicycle Girl, July 2011

Red Panda, August 2011

I love the red panda. They're an endangered species living quietly in remote areas of the Himalayas, China, and Nepal. Slightly bigger than my fluffiest house cat, they prefer sleeping on a sturdy branch with their legs dangling down. They are also quite fond of sticking their tongues out, or getting photographed with their mouths open--so cute I just had to capture it! 

Portrait with Horses, Cloth Book

This is a piece that I was commissioned to do in the fall of 2010. It was a gift given by my mom's co-worker to her daughter. That's her with her horses. (They are beautiful--wish they were mine!) It was a lot of fun to paint all that light.

I did a fun little side-project recently for work where I got to decorate a 4-page canvas book. It came with a lot of nice materials and it was a good challenge to figure out how I wanted to incorporate them. I definitely want to keep experimenting with making (and filling) my own books this year.

Yes, those are real leaves I used for fall. And yes, they did disintegrate after a few days :)

Happy New Year!

-Caitlin

Bear for Tea

Newest piece! Self-promotional. 

Barn Owl

Newest piece. Can't say it's particularly inspired by anything, other than the idea of revisiting the subject matter of kids with giant friends.

heARTS show

Here is a piece I just finished for the 2010 heARTS group show hosted by Jinxed/Toothless Cat (February 13th). It's based off of a nursery rhyme that talks about the stars being lambs and the moon being the shepherdess. I threw in the dog star for good measure.