(Inside A Black Apple)

Suite of Springtime Prints!

The new work is now available in print-form in the shop!

I'm also very excited that we newly have the capacity to print large prints in-house (I feel so powerful!), so once I've done some troubleshooting and we're ready to go, I'll have some 11"x14" favorites available.
Huzzah!

Night Studio

My studio looked so still and cozy the other night...I had to take a photo. Most times, unless I'm painting and need lots of light, I'll just keep a lamp or two on in here. It's much more like a secret-closet-clubhouse that way.

Keen eyes might spot the flat, unstuffed egg fellas on the sewing table!

And Now for a Springtime Doll Parade!

In the shop on Thursday for the Springtime update...and there will be lots more photos with each individual listing.

Without further ado, here are the new dolls!
I'm very excited about this curious assemblage of fellas and gals.

Egg Fella with Striped Trousers     Approx. 5"x12"   Edition size: 3
Materials: Muslin, Cotton, Felt, Paint

Egg Fella with Dotted Trousers     Approx. 5"x12"    Edition size: 3
Materials: Muslin, Vintage Cotton, Felt, Paint

 

Boy Bunny and Carrot     Approx. 5"x13"    Edition size: 1
Materials: Muslin, Vintage carrot Pin-cushion, Cotton, Felt, Paint

Girl Bunny with Hat     Approx. 5"x13"    Edition size: 3
Materials: Muslin, Cotton, Felt, Paint



Springtime Girl Blue Calico     Approx. 5"x10"    Edition size: 3
Materials: Muslin, Vintage cotton, Felt, Paint



Springtime Girl Yellow Calico     Approx. 5"x10"    Edition size: 3
Materials: Muslin, Cotton, Felt, Paint

See you soon!

A Springtime Parade + Barrette Inspiration

So, there's this fantastic old barrette I own that I just love:

 

I just couldn't stop thinking about how perfect it is. I loved it so much, that I thought it might make a nice painting.
So, I made a basic sketch:

And then the sketch became a painting!

Springtime Parade    14"x11"x2"    Acrylic on canvas

 

I hope it is a fitting tribute to that perfect barrette.

It'll be a part of Thursday's shop update.
Next up: the dolls!

Portrait with Black Bunny

I wanted to share the companion piece to this painting. I couldn't wait any longer, especially because I was fretting over the perfect frames for the pair of them, and I found just the frames!

Portrait with Black Bunny     11"x14"x1" (15"x19"x2" framed)   
Acrylic on canvas

Here is the pair of ladies and rabbits, together and framed nicely:

I'm really excited about this update... there is one more 11"x14" painting to share, and then the dolls!
I also have some last-minute-ish book stuff I'm finishing up right now, so back to working, working, working away in the studio.

Happy Sunday!

Pie Picnic

The Pie Picnic    10.5" x 8.5" x 1"     Acrylic on Wood Plaque

Here is a depiction of little egg-fella's "date" that I mentioned in my last post. A picnic with tea and pie on a soft old quilt!
Not too shabby.

This painting will be part of next week's update!

Happy weekend to you!
I hope something as nice as a pie picnic is in store for all of us.

A Whistlin' Egg

Whistlin' Egg     8" x 8" x 2"    Acrylic on canvas

I like to think this little guy is whistling one of my favorite old-timey songs as he walks along. Maybe this one?  Or maybe it's just a happy tune because he just came from a fantastic date (more on that possibility very soon).

Here's a look at the gilded edging/how it actually appears hanging (though the image is a bit darker + richer than it appears in these photos, as you can see in the top image).

 

Back with more Spring-themed things soon!

Portrait With Jackalope

Portrait With Jackalope       11"x14"x1"     Acrylic on canvas

 

This little gal (and a companion piece) will be part of the shop update on Thursday, March 25th! I'm looking for just the right frames for both of them - I just keep imagining them in a certain kind of frame. I hope I can find what I'm imagining! 

I'm making individual chicken + vegetable pies (single-serving pies are so pleasing) and carrot cake tonight. I'm on a carrot cake kick! When I've nailed down exactly the right recipe, I will be sure to share it here.

I'll be back very soon with more new Spring-y work to share!

Update Announcement!

Spring Chickens

Two Headed Chick      Acrylic on canvas     8"x10"x2"

I've been working on some Spring-themed goodness...rabbits and chicks ahoy!

For this painting, I tried to imagine what a Natural History Museum diorama might look like for a little conjoined twin chicken. This little fella (or pair of fellas?) is one of the pieces that'll be part of a little update of paintings and dolls coming up soon. I should have the exact date/time/particulars up soon, so just keep an eye out!

The shop sale was a huge success! Thank you, lovely customers! We're up to our eyeballs in work to do, and I think our weekend is going to be booked solid with Black Apple official business.

Have a nice March weekend!

Visit the Springtime Print Sale in the shop!

Old Things Scheme

I've been picking up some good old things lately. Frames for my show in June, doodads, nicknacks, the usual. Below is a photo of the findings from an afternoon antiquing trip a few weeks back. And last weekend was the big Portland Old Stuff Fest, so now I have even more new-old doodads to find a place for!

Tell me I'm not the only person who tends to shop (thrift, antique, or otherwise) in "schemes"? Types of items, certain colors, etc. I seem to do this all the time. But maybe, if we take the example above, it's just a case of my liking the same things (in this case, red + white) over and over again.

I've made a vow (of sorts) to myself to try to only buy old or handmade things through the Summer, excepting necessities. It will be fun to see how it works out!

And I've made a vow this afternoon to do a big Spring cleaning of my studio, and hopefully make room for some of my new-old treasures (and also unearth my drawing table from towering piles of nonsense). Off to do that...now!

A Little Bag of Buttons and a Big, Lovely Print Edition

This sassy new mini-button set was just added to the shop, along with a beautiful, large limited edition print of Heart and Key on watercolor paper! I knew I had to offer that image in a larger size - it helps show off the details.

I've got a some good things up my sleeves for the next few weeks (a shop event, a restock of Fancy Wearables, and some bunny-themed dolls + originals!), so stop by again soon!

For now, Happy Friday to you!

Tonight we're off to see Ryan's new show, and the the long-awaited Mr. Burton's Alice (I've been carefully reserving judgment and avoiding reviews 'til I see it for myself). 

Tree-Spotting

Because we are nerds, and because he is awesome, Josiah recently gifted me this little map of the trees that grow in our favorite Portland park.

The other day, we went on our Laurelhurst expedition to learn about the types and names of the different trees (I was hoping we would look like official tree-spotters in those photos above).

   

Laurelhurst park has around 1,000 trees, and there are approximately 120 species represented. Among them are cedars, firs, birches, oaks, and these curious trees that look as if they're melting called "English Planetrees". As we walked by each little grove, we sussed out exactly which variety was which.

From the Portland Parks & Recreation website:
In 1912, Emanuel Mische, Portland's park superintendent from 1908-1914, designed the park based on his experience as the longtime horticultural expert for the Olmsted Brothers landscape architecture firm. Inspired by the Olmstedian 'natural' landscaping approach, his plan included several distinct sections - the concert grove, Firwood Lake, children's lawn, plateau and broad meadows, picnic grove, and Rhododendron Hill.

According to our excellent little map, 10% of the trees are original to the land, and 30% were planted by Mische. Some of them are so enormous, you can tell just by looking that they must be very, very old.

   

There is also a big pond with lots of birds and turtles, and there are always cute dogs running about. It is a good go-to place when working at home makes a person stir-crazy.

 

Unrelated to trees, I've been experimenting with purposefully bumping the exposure settings on my camera way up and way down from the "correct" settings for the light. The element of surprise is really fun! In full disclosure, I also tweaked these myself, so it's not all camera hi-jinks. 

   

That naturally-occurring big heart on the tree is so sweet! I had never noticed it before. Going around with our little map made me notice every little thing.

It was such a great afternoon field trip! I love field trips.