A Rose by any other name...

I took the reference photo of this rose at the side of Nelson Hall, at the First Church in Windsor a couple of years ago, while the Boy Scouts were unloading their camping gear. I try to bring my camera on all trips and this rose was calling to me. :)

My painting in the Guild of Boston Artists Show coming up Aug.6

The Guild of Boston Artists is at 162 Newbury Street in Boston, the very street where I first went to college (the now defunct Chamberlayne Junior College). I am so pleased to be in this show and once I finish framing the piece I've entered, I'll be heading up to Boston to drop it off. The opening reception is August 6th. For more info, check out - http://www.guildofbostonartists.org/

This piece is called "Red & Green #2" which is a companion piece to #1, the first still life I did in 2002. Last fall I was flipping through the photos I took for this series and pulled out the one for this. It's good to go back and take another look as things catch our eye differently. I love the dramatic lighting and drapery. This is done entirely in colored pencil on white Stonehenge paper. I use no black; instead, I create a warm black with layers of my darkest colors. It makes a big difference.

My shop on Cafepress is open for business!

I opened this shop a while back with a few fashion designs, but, have now expanded to include my fine art, with a separate section for my Christmas ornament drawings. I also changed the design of the shop, so it's a bit easier to navigate! So go shopping at:
http://www.cafepress.com/2LipsArtDesign

Real Simple Magazine July issue!

I was pleased to be commissioned by Real Simple magazine a couple of months ago to do a small illustration of a busy woman, running with a purse, tote bag, cell phone, keys, etc and I enjoyed it so much I did about 6-7 different concepts for it! They chose one and I was eager for the July issue to come out. You never know if an article or piece of artwork will get "killed" until the last minute. I ran to Target and found my illustration on page 204. It was a good feeling to see it in print!