LisaHurwitzArt

finally!

really. that was my longest hiatus yet from blogging. i think i have been using instagram and tweeting as my source for social media as of late. but there is nothing like a nice blog entry to spill some pictures and catch up on what i have been up to these days.

guess i'll start with my latest works. got back into oils and stretched ye olde linen on wood...felt sooooo good!

my girls with masks. this image formed right in my head as i was doing Bikram Yoga. in fact, my next piece came to me, the same way. guess lately i need to immerse myself in 105 degrees for inspiration!

i seriously had fun doing this. gotta do more masked figures for sure.

These guys were definitely inspired by my boys.  Wolf boys.  need i say more?  (for those who know i have 3 boys...it didn't look right with 3. perhaps next time.)

CLOVER MARKET! that's my next big thing.  If anyone is near the Philadelphia area and haven't yet been to Clover Market. you must.  it's an outdoor vintage/art faire.  Vendors sell mostly vintage furniture and goods or vintage-esque arts...like myself.  it was truly incredible.  the crowds were ridiculous (in a good way), food was sooo yummy, and the marketing done (thanks to Janet the founder) drove people there by the hundreds. YOU MUST COME IF YOU ARE LOCAL!!

the next show is May 19th. And i'm on the waiting list for June...fingers crossed.

Here's some booth shots:

i have to end this entry with my two oldest boys. this is Henry who is 6. he literally draws everyday, pages and pages. my oldest as well, Nate. Henry though is pure stream of consciousness.  he sits and it pours out. here's a few of his latest sketches.

 

lately he's been cutting them out and making them into action figures. yes. i am just a little proud.

have to throw one of Nate in here too.

Now i feel guilty not putting a picture of Eli. Soooo....here he is:

um...now i feel bad not putting my husband in...so why not?

i am now done.  see you soon....

happy new year!!

wow. once again, i have been swept away by life's silly diversions and not blogged in a bit.

LOTS have been going on..like my pop up shop, three aprons.  what a ridicuous success. i am still reeling from it all...

some pix:

the old frames are always a big hit.  My pieces i feel just lend themselves to being in old beautiful frames!

my stationary and  paper dolls sold like mad....woo hoo!

 

speaking of paper dolls, my youngest buyer (9) sent me a picture of what she did with my dolls, and i have to share:

how creative is that? she made a little house for the doll, hung the clothes on hangers she made, and placed the rest in a little bin...even made a mirror with tin foil above Agatha's head!  Zoe, you so rule!!

my latest print is now in my shop.  my gouache Owl.

i saved the best little story for last.  i decided last minute to bring one of my oldest and most coveted original to the pop up for a chance to air it out and see it in a different light.  i had no intention of really selling it.

Ilse and Gertie:

the story behind it is quite heavy and beautiful....i rarely share it with anyone cause i enjoy people getting their own connection or emotion from a piece. BUT, i will share it now because what happened is just too insane. SO....one day, i was listening to NPR in my studio and heard a story which immediately tugged at my heart and i hung to every word.  It was a story of a young jewish girl in Auschwitz imprisoned along with her childhood friend Ilse. For years they were together, stripped of their previous lives and clinging to one another for love and support. one day Ilse remembered it was Gerda's birthday.  She found a bruised raspberry in the gutter and then snuck her arm through the barbed wire fence to grab a leaf to wrap it in.   She kept that raspberry in her apron pocket hidden all day, until bedtime...and then surprised Gerda with it. can you imagine???

not long after, the Nazi's fled Auschwitz, and the prisoners were liberated.  however,  it was the dead of winter... and where were they to go?? thousands died for they were starving, ill and freezing.

 (women being liberated and beginning the march or "death march" as it became called)

sadly, Ilse was too ill and did not survive the march....she died while holding Gerda's hand...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

this is a picture of Gerda right before she was imprisoned...

now wait. it gets brighter.  The american soldier who found Gerda at Auschwitz, (she was 20 years old and weighed 68 lbs.) liberated her and later became her husband. (in tears yet? )

OK. SO......my painting is of Ilse and Gertie and the raspberry.

here it is at my pop up....and a man comes in to purchase a painting for his girlfriend for Chanukah. She's a big fan of my work, and sent him to "look for something special"

He finds my painting, and takes a picture of it to send to Dana (his girlfriend)...she falls in love with it and wants to know the story. I tell him the story and she begins to freak out on the other end of the line....

READY????? she knows Gerda. well.  i mean, she has known Gerda all of her life.  her mother was the head of the Gerda Klein foundation.  And to top it off, she of course knows the whole raspberry story. 

now, i will hopefully meet this amazing woman and share my painting with her....

ok. i am sooo done now. and exhausted from telling the story. i need coffee.  want to learn more about the incredible life of Gerda Klein???? just click on her name. you won't be sorry.

 

hey...what's new??? um...my new tattoo.

yup. i finally FINALLY did it.  well my amazingly talented tattoo artist, Eric Eaton did it. But it's my arm.

YES IT IS REAL. many lovely people keep asking me if it's a henna tattoo. NO. it took 6 hours one session.  With lots of deep spiritual convo and lots of silliness. make sure your tattoo artist is as awesome as mine. (good luck)

long hours with a dude or dudette that is not way cool can really take away from the experience! I AM SO IN LOVE WITH MY TATTOO i can't stand it.

the letters represent each one of my boys. Nate, Henry, and Eli.

here's a lil shot of Eric inking me up. (that's right. i'm down with the lingo now)

this is what the Eric's  drawing looked like before going on my arm:

The image perhaps you have seen  within one of my latest paintings...

 
love so much....

ok. onto other things....

my pop up shop date is soon approaching. The weekend of December 15th. If you are in PHILLY come by!! it's in the same place in Mt. Airy.  most of the amzing aritsans and vintage goods folks will be back including my favorite vintage store EVER (ok so maybe she's my dear DEAR friend) Meadowsweet Vintage. (actually now, Meadowsweet Mercantile).   I'll post details soon.

Wait. speaking of Meadowsweet. holy mama! they have just begun to carry a new line of knitted wares to die for. really. catch your breath. The artisan's name is Lillian Jackson. Here's a peek at one of her pieces that Stacy MADE ME try on and model.  and then...i hastily purchased.

of course my tattoo arm is hidden. darn.

i will leave you with these festive shots:

my halloween boys (eli had a lil accident in his power ranger suit. lasted 5 minutes)

I wish i did more than one of these this year....lack of time...

ooooooohhhhh......" pumpkin pumpkin round and fat...turn into a jack o lantern just like that. Eyes and nose and mouth so bright, that is how my jack o lantern shines at night." sing it. ....my boys sing it when i carve...

beautiful turkeys that we have been visiting since they were babies.....heavy sigh.  not much longer i am afraid....

on a happier note....
a new three aprons is being worked on...for my pop up post card! it will be a bit more holiday-esque.

AND...my new little owl painting in the works:

all for now....xo. peace.

 

 

new prints are in!

yup. my newest gouache paintings were just visiting my favorite print shop ever...Silicon Gallery. to be scanned and ready to be prints. which they now are!  visit my shop and take a look.

well, i may as well show one right here:

these will soon be made into boxed cards for the holidays.

ok....here's the elephant too...

there's one more in my shop as a surprise.  i'm working on more to come!

any suggestions for vintage botanical drawing books? i'm really on the search.

back soon...xo.

 

grrrrrr.....

and so. i have completely deleted my entire blog entry that took half my day to do. Ah well...i have no clue as to what i wrote, so i shall make it short and sweet.

this is what i have been up to:

new works with my love of animals finally taking a major part. and botanical drawings a new complete love.

love the simple pencil lines kept raw with a hint of gouache...and coffee of course.

i'm thinking these two will be perfect for my new boxed cards.  ready for the holidays.

Here are a couple of sweet books that are filled with inspiring botanical drawings....my new indulgance. books with old botanical drawings...any one have a good one?

 

here are some lovely images from this book of William Bartram's drawings and letters:

so

ok. sorry to jump to the next thought. but it's late and i gotta finish this entry!! i'll go back to more botanical lovelies later.

now THIS is a must.  I am going to be in an incredible show coming up next weekend! If you are around Philly, please come by! It's being held at The Philadelphia Salvedge Company. and hosted by my way amazing friend Stacy Jackson from the one and only  Meadowsweet Vintage.   

Just by the look of the artists and artisans selling their wares, i'm going to have to hold on to my wallet.

check it out!!!!

alright. i'm beat. this entry is totally lame compared to my way cooler one.  grrrrrrrr again. ah well, until the next entry, this will do.

xo.

summer summary so far...

august already is it? well, i decided to post more pix and less text...too much to recap!

our favorite summer spot. Otsego lake in upstate NY...

nate readying himself for a plunge...Jeff in heaven behind.

country road strolls....never a car to be seen!

walks through the cornfields..no shoes (or pants for eli).

did lots of vintage shopping...BEST road side stand EVER is in Watersville NY. you'll know its the one if Lucille runs it. She is the greatest. if you aren't laughing while shopping...then you have no sense of humor.

bought this lovely orange cart for Nate's room. perfect for lego structures and star wars guy storage.

got this sweet stool as well...can NOT beat the prices here. sure beats shopping around the city!

ok. i have to stop sharing vintage pix....but man it's insanely fun to pick and find!!

sorry. one more. come on! look at these amazing birds! (different shop) each bird weighs like 3 pounds. we got two. one would just be lonely...right?

chillin. with a big ass bag of candy. or two...

parade. had to throw in a july 4th piece.

funny blurry pix of jeff suffering in silence pre fireworks. he hates crowds. i like making fun of him in crowds.

beach!! eli post swim chills.

nate gets air

sweet freckled henry.

 

finally. some art in this here art blog of sorts. see what happens when you have 3 months at home with 3 boys day in and day out? that's summer.  i still squeeze in a few hours a day in my studio.

i found these in the archives. just sketcy drawings i did for a show with graphite and coffee. never finished them.

maybe i'll put them in some vintage frames and sell them in my shop... i have no originals in my shop as of late.

Here's how my "goose girl" looks framed:

these old frames are another one of my guilty pleasures....finding vintage frames is kind of an art that i'm learning to master...(it helps that my close friend owns a vintage shop!)

 

ok. i have so much more, but i will end here. i was asked by one of the teachers (a dear friend) to please illustrate each child's symbol for her new class this year. (my kids go to the waldorf school of philadelphia).

since in my son's class, he's an acorn and my other son's symbol i think was a starfish...i thought it would take me one night to do 18 or so symbols.  but then i got the list...holy mama.  Then i remembered of course. this is Kasea...the earth mother of all earth mother's. it's been a week, and they aren't even in color! but such fun.

the symbols are like, "the magical harp", "mystical mermaid", "healing linden tree"..you get the point.  come by the kindergarten wing in the philly waldorf school and check em out! 

 

here are my favorites so far:

the laughing brownie. (he's a little raggedy man who loves to do kitchen/farm chores while you sleep and gets a bowl of creme for his hard work). nice. where's my brownie? why he laughs? wouldn't you if you did all of that and just got creme??

mystical mermaid....first mermaid i have done, so think kind thoughts.

my little wise old owl...

i'll be sure to post them when they are all done.  it is such a nice break getting out of my head to do these....

i'm done. what happened to my "little text more pix" idea i had at the beginning of this entry?? ah well..maybe next time!

xo happy August!!

summer already?

sorry i have been out of the loop. can't beleive its summer already. lots and LOTS have been going on.  i'll make it brief.

i had a show which is on its last week at MeadowSweet Vintage...

here's a pix of me and Stacy (owner of meadowsweet and my dear friend)

i look like such a tool, but i take the WORST pictures ever.

i sold most of my work, but i think there are a few left. if your in the hood of Manayunk, stop by!

Even more exciting....i was interviewed by a local paper in philly, The chestunut Hill Local to be exact, and my article came out today.  Here's the article!

the lovely journalist who came to my studio was awesome...he had a mad sense of humor, thank god.

here are a couple of drawings/paintings i did for show...they are a version of my birds on wheels piece. just one bird this time. i painted with coffee! so cool...dipping my brush in my mug as i drank....

nothing like mixing my two loves together! coffee and painting that is..

here's another one, goose girl....

hmmm...what else? working on a children's book. did i mention that before? don't think i have. it's very exciting...all done writing it, it's in the editing process now...and i'm working on the illustrations. it's a total leap for me....actually drawing pictures for a story....so much fun. all about Agatha Rose...who loved to dress in colorful clothes....hopefully someone will pick it up. i'm pitching it quite soon...

more fun to come...

happy summer!!!

 

 

 

pop up and paper dolls.

finally! i completed my first series of paper dolls.  This is Agatha Rose (Aggie for short). There is a lovely story that is behind her which i hope to get published...fingers crossed.

This was definitely one of the most fun pieces i have ever worked on.  i can not wait to do the next series.

She is actually perforated (wow. that was quite a costly venture). along with all you see on the page. even the little paintings in back ground pop out too! i picture little girls making a house (or maybe i'll do that next) and placing them on the walls...

it's 8 x 10 in size and comes with a little note in back stating:

My name is Agatha Rose. I love to dress up in Fancy Clothes. Be sure a grown up helps you or you may take off my nose.

My pop up shop: THREE APRONS was an amazing success. i still can't get over it. the store looked so beautiful with the help from MeadowSweet Vintage and my way talented friends, JJ and Tracy. we had a blast.

here are some pix:

there's me gabbing away, as i did ALL WEEKEND LONG. but it was nice getting out of my studio and home to finally share my work with people. it's been a while.  i have another show coming up first friday in june....stay tuned.... xo.

 

Cards anyone??

greeting cards that is! i finally have boxed greeting cards in my shop...yay!!

two styles. for now.  here's my new three aprons card:

here's how it looks all boxed up and pretty-like.

these cards are 3.5 x 5.5. they come in a sweet brown kraft box and evelopes. 8 cards. 8 envelopes.

here's my girl in boat with butterfly bird and coffee.  she's 4 x 6 with same type brown kraft envelope.

boxed. again, 8 cards and envelopes. i'm still waiting for the little plastic strappy things that wrap around box and make it look all official and professional. but...the ribbon is sweet. may just leave ribbons.

these will be in my pop up shop coming soon....may 11th is creeping up way too fast!! i have another cool item coming next entry....for my pop up and my shop!  they are in the printing process so my fingers are crossed they will come out ok!! i'm way way excited.... stay tuned....xo

pop up shop...coming soon!

i know it's  a bit early...only april. but thought i would tell you what's up!  i'm  having a pop up shop in a way cool area of philly...(um...my hood actually) mt. airy.  it's such a beautiful shop. lovely light, perfect location, and i decided mother's day weekend would be the best time!

me and two other mama's who live on my street, and are pursueing their own art careers along with being hard core mamas!  we are so psyched.  also, my favorite shop in the world, meadowsweet vingtage will have their amazing vintage goodies.  yay!!! can not wait.  so if you are in philly.....come by!! i'm in the midst of making new cool things that will be for sale...perfect for mama's day and every day.  i'll post more when i have more to share...xo