July 30, 2008

harry's red cape

i took on a commission recently that was just too great to pass up.  all of the elements she wanted reminded me of nate and henry.....and a medley of a few paintings i have done all in one.  i wish all commissions could be this much fun!  (please excuse the lame rhyming).

here's the painting in its final stages....

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and he's the sketch:

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i'm usually kinda hesitant to take on commissions....you just never know how it will go, and having to get approval as you go was always kind of difficult for me.  not now!  i think having someone else provide the artistic direction feels freeing!  i don't want to jinx myself.....the next one may totally be a nightmare!  i will just enjoy this moment of satisfaction (i must emphasize MOMENT) and hope the next will go as well....

back to my studio, where i kick myself all day long hoping the next painting i do won't suck.

July 20, 2008

hide and seek

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my painting is finally complete!  hide and seek is the title. i'll save the meaning behind the title for a bit later....i'm just so glad it's done!!

here's a closer look and a detail or two...

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isn't it fun to look back and see what it looked like when it was just a pencil sketch???  ready for the fun?  oooooooohhhhh.....

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i must admit....i always love the rough sketches most.  i am desperately trying to keep that sense of immediacy and freshness in my paintings.....ahhhhhh (heavy sigh) one day....i will keep trying.

in the mean time, i am working on a commission right now...in the very early stages, i'll be sure to post that soon!!!

my newest painting, hide and seek, will be available in prints in my shop in the next week or so....can't wait to see how it looks in print!

 

July 08, 2008

arrival of julius...

my newest beautiful nephew was born on sunday....julius james hurwitz...already has my heart this little one...now my brother and sister-and-law have THREE amazing beautiful boys!!

DSCF2263 my brother, andy, holding julius....just minutes into this world...did i mention how beautiful he is???

DSCF2265 he kept staring right at me!!!! he's already brilliant of course.

DSCF2281 my glowing sister-in-law phyllis, just rolled in after her C-Section...looking AMAZING after all she had been through.....just taking that precious little monkey in....

DSCF2271 my proud mama (mom-mom) jane....grandson number...FIVE!

DSCF2285 and proud daddy michael (popi)....taking that little j.j. in....

Julius and me and of course....me.  aunt lisa.....had to see what beauty lay beneath that little hat of his....what??? light hair?? in our family???

  face to face.....
DSCF2287 JJ Hurwitz July 8, 2008 009 ok. how cute is this?  nate was soooo excited to hold j.j!! 

DSCF2313 DSCF2315 i know it's blurry, but....had to show it...nate is in love.
 he just couldn't get over him.... why is this underlined???? can't get it off.

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DSCF2319 and then there's henry.  just happy to be henry.

DSCF2318 had to get uncle jeff in here...look at that tiny face!!! (not you jeffy)

so, sorry to bore you all with more family pictures, but a brand new baby kinda takes over everything else, huh? 
also, may as well add that our family is expecting our third!!!!  yup. i'm about 4 months pregnant now!  wooooohoooo!! so this little j.j.  has gotten us all even more excited now....and he'll have a little cousin to play with soon enough.

i promise an art filled entry will follow.  ugh. i feel like my parents making us watch slides of family over and over....ah well, at least you all aren't sitting around my dining room table with my dad cursing over the slide projector.

 

July 02, 2008

swimming with the fishes

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taking an art blogging break...and thought i'd focus this blog on my family.  sooooo....hope i won't bore you to tears with some family photos of our trip to the aquarium!  my boys had a blast...saw everything from beautiful fish to HUGE sharks (um ok they are fish too) to hippos and seals to penguins...oh my!

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we took the ferry across the river to the aquarium....

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 ben franklin bridge....

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henry spotted the aquarium...almost there!

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henry kept wanting to pet the sharks....awwwww....

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how cool are those jelly fish????!!!! we were there FOREVER.                    

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ahhhh!! see that shark???? so freaky.  isn't it funny to see us standing on this cheesy rug watching a shark swim by?  OF COURSE  that's what i was thinking.

DSCF2288 shot of the philly skyline from the aquarium...

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back on the ferry....SOoo had it with the fishies. think the ferry was our favorite part!

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henry's was definitely the ice cream.

June 17, 2008

back from brooklyn

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sorry for the LONG hiatus from blogging...been crazy getting ready for the renegade craft fair which was this weekend in brooklyn, ny.  for those who don't know....it's a weekend long craft show chock full of crazy talented artists and crafters from all over the country.  the kind of show you work your bum off for hoping people dig what you do...and it was amazing and  INSANE...to say the least.

first, the weather.  um....hot is putting it mildly.  did i mention the show is taken place in huge empty public pool??? no shade.  so you literally walk down the steps and where there once was water is now rows and rows of back to back vendors....and you kinda feel like your in a pool with no water.  HOT. 

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little aerial view to get the feel...

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and how many people were there!

wait. did i mention the rain?  well....it came with hardly a warning. the once sunny skies were quickly replaced with menacing clouds and then came the wizard of oz like winds.  surreal.  then....the buckets of rain...and the locusts...and the frogs...kidding.  just rain.  but it was CRAZY rain.  Everyone shopping flew to the closest tents to wait it out...but it hardly let up!  the tents across from us literally flew off the ground and crumpled into pieces.  the poor vendors were scrambling to save their work and despite everyone's help, so much was damaged and lost. we were SO lucky!  we aren't very tent savvy, so we chose to rent ours, which was lovely.  phew!

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check out the rain!! and my friend dana in the booth next door in the white....oh how she cursed herself for wearing all white and black granny panties...thank god she has a wicked sense of humor!

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people were holding up their tents to prevent them from blowing away....the one in the middle was gone in minutes!

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despite the drama, it was kinda funny.  if you don't know...this is jeff. my insane husband.

soooo.....day one ended a bit early and quite wet, but thank god we had a cozy hotel to look forward to!!

day two was beautiful....still hot, but sooooooooooo much better!

i have to show off my way of displaying my prints....had to keep them in a box to prevent blowing away and fear of damage....but how to keep it easy to leaf through them??? just look below!!!  brings out my anal side.

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then, rick, the owner of the gallery who prints all of my work and saves my life a billion times a year, made me the banner of "field trip" as a gift....love them!!


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gotta have a shot of me somewhere in this blog, aye?

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sooooo....all in all....a great time. and no kiddies!!! my mama took my boys for the whole weekend!! yay!!
i must say, it was quite difficult keeping cash in my wallet with all of the goodies being sold all around me, and i indulged quite a bit!!   here's some of my favorites:

i have to say, my gorgeous hand made skirt is at the top of my list...must give you their site!!  orangy porangy.  oh mama.  i'm hooked.

seriously...for the funniest hand made cards EVER....a philly friend of mine....mean cards  she rules.  if you aren't laughing, something is wrong with you.

for an awesome handmade t-shirt (jeff bought two)  made by a cool couple who moved from nyc to a quiet remote spot in louisiana....supermaggie.

last but not least, my favorite vendor of all...who was my neighbor for the whole long weekend.... for amazing one of a kind pottery you will NEVER see anywhere....so way cool...Danmade.  damn.  can't find his site.  get it later.  here's a pix of them:


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these guys made our whole weekend.  love you guys!!!!

ok.  good to be home....at this point in my blog, my dogs need to be fed, my cats are meowing with hunger and i can't find my children (they are hiding)...so i must run.  hope this LONG ASS post makes up for my absence!!!!  xo lisa


May 14, 2008

outside studio...way too nice out to paint inside

yes. spring has sprung, and it's just sooo damn hard to stay indoors. while henry slept, nate and i decided to take to painting outside....it was AMAZING.  we both got lots done, had yummy snacks, and talked about our paintings.  could it get much better???

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one of my works in progress....not sure of title yet....seems to be a sister painting to "good woman".

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check out the tongue action...nate is seriously concentrating. this is his work in progress "planets".....very cool indeed.

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just when i thought our day couldn't be better... henry woke up and joined us....he was way more into cookies than painting.

last but not least, the dogs....how can i leave out cleo and lou?  taking their very important roles  as  the drooler and  the watch dog....always by our sides.

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  watch dog (lou)

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the drooler  (cleo)....ummmmm.... and watch dog.
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April 29, 2008

glorious poppies!!

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so i am driving nate to school, late late late....and we're calling out good morning to all the animals we see  in the beautiful meadows along the road...."hi cows!"  good morning sheep!  hi horsies!! etc....well...then...this is what i see...HUNDREDS OF GLORIOUS 10 FT POPPIES!!!  so. yeah. i freaked out just a bit...i mean how cool is this??? this is the new installation at the morris arboretum. if any of you are around philly...go see!!!! they sway and bend and take your breath away....

here's a bit more close ups...

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so of course i was instantly inspired....and here is my girl with poppies sketch:  new painting to come!!

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April 20, 2008

new ventures and a birthday.

alright. i just spent like an hour updating my blog and then erased it.  so this is the way way abbreviated version.  sorry. i am kind of pissed and need to eat.  this totally turned into a WAY different blog...sorry for the sappy entry....just got all emotional with it....such is life as a mama.

let's start with my birthday boy who turned four yesterday in cupcake heaven:  (eating his fourth one in honor of being 4)

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that's right henry...nate's 4! now don't eat it.
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and when he (nate) was small... so very small.
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An early family picture (yes, i'm nursing)

this is how you may see us now....a bit insane....someone usually in tears....but so much love... that's family, aye?

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April 07, 2008

new sketch and first interview!

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so this is my newest sketch for my newest painting....we'll see how much it changes, but i really like how it turned out. i finally was able to sit and draw....and here she is.   crazy how self portrait-esque my paintings seem to be as of late......

i also had my first interview a bit ago... check it out here.  they found me through etsy....a very cool place for an artist retreat....how lovely that sounds about now.

it's still too cold for april. i'm way past due for a warm day so i can walk in the woods without a sweater or jacket....and put my flip flops on!  so sick of socks.  i'm off to take a walk with my boys and doggies and hopefully get a jumpstart on the new painting when i return! 


April 01, 2008

ilsa and gertie

this is the finished piece....professionally scanned and ready for prints....it's been at the gallery for a while and i can't wait to get it back!! 

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let's see what it looked like when i first started....

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