Welcome, Bienvenidos!

Face Painting for Feast of The Dead

Alright, here's a little side painting that turned out to be a blast. Did I say I love to paint? My canvas can be traditional, cookie or face/body.
These are a couple of the Many faces I painted for Tucson Botanical Gardens Feast of the Dead event this past Saturday.
The theme was Day of the Dead so it was mostly skulls except for grandmothers who just wanted something on their cheek or the little ones who wanted animals or something very simple.

I am grateful someone took these photos because the reality was that almost as soon as I got there (and I arrived 20 min. early) people started lining up to get their faces painted. My plans to have photos taken never happened because the line for face painting never let up and was at least 6 people deep for the next 2 hours.

There was another face painter there whom I never formally met because even though I arrived early - he was there Earlier already painting!
He had a large kit full of paints, sequins etc. and as it turns out, he is a professional face painter so his kit was very tricked out and he was very experienced. I brought some nice Snazzaroo face paints, my paint brushes, some wipes and water thinking I would have time to get fresh water, wipes etc. - never happened.

It was an intense two hours of painting and at the stroke of exactly 7 pm the other face painter packed up and left - quickly. He was already booked for another gig and knew as long as he stayed, people would keep coming.
I stayed an extra 30 minutes to finish the little ones that had been waiting and one lovely Mariachi girl, then I packed it in too. 

What a fun event - I was buzzed on adrenaline driving home thinking wow, I had a great time AND got tips! Actually it was the other painter who put out a tip jar and people just started giving me tips too - which made me smile All the way  home.   A bit of extra cash to keep my Risa in cans of her favorite doggy food - LOL :~D

I hope TBG keeps me in mind for next year. Then I will be a bit more prepared for the crowd, with more glitter colors (love using them!!) sequins, glitter paint. As it turned out I did pretty good with eight colors, two glitters, a water bottle, some wipes and a handful of brushes. Plus when people found out what I paint for my day job, dogs/animals, they asked for my card.

Painted lots of skulls - calaveras. All the while in the background there was a fabulous Mariachi youth band which I loved and could have listened to all night.

Keep your eyes open for next years Tucson Botanical Feast of the Dead event. Music, food, sugar skull decoration, presentations and Face Painting "~)

The next event will be the Luminaria Nights December 7, 8, 9 from 5:30 - 8 pm. A lovely evening at the gardens full of twinkling lights, music and treats.

More adventures in Porcelain Painting


Desert Kit Fox porcelain painting (click to enlarge)
Another experiment in porcelain painting as I explore this new media. It will be added to the que to fire at the end of this month. All of the plates will eventually be put up in the cookie store as decorative serving plates.

Foxes are such adaptable creatures. In the UK they are common urban wildlife much as the coyote is in the southwest. In the Tucson, AZ area kit fox is rarely seen, being mostly nocturnal. This plate painting is of of a San Joaquin kit fox which is endangered due to habitat encroachment. They are California residents.
Though wildlife Do Not make good pets due to their wild nature they are born with, there is a story of a man who rescued an injured red fox that is so touching! Watch the story of Cropper The Fox  HERE.

"You had me at Hello"

Loved Companions 
Honoring our loved companions that had us at the tail wag "hello". From the first look, lick, tail wag or bark, they have our hearts and give unconditionally of themselves. For this and so many additional reasons I do not tire of portraying the love. Doing my best to reflect and capture the spirit of the bond that owner and dog have.
I have only seen that look of innocent, trusting love and devotion in young children. Oh, and my Risa every day when I return or speak to her "~)

Beautiful Leaves

Fall,  my favorite time of year. Cooler days and crisp nights perk me up after the summer heat.  It motivates me and for some reason, I need less sleep!  Instead there are more late nights in the studio.
This year I want to get out more instead of getting caught up in the usual hustle of pre-holiday designing and gearing up. It would be great to Enjoy my favorite season so I am resolved to get out of my studio, off the design computer and touch the lovely trees.
I do miss the gorgeous fall colors. When I visit my parents their streets are lined with a kaleidoscope of fiery reds, rich yellows, golden oranges. Makes me want to jump in the leaves and toss them in the air!

I have created a fall gift box to help scratch that itch and will also Try to get a couple of paintings in of fall leaves.  These sugar cookies are light and crisp in texture and taste, decorated with sparkling sugar crystals. They will look pretty on any table.
I wanted to create a porcelain botanical painting of leaves to go with this set, but might be running out of time :~( .   If only I didn't need sleep - I'd rather be in the studio!
A porcelain painting of a kit fox and a couple of others coming soon...

Fall Holiday Sugar Cookie Gift Set



Retriever Bonnie

Bonnie was a wonderful Chespeak Bay Retriever. Lively and always ready for action, these sporting dogs are strong swimmers and have a lovely, curly coat that comes in two colors. This is the light cinnamon and it was fun to paint the curly hair. A nice memorial portrait of a sweet girl who lived a long, wonderful life.