Space Oddities

I had a great time last weekend at the opening of the Space Oddity show at Push / Pull, & visiting the other galleries in the Greenwood Art Collective. These are my two pieces in the show - Red Planet, & Rocket Man. Each is 8 x 10", watercolor, ink, and pencil.

The next show I am going to be in is the 3rd annual Twin Peaks Art Show at Urban Lights studio in the Greenwood Art Collective. I am working on a painting for it. These is a little drawing I did to get in the mood:

An exciting opportunity to support Push / Pull Gallery & NW outsider art

I am pleased to report that Push / Pull, the gallery I often show work at, is looking to expand into a regular retail space with more hours. You can be part of that AND take home some cool art by being part of their Kickstarter. The rewards include a lot of cool stuff by outsider artists, including some original art by me. Please visit the kickstarter page and tell your friends!

Also, in Push / Pull news, tomorrow night is the Space Oddity show -- I have two pieces in it and I saw some of the other art earlier this week and it was amazing! Greenwood Artwalk is 6 to 9, I believe, but Push / Pull will be open till 10. The gallery is at 8537 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, Washington 98103. Head downstairs in the Urban Light Studio / Greenwood collective building to see a number of great unusual galleries, including Push / Pull.

This is one of the pieces that available as a Kickstarter reward:

Summer Reading

The Magic of Books, 8 x 8", Watercolor and ink.

I keep seeing summer reading lists. I usually read more in winter, but I read in summer too. I decided to make a short list of books I've read or reread in the last year are so and that I recommend.

1) The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

2) Wise Children, by Angela Carter

3) Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, by Annie Dillard

4)Land of Laughs, by Jonathan Carroll

5) The Ocean at the End of the Lane, by Neil Gaiman

6) The Cat's Table, by Michael Ondaatje

7) The Bone People, by Keri Hulme

8) Declare, by Tim Powers

9) The Skin Map by Stephen Lawhead

10) A Beautiful Mind, by Sylvia Nassar

I will add to this list with some old favorites too.. or probably make another list.

Dreamscape 1

Here are better photos - well, actually scans, of the new painting. I am working on some smaller abstract paintings too. And tomorrow I am dropping off my pieces for Push / Pull Gallery's Ancient Monster show. I think that is going to be a really good show - you should come to the opening!

Dreamscape 1
9x12"
watercolor. Available on Etsy.

Abstract Watercolor painting

Most of the paintings I have done in the last year have been at least somewhat planned. I used to do more abstract and unplanned landscapes and I've been missing that so I decided to do something more free-form. Here are a few photos of the finished piece. I worked on it over a period of a week, in several sessions. It's 9 x 12", Daniel smith watercolors on arches 140 lb coldpress paper

Finally!

Well, I've moved. Other than a few bits, and I have cleaning to do and I am still unpacking ... but basically i've moved. And I am getting used to my new place and starting to make art again. So finally new work to show you and new work on Etsy!. Here are two new 8 x 10" paintings that are now in my Etsy shop. They are both watercolor & ink.
I am working on new work for a monster show coming up at Push/Pull! I'll tell you about that in a few days :)

Edgar Allan Poe: A Mystery and a Dream

And.. I finished it!

Edgar Allan Poe: A Mystery and a Dream
(a snippit from his verse)
9 x 12", pen and ink

There are some bits from a few of poe's stories in here.. what can you spot?

Einstein in Ink

Here is another new work...I am working on a new series of pen and ink portraits. I've also completed one of Lovecraft and am working on one of Edgar Allen Poe....

Albert Einstein
8 x 10", pen and ink

Little World

I am in the process of moving. ok I am in the process of packing. I am not sure anyone over, say, their 20s should ever move. it's painful. at any rate I have gotten rid of a lot of stuff, which is good because I live in a small space and am moving to a smaller one. I am not sure how I fit this much stuff in my current place. I am down to 5 bins of yarn and fabric! ok, 5 and a half. and in spite of getting rid of a lot of books, I still seem to have... a lot.

so I have not had much time for art lately, but I have made some time, I can't not make art. I do miss painting, I've just been drawing. I hope I can start painting again in a couple weeks. I just can't wait for this to be over and things to seem calmer. I am hoping that will happen, anyway.

this is something I've drawn recently. it's white prismacolor colored pencil on black paper. the paper is Strathmore "art again" recycled black paper, which I really like using. the circle is from tracing around a CD, so that gives you an idea of scale...

Happy Easter & Happy Spring

Happy Easter! Unfortunately I am sick so I am spending it lying around the house. I have so many things I needed to do this weekend but all I managed to do was to drop off some work for the next Push / Pull show and I did my taxes. And I've slept a lot and will try to go to bed early tonight.

You might remember that I grew up on a farm. This time of year makes me think of newborn lambs, in their baggy oversized skins, with grubby little spots of their knees from falling down while they run around. I also remember buying white eggs once a year, because brown eggs don't dye very well. I can also remember having hunts not just for easter eggs but also for the caches that the free-range hens were hiding. (One thing no one tells you about free-range chickens is that they will not necessarily come back to their coop to lay their eggs. not the smart ones, anyway. So you need to keep an eye on them and find their caches. They are not that smart so they will keep laying at a cache for a bit after the eggs start disappearing, but then they will find a new hiding spot and you have to start over again!)

This is a painting I finished inking this week, another in the Forest Spirits series. Also inspired by my time on the island.
Spirit Tree 2
5 x 7"
watercolor and ink
available on Etsy.

Mother Nature Original Watercolor by Megan Noel

This weekend I felt at the same time lonely and antisocial. I guess that must mean I am a moody artist? My show at Miro came down a few days early so they could paint, so I went to pick that up. If you missed that, I may have another show there later this year, and I am trying to arrange something at another Seattle venue but no details on that yet... I do however have a piece in the Venus Rising Show at Push / Pull Gallery in Seattle and the Closing Reception is this Saturday evening, if you want to stop by. I will also have several new pieces in the Literature show at Push / Pull, which opens the 10th. All of the art in that show will be inspired by Literature. My literature choices were: Alice in Wonderland, Hamlet, Macbeth, and the Moomintroll books. My friend Corrianna Garrels will have some gorgeous author portraits in that show. I got to see a few of them, notably Mark Twain and Jack Kerouac that are amazing!

Well, that's all my news for now. So back to my weekend, I spent the rest of my weekend painting and drawing. I finished this painting and I was very happy with it. It took quite long time even if it is only 8 x 10". It is available on Etsy!

Forest Spirits

I have been feeling inspired this week, so I hope I have a good weekend of painting coming up. I got to leave work a little early today and I probably should have painted but after going to Ballard Sketch Team last night I decided I needed some quiet reading time. I am just taking a little reading break to scan a painting I finished on Monday. This is:

Forest Spirits, 8 x 10", watercolor on paper. It is available on Etsy. I was very happy with it and I think whatever I start this weekend may have the same feel - though I still have another dinosaur painting to finish as well and I have an urge to draw a monkey.

p.s. how many creatures can you find hiding in the tree?

Limited Edition Audrey Kawasaki Prints - Odaijini and Ishiki

In case you are interested, I have two Audrey Kawasaki prints for sale on Ebay. I have enjoyed these since I got them from the artist a few years ago, and I really hate to part with them but I need the money so I am hoping they go to a very good home!

Odaijini
giclee print on archival paper
7" x 9" print on 8" x 10" sheet
signed and numbered
limited edition of 200 (mine is #166)

and

Ishiki
giclee print on archival paper
7" x 9" print on 8" x 10" sheet
signed and numbered
limited edition of 200 (mine is #167)

Dinosaur Village

What do we really know about what life was like 65 million years ago? Well, actually quite a bit but there is still plenty of room for imagination, and I have employed to, I hope, good effect:

This painting is available in my Etsy Shop along with a couple other new paintings I finished recently:

These are all Daniel Smith watercolor on Arches cold-press paper with ink.

New Prints - Who Really Built the Pyramids & Grr. Argh.

Is daylight savings time supposed to give one more energy? I am not feeling it! I guess I could still have "opening-lag" from the weekend. I was not feeling that social, which is not particularly unusual, only I had to be social 2 nights in a row. Perhaps it would help if I practiced more? But they both went pretty well. It is too bad that it rained Saturday, though. I also got to check out some other galleries, and other venues participating in Ballard and Greenwood artwalk. I recommend checking out Sarah Gordon's work at Cafe Chocolati in Greenwood and Cloud Nectar / Tim Manthey's work at Sticks and Stones Gallery.

Meanwhile.... I have two new 5 x 7" prints available in my Etsy Store! I am really happy with how these came out.

Miro tonight and 2 new prints!

Thank you to everyone who came to the opening at Push / Pull last night! It was wonderful to see so many creative people in one place. Greenwood Art walk is probably my favorite neighborhood artwalk! I think I went to 8 galleries last night and today I am tired - ok 7 were in Greenwood and 1 was in Ballard. Tonight is Ballard artwalk. I wish I could go see everything but I will be at Miro for my own opening, get all the details Here! I hope some of you can come see my new work!

I listed two new prints on Etsy this morning! Check it out! Ok -- I have to go now and drink my tea and have pre-opening jitters. This is the biggest day of 2015 thus far--

new prints

Throw Back Thursday - in Pencil.

I believe he term is "throw-back Thursday" but I am not posting a "selfie". These are three pencil drawings of mine. the one on the top was done in 1989. The two lower ones were done in 2012. Most likely the older one was done with a #2 pencil on white construction paper. The newer ones were done with, probably, 6b and 8b pencils on stonehenge art paper. I guess my style, while it has evolved, started emerging early? Maybe next time I will dig up some of my early pen and ink drawings....

here are two another pencil drawing from 2012, the first is graphite and prismacolor colored pencil, the second is just prismacolor, and possibly a bit of white "charcoal" pencil? on black paper:

Playing with Pen and Ink

Since I finished the shows I was getting ready for, I spent some time in the last week just playing around with my pen. This was a Pitt Artist Pen, size xs. I like to use paper made for markers or manga.

Remember if you are in the Seattle area, you have two chances to see my art this week! I will have work at Miro all month and Art walk is this Saturday. I am also in the Venus Rising show at Push/Pull and that reception is this Friday. You can get all the details Here!. Have you drawn anything just for fun lately?

Literary Journeys South

After all of the business of getting ready for things I have not wanted to do much this week. I have done a little pen and ink & I have been reading a lot. My reading it making me want to travel, which seems unlikely this year. At least the places I would like to go do not require a passport! This week I read:
Finding Everett Ruess by David Roberts
& I am reading House of Rain by Craig Childs. And it's making me want to return to the Southwest. So far I have explored a bit in Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. there is still a lot I would like to see in those states, and I have wanted to visit Utah since I was little and saw photos of their geological wonders. I also have never been to Nevada - or maybe we drove through when I was little. I am afraid at age 7 I was not as interested in history as I am now an while I had some interest in nature, I had little patience for long car trips. At any rate, I hope I will make it back down there. I find the desert very soothing. I love the landscape and the desert smells. It's very different from the green green green world we have here in the Pacific Northwest.

Here are a couple of photos I took in Taos:

Back to the books. Finding Everett Ruess is quite a fascinating book. I had read a bit before about and by Everett Ruess. He was a very young desert explorer who vanished in the 30s. His writing was quite passionate, a bit immature but he WAS very young and I think in time would have become a fine writer but no one knows for sure what happened to him. It's a very interesting book about an interesting young man.

House of Rain is sort a combination of a memoir / musings about the rise and dissolution of the anasazi and their kin. I believe the preferred term is "ancestral puebloans". I have always found their architecture, pottery, and artwork to be fascinating and beautiful. One of the places we visited in Taos was Millicent Rogers Museum which has some very beautiful pottery, I really enjoyed that. So I think I will be reading some more about the southwest before I am done with this little trip down literary lane...

Do you have any recommendations?

Into the Home Stretch!

The last few weeks have felt like an art marathon. Ok, not that bad, but certainly a long art hike in perhaps not the best ever weather. I am glad that I took care of a few things today and am now able to get some down time. Though of course I have to go to work tomorrow. Anyway, this morning I hung my show at Miro!

The details:
Miro Tea House
www.mirotea.com
Mon-Sat 8am-10pm Sun 8am-8pm
5405 Ballard Ave N.W. Seattle, WA 98117

The opening will be during Ballard Art Walk, Saturday March 14th, from 6pm to 9pm The work will go up on March 1st and come down on March 31st!

And this afternoon I dropped off a new painting and a new prints for the group show, Venus Rising, at Push / Pull Galley.. The opening reception for that Is Friday March 13th, 6 to 9pm. 8537 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, Washington.

This is a detail of a new monster painting in the Miro Show!

Exterminator Recap

Exterminator City yesterday was a lot of fun, I met a lot of nice and very creative people, and traded for some pretty cool zines. I will post some photos of the zines in days to come. I went home and collapsed and today I slept in, took a nap, and ... well, worked on more art. I started getting work ready to hang next weekend at Miro and worked on my painting for a group show next month at Push / Pull, the Venus Rising show. I am really looking forward to that show:

I also added the mini yetis and hedgehog plush to my Etsy Shop. I think they would be cute in Easter Baskets

Getting Ready for Miro!

I am getting ready for my show that will be at Miro next month!

The details:

Miro Tea House
www.mirotea.com
Mon-Sat 8am-10pm Sun 8am-8pm
5405 Ballard Ave N.W. Seattle, WA 98117

The opening will be during Ballard Art Walk, Saturday March 14th, from 6pm to 9pm
The work will go up on March 1st and come down on March 31st!

I plan on showing a lot of my new monster paintings. I need to finalize the list this weekend. What this means is that a bunch of work in my Etsy Shop will be going away and if it sells in the show it will not be coming back. So if there is something you have an eye on, you might want to act now! Also, I do take commissions.

Remember I will have a table with my work at Exterminator City in Seattle tomorrow!

Here is a detail of one of the paintings that will be at Miro. There will be lots of other new stuff I have not shared on-line. Have a great weekend, all!

Come visit me at Exterminator City

Two more sleeps until Exterminator City. Come see me!

Exterminator City 26 local indie and underground comic artists
Free and open to the public!
Saturday February 21st, 2015
3:00pm -- ?? (I think the event is officially 3 to 6, but the Intruder Comics event starts at 6pm, and I think runs till 9 pr 10. so officially there will be stuff going on there into the late evening but I think I will probably pack up at 7ish.)
8537 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, Washington 98113

I will have new stuff! New postcards! New bookmarks! New Mini Plush Hedgehogs and Yetis. A new issue of Stories and Dreams Zine! You can also order the zine in my Etsy Shop. I will be adding the other new items, plushes and bookmarks, to my etsy shop next week and will let you know. Here is a peak at the mini yetis..

Getting ready for Exterminator City the third.

It was so nice to have a long weekend. I wish that could happen about once a month. I had a lot to do, and it's the 1st weekend in a while when I had not been sick. I got some done. I finished 2 paintings and some designs for bookmarks, assembled 5 stuffed yeti, and I did the layout for issue 2 of Stories and Dreams Zine. I am taking it to the printer tomorrow and it will be available for sale for $5 in a few days. Well, technically it debuts this coming weekend at Exterminator City 3. But I will have it for preorder on etsy in the next day or two and will let you know! Anyone who orders it I will send it out over the weekend and throw in some extra goodies.

A few peeks from issue 2:

My friend Corianna loaned me a movie for valentine's day. Well, I loaned her Ella Enchanted and she loaned me Barefoot in the Park. I must say I prefer Jane when she is being charming and not trying to make me exercise. Most of my experience of her up until now had been on the later sort. I like how old movies are so much more like going to a play than our multimedia extravaganzas now. I enjoyed the movie, which I had not seen before. Also I would like to thank the person who got me a box of chocolates. Oh, that was me. I am so thoughtful. So anyway, that was my valentines, that and getting ready for Exterminator City and my show at Miro next month. I will have a few other new items at Exterminator city. I will show you more peeks later this week and everything will also be available online soon. I am also going to be in group shows in March and April. Once this stuff for the 1st three events are wrapped up, in about 2 weeks, I am going to be good and lazy for a while. I always say that but I really mean it now. Well, I often am lazy on weeknights - I believe the technical term is exhausted - but I usually am not on weekends even if I fully intend to be. So I did all the stuff I mentioned above this weekend and cleaned-the-house-sort-of.

Lucky 13

Friday the 13th does not HAVE to be unlucky! If you want to treat yourself you can use coupon code: lucky13 to save 13% off your purchase in my etsy shop! . I've got lots of original art, prints, and zines to inspire you!