The Creative Itch

As an artist, I've noticed in the past couple of years that every spring I get an unexplainable, irresistible feeling... like my senses are begging me to stretch my artistic bones after a long winter's nap. A creative itch, if you will. Something about the new life popping up everywhere after the dead of winter stirs my creative spirit. I'm so inspired by nature anyway... I really shouldn't be surprised.

A little reminder from Please Be Still

Being graphic designer, I'm lucky that I have a consistent, "creative" job. However, working for a commercial book publisher limits my creativity in some aspects. I get to design the occasional book cover... but since I'm so low on the totem pole, much of my time is spent on marketing mailers, poster and book reprint changes. It can be draining at times, too, which leaves me little inspiration or motivation for my own projects.

A Holiday at the Sea, 2010, pencil and ink on wood

This self-portrait is one of the most recent large-scale pieces I've made... and it's over a year old! It's part of a series I did for a solo art show before I graduated college. I'd love to show you the others but I don't have quality photos of them (I'm working on it though.)

My dear friend Keitha is getting married next year, and she has commissioned me to do a piece of her & her fiance in a similar style. I've been brainstorming and sketching like mad... I'll try to document my process along the way. I'm so excited to get to work on some real art again!