On the Road Again

It happens whenever I hear Bob Marley's song "Jammin." I want to roll down the car windows, put the pedal to the metal and just keep on driving.

Everyone needs a little adventure, right? So cue the reggae, I'm hitting the road in August. The itinerary is loose and I am open to any place between San Francisco and Cape Cod (where I'll meet up with family in late August) but I feel especially drawn to the rust belt cities like Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Detroit, Milwaukee, and Chicago. 

I cant wait to be inspired by new people and places. I would love to hear your recommendations so please feel free to share and if you happen to live in any of these cities let's connect! I will try to update this blog while on the road but please follow me on Instagram for frequent updates

Cheers to a great summer filled with friends, family & lots of laughter!

Going Country

My lips said yes but the voice in my head said "Oh, crap, I don't do nature...or landscapes or goats...wait goats are kind of cute." Back in January I decided the mantra for 2015 should be "the answer is yes, now what's the question?" You know, in an effort to get out of my comfort zone. So, when a contemporary gallery in Sebastopol, a rural bohemian enclave in western Sonoma county, asked me to do a show with a local theme I, of course, said yes.

Don't get me wrong, nature is awesome. I love hiking, I bike along the bay all the time but when it comes to inspiration for my art I'm a city girl. This project would be a challenge. With months to prepare I hit the winding back roads of Sonoma. Dotted with collapsed barns, rusted farm equipment and an occasional remnant from the area's hippie heydays, I found plenty of inspiration in quirky towns like Monte Rio and Guerneville. Even the gravenstein apple orchards with their rows of craggily tree branches made great graphic imagery.

I worried that my style would be too edgy for the subject matter, but once I got in the studio and started painting backgrounds and layering images I was thrilled with the results. The North Bay series will be exhibited through the month of June at The Passdoor (you will love owner Jennifer Edwards' great modern design sense!) located at The Barlow (a fun, hip Sonoma county destination...try the beer at Woodfour) in Sebastopol.

The Passdoor is located at 6780 McKinley St., Sebastopol, CA 95472
Showing through the month of June
Reception on June 25th from 5 - 8 PM

Feeding the Wanderlust Spirit

It's true...sometimes you need to retreat to advance. Grinding away, feeling like you are spinning your wheels and not going anywhere–we've all been there. Often the best thing to do is walk away.

Nothing clears your head and spurs inspiration like temporarily getting out of your element. It happened to me in October. The studio was busy and the holidays were coming up but I felt disconnected and unfocused. At the perfect moment my brother-in-law suggested visiting him in the Netherlands. I think my bag was packed before he could say Skype me...

I dropped everything for five glorious weeks and saw Krakow (old world charm and cheap), Berlin (still my favorite city) and Maastricht (modern and medieval wonderfulness). I biked my way to Belgium, soaked in minerals spas (clothing verboten) and enjoyed some Trappist beer (Dubbel is the best). My wanderlust spirit satisfied, I returned home refreshed and ready to roll and I couldn't wait to get back to the studio.

Craving the Biking Lifestyle

Wouldn't it be great to ditch our cars and have more bikes than people (like the Netherlands)? Imagine cities with dedicated bike paths and educated drivers who respect the rights of riders. It would be heavenly.

After over a month in Europe and biking in Berlin, the Netherlands and Belgium I can't get enough of life on two wheels. It's true–I'm completely obsessed. 

In Maastricht I was blown away to see seniors well into their 70s and 80s breezing past me on bikes. And everyone looks so healthy and happy. Clearly they are on to something. The biking culture is building the U.S. in cities like Davis, CA but not quickly enough. Biking infrastructure would solve so many issues with energy consumption, pollution, traffic and most important health and well-being. It seems like such a no brainer. 

I would love to know more about urban areas with bike cultures so please comment and share your info.