Blog By Norm

Solo Show at Muse Coffee

2009-01-02T19:33:00.000-08:00

The newest series, “Shades of Grey”, explores the tension created when the focal point (a person’s face) is overshadowed by a red object on a grey page. Our eye is trained to look at the face, however the brain overrides that desire by forcing the eye to jump to the red object. The tension that is created encourages you pause to contemplate the story of the composition.

Check it out through Jan. 2009 at Muse Coffee (on 10th Ave. W.) on Queen Anne in Seattle.

Tues. Tea - The TeaCup

2008-12-02T08:40:00.001-08:00

I am so excited - my favorite tea spot on Queen Anne has just opened it's newly renovated store! It's much bigger and homier than the old spot. The staff at the TeaCup are so knowledgeable and friendly. Especially Brett - he is solely responsible for my pu-erh addiction. I started off a green tea drinker; moved to white tea; then from his recommendation an oolong / baozhang drinker. Then one Sat., I sat down to a Chinese Tea tasting with Brett and I tasted pu-erh. That sealed the deal. Oolong bothers my stomach (as does black tea) - but pu-erh calms it! And pu-erh gets better with age, unlike most other teas that only last about a year. All the better for me - that way I can collect it! And collect it I do!!!!

TeaCup is also where Norm had his first show - and a successful show it was!

So thanks to TeaCup and Brett. You can read more about it on Brett's Black Dragon Tea Bar blog.

SALE!

2008-11-28T08:04:00.000-08:00

Black Friday (Nov. 28) through Cyber Monday (Dec. 1) I am offering 50% off all of my original paintings through my on-line store - http://www.artbynorm.etsy.com/ Yes, that is half price for an original painting. That's practically cheaper than ebay. Actually, that is cheaper than ebay, because there are no Norm's listed on ebay (at least by me). Which means you would have to go through Christie's if you were looking for an auction site, and we all know Christie's is not selling anything this cheap (and by that I mean the price, not the quality of the artwork).

Help support independent artisans this holiday season! Give the gift of art - especially art that will make someone smile !

If there is a painting that you've seen elsewhere, but you don't see it in my shop, send me a message - if it is still available I will sell it to you for 1/2 price during the sale time.

Enough said, start shopping - the economy needs you right now! :)

P.S. Alot of my other friends are having sales this weekend too - you can find out more by clicking here

IF: Opinion

2008-11-28T07:59:00.000-08:00

In your opinion, am I fat or phat?

IF: Pretend

2008-11-14T07:57:00.000-08:00

Give me red blanket, construction paper, and a big box - and I will rule the world!

Tues. Tea - Floating Leaves

2008-11-11T03:53:00.000-08:00

In attempt to blog more, I decided that I should set aside certain days of the week to write about particular subjects. You may have noticed that on Fridays I partake in Illustration Friday. Well, T is for Tuesday and Tea, and I being what my family loving calls a "Tea Snob" gives me the opportunity to share my view of what real tea is!
That brings to me to a lovely Taiwanese teashop in Ballard (Seattle) called Floating Leaves. The owner Shuiwen is one of the kindest people I've met - not to mention she knows tea! Floating Leaves sells teas that will please even the pickiest tea geeks (I bought a 1979 Pu-erh Toucha a couple of years ago) or Shuiwen will help (with the utmost patience) guide the novice. If you haven't tried oolong tea (that isn't in a tea bag), you will be amazed at the flavors that await you! Alishan High Mountain Oolong is one of my favorites, although I have to admit I'm stuck on pu-erh these days!
and for those of you who are curious about how I got the label "Tea Snob", it is because I refuse to drink the family favorite tea (did you know in Canada they drink ALOT of tea?) - Red Rose - which is just the tea dust left over after they've processed all the tea leaves for black tea. It's like eating bread crumbs from a box when what you want is a fresh loaf of artisan bread.

Relay for Life Commission

2008-10-18T07:15:00.000-07:00

Tera Murphy, who heads up a Relay for Life team in Ohio, commissioned me to do a painting of Norm walking along a path of luminaries. This is a print of the painting paired with a small palm-sized (as in hand, not tree) needle-felted "Hope" doll. The doll is just the right size to fit in an adult-sized palm, closed into a fist - and as most of you know, Norm's favorite activity is listening (to your hopes & dreams, prayers, fears, crazy schemes, million $ inventions, etc.)

Each luminaria that lines the path displays the name of someone touched by cancer. Their glow celebrates the lives of those that have won their battle with cancer, allows us to remember those that we have lost, and gives us the hope that someday there will be a cure.

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****
"Norm" was born as my response to learning that several of my friends and family members had cancer - he's my buddy through the emotional rollercoaster.

Tera Murphy commissioned the painting and 25% of all sales from the painting, prints and dolls will be donated to her American Cancer Society Relay for Life team in Ohio.

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****
prints, dolls, and more beneftiting the American Cancer Society may be purchased on-line in my etsy shop: http://www.artbynorm.etsy.com

IF: Late

2008-10-18T07:10:00.000-07:00

Midnight, can't sleep, too much on my mind, baby is sleeping peacefully, husband asleep on the couch with the tv still on, dishes piled high in the sink, the weight of the world on my shoulders... nothing a walk on the beach won't cure.

"Starlight" - transparent shellac-based ink on gessoed canvas

The Handmade Arts Show

2008-10-11T06:44:00.000-07:00

I'll be there - along with 30 other local Seattle artisans selling our wares. Oh, on Sunday 10/12 from 10-4 that is!

If yo uare in the Seattle area, it is worth checking out. The 1st 50 people through the door get swag bags from the vendors. There will be a backe sale benifiting VSA of WA. And of course shopping, lots of shopping.

For a sneak peak at the vendors who will be there, click here

St. Edwards State Park is in Kenmore, WA (aka Juanita / Kirkland). It is a great state park, in the Seattle metropolitan area (yea, you don't even have to drive 60 miles looking at nothing but trees to get there). We will be in the historical Seminary Building which was just renovated. For directions and/or more details about the park click here. AND, when you are done shopping, you can go for a hike on one of the trails in the park, or play on the awesome playground!

Oh, and just as a disclaimer - Norm will be there but only as greeting cards. Heidi will also be selling reclaimed cashmere scarves & hats.

Wow, can you say MIA?

2008-09-28T19:12:00.000-07:00

But alas I'm back. Norm is going to spend a little time at "camp" - like a whole month. We just need to get away from each other for a while. And lets just say Norm needs to learn something new. You know how it is when 2 people spend 24/7 together... eventually you just have to split up and do your own thing. Norm is going to what I call "book camp". Hopefully he will read all sorts of books that we don't already have in the house (knowing him, he'll stick to the familiar initally, but I'm sure something new will catch his fancy and he will run with it). Anyway, "book camp" is at Fremont Place Book Co. He will be there for the whole month of Oct. He will be the only "camper" (eg paintings) there, so do stop by and say Hi to him - and make sure he is reading something I would approve of - the last thing I need is for him to start reading trashy romance novels!

Fremont Place Book Co. is in the heart of Fremont (Seattle) by Jai Thai, Simply Desserts, Blue C Sushi, PCC, Peets Coffee (need I say more) - oh yea, and Frank & Dunya.

so you've been wondering where I was...

2008-08-28T07:17:00.000-07:00

eating chocolate of course! Well, not for 2 weeks straight (although wouldn't that be a dream!) I did eat some last night that I want to share with you though.

A new shop opened in Ballard named Claudio Corallo. Claudio is an Italian that lives in Sao Tome & Principe and owns a cacao plantation. The store in Ballard is his US outlet (for lack of a better term). It's a small shop, selling only his bars and beans - truffles are coming soon. Did you hear me say beans? Yes, real cacao beans that you peel and eat - finally a taste of the real flavor of cacao!

The woman who works in the shop is super knowledgeable - and there is not a crumb of milk chocolate in the place!

So, now to the chocolate I had last night. I sampled most of the chocolates they offered, and decided on the Chocolate sablé 80% com açúar em cristal (dark chocolate with sugar crystals). Now, I know what you are thinking - the sugar totally defeats the purpose of eating dark dark chocolate. BUT it DOESN'T. That's the beauty of this bar. The chocolate (which is single plantation by the way), still has all the complexity of 80% cacao and the sugar just adds a crunch with a slight sweetness that remains separate - in other words the two flavors don't blend together (it's like eating a donut with coffee instead of dunking the donut in the coffee).

That said, check out the shop on Market & 17th in Ballard or go to his website

an ocean of cashmere

2008-08-09T05:53:00.000-07:00

So as some of you may know, I also make reclaimed cashmere scarves - reclaimed as in I go to thrift stores, buy cashmere sweaters, and then redesign them into scarves. Earlier this week I had a major shopping / restocking trip - and boy did I hit the jackpot! 18 sweaters! And it only took me 3 days to wash, cut, sew, organize and photograph the new scarves - and I didn't even get through the whole pile! phew!

I am also in the process of trying to fancy-up the scarves, right now I'm thinking of sewing flowers on the ends of them. Stay tuned...

check 'em out at http://www.maxandco.etsy.com

IF: Sail

2008-08-08T09:52:00.000-07:00

My ship has sailed...

a good laugh...

2008-08-08T09:50:00.000-07:00

Every now and then someone emails me something that makes me giggle - maybe even chuckle. But this one, sent to me by my husband, takes the cake (pardon the pun). http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/

Where I'm at...

2008-08-03T04:23:00.000-07:00

I've been spending my weekend at a 3-day intensive Drapery Drawing Workshop at the Gage Academy of Fine Art with Margaret Davidson. Here's a peek. I did 1 piece in charcoal and am now working on a piece in pen & ink. The ink is much more challenging because a) it can't be erased like charcoal and b) the only variation in tone is in the quantity of strokes - with charcoal you can adjust the pressure, rub it out to blend, switch pencils, add more layers, ya da ya da ya...

All in all, Margaret is a wonderful instructor and for the most part, the drapery is a wonderful "model" (except when the afternoon light shifts the shadows, but that's hardly the model's fault).

Can you say Norm in a toga?

and then you wonder why I can't get anything done...

2008-07-30T14:55:00.000-07:00

the land of the living dinosaurs - aka the view from my dining room window today.

Darlingtonia californica

2008-07-27T20:10:00.000-07:00

Well, we just got back from a little R&R - I like to refer to it as "the tour" since we drove from Seattle to San Francisco and back. It's amazing what a different experience a road trip is now that I'm - shall we say - more mature... It was actually alot of fun and we saw some pretty cool things - like deer, elk, quail, surfers, redwood trees, and of course Darlingtonia californica. Now you ask yourself, what?

Darlingtonia californica is the only carnivorous plant that grows anywhere near Washington state. It is also known as the Cobra Lily. It's a pitcher plant, so the insects fall into the "pitcher" where they are phisically trapped from getting out (there are small hairs inside the pitcher that point down and therefore are too slippery to climb up). Also, the lid of this particular pitcher has little thin "windows" in it allowing light in, but the bug can't get out through them. There are some enzymes secreted by the plant into the pitcher to digest the bugs that are trapped. The other thing that amazes is me, is that in the 21st century (167 years after it was discovered), we still do not know what pollinates the flowers...hmm, can you say PhD thesis? And fyi, the pitchers in the photo are about 2 1/2 - 3 feet tall and growing in a bog.

The Darlingtonia Wayside on the Oregon coast (near Florence) is a great place to stop and see these plants in "action". Ok, there actually isn't any action to be seen, unless you are really patient and hang around long enough to see some unfortunate fly get trapped, but you get my drift. Next time you are driving down 101, check it out!

2008-07-21T07:07:00.000-07:00

I just realized that I have both a photograph and a graphite drawing (that I did way back in 2003 of my favorite orchid - Paphiopedlum Duncan York. I drew it from the orginal flower - the photo was taken in 2001. Yes, we still have him and he still blooms every year!

Good Morning Fushia!

2008-07-20T08:59:00.000-07:00

Fuschias are definitely a favorite of mine - especially the hardy ones! This one comes back in my garden every year, even if we have a heavy frost over the winter. It seems to me if I was a hummingbird, this would be the ideal place to stop for a snack, but I've never seen a hummingbird near it. I wonder if the nectar has been bred out of it to make room for color or resistance (hate it when that happens to plants, especially roses - whose main goal in life should be to smell pretty, but few do these days).

IF: Enough

2008-07-20T07:51:00.000-07:00

A girl can never have enough ... retail therapy!

A great end to a long weekend...

2008-07-13T20:45:00.000-07:00

We stopped for Chinese food on the way home from the Mill Creek Festival - and this was my fortune. I am choosing to believe that this means great things for Norm, since I don't really know what it means.

Captain's Log: Day 1

2008-07-12T21:01:00.001-07:00

P1040124, originally uploaded by artbynorm.

All is well at the Mill Creek Festival at noon with a high of 87° according to Steve Pool (more like 187° according to Norm). We had a great day at the fair and drank LOTS of water. We'll see what tomorrow brings...

Good Morning - Poppy!

2008-07-12T06:06:00.000-07:00

So it's a sunny weekend and I am off at the Mill Creek festival - I just wanted to share with you the pink poppies that are blooming in my garden. For those of you who have visited my garden in the summer, this is probably nothing new. For everyone else, let's just say for 2 months out of the year I have a garden that would make the Wicked Witch of the West proud - poppies have taken over despite my efforts to remove seed pods and pull out plants. I have 2 different varieties of red annual poppies, 2 different varieties of Oriental poppies (those are the perennial type), these pink ones and of course some California poppies. If anyone wants poppy seeds, let me know...

IF: Fog

2008-07-11T06:32:00.001-07:00

This is from a new series that I am working on for a solo show coming up in January 2009 at Muse Coffee on Queen Anne in Seattle. The whole series (as I see it right now) is going to be shades of grey with just a bit of red.

The series reminds me a lot of FOG - you never know what's really out there, it could be good, it could be bad, and it could be great. The point is it's out there, no matter what it is.

etsyRAIN.com at Mill Creek Festival

2008-07-11T06:10:00.000-07:00

Here's a peek at some of my friends that will be at the festival with me, my new tent, my new credit card machine, my new Greeting Cards (woohoo - professionally printed), and other new stuff like magnets, soldered microscope slide ornaments, and...

Totes2Go: totally cool re-usable fabric shopping bags that fold up into a nice neat little pouch when not in use.

World of Whimm: totally cool kids costumes!

NueToMe: recycled childrens clothing (like little girls t-shirt dresses)

RozsSaxSeattle: very cute handmade fashion accessories

Woven Chains: fantastic chain maille jewelry (you've gotta see her keychains, betcha won't be able to put it down!)

Made@Home: Homemade play dough with the coolest colors

FloatingPalace: very cute linoluem block print cards

Oh yea, park at the park and ride and ride the shuttle in - saves the hassle of trying to find non-existent parking at the fair.

Norm at the Mill Creek Festival and Street Fair

2008-07-11T03:39:00.000-07:00

this post will stay at the top until July 11th - all new posts appear below.

Casting Hands

2008-07-10T17:59:00.000-07:00

So, a few lessons learned, and more experience gained - that's my way of saying the glass is half full instead of ... well you get my drift. I think it is time for me to do a whole tutorial on making these hands since this is the 5th time making hands/feet and I've discovered yet more problems that I hadn't encountered before. I am planning on typing up the instructions and taking step-by-step photos. It's really not that hard, but it does take a lot of patience, especially when you are working with kids. The photo above is of an 8 year old, 5 year old, Grandma and Grandpa.

Stay tuned, or post a comment if you want me to let you know when I get the instructions posted.

Tante Heidi's Art School

2008-07-10T06:41:00.000-07:00

As part of Camp Oma every year, Tante Heidi teaches a day of Art School. This year we set up the easels in the back yard, broke out the acrylic paints and got to paint on REAL canvas. The kids each chose a subject to paint - a Princess, a Knight, and of course Norm. Do you think my niece was trying to get on the teacher's good side? Or is she a real Norm fan? I happen to know that she is one of my biggest fans - she even has Norm buttons on her bookbag for school.

And, as a bonus this year, we will have Tante Heidi's Art School part deux this year. Today we are going to cast our hands, similar to this: I will post photos when the hands are

done.

Figs!

2008-07-07T20:48:00.000-07:00

It looks like I will have a good fig crop this year - THREE whole figs if I play my cards right (and don't forget to water). That's a 300% increase from last year :)

2008-07-06T09:12:00.000-07:00

Here's you chance to get a little Norm ACEO along with other Sampler goodies - all for free, all you have to do is leave a comment!

Indie Crafts Gossip is doing the giveaway of a Sampler from The Home of the Sampler

what's up with the weather?

2008-07-03T05:56:00.000-07:00

So those of you who live in the Seattle area have to be asking yourself the same question. First, for the past I-don't-know-how-many days we've been having some real heat - like upper 8o's-lower 90's. This alone is unheard of in Seattle, since historically we only get a week of real heat in August. My flower garden is screaming for water - and my house is like a dry sauna!

And then, last night, there was HAIL at 2:30 am - and lots of it - hard hail - the kind that wakes you up from a deep sleep at 2:30am! I don't even want to question what that did to my flower garden. AND, because that surely is not enough to kvetch about, there have been thunder storms since about 2:25am and still going strong at 6am. Obviously I don't know if they continued through the hail storm, because the hail hitting the roof was way to loud, but I'm guessing there was thunder somewhere in the Seattle area, which we would've heard if the hail wasn't crashing down since we are on a hill and we hear everything for miles around.

And of course, I heard and continue to hear all this because I have to sleep with the windows open because it is a sauna in the house...

and what would you say about soldered ornaments?

2008-06-20T05:01:00.000-07:00

3" x 1" glass on both sides, soldered with silver-colored lead-free solder. Aren't I clever for figuring that out on my own? Wait - did I already tell you about these... now that I think about it, I gave you a sneak peak into the first round of soldering. Well since then I've had to purchase a new solder iron (I ruined the tip somehow and I couldn't find a replacement tip for the cheap craft iront that I bought about 20 years ago and just now started using).

There's still a few glitches to work out, but I think I may have figured it all out by the Mill Creek Fair.

One of my favorite flowers

2008-06-13T09:53:00.000-07:00

I just had to share - she doesn't bloom often, but when she does - WOW! I've had this plant for almost 15 years - I bought it went I worked at Molbaks. It is an Episcia dianthiflora or "Lace Flower" - I guess the name makes sense, huh? One day I plan on painting it - the only problem is the flowers don't last long and it always seems to bloom when I terribly busy. Oh well, I guess that's what digital cameras are for.

trying something new - Meme

2008-06-10T09:54:00.001-07:00

so I've been bugged to get something a little more personal onto my blog. here's where I start - this should be enough to keep you busy for a while and to make up for the lack of whatever in the past. My friend Katy at sycamorestirrings introduced me to "meme". Here are the questions , sans answers - you can figure 'em out in your spare time:

1. What is your first name?

2. What is your favorite food?

3. What high school did you go to?

4. What is your favorite color?

5. Who is your celebrity crush?

6. Favorite drink?

7. Dream vacation?

8. Favorite dessert?

9. What you want to be when you grow up?

10. What do you love most in life?

11. One Word to describe you.

12. Your Flickr name.

and here are the photo credits from l to r top to bottom (all from flickr): 1) ohsewpretty 2) robopppy 3) Mark Griffith 4) faria! 5) hellonheels 6) ochazuke 7) ancama 8) bluepupae 9) wolfy77 10) ParsecTraveller 11) jbelluch 12) artbynorm

Etsy Front Page!

2008-06-10T08:37:00.000-07:00

One of the most exciting things about selling on etsy is making it to the "front page" - i.e. the home page, or 1st page that everyone sees when they go to http://www.etsy.com/.

My friend Kelly at TomatoTomato saved the screen shot of Norm's 5 minutes of fame yesterday. I snooped around a bit to find out who put the collection together that go showcased ont he front page - it was leavesofglass- and the treasury was titled "Big Balls" - I'm honored that Norm fell into that category!

And one more shout-out - ok, two. Artsy was also on the front page - love her sculptures, in fact I traded her an old brownie camera for an 8x10 of the "Espresso Family". And I just discovered LemonBall - he handmakes baseballs - how cool is that!

Who wants a peak at the Trunkt book?

2008-06-02T04:57:00.000-07:00

Check it out - here's Norm! And the book's only $30 online - or if you are lucky enough to be in NYC you might find it at a coffee shop or independent book store!

Norm's magnetic personality

2008-05-27T04:58:00.001-07:00

I finnaalllllyyyy figured out a way to do Norm magnets. I won't bore you with all the boring details (like I usually do), let's just say it wasn't easy to do something that looked easy.

Now they're here, and you can buy them here.

Norm's in a book!

2008-05-27T03:14:00.000-07:00

Check it out (page 9 if you scavenger hunt your way through the preview pages on Blurb)

It is published by Trunkt! and will be sold on-line and in coffee shops & independent bookstores in NY.

Woo-hoo!

Ok, I will take pity on you - here is the link directly to the preview of the book - but you are going to have to scroll down to page 9 by yourself.

So last I left you with my basement woes...

2008-05-26T05:04:00.000-07:00

I think it looked something like photo A - the shine in the picture is about 1" of water. We estimated that ~500 gallons of water poured in through the weak concrete floor (it rained so hard in Seattle that the ground water rose). The vibration of the washing machine wore a hole right through the cement into the dirt layer below. It was gross to say the least.

Check out what it looks like now - 2+ tons of cement later (ok, that includes hauling old cement out of the basement by the bucket and carrying 60 lb. bags into the basement). My new floor. It's so pretty, I don't want to cover it up with the rubber mats I had down before. :)

Oh, and there are drains, french drains and a sump pump. Bring on the rain!

Norm at the PSIA

2008-05-10T19:07:00.000-07:00

** please note: if you are a regular reader of this blog, this is a "sticky post" and will remain at the top until 5/10/08 - newer posts will appear below.**

I will be at a show in Edmonds (just north of Seattle) on May 10th. This is going to be a great show. We put together swag bags for the first 50 people through the door. There will be hourly drawings for wonderful things. And best of all, there will be at least 25 sellers from Puget Sound Indie Arts selling their wonderful handmade creations!

This just in...

2008-05-07T08:51:00.000-07:00

Ok, not quite "just in" - I'm a little slow in keeping up these days - it has something to do with volunteering at an elementary school... but I digress. Kayce at World of Whimm has linked to all the vendors' websites for the upcoming PSIA show in Edmonds (May 10th) - check it out for a sneak peak of what is going to be up for sale: click here

IF: Primitive

2008-04-20T09:05:00.001-07:00

so a definition of primitive is "an unsophisticated person" - I think that describes Norm on most levels...

hee hee hee

2008-04-20T07:18:00.001-07:00

it works :)

just trying out my "sticky post"

2008-04-20T07:17:00.001-07:00

This is a test. This is only a test. This is a test of the PSIA sticky post. I posted this post after posting the sticky post. Please ignore it.

life of a slacker....

2008-04-20T06:57:00.000-07:00

ok - so I'm having BIG problems keeping up with all the websites that I have to log-in to to keep track of all my stuff - this is getting insane! I was discussing this with my 5 1/2 year old the other day - when I was little we didn't have cell phones (what's a pay phone?), dvd's (how did you pause to go potty?), the internet (where did you play computer games?), email (how did you send "letters" to people?)... Not only that, we didn't have "snow days" - I had to walk to school in 5' of snow (grew up in the fabulous Rocky Mountains) - to which the response was, you had to walk to school? Ok, so I'm hip, I'm trying to be up-to-date. I can keep my website updated, I sell my wares over the internet, I use the computer for settling disputes between me and my spouse - but still I can not keep up with moderating comments on my blog. I apologize to those of you who are kind enough to read my blog and acutally comment. Don't take it personally. I had a few spammy comments and now I'm a control freak. I vow to be better at it in the future!

so I'm slackin' a little bit...

2008-04-08T13:51:00.000-07:00

But I have a good excuse. I've been working on an ABC book for about a year now. I painted 26 pictures for the book, scanned them, photographed them, had them printed into a book format, photoshopped them because the book looked awful, tried another printer, re-photoshopped them, and then gave up. Then, in at 3am one day, I awoke with the brilliant idea of converting all the paintings to linoleum block prints. So, I practiced cutting a few blocks, started drawing the pictures, practiced cutting some more blocks, tried different ways to transfer the pictures, found a way that worked, so I scanned the drawings and started transferring then cutting the 26 blocks. I have 19 blocks in the works currently (the art store didn't have 26 in stock, so I have to go back). But low and behold version 2.0 of the blocks works! So far I'm happy with the format. So happy in fact that I am a willing to share them with you. Here is "I is for Icecream" and "H is for Houses" - I'll let you figure out which is which.

IF: Homage

2008-03-28T20:15:00.001-07:00

...in the Museum of Noses...

Homage to a master - I started a "series" of homages to masters - you can find them all at http://www.artbynorm.com/ in the gallery under masters. This is by far my favorite - and so are Magritte and Dali...

Talk about leaps...

2008-03-26T02:34:00.000-07:00

So I finally did it - I took the leap and hired a rep to help me with wholesale and other sales. Bonnie at Lady Nin seemed to be a great fit. It was a lot like finding a nanny for my baby. I was a little skeptical about letting just anyone spend time with Norm, but Bonnie is great. She bonded with Norm right away. She understood his personality and was able to deal with all of his "quirks" right off tht bat.

Bonnie sells artwork from many Northwest artists - you should check out her website. I am honored to be in such company.

click here to go to Lady Nin's Art Festival

IF: Leap

2008-02-29T06:15:00.000-08:00

I read this quote once, in Honey From Stone by Chet Raymo [wonderful book]: "Put on you jumping shoes which are intellect and love."

Ok, so you are saying to yourself, but a jump is not a leap - and here are my arguements to the contrary:

a) in my handy Collins English Gem Dictionary , ©1960, the defintion of leap is "spring, jump;"

b) it's hard to leap when you are always painted with your legs stiffly together.

'nough said. Happy Leap Day!

Let's get this thing started again!

2008-02-29T05:49:00.000-08:00

So you may have noticed that I've been a little "absent" lately. I was busy combing the beach on Siesta Key collecting AWESOME shells, drawing the ocean, and snapping 1100 (yes that is more than a thousand) photos of people & things (I got a new camera). And since I didn't even think about work for the past 2+ weeks (ha) I have nothing to blog about (again, ha).

This little test came pretty true - for those of you who know me, know that this is my personality and my favorite color. I am happy that my "quirks" have not scared you off yet!

You Are Teal Green

You are a one of a kind, original person. There's no one even close to being like you.

Expressive and creative, you have a knack for making the impossible possible.

While you are a bit offbeat, you don't scare people away with your quirks.

Your warm personality nicely counteracts any strange habits you may have.

What Color Green Are You?

Swimmy, Etsy, and a lot of orange fish

2008-02-10T06:09:00.000-08:00

So, Etsy's founder, Rob read the story of Swimmy by Leo Leoni to describe what Etsy is all about. It's actually a wonderful children's story about how 1 little (black) fish with a "vision" helped all the other little (orange) fish band together to scare off the big bully fish (i.e. black fish = etsy, orange fish = small entrepeneurs, big fish = corporations). Anyway, EtsyRain, the Seattle Team of Etsy sellers is banding together and creating a bunch of orange fish to send to Rob for a diorama. This is my contribution.

$10 and Top Ten Toys in Greenwood...

2008-02-06T22:07:00.000-08:00

So here's what happens when you give a girl a $10 and send her into a toy store. I came home with Sea Monkeys (the last one passed away last September, so it's time to hatch some new ones - but more on that later) and Shrinky Dinks! Who woulda thought that these could be so fun. You draw your design on the plastic (these started off 4" tall), pop it in the oven, and out it comes in under 2 min. at half the size (they ended up 2" tall). Can you say promo material?

Norm Nesting Dolls?

2008-02-05T05:56:00.000-08:00

So it seemed a natural fit, once I looked at the silhouette of Norm and the silhouette of the nesting dolls. I found out it's really difficult translating something I see as 2D into a 3D object. For example, in my mind, Norm has a front and a back - but I have no idea what his sides look like... not to mention, I had to follow someone else's template for a shape (I think his shoes are a little skimpy, I would prefer my boy to wear sensible shoes).

All in all I am happy with the way the first "Team Norm" turned out. I learned a lot on the prototype - like sealing the wood 1st makes more work (go figure) and tube acrylics are more transparent than those little plastic bottles. So, the next Team will go much faster, with fewer problems, and hopefully turn-out exactly as I originally visualized (one can always dream)! There are more photos on my FlickR page

buddies in Rhode Island

2008-02-03T07:55:00.000-08:00

so we (as in EtsyRain, the Seattle group of Etsy sellers) teamed up with Rhode Island Arts Street team to help promote each other. Funny that we are at the far reaches of the continent - you don't get much further east or west - and yet we are all very similar in our talent for creating new and wonderful treasures! Here are a few artists that caught my eye (it's kinda making me want to go to RI to one of their craft fairs...)

electronrings makes wonrderful felted goodies including rings, lariats, and this bellydancing belt!

spiderbite makes that rockin' cool journals -

julibcreative painted these wonderful "lollipop" trees - I LOVE lollipop trees. My art teacher in the 3rd grade was so impressed by my ability to draw trees with the V branches that she told me only little kids drew lollipop trees. Well here's to all the little kids at heart! (you'll note that I've reverted back to my little kidness too!)

and lastly, but definitely not leastly, a woman who takes skelton keys (another thing near and dear to my heart) and creates beautiful glass beads right onto the key! How cool is that? Oh her shop name is The Venerable Bead

IF: Blanket

2008-02-01T07:07:00.000-08:00

Give me a blanket, a piece of construction paper and a cardboard box, and I will rule the kingdom!

Moo Mini Cards part deux!

2008-01-31T18:48:00.000-08:00

They just arrived, the 1st re-order... gotta love these little business cards!

NorM?

2008-01-31T03:15:00.000-08:00

I think this is too funny. Being both a huge Agatha Christie fan and being "Norm" - a friend picked this up for me at a garage sale. I can see a whole "Norm" collection starting...

Ok, and one confession - this isn't the exact cover that I received. The story takes place in WWII Europe and revolves around Tommy & Tuppence chasing a couple of German spies. Let's just say I like this cover better. There's a different cover pictured in my FLICKR account.

Linoleum Block Prints

2008-01-28T01:19:00.000-08:00

So, I've been tossing around the idea of doing lino block prints of Norm. This is one of the 1st that I've done. I'm enojoying the process and the freshness of the outcome. Granted, I still have a lot to learn.

And learn I shall. I am embarking on a project to do an ABC book in lino block prints done by Kindergarteners. They will draw the designs - 1 block for each letter. A team of 4 parents will cut the blocks, then the kids will help us print the accordion style book. It should be fun, but I never imagined how much planning goes into something like this. For example, how to do you explain positive/negative to a 5 year old? Or try to get a "scribbler" to draw big enough shapes that an adult can interpret into an easy to carve block - granted you can do fine detail on lino blocks, but when there are 26 to cut...

Fingers crossed, all will go smoothly with the book and I will pick up a few tips & tricks. Then I can embark on my own book adventure.

IF: Tales and Legends

2008-01-26T07:10:00.001-08:00

So what if Little Red Riding Hood & the Wolf were one in the same?

I Spy with my little eye...

2008-01-17T19:36:00.000-08:00

Norm amongst some talented artists on Storque!

IF: Stitch

2008-01-17T10:26:00.000-08:00

And he wore not a STITCH - or did he?

Storque Article - and I'm in it!

2008-01-17T09:28:00.000-08:00

Check it out : click here

a little press can't be a bad thing, huh?

ok, just a little craziness to end the week:

2008-01-04T06:20:00.000-08:00

I am a
Snapdragon

What Flower
Are You?

I'm a Snapdragon: "Mischief is your middle name, but your first is friend. You are quite the prankster that loves to make other people laugh." And how true it is!

A New Year, A New look -

2008-01-02T05:41:00.000-08:00

ok, not quite - I can't imagine Norm looking any different than he already does.

But, I had a lot of positive response on "The Shades of Grey" (and sold the original), so I am contemplating working more in grey scale painting...

what do you think?

NEW Moo Postcards are here!

2007-12-29T13:46:00.001-08:00

My postcards just arrived from Moo.com and they are so cool!

check 'em out at my etsy store: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=8638673

Gouache for sale

2007-12-28T17:48:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to help a friend sell off some surplus gouache paint she accumulated. There are 310 tubes and she is asking for close to 50% of retail price. Here is a pdf showing what is available.

List of Gouache for Sale

If you are interested in buying some gouache, go to Max and Co's Etsy Store

What am I working on?

2007-12-19T07:01:00.000-08:00

You can find photos of projects in the works (at various stages, some are almost done, others have just begun) on my FlickR site. Check it out!

IF: Backwards

2007-12-17T19:13:00.000-08:00

Shouldn't I be looking at you, instead of you looking at me? It all seems a bit backwards...

the stuffed Norm

2007-12-10T13:01:00.000-08:00

My friend Marlo made me this Norm before the art sale / Grinch Birthday party. He stands about 21" tall - and is as cuddly as he looks in the pictures. Marlo did a wonderful job capturing his likeness - from my business card of all things! Marlo has an etsy shop named I Make Cute Things - and I think this proves that she does! I'm going to put more pictures in my FlickR group ...

IF: somewhere in the world...

2007-12-09T06:59:00.000-08:00

as the sun is just coming up from the horizon, there is a very small egg ready to hatch - and a little boy named Norm is born...

The day the music died....

2007-12-04T17:31:00.000-08:00

On Monday 12/3/07 Seattle got a lot of rain. So much rain in fact that our basement flooded. We baled out over 200 gallons of water in an 8 hour period, trying to save my studio... We finally gave up trying to beat the gush, and just put everything up on plastic bins. Fortunately after 2 1/2 hours of more rain, the water stopped seeping through the cement floors and walls. The cement started to crumble in spots, like under the washing machine. Needless to say, it will be a while before I sit down to start anything new in the studio (it's kinda a mess).

The funny thing is, from 8:30am Mon. until 7am Tues. morning time stopped. I was oblivious to the world revolving around me - nothing was happening except the water pouring into my basement. Then Tues. morning I woke up and realized that almost 24 hours worth of stuff happened and I had to play catch up... and then I got caught in a downpour again in the parking lot, on the way to my car, with my arms full of stuff from Costco!

The photos: #1 & 2 - the water coming in albeit contained by every towel & rag in the house. #3 the hole where the washing machine foot broke all the way through the weakened concrete #4 where's my desk?

Norm's donating to the Amer. Cancer Society

2007-11-30T17:08:00.000-08:00

About 1 1/2 years ago I was riding an emotional rollercoaster after finding out yet another friend had cancer. There was alot of cancer circling around me, amongst family & friends (let's just say I needed more than 1 hand to count everyone diagnosed). It was very scary and upsetting, death was a common topic of discussion. And this is when Norm was born.

Everyone reads something different into my paintings. Norm has a special place for me - he's become a member of the family (mostly because I do most of my work in the dining room, so we are surrounded by him in our house).

So I have decided to give something back to the American Cancer Society. 20% of the profits from my felted Norm dolls will be donated to the ACS. The dolls can be purchased in my shop at www.artbynorm.etsy.com They are 2 1/2" tall and made of wool.

I'm in the Holiday Sampler

2007-11-30T06:26:00.000-08:00

Woo - hoo! If you love grab bag ideas as much as I do, you'll love this! The Sampler is a sampling of samples and materials sent in each month by independent crafters, artists, shops, zines and record labels who run web-based businesses. You get a sneak peak of what might be in the "box" by checking out their website: The Sampler.

I contributed 100 signed & numbered limited edition ACEO's (these are a limited run of 100 and I contributed the whole set to The Sampler - so if you want one, you gotta buy a Sampler). Woo-hoo - it's tons of fun. I'm going to contribute to the next Sampler also as a group with other EtsyRain artists.

Norm & the Jacobobs

2007-11-22T08:52:00.000-08:00

Norm's got some new friends - Squeed and Jasper!

They just arrived from KitLane, an etsy seller and they are wonderful.

Check out her shop, she does really great work - felted critters and some awesome holdiay cards titled "A View From the Manger"!

EtsyRain Mystery Grab Bags are here!

2007-11-19T14:37:00.000-08:00

Etsy Rain is the Seattle Street Team of artists & craftspeople that sell their wares on Etsy.com Just in time for the holidays, we all teamed up and put together grab bags. Each grab bag has $50 worth of stuff from 5 sellers - but you pay only $25! What a deal! Here are the sellers who are participating in the kids/baby's grab bags:

glitzconcepts.etsy.com
sycamorebaby.etsy.com
lasesigns.etsy.com
tomatotomato.etsy.com
artbynorm.etsy.com (me)

and these sellers are in the "general" grab bags:

kneek.etsy.com

imakecutestuff.etsy.com

wiretree.etsy.com

scarywhitegirl.etsy.com

baublesbyhand.etsy.com

kimberlyatstir.etsy.com

livewire.etsy.com

wovenchains.etsy.com

emmakat.etsy.com

sweetpeacardsgifts.etsy.com

How much would it be to open up a box of stuff that you got from some very creative people in Seattle? Here is my listing for a kids grab bag: MYSTERY GRAB BAG Now get shopping!

Norm and the Grinch

2007-11-14T20:04:00.000-08:00

I will be at All For Kids Books at 2900 NE Blakely St. (1 block behind University Village) in Seattle on Sunday, Nov. 18th from noon-5.

There will be an art sale as well as a celebration for the Grinch's 50th Birthday! Imagine that, Norm gets to meet the Grinch. How cool is that?

Holiday Cards

2007-11-10T06:52:00.000-08:00

I just added a set of holiday cards - a snowman standing in the grass - to my etsy store (10 cards for $15).

I painted this picture last year, when we FINALLY got enough snow to make a snowman (I think there was about 3"). By the time we made the 4 ft. tall Frosty, the grass was bare - we had to use up every last bit of snow we could find, just to get a head! Aaaah, winters in Seattle [not to be compared to winters in Denver or Montreal].

Have you ever sat and wondered

2007-11-08T05:28:00.000-08:00

If the world was just created to give you something to look at? Sit on a park bench and just obseve. Why is it all there? Why is everything else happening? If you stop, but the world keeps turning - is it for a reason, or just to keep your attention. What if you stopped looking - would the world stop turning? Compare & contrast - and get back to me later....

2007-11-02T08:03:00.001-07:00

Check it out - it's totally cool. The editors at Trunkt put together a shopping guide, sorted by what type of gift, who you're buying for, and what personality you're buying for. It's really fun to see the ideas they came up with - Norm appears in many of the categories... including a Norm painting for "Travellers". :)

P.S. While you're there, click on any of Norm's pictures to go to Norm's portfolio - then you can rate Norm, leave a comment and create a Wishlist to win a shopping spree!

Trunkt $500 Shopping Spree

2007-10-22T11:30:00.000-07:00

When I was little, my brother and I would make up Christmas Lists every Dec. and put them in our stockings for St. Nick to deliver to Santa Claus (being German, St. Nick filled our stockings on Dec. 6th and Santa delivered presents on Dec. 24th - 2 separate guys). The "funnest" way to do this, was to get out the Sears Wishbook [aka catalog] and cut the pictures of the toys we wanted out. I put the handcrank snow cone maker on every year, but didn't get one until I was 25 when my brother took pity on me.

Trunkt.org - The Buyer's Guide to Independent Art + Design is running a $500 Shopping Spree Sweepstakes - how fun would that be, to have $500 to spend on really cool art, clothing, housewares,... stuff that you won't find at your average dept. store!

Anyway, all you have to do is sign-up for a "Wishlist" and add 21 products to it. It's totally free and fun to do (all you have to do is cruise around and look at different artist's portfolios, then click on the "add to wishlist" link under the picture of the item you like) - it's like getting out the Sears catalog (only 100 times better).

And - as an added bonus - ArtByNorm has a portfolio on Trunkt that you can pick from too!

Here is the link to the Wishlist Shopping Spree

BLOG Action Day

2007-10-15T07:20:00.000-07:00

What would happen if every blog published posts discussing the same issue, on the same day? One issue. One day. Thousands of voices. Today, Oct. 15th is Blog Action Day. Here's the link...

The issue is upcycling and/or recycling. Kind of hard to apply this to original painting, but here goes my [almost] funny story:

A friend [who is a painter] used a scrap of gessoed canvas from one of his finished paintings to wrap a Birthday present for another friend [also a painter].

She in turned saved the scrap thinking one day it may be useful. The day came when I said I wanted to experiment with different types of canvas for my paintings.

And thus, meet Norm in "Desert" - you can still see the folds from the "gift wrap" days - I didn't bother to iron 'em out because I thought it added character.

First Thurs. Artwalk in Pioneer Square! Nov. 1, 2007

2007-10-13T07:27:00.000-07:00

The Seattle Etsy Street Team (from here on out known as EtsyRain) is having an Art Sale during the First Thursday Art Walk in Pioneer Square.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Pioneer Square Artwalk, the first Thursday of every month galleries in the hip & artsy Pioneer Square area of downtown Seattle stay open late, the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) has free admission, and many artists hold their show openings on that night.

It's a lot of fun, a lot of walking, and a lot of checking out great art!

We'll be there until about 10-ish, right around the corner from Al Boccalino and the Pioneer Square Saloon, just under the viaduct!

http://www.stirboutique.com/kick_off_the_holidays.html

Stop by and say Hi!

the Fall Thing Art & Craft Show

2007-10-07T07:07:00.000-07:00

'tis the season for art & craft fairs. I will be selling in at least 3 before Thanksgiving - come check it out if you have the chance! (Sat. 10/20, Phinney Ridge Community Center in Seattle)

Vanuatu (not to be confused with Xanadu)

2007-10-01T16:20:00.000-07:00

This ain't your favorite Olivia Newton John song (picutre headband and legwarmers). I'm talking about an archipelago of islands in the South Pacific that grows cacao.

Last year, I had a single plantation sampler of chocolates from Pralus. It was great tasting each one side by side to see how environment changes the flavor of the cacao (since everything else in the recipe was kept constant, the only thing that was different was the plantation where the cacao was grown).

Vanuata had the oddest smokey, tobacco, gasoline taste. Although I had my favorites from the others (10 different plantations from Asia, Africa and S. America) - this was the only one that I wouldn't buy again (but then again, I ate Berty Bots - every flavor - so maybe there's a chance for Vanuatu).

Trick or Treat

2007-09-23T08:10:00.001-07:00

Boo! Inspired by the play "Harriet's Halloween Candy" - and Trick or Treating the old-fashioned way (where you had to wait until after dinner to go out, wear a coat over your costume, and it was only neighborhood kids going through your neighborhood!) Oh, and you cut up the apple before you ate it, because...well you know, just to be safe...but you actually ate the apple. Happy Halloween everyone!

Bija Dark Chocolate Truffles

2007-09-16T12:19:00.000-07:00

So, there seems to be a new trend in sticking vitamins / minerals / other healthy stuff into chocolate to get people to eat it. I'm a little insulted by the implication that the only way to get me to take my pills is to stick it in something to disguise it, like a dog that who won't swallow pills (hiding them in steak tartar wouldn't be a bad idea, although I think I'm the minority on that one). Anyway, I found these new chocolates that have omega 3 & 6 fatty acids (and evening primrose oil for any of you suffering from PMS or hotflashes). Surprisingly the dark chocolate truffles are DELICIOUS! Ok, so maybe dogs have the right idea...

Speedo or Naturalist?

2007-09-16T11:06:00.000-07:00

I've just worked out a 5x7 print of my original paintings (it was tough deciding on the cropping...) unlike the originals & the larger prints, the smaller prints don't include the ink "bleed"). Also the small prints come matted with a white archival mat and backboard (outside dimensions 8x10).

note: all of my images are copyrighted, but the copyright does not appear on any of the prints or originals (unlike the photos on the various websites)

And, I'm "in the news"!

2007-09-07T08:10:00.000-07:00

check this out - it's all about me :) http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/360236/etsy_seller_artbynorm_offers_brilliantly.html?image=137837

you can also check it out on Dawn's blogspot - http://www.shopetsy.blogspot.com/

thanks Dawn, I'm flattered!

Norm in the movies?

2007-09-06T12:03:00.000-07:00

so I just found out (through Googling artbynorm) that Norm is in a movie! of course it is what appears to be a Japanese student's movie - and I can't find a link to the actual movie, but none-the-less, Norm was listed in the credits! check it out at: http://shoumanabiya.blogspot.com/2007/08/i-fianlly-finished-assignment-5.html

woo-hoo! my 5 seconds of fame - look out Oscar, here I come!

Vegas...

2007-09-02T02:09:00.000-07:00

So I was there on a whirlwind tour (26 hours to be exact) - and I left feeling like I was a little kid, sitting in bed reading a storybook that I jumped inside of. Bright colors, costumes, strange sounds - everything was so unreal compared to my reality. It was a very fun / surreal experience.

chocolate mint tea?

2007-08-25T05:09:00.000-07:00

so this sounds odd, but it is actually quite good - assuming you like peppermint tea...
http://www.chocolatebarnyc.com/drinkables/choc_pepp_patty.html

"Mellow Vanilla, Rich Chocolate, Soothing Mint and Naturally Caffeine-Free! With Chocolate, Vanilla, Mint, and Rooibos"

I bought it at the Chocolate Bar in New York. One box made about 6 big mugs - it's like drinking hot chocolate & schnapps - but without the dairy and alcohol!

saying good-bye...

2007-08-25T03:18:00.000-07:00

there are so many things we have to say goodbye to - a lesson with a dance coach meant saying bye to fear, an estate sale meant saying bye to love, and a friend leaving for college meant saying bye to comfort...it opened up a new world for a lot of people today...maybe you were one of them?

more places to find Norm...

2007-08-23T18:59:00.000-07:00

View my profile on Indiepublic

I also joined etsykids (as in I make stuff for kids):

and I'm a member of EtsyRain (Seattle area Etsy sellers)

(makes you wonder what I'm doing with all my time now, eh?)

"Modesty"

2007-08-18T14:43:00.000-07:00

It's a hot day in Seattle - I wish I was at the beach!

I don't believe it...

2007-08-17T13:43:00.000-07:00

The other day I bought a chocolate bar at Whole Foods called Mo's Bacon Bar - yes, it is a real milk chocolate bar with bacon bits in it...who woulda thunk it? It wasn't half bad - but then again... check it out Vosges Chocolate

wow - look at me!

2007-08-16T17:16:00.000-07:00

This is a first for me. Everyone's been telling me to do it - and being a world class procrastinator, of course I waited... So now I finally got off my duff and I'm here. And to celebrate, I share with you the thrill of my day - I was in Trunkt's "spotlight" this afternoon. Here's what it looked like: