My painting today...

Mirror foods

 12" x 12"

acrylic on canvas

For a very long time, I've been wanting to do a 'painting a day', like so many fellow art bloggers in interwebland. I think about it constantly, attempt it frequently, and fail usually. Until today. 

Started and finished a painting in an afternoon.
Whew. 

No school today, kids are all (sorta) dressed, fed and happy. House is, well, worse than yesterday, better than Monday. ;)

I'm so excited. Yes, I see much, much room for improvement -- but, this is not a-painting-in-all-my-waking-hours-til-I-pull-my-hair-out. One day. :)

Overall, I'm very pleased with the experience. And I will try desperately to not touch it again. Even at midnight when the mistakes are shouting at me from another room. 

My real life prevents me from actually doing this every day, but maybe, just maybe, I can do a 'painting a day' once a week. 

Keep an eye out for more! 

(When I've caught my breath, and have a few of these under my belt, I'll be adding them to my etsy shop.)

Signs, signs, everywhere are signs...

Bergman Ruler

 I've been wanting to make a growth chart for many months -- in fact, I had one nearly completed -- and then I found Pinterest. (Follow me here, if you like.) 

Mine was white and gray and sorta cute, but when I saw the ones that actually looked like a ruler - I knew the white one was a goner. (Well, it actually still exists - it's on the back side of this one - but, it'll never again see the light of day.) 

Anyway, thankfully, I had only put a light coat of primer on the back side of my 1" x 10", so I sanded it a bit to bring out the wood grain, and then rubbed on a mixture of yellow, red and brown paint and semi-gloss glazing medium to make it look like natural wood again.

Century Schoolbook font had the exact number style I wanted, and after successfully installing it onto my computer (with minor self-congratulations), I printed, traced and painted. The 'Bergman Ruler' part was inspired by the design on an oldish ruler I found in my stash. 

(I'll add a photo once I get it installed and all the old measurements transferred.) 

Hometown

I saw a cutesy, vintage-y version of a hometown sign in the background of someone, somewhere's Facebook photo...and off I went. I thought about making one for myself, but there are two things I know -- 1) my sister Greta loves Sebeka so very much, and -- 2) it's always better to give than to receive. 

She lives 1537 miles from our hometown, and from this post on her blog, Gretabag, I gather that she likes the sign as well. :) 

I wanted the letters to be authentic, so I was thrilled when I found the Roadgeek fonts. (I used Roadgeek 2005 series 4B, if anyone cares.) 

I also discovered a new term: 'roadgeek'. One who is interested in roads and road trips. I am a roadgeek. (A stay-at-home roadgeek. See below.)

Let's go home already.

I first saw this phrase on HGTV's Secrets from a Stylist and for some reason it resonated with me. Well, several reasons, actually. 

a - It sounds like something my mom would say, therefore, it reminds me of her and brings back fond childhood memories. 

b - It's the thought most often running through my brain when I'm not at home -  even though I like to think of myself as super adventurous, spontaneous, ready to get up and go at the drop of a hat - well, I'm just not. Someday I'll become that super-fun free spirit, ;) but for now, I'm pretty content being a homebody. 

And c - it has deep spiritual significance. A little reminder that this world with its ups and downs, highs and lows -- this world is not my home.

And I like letters. And fonts. And signs.

 By the way, font is My Own Topher. And yes, my font collection has grown significantly in the last few weeks. :)

It's the one finished thing on my 'to finish' wall. :) 

By the way, I welcome comments and followers, fellow housework avoiders  and lurkers. :) 

What have you been creating lately?

Happy Happy Apple

8" x 10"
acrylic on masonite


Just because they make me smile.
And because of the sweet little chime.
When I was a kid, I didn't know these came with leaves. :)

Click here to buy.

Grandma and Grandpa Aho

18" x 24"

Acrylic on canvas



I recently visited my grandparents in Minnesota and took the opportunity to snap a few photos of this painting I did for them in 2002. I was asked to paint their portrait in honor of their 60th wedding anniversary, and after much thought and indecision about which era of their life to portray, I decided to make a collage capturing a few snapshots of them through the years.

I find portraits to be exceedingly difficult, especially when the subjects are so special to so many. Ah, who am I kidding, it's all difficult! I s'pose that's why it's so rewarding when something turns out how you want it to. Anyway, I did the best I could at the time, and as it is with most of my work, I see fewer mistakes as time passes. It's been nearly a decade, so I rather like it now. ;)

The central image is how I see them in my memories - Grandma especially. That long, dark, braid wrapped around her head every day was fascinating to me as a little girl. I was sure I would wear mine that way some day. The closest I got was two pigtail braids tied together on the top of my head in elementary school. Oh, and I also did some crazy wrap-around french braids in high school. Yeah, I'm pretty sure it didn't look anything like my Grandma's beautiful braid. :)

 This is Grandpa with two of my cousins, Lynnette and Jodie. He is adored by his many grandchildren, and partly because of his gift for storytelling. I can still hear him 'explaining' the origin of town names where we lived...."Men, "Ah-ga", "See, bee-ka". (You know what I'm talking about!) Still makes me laugh.

Here's Grandma as a young married woman with Armas, her first child, and then in more recent years, Grandpa helping her up the stairs. To the left is their home.

Grandma and Grandpa with my aunts Susan and Aila. (I think.) In this image of my grandma I can see a family resemblance to aunts and cousins that I wouldn't have otherwise noticed.

Ok, not a lot of detail here - I was working from a little 3"x3" snapshot - but this is my grandparents with all eighteen of their living children. A-maz-ing. There's my mom (Ellen) in the red shirt and yellow skirt, can you tell? ;)

As a family, we are so blessed to still have them in our lives.

They are living testimonies of the grace and love of our heavenly Father. 

Many Maples

12" x 12"

Acrylic on canvas

This is the one time of the year I don't appreciate the perma-green of the Pacific NW...I want more color!! It can be found in small amounts if one goes searching, but I decided to make a little of my own. 

Aside from the overly green landscape, I adore this time of the year. The smell of wood-burning stoves, a little crispness to the air, clear blue skies and mellow orange evenings. Ahhh.

But, honestly, the biggest reason I love fall...it means Christmas is only a couple of short months away! My true favorite time of year. My head is already spinning with ideas of how to decorate, what kind of handmade gifts to make, new treats to bake, the glorious music, family and friends, baby Jesus...love, love, love it!

Martha's

27 1/2" x 20"

acrylic on vintage wooden door



After digging through the couch cushions and under car seats for every spare piece of coinage we could find, my brothers and sisters and I would gather all the working bicycles and caravan down dusty gravel roads to Martha's store at the intersection called Hillview. From banana seats to ten-speeds, we raced up and down gentle hills, cautiously watching for traffic ahead and behind, taking care not to get bogged down in the soft sand near the shoulder. One final long uphill that sometimes required our short legs to get off and push, and we had reached the cool relief of our destination. Drooling in front of the glass candy case, we shyly made thoughtful decisions while Martha deliberately punched every piece of penny, nickel and dime candy into her huge old-fashioned cash register and then added it to our individual brown paper bag. No coin was left behind. Our bags were filled with an assortment of Astropops, Fun Dips, Poprocks, Charleston Chew, Bit o Honey, candy necklaces, wax pop bottles, Bottle Caps, double lollies, Sixlets, Necco wafers, Bazooka gum, and some Luden cherry cough drops, because, well, not only do they taste good, but they are good for you. Closing the bell-jingling door behind us, we'd take time to do a few blissful tar-road-riding loops in front of her store, and then turn our bikes back towards the gravel leading home. The return trip always included a brief rest stop at a tiny creek to stare at the water, but mostly to inhale some more sugary heaven. Ahh, such sweet memories. Just a glimpse of this spot transports me right back to the simple, hot, sticky summers of my youth.

May Flower

Acrylic on canvas, 2009

This was done as a tablecloth for "Birthday Day" at our church. I had the month of May (also my birth month), so I chose this bright Gerbera Daisy to be the centerpiece of our table. In order to make it tablecloth size, I got to paint this already huge daisy in super-gigantic form. The finished piece is roughly 4' x 6'. Love it!

Some oldies... Artisan Fair 2007

Ireland, 2007

14" x 11"

Cannon Beach, 2007

14" x 11"

Snowy Bridge, 2007

14" x 11"

Seasons

Acrylic on canvas, 2009

"Sisters"

"Sisters" - color pencil on paper, 2009.

I had a little hankering to do a drawing - it's been a long time! These sweet little girls are daughters of a good friend - SO cute. I had so much fun doing this - although it took a bit to remember how it's done. Of course, very few mediums are as forgiving as acrylics -- if I screw up -- just paint over and go again! I hope to find the time and inspiration to do a few more of these sometime soon. Someday I'm going to do my own kids - I hope they are not already out of the house before I get around to it.

"Let the children come unto me..."

"Let the children come unto me..." - mural, church nursery, 2007

This painting is in a church nursery. On one of the other walls I painted Mark 10:14.

Very enjoyable painting to do, lots of big arm movements and swift brush strokes and almost all within reach without climbing or squatting. (I was pregnant at the time.) They tell me it's liked by children, parents, and the board members who use this room for meetings. Mission accomplished!

"Southerton Outfitters"

"Southerton Outfitters" - acrylic on vintage saw blade, 2007

I have an immense affinity for letters and fonts - one of my earliest memories of doodling was covering an elementary worksheet with the letter 'G' a gazillion times. In high school I would write a word like "love" over and over in as many 'fonts' as I could dream up. I still love 'G' and the rest of the alphabet, so it was really fun to do this painting. I'm also into vintage signage so I tried to make this look a little old school.

"Country Village"

mural, dining room

"Artisan Fair IV"

Cottages I
12" x 12"















Cottages II
12" x 12"
Durham

"Artisan Fair III"

"Buckets"-acrylic on canvas

"Artisan Fair II"

"Football" - acrylic on canvas

30" x 24"

"Baseball" - acrylic on canvas

30" x 24"

"Lake"- acrylic on canvas

"Artisan Fair I"

I did the following paintings for an Artisan Fair in 2006.










"Fields" - acrylic on canvas
36" x 18"




"Venice" - acrylic on canvas
























"Sleigh"- acrylic on canvas

"Drive-In"

"Drive-in" - mural, media room

"Train Room"

"Train room" - mural, boy's room

Big House

"The house that Jacob built" - acrylic on canvas, 2005

Being a former interior design student, I really enjoy painting architecture, and this home has special memories for me. It was designed and built by my great-grandfather, Jacob Aho, and we would visit it often when I was a child. Back then, it seemed absolutely massive, and I recall feeling hopelessly lost in its maze of rooms, great-aunts and great-uncles. It's now serving as a museum of sorts at the family farm in central MN. And although the size is still impressive, it has apparently shrunk just a bit. ;)

"Jacob"

"Jacob" - acrylic on canvas, 2005

Oregon Coast...

"Sunset over Haystack Rock" -acrylic on canvas

"Beach rocks" - acrylic on canvas

This painting was a labor of love while I waited to labor in delivery. It's one of the few paintings I did while I was pregnant with my first child. It's from a photo I took of wet rocks at Ecola State Park near Cannon Beach, OR. One of the most beautiful places on the Oregon coast in my opinion. This painting will always remind me of those last days before kids - I'll probably never have time to do something this detailed again! Even though it's just a bunch of rocks, it does seem to have a "right-side-up", (besides the obvious signature). I must have taken the original photo at an angle because the top of the painting seems farther away than the bottom. Or maybe I've just stared at it waaay too long! The reaction to this painting is interesting - people either love it or they just don't get it. In any case, it's very special to me and it's hanging in my dining room for me to study anytime I want. I find it to be very calming in it's busy-ness - sort of like a good day for a mom.

"Map"

"Map" - mural, media room

Ladie's Retreat

"Little Girl" - acrylic on canvas

"Girl in Red" - acrylic on canvas ($)

24" x 30"

"Father and Son" - acrylic on canvas

"Woman" - acrylic on canvas

"Man" - acrylic on canvas

"Bistro" - mural, kitchen

"Doorway" - mural over existing doors

"Olympic Nat'l Park" - acrylic on canvas

"Backdrops" - mural, bedrooms