Visions of Ladybugs Dance in my Head

Visions of Ladybugs Dance in my Head

Aug 25, 2023 | Art, Digital Art, Essay, Reflections, watercolor

The blue-gray sky is lightening by imperceptible degrees outside my window.  With the stifling humidity, the glass pane provides a hazy viewpoint onto the waking world.  I’m curled up in my new favorite spot in the house- a sofa with a view of the jungle and my bird feeder!  It’s been too many weeks since we last visited, and I have so much I want to share!

Were you one of my visitors at Wildflower Market at the end of July?  Thank you for taking a moment to stop by my booth to shop and visit.  I had a wonderful day meeting new faces and visiting with you.  These encounters make live events immensely rewarding!  I love hearing feedback and getting inspired to create future art. I left the Meadow Gold pavilion that Saturday with far more ideas than time!

If you attended the Wildflower Market on July 29, you know it was HOT.  Good news!  The next one promises to be much cooler.  Mark your calendars for September 30.  I will be at Wildflower Market with new art, new cards, and a burning desire to visit with you!  I will keep you posted and you can check my “Events” tab on my website.

T-Shirt Update-   I placed an order for “Okie Proud” t-shirts the first week in August.  My production company has run into supply issues.  She had hoped to have them to me last week.  I just heard from her about the supply issues and that the delivery date has been altered.  When I know a date for new shirts, I will be sure to post it here.  In the meantime, there are still a few remaining at Hummingbird Fine Craft.

“SOLD”

In other exciting news, I recently sold “Silent Sentry.”  I learned of the sale the day before my birthday.  It felt like a great big “happy birthday!” from the universe.  A HUGE “thank you” to the anonymous buyer.  As of this post, I have not made any prints of the painting, though I did debut the 5×7 greeting card in July.  Now that the original has gone to its new home, I will create prints for the fall months.  (That’s the owl perched on a crescent moon with the amethyst crystal.)

I also completed a new commissioned pet portrait.  Melly is the sweet pup you see at the top of this post.  She is a darling chi-weenie dog.  As I designed the portrait, I made a subtle nod to Ermilio Pucci in the color palette, the swirls, and the repetition of shapes in the flowers and leaves.  It was a lot of fun!

The summer months have sped by with alarming speed.  Our household celebrates a few birthdays (ALL OF THEM) and our wedding anniversary during the months of June through August.  So it seems like when the birthday candle smoke clears, the summer has slipped by and autumn is lurking in the doorway.  Don’t get me wrong.  I love autumn!  I appreciate the changing temperatures and the promise of slower winter days.  In fact, I could ramble on about autumn; let’s keep that for another time.  But my mood droops a little when I consider the passing of summer.  And as the birthdays pile behind me, the sadness I feel at summer’s passing is undeniably tied to a regretful knowledge that my autumn years are approaching as well.  It’s not something that I dwell on, just a subconscious knowledge that rises to the surface when the conditions are right.

In the Studio

I had a new (visiting) studio companion this summer, Kiki, my daughter’s cat.  After exploring all the off-limits objects and fishing all the ping-pong balls out of their respective troughs, she would often curl up on the floor nearby and snooze.  I have a couple small sketches of her in my sketchbooks, but I intend to paint her more purposefully one of these days.  She has returned to Norman with my daughter.  And then there is Melly.  A chi-weenie dog (portrait) who occupied my table and easel for a few weeks.  I think she turned out beautifully and it was so much fun to create the whimsical flowers and background.  In each painting I create, I am striving to find the balance between realism and stylized portrayals.  Melly was a commission, and she has since moved onto her permanent home.

My current painting in progress is a Ladybug and “Curcubit” blossom composition.  I began with the pencil drawing, which then became a vector drawing in Illustrator where I can play with its future possibilities.  The vector drawing then became a pencil drawing again and then the painting can begin.  I am still completing the painting and have already begun the variation I will use for kitchen towels.  Look for these in September!

Thanks for joining me today.  Drop me a line in the comments or find me on social media to say “hello”.  I have been pretty quiet on social media these days.  But I am still there…. I just prefer to paint.

What I’m Reading

  • Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver  This is the follow-up to Bean Trees.  I have thoroughly enjoyed reading these two books.  When I chose them, I had no idea they would touch on topics so relative to Oklahoma.
  • TheTriumph of the Moon by Ronald Hutton  This one is going to be a true marathon!  It’s a look at the history of paganism/witchcraft (specifically in Britain).  It begins with etymology and promises to be a fascinating read.)

This post has been written by Renee Griffin, a human being.  The art has been created by Renee Griffin, the aforementioned human.  No AI has been used in the creation of my art or writing.

An Artist-Gardener’s Ode to Compost

An Artist-Gardener’s Ode to Compost

Jul 10, 2023 | Art, Digital Art, Essay, Garden, Reflections, watercolor

At the beginning of June, the green Fennel loomed large in the garden.  It towered over me proffering lacy yellow blooms to all those flighted-passerby’s.  But at the base of this skyscraper of an herb there was NOTHING.  No bulb.  And the fronds supported no caterpillars yearning to become butterflies.  The blooms didn’t even appear to garner much attention.  The rest of the garden offered little except arugula- and there is only so much arugula one girl can eat.  This has been a disappointing gardening season for me.

I pondered the water-hog I called “Fennel” and decided it had to go.  If it wasn’t going to give me a sweet bulb to chop and it wasn’t going to provide an explosion of colorful winged insects, then it had no place in my raised bed which I drip-irrigate daily through 100+ degree days.

As I thought about the fennel and planned its demise, I realized that my garden is an eerily accurate reflection of many of my studio hours-  busy and non-productive. Frequently I consider creating the same project multiple times simply because I have an idea- but I am not sure of the best expression of that idea.  Should I paint it?  Should I create it digitally?  If I paint it- should I use ink? Should I use lines?  If I choose to create it digitally- how?  Vector?  Raster?

The only solution is to jump in and commit to creating it in one method- with the promise to myself that I can create it as many times as I like in as many different ways as I see fit.  My gnat-sized attention span actually prohibits this, but usually the promise is enough to nudge me off the starting block.

The fennel in the garden is gone.  I reduced it to a sweet smelling pile of green waste.  It is drying out and I am adding it to the compost pile, a little bit at a time.  That non-productive greenery is going to feed future gardens.  I tell myself that likewise, whatever “non-productive painting/creating” I do in the studio is feeding future projects. The artist and the gardener work in much the same manner, planting seeds in hopes of yielding bounty and beauty. Cast-offs become compost.

I check on the green tomatoes and pendulous melons daily- silently begging them to flourish.  The unusual recent rains have cooled the days and I have new hope for the plants that DID make it to the garden this year.  In the studio this month I merged my painting skills with my Photoshop knowledge to create a collaborative illustration with a friend.  Behold- “Robotman.”  This is a lengthier project and will result in an illustrated children’s book with a December due date.  

POP-UP Event!

I will setting up a tent at the Wildflower Art Market on July 29.  Come shop and visit.  I would LOVE to see you!  More information on my events tab.  Use the link below. https://www.sparrowshinedesigns.com/events/

In the Studio

“Robotman” is a children’s story written for a special boy with Downs syndrome.  I am thrilled with my first illustration – the cover!  I will continue working with my friend to create another 8 illustrations for the story.  Then I will typeset the story and format it with the illustrations and send it off to create a book.

I have also designed a new Birthday greeting card for my collection.  This one will feature interior art as well as exterior art.  Usually I design the cards so I can print them at home.  This one is off to the commercial printer in order to achieve my desired look.  Look for it soon!

I am preparing for Wildflower Art Market- July 29th in front of the Meadow Gold sign.  I will have new cards, original art, and more.  It’s a one day event featuring local art and crafts.  Check out my events tab for more information.

What I’m Reading

  • Food for Life by Tim Spector  Yes, I am still reading this one.  It’s a sizable tome, but it is actually an easy read.  I spread it out amongst my other activities- like all reading.  The chapter on bread was AMAZING.
  • TheTriumph of the Moon by Ronald Hutton  This one is going to be a true marathon!  It’s a look at the history of paganism/witchcraft (specifically in Britain).  It begins with etymology and promises to be a fascinating read.)
  • The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver

This post has been written by Renee Griffin, a human being.  The art has been created by Renee Griffin, the aforementioned human.  No AI has been used in the creation of my art or writing.

A Singing House Whistles While I Work

A Singing House Whistles While I Work

Apr 11, 2022 | Art, Digital Art, Essay, Garden, Humor, pattern design, Reflections, Surface Pattern Design, watercolor

April blew in with such ferocity this year!  My doorways have been moaning for weeks on end- a slightly eery sound that I have begun to liken to Moaning Myrtle.  If you have never heard your house “sing” before, I will explain.  The wind comes through the gaps with such strength that it causes the copper flashing to vibrate and intonate.  The first time I heard it, nearly 19 years ago, I was home alone with my babies while my husband was away on a business trip.  It frightened me until I was able to process what was happening.  But I digress.  Resuming….

As I sat down to write today I reviewed my posts from 2022 and I startled myself with how much I wanted to share with you.  I have let more time slip by than I intended.  So, please, pause here to grab a cup of tea, a glass of wine, or perhaps a cookie and a glass of milk.  But get comfortable and let’s catch up!

In January I shared my Intentions for 2022 and it is important to me that I continue that conversation.  Accountability.  I set these five intentions for 2022:

  1. Eat more veggies!
  2. Keep a cleaner garden.
  3. Become more disciplined in my approach to learning.
  4. Learn to create process videos.
  5. Create free downloads for my website subscribers BEFORE March!

Let me start with Number 5-  I’m a little late, but I have done it!  I have created my first free download for you.  It is only the first; you can plan on more.  When visitors sign up to receive email from me they will be taken to a Thank You page where they can download the freebie.  Those who are already on my mailing list will receive a separate email with their link.  This first freebie is a bookmark.  I haven’t decided how long the free bookmark will be available, so download it when you receive the email.   If you have troubles with the download or you don’t receive your email, just let me know.  I will post a follow-up blog entry with suggestions for how to print your bookmark.

Flowering Quince Bookmark

Plant Babies!

New Art!   “Hummingbird with Screen”

Number 4-  Sadly, I haven’t even BEGUN to tackle this one.  Let’s get that garden growing first!

Number 3-  Becoming more disciplined in my approach to learning has been a biggie for me.  Sometimes I feel like I am stalling out-  but when I grant myself a little grace and look at my work with objectivity I see great strides here.  I have spent considerable time painting birds lately under the tutelage of several self-guided classes with differing approaches and strengths.  The instructor in me says I haven’t earned an A- yet.  But, I will get there! 

Number 2-  Oh My!  In order to keep a cleaner garden, I have to clean it first!  The ideal time would have been Winter- but if you know me, you know I hibernate when the weather is anything less than 68 degrees F.  So, that leaves Spring.  And if you are a parent, or remember parenting school-aged children (or adults), then you remember how your calendar can simply explode overnight!

My son is a Senior in high school and just attended prom this past weekend.  Graduation events are beginning to fill the calendar.  Soccer matches have begun to populate the little white squares.  And in between grass fires, weird cold snaps, and the occasional promise of severe storms, I know the garden is calling!  But each day only holds 24 hours and I demand to sleep at least 7 of them, so something gets ignored each day.

In the past I have delayed gardening until the last possible minute holding onto the fear of losing seeds and seedlings in Spring Flash Floods or odd late frosts.  This year won’t be much different.  I have begun to clean out last year’s crops, but I haven’t finished.  We haven’t even turned on our irrigation system yet.  The baby plants are thriving in my studio nursery.  I have sown a few seeds outside, with disappointing results.  If the wind wasn’t bad enough, the squirrels immediately dug up the fresh soil.  The morning after planting seeds I discovered holes dug all over my cleared beds!

Last-  1.  Eat more veggies!      Do convenience salads count?  We haven’t made a heap of progress here-  but, if you recall, the whole point of setting Intentions instead of Resolutions is to emphasize the PROCESS or the journey.  I have eaten a few extra salads, which is easier as it becomes increasingly warmer.

Your turn-  Did you set any Intentions, or resolutions, this year?  Did you share them with anyone?  If not, I invite you to share them with me.  You can include them in a comment or send me an email.  I would love to return the favor of being your accountability partner.

Hops - A Rabbit

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Let’s Plant: A Spring Haul and What’s Hopping!

Let’s Plant: A Spring Haul and What’s Hopping!

Mar 15, 2022 | Digital Art, Garden, Reflections

The postal carrier delivered JOY in an envelope today-  actually over 2 DOZEN little envelopes!! Hooray for Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds!

Each winter I pore through the catalog and select seeds for the garden.  I try to be frugal and reuse seeds from year to year, but some years are big spending years because my seed stock has grown old or depleted.  This was one of those years.  

Additionally, I was feeling particularly optimistic/experimental when I placed the order and I decided (again) to try starting flowers indoors.  Though I may have started too late for that.  It’s hard to tell here in OK.  First I chastised myself for not placing my order weeks ago.  Then I soothed myself when yet another weird snow storm blew in following an 81 degree day.  

While waiting for the new seeds to arrive, I sorted through the bucket of seeds I keep in the refrigerator all year and started a small half tray in my indoors grow house.  A select few have germinated- squash and pumpkins, you know the GIANT seeds.  A couple tomato seeds have poked their pale heads up through the peat as well.  Germinating is the no-brainer part.  Now, if I can just get them all to become plants!

 

In the Studio

I have been squeezing art into the nooks and crannies of my days, but I feel ashamed I don’t have more to show for it.  Though I do have a stellar rabbit!

I have been wanting to create another shirt, and I really wanted to try out screen printing which requires a very different type of design from my last shirt.  I thumbnailed a few ideas and then set to work bringing my rabbit to life- at least on the screen.  After the initial drawing I cleaned up the lines in Illustrator and I am off to meet with the screen printer!

I will have shirts to pre-sell at my Pop-Up Artist Shop at The Market March 17-31!  I had hoped I would have the shirts, but weather, global conditions, and other extenuating circumstances have decided that shirts would not be ready to wear until April.  So…  pre-sell it is!  The shirt is heathered brown, super soft, and will have “Hops! The Rabbit” on the front side.

The Market is located at 81st & Harvard and is a wonderful collection of small local shops selling housewares, furniture, accessories, art, & more.  I am thrilled to be a part of their Pop-Up event!

In addition to my two weeks at The Market, you will find me at Hummingbird Fine Craft.  I have “Okie Proud” relaxed muscle tank tops in stock now- just in time for warmer weather.  But supplies are limited.  Greeting cards, art prints, travel cups, stickers, and more are always available.  Hummingbird Fine Craft is open Tues – Sat and is located on Studio Row.

‘Fraidy Cat Takes the Stage- Reflections on Putting Myself “Out There”

‘Fraidy Cat Takes the Stage- Reflections on Putting Myself “Out There”

Apr 23, 2021 | Art, Digital Art, Essay, gouache, pattern design, Reflections, Sketchbook, Surface Pattern Design, watercolor

The scissortail flycatcher, the blanket flower, and the Eastern redbud represent Oklahoma’s natural beauty.  The sun image is a nod to our Native American heritage and represents hope.

 

Details of the Scissortail, Indian Blanketflowers, and Eastern Redbud.

I have gone to ground for the past month as I prepare for my very first live booth event! About a month ago I got the opportunity to participate in a one day outdoor event- and I leapt at the chance. Let me clarify this by stating that I leapt into it the same way I leap into a body of water knowing it will be cold. I held my breath and it felt a little as though I had stepped off a ledge when I clicked the “send” button.

It sounds foolish when I say that aloud. I can list hundreds of intimidating things I have embraced in my life- years on the stage, entering a strange high-school as a young substitute teacher time and again, teaching, earning my Shotokan brown belt, competing in karate tournaments, and birthing two babies. These are scary experiences, especially to the uninitiated. So I had to turn inward to ask “why the hesitation”?

Was I scared that I couldn’t “do it”? Nonsense. Like anything else, the act of showing up is a simple mechanical process of putting one foot in front of the other. And while the list of things I must accomplish in four weeks to prepare was long, by simply doing one thing and then moving on to the next, I knew it was manageable. So this could not be the cause of my faltering.

Was I afraid of what others would say or think? Sadly, there was a little truth in this. My HEAD knows my family and friends will encourage me and want me to do well. But there remains a small but VOCAL demon within that shouts at me. “They will think you are a delusional child. They are just patronizing you. They know that when you fall on your face you will give up this stupid charade and move on.” Insert the maniacal laugh of your choosing here.

But the fear of looking like the fool to my family was not the only thing holding me back. There was still something else- and I knew it was my fear of complete failure. What if NO ONE stopped at my booth? What if no one bought any of my art? What if I have been wasting my time? And that is where I stopped myself.

I had let something get in the way of my joy. When I sit down and create it comes from a place of joy, every time. I cannot think of a single time I have created from a space of sadness, loneliness, or anger. I admire artists who can harvest these raw emotions and the artists who use their canvas to expose the evils of the world and push for change. But my art journey thus far has remained an expression of joy, admiration, and awe. Allowing the fear of judgement into the arena ties my hands. How can I mine the joy if I am only concerned with how many people are following my Instagram, reading this blog, or liking my FB posts?

So I purposely set aside the social media and the paint. I picked up my pencil and sketchbook, I enrolled in some new online classes, and I immersed myself in the process of simply creating and learning. I LOVE learning. I am not the fastest learner and my retention sucks- but I love expanding my horizons. I have submitted to notion that whatever happens on May 8th, it does not determine my relationship to art. Only I can affect that. And if I crash and burn on May 8th, my family will not see a failure, but a woman who is committed, determined, and persistent. And I can think of no better lesson for my children.

I am still a little nervous about May 8, but I am a body in motion and I am hurtling towards May 8th with renewed vigor and enthusiasm. I am looking forward to seeing people and introducing my creative efforts to them. If you live in Tulsa and feel safe venturing out, I hope you will stop by my booth and say “Hello”.  For information, check out this link- https://saltandsoulmarket.com/birthday-bash/.

The event is the Salt & Soul Birthday Bash and it will be at the Broken Arrow Brewing Company May 8 from 3pm-8pm. If you are still unfamiliar with Salt&Soul it is an online market featuring Oklahoma vendors. I have a shop there and after May 8 I will be loading new items into my shop as Salt&Soul exclusives- meaning they will not be listed here on my website but must be purchased through Salt&Soul.

Persist in joy, my friends.

 

 

In

The

Studio

Clowning in the Garden or Clownfish in Chrysanthemums.  Watercolor.  

This began as an exercise in painting chrysanthemums but the undulating petals morphed into anemones in my mind’s eye.  Where there are anemones, there are clownfish.  We have five bubble tipped anemones and two black and white clownfish at home.  Little fish with big personalities!

 

Male purple finch in gouache from my watercolor sketchbook.

Vector artwork-   the Tulsa Driller holding hops.  This is a coaster design which I will debut on May 8.

 

Pattern created featuring the Oklahoma motifs.  Another example of vector artwork.

Staying with the Oklahoma theme, I painted a vintage gas pump.   Watercolor.

Dead Seeds Don’t Grow

Dead Seeds Don’t Grow

Mar 15, 2021 | Art, Digital Art, Essay, Garden, Humor, Reflections, Uncategorized

“Failure is not an option.”  Who the hell said this?  Who uttered these words only to have them etched into our psyches?  I find myself ashamed when my project fails- or provides less than stellar results.  Like a child who has broken something, I shove the evidence into some dark crevice and pray to the forces-that-be for no one to ever discover my ugly truth.  Perhaps worse, sometimes I deny the failure- masking it in false optimism and a “laissez faire” attitude. But underneath the bravado my frail sense of self-confidence is shriveling- like the weak scrawny seedlings in my grow tent-  the trigger for today’s rant.

The past 6 years or so I have successfully propagated my summer vegetable garden from seed grown indoors in a make-shift greenhouse.  Each year I carefully measure out seeds, one at a time, into their allotted spot.  Then I save the rest for the next planting.  By peak season, a good 90% of my garden began as seeds.

This year it has failed.  This year I will be buying a significant number of my garden plants.  My frugality has finally become the tragic flaw in my homegrown garden.  The basil sprung up within 18 hours!  Seven days later one Squash surprised me.  Soon to follow, one tomatillo and one Costoluto tomato.  That leaves me with 55 empty cells.  Cells whose soil is now covered in green moss because of the humid conditions under the plastic dome.  If I had to guess- I would say that it was a lack of CONSTANT refrigeration of my seed this year.  Usually all my leftover seeds live in a plastic shoebox in my refrigerator.  But for one reason or another this year, I removed the shoebox for a few days at a time to make room in the fridge-  multiple times.

And while I am angry at myself for the failure, I know that it is not the end of the world- or my garden.  I simply have to swallow my pride this year and buy plants.  So this year, “The Tomato Man’s Daughter” will get more of my money than usual.   

Happy Belated Saint Patrick’s Day!

I had no intention of creating art for Saint Patrick’s Day.  But while grocery shopping I spotted the purple shamrock and its geometry struck me.  I happen to be taking an online class in vector illustration and this happy little pot of triangles seemed to beg to be the star.  But is it?  I really like the moth- which came about while studying the leaves of the shamrock and noticing how much they look like purple moths.  And the whole experiment brought Charley Harper to mind.  The rest they say is history- or in this case layers and layers in Adobe.   

Next up…. a delightful underwater scene for a coloring book.  The coloring book is part of a charity event to raise money and awareness for our ocean life.  Be sure to check back soon, because I will be posting my entry here.

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