GOOD MORNING SUNSHINE...

Hello...
Hope all of you are doing splendid and have had a good cup of coffee to start your day. I am getting use to working a new little part time job and find that my painting and blogging have been suffering. You wouldn't think that 3 days a week would be so hard to get use to!!! Anyway...the other morning I got up early and was watering my plants and noticing how beautiful the sunlight was on the water droplets. I love the way photos turn out in the early morning and later in the evening. The way the light casts itself on things is so perfect. (not necessarily my photography skills) So I took a couple of shots that I wanted to share...

We were doggy sitting for our neighbors while they took their son to college. I had so much fun with my little friend here. Her name is Sandy and she is such a sweet dog. She loves sitting in the warm sunshine and I thought this was such a cute picture of her.

After watering the plants and walking Sandy I went out to pick blackberries and came home and made a yummy blackberry cobbler. It was so good... I love blackberries.

I forgot to take the picture of it after it came out of the oven and needless to say...there was nothing to take a picture of by the time I remembered!

So that's what I've been up to...hopefully you are all doing well and gearing up for back to school and a little more routine. I think I'll miss the summer...it slipped by a little too fast and my boys grew a little too much. SLOW DOWN with the growing!!! Take time to smell the flowers today.

Meagan

I FEEL IT COMING...

I feel it coming... I do...it starts around 7:30pm... Every evening it cools down and a chill comes that makes me want to put on my favorite sweatshirt. When I crawl into bed at night I want to pull my quilt over me instead of leaving it at my feet. I curled up on the couch with a blanket the other night as we watched a baseball game. I really do feel it coming and every year I get excited about it. That wonderful fall season.

The boys start school next week and we have been gathering our school supplies. What is it about school supplies that thrill me? In one of my favorite movies, You’ve Got Mail, Joe Fox (Tom Hanks) sends an email to Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) commenting on the joys of fall:

Don’t you love New York in the fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address.

I just started working part time at a little store on our island that reminds me of this. Small town charm so quirky and quaint where everyone knows each other. We sell all kinds of wonderful paper products and art supplies and lots of school supplies. I'm enjoying looking at all of the academic calendars and crayola crayons and not to mention pencils! They smell so good...so woody and rich. They just bring me back to my childhood and wonderful memories of fall. I have so many favorite fall memories. Many of them were from our little town in Illinois where we lived for 17 years. The big oak trees turning brown and all of the other maples with their brilliant reds, oranges and yellows. Big storms would blow through and the leaves would swirl around the air like a beautifully choreographed dance. One Halloween my boys, so little then, dressed up as Buzz Light year and Woody from the Toy Story movie. Poor Buzz could barely make it through the crowds with those big wings! And Woody's big hat was almost bigger than he was! There was something so magical about that particular night of trick-or-treating. My parents had flown in from Washington State and were here to see their grand kids and enjoy Halloween by trick-or-treating with them. They walked behind the boys, holding hands and smiling the whole time. The sky was a heavy grey/black color threatening to unleash on us at any moment and the leaves on the trees were glowing with their brilliance and had left big mounds of themselves on peoples yards. (so fun to jump in) The air was heavy and warm blowing against our faces. Every step we took had this wonderful rustling sound from the leaves on the ground and there seemed to be a million little trick-or-treaters running around giggling with excitement. It was a very surreal scene. One I will always treasure. And this is the feeling I get with fall approaching. The crisp air, brilliant colors, sounds of high school football games and marching bands, hot cider and pumpkin bread...it all brings a renewed sence of order. I start to like cooking again and the creative juices seem to flow more readily. I'm sure you will read many posts from me boasting about the wonderful qualities of fall. I hope you enjoy it too.

Blessings,

Meagan

THE STORY OF THE SEA MOON

Hello,
I received the most wonderful surprise on Saturday morning. A woman had seen my painting of the rowboat titled "Dry Docked" on the cover of the Bainbridge Islander and just happened to know quite a bit about it's history. She decided to email and share with me the part of the boats history that she was part of. I love painting images that seem to have a story to tell and this time I was blessed to be able to hear part of it's story. So let me share it with you...

Meagan:
I saw your painting Dry Docked on the cover of the Bainbridge Islander and went to your page on the BI Studio Tour. Saw your statement: "Meagan's goal is to paint images that resonate with our past -- taking the viewer back to a place they remember, a time with a slower pace, a sweet memory of times gone by." In this case, the resonance is personal. I thought that I'd share a bit about the history of the subject matter. Tho boat washed up on the shore of Eagle Harbor has had a very long history, of which I've had only a very small part. We've lovingly known it as The Sea Moon. My husband (Gregg) purchased the boat many years ago before we met. It was in sorry shape then. Best history he had for it was that it had been a tender on a fishing boat. He planned to renovate it, but it sat as a neglected project for some time. He brought it with him when he moved into Winslow Cohousing here on the island when we first opened in 1992. By then he had all but given up on the idea of renovation, and suggested it might make a good sandbox for the children. I had moved in at the same time with my then husband (Tim) and our two daughters. Tim took a shine to the boat and with Gregg's acquiescence, worked with the kids in the community to renovate the boat, paint it turquoise, and name it. They brought the boat down to the City dock and launched it there, leaving it moored as a dinghy at the dock during the summers. Many people used the Sea Moon for a number of years. Adults went for leisurely rows. Adolescents escaped without their parent's knowledge and explored independence and nooks and crannies of Eagle Harbor. Live-aboards borrowed it when they had cargo to haul out to their homes. During this time much happened in our own lives. Tim and I split up. Gregg moved away from cohousing and spent some time as a live aboard himself, using the Sea Moon as his tender. Gregg and I got together. Gregg moved back. Tim used the boat in Blakely Harbor for a while, and loaned the Sea Moon to another live aboard. The Sea Moon passed from our lives as our lives changed. I never felt as if anyone "owned" it. It always seemed an entity unto itself. A couple of years ago Gregg and I came upon the Sea Moon washed up on the Wing Point shore of Eagle Harbor; looks like that's where it was when you found it, too. It seemed as if it had been submerged, then washed ashore. There were many untold stories floating around the boat, hints and whispers, confidences kept. We lingered, reminisced, and walked on. Thanks for bring back that place for me to remember,

Anonymous

(The Sea Moon as I found it)

(Launch of the Sea Moon)

It was so special to me that this wonderful woman would care enough to think that I may want to know the story behind the picture. I promised her I would keep her name anonymous but If you are reading this...Thank you!!! It meant so much to me.

Hope you are all doing well.

Blessings,

Meagan

I WON!!!

Helllooo!

I just can't believe it...I actually won! Won what you ask? Well...there is this artist who I adore and have been collecting her work for quite some time and when I discovered the world of blogging I discovered her blog...AND...she just also happens to be from the Pacific Northwest! She had a giveaway on her blog and if you left a comment you would have a chance to win her fabulous new coaster collection. Welll......... I WON! And I received them in the mail today and they are just awesome. The artist I am referring to is Beth Logan and she creates wonderful images of great tourist spots (which I have collected) and has quite a business of licenced artwork. Thank you so much Beth. I will treasure these!

(This is my favorite coaster all though I love them all!)

( These are some of the pictures I have collected from Beth Logan )

Have any of you had the chance to see the movie Julie & Julia? I NEVER go to the movies but Hubby was so great...he knew that this movie was one I really wanted to see and took me out to see it tonight. I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Have any of you read the book? I have it on hold from the Library and can't wait till it comes in so I can read it. Tell me if it's any good.

I hope you are all doing well and want to thank you for all the words of encouragement you have sent me congratulating me on a successful Studio Tour. You're all too kind!

Talk to you soon,

Meagan

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND STUDIO TOUR: What a blast!

Hello Blogger Friends!

Well I promised a post all about the Studio Tour today so here it is. You may want to pull up a chair cuz this is a LONG one! What a blast it was. Yes...lots of work and my voice is a little scratchy today...but such a GREAT time! Hubby deserves a huge standing ovation for all the hard work in helping out with getting ready and set up not to mention tear down too.

THANK YOU HUBBY!!!

(Artists from the Tour: Starting at the top left side:

Pam Sanders, Will Gibson, Terry Siebert,

Diana Bennette Wirtz, Erica Applewhite,

Cynthia Dice, Me,

Todd Butler and Jay Trinidad)

This was only one of the 7 studios!

(Hubby and Me in front of my booth)

We set up on Thursday to be able to open on Friday morning at 10:00am. The weather had cooled off considerably and many of the artists were very cold but my booth location was a little bit protected and warmer so that was lucky. Especially since I had a skirt on! Cold wind and skirts aren't a good combo.


(one of those plants I can't name that was soooo incredible and the humming birds were all over it... Lobellia something..)



( Another amazing plant...melianthus major...I think, smells like peanut butter, no lie, it really does!)

(my booth nestled in the garden)

(Terry Siebert)

My booth was set up right outside Terry Sieberts Pottery Studio and it was so fabulous. They have this really cool farmhouse that they raised and built the studio under. Right outside the studio is this AMAZING Mediterranean garden area with plants that I can't pronounce the names of. She gets to work and look out at this beautiful scene every day. A little slice of heaven. It was such a beautiful working space, not to mention how great her pottery is. I managed to come away with this little gem:

Thanks to Terry for being such a great hostess and a new friend I will always cherish! Inside Terry's studio artist Erica Applewhite from White Apple Studio was demonstrating how she carves her great block prints. She was selling the most awesome cards. You could count on Erica to bring a smile to your face. A beautiful artist, inside and out. Just look at her work:

Upstairs on the wrap around porch were 4 other artists that I had such fun getting to know a little. Jay Trinidad, who is an amazing photographer along with Cythia Dice who paints the most whimsical dogs I've ever seen along with intricate had cut paper scrapbooking items and other musings. Look at these great cards I got from Cynthia:

(Cynthia Dice and Will Gibson)

Next to Cynthia was Will Gibson who paints these wonderful huge canvases of texture and color.
And next to Will was Diana Bennette Wirtz. Diana has a wide range of style that are mostly contemporary fields of color and landscape. It was really beautiful. Unfortunately I don't have any link to her work.

(Diana Bennette Wirtz)

In the house were Todd and Elizabeth Butler from The Butler Did It. They have hand made furniture that they create which is really beautiful.
And last but not least was Pam Sanders who does collage art and hand crafted jewelry. Her work has a wonderful layered effect that draws you in as you discover all that she has created within each layer.

Friday started out a little slow but had steady traffic throughout the day. It was so fun meeting such interesting people from all over. I couldn't believe how far people came to see the studio tour. It was exciting. Saturday proved to be much busier and I was blessed with a HUGE surprise...there was a man in my booth looking at my rowboat painting titled "Dry Docked", and said "I recognise this painting", and thinking that he probably saw it either on the beach or in the gallery, I asked him where he had seen it and he said...Here

This is the Bainbridge Islander, a local freebie newspaper that showcases local artists work on the cover. This time I was the featured artist and I didn't even know it!!! Hubby had emailed in the picture to the Bainbridge Islander a few months back along with my bio and we sort of forgot about it. What perfect timing! Needless to say Sunday was a huge day and I have to say that I got a lot of traffic from the newspaper. Thanks a MILLION Bainbridge Islander!!!

My goal on Sunday was to sell my first "original painting". The day was almost over and I still hadn't sold my first original. I asked Hubby to "Man the booth" while I went to have my picture taken. Jay Trinidad was offering to take portraits of the artists and while I was doing that wouldn't you know that Hubby was hard at work selling my first original painting. Oldest son came up to the yard where Jay was doing his photo shoot and said "Mom, you better get down to the booth... there is a lady that wants to buy an original painting!". Can you believe it! Hubby to the rescue again. What a guy. So it happened...I finally sold a painting. What a thrill! It was such an encouraging weekend with wonderful feedback on my work. People really liked it!!! This made me very happy! Another "first" to add to my list. So now I take a few days to bask in the enjoyment of last weekend and then it's moving forward to the next show. More artistic adventure ahead!


Thanks for taking time to pop in and read about my weekend. I hope things are well with you.

Blessings,

Meagan

WE DID IT!!!

Hello!
Well I'm home and I'm exhausted. So thrilled with the outcome of the last three days at the Bainbridge Island Studio Tour. I have so much to tell you but have to wait to have a fresh brain to be able to think straight. I just wanted to thank you for your well wishes and support for the event. I'll do a real post tomorrow hopefully.
Blessings,
Meagan

TIME FOR BIG DREAMS

Hi there,
So...tomorrow will soon be here, the set up day for the Studio Tour. The Tour starts on Friday. Here you go Big Dreams! Here's your chance to shine! I've been dreaming big, wondering how well the paintings I've so enjoyed putting to canvas will be received. Paintings done by a woman who said to her Mom when she was 5..."I want to be an artist when I grow up", and never changed her mind. She just got a little delayed with the business of raising 2 wonderful boys. I know that whether or not the show is a financial success for me it will be an accomplishment. It will be something new, a new experience to grow from, new people to meet, new things to consider.

Small businesses have to start somewhere and this will be the beginning of mine. Have I told you the name of my new business? It's...Talking Brush Studio. Youngest son came up with it and it stuck.

Hope all of your Big Dreams are taking shape for you.

Keep dreaming big!

Meagan

SEALING SEAMS IN THE SUN...

Happy Monday,

Let's see...5 days and counting...not sure if I'm counting right, including today there is 5 days til Friday which is the first day of the studio tour. I am getting all of the last minute touches ready including sealing seams on my tent. Wouldn't you know that we haven't had rain here in the Pacific Northwest in...gosh...I don't even remember how long, and now they have said there is a chance for rain on Friday! NOT FRIDAY!!! So I'm sealing seams.

I snapped some shots of my cute flag banner I made and the great raspberry crate card holders that Hubby put together for me. It's all coming together so great...now all we need is people. Lots and lots of people with $$$ in their wallets that want to buy art. Wonderful, beautiful art!!! Here's hoping! At my last event (my first event) at Bountiful Home in Edmonds I had a drawing for some of my art cards and the wonderful woman who won them has a great blog and did such a cute post about winning which you can view here. Thanks Deb for the cute post!!! So glad you won.

(This one is a little blurry, but you get the idea.)

Hope you are all enjoying your summer. It's going so fast! I have to savor each day because before you know it I will calling my post "Rain Rain Go AWAY!".

Enjoy the sun!

Meagan

7 days and counting!

Hello,

Happy Saturday to you. It's a beautiful morning here today. I just love it when it cools down at night and the house has a little chill to it in the morning before things heat up again. I actually have a blanket wrapped around me right now! That hasn't happened for quite some time.

Hubby and I got up really early today, 4:30 am, to get oldest son out the door for a regatta. Ouch that's early. I decided to stay up and finished cutting the last mats for some of the prints I will be selling at the Bainbridge Island Studio Tour http://www.bistudiotour.com/ . I can't believe it starts in only 7 days. How exciting!!! We have been working on the finishing touches for my booth. I made a really cute fabric flag banner and hubby made me some awesome card holders out of old raspberry flats.(no pictures yet because card reader isn't working on the computer!) They look so great! Thanks Hubby!!! Hopefully soon after the Studio Tour I will be opening an Etsy shop. This has sure been an interesting artistic adventure so far. Looking forward to seeing where the road takes me in the next few months. It's time to start painting for fall and winter which seems strange to say when the weather has been so HOT...maybe painting some snow flakes would cool me down!

Have a great weekend.

Meagan