Twilight circa 2004 ( Maybe 2005)

Warwick

"Warwick" now lives in Houston with Denis and Lisa . For my KC people, this was named after the street Warwick right near the KCAI and the Nelson Atkins Museum. Great times I had in that scary run down apartment.

Silent & Live 2009 Auction and Brunch

Here is my annual donation to the Center on Halstead. They are an amazing organization. If you are in the Chicago area please plan to go their "Silent & Live 2009 Auction and Brunch" Sunday September 27th.

The Parkmoor

When Verne and I first moved to St. Louis we had an apartment with in a few miles of this place. We fell in love with it the first time we walked in. The decor was right out the past, 50's style bamboo wall paper, fixtures so insanely out of date and tacky that they were perfect, beige, loads of orange and off color copper filled the interior.

Service was actually pretty good at times and the food was better than any chain breakfast place. It closed ten years ago and I still miss it. I would have loved to make it a family breakfast tradition.



I could not find any interior pics but this image of the door handle should give you an idea of style.







So here's my ode to The Parkmoor. Triptych - three 8x24 panels.

Revisitng the Past in the form of paint

Ever since I retired the "Fly Fishing Series" I have had requests for it to come back. I have never done another for myself since I closed the series, only for people that have commissioned me to do one. I have played with the idea of bringing it back from time to time but it was never the right time until now. Not sure where it is going to go but it was very fun to do and nice that I was able to do this one for myself and not relying on a clients color palette. This one is 24x24 and titled "Revisiting the Fly".

This series was named in honer of my brother Steve. He used to love to fly fish when he was a traveling salesman. He is the one that wrote me a check for art supplies so I could get back into painting.

Enjoy.

Indianapolis

I just got back in from Indianapolis late last night. I had a wonderful time. It was great to see and chat with some of my clients. As an added bonus Mark and Leslie brought in a picture of their Dining Room. I love to see where my babies end up. They had been looking for a long time for a piece that they both loved and it happened to be mine. It is an honor for me to have my are be a part of someones home - thank you.

A Birthday Daily 9-9-09

A few months ago I met a lovely lady in Dallas at an art show. We ended up chatting for awhile and she loved the idea of my Daily's. She was so excited, she decided to pre-buy her birthday. I am happy to say, that I love how it came out. She wanted something that would compliment her room so she sent me some paint samples along with a fabric sample.

Have a wonderful birthday Joanna.

Installation

I have been having so much fun this year with these little 6x6 paintings. I like that you can mix and match them up to build larger installations or just have one or two for a small space that needs a big impact.

This is a picture of my living room. I installed earlier this week. My living room wall will always be changing since everyone of these is currently listed on my website. I like the idea that it will constantly be evolving. In fact. Three of the pieces in the mix are already sold. I am delivering them when I go to Indianapolis next weekend.

Back to studio.....

Back in studio for an extended stay.........pure happiness

A few weeks ago I had a wonderful dinner at a friend/clients home. They have done an awesome job with their decor and I am proud to say that my work is one of their focal points. Nothing like a wonderful dinner, great conversation, and a nice wine to make an evening. Thank you M&J

I have a few weeks off from being on the road and I am ecstatic. My kids started school yesterday so I have pure all day painting bliss for the next couple of weeks. I just shipped off a commission for a couple in Denver and think it will look great in their kitchen. SO I am now free to simply paint what ever inspires me.

Well....of to paint........YEAH!!!!

Wow....I just love the Spam I get

Here is the email I received this morning......

On Fri, Jul 31, 2009 at 6:30 AM, Laura Martins wrote:

Good day to you.

I am so excited that I came across of your work on Internet search,I am interested in purchasing these creative artworks from you....................

Blaze,Blue `08,Shan,Hidden Glen and L14 The line series

Let me know their various prices.and how much discounts are you going to give?I will be happy to have these selected artworks hanged in our new home in South Africa. As well, I want you to take out the shipping cost.I have been in touch with a shipping firm that will be shipping other house decoratives.

We are traveling from our Dallas home to our new apartment as soon as possible.On Paying for the artworks,I will be glad to pay you with a Money Order or Cashier`s check in US funds that can be easily cashed at your local bank,please let me know on how to proceed for the payment of the creative artworks.

I will await your advise on how to proceed.Have a wonderful day.

Take care,
Laura Martins




This is what I would have liked to write back:

Hi there,

I see you are currently out of Nigeria and not in Dallas as stated. Plus it is a LONG way between Nigeria and South Africa. Yes, there is a wonderful tracking device on my website that was put in place for people just like you.

I hope you do not mind but I have a have a three month hold on United States Money orders. I will not ship before then. Since you can easily travel from Dallas, to Nigeria, and South Africa so easily and quickly, why don't you just pop in to St. Louis and pay me in cold hard cash and I will gladly sell you my art work that I have worked very hard to create.

Sincerely

Sharon


BUT instead of sending this letter I hit the SPAM button

Found

This painting is titled "Found". I am going to be adding the gloss to it sometime in the next few days. It is 40x30 and I will be bringing it to Dallas with me in a few weeks. I love how how it is going from light to dark.

Back in studio this morning. I had a very early start and need to keep very busy. The kids have a half day of school so that cuts out a lot of studio time. I am hoping since they have friends over that I might be able to keep on working.

Daily 4-28-09 HAPPY 30th ANNIVERSARY

Last year I met this wonderful woman at an art show and she fell in love with my Daily Paintings. A few weeks later she emailed me and requested and reserved two days in 2009. The first was a gift to her daughter for her birthday and the second was for her and her husband. They celebrated there 30th wedding anniversary yesterday. It was very special for me to be able to make a piece of art just for them.

If you would like to reserve a certain day send me an email. I would love to make something special for my blog readers.

the beginining of a Daily

Over time, I have had many ask me about the Daily's. I though I would post what the beginning of one of my Daily's looked like. For this one, the idea first came in the form of a post it note. I started scribbling ideas for color and shape. Then I took it to the vellum, sketched it out with colored pencil, and then began painting.

Dallas....Here I come....

When ever I think of Dallas, I think of Spring. Every year I travel to Dallas three times in less than eight weeks for art fairs. If I was single and childless, I think I would just hang out and paint at a friends house for those eight weeks. I love Dallas and I cannot wait to visit again.

Tagged on Facebook....25 Random things about you.

I usually do not ever answer these type of thing but this one intreged me. So here is mine that I posted out on facebook this past week. If you are inspired write your own list.


Rules:
Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

Twenty five random things about me

1. My music collection is embarrassingly large.
2. I caught a record rainbow trout in Idaho when I was young
3. I used to shoot a 308 with my brothers on the ranch when we were bored
4. My brother Bill saved me from drowning in a river in Washington state
5. My favorite number is 307 and I have a silly explanation why
6. I cannot stand ignorant questions and have a hard time not showing it
7. I have extremely intense nightmares almost every night
8. I have had a bear climb through my van. Luckily we were not in it at the time. We were only sleeping in a tent a few feet away
9. I had the name of my daughter years before she was born. She is named after Anaïs Nin. Hopefully, she will not read any of it until she is in college
10. If I could go barefoot every were I would. But have an insane obsession for Christian Louboutin shoes and hope to own a pair someday. It makes no sense.
11. PRK was worth every penny and yet still in the middle of the night I sometimes try and reach for my glasses
12. My favorite place to read is in the bath tub.
13. I traded a ripped up jean jacket for my fantastic cat. Homme, is now 20 and still hanging on. I am sure that jean jacket has not lasted as long.
14. I once hid in a bathtub while there was a gun fight outside of my apartment window
15. I was once the only girl living in a all male gay apartment building in KC. It was in a really rough neighbor hood and I never felt safer in my life. Thanks boys.
16. One of my prized possessions is my Grandmother's rock collection.
17. After I saw my neighbor kick his cat, I stole it. Sebastion was a great cat and would go on walks with me in KC
18. I donate platelets every two to three weeks. They love it that I am AB+
19. I once put a knife in a live wall socket. I am lucky I am alive
20. I have a hard time talking to women. I have been working on this for years. Perhaps this is why my best friend is a guy
21. I once danced all night with a one armed man while my husband sang karaoke. We were named honorary hill-billies and invited to hang out with the wedding party we had just meet that morning.
22. I have to have my ice tea even when it's twenty below. I drink green tea by the gallons and my favorite glass of choice is a mason jar with a straw
23. I picked up my kids from school today in my PJ's
24. My favorite color is black even though I predominately paint in reds
25. If you give me an open bottle of wine, I will finish it.

Off Kilter

New work and one of the last of 2008. I thought it was fitting for me to have it a little "Off Kilter". I have found that I like my life so much better when it is not fitting into the gingerbread house with the perfect picket fence.

Have a safe holiday season and remember that coloring outside of the lines breeds creativity!!!

December and trying to keep on track

Winter is the hardest time for me to keep motivated in the studio. I am a girl of the sun and I work best when I get my time in the glow. This year, I have been working harder at keeping up my motivation and it is seeming to be working. Or perhaps, it's because I moved the thermostat up a few degrees. What ever it is I am simply happy that I am keeping a better work ethic than I did last year at this same time.

Things I wish I would complete....but probable will not are:

1. Redesign and build a new website. My website is just OK and I would like it to look a lot better. But it does function so there is no drastic drive to get it done www.spillarstudios.com
2. Paint my living room, dining room, and kitchen. They really need a new coat of paint. Perhaps, I will talk my husband into doing it.
3. Start on my master bathroom redo....it is frighting. Telling you that I still have the original 1960's pink tub, sink, and commode should give you a clue. This one, I know, will not be done due to the current economy but I want it done so badly that it had to be on the list.

Something to smile about.....

For those that know me rather well this should not come as a surprise. I am a klutz and there has been plenty of kidding about it over the years. The fact that Spillar is my last name has added to the humor. I do have to say that I do think it's rather funny myself and have many a good story to tell over a glass of wine about my many miss-stepped adventures.

So here is my latest story...On Sunday after a fantastic workout, I decided it was time to do some deep cleaning in my kitchen. I didn't even change out of my work out gear. I started on the stove and scrubbed for awhile and felt that there was a spot that need to soak for just a bit before I tried to tackle it again. This is where my first mistake started, I left the oven door open. Things were going great and I started on the fridge. Well, that went rather well and was happy to find my missing jar of capers in the process. After checking the clock I realized that I better start on lunch. I still had many contents of the refrigerator on my counters while I was waiting for the shelves to dry. But no problem, I am a multitasker and that was no issue. I stooped down scrubbed a bit on the oven spot, then I pushed the refrigerator contents aside so I could make chicken salad. Knowing all along that my youngest would complain about such a lunch. But doing it anyway because at some time in her life she is going to have to like food that is mixed. She is still in the separate but equal phase of her eating career. Bear in mind the oven door was still open while all this is going on and I had been gracefully side stepping the door all this time.

Well, things changed quickly, after I had just added my forth project of feeding my 20 year old cat, Homme. I was turned back around to my kitchen sink, thinking about why its so hard to scrub a oven, how did those capers get lost, is Homme really going to keep on meowing when the food is right in front of him, and last but not least what type of face while Anaïs have once she sees that not only had I contaminated her chicken by making chicken salad, I had also mixed the peas and corn together. As all these thoughts were going through my head, I did a classic Spillar, I turned rather quickly and ran my lower right leg right across the open edge of the oven door. I felt no pain, I knew it was bad. I must of yelped because both Anaïs and Parker came running in. I immediately told them to get their Dad. They got him quickly by calling out that I was hurt and gushing blood.

After sitting down and covering it in paper towels (ran out of large bandages from an earlier accident) and medical tape. I told them to hurry up and eat (that's the Mom in me... must take care of family first even though I really need to see a doctor). I sat and contemplated if they could stitch this mess and if so how many. I did not want to waste an emergency room visit. After a while I realized that I could not stop the bleeding and started wondering if it was because of my double platelet donation two days before. So I told the family to hurry up and eat and please toss all the contents of the fridge back in. Secretly, I was hoping that they put them back in the right places. I did not want to loose those capers again.

Then we all went to the emergency room. Fourteen stitches later, I am a proud owner of a wonderful smiley face wound.



The next morning, Parker came into the bedroom with a sheepish grin on his face. Then he produced a sharpie and a huge giggle. I knew immediately what he was planning. See the picture below of his wonderful addition to my leg.

My Mom's painting

I have mentioned over the years how I grew up watching my Mom paint so I thought I would share one of her paintings. She finished this one in 1980. We came across this building and truck on one of our summer vacations . Enjoy

Mr. Brown

My best friend and fellow artist asked me a bit ago if I have ever done a predominately yellow painting. I paint so many of the other primary colors but it is true that yellow has been under utilized in my studio. So in honer of Neil, whom got me back into painting, I give you all "Mr. Brown".