Goodnight Gondola

Little Gustavo 

Goodnight gondola, see you tomorrow!

(latest in my Venice animals series)

*

Red Hook & Carroll Gardens Open Studios are Sat (today) & Sun. 

* Here is a tour map *

I will be visiting two of my favorite people and artists, 

Melissa Zexter 

and Bryon Finn

Both studios are on the 3rd floor at

42-50 Richards Street btwn Commerce & Seabring

in Red Hook, Brooklyn 11231

Have a great weekend! 

xo, A

Animals in Venice!

I love Venice, Italy! It's a beautiful, historic, mysterious place. 

Today, I thought I'd share my latest illustration of animals in Venice. 

I think my next story idea will involve a dog gondolier, a day in the life...

My last visit was in spring of 2006 (too long ago)

Here are some of the actual animals I've met in Venice... 

the Glamorous

Contented

Wise

Friendly

Animals that shared snacks with my mom & me :)

He needs a drink!

Chiesa di San Moise

Animals in Galleries

at Home

at Magazine Stands (possible tourist?)

Precious

Peaceful

The beautiful  Basilica di San Marco 

in St Mark's Square where people and pigeons flock together.

Funny

Relaxed

Elderly and oh so huggable!

The stunning Doge's Palace  

Palazzo Ducale

Curious

I was happy to catch this shot of a gondolier taking a nap in the sun.

*Burano* 

Great dog, great fangs :)

Guard dog

this turtle, bit more sprightly

than this one

My ride in a gondola

Hotel Excelsior on Lido, Venice is absolutely spectacular! 

(and fair deals on rooms off season)

My mom at her best, enjoying life! It's hard not to in Italy :)

Happy Mother's Day Mom

I've had the most wonderful experiences with and because of you!

I hope we have the chance to travel together many more times!!

You are the best.

Hope everyone has a lovely Mother's Day weekend!

xo, A

Clear Beautiful Fur Now!

Just another day on the subway ...

Have a good week!

xo, A

Subway Series

Animals take the NYC subway

Taking a break from addressing promotional postcards (yes! I have compiled a list) 

my thoughts turned to animals coming & going on the subway. 

The best thing to keep close by at all times 

is a little Moleskine notebook. If you haven't tried one, you're missing out, really.

The paper is super smooth, perfect for sketching with a pen.

*

 Back to mailings. This round is predominantly for children's book publishers.

I'm planning to stay positive until one of my characters breaks out, 

however long it takes. The prospect of someone calling me out of the blue 

after receiving a postcard is a fantasy I hold onto dearly. The idea of one or two cards 

making it onto the bulletin board of a few art directors is enough to keep me going!

*

 For anyone who wants to brush up on their skills, gain some fresh insight or 

sustain motivation, I highly recommend  the Continuing Education program 

at SVA. I recently completed another class there and it's 

always a rich and rewarding experience, 

well, except for that one time ;) 

Hope you have a fabulous weekend, just a day a way :)

xo, A

Meet Art Collector, Bunny B

a little sketch for Wednesday

Happy Easter to You!

Buckaroo Bunny wishes you and your family a lovely Easter! 

Thursday I painted this Springtime in Central Park scene for If I Were A Toy 

store in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn.

This month's door depicts a baby fox and piglet discussing boats 

before setting them for sail, while animals picnic and play.

The weather was nice and lots of kids were out & about after school.

I'm accustomed to people stopping by to watch or ask questions, 

but this time I had some help from a few little local artists.

First, a girl named Lucy came by and played her Viola while 

I painted and then two adorable little girls asked if they could help paint. 

Victoria and Kali did a terrific job taking direction and had just the 

right touch on clouds, flowers, lily pads and some greenery. 

I painted this little fox last year and recently took another look at him. 

I decided he's pretty cute, so he inspired April's door this year.

Hope you find lots of hidden eggs and little presents from the Easter Bun.

* Happy Easter * Happy Spring *

xo, A