Brooklyn Botanic Garden

My mom was in town last weekend and I had not been to the beautiful Brooklyn Botanic Garden in many years. Mother's Day seemed like the perfect time to visit. I'll just say, I wasn't the only one with that idea! 

Love Peonies!

Melissa came with us after a lovely group brunch at Frankies :D

Not everyone would pose, you know who you are ;)

These beautiful grounds were transformed from a city ash heap 100 years ago this summer! Read more about it's fascinating history, research and educational programs or simply go and relax and appreciate :) 

We did not cover the full 52 acres on this trip, opting to stay on a path that lead the way to a women's room and then onto the Japanese Gardens ;) Not a bad plan really.

Bit of a feeding frenzy above.

Sadly, upon exiting this oasis, a Wendy's awaits.

I missed the Cherry Blossom Festival but I treasure this tree that blossoms each year right outside my front window :') 

*To support victims of the Japanese earthquake just click here to learn more on BBG's website.

Thanks for stopping by today. I look forward to updating you on my studio to apt move, it is improving bit by bit! -A

Happy Mother's Day 2011!

To all you great moms out there~  May you have a Lovely Day to Celebrate your Fabulosity!

Click here to learn about my mom Anne Howard and view thank you notes some of my friends wrote to their moms last year. Today we'll celebrate at Frankies with some delicious French Toast, thick cut Bacon and a refreshing Bellini :) 

Enjoy your day! 
love, 
Allyn

Charming bright home

What timing! just when I've been fantasizing about what I'd like my home and studio to look like in a perfect world, Apartment Therapy presents a lovely tour of  Amy & David Butler's home in Ohio. I have her book "Midwest Modern" and it inspires me a great deal.  

I love all the light that pours into each room, the wood floors, high ceilings, colorful touches and wonderful & extensive gardens they've planted! Click here for the tour :) 
Ok, back to clean up...
Have a great week! -A

Sunday, a day to appreciate, complain and vice versa

"Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone, you may still exist, but you have ceased to live." ~ Mark Twain


I mentioned in my post last week that I am moving everything out of my studio and into my apartment downstairs. I have to admit that it feels great to purge myself of outdated books like "Personal Finance in your 20s" and business books for artists, including the "Handbook on Pricing & Ethical Guidelines" from 1999. I feel confident that I could write a guide book. Unfortunately, the title would be "How to Turn your Business into a Hobby". I will not part with some of my old Art Forums, Vogue and Vanity Fair mags. I will toss some of the hideous paintings I made in the early 90s, but some I still like very much! I'm lucky to have a fair amount of storage space in my apartment and I liked waking up in the smaller cozy side room, once occupied by my bunny rabbits, this morning :) It took a lot more work than I expected to make that tiny room livable. Currently, I'm confounded by furniture in my studio that no longer fits through the door. I've tried every angle for one table and even after removing the door, it just won't budge? I wondered earlier if Kate Middleton ever removed door hinges. maybe.

It's a beautiful day and  the Court Street Fair is going on outside. I usually venture out to socialize and take pictures for my blog, but with so much left to do and in desperate need of a shower, I may sit this one out. I've never gone this long without hot water. After several visits from the gas company then repairs and a chimney cleaning, all was well on Friday. By Saturday, the pleasure of a hot shower was just out of reach again. Damn me for not taking one as soon as it was back! There's some issue with the pilot light that's too dull to go into here. It's been a week and a half and I was looking at it as a blessing in disguise. It motivated me to finally start running again, in part, to sweat enough to enjoy a cold shower. Still it's not that enjoyable to go from hot, straight to cold without any stretching (lest I cool off too much ;)

I like to keep a healthy perspective on things, but sometimes it just feels good to bitch. It's more fun to do at work or having drinks with friends, but today I am by myself. I love my neighborhood, but as rents continue to rise I wonder how long I'll hang on here. I am very lucky to work in a Union, have benefits and enough free days to work on my own business. Whether painting custom murals or pursuing licensing contracts for my art & characters, I love what I do. I dream of making my living solely from my artwork, but the cost of maintaining a separate studio here in Brooklyn has become very expensive. I hope that my new live/work layout will be conducive to creativity and that I will become more organized. I regret the lack of space I'll have to work on larger projects, but I believe I will eventually find another perfect work studio to do everything I dream of doing.

Easter Day!

I'm spending some time today packing up my studio for the move (of everything!) down into my apt. It's a daunting task and I decided I needed to take a break and write a post for Easter. Here, a tiny bit of my bunny artwork, my two wonderful pet rabbits, Rocky and Lilo (rip) and some photos that inspire in general.

 The Brooklyn Navy Yard has some of the most beautiful sunsets!

Picture perfect Venice, Italy. Above, Jesus looks down on a walkway in colorful Burano.

Below, a giant chocolate bunny greets shoppers and candy lovers at Dylan's Candy Bar ...

May you have a lovely Easter Day and a springtime full of bright surprises!  xo, Allyn

Votes are in!

Let's Play! is my 2011 ad for Total Art Licensing magazine. 

My fabulous facebook friends and fans voted for their fave and this one was the winner. The two designs were quite similar, but my logo and Scooter Dog made the difference. 

TAL is a global art licensing magazine. Based in the UK, they reach all the top trade shows and offer a very reasonable rate for independent artists & designers who wish to advertise in the "Art Gallery" section of the magazine.

If you haven't done so already, I recommend setting up a Facebook Page for your business. I greatly appreciate the feedback from my regularly returning relatively small, but savvy group of "fans" who either boost my confidence or shed light on what's not up to par. Thank You FB Fans! You Rock!! 

If you haven't "liked" Artwork by Allyn yet, just give it a try :D

*Yoga Bun Wishes you a Happy Easter*

Hippity Hoppity

Easter's on it's way!  Above, my monthly door for If I Were A Toy store. Below, a few of my cards...

Some of you may recognize these bunnies and birds. They're currently available to purchase on my website and at Papel NY in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. Yoga Bun is also back in stock :)

Thanks for taking a look today! Still waiting for that sunny spring weather here in Brooklyn!!