Red Fox Decal Installation

I installed an extra large Red Fox Decal today!



He now lives in the kids' playroom of a charming Victorian home here in my fair city of Philadelphia. I recently had a clearance sale on all my old stock and switched decal printers. I am truly happy with the new product. Many of my designs have irregular edges and super tiny details so, although I really liked the matte paper-like finish of my initial product, I needed a more practical material that wouldn't tear during application and would generally be more durable. I also wanted something that would work for both decals and this new line of removable wallpaper, which needs to be water-resistant and durable enough to wipe clean.

These decals are really easy to apply. All you need is a couple pieces of masking tape and a squeegee to prevent catching air bubbles (if you buy an oversize decal from me I include one). It is so simple that I probably don't even need to tell you how, but here's a visual just in case...



It might seem like a lull around here lately, but there is a lot happening behind the scenes! Upcoming projects include a freaking unbearably adorable line of children's clothing, a comprehensive new web store with lots of sticky things beyond decals, and a greater selection of giclee reproductions of my large scale oil paintings. Life is busy and beautiful as well. I wish you a happy summer and thank you for visiting!

Can you spot the original?!

I stretched my first canvas giclee reproduction this week and I am SO happy with it...

Can you tell which one is the original and which is the print?

 

No? The bottom is the original!
 


   We decided to print the reproduction a bit more saturated, since I assumed these purchases would be made online and everything appears so illuminated and high-contrast when viewed on screens.

  The original was painted on raw canvas but the reproduction had to be printed on a prepared gesso, and I was very impressed that the subtle quality of that bleeding paint was not lost in the reproduction.

  Despite these minor differences, I was amazed by the quality and the sheer scale of these printers. It was a very fun experience. Also very funny to walk the streets of Philadelphia with a painting larger than me (and of course I always have these appointments on the windiest days). I guess I looked like a painting with feet.

  I will be working through my archive and creating listings on the new shop page as more pieces become available for reproduction. 

Thanks for Reading!

  
 


Revisiting The Archive!

Happy Spring!

  It is really hard for me to sit in front of the computer right now with such lovely weather out my window. It has triggered spring cleaning of sorts as I dig into my archive and try to organize my hard drive of images for reproduction. It is quite the task, and I keep getting distracted by all of the interesting things I am coming across. I used to be so good about documenting. There are lots of sets like this.
  Check out this continuum of "Pear Tree" images...
 

  On a related note, I just got home from tweaking proofs at a local printer for my first full-sized giclee reproduction. I have actually had products like this available on Fine Art America for a while. However, while I think they are a great source for well-priced goods and a quick turn-around, they produce massive quantities and drop ship so I'm not able to approve the quality of their orders.
 
  My new approach with this local printer has been very interesting. I am starting with Off-Shore Wind Turbine and will deliver my first full-size reproduction to a customer next week! The reproduction is printed on the same type of canvas that I paint on, and it has a nice matte finish with very convincing detail.
  I am going to begin the process of borrowing back locally owned pieces to be professionally scanned and archived. Then eventually archiving the new pieces as they come to be. Gifts and commissioned works will of course not be available for reproduction.
  I am so excited to soon offer a comprehensive shopping cart with high-quality reproductions of all my recent works.  If you are curious, you can visit it's current incarnation here. There is still lots of work to be done, but I am hoping to have the page ready for an April decal clearance. Get your walls ready for cuteness!
WANT A FREE REPRODUCTION?
If you own an original painting of mine that has not been scanned, please contact me to help with this process!
If you are willing to deliver your painting, I will coordinate all of the logistics with a fine art printer local to you. In return, along with my eternal gratitude, I will ship you a free print of the Moore-Art painting of your choice.
PLEASE
WITH INQUIRIES!
 

Painting Swap!

  Months ago, Baltimore artist Ron Smyth and I arranged a painting swap. We both were a little tied up with work and family life but AT LAST our paintings made their way North and South to their new homes and it was oh so worth the wait.
Ron often paints antique timepieces and is a talented craftsman as well, complimenting his works with really beautiful frames. The theme and style of his piece is just perfect for our Victorian home. Feast your eyes!...


 

   I made Flying Lessons for Ron. It is a continuation of my Abstract Wetscape series, but the first one that isn't purely abstract. It has led to a phase of several recent paintings combining my typical abstract landscapes with more representational scenery or figures. So much fun! And check out his amazing place...



HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!


Decals are HERE!!!

I have been caught up with a very fun commission lately, which I would love to share pictures of but I have to keep a secret! And so...my decal project hit the back burner for a little while. My Etsy shop is finally up now and decals are available. I did order some before posting the shop (and stick my favorites all over my house) to test the image quality and I was very happy with them. I will continue making new designs in between projects and will post them as they become available.


Holiday Gifts!

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! The holiday season is coming!
  That is how I usually feel each year, but I think I am actually on top of it this time. Then again, I have felt that way before and later found myself paying for expedited shipping and knitting away into the wee hours of the night.
  In an effort to remove some stress from this inevitably bustling stretch of the year, I am making an early last call for holiday commissions. I can only accept orders for small paintings or custom decals at this time. Alternatively, there's always prints and knick knacks from Fine Art America and I will launch my Etsy shop as soon as my first run of vinyl decals arrive.
  Feel free to run any ideas by me if you are unsure about timeline or need a quote.
  As always (whether you make a purchase or are just here to rest your eyes), thanks for your help in keeping alive the practice of making these completely non-functional, horribly inefficient, entirely handcrafted works of art in our fast-moving, highly mechanized, digitized world.

R.I.P. Cicada Tree

I drove by my previous home recently and was sad to discover that an old favorite tree had died. I found it interesting that my painting cuts off right about where the tree now ends. Strange. It feels good to have had a lifetime of documenting things I love--these things, they come and go...


Painting in the Woods of Philadelphia

  One if the things I love about my neighborhood is that I can walk to the woods. In about 10 minutes I can be along the Wissahickon Creek and feel far from the city. 10 minutes in the other direction and I can be at a favorite restaurant in bustling Manayunk. It's really the best of both worlds. As long as you don't mind hills.
  Last week I took an afternoon to enjoy the creek and paint. I went down with my little backpack of watercolors and set up on a shaded bench at what I think of as my favorite entrance to the park. I'll sound cheesy if I try to describe how pleasant it was. Just imagine doing your favorite thing, in your favorite spot, in perfect weather...sigh.


'Kitchens Lane'

More Decals!

Landscapes are momentarily on the back burner and I have been working on some cuteness!

These are some recent hand painted vinyl wall decals. I was originally offering them as tiny commissioned originals, but I found a way to reproduce them and make these original designs much more affordable. News to come on that venture, which will probably incarnate as an Etsy store.

 
This litter of bunnies is going to be my pilot run for the reproduction decals. If I'm happy with the quality, I'll go on to make many more . Send me your suggestions on what animals to make! The possibilities are endless...mythical, insects, underwater, glow-in-the-dark? I'm very curious to see how it all goes and I"m hoping to get the individual pricing very low.



STUDIO SALE!

I am having my first ever...
STUDIO SALE!!!
  Ever try action painting in a small labyrinth? I do it several times a week and it's driving me insane.
  I really need to clear some space in my home studio and I am also working to fund some technology for my next new project. I don't usually post prices online because it's not classy but, in celebration of my messy workspace and new endeavors, I am doing the unclassy.
  I am only running this sale for a week or so before I jump into some projects on the sideline. If you like a piece that sells out or if it clashes with your throw pillows and you wish it was purple, or whatever the case may be, I will honor the posted sale price for a commission of the same dimensions.
  I am experienced with packing and shipping (in fact, that's been my day job for many years) and am offering shipping services on items of any size. Inquire with the destination address for shipping costs.
 To make a purchase, contact me with the title of the work that you are interested in or a brief description of your commission concept. I use PayPal for credit cards/electronic payment.
  In other news, (if you didn't see my last blog post) I have entered the world of CUTE ANIMAL DECALS!! I'll be opening an Etsy store to offer a little collection of these, but you can get in on the cuteness early if you want. As part of this sale, request a custom decal of any animal for $15. Little guys only for this price. For example, the chipmunk to the right is about 3''. Your decal will come cut out and ready to go. They are self-adhesive and work well on smooth surfaces so think walls, switch plates, painted furniture...I put the chipmunks on a somewhat lumpy baseboard and that worked with a clear coat over the decals. I can mail these in a little envelope, so don't worry about shipping cost.

Red Bark. Oil on Canvas. 24''x32''.
$250

 
Shagbark Hickory and Friends. Watercolor on Paper. 10.5''x14''.
$45
 
 Water Collagraph. Ink on Rice Paper. 14''x22''.
$45
  I have two slightly unique renditions of this available. One is printed with a straight black ink and the other with a subtle red tone. Collagraphs are amazingly fun. If you haven't heard the term, it's a printmaking technique that uses a textured surface which is glued onto a firm backing. This one was just made with crumpled paper on cardboard. It's different than woodblock or linoleum printing in that the image is reproducible but degrades a bit with each edition. I printed this one to death--until it was squished and saturated with ink. The many prints I made were a chronicle of the creation and destruction of an image. So interesting! And so here is what remains. They are one of many, but also one-of-a-kind.
 Home. Dripped Enamel Paint on Canvas. 24''x36''.
$200

Knifed Landscape Study. Acrylic on Canvas. 14''x22''.
$125




 This piece is framed as shown to the left. It was a study for a larger painting. It is done entirely with a palette knife and very highly textured...I only used a brush to sign it.

Off-Shore Wind Turbine. Oil on Unprimed Canvas. 60''x48''.
$1,800




DIY Wall Decals!! CHIPMUNKS!!!


I did a fun experiment this week that turned out really great. It would be an easy thing to reproduce if you want to make your own wall decals...
I was working on one of my little animal murals in a tough spot along some baseboard the other day when I decided I needed a new technique. It was really difficult to get my hand in this spot and my legs kept falling asleep, so my chipmunk was looking pretty dumb.
I went home to sketch other chipmunk poses that might better suit the spot, and while I was rifling through my supplies I had a brainstorm!!!
My grandfather had a company that did graphic design (pre-computer days), and when he passed away I inherited a lot of curious supplies that I have been whittling away at over the years. One of the things I had yet to find a useful is this self-adhesive Pantone paper. It comes in large sheets with a sturdy paper backing and the adhesive works great. Here's a little snip of it that was left over:
If you can't find a product like this, just use an opaque contact paper. You are basically just making a vinyl sticker.
So, I sketched my chipmunks with a fine point Sharpie on my Pantone paper. I chose a Sharpie because a pencil would have made grooves in the vinyl that might be visible in the end product and a regular marker would smudge.
 
Chipmunks look evil without eyes. Don't worry about how they look at this stage, none of it will show in the end (although you would see this sketch on the back side of your decal if you end up mounting it on a window).
Next, paint the subject of your decal to completion with a good quality acrylic. Paint quality probably will matter here as runny paints will bead and make it difficult to get coverage. If you aren't a practiced painter, it would be just as cute to do silhouettes on an opaque solid color or on a patterned contact paper. If you are using contact paper, make your life easier and do your sketch on the paper back side (remember that your image will then be reversed).
Here's how one of my guys developed:

I installed my decals in a high-traffic area, so I wanted to add a protective top coat over my paint. I had fixative on hand and that worked great, but any sprayable (apparently that's not a word) clear coat should do the trick. I found a really sunny spot for this step to cut down on the drying time and quickly get in several coats.

After they were completely dry, I VERY carefully cut out the decals. I forgot to take a picture of this step, but use either sharp scissors or a craft knife on a cutting mat. Don't use a knife on a surface that is not completely smooth or you may get snagged and ruin all your hard work.
Now you have adorable little hand-made decals. Play around to get the placement just the way you like it, then peel off your backing and adhere it onto the wall. Smooth it from one end to another so it lays nice and flat with no bubbles. And since I was working in a high-traffic area, I actually brushed on another clear coat once my guys were on the wall so that they were securely attached and could be safely cleaned over.
Voila:


Winter Oak

This painting is in the midst of a big makeover...
  I know I have some images of the underpainting somewhere too, but I'll have to add them later when I figure out what phone or camera I was using at the time. I started this painting a few years ago, when the subject was then just a favorite tree in my boyfriend's yard. This project got put on hiatus when I moved and time went by...and by...and by. I eventually rediscovered it in my hoarder's delight of a studio and decided to take a different approach. I now live with this tree and know it well, so my perspective and the meaning of it all has changed a bit.
  For a while, I had gotten away from my usual process of dripping a graph. I use this technique to establish segments and bring some order to the big mess I make when a painting begins. When I came back to this piece after not seeing it for about a year, I decided to dive in and just paint naturally without trying to continue the non-drippy style I began with. The dripping process has become so much a part of painting for me that it looked weird without it! This tree has got the most interesting bark. A piece actually plopped off and was laying in the yard so I keep it in the studio next to this painting. I can't wait to get into the details.


hiatus state:


When Guinea Pigs Fly

  After teaching several children's classes and now living with a 7-year old, I have taken an interest in making art for children. I had been playing with the addition of animals in my last few landscapes and have always been a huge sucker for cute, fluffy animals in general so it is a pretty natural direction for me to find. I think I feel an Etsy shop coming on!
  Here is "When Guinea Pigs Fly" (for Hazel this past Christmas):


Songbird Mural

Now that I am not a renter I am really liking the fact that I can paint on the walls!! I previously posted our kitchen mouse...now I've added a robin in the bedroom. I made some gauzey linen curtains up there that cast a beautiful soft light on this little mural and it is just dreamy.

Clothes on a Line

It's a snow day here and I'm making up for lost time! I have some blog posts that I never got around to publishing, so I'm going to release them all now and pretend they have different dates...

  I have been largely consumed by this beautiful Victorian home that I am so tickled to live in. I grew up in an early 1900's reproduction stone farm house and I have always sought out old buildings as a renter. In my childhood home, there were Mercer tiles around a beautiful little St. Francis statue on the back of the house (this little thing was so important to me that I made rubbings of the tiles when my mom sold the house so I didn't have to leave them behind). Mysterious artifacts would sometimes get churned up when we tilled the garden and we ate apples from enormous trees that had been dropping fruit on that yard for god knows how many generations. It was all a big mystery that would never completely unfold. I enjoy the feeling of living in a place with deep history. This current house is so full of character and stories as well.
  This past summer, we renovated our little side porch and made all kinds of interesting discoveries. The crawlspace under the porch was hiding a huge, ornate bed post (it took a few weeks of walking past it in the hallway for us to place what exactly it was), several antique laundry ringers and a number of other great-looking but yet to be identified objects. THEN, we opened up the walls to add insulation and discovered that they were lined thick with old newspapers. They are very brittle and delicate so I carefully stashed them away in my studio, intending to do some projects with them but unsure of what they would be.
  I recently started a painting that incorporated these pages. I also used some stiffened fabrics that I cut into hanging laundry because I am sort of obsessed with clotheslines. Something about the way fabric catches the wind, and perhaps they represent a meeting of domestic life and the natural world. I can't put my finger on it, but I just love the image of clothes hanging on a line. It's been a while since I did a mixed media piece and now I remember why it is so fun! This piece is pretty rough around the edges, but when I get a solid block of time to work I think it will be very satisfying. I'm always off to a very messy start!
  Here is my progress thus far:


Kitchen Mouse!!!

We just got a really cute infestation in our kitchen...

A friend spotted a little mouse hole painted on the curb and sent me a picture of it. I loved it so much that I made my own version in our kitchen. I hope she can get along with the cats.

Upcoming Art Class!

My March class at North Light Community Center in Roxborough is now open for enrollment. This facility has a nice big Arts and Crafts room, which I am familiar with from teaching for the after school program. I have some really fun ideas for this class and kids are going to take home a great little project each time we meet. I am looking forward to meeting my new group and seeing all our creations!
ABC's of Art and Art History (ages 8-14)
Learn more about North Light Community Center

I was going through an old hard drive of photos (while putting together my new website!) and I came across a whole series of photos of a painting that I completely forgot existed. I have no idea what happened to this painting, but I do remember making it. It is really not my style so it's sort of an interesting mystery to me. I think that in the end I just primed over it and reused the canvas. Anyhow, here's how it developed...








I have been a bit behind with blogging, as usual. I've had a stream of small commissions that keep me busy and lots of big life changes are finally settling down. Many exciting things are on the horizon for me and I am feeling pretty happy!
First off, I have been volunteer teaching at North Light Community Center in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia. Last week was my last session with their after school program and I am gearing up for a really exciting new class that will begin in March. I can follow up shortly with the final info for that program and how to sign up. Check out North Light's website here and check out the news on an upcoming documentary featuring North Light here!
I finally relaunched my website, which I had to rename (slightly) because I accidentally let my domain ownership lapse and some other artistic Moore snatched it up! I am working out the kinks on that project and will post a link for that soon as well.
The large geese wetscape for my painting swap with Ron Smythe is complete and needs to be delivered...

My latest landscape-meets-animal painting is still sketchy and has been developing really slowly, but I'm excited about the idea. The main tree in this painting was drawn from a huge limb that I could see out of my studio window in the old Mount Airy apartment. Now that I have moved, it has become a totally different tree. Also, I have been working on the thing for so long that the seasons have changed several times! I decided to accept this as part of the history of this painting, and let the background fracture into segments that each show the season during which they were painted. So far, we've got summer, fall and winter...I hope that spring doesn't creep in!