Inspired by one of my favorite places to visit, the #DetroitZoo , I designed my #skateboard entry for the #SouthStreetSkateshop #DeckArt contest after the iconic #bear fountain. It kinda reminds me of an old #postcard from a family trip. I sanded the varnish off the board and painted directly, skipping the primer. The water itself is raw wood. Wish me luck!

 I must say, this was a fun project to work on. I suppose it's because the program this logo was designed for, I hold dear to my heart. #MakerGirlMania is designed to spark an interest in #STEM for girls in elementary school with the hope they will fan that flame and continue their interest into high school, and beyond. This program is well designed by their founders and has been a huge success from the beginning.

And here's another entry for the library mural contest. The butterflies will start on the adjacent wall to the mural and swirl into the main mural. The butterflies will start off with no detail and fly into different butterfly species as they enter the main wall of the mural.

My entry for the library mural contest. I call it: The Library, a place for the heart and mind to grow.

When we read a book, whether for education or entertainment, our thoughts blossom into something more than what we had before turning the first page.

This little lovely was a warm up... Though I love sunflowers, I find them to be a little more challenging than the other flowers.

Open an adventure! This mural design not only represents fantasy, but also Ursa Major and Ursa Minor are holding the book open, while Draco flies overhead, confronting a dragon fly. The constellatic figures represent the universe and beyond.

 Today was the deadline for the bookmark design contest at the library, and I made it in on time --wahoo!! I was inspired by the beautiful bear sculpture welcoming visitors. 

My entry, "Common Core," was designed to draw attention to funding for public education. Throughout my painting, found words and phrases are cropped and revealed using 500 sheets of recycled student assignments (grades k-6th) to strengthen my message. The 500 sheets also equal one ream of paper –our latest addition to the back-to-school supply list due to severe budget cuts. My 12ft x 8ft painting depicts a water park without water. The water tower represents an outdated proposal, slowing to a trickle and drips into the large pool below where students have only puddles to play in. Some students are painted grey to represent those who are not failing enough to qualify for the help they need to bring them up to grade level, and yet they must be pushed forward: No Child Left Behind. Only one child smiles throughout the painting, a classmate helps the smiling girl leave the grey zone. This empowers her to become a strong student and will thrive in public education. She has hope. The parent brigade of volunteers carry red buckets to pour funds into the school, though much of it showers the pay-to-play motto. As parents, our pockets are only so deep. Some families are frustrated. They form a line, ready to board the school bus, and search for alternative ways to educate their children: private schooling, home schooling, or charter schools. As the students leave, so do the proposal tax dollars, depleting the pool funds even more. What will become of our public education system, once all the funds run dry? Schools continue to close, classrooms combine, teachers are frozen in pay (or cut), longer supply lists (only if the families can purchase them, if not then teachers supply them out of their own pockets)… The small pool filled with adults, just below the colorful funnel, symbolize the greed and entitlement of some and how it has wormed its way into the schools, siphoning what little trickles down from the broken Capitol spout. They refuse to feel the drought. I am not a teacher. I am a mom. I am a volunteer. I am an artist and hope this will spark conversation. Thank you for reading.

I was inspired by a recent client to paint a #petportrait of my sister's #furbaby, Buddy, the #beagle. Best #giftidea EVER! Why didn't I think of this before? 

As you can see, her beagle is painted on a smaller surface (10"x10") compared to my #muttportrait (24"x24"). I also painted the beagle on a wooden panel. A new addition to my art career? Yep!