tashina knight

As you can see from the work table, there’s no shortage of art going on. There’s just a shortage of art being actually completed.

3 watercolors, 5 acrylics and, hehe, just ordered some paperclay today because I have these little sculptures in my head that want out.

I’ve been doing some thinking on trends. Why is it that we look down on some and can’t get enough of others? For instance, back when Somerset Studio was all-sepia-all-the-time, I still submitted a couple of things for publication, but stopped subscribing. I also have had enough currently of deer, wings pasted on to old photos and shrines. Now, mind you, I’m not putting these things down. Nope. Because I am still in love with hand painted girls, bunny ears and kitty ears on girls, and collage-y stuff. I also am a latecomer to the whole brown & turquoise and  brown & pink phase. A year or two ago when I first heard that chocolate and turquoise was back, I was horrified. But it’s growing on me. I am certain to grow completely fond of it the moment it is no longer in fashion and then people can look down on me for being so last year. What phases are you all in? What’s in and out in your own personal space?

In other news, I actually have taken a bit of a job sort of thing. I shouldn’t talk too much about it here. I’m still training and checking it out. It’s only half-time and working from home, so it fits in nicely with  painting and creating thing. I’m using the first paycheck (before it arrives -lol) to bring parts of our lives into the 21st century. Replacing my 10 year old cordless phone with new ones. Buying Office 2007 and retiring Office 1997. Buying a headset to use with Skype. Exciting I know.

And eventually, I must sit myself back down at the table and finish something!

If you read my last post, it will come as no surprise that I am what I am most missing right now is a place I feel I belong - with my peeps, ya know?

The last place I felt “at home” was my hometown of San Diego. We are having a long wet gray summer here in Austin. I’ve managed to get a few flowers to grow here, but I miss all the year-round tropical flowers of San Diego more than just about anything out there. Austin has great trees and the rain has made everything lush and green, but it’s the San Diego flowers that call to me.

Growing up, we had a bird of paradise in the front yard. That plant grew out of control and as a little little kid I used to talk to the flowers because they seemed like people (in my first version of this drawing, the flower has a face).  I spent weekends at the zoo and the Botanical Gardens and took it all for granted. I assumed everywhere in the world was like my own personal tropical paradise. When I watched TV news of snowstorms and sleet, it was no more real than any of the fiction shows.

I’m going to have to take a vacation and go somewhere with bright tropical flowers or see if they have something like that here in Austin.

This is watercolor with colored pencil and pigment ink.

I have about 6 items I’m painting right now. Another in the Bubble series (like this one) - a seascape this time. Also a watercolor house, a space-y girl with a wild hat, and two botanical collage girls. I’m headed off now to go compare archival printers online and maybe actually buy one. I FINALLY listed 23 items on eBay this week (knightmates)

and started listing a few of the jewelry supplies on etsy. Made my first sale this morning!

Check out other “Missing” images here.