Portraits and why I love them

Working on portraits really does take a bit more concentration and time than making my own pieces. Instead of simply coming up with an idea of my own and hammering it out, I'm faced with the challenge of creating a work that not only looks like the person it's depicting, but captures the mood the buyer wants.

I think that's what I love most, the challenge. A big part of the challenge is the emotional aspect of it. Hearing another person's story and translating that into the work of art is difficult.

Recently, I've had the honor and pleasure of doing a couple of very cool portraits. As you may be aware (or may you're not) I now offer custom hand painted portrait necklaces. I can't tell you how much I love getting these orders! The concept itself makes me think of the miniature portraits people once carried of loved ones in the past and I always love something that links in some way to history.

This piece I recently did was a portrait for a woman who had lost her child. When she asked me about doing it, I immediately knew that I didn't want to add the ink outline to it like I usually do. Monochromatic pieces where I only paint either the shadows or the places light hits are some of my favorite kinds of pieces to do. I hadn't had a good chance to do one in a while and I thought the ethereal quality it would bring to this portrait would be perfect.

This was a larger piece and I was so excited to do it! An 8" x 8" watercolor portrait of these two lovely little sisters. They were just the perfect subjects--I mean look at those adorable faces! Loved it.

I would love to do more portraits like this, so if you're interested in an affordable watercolor portrait, please, get in touch!

A Closer Look: Laurie Poast of ARTISANIEeurope

As you all know, I love tiny stuff. In my recent stumblings through Etsy I ran across this fabulous seller's shop, ARTISANIEeurope. Fairly new to Etsy (as of December), Laurie's work caught my eye immediately with her "French Maison" set. Her style is completely her own--which is awesome in the world of miniature architecture where it's so common to see a similar look. What I love most about Laurie's work are the muted colors she uses--they really hearken back to old world European. Everything about these simple little pieces is just perfect!

For those of you who haven't seen her shop on Etsy, I am thrilled to introduce you to Laurie Poast!

1. Tell me a little about yourself.

I’m an American artist living in Europe, exploring the beauty of the Old World and its charming people, architecture, traditional folk arts and fascinating antiquities. I suppose in a way, I’m collecting the stories of the people who have lived in these old European cities and villages, and making them into something we can hold in our hands today.

2. When did you recognize your talent as an artist?

I studied fine arts at Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin, United States, but my aesthetic probably first took root in my father’s workshop. Ever since I was very young, I watched him build fiddles and violins, cars, furniture, and even airplanes. I sometimes experimented with my own tiny projects using his materials and tools, and even became his little apprentice on very special days. I’ve thrived on creativity for as long as I can remember, and after working in the business side of arts in the U.S. for years, I’m ecstatic to focus my life on my own art now here in the city of Leiden, The Netherlands.

3. What made you choose to create miniature art?

In art school, I was somehow driven to create very large scale and emotionally provocative pieces that reflected the wounds of my early life experience. The tiny clay house series contrasts quite sharply with my past work, I suppose, and reflects a new feeling of sweetness and contentment, as well as a rebuilding of a sense of home. The miniature scale reveals some of my shyness and insecurity in starting to express myself again, as well as a bit of fascination with the tiny scale of houses and cobblestone streets here in Holland compared to the wide-open spaces in the United States.

4. Apart from creating things, what do you do?

I like to play the Norwegian Hardanger fiddle, go for long runs to the sea, and explore little villages throughout South Holland. For the past few months, though, I’ve been wonderfully consumed with developing my Etsy shop, ARTISANIEeurope.Etsy.com. Whether I’m making little houses, styling a photo shoot, developing my website or packaging up my little houses to travel across the sea to their new owners, I’m nearly always doing something creative.

5. Where does your inspiration come from?

The little houses are inspired by iconic styles of architecture in beautiful European cities and countrysides. My shop is filled with Dutch canal houses, rustic French farmhouses, pastel cubes from the Italian Riviera, tiny ornamented cottages from Zaanse Schans in Holland, and more. I have high hopes for exploring some more countries for inspiration in the coming years.

6. How would you describe your creative process?

My imagination never stops, and I have a terrible overflow of ideas. There are constant sources of inspiration here in Holland, and I sometimes wish I wasn’t limited by time or the physical ability to produce everything I imagine. I love to explore new materials and new methods, and each new piece, though some look quite simple, grows out of an elaborate process of imagination and experimentation. Right now, I like my pieces to have a pure, earthy aesthetic, so instead of painting details and surfaces, I use only the mineral-colored clay itself or raw powdered artist’s pigments mixed into the clay body itself. The process is slow and laborious, but I love the romance in using the same kinds of pigments used by the painters of the Dutch Golden Age, still ground today by a pigment-grinding windmill nearby.

7. What is your all time favorite work of art?

That’s an awfully difficult question to answer, but living in Holland, I can’t help but be in awe of the works of the Dutch Golden Age by Rembrandt van Rijn, Johannes Vermeer and Paulus Potter. These beautiful pieces are housed in nearby museums all around me, and I love being close to them.

8. In 10 years where do you see yourself?

I hope to be immersed in my work in an old stone farmhouse somewhere on the border of France and Switzerland. Along with my partner Yves, a Swiss neuroscientist and classical pianist, I’d like to raise a family and continue to travel the world for inspiration.

In love with Laurie's art? You can win one of her "Home" necklaces right here!

How to Enter

1. Visit Laurie's shop and leave a comment below letting us know which piece is your favorite.
2. Become a fan on Facebook

3. Blog/Facebook/Tweet about this giveaway

4. Purchase something from Laurie's shop

You can enter in as many different ways as you want!
Leave a separate comment below for each entry.
I will select a winner at random on March 18 using random.org

One comment per entry and don't forget to include your email address so I can let you know if you've won!

Finally Moving! (and a new painting)

We are finally moving into a place of our own! I can't stop gushing about how excited I am to be living in Asheville, NC. It's funny how nerve racking this whole thing actually is. After months of working, praying and looking for opportunities, we've arrived at a point where we are actually moving into our own apartment in a new town.

One of the strangest things to think about is how little interaction we've had with other people in the last few months. Although we don't talk about it, the prospect of not knowing anyone and having to make new friends is intimidating. My family moved around a lot when I was younger, but Jordan has never moved (other than for college). I'm excited to see how well he likes living on the side of a mountain as opposed to being on the plains.

Thoughts about all of our prospects and how wonderfully everything has turned out over the past few months, both in my shop and with my family, prompted me to paint this little piece:

Small, abstract figures can be seen in the colors above her head as she thinks about everything the future may (or may not) hold. It took me a while to think of a title, but I've finally settled on "Bright Things to Come."

This original watercolor painting by me, Sarah-Lambert Cook, can be purchased here in my Etsy shop.