Bus Stop

Bus Stop
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

I love little babcias.
This picture has several meanings for me:
1. My mom is friends with a Polish Ladies Action Prayer Task Force and whenever there is big trouble, the Polish Ladies Action Prayer Task Force kicks into high gear. Such was the case when my tiny daughter was born. Those babcias do good work :) They also send me very tasty desserts around the holidays.
2. My own Polish grandmother loved pink (my other grandmother loved blue, and that was how I told them apart when I was very small).
3. I have two other de facto grandmothers. A grandmother and a great aunt. We adopted each other. For my birthday they are always sending me "to my granddaughter" and "to my niece" cards and I am always so thrilled with it. They used to keep a tiny chihuahua named Pitzeleh. He was like a little punting dog, but they loved him so much. They have another little tiny dog now whom they dress in little sweaters.

A bumblebee for inkyblack

A bumblebee for inkyblack
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

Inkyblack, who shoots the most luminescent portraits of children, and who is also an astonishingly sweet person, requested a bumblebee from me. It was a joy to comply. I am all giddy.

x and o

x and o
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

I was able to leave my office on time today. Twilight. But then there was a traffic jam on the way home. The good thing about a traffic jam at twilight in the wintertime here is that there is plenty of time to study the trees and the sky behind them. I had plenty of music to listen to (Jennifer Kimball, Peter Mulvey) and I wasn't hungry and I didn't have to pee. It was nice to sit and watch.
My favorite kind of tree to see is a tree that has new baby leaves on it, in daylight right after the rain. There is a sharp contrast between the wet bark and the new day-glo leaves. But the silhouettes of skeletal trees at twilight are a close second.

Foooooooour Colors!

Foooooooour Colors!
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

We are not halfway through January and I've made one of my big goals for the year (draw in 4 colors or fewer and like it)! Now I need to learn how to silkscreen this onto a bazillion t-shirts. My daughter would probably love wearing this buggie. I would, too.

I actually have been doing many creative things wherever and however I can but I haven't been too too much at liberty to show them off yet. One reason is because some of the new creative things are waiting for the birth of a friend's baby, and how honored I am to do a special project for this family! Another reason is some of the creative things are not digital in nature and we have not struck upon a happy coincidence where "free time" meets "adequate light for photography". Another reason is I'm in major crunch mode at my day job, working lots of late hours, and so most of my drawings are on scrap paper in the margins of meeting notes as I try to keep myself awake and alert.

the boy who brought back the sun

the boy who brought back the sun
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

We've had a sweet Solstice day (which was also a sweet Hannukah day and a sweet day of Cheesemas and Christmas preparations -- we do it all). I made a wish upon the first star I saw, lit my Solstice candle and sang "happy birthday" to Sunshine with my little daughter. I tried to explain that there would be more sun in each day from now until midsummer -- but I think that was lost in the blur of her desire for more Hannukah gelt (chocolate coins).

Cardinal

Cardinal
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

I have a goal for 2007 already which is to learn to be content drawing in four colors or fewer (there's a special project I have in mind which restricts the palette quite a lot). It's harder than I thought, drawing in just four colors. Really hard. In this picture I had to give up , but I like it anyway.

Cardinals winter here, where I live. It's not winter yet (instead we have a freak warm snap which I really appreciate), but my desk faces a window and last week, looking out the window, I saw a cardinal among the skeletons of my rose bushes.

ho ho ho

ho ho ho
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

I'm not setting foot in the mall until at least January somethingteen.

Little Person Man

Little Person Man
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

And now, something different.

Angels We Have Heard Go Toot

Angels We Have Heard Go Toot
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

Cardboard (paper towel tube) and paper angels I made with Maya Chocolatey Claire on her 2nd birthday.
We are getting into the Cheesemas spirit here. During the photo shoot I nibbled on part of the "set" -- can you see the hunks of Colby Jack and Port Salut in the background? They were delicious.

Neonatal Flying Pig

Neonatal Flying Pig
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

I've been asked to draw a flying pig for a very special preemie (one of the happy outcomes of the Shopping From The Heart event last Friday at Bryn Mawr Hospital). This is one of the variations. It's black/white/red to attract and hold the neonatal gaze.

November is Prematurity Awareness Month!

November is Prematurity Awareness Month!
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

Here's a picture of Maya and me on our very first Christmas together. It was a difficult time of course (here Maya is recovering from sepsis -- very scary) but I do have beautiful memories of that day. I was telling her about Santa Claus and the NICU staff and volunteers presented each and every patient with a personalized stocking. Special gestures like these make a holiday in the hospital much brighter for everyone, and I'm having a blast "giving back".

Spacedog -- Again!

another version of Spacedog
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

I am ever closer to meeting my goals for the November 17 Shopping from the Heart benefit at Bryn Mawr Hospital. I liked the Spacedog shadowbox so much that I decided Spacedog needed to be a print and a wall lamp too.

Come up and see us sometime

Come up and see us sometime
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

More doodly fun. We had a really good Halloween, too. How about you?

OMG, it's not a shadowbox

OMG, it's not a shadowbox
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

Sir Knight, Defender of the Fluffy Green Hills

Sir Knight, Defender of the Fluffy Green Hills Shadowbox
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

Still cranking out the shadowboxes for "Shopping from the Heart" at Bryn Mawr Hospital on Fri. 11/17/2006!

Shadowboxes!

Spacedog Shadowbox
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

When my workday is done -- I come home and do more work, lately on shadowboxes for the big NICU benefit:
Have A Heart Shopping Event
benefits the Main Line Health Neonatal Intensive Care Units
Bryn Mawr Hospital, Bryn Mawr, PA
November 17, 2006
You can preview the entire set here but as they are !!!3D!!! and !!!handpainted!!!! there's nothing like seeing them in person!

No time for love, Dr. Jones!

butterfly in the high chair
Originally uploaded by sammy baby.

Make that, "no time for drawing" -- but we have sure had a lot of fun lately! We just returned from a big trip to New England to visit a bunch of preemie friends. I expected to have a good time -- I had a GREAT time.

Halloween Kitty

Halloween Kitty
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

Getting into the spirit...
(I know it's insipid that Christmas lasts 8 weeks or more, according to shopping malls and the like. But I think Halloween ought to get at least a month. It is the BEST holiday.)

Hope - For Ali, Dave, Maddie, and the Grahamlet

Hope - For Ali, Dave, Maddie, and the Grahamlet
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

Oh my goodness.
I put green leaves there on purpose: the trees up in New England had better be good and full before the baby is born!

Grow

Grow
Originally uploaded by relentlesstoil.

NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) art in progress!
My daughter was a NICU patient for many many days, and has survived and thrived. Today she graduated Early Intervention. I like to give back.