Illustration Friday: excess

In the land of excess, gift giving abounds. One of my Marisol Holiday cards submitted for the "excess" theme on Illustration Friday.

California Dreaming by Henry Diltz

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A few weeks ago there was a knock on the door and a package was sitting on the doorstep. It was a huge box addressed to John Hartmann (my husband) and I carried it inside and we slowly unwrapped a magnificent treasure. On top was a letter from the publisher. Then came a bag with California Dreaming by Henry Diltz printed on it, then a tie-dyed book box and then the book. It is huge, beautiful and brimming with pictures and album covers of some of the greatest musicians of our time. Photographs and commentary by Henry Diltz with interviews by friends and associates that were there. But way more than that, it is Henry's daily schedule written out in his lovely writing style, a journal by the picture taker of his photoshoots and relationships with all the artists. If you get to have your dream book published this would be the one! It is perfectly put together, the pictures are memories of a great time in music, art and life. I was surprised John received this large present and he then mentioned that he had been interviewed for this book... He is on 15 pages! A wonderful surprise and an amazing tome. There was a big book party in LA & New York and a lot of the people in the book showed up for Henry. Henry has taken so many amazing pictures that we all know and love. Joni Mitchell, CSN, Neil Young, Poco, America, The Mamas and the Papas, Eagles, Jackson Browne are just a few of the people that grace the pages. He even took some pictures for us at our reception 10 years ago. This is one of the all time greatest books I have ever seen and of course it was published in England, where they do know books. I know that there is a limited amount of these books so I wanted everyone to get a chance to see some of the contents and if you get a chance to view one up close I highly recommend it! Michael Walker, the writer of Laurel Canyon has quite a few posts about the book signings, Henry Diltz and the pictures in the book.

Illustration Friday: The Zoo

Today at 11:00 a.m. Ella escaped from the San Diego Zoo. Feeling free and drunk with power she invites a few friends to party. She can see them coming and they are ready to celebrate!

For Illustration Friday's "The Zoo". This was the 1st version for a greeting card and gift certificate for a toy store.It was never used, the final version had a different elephant and a circus tent in the backgound. Acrylic on Canson Airbrush paper.

Illustration Friday: superstition

My submission for Illustration Friday's "superstition" is a dimensional painting called " Angel's Flight". I made this for a little girl, the parents wanted each child to have an original in their bedroom. They live in Seattle and I never actually met them or got to see the house and rooms but the paintings have symbolism for each child. The little girl is Samia, her name is Aramaic and means listener. But they stressed Roses and angels. Hence the roses framing the scene.

In the days of old, superstition indicates something standing above or set above. One of my favourite superstitions from Scotland is " If Children pile cabbage stalks around the doors and windows of the house on Halloween, the fairies bring them a new brother or sister."

Have a happy weekend and best wishes for a speedy recovery to kj and I hope jessie lavon is feeling better and again I must say Thank You jessie!

"Swamp Witch" by Jessie LaVon

A few days ago I arrived home to find the most beautiful and precious gift. A painting by Jessie LaVon! It is truly amazing, lots of unique details from her life in Alabama and I am honored that she made me this wonderful version of "Swamp Witch". I will hang it with pride and enjoy the colors and visual story every day. It has a thick texture and she continued the painting on the frame. Another reason I am truly touched is that Jessie is not always feeling well and that she took the time to make this gift for me is even more special. Thank You Jessie, I LOVE IT!

Illustration Friday: scale

If a mermaid should lose a scale it could ruin her whole day! For Illustration Friday's "scale".

Illustration Friday: Hats

My submission for Illustration Friday's "Hats" is from artwork I create for Fred Segal Fun Style. I love working with them because they simply say: make the art fun, colorful and festive. The art work is used as stickers and cards that are attached to each purchase. I always include a hat in each piece. Hats have really made a comeback too! For the first time in my career as an artist I was legally allowed to draw Mickey Mouse for FS because they are one of the companies that licensed Disney characters for apparel. The third postcard and sticker is loved so much by FS that we have reprinted it almost 5 years in a row.