family dinner

 Alex has been working long hours finishing up the house he has been working on for over a year. We have shifted the kids bedtime a tiny bit later so we can have a family dinner most nights. It is one of my favorite times of day. Favorite, unless it is a food battle night and everyone turns grumpy. Lili is at that age where most foods are suspious, and it has been a challenge to attempt to get her to eat the healthy things and yet keep it lighthearted at the table.
Our rule is that everyone has to at least try everything on their plate. If they don't want to eat, fine. And as we set her plate down and she starts to whine we say "Don't tell us what you don't like, start by telling us what you DO like." However, as we have to repeat this every night, I am not so sure it is sinking in... *sigh*
Last night she could have eaten the entire cornbread. She tried then gave the squash soup a huge thumbs down (as expected). And the peas with butter got a so-so response. As you can see from her plate in the picture she mostly just spread them out. ;)

In other news: we are busy getting ready to vend at the LAAFF Festival this weekend!
LAAFF (Lexington Ave Art and Fun Festival) is one of the most unique street fairs you will ever see. Lots of people in wigs and tutus, bike jousting, art demos, hula hooping, fire dancing, local music, local food... Asheville is known for being weird and wonderful, and LAAFF is the festival that celebrates those qualities.  I am sure I will have some great photos to share after the festival!
We have babysitters lined up, and boxes of prints, cards, and jewelry stacked on the stairs ready. I am making price signs today. I am getting excited. If you are in the area please stop in and say hello!


Also, I wanted to mention, since it seems to be under-reported thus far, that upstate NY (see here) and in VT (see here) are reeling from the massive devastation left behind from the flooding from Hurricane Irene. All these towns that I love, including the area where my maternal family is from (and much of my extended family lives), have been badly damaged. Whole towns are isolated with no way in other than helicopters.  I am thankful none of my family and friends lost their lives or houses though. And my heart goes out to all who have.  

new work

  Kelcey Loomer

Honorable Prayer

Acrylic, pen, ink, pencil, antique lace, paper, PVA glue, paste

16" x 20" x .75"

2011

gettin' stuff done

I was recently talking to a friend and she was telling me how impressed she was with all that I get accomplished with two little ones, and she questioned how I do it all.
And I said: "Well, I have no social life."
And she laughed.
And I said No, Really. 

It isn't entirely true. Buuuuut, pretty much.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I brought my print station into the living room today so I could print out my new greeting cards while I watched the kids in the sandbox. They look amazing. I am using Mohawk paper which is heavyweight, archival, & environmentally friendly. The company is a woman owned business, the cards are 30% post consumer waste, and the power to the mill is 100% wind generated. So cool!  Here's the link, although I bought the card stock from Clear bags.


My to-do list is extraordinarily long this week~ but it's coming along!
xxx Kelcey

weekending

Old Work

Trillium

Kelcey Loomer 2009

12" x 12" 

I just got this painting back from a gallery. Sometimes when a painting hangs around for a long time in my studio it starts to feel stale, and I begin to see more faults than bright spots in it. I haven't seen this one in so long though that it was a sweet feeling when I held it again. However, I am unsure of what to do with paintings that don't fit into my current body of work.  This one is very very glossy too (hard to photograph for this reason). I picture it living in a dimly lit library with long velvet curtains for some reason...

in the center of tender

 Kelcey Loomer

In the Center of Tender

Acrylic, pen, ink, pencil, antique lace, paper, PVA glue, paste

16" x 20" x .75"

2011

{detail}

I got my jpegs back from my photographer Richard today. It has been such a blessing to have him as a resource. He is a professional photographer, but charges me very little to document my work. He does this to support artists~ I love that. 

As well as being a photographer he is also an artist (He particularly loves to make altered books). I don't get to visit many other artist's work spaces, so I always look forward to visiting his studio.

I am working on revamping my Sweet Mess Etsy shop, and I added this print today. :)

new work

Almost finished with this 16" x 20" painting. 12 hours straight in the studio today... it has been forever since I have had a chunk of time like that. I love the feeling of working past when everyone else is asleep. To fall into bed with your head still spinning with colors and textures... Painting into the night was something I used to do all the time before I had children who wake up with the sun.

Tomorrow morning I am heading to my photographer to get some professional images taken of my last five paintings. It has been such a productive week!

How have you been keeping up with your innermost to-do list?

process

starting a new painting in my studio

my mom and the kids

photo courtesy of my sister

art studio

some studio eye candy for you from my studio folder on pintrest.

in progress

My Mom is in town visiting, and she watched Seo so I could have some studio time today. It was a huge treat. (Thanks Mom!) This is the new painting I have been working on. The owl body surprised me by turning into a lacy cocoon of sorts. 

our tiny home tour

Stats about our home:
* 650 square feet (about 100 of the square feet are stairs)
* Downstairs we have a painted concrete floor (what it will be in the future is yet to be determined) with piping running underneath so in the future we will be able to heat or cool our house with water. 
* The first thing you see when you walk in the front door is the shower. When we build our addition, the shower (and hopefully a bath as well) will be in the bathroom, and the current shower will become a coat closet. 
* Our water supply is pumped from our mountain spring.
* We built our home (with TONS of help from family and friends) in 2006.
* While we built our home we lived in a school bus on our land for a year and half.
* If you are facing our house, our future kitchen addition will be the the right.
* Our home sits on 2.5 acres that we share with my brother and sister in-law & their kids.

Enjoy the sneak peek!