Original paintings on eBay!!!

Fearlessness and focus. Two things I'm working on in all aspects of my life. This is not a New Year's resolution (I don't believe in those--I think they set you up for failure), but a long-term resolve. Something I've been working on for a long time now. Qualities that I know exist within me, but that I sometimes have a hard time digging out and utilizing. I have inspiration and support, and lots more to talk about on this subject, but for now I want to keep it about my business as an artist.

What does this have to do with selling paintings on eBay? A lot. For a long time, all of my adult life, I can safely say, I have been struggling to make my art my central focus. And no wonder. I had my daughter at 24 years old, while I was still finishing school, left her dad 3 years later, and worked one crappy job after the next for what seemed like ever trying to make ends meet. I was trapped in that void of single-mom-working-raising baby-no-time-for-myself-land. Finally I was able to work for myself, but the ends-meeting part was, and is, still a bit of a mystery to me.

So is the focus. I feel as though I am constantly pulled between 2 equally strong yet opposing forces: making money and making art. In between those two forces are many other competing realities--for example, having control over my own time so that I CAN make art and so that I can spend quality time with my daughter vs. working a "real" job, making (theoretically) better money and (theoretically) getting benefits but having to depend on daycare to raise my daughter and having no energy left for my art. I choose to continue working for myself, but I am constantly fighting the urge to accept every single opportunity at the cost of focusing on my art. When I fall into that trap, I am driven by fear. Namely, fear that I won't be able to pay the rent.

At the same time, somewhere inside I KNOW that making money and making art don't have to be opposing forces! So one of my primary goals for 2010 is to work harder than ever before on merging the two. Next time I'll tell you some of the steps I've already taken in that direction, and I'll keep you updated for the year. Think of this post as a little introduction :) In the meantime, help support my work and score yourself an awesome deal by bidding on my one of a kind, original paintings on eBay. A great big fearless step for little me, putting them there!

Portland LOVE Show

It's time for the 4th Annual Portland Love Show! Featuring the work of over 200 artists, this is going to be one fantastic shindig. On Saturday I had the pleasure of volunteering to do art intake for a few hours, so I can tell you first hand that the quality and diversity of the art is truly stunning.

Opening night is Friday the 13th from 7pm until Midnight at the Olympic Mills on 107 SE Washington in Portland. Partial proceeds benefit the Oregon Food Bank and Buckman Arts Focus. Bring a can of food to donate! All ages!

The piece to the left is my entry, entitled, "In Love," 2009. Ink and acrylic on reclaimed wood.

First Thursday Fun!

So....the show was great last night! Here's a great big giant thank you to everyone that made it, not to mention the musicians, volunteers, and Melissa Sillitoe herself for hosting! Thank you! Here are a few photos from the evening:

This is the initial view of the gallery wall--the 1st 6 paintings are my new teeny-tiny 5" ones!


Peeps!

Heather & Elijah checking it out.

Luke Lefler & Melissa Sillitoe!

Singer/songwriter Laura Chase


People checking out the hip-hop stylings of Incre:mentals. The awesome painting on the middle post of the room was done by the spectacular Chris Haberman.

No art-show night is complete without John and Amy! Check out John's stunning photography this month at Urban Wine Works (407 NW 16th Ave, Portland, OR)!

Messenger

"Messenger," by Lea Keohane 2008. All Rights Reserved.

You may or may not remember the sweet owl that I encountered in the park a few weeks ago, but I did end up painting him. Twice, actually. The painting above, and the one below, which one of my very dear friends Melissa bought from me :)

"Little Messenger," by Lea Keohane 2008. All Rights Reserved.

I had a lot of fun painting him, and I don't think I'm finished. I really enjoy how, while I used the same basic composition for both pieces, they each have a different sort of character to them. A friend of mine, who was with me when we found the owl, tells me that owls have very strong medicine, and that he/she was bringing us a message. What that message was, I am not sure, but I am very grateful for being allowed to capture him on film and in paint.

Latest and Greatest

2008 by Lea Keohane. All Rights Reserved.

I just finished painting this little gentleman yesterday. Today I got to go to Rose City Vet Clinic to pass it off to Becky, the person who commissioned the portrait. You may also remember her adorable dog that I painted earlier this year:

2008 by Lea Keohane. All Rights Reserved.

Becky is the sweetest! She is so happy with her portraits, she's waiting to get a photo of her 3rd baby for me to do another commission. I was also really exited to find that all of the portrait flyers I'd left at the clinic had been taken, so I left a few more and talked to another employee and one of their customers about having their pet's portraits done too! Yay for networking!

When I started out with this portrait venture, I was really nervous, as I normally paint people (of course, I am also doing people portraits!!). I know that I have very good drawing and painting skills, but still my confidence wavered as I moved into a new realm. Honestly, I wasn't even sure whether or not I would like painting pets! But with each new commission I find it more and more enjoyable. It is so much fun to capture the expression in these furry friends, and the happiness it gives to their owners is irreplaceable.

Speaking of which, I have two more to get to work on! Here I go!

Aural Bliss

"Presence," 2008 by Lea Keohane. All Rights Reserved.

I have never blogged about a band before, but today I was hustling through the park listening to VNV Nation's album "Empires" for the gazillionth time and I was inspired just like the first time I ever heard it. I realize it is quite likely that this will not be to many of your tastes, but to me, it is perfection to my ears and my heart. I am not kidding-when I am happy it lifts me higher, when I am sad it lets me wallow a bit, when I am working out it makes me want to work harder, when I am creating art it inspires me to be more creative. That is some serious stuff right there. The lead singer's voice is deep and sexy, with a little bit of sad to it, the lyrics are thoughtful and moving, the music is very dramatic...and gosh darnit, I can really dance to it :D Haha, sorry, I really couldn't help myself :D
Here is one of my favorites from them:

Portraits for Mary

When I recently started doing pet portraits, at first I wasn't sure whether I would like doing it or not. What I did know is that, as an artist, I have to be creative and versatile in the ways in which I make my income. I also knew that I had to be true to my own style, which is very illustrative.

I had a lot of fun painting my cat, and Ryan's squish bunny, but then I did a portrait of Diego. His mama was so incredibly happy when she saw the finished painting. Seeing her reaction told me all I needed to know--this is something I would like to keep doing, something fun, worthwhile, creative, profitable, and on top of all of that it is a great way of closely connecting with other people and making them happy.

Of course, I love painting people as well, and how could I resist doing this painting of my friend Mary's parents in their awesome 70's wedding photo?!?

I did a pet portrait for her as well, her sweet dog Simba:

Custom Pet Portraits

Speaking of animals (in my previous post), I am now offering custom pet portraits! These are not your typical portraits, either. They are ultra-rad pet portraits done in my own uniquely stylized hand. The above example is my own sweet tubby kitty, Maya, but no matter whether your pet is a rat, a bunny, or a dog, I promise you will love your pet's portrait. More examples are coming soon! Let me know if you live in Portland and I will give you a great discount for being able to skip the shipping.

Coming this week!

The past few weeks, I have been hard at work. Art work, that is. I am drawing every day, painting at least one whole day every week, and whatever else I can squeeze in to my schedule.
Which means I have several new pieces--at least 10 ACEO's, 4 new paintings, and possibly more to add to my etsy shop this week!

I will begin listing them around 10 am (Pacific Time) on Wednesday morning. I hope to see you then!

Portraits make great presents!

One of my very best friends, Katie, got married recently. Though she is a couple years younger than me, we went to high school together in Denver, and moved to Portland together over a decade ago. (!) As I sifted through her wedding registry, looking at all of the dinnerware and towels, I thought, these are all really nice, and I know she wants them, but she and I have been through way too much together for me to just buy her a cup or a toaster and feel good about it. So instead I dug out all of my photos and found a very cute (albeit dark--it was taken in a bar) pic of them, and painted their portrait. I just finished it this morning, and I am soooo exited to give it to them! It's not a complete surprise--I didn't tell her EXACTLY what it was, but I did have to email her (embarassingly) to make sure I got their eye color right. It is acrylic paint on paper--I'm going to mount it on wood before I give it to them. I hope they like it!