Illustration Friday--Boundaries

"Boundaries," 2011. 9 x 9" Mixed media on paper. By Lea Keohane, All Rights Reserved.

Solo show this Thursday!

I am so excited to announce my upcoming show at A MOOD CHANGE, this Thursday as part of the 1st Thursday Art Walk in NW Portland.

I have been drawing and painting my heart out to create this new series furthering my personal exploration of inner and outer beauty, growth, spirituality and feminine strength. This is my first serious use of mixed media in my work--I have combined elements of collage, drawing with various types of pencils, watercolor, acrylic paint, and a couple of other mediums--all done on wood reclaimed from sources from old cabinet doors to the Willamette River.

Starting at 6pm at 618 NW Flanders. See you there!

And when you're finished, head across the river to the Olympic Mills Building (107 SE Washington) for the opening of "Journey," the visual arts piece of the Siren Nation Fest, where you'll find two of my paintings alongside the works of 50 other Portland artists.

First Thursday @ the Show & Tell Gallery!

"Indulgence," by Lea Keohane 2009. Acrylic on Canvas.

First Thursday: February 5, 2009
"Introspection"
New Paintings by Lea Keohane
Show & Tell Gallery
Everett Station Lofts, 625 NW Everett #231
6-9 pm

With music by Inkre:mentals from 7-9 pm

Gift Certificates!

I have been meaning to do this for a long time, but I kept forgetting. Then I saw this Storque article and remembered. Yay!

Just in time for those very last-minute gifts (you KNOW you're not done shopping yet!), a LeaKArts gift certificate. The one I have listed is for $20, but I am happy to make you your very own for any amount you wish.

LeaKArts Ladies--a Coloring Book!

I am so incredibly thrilled to introduce my newest creation--LeaK Arts Ladies, A Coloring Book for All Ages!

This loose-leaf coloring book comes in a clear protective sleeve. I decided to leave it un-bound so that when you finish coloring a page, you can display it without having to rip the pages. How fun is that? In addition, each page has a border that you can embellish to your heart's content. Personally, I LOVE coloring, which is why I chose and created images that are suitable for kids but fun for grownups too :)

This project has been in the work for a couple of months now. For the first 5 pages, I created 5 brand new, original drawings just for this coloring book. And with the combination of very low-tech (tracing paper and a sharpie) and high-tech (a scanner, Photoshop, and a very knowledgeable friend, not to mention my work-horse of a printer), I transformed 5 of my original drawings and paintings into coloring pages as well. My love has gone into each and every page and I hope it shows!

I also have brand new sticker packs which I will be listing later today, so keep your eyes peeled!

Annual Autumn Post

"Swing" 2008 by Lea Keohane. All Rights Reserved.

Every Fall I seem to find myself writing about my absolute love for this season. This year, however, I think this drawing says it all. Sold yesterday to a lovely friend, but I will certainly be offering prints in the near future. Enjoy!

Oh! Before I go, I must send you over to Indie Parade, where one of my little pendants is being featured today.

First Friday SE Artwalk--come see a great show!

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

Several months ago I answered a call for artists by Yelp and Adrienne Fritze of Working Artists Network. The idea was to take phone books and create art with them. The artists involved created a wide range of very interesting pieces, from clothing to paintings and more!

For my own contribution, I decoupaged pieces of a phone book onto a masonite board, then created a stencil of a 1920's telephone and stenciled it on. I wanted to incorporated one of my female characters, but I wasn't sure at first how to make her an important part of the piece. So, inspired by my friend Cara's brilliant Art Nouveau paintings, I decided to put her in a great flapper costume. The idea behind this painting is that, in the age of computers, phone books are a thing of the past. Which they certainly are in my own household! I get a pang of guilt every time new ones show up at my doorstep, as they go straight to the recycle bin.

The phone book mashup project, in conjunction with rdEVOLUTION, a project in which artists explored inter-species survival, will be on display for two months, with an opening tomorrow, Friday September 5th, at the Olympic Mills Commerce Center, at 107 SE Washington St., from
6-8 pm. If you are in Portland, this is a must-see event with new work from over 20 amazing Portland artists!

Letting Go

"Difficult Departure," by Lea Keohane, 2008. All Rights Reserved.

Sometimes letting go can be hard, especially when whatever it was that you once had was so good you thought it would last forever, you never even questioned the possibility of losing it. I usually do not plan my drawings before I sit down to do them, but this one was a little different. I was walking through the park, taking in the trees and whatever music was playing on my iPod at the time, trying to feel connected to the world, when this image came to me, or something like it. My original idea included both of the figures having wings, but I thought that had a different connotation than what I intended, so I dropped the wings and got on with the drawing. "Difficult Departure" is approximately 9.5" x 9", drawn with Pantone Tria markers and a Sharpie on paper.

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:

Her Spirit Lifts

"Her Spirit Lifts," 2008. All Rights Reserved.

You never know when something will happen, when your life, your perspective will change suddenly. Something that forces you to step back and re-assess what you have, what your goals are, what will make you happy. How to really achieve whatever it is that you want in life. Something that will make you break apart your preconceptions, set aside your baggage, and try to start anew.

This is just one of those weeks.