Signe and Genna Grushovenko

I am absolutely drawn to these paintings. They make me want to really get back into painting. Signe and Genna are a wife and husband team who collaborate together to make these amazing works. Genna does the washes and underpainting in very beautiful rich colors, then his wife Signe paints the top image.

Australian Snapshots

High Hopes

Here are a few things that I would really like to own. Preferalby someday in the relatively near future but who knows. Wish I could register for these things as "bridal" gifts, but I guess I'll just have to slowly budget for them instead. First is the umbrella. I had seen it years ago in a catalogue and instantly fell in love. Pretty genius!

Then there are these fantastic red leather sandals. I went searching for ones exactly like this after admiring a three-year-old's shoes at the daycare I worked at. I had thought to myself, it's too bad they don't have cool shoes like hers for adults, and then low and behold they do!! Saltwater Sandals. Will be a must have for me this spring.

There are these adorable folding stools at Pearl River trading company. I'd really like to have one so I can take it outside and sit to do art. Whether or not I'd use it as much as I think I would is irrelavant to the fact I still want to buy one.

And the last little item for the evening, is a yoga mat bag. I'd actaully like to sew the bag, but this picture is pretty close to what I'd be going for.

Crab Paintings and Thrift Shopping

This is the painting of the Australian crab I finished last night. I think its my favorite out of the works I've done while living down under.

Today I went to Salvos and found a few great things.

1. This watermelon spoon and fork set. I realize that they're a little broken, but nothing that sanding and care couldn't fix.

2. A beautiful patterned sundress. Also needs a little work. I've had to undo the straps from the back, and will be resewing them in an X to make them shorter.

3. I bought two books for the plane rides to Ayers Rock and back, and then the long 27 hour stint of flights and airports home to Jackson. Bridget Jones's Diary, and The Hound of Baskerville, neither of which have I read.

4. Lastly I found an art smock, with two big pockets on the front and a tie in the back. I've just washed it to get some of the sizing out of the fabric, but when its done airdrying I'll photograph it. I love it a lot. Just what I had wanted.

Packing My Bags!!

It's official, my bags are packed! Turned my room into a total wreck before rolling up my clothes for hours. I brought an extra duffel bag just in case I'd need it to bring home all the stuff I'd inevitably buy in my six months living abroad. Ended up being able to jam everything into the three suitcases I came over with. Rather impressed with myself. That feat was only possible by sorting through all my belongings I have and setting aside everything I haven't used or don't want anymore to be given to the Salvation Army, Salvos. I'm going to drop it off tomorrow.

And I discovered that I like to cut canvas fabric off of the wooden frames so I now I can take the paintings home with me that I've done in Australia. Brilliant!

A Look Inside My Journal