Sketching from our apartment lounge.

We're in the final days of our studio renovation adventure! The whole place is getting painted, new tile and baseboards - just a general facelift to make better use of the South Florida natural light.

 And so, to avoid the incredible amount of dust, noise and all sorts of crazy machines that live in our space now, I've been working out of the 'business lounge' in our building. The first day was spent mostly going back and forth with the building about the wi-fi connection, but after ironing all that out it's been a nice quiet space to get a bit of work done. (But NO eating, as I informed by a smartly dressed member of management.... whoops).

As we near the end of the renovations, I've just about finished everything I can possibly do on a laptop and am positively itching to get back to my paints and canvases.

Seriously, the next time I am strapped for ideas of things to paint, I'll just lock up all my canvases. Not being able to paint has been a huge source of inspiration for when I'm able to work again.

<Ignore that croissant, I certainly wouldn't eat up here.>

Only a few more days until we can get back into the studio and normal life can resume! 

#artistonvacation :: Belgium

A few photos from my little birthday Belgian adventure <3

Will be back in the States next weekend -- wishing everyone the loveliest of days!

EH Sherman Art at Art Basel!

It was a night of new friends, great art, tasty food and a few random celebrity sightings; a resounding success!

We headed over to the Projects Gallery first. It was my first time to the little gallery, (aside from dropping off my pieces) and I was very impressed with the owners, the layout and the other work in this particular show.

Meditation in Blue I and II :: 12 x 12 watercolor on canvas are displayed here, and each are for sale at $250 USD (contact the gallery for purchasing).

Having worked on this series for several weeks, it was a wonderful feeling to finally see them up on those gallery walls. 

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

<3 <3

After taking a few photos (which will get added here shortly, still editing) we headed off to the rest of the shows on our list.

Sketching with a Toddler

Over our thanksgiving break in Philadelphia I was fortunate to be able to spend some quality time with my adorable, nearly two year old niece.

As I was sketching one morning, those familiar chubby little fingers found their way around the lips of the dining room table, and that cheerful round little face peeked up over the side. She was just content to watch for a bit as I ground the pencils into the paper, following it up with a few washes of my watercolor brush. I finished up the sketch I was working on (and set it safely off to the side) and asked her if she wanted to draw with me.

She drew two lines at first, one was a ‘mommy’ line and the other was a ‘daddy’ line. How cute, right? The start of a great figure artist! From there I showed her the magic of the watercolor brush on the pencil and she was off! Squiggles, washy patches, sweeping scrawls and dots patterned the paper, resulting in delighted squeals and clapping.

From both of us :)

Painting with my niece was a lovely reminder of how to approach the very practice of creating. Of course there are times when we create for a specific reason, or to solve a specific problem (We would have a hard time getting paid otherwise!) But it is also important to remember to create without reason but with wild abandon. To revel in the medium, to create marks simply for the love of making marks. To approach the practice with childlike joy, regardless of the outcome.

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.

- Pablo Picasso

It will be a useful reminder as I go into this pre-Basel week with LOTS to do, orders to pack and events to attend. When I start to get stressed, I’ll remember the simple joy of drawing with a little happy person on my lap.

Hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving break! I’ll get an update on all the Basel happenings here posted shortly!

Much Love!

A few snaps from the weekend in Philadelphia

It's been a lovely thanksgiving weekend in Philadelphia. The air is chilly, the sun warm, the food great and the friends and family fantastic.

I'm really enjoying the downtime for as long as it lasts -- once we're back in Miami, there will be a flurry of orders to ship, Basel events, and a trip to Brussels to pack for.

But for now, I can just hang out on the couch in my pjs at noon.

Hope everyone is having a lovely holiday weekend!