My Apologies...

OK, so I am sorry for the rant. That was a little melodramatic on my part.

But for real for real, I am very frustrated lately. I felt like I had this wild epiphany a week ago to work abstractly and I felt like a genius and totally wild and enlightened. Then I went to bed, woke up, and realized how stupid it all looked. Now I am back to painting fruit and gourds. Not that I don't love painting food, I really do. I actually make a living doing that very thing at Trader Joe's and thoroughly enjoy it. I just feel like I haven't grown much as an artist lately/since I graduated. I have all these wild dreams and aspirations and I feel like I am going to have a hard time accomplish them painting large paintings of fruit and gourds.

I feel like I need a week free of agenda for me to accomplish things. Like cleaning my mess of a room, making art, applying to grad schools, planning italy, and being awesome. I haven't done any of those things in so long. I'm sitting here in a mess of a room, totally frustrated and terrified to tackle this monster (it's actually not that bad... I cleaned a lot of it the other day, the rest is just what hasn't found a place yet... and so far there's no hope of finding one...)

I also want to start singing. However, I am totally shy, bashful, and embarrassed to do so, so this will probably never go further than me singing loudly in my car. The only people who will probably witness my singing will be strangers in cars stopped at red lights near me or driving on the highway next to me. This is good news for people who know me since they probably will never hear me sing, but unfortunate for the unlucky drivers around me. My apologies to the Philadelphia area.

So... an idea occurred to me as I was typing. Hey Self, stop typing... find a free spot of floor in your room (dramatization, I promise).... stand there... and start to clean. Yes! Brilliant! THEN!... get your sketchbook out of its new "place" and ... DRAW! Amazing! How did I ever think of this?! Self, you are brilliant and awesome.

By the way, for the 2.3 people who might skim through this, if you have reached this point you are not crazy. I am just seriously sleep deprived, moody, depressed over the Phillies loss and the end of baseball season (in my eyes), hungry, chilly, and seriously tired. Thanks for being a pal and reading, I hope it at least provided a few minutes of amusement. Gah.

Lazy

I am soooo lazy.

I drive myself crazy with the LACK of everything that I do.

I HAVE to paint more. I'm soo behind and haven't produced anything in forever. Where do my days go!? Maybe I'll have more time since I won't be watching the Phillies for another 6 months...

Sad face.

Name Change

So, as you can see, I've renamed my blog. I realized that lately it has regrettably become less focused on art I'm making, and more about day-to-day happenings and goals. So that's what this will become. Adventures in anything from cooking, painting, and work to planning trips, applying to grad schools, attending historical baseball games, and slowly making my studio better and better.

Grad school applications are getting started. Yay! Italy planning is still... being planned, haha. And today I plan on cooking AND painting. Good little Saturday :)

So, to go along with this new theme, I have some pics of some delicious Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins I made Thursday night. The recipe make about 24 small muffins, 12 of which I brought to work and 12 I left at home. There are now about 7 at home, and I plan to drastically reduce that number in the next day or 2, with help or without.

Here are some tasty pics :)

Before baking...

The mess... this actually is just the mess collected in my sink. The real mess was all over the counters :)

Tasty tasty muffins

Yummm!

Little Adventures, Here and There

So life lately has been... busy? Eventful? Hectic? Unfortunately none of those words are quite right for what I'm thinking, even though at the same time all three of them are totally right.

About a week ago I spent 5 hours waiting in line to audition/be reviewed for Bravo's TV show Work of Art. It was insane. I met some cool people, saw some REALLY weird people (awesomee!) and had an extremely awkward review where I basically rambled for 5 minutes while my reviewed smiled, nodded, and said "mm-hmm" a lot. Better luck next year, Self.

Italy is still in the plans, especially since I didn't quite make the cut for Bravo. I found a place I like and now it's just a matter of figuring out the length of time to stay and getting approval from work. Fingers crossed for both (apartment and work-approval)!! The place is small but nice, with a stove AND oven (yes!!!), 2-3 sleeping spaces and it's in Italy. Perfetto.

Life at TJs has been winding down... while at the same time getting crazy. Lisa is back (HUGE YAY!) which is obviously awesome. It's great to have her back in the art room, and also great to have her back because she is seriously awesome at this job. Makes like a bajillion times easier/more fun. But then again, the holidays are coming so that means the crowds are too. Oh goodie...

Have you ever been so torn between your head and your heart that it is physically exhausting? I'm there too lately. In a number of places in life I think. Art, relationships, life goals... how do you pick? I've always been one to follow my heart, but God knows that hasn't always worked out. And while following my head sometimes works, it's always the safer bet and always feel like I'm cheating myself out of something. Best idea yet? Stop thinking :) See what happens and do your best to enjoy the ride :) Oh, and don't cheat myself out of anything. Try everything once. I love the quote that goes something like "If you never try, you've already failed." Did I make that up? Not sure... If I did though, then go me :)

So my last blog entry was about choosing a new title... I think I might like the title of this entry actually! Let me know yes or no... but I think I might go with it!

Love.

To Do

I was going to title this "Goals"... but that seemed too indefinite. "To Do" makes it sound more like a list I have to accomplish, which is my serious intention here. I've come up with a short but serious list of "to do"s that I intend on completing (will complete) within a year from today.

(in no particular order)

-Paint.

-Gallery shows

-Italy

-Grad school (PAFA please, but I just want to go to school again)

Of course there are many things between (cook more, crochet, see friends, work, buy less, waste less, eat better, exercise, etc). But these are my tops. One is definite, another is MORE than likely, and the other 2 depend on how hard I work.

Yay :)

16 Innings and MELT

So the past 48 hours have been... interesting.

I started yesterday off painting peppers. So much fun! The pepper I worked on yesterday was on a 24"x36" canvas. It is this super odd shaped pepper I bought at work, that kind of looks like it was made of wax and then left in the sun a little too long. AMAZING. I love oddly shaped produce. So I worked on that for a while.

Then... the Phillies game.

The game was relatively slow most of the night. We were down 2-1 against the Astros in the bottom of the 9th, until Rollins hit a homer and tied the game. I was so pumped for this at first! And then the 10th inning came... and went. And the 11th. And 12th and 13th. By the time it got around to the 13th there had been hardly anymore hits, and we had used up the majority of our bullpen. Bad news. So I turned to Steph and asked if she wanted to leave after the 13th and she said ok... but we didn't. For whatever reason, we stayed. The Astros go up and then down, no runs. The bottom of the 14th comes around and Howard comes up to bat. THIS is where things get interesting/exciting/mind-blowingly crazy (I'll tell it in terms of my view that night, I didn't get all of the details until the next day). Early in the count he checks his swing and the home plate official defers to the 3rd base official who says he swung and calls it a strike. Everyone boos, obviously. He gets another strike, and on another pitch he checks his swing. I'm going to be honest here... it is hard to judge a checked swing from the 3rd deck in right field... but I REALLY thought he didn't go and neither did anyone else-- EXCEPT the 3rd base ump. Strike 3, Howard is out... and then thrown out of the game!! Aside from the screaming and booing fans, the next thing I see is HOWARD CHARGING THE UMP!!! I literally thought there would be blood, I thought that ump (Barry, by the way) was literally going to get his ass kicked and Howard was going to be suspended. This who debacle caused a disturbance that lasted another 5 minutes and resulted in Charlie, of course, also getting ejected. Pandamonium. I have never heard the Asshole Chant so loud. After this mayhem, we had no first basemen and we down to one reliever. So, Raul moved to first, and OSWALT WENT TO LEFT! It was amazing. Everyone chanted his named. He smiled and it was great. Herndon pitched 2 great innings, but we ended up losing anyway. Still a great game. A great, fun, exciting, 16 inning, 5 1/2 hour game.

I got home around 1:15, fell asleep sometime after 2 and woke up at 3:45 AM for work at 5. Torture.

After I came home and attempted a nap, I delivered my 2 paintings to the gallery!! It is official, I am now being shown in a gallery! Yay!! I can't wait til Friday, it is going to be a blast. The show is called MELT and it is being held at the James Oliver Gallery in Philly. Everyone come out!!

I am exhausted. I think I'm halfway to zombie status, and honestly I'm not even completely sure of what I've written here. Fun idea... I won't reread any of it, and I'll just be amused tomorrow when I see it.

Ci vediamo!

Fun Art Project

So I have an idea. I love painting inanimate objects as portraits of people. I did this for my senior thesis using shoes. It was really fun.

What if I chose 5 people with peculiar and unique personalities, then painted portraits of different objects that I thought really exemplified these peoples personalities. It sounds kind of strange, but makes perfect sense in my head. Like, have you ever played the game "If you were a fruit or vegetable, what would you be?" Basically, it's the same thing except I'll paint whatever I stumble upon that looks just like that certain person.

Thoughts? This is really interesting, I might just have to do it.

Name Change

So I'm getting tired of this blog title. Not that I'm getting tired of my name-- I happen to like my name. I'm just getting tired of it being stapled across my blog. I'm looking for something a little more fun and intriguing... something that will make you curious to check this little number out. Suggestions are more than welcome :)

This thought was inspired to me by a fun other blogging artist I happen to know, who you should also know: An Accidental Assemblage

Enjoy!

The Piazza

So last night a few friends and I went to The Piazza in Northern Liberties. It is full of restaurants, bars, galleries, apartments, and one very large flatscreen TV. It may be hipster-central, but I love it. It reminds me, oh so slightly, of the piazzas in Italy. This one is way more modern. The two friends who are traveling abroad with me in 2011 came last night too. It was a struggle not to go on a complete craze of everything and anything Italian from sitting in a piazza for 3 hours. Not to mention, several of the apartment buildings surrounding the piazza are named after real piazzas in Italy: Navona (Piazza Navona in Rome), Erbe (Piazza delle Erbe in Verona), Del Campo (Campo di Fiore in Rome).

Gahhh. I can't wait until the day when I title a blog "The Piazza" and it's about me sitting and enjoying life in real Italian piazzas. This one in Philly will do for now though.

A New Leap in Art

So I just got back from an amazing week of vacation where I slacked off in every responsible aspect of my life, except for my responsibility to relax and enjoy myself-- that I made sure to do. I drew one time and it was awful and I didn't finish. But that's fine, I can work on it at home if I want to. The week was full of beach, seafood, books, water, wine, and aloe vera. I only got a little sunburnt on one day, and the rest of my beach days were glorious... minus the UNBELIEVABLY hot sun! I don't ever remember the sun scorching like that. I also don't ever remember a vacation to Hilton Head where we didn't venture out of Palmetto Dunes. There was literally only two times we left the plantation/resort/community area we always stay in: 1.) for some shopping that was only semi-successful, and 2.) for gelato, which was also only semi-successful (not a great gelato experience, but what else would you expect not in Italy?). And to be honest, I had absolutely no problem with our lack of excursions. I was hoping for a quick trip to Savannah, but once we were there and settled I was fine with just staying in. Our house was a 150 yd walk to the beach, and a 50 yd walk to the lagoon, where we sat at least once a day to either fish or just sit on the dock. One night we actually saw an alligator in the lagoon (there haven't been alligator sightings in the lagoon in yearsssssssss!). It freaked my brother out a little, especially since we had taken a canoe ride in the same lagoon that very morning. Whatever. We're home now with all limbs and digits intact.

Aside from getting a nice little tan and a ton of relaxation, the best thing was that I was able to clear my head (for the most part at least). I left everything at home-- friends, work, artwork, past relationships, stress, sadness, whatever had been on my mind before I left. And even better yet, I've been home for almost 24 hrs and none of that has returned yet. I'm loving it! I watched the final episode of Work of Art last night that I had DVR'ed, and loved it. I loved all of the pieces they showed in their final show and definitely agreed with the winner, although I think I would have agreed no matter who won... they were all great I think. But afterwards, like always, I tried to figure out what I would do. I've been having a hard time lately trying to figure out why I make art and what I'm trying to say with it. Up until my senior year, I focused on art because I loved it and I was good at it. I've never really had a real message with my art- aside from my love of making it- until my Senior Thesis. And since then, I've been seriously worried that that was the greatest piece I'll have ever made. I have had a hard time being inspired since then and a hard time coming up with pieces and projects. I can't focus or finish anything without getting bored with it and losing interest. Even most of my Italy paintings lose my interest after awhile... because I don't know what I'm trying to say with them besides how badly I want to be there.

But last night while I was lying in bed I think I came up with something. It's still in the early stages, and still way too personal for me to really share what my plans are though. However, I will say that it will be a big jump from anything I've ever done and may look nothing like what people think of me. To be totally honest, I'm terrified to start it and don't know when I actually will. I almost feel like it's too private/personal to even start at home. I don't really want anyone involved yet. I just feel like this piece or series with be a big help to me.

In the past few months, I've had 2 people who have meant more than the world to me tell me that it seems like I either hide all of my feelings, or it seems like I don't have any, and they don't know how to talk to me. It sucks. I think this new project will address that and hopefully put those opinions to rest. Now it's just to decide when to start.

Seventy7 Kids

I finished the mural for Seventy 7 Kids today in the Cherry Hill Mall! I'm so excited. My arms and hands ache, my wrists and forearms are sore, and I think I have temporary nerve damage in my right index finger (unrelated injury from spray painting Friday, but still painful and awkward), but all totally worth it. The kids were mostly a big help, and I only had to make some slight touch-ups here and there.

The company I was working for is called Relevent, a marketing firm based in NYC. They sent me a painting they wanted me to replicate onto these big canvases, so unfortunately that means I didn't design this. But I did paint it! The two ladies I worked with were so sweet and helpful, and couldn't have been too much older than me. They were awesome. I gave out a bunch of business cards that will hopefully be passed around back up in the 212, and will hopefully lead to even more jobs!

The kids were mostly sweet and helpful and pretty much listened to whatever directions I gave (with the exception of one... 5 out of 6 isn't bad). I have to tell you, listening to middle school gossip and life-speak is HILARIOUS. I haven't heard so many "like"s and "OMG"s and "she was totally like"s in years. The best was when this one kid model for the store was in the store. Nicole, one of the girls I was working for, came up to the young girls painting with me and told them about the "cuuuute boyyyy". The little painters totally played it off like no big deal... until Nicole rounded the corner and they raced to the edge of the painting to get a look! Anyway, as much as I say I wish I were 10 again... maybe not.

Swimming Dolphins and Seventy Seven

Hello again!

So it has been a little while since I've posted, mostly due to the fact that I've been running around quite a lot lately. I've also been reading quite a lot. I've reread one book, have another to reread, and a list of close to 6 to work on... yikes. Summer is book season for me... I'm loving it.

I've finished a mural! It was for a good friend of my mom and her name is Dee. It was on a cinderblock wall in her backyard by her pool. It was a blast to paint, especially with her young son, Michael, wanting to help the whole time. The only thing that made it difficult was the weather. First it was so hot and humid that I couldn't trust that the paint would even dry, so I waited for the humidity to cool down. Once it did, I got started... and the next day it rained. And the next. For almost 5 days I was postponed again because of the rain. Finally the rain stopped... and the heat returned-- full force. But I kept going, painting in that awful 100 degree heat for as long as I could stand up without getting too hot! It took much longer than I had expected but I think it turned out pretty well!

The mural, with a fish and starfish painted by little Michael.

A close-up of the dolphin with a stalking shark in the background.

In the backyard.

Besides that, I start the mural for Seventy Seven Kids in the Cherry Hill Mall this weekend! I am beyond excited. I work with 2 kids for 2 hrs everyday, in three 2-hr shifts with the kids per day. The company sent me an elevation of what the mural is going to look like... but I'm not sure I can share it? There will certainly be pictures when it's finished though!

I'm still working on my plans for a trip abroad. I'm still not sure of the length of time... or the time of year actually. Originally, my thoughts had been to travel in the spring while the weather isn't too hot and before the tourists start arriving in droves. However, I've been looking into the city and country's yearly events... and so many happen in the summer! Not only that, but there are workshops and art summer sessions I can sign up for! But I also figure that when I am older and (hopefully!) a college professor or art teacher at least, I'll have the summer off to travel if I choose. I almost feel that if it's feesible for me to go in the spring, in such a beautiful time of year... why not do it now? So now I don't quite know what to do. Maybe make the longer trip for the spring and in a year or 2 do the summer thing? Or vice versa? I have no idea. I have to talk to my friend(s) who are coming with me too.

Still working on the studio space in my basement too. I moved things around so that I feel like I have more of my own little space.

I'm working on a table (either finding or building one), and putting up a dense cork wall or a drywall on my one large wall to do some really large paintings. The one thing that I haven't come up with a solution for is difficult. One of our cats has... how to say this... a "bowel problem"? Needless to say, it makes conditions down there a little stinky at times. Not pleasant. But I'm working on that too I guess?

I almost forgot... VACATION!!! I'm my opinion of paradise. My family and I are going back to Hilton Head Island, SC for a week. This will make it our 18th family vacation there. I literally cannot wait. We used to go every summer until I was about 16. We went again 2 years ago, and my friends and I took a trip down 2 years before that. I've been to a lot of places-- a lot of truly beautiful places-- but there is nothing like crossing the bridge onto the main road... riding bikes through the golf courses at night... the Shelter Cove marina... the lagoooooon!... crabbing in said lagooooon... sitting on a beach where you aren't within earshot of the next group on the beach... fresh caught seafood... the striped lighthouse... sighhh. There will be a handful of quality pictures of this, too. T-minus 11 days.

I think that will wrap it up. Ci vediamo!

Art Gigs!

Lots of new things!

First of all, I'm starting Dee's mural after this coming weekend. Buying the paints and everything Monday after work, then hopefully starting to paint on Tuesday. However, Tuesday is supposed to be obscenelyyyy hot... so I might go down the beach or paint at home instead. Her mural is outside with little shade, so I don't know how long I'll last out there. She does have a pool though... :)

Second, I got a second art gig! I emailed about a job on craigslist for an artist to paint a background for a window display in a store in the Cherry Hill Mall, and I got it! I just found out a few days ago, but yay! It's pretty big, 16'x6' and at first glance it looked pretty complicated. But now after checking it out a bit more, I'm sure I can handle it. And I'm so excited!!!

Besides that, not much else new. More ot come soon!

Duomo Grande

So I'm continuing to work on the Murals by Amy project, and it really seems to be coming along! I've made sketches for Dee's mural that I'm emailing her tonight. I'm hoping to start her mural by Monday of next week. I'll make a final drawing of how the wall will look, buy supplies this weekend, and then hopefully start Monday!

Also, I am finishing Steph's mural by the end of July. No more fooling around. In exchange for her mural, she agreed to make me a website, so as long as I follow through this month, I hope to have a professional website as well! Here is how it is looking so far...

That is the original drawing (well, a copy...) on the right hand side that I'm referencing (you can check it out here, along with some of my other works from college). I drew that in pen and ink my senior year in college. The mural is further along now than in this photo, but I had to take a break one day because I made a mistake on an angle. Honestly, not a big deal and won't make a difference once it's complete. It was just a frustrating mistake after so many hours of success. However, it is still looking good!!

Aside from that, I'm still dropping off postcards here and there. My friend, Amy, from high school took a bunch of postcards to leave around Doylestown. Awesome.

Besides that, still working on the plan for Italy. Boccella and Bucci are coming too for however long, so I happily won't be traveling entirely alone. I still plan on doing my painting/art thing, of course, but at least I'll have people there to talk to about it all!

Well Duh.

I can't believe was a goof I can be. I have yet to announce to whoever reads this that I am currently exhibiting 2 paintings and 5 drawings in a small gallery space on Arcadia University's campus. The new space is in the basement of the Landman Library, straight toward the back on the right. It is the first showing the new space has hosted, and it is an alumni show. Last I heard, the gallery was planning to be dedicated to Professor Judy Taylor, the head of the Photography Dept at AU, who passed away suddenly this winter.

Anyways, if you happen to be around Arcadia... or even if you aren't... stop by and check it out! PS-- The photo was taken while I was hanging everything... that is why there is a random folding chair...

New Hope and New Ideas

So today was more officially my first big day of promoting. I dropped off postcards in a few locations (not nearly as many as I had hoped, but I'll keep working on it). I visited Langhorne, New Hope, and Jenkintown. Unfortunately I spent way more time driving than I did talking. Something I SERIOUSLY need to work on. However, you can find my postcards at Langhorne Coffeshop, as well as a few shops in New Hope, and Allegheny Art in Jenkintown.

New Hope was a bit more disappointing than I thought it would be. A lot had to do with the fact that at least half of all the stores were still closed at 11:30. Also, I went into a holistic salon/spa and the woman in charge needed to see a portfolio... which I didn't bring with me. Duhhh. So there is something I should really work on, so I can bring it with me and be way more prepared when asked for it. However, the day was not a total bust. New Hope is as lovely as ever, I found at least half a dozen great restaurants I want to try, and peddle boats! I had no idea you could rent little peddle boats to play in the river! Definitely something to keep in mind. I'm on a tight budget so I couldn't do much shopping, but I would have loved to.

Besides that, I'm still just working on promoting the new mural business. My cousin is interested in a commission for something for his wife, and two other people are interested in murals. I'm still working on getting my practice-wall, and still have a painting in the works in my basement studio.

So, by the end of this weekend I'm hoping to have a fully finished portfolio to bring along with me to different businesses. No point in slowing down now, right?

Sundresses and Sunburn

So today was supposed to be Day 1 of Mural Madness, which I guess it kind of was but not to the extent I hoped. I meant to drop off postcards in coffee shops, salons, and interior decorating locations in Glenside, Langhorne, and New Hope but only made it through Glenside. I have sunburn on the back of my legs so bad that sitting in a car in a dress for so long was agonizing. So, onto Plan B... which is aloe, aloe, aloe and a second attempt tomorrow. However, I did make it to Glenside, leaving postcards in Elsy's and the Keswick Coffee House. If you happen to be in those neighborhoods, catching a train, grabbin' some joe, listening to some live music, then pick up a postcard and consider a hand painted, custom mural by yours truly.

So tomorrow's plan is to getup nice and early, dress nice, and make a whole day out of visiting these places to network a bit. Also, my murals aren't limited to just homes. I'm more than willing to work with businesses and restaurants as well! My prices are reasonable and I am more than OK with working with your budget too. I know times are tough and artwork may not be the first thing on everyones mind, so I'll work with the budget you have to give you a fabulous mural.

Aside from all of this, beach weekend was lots of fun and long overdue. Besides the sunburn covering the back half of me, I loved every bit of it. Now, onto the next thing!

only moving forward

So I have done a lot of thinking lately. Lots. And I've come to a lot of really important realizations (some on my own, some with other peoples help) and made some decisions. Here goes...

1. It's time to let go of the people who have decided to let go of me. Why mope over old friends and relationships when the only way you can move is forward. If these people have chosen not to have me in their life, then why would I want to be around that anyway? More importantly, NEVER let go of the ones that have stuck by through it all, and the ones that you can catch up with so easily even if it's weeks or months since you've seen each other. They are the keepers.

2. It's time to be more proactive with my art. No... really. I've bought a bunch of new brushes and paints for painting in my basement. My dad and I are working on a space switch so I can have a real studio space in said basement. There are a few things I need to make it totally successful in there (a table for my palette and brushes to sit on, an electric tea kettle, some spotlighting...) but it's happening. Besides these plans forthcoming, I've started another painting and I think I like it so far. I'm quickly and semi-unconsciously starting an Italy series (please see #4 for more about Italia).

3. It's also time to be more proactive in my career as an artist. I really like my job. It is creative, fun, stressful, demanding, and I learn a lot. But my career is as an independent artist and I have to start acting like it. So I recently made a facebook page to advertise myself with (Murals by Amy Facebook), ordered 1000 postcards to soon be distributed in coffeeshops, salons, and interior decorating businesses throughout southeastern PA, am making flyers to be hung anywhere else, and am networking the crap out of all of this. My parents and I are working out a space/wall I can turn into my mural-practicing/experimenting wall. And I have a few people willing to mentor me in this, and two already willing to give me a shot at this. Things are ONLY moving forward.

4. It's time to go back to Italy. For several weeks. My way. I don't know if I'll be living alone or if friends will come along or what, but it's happening regardless. And I have only one item on my agenda while I'm there... paint. That's all. Paint big pieces, small watercolors, even pen or pencil sketches... and sell them. And if I don't paint that day, I will take lots of pictures of things I want to paint. Also, to cook. And to see some new places, and some old places. But, without a doubt in my mind or any more excuses, this is going to happen. This spring. This is the one thing that hasn't left my mind since I graduated. I've changed my mind on what paths of art I want to take a dozen times, thought and rethought about grad school, changed and added jobs, made new friends and lost old ones... but throughout all of these different decisions and paths, Italy has stayed as one. And if I don't go now (soon), I know I never will. So it is literally now (soon) or never.

I guess that's it. There are three things on my serious list: paint, murals, Italy. And they can all be summed up by me moving only forward.

Well that was a bit deep and serious... so let's end on a lighter note. I will be at the beach allllll weekend coming up and I am MORE than excited! Bring on the vitamin D rays, the ocean, and the margaritas!!!

Oh, also as of 20 minutes ago, it is my birthday!! What a good day to make resolutions and decisions. 24 is going to be a good and eventful year... I am sure.

Important stuff forgotten....

I almost forgot... well, I did forget for about 12 hours until I woke up this morning. If you ARE interested in a mural, and WOULD like to contact me, here are a few ways to do it...

Murals by Amy on Facebook

Email: kitzmurals@gmail.com

website soon to come...

New goals and ventures

So once again, several months later, I post another entry. Things have gotten more hectic, but also less hectic... strange how that happens. However, I am even more focused and determined to work on home murals professionally. I finished one in my parents kitchen, am working on a mural-on-canvas for a friend in exchange for a real website, and am starting one in my bedroom (which I plan on painting over and over again, depending on what I feel like seeing... a fake window to other lands... pretty cool, right?)

I'm rather pleased with how the mural in the kitchen turned out. It's simple and cute. Mom already wants more in other places around the kitchen. I'm 99% finished this one... two bottles need corks in them and it's done. Steph's mural is coming along too. I'm planning to have it finished by the end of June (and hopefully my website by then as well).

Here are some photos to enjoy

** If you are viewing this page because you're interested in having a mural in your home, I'd love to hear from you. I'll send you as many references and photos as you'd like.

Not much else new. Still at Trader Joe's makin' signs. I've actually been awake for so long I'm going to sadly cut this entry short. I'll post again soon though.

to do lists forever-long

So it turns out I am a terrible blogger. 5 months since my last entry? Terrible. And I can sit here and say I'll get better, but let's be serious... that hasn't happened so far. So, until it does I'll just continue and let the bloggys come as they do.

So, five months in a paragraph or so? Let's give it a shot...

Completed a theater set for a friend from college for the play The Importance of Being Earnest with a friend from work. What a blast! A sitting room set and a garden set both on one stage split by a wall on wheels. Had lots of help from the crew kids and Mikey and Kristen too.

I also just finished a backdrop for the production the school put on this spring, Les Miserables. Was not as pleased with this piece as the last. A backdrop of a Parisian cityscape, 34ft x 8ft in 3 weeks in a 3ft wide alley-way space on stage while the kids are acting = not ideal. However, I'd do another piece for them in a second.

Besides that, I bought a Mac and I love it. I'm applying to Disney for an internship and am just working on finishing up my portfolio before they start posting the positions. Am working on two tattoo designs and a logo design for friends, and am still working on Stephs mural, which is going along pretty well (when I actually get the time to go over and work on it at least).

New things on my list of projects: re-do my studio space... or at least clean it out. I'd love some new lighting, and to get organized since its such a small space. I need a table to set my palette on instead of keeping it on my drafting table, because I would love to actually use that for, ya know... drawing. And I NEED to take photos of all my paintings so I can figure out which ones I want to sell and which to keep.

I also need to finish these designs for my friends because once they're done, I'll have more time to work on my own pieces for shows and other things! So... blog logo for Joe, angel tattoo for Jen, cross tattoo for Matt. Plus, editing my portfolio for Disney. And maybe submitting a design or two to threadless for some possible T-shirt publication. Oh yea... and a children's book. I've developed a concept for a series of children's book directed toward kids around 7-10yrs old about different cities around the world.

Lately I've been very into cooking, which my boyfriend seems to like. I made him prosciutto and parmesan rolled chicken last night, which seemed to be a hit. Maybe I should start painting food? Food and shoes? Food, shoes, and italy? ::brainstutter::

I guess that's it? My biggest goal lately is the Disney internship. And the children's book, too.