Books.

As an avid reader, it has been so great to take my work and put it into books.  Initially I created the first to celebrate the completion of my first 52 WEEKS project, then a second and then a third, after a number of requests to print what I share about the experience of being an artist.

52 WEEKS::An Artist's Labour of Love
I knew that I would have a difficult time letting go of the paintings that I had spent a year creating as it felt like the biggest accomplishment but also knew that I cannot possibly keep everything that I create.  And so, the idea of creating a book for myself was born.  It has been wonderful as Bluerock Gallery sold both the paintings and the books.  The series focused on wild animals found in North America along with their totem animal meanings.

52 WEEKS::Wildflowers
This project was actually the third 52 WEEKS project, but as the second is in a personal art journal, I know that I will be keeping it.  This series of paintings focused on the wildflowers I have been obsessed with since I was a child (an that my poor children were expected to stop by and learn about every summer...they have heard every story many, many times).  This series focused on North American wildflowers, their medicinal purposes and the stories connected with them.  The books are available online and the paintings are currently available at Bluerock Gallery.

Sacred Vessel::A Painter's Handbook
This book has been a culmination of a couple of years of work.  As a professional artist, I found the process difficult to begin...from creating a body of work, to wiring artwork and writing a statement, to submitting work to galleries.  I began prior to the internet and had trouble finding information on how to do any of this as it wasn't taught in art school.  I hope that I can help others on this journey.  The books are available

I created all three books through Blurb online and found the process to be quite simple, lots of drag and drop.  I still have much to learn and am looking forward to creating another book after this year's 52 WEEKS::Heroes project is complete...and would like to create another of our family's favorite recipes for our daughters.  And, who knows, maybe when I have some time again (and my shoulder feels better) I might actually create one for the 52 WEEKS::Gratitude project.