Flowers and summer

It has been SLOW at Hip Chick's since summer started.  I was oh so wrong when I thought summer would be good for business.  OPPOSITE.  I am new at this folks and now I know summer time is slowwwwwtime.....so I have had some downer says I won't lie to ya.  But this hip chick is here to tell you that she has regrouped and she is gonna just 'cowgirl up' and do what she does best, paint.  Ok maybe it's not what I do best but it keeps me sane and I am fairly good at it...I was given a gift certificate to a posh salon by my dear friend Linda and while the adorable asst. was washing my hair she asked me about myself.  Naturally I told her about the shop etc. and she said they were wanting to trade out the art they had and let's see what you have.  I grabbed my phone and showed her the few pictures I had of some paintings and she loved the flower paintings and thought they'd be great.  Well of course I was psyched to imagine my paintings on their walls so I decided to do some BIG ASS flowers in the hopes that they would be interested.  This is my recent daisy painting and I am still working on it.  I am posting it because 1. I haven't posted for awhile and 2. I didn't know what else to post.  So I put the tutu series on hold (Robin will be so thrilled as she is anti-tutu) and I am in flower power mode.  Seems like flowers are more popular and would be fitting for interior decor so I'm going with it.  I do like to paint flowers and I have always admired Georgia O'Keefe and her work.  I like to paint them blown up like she did and in exaggerated size.  I am not interested in painting them in a vase on a table whatsoever.  So I will let you know what happens with this whole venue....
On a personal note I am off to our family cabin in Bass Lake tomorrow for a blissfilled week of R&R.  A typical Bass day is waking up whenever and either going for a run or swimming across followed by sunning and reading, eating sunflower seeds and drinking Diet Pepsi with my sister and her family and my husband and kids.  The cabin is right on the water, with the best view of the lake, the only thing we don't have is a boat.  But the neighbors do and they were so friendly and took us out for some boat rides, bless their hearts, and they will be there again so it's likely we'll get a spin about....I am excited to go on a road trip.  You know this hip chick needs her road trips for inspiration and rejuvenation.  Even though it's slow and therefore I am not exhausted I am mentally in need of a change of pace and scene.  I am always re inspired when I go on any road trip and I'm very excited to go to Sun Valley at the end of the month as I've never been there.  My fellow artist friend Sharon lives there part-time and Ben and I are going to road trip while our kids are busy doing their various summer activities.  Alex is a camp counselor and Abby gets to go to London for 2 weeks and stay with her cousins....sweet hook-up!  So I won't be posting til I return from Bass on the 10th and I wish all of you wonderful fans of hip chick a happy fourth of July and a happy week.  Thank you for your continued support!

This blue poppy is teeny tiny and I painted it when Abby came to the shop with me on Wednesday....

Fathers Day

Sunday was Father's Day and we had a fun time celebrating Ben, my husband and the best father I know.  Growing up Father's Day was dreaded for me, I had a step father I loathed and I had to 'fake' being all lovey dovey with a father's day card and celebrations for a man who I never felt was a good father.  I married a man who is the opposite of my stepfather, Ben is kind, gentle, caring, a good listener and always eager to help.  He models great values to our children and for this I am grateful.  So we planned on going to the DeYoung museum in San Francisco to see the latest impressionist exhibit on loan from the museum de Dorsey.  We had a traditional fry-up (British term for breakfast) with tea, juice, fruit salad, crescents, eggs, hash browns, bacon and sausages.  Then we toured the museum looking at paintings by Degas, Renoir, Monet and Cezanne.  These paintings are all so familiar as they have been in art history books everywhere and to see them in person was amazing.  I was struck by the use of line and color, namely the way the line was undefined and the palette was muted.  I also noted the high sheen of the varnish and the way the brush strokes were pronounced.  It made me want to use oils instead of acrylic, as they have a rich depth and texture.  I used oils until recently and only switched to acrylic due to cost and convenience.  Acrylics are so easy to clean and I am so lazy, and paint is expensive!  So I shall get good with acrylic and then start using oils for my future work....anyhow....back to fathers day.....after the art education class we scooted on over to North Beach where there was a big party, lots of interesting people, food and the like.  We had some calamari and listened to the blues while soaking up the rays of the sun then we walked around the booths looking at jewelry and things.  It was a leisurely day full of ice cream and good times, we stuffed ourselves with gelato and kettle corn so the spaghetti dinner was postponed til Monday.  A successful fathers day spending time together, taking in the city and all it's offerings!

Finney road field trip

Today was a field trip photo shoot on Finney Road in Danville with friends Molly and Ann Taylor, and my wonderful son. Alex (my son) and I were brainstorming some tutu ideas and we thought it'd be interesting to combine tutu's on a man and a women in an unusual setting. So Ann and I inspected Finney road the other day and found much to our liking and we planned our photo shoot for today. Tutu's and props in hand we shot pictures at the old schoolhouse. As the pictures show my models LOVE getting their pictures taken and are up for ANYTHING! My son happened to have red high heels from Halloween and let me tell you he can walk better than I can in those babies! Molly looks darling in anything she wears and her eyes always captivate the camera. After we shot at the schoolhouse we went up the road to where there are alpacas and they actually came to the fence and said hello. I was excited to continue the tutu series with a new twist and I have some great shots to ponder as possible paintings.

As for darling Daisy my 1972 Ford she needs a new engine and I was quoted $3,300 last week to 'fix' her. This was harsh news and I thought I had to say goodbye to my sweet truck until I found another mechanic who gave me HOPE with a much better quote. Nothing is set yet but it looks like Daisy might be rescued and once again I will have my girl running. I am not one to give up easily and Daisy had been a challenge from day 1. My error was not taking her to a mechanic and having her looked over and buying her strictly on looks and the sellers good word. Lesson learned ok! It' been one thing after another and by the time we're through she will have had almost everything done that could be done to get her running. But what can I say I'm a sucker for a pretty face and she had me at hello.

So that's what's been happening at hip chick's, the shop has been slow and steady, my painting is in a flow, and I am ever grateful to be creating my own niche in business. These are challenging times for any business so I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to stay afloat and do my thing. I couldn't do it without support and you people who read my blog help me to keep on truckin. Knowing that someone actually cares about what I'm doing gives me energy and drive to keep creating. I am rewarded by the happy faces, the interesting people and the fun I manifest with my newest idea. I can't wait to see what's next!

Two more tutu's to add to the party!

This hip chick has had an amazing weekend and it's been full of fun and tutu's.  Saturday night I got to see my favorite band of all time Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers play at the Oracle and they rocked the house.  Sunday was the Alameda antique and even though I got home late Saturday night I woke up early (unusual) and was rarrin' to go by 7 am, so Kat and I drove there as fast as we could and shopped till we dropped.  Actually we could've kept going but time and money were a factor!  Well, needless to say we scored big time and it was probably the MOST fun time yet at the Alameda and why??? Because of the TUTU"S!  I swear they have magic in them and they always bring joy and happiness wherever they go.  I had to pay a pretty penny for the pink one $65.00 but it was so fluffy and beautiful I splurged and boy am I glad I did.  No sooner did I buy it then I had compliment on top of compliment paid, and fun encounters and more good vibes thrown my way.  Shortly thereafter I found an exquisite beaded vintage dress, a hat and yet another tutu this one yellow. As soon as I had the yellow one in my hands people wanted it!  It's hilarious how magical these things are, so Kat and I shared our tutu's, our joy and excitement and just bubbled about marveling at the treasures and cool people at the Alameda yesterday.  Broke, we left and had to go to a BBQ where I decided, what the hell, I'll wear the tutu and just in case bring along the red one in the car, one never knows what can happen.  Good thing I did cause everyone wanted a part of the tutu action, I had my second man put it on, Neal, and it got the party started!  Kat showed up later with her yellow one and the pictures tell the rest..... Well what a day it was off the hook and the pictures show how fun it all was......
So today (Monday) my husband Ben and I talked about going cherry picking (his good idea actually) and sadly he was called to work but not until 1:00 so we decided to go anyways and see what it was all about.  I'm so glad we did!  We drove to Brentwood and found a stand on the side of the road, tutu in tow we walked through the orchards and took pictures galore, it was gorgeous!  The cherries were to die for and the scene was charming.  We got 6lbs. of cherries, gobs of photos and decided it was so delightful we need to do this annually.  I have so many painting possibilities from just two days of tutu's and their experiences that it was all I could do to get this posted, I am so freakin' excited!  What I find most entertaining about the tutu's is how they just entered my life unassumingly, then exploded with their charisma and charm on the very first outing (Bass Lake photo shoot) and now they are taking me on a journey that is fun, colorful and completely unknown.  Whenever I have them on, or bring them with me places, a guaranteed good time happens and all because of a gathered piece of fabric.  They obviously have a magical essence and I bow to their powerful spell that they cast on the people who dare to don them.  The hard part is taking them off, gosh, if wearing them is so great why would I wear anything else?  I guess just like anything, it's more special if it's used wisely, with respect for the spontaneity and playfulness they need a rest just like we all do.  Then they can razzle dazzle and shine all the brighter and keep leading me where they will.  Wherever it goes, the tutu train has brought much joy, what more can you ask for?

Tea In Abby's Garden

This was our tea party on Sunday, very spontaneous and fun. Sandi showed up for a casual cuppa then dashed home to get 'dressed' with her hat and frock. Sandi is almost always dolled up. I invited Ann and Abby invited Louise and we sat outside and sipped sparkling soda, ate quiche with pancetta and munched on croissants with roseberry jam. It was delightful. Sandi put together this beautiful video so I had to share. Sorry I haven't posted for a week, I've been enjoying the warmer weather and today it's back to work. I painted a pet portrait for my mom's upcoming birthday and today I will paint my niece's birthday painting, roses for her bedroom. I gave Molly her painting and she loved it. It makes me so happy to make something for a close friend that they will cherish. I am aiming to keep panting and get enough paintings to try to get a show somewhere. An exciting goal and one I wouldn't have imagined until recently. Hope you're all enjoying yourselves, and pursuing your passions, if you are please share with me. I love to hear from you.....

overkill and the psychosis of knowing when to stop

Remember the other day when I wrote how well my portrait was going?? Well, I am here to say it has since gone downhill as I have reworked it OVER and OVER and OVER. I swear that's the funny thing about painting is knowing when to stop. Clearly I don't. I liked it but I wanted to LOVE it. DANGER! Why did I think that by working on it I was going to improve it? This is the mysterious and baffling aspect of the process, I have painted the nose a hundred times, ok maybe not that many but WAY too many times to remember, and the lips and the eyes, the rest is done, but the face........ oh the face. It's taunts me with it's slightly not quite rightness and makes me want to try and try some more until all I've done is the same thing over and over again. HELLO, isn't this 'insanity'? Doing the same thing over and over but expecting a different result. The funny thing is I know I'm crazy and yet I can't stop, it's like a freakin drug this thing. I will DIE trying to get it right. I am so stubborn I will not quit. I might need a straight jacket by the time it's done but it will be worth it!!!! mmmmwaahhhaaaa....ok maybe it's not so dramatic as all that but I do hope I can fix it so I can proudly give it to it's owner with pride. This must be why I've avoided doing portraits for so long.........they will be the death of me!

field trips and inspiration

Today I took Jean all over Berkeley to show her my usual treasure spots. We started at Urban Ore and I thought to bring my red tutu as she hasn't been on an outing for much too long. So we played with throwing her here and there but the BEST part was when I met Hugo and I asked him if he would like to wear it and he obliged! Only in Berkeley baby! He worked it big time twirling and snapping his fingers, he is my first male tutu model to date and I am so proud of him. Next we went to Fanny cafe for lunch and I had the grilled mozzarella and tapenade sandwich, yummy! Tummies full we browsed Ohmega Salvage where I took pictures and admired the iron gates while dreaming of french chateau's....Last but certainly not least we went to the Hen House in Lafayette. This darling store is in an old saggy house which only ads to the dazzling charm inside. I had fun trying on all Elizabeth's hats and had to purchase the flower charmer for a summer tea party in my future. Elizabeth is the owner of this fabulous shop and she has excellent taste in vintage sconces, ribbons, hats, you name it. I absolutely LOVE this store and she promised to come visit this hip chick at her store soon. Oh the fun of creative collaboration! I love these days of inspiration, of meeting new people and finding new places to shop. It's all in a day's work!! In addition to field trips I have been madly painting portraits and flowers, and feeling excited about my progress. I am seeing definite improvement and this makes me motivated to paint even more. My goal is to gather a body of work and try to have a show, but this will be a lofty goal as I only have a few pieces, I give so many away!! But I'm honored people like them and it pleases me to make something for someone I love. Thanks for checking in on hip chick's happenings and I always appreciate hearing from you!