Spread a Little Kindness

A couple months ago I became aware of Sherrie Gahn and her wonderful story. This inspiring woman has done so much for the kids at Whitney Elementary and is such a wonderful role model for all of us. She inspired this piece I've been working on...hope to show you the finished version soon! If you don't know Sherrie's story, I encourage you to check it out at http://www.villageofhopelv.org/Sherrie_Gahn.html

Artwork is all hung at Fortunate Discoveries on Armitage in Chicago. It's a great new space with a wonderful collection of artisans - so happy to be a part of it. Stop by and see everyone's terrific work! Here's a photo of my space. http://www.fortunatediscoveries.com/

I admit it - I've been an absolutely awful blogger lately. I always have the best intentions and they go right out the window! I need a few extra hours in the day. I hope you'll check out and vote for my first fabric design at Spoonflower.com! My entry is called Whimsical Garden. It's in the Hand Drawn Contest (under the Connect tab). There are lots of entries, so you'll have to page through to find mine. Hope you'll vote for my design! Just click on my image and a green box appears around it - that's your vote. As they say here in Chicago, vote often! http://www.spoonflower.com/fabric_items/new?design_id=1170020&show_comments=trueI

Illustration Friday – Heights

This piece, called Room to Grow, seemed perfect for the IF theme of Heights. This whimsical pair of mom and son shows there's always room to grow to new heights.

Illustration Friday – Shades

This piece is perfect for the IF theme this week, Shades. One of my favorite places is Door County, Wisconsin - and this was the view from our rental a while ago. The sunsets were amazing...shades of twilight in this piece called Door County Getaway.

Whimsy and the Mixed Media Journey

This coming Monday (March 19), I'll be presenting a program at the DuPage Art League (218 W. Front Street, Wheaton) called Whimsy and the Mixed Media Journey. It will include a little bit about my creative journey, my musical background, and how I ended up creating whimsical works of art. I'll also be doing a demo on how I create my pieces and what media I use. This is an interactive program as well, so come with a sketchbook or journal and a pencil!

There's social time at 7 p.m. and the program starts at 7:30. Hope you can stop by for some creative fun and a couple giveaways too!

Summer Meadow

Summer Meadow has been one of my best selling prints the last couple years, so I'm very excited to offer it in my Society6 shop as a laptop/iPad and iPhone skin! It's also available as a stretched canvas, as are a few of my other designs. Hope you'll check it out.

http://society6.com/valerielorimer/Summer-Meadow-7JZ_Print

Whale Tune

I took a break for a couple months with working on any new kid's prints. Now I'm back at it and my goal is to complete the alphabet before the end of the year. Here's Whale Tune...hope you like it!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/93173311/whale-tune-art-print-childs-print-baby

The Writer's Den Treasury

I have long been a lover of writing - and am always so in awe of excellent writers who paint pictures with their words. So, this treasury is for you...

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/ODU1Mjh8MjEwMTMxOTU5OA/the-writers-den?ref=pr_treasury

And I just adore the piece pictured here by Christopher Stewart which is also part of the treasury.

New Beginnings

I hope that 2012 has started off well for everyone and will be a year full of blessings and fulfilling your dreams. I'm not really into resolutions, but when I looked at my blog again (and realized my last post was around Thanksgiving!), I resolved to do better at blogging this year. And taking time to visit all your wonderful blogs too. I am always blown away by the wonderful creativity out there!

I have to admit it was nice to have some down time over the holidays. Now I'm feeling in a wonderful creative space with lots of ideas for new pieces. Here's one of my first pieces for the year, called Fire & Ice, which is in a local exhibit right now.