Birchtree Studio

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

SUCCESS!!!

My Kickstarter project is 106% funded as of this evening! And we still have five days to go. Now We are trying to reach our first stretch goal which is to reach $6000 by Friday. If we do, then we can create an audio book. If we reach our second stretch goal of $7500 by closing on May 5, we can create a website for the book with all sorts of cool features. So, to generate a little more interest and buzz around the project I will be posting the remaining pencil drawings, one each day, until we reach those goals. And I've added the finished painting of pp 3-4 here. If you have been procrastinating about pledging, don't wait any longer!

Friday, April 18, 2014

Announcing The Worry Tree is Waiting

I am proud to announce that, after 14 months of planning, meeting, researching, sketching and drawing, my children's book project has finally launched on kickstarter.com! You might already know that kickstarter is a crowd-source funding site for all sorts of creative projects that might otherwise never come to life. Films, music, technology, services, books, and performance and visual art have all found their way to existence because of kickstarter.com. I invite you to visit kickstarter.com to view the project and, while you're there, take time to absorb the incredible variety of projects from creative thinkers. Some will make your jaw drop. Mine will make you smile, for sure.

Readers of all ages can visit the Great Garden where troubles are eased when placed on the branches of the Worry Tree.

Officially launched on March 28, the first four days drew in nearly 40% of pledges. Way to kick off the project! Today we are exactly three weeks in and have seen remarkable and sometimes poignant response. Over 100 backers have brought in near 90% funding. A new video was uploaded to the project page just this morning. Take a moment to visit the page and see what this wonderful and necessary project is all about. Below is the first completed illustration, pp 1-2:

Stay tuned for the unveiling of pp 3-4....

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Snowy Owls Aplenty!

Snowy Owls seem to be everywhere this year, as well as Bald Eagles. I had never seen a snowy owl before this year so set off with my husband in search of some after hearing many reports of sightings. Plum Island is not so far from us and with a little effort we spotted one!

Sitting high up on a snowy dune, the bird was too far away to see really well with my borrowed binocs. Still, I took a few photos anyway and managed to put together a quick sketch of that sighting.

I followed up with another page of snowy owl sketches. These were done using the skillful photography of Dave Larson, one of the naturalists at Joppa Flats Education Center in Newburyport, MA. I love these.

More to come in the near future. I'll be focused on the children's book for a few days...no snowy owls in that project but some other species will show up on the pages....then turning my attention to writing a grant while the children's book goes live on Kickstarter. And some classes are coming up, too! So glad my day job is flexible enough that I can toggle between it and my freelance work. :-)

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Evolution of an Artist

My first article has finally been published! Evolution of an Artist was published in the GNSI Journal of Natural Science Illustration this month. Thank you to the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators for putting me in the Spotlight! The Guild, or GNSI, is a professional organization committed to the nurturing and promoting of its members and is an important educational resource for anyone interested in this specialized genre of illustration work. They also provide important networking opportunities and general camaraderie for its members. I have been a member off and on since finishing graduate school in 1992. You can find out more about them by visiting www.gnsi.org.

Writing is something I've long wanted to do but never had the courage until recently. Like all good projects, it was a collaboration with support from several members of the guild and my husband. It is my first piece of writing but hopefully not my last. Below is the opening paragraph. To read the full article just click here. Enjoy! Your feedback is most welcome.

Bushwhack. One definition says “to make one’s way through woods by cutting at undergrowth, branches, etc.” This is how I ended up rolling through life.

Born into a family with an alcoholic father and a mother busy working to pay the bills and raise three children, “nurturing” was virtually non-existent in my rearing. We hear this sort of story all the time and most certainly there are people who had it much worse than I. But, this environment guided my early years and led me to seek attention and acceptance outwardly, have poor study habits in high school, low self-esteem, no long-term vision, etc. Fortunately, I soon realized the surrogate environment and bad attitude were just more dead ends and not the life I wanted. It took a while for this lost soul to find the confidence to start a journey completely alone. But I did. And that’s what matters in this story.

Sunday, December 15, 2013

This One's Gone....Don't Let Yours Get Away!

Quiescent January, 2013

One of my favorite paintings of 2013 has a new owner. This was the first one of the year that I felt I captured everything I was going for....color, light, values, composition and texture. Interestingly, although Quiescent received a lot of interest throughout the year, it's not until now that it found a new home.

The piece has an emotional attachment for me, as it is a location that has special memories for my family. I hope my brain forever retains the memory of that summer morning.

I will miss looking at the original but I know the home where it's going; no doubt I'll see it again.

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Holiday Sale on all 2013 Works

Surprise! All of the work created this year is on sale for 20% off through the end of December! You can view it all on my Facebook page in the album titled "2013 for Sale!". Each piece has a price and size listed as well as whether or not it is currently for framed. A lot of work has been produced this year and now it's time to let them go. Shipping is available at cost. There's still time to get yours delivered by Christmas! :-)

Support your local artist and give the gift of art this season. Click the Facebook badge to the left to view the work now.

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Final Four Paintings of 2013

Alas, the end has come. My 30/30 October turned into 30/60 for October and November. Actually, I'm still about five paintings short of my goal but no matter. I'm done (and perfectly OK with that).

It's been quite a year of experimenting, creating, agonizing, delighting and surprising (myself). At times quite hard to keep up with it all. But so glad I did. I'm a much better painter than when I started and now a new journey can begin.

In total I created 85 paintings, of which only 58 remain available. Look at the numbers...how funny is that? Support your local artists and consider a gift of art when you shop for family, friends and colleagues this season. If you are a FB user, to see all 58 paintings go to my FB page and open the album titled 2013 for Sale:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Birchtree-Studio/212049277860?ref=hl

Otherwise, check my website in the next few days. Some of the new ones will be added there by mid-week. Until then, enjoy the final four paintings below. And, as always, I am filled with gratitude and joy for your support over the years. Thank you.