Drawing over Breakfast and school is ending

This morning  Mike and I finally got out of the studio for breakfast.

We've both been so busy with work that this was really kind of special. We went to a random restaurant downtown that we chose for the shade and the misters, it's called "Bliss Rebar". 

Mike's drawing

When we draw at a place (especially in the States) we often get pestered by the waiter, but this place was great and the waiter asked to see our drawings when we were leaving, which was pretty cool.

I can't stress enough how nice it was to have a relaxing morning. Honestly it's been a LONG time.

In other news Phoebe schooled me on how to mess with the people at Starbucks this week. She walked up to the counter and ordered a complicated drink and the lady was pushing buttons on the register in the systematic way like they always do. Then Phoebe turns to me and says "The people here hate me cause when I order I just make stuff up, picking random flavors and things that sound good."

"You can do that?!!"

"Apparently. Sometimes it comes out bad though."
And here I always thought she was a Starbucks expert. 

This is Naomi in a tree when she went on a picnic with her sister and friends. I really like this shot, so excellent work Phoebe (she took the picture)!

School is wrapping up here in Phoenix and we're all just trying to get through the next week. On this coming Friday Phoebe will graduate and Chloe is flying in from Missouri for the event!

Have a great weekend. Cheers!

Prom night and deadlines

Last night was Phoebe's prom.

She was trying to pose with Oscar (our dog) because she was going to meet her friends downtown.

He's not a well trained dog (or trained at all really), so he wandered off and licked himself a lot for the camera.

Phoebe, though, looked really stunning.

Her prom was held at the Hard Rock Cafe way downtown, and since this whole prom thing was last minute she was going to take the light rail (my kids are so much hipper than I ever was, I rented a stupid limo!). Anyway, we talked her into taking an uber (Did you see those shoes!). 

Her prom is last minute because she is graduating a year early. She has done some extra work to cover her last English credit so she will actually walk at graduation this year!

For me things have been hectic the last few months, because I'm working on a children's book job.

It's a book call "Annie Goes To Oak Island" and features actual people and places on Oak Island. There is a TV show called  "The Curse of Oak Island" on the History Channel and it has a lot of the same people as in the show. Anyway the deadline for this book is looming. Along with teaching and mask making I'm pretty swamped.

Anyway, it's May so we're trying to limit our a/c to just a couple hours at night, but that's getting more difficult. Phoenix is gearing up for the massive heat blast we call summer. At this point in the year it's like a clock ticking down.... Here it comes!

My Sea Dragon in Casa Grande

Last weekend I was hired to draw my Sea Dragon at the chalk art festival in Casa Grande, Arizona.  So last Saturday, we woke up around dawn and drove an hour south into the desert.

Naomi came along to assist and so did Mike. When I arrived they had canvases set up for all the artists. Unfortunately I was set up in the direct sun. I've drawn in the sun before but starting in the sun was new for me. I was getting dizzy and need to sit frequently in the shade. Finally after asking a couple of times they let me move my canvas to under a tree, just a couple of feet over.

This is early on still drawing in the sun.

The event was at a mall, and there was a bouncy bounce and kids drawing area. However Mike and Naomi took a drive around for breakfast and they quickly found that Casa Grande was one of these desert towns with very little to see. They couldn't even find a Starbucks, which explains why so many people turned out for the chalk festival!

The day was a pretty long one, as I decided to just push through without stopping.

There were about 10 other artists working as well. The other artists really did nice work there, I wish I had more photos of it.

Finally we put the canvas flat and added the flat color that goes behind the Sea Dragon Mandala. It was a green acrylic paint that I brought with me.

... And here it is!

In other news Phoebe has managed to raise enough money to send her $1000 deposit to Yale! So she's definitely going! Hopefully finding the rest of the money won't be too hard, but here's a link to her GoFundme just in case 😜

Phoebe's big news!

Last weekend blindsided us with amazing news from my 17 year old, Phoebe. She has been applying to many pre-college programs, hoping we'd be able to get the funds somehow to send her. One of them was a summer astrophysics program at Yale, a super competitive program that only accepts 20-30 applicants from all over the world. Anyway she got in!! We incredibly proud of her, but have no clue how to cover the cost of it, so she launched a GoFundMe which has already raised enough for the initial deposit!

She's offering to paint a portrait for anyone who donates $100 or more. Which is an incredible deal for a painting on canvas! 

In other news, my sculpture for "The Mutant Piñata Show" sold out of the gallery last week. It was bought by the publisher of Echo Magazine and he's bringing to his house in Mexico.

I've also been creating new masks for my Artisan Masks shop. This is the preying mantis mask. I'm quite happy with it!

The Tempe Festival of The Arts- Painfully great!

This weekend was the Tempe Festival of the arts spring event. (They have 2 events a year and I was involved with their fall festival as well). I was booked to chalk again and they put me right next to the light rail this time so as I worked on my mural I was right at the entrance to the festival for hundreds of people!

This is my mural design. I created this (very small) painting for a show at the Staton Island Ferry Station in New York City. It's called "I Wish For Fish". I though it would be a fun piece to recreate as a mural for this event.

Naomi painting

On day one both Naomi and Phoebe came to help, and since Mike's event this weekend was cancelled he came along for support as well.. I was so glad they did. This drawing was a tough one to get right!! 

Naomi working on trees

Since we were working on masonite this time and not pavement we needed to put tempera paint down on the boards so the chalk would stick (it was so smooth, the chalk just blew right off the surface.)

Naomi did a lot of painting that first day, and Phoebe did a lot of drawing buildings. I, of course did lots of both.

Here I am starting on the fish.

After 5 hours of ALL of us working on this, a woman came by and said, "How long have you been here? An hour?" I would have fallen over if I hadn't already been sitting on the ground.

On day two I came in early around 8am and got started right away. The people showing up that morning said they just saw me on TV. It was strange to know I'd been filmed doing this and didn't even notice.

I had so much to do,  I was afraid to stop for almost 6 hours straight.

Naomi came in on the light rail and helped me finish the painting part, and then did some chalking.

Around 4:30pm on the second day, Krislyn, one of the organizers, started messaging me about whether I was going to the awards reception at 6pm. I SO wanted to say no, and go home. I was filthy (chalk is messy), and so very tired and sore from working. Phoebe messaged back, yes, before I could say anything. Then 2 more times Krislyn stopped by and asked again. I was starting to be a bit suspicious. So I went into the hospitality restroom and washed up as best I could. I also put on makeup and the free t shirt they had given me. Then we went.... And I'm so glad I did! Because check it out!!!

I won best overall chalk artist for the whole festival!! I can't believe I won this! (It also came with a check which was cool.)

Anyway day three was brutal, because I was sore and already won, but this honor gave me new energy and I finished in about 4 more hours. 

As I understand they're going to keep the murals this time so I sprayed it a few times with hairspray.

Me on the last day.

I wish I had better pictures, but I'm hoping the festival will get me some.

In the end, I was glad to be done. This project was a tough one, but I was happy with the result.

                      While I was at the chalk festival on Saturday, Phoebe made this cool, time lapse video of herself, painting a portrait of her friend. I was really impressed, so I just had to share. This kid never stops amazing me. 💗

Spring art shows!

Art cakes by Beatrice Moore

      Last weekend was the opening of the Mutant Piñata Show and Mike and I, of course, were there with bells on (ok, does anyone other than a cow wear bells? ). In fact I'm in this slide show from The New Times -slide #35- with my spider piñata.

Pink Angler Fish Head

Some of the piñatas were more sculptures and less of something you'd hit with a bat.

Here's my spider in the foreground.

One of the more unusual ones (that's saying A LOT at the Mutant Piñata Show).

       Anyway while Mike and I were milling around the art shows for Art Detour Weekend, Naomi and Phoebe were at a Youth Group event in Chandler. They had a great time but 2 days later Naomi came down with the worst cold I've ever seen her with (seriously, I was looking up symptoms of meningitis, because we are late with that one vaccine. How do people who don't vaccinate get any sleep!!)

  

Phoebe and Naomi in the courtyard

  Yesterday was the big art show at Phoebe's school. Because she is in AP art she had a huge display of her work. Naomi crawled out of bed and came in to see, because these sisters are pretty devoted to each other.

This is half of her name banner and some of her space prints.

The other half of her name banner and some of her portrait work.

Her AP art concentration (so many people wanted to buy these!)

A comic strip she made. 

Her dinosaur and some of her other work.

        Some of her sketchbooks.  She did really well. 

She sold some of her little zines and a massage therapist wants her art to decorate her office. She'll have to make some new things as all of this work she needs for the college board.

In the mean time, Mike has been posting A LOT of his art for sale on his website at Dubisch.com and here at Big Cartel. He has some of his best work up so be sure to check it out!