Mike's Mole Arrove

Love Aya's cards!

Love Andrea's birthday cake?

YAY Balookey--I used raise seahorses!

life imitates Mike's art

biker buddy

making sauerkraut again

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!  I'll have fun in Mike's Mole!

Snips from my work in Mike's book.

I'll get this in the mail to you on Friday Mary, sorry for the delay.

In the pocket - Andrea's book

Back to the tattoos, I made this broach which is tattooed on leather.

Last half page for Ballookey

I'm really curios to see how this will turn out.

Done is better than perfect - in Andrea's book

This is my new life motto

This too shall pass - In Andrea's book

I totally stole the skeleton in he bird from something I saw on pintrest and couldn't find afterward. 

Shot of Whiskey - in Andrea's book

This model is one of my favorite people in the world, Freshie Juice.

In Andrea's Book

Between the last book I had over (was it Mary's?! I'm pretty sure it was) and getting Andrea's book I embarked on teaching myself a new craft which is tattooing, I started by practicing on fruits, then pig skin and then tattooed a few friends.
My latest creation is this, for Halloween:

So, I decided my topic for Andrea's book should be Tattoos. However, then my father in law was diagnose with Leukemia on top of his Lymphoma and some other type of cancer, and my whole life got shuffled, when I got back to the book, it somehow became a combination of tattoos and a lot of thoughts of death, dying and getting old, which is basically all that's been on my mind lately.

This is the first page, still trying to interact with Mike's style:

Ballookey in Mike's Book

Completing the collaboration that Aya started. She drew the hand holding the cards and I added the things around it. I chose a contrasting color so I could draw right up to her hand and still have the two be distinct.



Working on two things here - drawing chrysanthemums, which I've always avoided, and an idea for a fantasy seahorse. I treated this page as if it were a page in my own sketchbook, so there's a bit of stuff around the edge where I tested some colors.

 
 
Another seahorse...

 
 
I have a wooden box that I keep meaning to paint, so I used this page to sketch the artwork for the top of the box.

 
 
This is my version of a Qilin, a creature from Chinese mythology that's sort of an equine version of a dragon. They are said to walk through grass without bending a blade, and also they were at one point strongly associated with giraffes. So there's a type of antelope called a Gerenuk that have unbelievably thin legs and long necks. They also have antlers like Qilin are supposed to have. I thought using a Gerenuk as the basis for my Qilin was a good idea.

 
 
Lastly, one of my friends has an adorable Lalaloopsy doll and I thought it would be fun to draw one. I chose to make a self-portrait in the form of the dolls, and on the next page I sketched a blank body for Andrea to customize.

Mary in Aya's: Pocket items and envelope

Pelicans, front of envelope
Markers

Georges Braque
Back of envelope
Markers

For the pocket, I decided to make small note cards.

Fantasy in red
watercolor

I did the Fantasy in red first.

Fantasy in Blue
Mary Stebbins Taitt
Markers and pigment pens

I picked up on some of the shapes and composition of fantasy in red for my fantasy in in blue, and added an eye and a nose.  I "organized" the random lines in the wide band in fantasy in red into an eye.

Fantasy in Yellow
Mary Stebbins Taitt
Markers and pigment pens

For fantasy in yellow, I added a second eye and a mouth.  On the wide band, I made two eyes.

An Organization of Mind
Mary Stebbins Taitt
Markers and pigment pens

Because the two eyes on the wide band in Fantasy in  yellow resembled a mask, I decided I need one more (I had only planned to do three, in primary colors.)

The completed series

After I "completed" the series (or thought I had), I made one more card for my mother-in-law, who was having dinner with us, and although I hadn't intended it, it ended up to be the 5th in series.  However, it is not in the pocket because I gave it to her.

An organization of Mind II
Mary Stebbins Taitt
pigment pen and colored pencil
(NOT in pocket)

Kissed Frankie Goodnight
watercolor by Mary Stebbins Taitt
for my book
click to view larger.

They partied for days, weeks, months and years;

the sound of their laughter filled everyone’s ears.

They partied ‘til the moon came up in the sky

and then all creatures kissed Frankie goodbye.


*

I painted this with watercolors, finishing it (after many days of work), on 8/21/14 and today, I added the moon in Photoshop.   It is for the book I am working on for my grandson hopefully for his birthday, otherwise for Christmas.  He will be four years old on his birthday, and has just started school.

I posted it before, but I think this is the finished version (I hope).  This is in my largest Moleskine, and I wanted to share it with you.

I have mailed Aya's book to Mike (yesterday--9/15).

Mary in Aya's: "I dream someone is drawing cards that will determine not only my dreams, but also my future"

"I dream someone is drawing cards that will determine not only my dreams, but also my future"
by Mary Stebbins Taitt
water color, pen and ink

This is my last piece in Aya's Mole this round.  (I really had this dream!) Yet to do is one or more pocket items and the envelope.  I was going to start the envelope NOW, but the top is stuck on the gesso and I can't get it off.

We have NO power at home, and slept at the studio last night.  The internet here is unbearably slow, and we don't have a smart phone, so I won't be online much until we get our power back at home.

As part of a dream yesterday morning, two small children were turning back and forth from kids to a snail and a slug and ricing through hot soapy water.  It was nerve-wracking to watch/dream!

Mary in Aya's: I Dream I need help securing a prisoner

I dream I need help securing a prisoner
by Mary Stebbins Taitt
in Aya's Moleskine

I got new pens and failed to test them for water-resistance--they SAID they were water-resistant but were not!  DUH!!!  I messed up--should have tested them.  They drew really nicely but bad when water added.  I do that intentionally sometimes, but in this case, did not want the ink to run.  I would have painted over the lettering but it would have been a disaster.

Collab for Mike

So, I have one more to do and I will mailing this off to Mike.  Sorry about the big delay with Ballookey's--I was having difficulties getting a good picture for my book.

Mary in Aya's--the Dream fish coming home

The runaway fish return to their tank
by Mary Stebbins Taitt
watercolor and pen and ink
5 x 8

I dream that the free-ranging fish must be back in their tank before dawn or they will die.

Mary in Aya's: I Dream the fish swim out of their aquariums at night

I Dream the fish swim out of their aquariums at night
by Mary Stebbins Taitt
in Aya's book

I did this tonight, September 2nd, but accidentally put the wrong date on.  This is a real dream I have.  Or, used to have repeatedly.  Haven't had it recently (I no longer have an aquarium; that may be why.

Also, I finally mailed Ballookey's mole to Mike.  Sorry it took so long, was having scanner and camera issues.