MardiArt

IF … Twirl

2012-01-22T14:43:00.000-08:00

     ooooo … my new race bike arrived!
     Titanium frame, Shimano gears and assemblies, a nice Selle saddle.
     I can hardly wait to ride!

– sigh –

       Well.

       Buttercup surprised me with a 'modification' … a turbine boost to help with
       inclines and keep me cool. (I need something a bit stronger for the latter.)

IF … Prepare

2012-01-17T07:51:00.000-08:00

Peet! Look! I think you're gonna like this …

… it's called a Tour de France. It's perfect for our summer holiday.
We'll bicycle through the country, explore cafés and nap in the sun ...
... only about 200 kilometers a day.

wa, wa, wah, wah, wah, wa, wa, wah, wah, wah, wa, wa,

wah, wah, wah, wa, wa, wah, wah, wah

Why the big fuss about weight reduction and endurance training?
You look fine in your bike shorts. We just need a new buggy.
And some brie.

IF … Grounded

2012-01-08T10:49:00.000-08:00

To jump, one must first be fully grounded.

~ excerpt from The Tao of Peet

IF … Highlight

2012-01-02T00:05:00.000-08:00

It's over.

Thirty days of non-stop performance.

Meeting and greeting adoring fans is truly wonderful, but honestly,

it can wear a mouse out!

To rejuvenate my spirit, I picked up a Mouse & Garden and headed straight for the salon. What a delight!

Well.
I shoulda paid closer attention to Poodle's big idea, but I was simply riveted to a juicy adventure story when she said something about pink tips.

IF … Messenger

2011-12-26T08:30:00.000-08:00

peace • love • joy

– merry christmas –

Ta Da!

2011-12-01T22:03:00.001-08:00

Buttercup's Big Fat Adventure
THE SHOW OPENS!

Today I hung my show with help from my wonderful friend, Eileen. There are 50 pieces on display, so it took us the better part of the day. Seeing all the art together, matted and framed, was very exciting. It looked so dressed up. This Saturday will be my first "Meet the Artist" event, which will coincide with a couple storytelling events for young children that are happening in the Children's Library. If you're in the area, stop by and have a look-see!

Say ‘Cheese’

2011-11-07T19:44:00.000-08:00

Peet and Buttercup’s publicity photo

is all over the newsstands this week.
It was all Peet could do to not laugh ~
as Buttercup kept tickling him with her tail.

IF ... Scary

2011-11-05T17:25:00.000-07:00

The reality of my first show hit me when I received the promotional postcards
in the mail today. It's coming up fast! I look forward to the solo performance ...
but first I need to get over my case of the high speed wobbles.
Please join me at the show!

IF … Hibernate

2011-10-02T18:37:00.000-07:00

As you know, Peet & Buttercup have been hibernating for quite awhile now.

Truly, there's nothing better than a good, long nap.

A hot drink with a side of biscotti is always a welcomed interruption,
so long as it's followed by another nice nap.

• • • • •

Actually, the reason for my recent blog inactivity involves exciting news ~ I'm having a show in December! This will be my first solo performance and will feature Peet and Buttercup. Planning and prepping new pieces, developing a promo, and putting together a REAL website (so I can sell prints) is taking a lot of my time of late. The bottom line reality is, the weekly IF prompt may only get developed to the thumbnail stage, until time opens up toward the end of the year. To this end, I look forward to trying out a new, loose style for IF starting later this week. I hope you'll enjoy it too.

IF … Mysterious

2011-09-06T18:41:00.000-07:00

Were the stars aligned?

Did the forces collude?

What has brought our hearts together?

It's all Great Mystery and a blessing.

IF … Disguise

2011-08-29T17:33:00.000-07:00

Ever since The Press got hold of our mug shots, we venture out only after sundown. Incognito, of course. Our sojourn in the slammer was far from SWELL, except for our matching black eyes, which 'poofed like soufflés'. (To quote an eggism of Peet's.)
At least these silly costumes mask our bruises –– although they seriously inhibit our Hop & Run action. All we can do now is shuffle along. And no, I'm not too big
to be carried.

IF … Imperfect

2011-08-10T09:17:00.000-07:00

   EVERYONE MAKES MISTAKES.
   These two characters were nabbed outside the bakery after an anonymous caller
   reported suspicious activity. They call themselves Peet and Buttercup.
   And they say they have followers.

   The word on the street is that these two perpetrators have had
   free reign since first appearing on the scene, early this year.
   Proportionately speaking, they've been all over the map.
   It's high time to curb these shenanigans.
   The Design Police mandated a character study.

   Tough stuff.
     Or rather, tough fluff.
   From the start, the duo eluded capture. By the time I got footprints,
     they were both sporting shiners. The entire process bordered on obstinance
   and defiance. Look! Even now, they misbehave.
   Peet! Get your ears out of your eyes!
   And Buttercup … please … remove the finger from your nose.
   (They swear ~ they're not bad, they're just drawn that way.)

   ©2011 Mardi Speth All Rights Reserved • Watercolour & Ink

IF ... Obsession

2011-08-06T09:39:00.000-07:00

Yours, Mine and Ours

The stalker Buttercup really digs cheese

Oh, for the love of sweets!

IF … Perennial

2011-07-29T00:08:00.000-07:00

And so it is, that little Mouse will be known forevermore as Buttercup.

~ The Buttercup is a perennial wildflower.

IF … Gesture

2011-07-20T09:20:00.000-07:00

I love my honey bunny.

He's so sweet and funny.

He knows the things

that make me sing,

And lo! Our days are sunny.

o o | |

( ) ( )

My cherry pie, in appreciation.

IF … Stay (and Remedy)

2011-07-14T17:28:00.000-07:00

Rabbit is forever losing his things.

IF … Midsummer Night

2011-07-10T09:51:00.000-07:00

The evening was ripe with wondrous floral scents riding on the zephyr. We followed, through endless groves of foxglove and faerie lore, towards Diego's. Light from the fireflies, like beacons from tiny lighthouses, guided our footsteps. Though we never caught a single one, the night pulsated with magic.

IF … Launch

2011-06-20T17:48:00.000-07:00

Boys will be boys.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

IF … Swept

2011-06-12T17:42:00.000-07:00

It was a perfect night for a drive. Clear and crisp. Or rather, clear and below freezing. So of course, we took the Beetle. After all, if you can't ride with the top down and feel the wind rushing through your fur, what's the point of having a head?

IF … Asleep

2011-05-30T17:58:00.000-07:00

©2011 Mardi Speth All Rights Reserved • Watercolour & Ink

shhhhhhh!

IF … Soaked

2011-05-25T14:18:00.000-07:00

The waves were totally awesome.

We played until our fur could hold no more sea.

So we dragged ourselves to the blanket and fluffed.

The sun was nice and toasty, and we found the shells intriguing.

Although Rabbit preferred the kind with an egg inside to the sea variety.

Still, we were quite pleased with our collection …

… but others were not.

How does Rabbit know when I'm done with fun for the day?

It's time for a nap!

Right after carrot cake …

IF … Safari

2011-05-16T17:56:00.000-07:00

Lets go surfin now

Everybodys learning how

Come on and safari with me

(come on and safari with...)

– BEACH BOYS • Surfin' Safari

IF ... Beginner

2011-05-08T23:25:00.000-07:00

         oooof!

            Being a beginner is definitely not easy.
            Rabbit, however, is a very good ender.

IF ... Lesson

2011-05-02T13:06:00.000-07:00

Finally, I'm learning the Bunny Hop! The one hop forward step is going well enough. It’s actually quite exhilarating being airborne – once one gets beyond the sheer terror of it all. Keeping a solid grasp of Rabbit’s hips is proving to be a challenge – it’s rather like hanging onto the tail of a tiger. It’s the next step, one hop backward, that has me very worried …

IF ... Bicycle

2011-04-24T21:32:00.000-07:00

   Rabbit was fully energized and taunting, “Tricks are for kids – and kids, above all,
   know about fun.” It was an offer I couldn’t refuse. Again and again, we practiced
   aerodynamic feats to the applause of the diners at Denny’s.
   Here’s our Happy Easter pose …

IF ... Bottled

2011-04-11T00:05:00.000-07:00

One very tired and gloomy day last winter, Rabbit had the brilliant notion

to brew a refreshing, nutritional potion for the health conscious among us.

I kid you not. The first batch of this limited edition, sparkling ambrosia

was bottled today at our plantery in the Lapin region of France. Oui!

IF ... Duet

2011-04-04T16:13:00.000-07:00

Misha's call came early Friday morning. He needed us on stage THAT NIGHT! The Minuet in Glee was a logical choice. It was a diminutive number from our world tour, filled with lots of toe pointing and forward balancing. And the audiences had loved it. Not that this mattered … our real hope was that Baryshnikov would overlook our fluffy form. But of course, he did not.

IF ... Toy

2011-03-29T09:34:00.000-07:00

Rabbit bought me a little something today. I just love it!

It has an interesting terrain for running and climbing.

And lots and lots of places for playing Hide and Sleep.

Come on, Mr. Buns! Let's go have some big, fat fun!

      Below is the illustration in it's entirety. I cropped illustration to create
      two images, with the goal of creating more storytelling drama by unfolding
      the visual gradually.

IF ... Cultivate

2011-03-22T13:11:00.000-07:00

TOGETHER is the only way to cultivate a relationship. Beyond the exchange of ideas and news, we want to know what makes each other tick. Rabbit and I thought a trip to the library might speed our understanding. We found these titles enormously helpful. Perhaps you will too ...

• Hip-Hop 4 Dummies

• If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

• Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Lagomorphs

(but were afraid to ask)

• Rabbits are from Mars, Mice are from Venus
• Who Moved My Cheese?

IF ... Stir

2011-03-14T00:42:00.000-07:00

Toss in carrots and fears,

A few radishes and tears.

Add hopes and dreams,

And a few darker schemes.

Gently simmer this brew

(It satisfies two).

IF ... Swarm

2011-02-28T08:58:00.000-08:00

We think we may,

We think we might,

Like dancing in the firefly light.

IF ... Layer

2011-02-21T06:56:00.000-08:00

           Sweater, schmehter!
           There's nothing in the world that transcends the joy
           of being enveloped in Rabbit fluff.

IF ... Sweater

2011-02-17T23:42:00.000-08:00

©2011 Mardi Speth All Rights Reserved

Our paws met earth once again, but the flight had taken us quite a bit north
of familiar territory. We set out immediately for warm attire, as the chill
was advancing along with the night sky.

IF ... Reverse

2011-02-08T20:21:00.000-08:00

Perhaps Rabbit should've been warned about Mouse's balloons.

IF ... Surrender

2011-01-30T18:46:00.000-08:00

Oh, so sweet and tender

is how I will remember

the day in late September

when you gave your heart to me.

IF ... Dusty

2011-01-25T20:16:00.000-08:00

A light sugar-coating would simply not do. This job required the EXTRA STRENGTH rose tint, used liberally. Many incantations and applications of fairy dust later, there was still no Rabbit. When the dust finally settled, the sweeping began. In the final tally, the only thing conjured was one big dust bunny.

IF ... Chicken

2011-01-17T09:05:00.000-08:00

Rabbit claimed they made a mean omelet, but I thought he was poking fun at my case of the jitters by suggesting we dine here. Well truly, if anyone knows their way around eggs, chocolate or otherwise, it would be he. Indeed, all was quite savory, with a few magical notes! Tales of valour and joy were exchanged well into the night. And after, in the wee hours of dark, we made a diagonal crossing ...

IF ... Deja-vu

2011-01-10T11:37:00.000-08:00

... only this time, there came a flood of memories,

both sad and sweet, of prior crossings.

What!? You saw this before?

Your such a kidder.

IF ... Resolutions

2011-01-03T22:16:00.000-08:00

#1 – FOLLOW YOUR HEART

IF ... Winter

2010-12-29T07:44:00.000-08:00

©2010 Mardi Speth All Rights Reserved • watercolour and ink

The woods behind the house hid a pond that was easy to traverse in the winter months. When the mousekin finally arrived, after an unusually long gestation (23 days!), we set off to...

IF ... Mail

2010-12-18T17:31:00.000-08:00

* * * * * YOU'VE GOT MAIL * * * * *

Wishing you all the joy and frivolity of the season.

©2010 Mardi Speth • All Rights Reserved • Digital

About the image ...
AN ORNAMENT, OF SORTS
The nomenclature unique to typography is rich in history, dating back to Johannes Gutenberg's invention of the letter matrix in the mid-1400s. • Molten metal, poured into the matrix, quickly hardens to produce a single unit of type, of any character, and is known as a sort. (Be sure to keep enough on hand, or you will be out of sorts) • Not all typefaces are about letters – some contain imagery that is used to embellish text. These decorative sorts are dubbed ornaments.

IF ... Phenomenon

2010-12-14T11:31:00.000-08:00

A long time ago, in a civilization far, far away, a bright star appeared in the night sky proclaiming a gift from heaven.

IF ... Savour

2010-11-29T14:58:00.000-08:00

©2010 Mardi Speth All Rights Reserved

It's so much more than a specified taste or seasoning. Smell certainly enhances epicurean pleasure, but savouring is far superior to any lip smacking activity. At it's best, one takes complete delight in the participatory dance, and the brain, having undergone an emotional reaction, locks the experience into it's deep, dark recesses only to have it burst forth, full flavor, when the ambrosia tickles the taste buds once again.

IF ... Sneaky

2010-11-22T11:57:00.000-08:00

©2010 Mardi Speth All Rights Reserved • watercolor & ink

Short of an original idea, I'm playing the cuteness card in this
stealth escapade. There's no mark of treachery or deceit, just a hungry mouse. Shifting perspectives, this composition had my focus on ellipse progressions and shading. Still easier in theory
than with a paint brush.

IF ... Burning

2010-11-16T09:59:00.000-08:00

IF ... Spent

2010-10-31T10:41:00.000-07:00

©2010 Mardi Speth All Rights Reserved

Momma always said there'd be days like these. Being spent contains an interesting balance. It's eerily vacuous; missing the familiar
push-pull. Gone are the longings and desires that drive us to action.
It is simply a state of suspension, where the multitude of our psychological and physical parts are seemingly held in check
by gravity alone. Who said nothing matters?

IF ... Racing

2010-10-25T11:07:00.000-07:00

©2010 Mardi Speth All Rights Reserved

Fear, love, and exercise are three culprits that cause our hearts to race. That accelerated pounding, where it feels like the heart wants to jump right through the chest, places us smack in the moment, and makes us feel so primal, so human, and so alive.

IF ... Spooky

2010-10-18T11:06:00.000-07:00

BOO!
Here, some common household items - a wrench, staple remover, tape dispenser, egg beater, and soda bottle with it's neck cut off (certainly THAT'S spooky) are buried (ooo ... the word sends chills down my spine) within this composition. OK, so they're not exactly buried ... they've been resurrected (a nod to Doc Frank) in this collage of paper, ink and pastel. These items were a requirement for a basalmorphic analysis for my drawing class. (Yes, the study of psychotherapy for mutant herbs, but frankly, I'm banking on Gestalt.) I examined the still life before me, sprawled across the table like amputated body parts. Perfectly still and lifeless. Deader than a doorknob, really. And then suddenly, an edgy transformation
occurred .... bbbrrruuuuaahhh!ha!ha!ha!

IF ... Transportation

2010-10-11T17:59:00.000-07:00

©2010 Mardi Speth All Rights Reserved

Man has a romance with magnificent flying machines. OK, so this is woman and her perspective drawing class. With limited time, mandated objects, and a splash of creativity, both Illustration Friday's weekly word challenge and my homework assignment are resolved. Hmmm ... my son doesn't think it will fly.

IF ... Beneath

2010-10-04T14:43:00.000-07:00

©2010 Mardi Speth All Rights Reserved
Thunder. Nothing drives me outdoors faster. It's a pied piper. Or rather, pied drummer. The sound is so magnificent. Rare and exciting. A little clapper came through a few days ago, bringing memories from Forth Worth. Now THAT was a storm! After my trip down Memory Lane, I took a long and winding philosophical detour pondering the enormity of nature and my insignificance in the overall scheme of things. You know, really got beneath it, and then tried to say all of that in a picture. (Is it really worth a thousand words?) At least one thing is certain ... when the skies finally open, change is on its way. I'm putting my moccasins on.

IF ... Proverb

2010-09-14T08:55:00.000-07:00

If God had meant us to fly, He’d have given us wings.

Paper Collage

IF ... Dessert

2010-09-04T20:32:00.000-07:00

There's nothing in the world that compares to strawberries enrobed in smooth, dark chocolate. So simple, so classy, and oh, so delicious. The explosion of flavor is like a symphony on my taste buds. Sign me up for a dozen - and I'm not sharing!

IF ... Immovable

2010-09-01T13:06:00.000-07:00

©2010 Mardi Speth All Rights Reserved

The Rock. At 1398 feet high, this monolithic limestone promontory located off of Gibraltar is home to approximately 250 Barbary Macaques and is going nowhere fast. The monkeys are a great tourist attraction, as are the tunnels dug during wartimes and over 100 natural caves, where Neanderthals lived over 30,000 years ago. Despite long sieges, it seems there is nothing that can destroy the rock or it's people.

IF ... Atmosphere

2010-08-25T07:54:00.000-07:00

©2010 Mardi Speth All Rights Reserved

Our lives may be influenced by our environment, but it's the gaseous mass of thoughts and ideas constantly streaming in our heads that really shapes our reality. When you consider the inner world of the artist, it can be a downright busy place. Watch out for those shooting stars!

IF ... Star Gazing

2010-08-17T18:05:00.000-07:00

IF ... Caged

2010-08-08T23:14:00.000-07:00

Being caged is a state of mind with a lot of emotional fallout. It happens when the world closes in with it's incessant responsibilities and impending deadlines, and is further compounded by the unexpected event (which, of course, will happen with the worst possible timing). How can the psyche escape these dastardly, invisible forces? A good cry and a glass of wine does an adequate job in taking the edge off. But do check with your doctor before beginning any treatment prescribed by this creative professional.

Giant ... Revisited

2010-08-08T10:19:00.001-07:00

A rework of last month's IF word. Collage made with stained paper, watercolour, and ink.

IF ... Artificial

2010-08-02T08:07:00.000-07:00

FD&C Blue 1.

Pretty darn natural.

Almost good enough to eat.

Watercolor stained paper collage with ink and acrylic.

IF ... Double

2010-07-26T07:44:00.000-07:00

Dragonfly is a magical little flying machine. The iridescence found in his double set of wings contain colors we don't see in our everyday, ordinary experience. Quick directional changes cause a shifting of color and bring to mind distant memories of a time or place where magic reigned. Some Indian legends say that Dragonfly was once Dragon, but he was tricked by Coyote into changing form. What was once Dragon’s scales are now the intricate pattern found on Dragonfly’s wings.

IF ... Diary #2

2010-07-11T21:53:00.000-07:00

According to Native American teachings, Whale is the record keeper. Much like a swimming library, Whale carries all the history of the earth. In tribal legend, Whale (being a mammal), moved from the land into the ocean when the earth shifted and Lemuria, the Motherland, went below the waves. Whale saw all of the events leading up to the settling of North America and keeps the records and knowledge of the Motherland alive.

IF ... Diary #1

2010-07-11T18:01:00.000-07:00

Today is the last day of my summer vacation. My sketchbook adventures will soon be a soft-focused memory. Sigh.

IF ... Giant

2010-07-07T19:01:00.000-07:00

This pastel, illustrating a scene from Oscar Wilde's Selfish Giant, was completed long ago, but it still suits Illustration Friday's word-of-the-week.

IF ... Satellite

2010-06-27T08:43:00.000-07:00

Manmade objects in space are much less interesting than the satellite phenonema that occurs in nature. Don't you think? Whether animal or human, offspring and significant relationships orbit around each other. Perhaps not always harmonious, but an equilibrium is obtained.

IF ... Paisley

2010-06-22T09:02:00.000-07:00

Remembering our summers at the shore.

Happy Father's Day, Dad.

IF ... Ripple

2010-06-13T17:19:00.000-07:00

Waves of heat from the summer sun

send salty ripples across the sea.

Haiku not!

Perhaps a pillow or tablecloth design?

IF ... Trail

2010-06-06T12:22:00.000-07:00

Inspired by 1960's drug culture and the whimsical 2-D art of Peter Max, this illustration depicts the music concert experienced by today's teen. Ink drawing with color added in Photoshop.

IF ... Slither

2010-05-31T11:49:00.000-07:00

©2010 Mardi Speth All Rights Reserved

With a nudge from a friend, the blogging begins. Joined at the hip with the Illustration Friday website, a weekly word assignment is just what I need to keep the creative juices flowing. One foot remains in the art world, while the other remains firmly rooted in not-so-creative deadlines.