Illustration Friday: Snap

My submission for Illustration Friday's "Snap" is from a painting I made my sister for her birthday. The cold snap prolonged the ski season another week. For dd it was the perfect dream!

valerie walsh 2007

Artist profile/ Lois Keller

I had a whirlwind couple of weekends! Normally I am a reclusive artist who rarely leaves Topanga but my social calendar has been packed with fun activities and exciting people. I have to start my series of posts with an artist profile on Lois Keller. Lois is the cutest and most charming of artists you could want to meet. She has a smile that would light up anybodies heart and she is downright beautiful. These qualities seep into her artwork and create a body of work that glows. I have been blogging with her for a year and a half and we have tried to hook up a couple times without success so when she contacted me personally to come to her show at Aroma in Studio City I didn't hesitate. It was a blast! Aroma is the most charming coffee house I think I have ever seen and the whole vibe on Tujunga in Studio City is appealing and like an old-fashioned neighborhood. I love her paintings that feature oranges because it reminds me of how California used to be, all orange groves, sunny and citrusy. Her poster for the Metro is awesome and her drawings using pastels on thick handmade paper are delectable. Her style incorporates a sense of whimsy with much movement, glorius colour, female spirit and I totally dig it! You can view more of her art here and here.

Illustration Friday: I Spy...

My submission for Illustration Friday's "I Spy..." is from my 2003 HomeMade calendar and the title is "Open House but I originally titled it "Fun House". This was for the month of January and the quote is: A small house well filled is better than an empty palace. I chose this image because it reminds me of the I Spy... books by Jean Marzollo. I spy with my little eye somthing red that grows in your garden, a 4 leaf clover, a heart and a diamond. She even wrote an I Spy book called Fun House!

I also reworked this image for a holiday card here.

copyright 2003 Valerie Walsh

Jerry Wayne Downs

I have been wanting to write some posts about artists that I have worked with in the past and I keep getting deadlines which makes it difficult for me to think about writing. This year I wanted to dedicate a post every other week for a while to some of the more interesting and unique artists that I have had the pleasure of working with and for. Today I am featuring the art work of Jerry Wayne Downs. This is truly an amazing print, not just the subject but the print itself is astounding! That is due to Jeff Wasserman the master printer. Jeff has to channel the artist to paint and see the way the artist sees to totally capture the artists vision. Jeff paints on mylar so that every line and brushstroke is exactly as the artist dictates through the original. Then he exposes the emulsified screen with the mylar separations in a vacumn table to a high powered light. The screens are then washed out and the emulsion washes out of the areas that have been painted on the mylar. I only printed on this one piece for Jerry but the image is so special and impactful that I wanted to share it with all of you. One great thing about being a printmaker for well known and special artists is that you receive a printers proof as part of your pay so my collection of prints is vast, unique and wonderful and I hope to share more with you in the future.

I included 2 views because it is such a large print I couldn't capture the whole thing in one shot. The 1st view is a wider view and the 2nd is more of a closeup view.

Illustration Friday: total

My submission for Illustration Friday's "total" is from my 2002 HomeMade calendar and the title is "Home Delivery". It was a total surprise when the stork showed up! This was for the month of January . Out with the old year and in with the new. The quote is: I remember, I remember the house where I was born, the little window where the sun came peeping in the morn ~Thomas Hood

Home Delivery 2002 copyright Valerie Walsh

Illustration Friday: Wired

My submission for Illustration Friday's "Wired" is from one of my posters and the title is "five O" clock". This image was also reworked for a greeting card and it was used for a puzzle in Japan. A birdcage is like a wire house, no?

copyright 1985 LunaArt & Valerie Walsh

Illustration Friday: Hide

My submission for Illustration Friday's "Hide-away" is a dimensional clock that I just finished for Jackie and Nat Burgess. Jackie, a concert promoter commisssioned this piece at Xmas but gave me a reprieve on the time frame for after the New Year. Nat was a partner at APA Agency for the Performing Arts, the 4th largest theatrical agency in the world. To escape the Hollywood rat race they decided to cash in their chips and go hide-away in their Montana cabin. Jackie asked me to include their 3 dogs, 3 cats and and one of Nat's beloved guitars. Nat is the leader of the "AirHogs" a legendary phantom rockband in which my John is the lead singer. This was very difficult to construct and was an incredible challenge! The clock can stand on it's own or be hung. The dimensions are : 28" ht. 16" wide 10"deep. A cabin in the woods is the ultimate place to hide.

foamcore,wood,acrylics,resin