This year I returned to my British and Swiss roots, and created two new gouache paintings in the storybook style of European illustrators of the last century. I've also made greeting cards of a painting I did many years ago - in 1997 - when comet Hale-Bopp streaked across our night skies. My family and I were in Monterey visiting my parents that spring, and we drove to Asilomar Beach one night. The breaking waves were softly illuminated by the stars and by the huge comet suspended above the sea - eery and magical. I got back in the car and did my initial sketches by the dome light as my daughters and husband gazed at the night sky and the silent, still, celestrial traveller suspended above us.
All of my winter season and Christmas greeting cards are now available in local East Bay card and gift shops, including Books Inc in Alameda, ACCI Gallery in Berkeley, Payn's Stationery on Solano in Berkeley, Red Wagon Collectibles in Alameda, The Framer's Workshop in Berkeley, and in Castle in the Air, also in Berkeley. Castle in the Air, on Fourth Street in Berkeley, is a magically beautiful store, and they have an enchanting website too. Here are a few pictures of the store and some of my greeting cards on the rack near the Christmas tree:
Here are some of my new greeting cards:
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| Winter Solstice |
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Roasting Apples
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Comet Hale-Bopp above Asilomar Beach
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Fox Squirrel in Gingko
(yes I know this doesn't seem particularly wintry, but in Central California
the gingko leaves turn bright yellow in December!) |
And here are some of my Holiday greeting cards that were sold out and have been reprinted this year:
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| Christmas in Our Parlor |
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| The Eiger by Moonlight |
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| Winter Gifts |
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Early Spring
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| Winter Street |
