February 15, 2012

I had the pleasure of painting a mural for little girl twins who share a room last month. They have very different personalities (both perfect and adorable), and they had great ideas for the way they wanted their murals to look.

We collaborated and came up with a plan that incorporates both of their criteria (Phoebe wanted a dolphin and things from the sea, and Julia wanted a flower garden) and joins them in the middle between their beds! I loved doing this, and while the space on the eves is small, it is just enough to capture their personalities without overshadowing their expression throughout the room!

Here is Julia with her flowers and birds. She wanted her name to appear with scrolling script letters, and a full range of brilliant colors, with blue being her favorite.

This is Phoebe, who wanted her name in bubble letters and lots of blue!

TIP: With shared rooms, it is so important to represent both children in the mural equally. In this case, both girls are prolific artists and wanted to preserve their wall space as a gallery for their artwork, so we kept the mural small, over their beds.

It was a fun challenge to meet the girls’ individual requirements and also create something that looked cohesive. To this end, I used a circle motif to hold their names on both sides of the wall, which creates symmetry. While the colors they requested were different, I did bring accent colors to both sides so that the overall palette is shared, but with emphasis on different colors for each girl.

I just love working with nice families and creative clients such as Julia and Phoebe. The outcome of the work is always better when I have partners like this! Thank you.

February 13, 2012

I am finally taking on a project I have envisioned for years in my own home!  My dining room is fairly traditional, and I felt it needed some zing.  I designed this stencil, inspired by Moroccan tile patterns, to gently catch your peripheral vision and draw the eye up.

My first ceiling stencil–I am challenged by gravity, as the stencil does not stay nearly as well as it does on a vertical wall!  Working for a client I would crank this out in 2-3 days, and have a sore neck for a month,  but at home I am doing 10-15 blocks a day, and leaving my dining room covered in drop clothes in between!  I think this is actually looking a bit like a tin ceiling, which also works in my 1905 house, so I continue.

This cobbler’s child has no shoes, so I am very happy to have a light month that allows me to actually do some work in my home! I can’t wait to see the finished room, and my family can’t wait to have the dining room back. I will post again as soon as it is finished so you can see the big reveal!

In the mean time, check out this great blog My Marakesh,  if you love all things Moroccan as I do.

January 6, 2012

A wonderfully creative client of mine envisioned this treetop hallway and stairway landing. She had photos of this great wallcovering from Anthology magazine and asked me to customize the design for her home. She ordered the felt birdhouse, and I love how it adds dimension and whimsy.

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January 3, 2012

This basement playroom is for a little girl and her new baby sister coming any day now.

Inspired by the landscape and colorful architecture of India, we came up with this design to incorporate their travel memories into a vivid and fun playroom setting.  The basement has very low ceilings and no windows, so looking out into the open fields opened up the space tremendously. Read the rest of this entry »

December 9, 2011

My weekly blog post has become a monthly occurrence lately, and not for lack of subject matter! I am so happy to be so busy with painting projects, but struggling with keeping up on all of my documentation! Please stay tuned over the next few weeks as I start posting the new work. Read the rest of this entry »

October 31, 2011

I had the opportunity to paint two murals for a wonderful new children’s center in Natick, MA called Gardengate Academy. The owner, Gabi Maza, envisioned this reception area to welcome children and families to classes in art, dance, yoga, music and bilingual programs.

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October 19, 2011

Some moms just know what they want, and all I have to do is listen and paint. This long-time client has a true vision for each of her children’s rooms, and I loved working with her on this project. My client’s tiny office space was transformed into an adorable purple polka-dot fairy nursery just in time for little Ella to arrive.

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October 13, 2011

I have been tracking my nephew’s relationship with his loveys for the last four years and he finally convinced me that at least two of these characters really are here to stay.  I am always suspicious of a child’s true commitment to his loveys when there is more than one, but in fact, at age seven, Gus still brings all three wherever he goes.  It is especially fun to paint for family, too. Read the rest of this entry »

September 10, 2011

Getting back to school and cooler weather— I am just not ready! Thinking about being inside with my little boys all winter inspires me to do something drastic to make our basement into a great play space. If you are looking for playroom inspiration too, I highly recommend Apartment Therapy’s oh dee doh for children’s home design, and Project Nursery for lots of nursery and playroom ideas.

Here are some fun playrooms I have painted over the years—so many different ways to go!

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August 24, 2011

Kids just love nature!  A mural that brings the outdoors in, is a wonderful concept that is both simple and appealing at many stages of childhood.  This little boy loves the outdoors, and while his love for Legos, trains and trucks may pass, he will feel happy surrounded by this colorful tree and garden critters for years to come.  This window alcove is going to be backstage for the child’s theater and puppet stage.  With just a simple hanging curtain across the opening and a few costume hooks, he will have his own theater in the garden! Read the rest of this entry »

July 22, 2011

This is a shared bedroom for a young brother and sister who love the Red Sox! I had fun working this composition into the challenging space surrounding the two beds–and broken by the window in between. In the end, it was fine to distort the scene to accommodate the space! Read the rest of this entry »

July 8, 2011

This week I painted a fun choo-choo train mural for an adorable boy named Malcolm. The train track wraps all the way around the room, to create a patterned border and to activate all of the walls.   On the main wall the festive choo-choo train toots along, creating a nice focal point over the crib and future bed. Read the rest of this entry »

June 15, 2011

I recently commissioned a very special photo book by Anna Asphar of Picture Life Books that artfully documents the young lives of my mother and her sister.  I am so thrilled with the book, and am eagerly waiting for it to be published so that I can feature the outcome on my blog.  Anna arranged hundreds of photos and wrote beautifully about the folklore and facts of their lives, to make this priceless memento.  As a small compliment to the storyline, I created this family tree to illustrate the family lineage. Read the rest of this entry »

May 10, 2011

Monkey murals are still among my most favorite, and this purple room was the perfect backdrop for some very cute monkeys in tutus! Don’t get me wrong, I love having two boys, but projects like this allow me to fully indulge in the making a girly nursery—What a joy! Read the rest of this entry »

May 2, 2011

This is the outcome of Charlie’s underwater sea life bathroom!  I really love the way it turned out, and it was a great collaboration with Charlie’s family and Kate Maloney of KMI Designs in Cambridge. Read the rest of this entry »

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Spring is here and babies are popping up everywhere!   I love this time of year, and it is so nice to paint baby nurseries for happy and excited parents and their little ones.  This is Ciera’s “big girl” room, which she is moving into to make room for her new baby sister or brother. Read the rest of this entry »

April 11, 2011

Center Panel

A few weeks ago I shared my sketches for this project in my blog, and this is the finished product.  I was commissioned by the Belmont Day School as a part of a fundraiser to support the school, and the piece was auctioned off at the event.  I chose to do the painting on three panels for several reasons— Read the rest of this entry »

April 2, 2011

Ryan is a three year old boy who loves trucks and vehicles of all kinds. His Mom and Dad wanted to give him a special mural full of the hustle and bustle of working vehicles. Read the rest of this entry »

March 21, 2011

My clients often ask how we can achieve their goals for their child’s mural without breaking the bank.  There are many ways you enliven an entire room and give a very finished look, with just a few simple accents.  This sea mural is a great example.  Completed in one day, the mural is contained on one small slanting wall, and it is all you need to welcome baby to the world. Read the rest of this entry »

March 7, 2011

I am collaborating with a favorite client and Kate Maloney, of Kate Maloney Interiors, on a very special bathroom mural.  My client’s eight-year old son, Charlie,  is an avid fisherman, and he wants to have the feeling of being underwater with cool sea life swimming all around his bathroom.  His mom also wants to be sure the mural will remain appealing into the teen years.  This is the first set of sketches I prepared: Read the rest of this entry »

February 28, 2011

I was recently asked to paint a mural (on canvas) of Fenway Park for the Belmont Day School’s fundraiser this April 2011.  I am thrilled to be asked, and so happy to make something for such a wonderful school in my own town.

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February 14, 2011

I have two boys, and while they humor my color glut quite well, they won’t be seen in pink or purple. I can’t blame them, but I admit I love a reason to indulge in the lovely girl’s clothing in the world. The Seam Collection www.seamcollection.com is at the top of my list for such vicarious wanderings. A Belmont mother, Cindy Estes, is the designer and creator of this totally whimsical and vibrant line of clothing for girls. You can see why her colors and spirited patterns inspire me!

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February 7, 2011

Melanie Anderson, owner and designer of Koochi-Ku, makes these incredible, colorful and cozy coats for children.  Her designs are vivid and whimsical, and the first time I saw them all I could think about was whether I could squeeze into a boy’s size 7 barn coat!  Her fabrics are absolute eye candy, and the wools are rugged and practical for kids to wear multiple seasons.  You won’t have to offer any bribes to get your kids out the door with these in the closet! Read the rest of this entry »

January 31, 2011

This is Alex, a well-loved stuffed monkey belonging to a five-year old boy in California.   His aunt commissioned his portrait as gift for her nephew Evan’s fifth birthday.  Alex (the monkey) is shown sitting on Evan’s bed with his favorite sippy cup, tools and his fire hat, gazing out at us with stitched eyes that surely hold many of Evan’s secrets.  I get emotional every time I think about how special it would be to receive this gift as a child.   As an adult, seeing elements from my childhood room awakens many fond memories, and I love the idea that one day Evan will have this familiar scene to transport him back to his life as a five-year old.   How nice to revisit the fanciful life of childhood now and then! Read the rest of this entry »

January 24, 2011

Why do Colors POP??

You have probably heard people talk about colors that “pop”.  This is how we describe the way colors become alive –even electric—when they are juxtaposed against other colors in just the right way.  I want to talk a little about what exactly makes colors pop, and how to achieve this dynamic in new ways in your child’s room décor.

You all know some basic color theory whether you realize it or not:  complimentary colors (red & green, orange & blue, yellow & purple, etc.) vibrate when put together–they compliment and bring out the energy in each other.   Remember that from grade school?  Well that is what is going on when things start popping in your room décor!  The pop is achieved in color when colors and patterns set each other off, and draw your eye to areas of focus in your room.

Get the POP Without the Primaries

The combination of muted and pure colors that are complimentary will create wonderful color energy. These colors can be magical, but used straight out of the tube as pure color in a child’s room, they can get old fast, and you start to feel like you live in a Fisher Price store display or a day care center.  That is why I love to use “off-primary” colors to get the pop–without color overload that can tire your eyes over time. Read the rest of this entry »

January 17, 2011

I love genealogy and digging into the stories of past generations, but it is always a challenge to grasp the “who’s who” for very long before I am back to asking my mother again.  This inspired me to create a family tree that would capture our families in an animated, whimsical and fun painting that my two boys could enjoy.   I wanted a tree that I could point to it when telling a story of a grandparent and not see their eyes glaze over.  This was a kind of “fun” challenge since, like almost everyone I know, we have we have a variety of divorces and remarriages, so our tree would have to be free-flowing and easy to climb!

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January 11, 2011

A long-time client of mine recently purchased a Cheeky Monkey Lovey Portrait through the Room To Grow  auction fundraiser.  She has three adorable children, and wanted to include their three loveys together in a portrait for Christmas.  Here they are:  Squeak Dog, Pila and Blanky.

Completed lovey portrait 16″ x 16″

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