When you give someone a typewriter...

For my art opening in December of 2009, I did a series of illustrations of vintage typewriters.  I had found one in an upstairs attic of my grandma's grocery store, which was in one of the oldest buildings in town.  When we moved it from that location to a new building up the street, I found another one.  The last one I found had probably not seen the light of day for decades, and was still sealed safely in its original case.  Cracking it open, the typewriter was in pristine condition, and the ink ribbon even still worked.  So, for the art opening, I thought it would be fun to bring the typewriter and set it on the table, allowing the public to type their names in as a guest book.  As expected, it was big hit, and many of the kids had never used one before.  They typed more than their names, and it was a treat to ready through the messages that people left while wandering around the gallery that night.  Most people typed that they loved someone, or missed someone, or thought someone was wonderful.  I just found these while sifting through the forgotten corners of my external hard drive, so, here are snippets from those pages, with highlights on the, well....highlights. 

   

Savoring the summer for a little bit longer...

Lately, as the summer comes to an end, I find myself obsessed with painting flowers.  When I sit down to paint these little bouquets, I feel like I can capture the contentedness I feel in the summers, with long sunny days and colorful blooms everywhere.  The winter holds its own beauty, but it just isn't the same.  

Alpaca - new "Modern Animals" print!

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I just can't get over these little Alpaca faces... I mean the cuteness is 10 out of 10.  They're so fluffy I just want to squeeze them.  Help.  Google search has led me down an endless hole of adorableness that I can't stop.  Oh, and this is my new print, of an Alpaca of course.

Foxy - new Modern Animals design

The fox is a popular animal lately, so I wanted to tackle a design for my Modern Animals series.  Just because I want a design done, doesn't mean it will turn out well, but I really like how this guy turned out.  The coloring was the tricky part, and making his features look delicate, but I love him.  His black ears are my favorite thing about him.

New - "Modern Animals" series

"American Bison"

"Brown Bear"

"Pronghorn Antelope"

"White-tail Deer"

"Mountain Goat"

"Moose"

 Introducing my new art prints, designed for kids and adults, of North American animals.  These were all done after studying and analyzing each animal for their unique attributes and translating them into simple shapes.  Each was first drawn by hand, then colored digitally.  I am a big fan of the streamlined look of Mid Century Modern style and designed these prints with that idea in mind.  The subtle canvas texture of each print lends a painterly look to each animal.  I hope you like them!

Progress is slow, but it's still progress!

"Beargrass" - original painting

"Bluebells" - original painting

"Bluebells" - in progress

So I've been working on a series of paintings of Rocky Mountain wildflowers.  Ideally, these would have been done for the rush of summer tourists this year, but I have two (and a half) paintings completed, so that wasn't enough to release them for sale just yet.  But hey, winter will be here in no time and it'll give me something to do while the wind howls outside my windows.  Painting is my true joy, but for some reason I do so little of it.  Early New Year's goal:  paint more.  Okay, done.  Here's the two I have completed, and a few "in progress" shots.  Hope you like them!  

My Society6 shop is up and running!

I am slowly getting my art prints uploaded to my Society6 store, where they make nifty items such as pillows, shower curtains, iPhone cases, and even duvet covers!  Let me tell you, it's addicting to see so many products available with just a few clicks of the mouse.  I love the fun previews of the products, it gives me that "instant gratification" kind feeling.  Pop on over to my shop to see other items available: http://society6.com/anniebaileyart

Vintage Campers, a new series....

"1956 Shasta"

"1964 Roadrunner"

"Va-Ka-Shun-Ette, 1956

"Vintage Teardrop"

New Vintage Camper series - Sneak peek!

There's just something about these vintage campers.  

I inherited a big collection of old black and white photographs from a family friend who not only took them, but developed them by hand in a darkroom in her basement.  When she was young, she and her husband rode horses and camped all over California and Montana.  One of the photographs she took was the bottom image, of the old car with the camper in tow.  I had the photograph enlarged and hung it above my desk, because it amuses me every time I see it.  This photo inspired me to do a new series of vintage camper drawings, but it's taken almost two years to accomplish.  These old campers, with their awesome colors and mid century modern style have me completely hooked, especially the Shasta Airflyte with its awesome "wings".  How cool are they?  Answer, really cool.  

"Elk and Feathers"

A new pen and ink drawing I've been working on for the past few days.  

Growing up in Montana, I've always loved seeing Elk in person.  I decided to put this drawing over a bright striped background.  

Christmas Cards - 2013

Here are two new designs for the Christmas season.  The Moose is from my pencil drawing series, which is a follow up to the pencil drawings of the owls/birds I did earlier this year.  I did a watercolor series of the Birds of North America a few years ago and have been mulling over how to draw the larger animals of North America in a way that doesn't seem too traditional in style, yet relatable and not abstract.  I'm also planning on doing an Antelope, Elk, Deer, and Hedgehog.  Having spent some time in the woods over the summer, I felt reconnected to all that dwells in the woods. 

Pencil drawings..

"BARN OWL"



"LOST AND FOUND"




"GREY OWL"



"NESTLINGS"



New drawing ' "Thinking of a Full Moon"

I have always loved a simple pencil drawing.  I love to sit down with pencils and draw for an afternoon.  I scanned the finished drawing and added the pink in Photoshop.  The result is a crisp, clean print.  The eye color was a last minute decision, and I'm happy with the look.  Owl's eyes are so expressive, I thought it needed (or deserved) to stand out.  I am also working on finishing up a drawing of a Gray Owl. 

New Paintings - "Little Truths" series, oil on maple panels

"Red Winged Blackbird"

"Chickadees" - SOLD

"Sandhill Crane" - SOLD

"Eagle Owl" - SOLD

"Gray Owl"

"Hummingbird" - SOLD

"Robin"

"Snowy Owl"