DECEMBER DISCOUNT DAYS...DAY 25!

MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS from the mayor of Peppermint Bark Park!!!

{a little flashback friday....the Christmas edition}

it's that time of year again....

CANDY CANE TIME!!! and i am CANDY CANE OBSESSED (obviously...)!!!

i've decided to sell a LIMITED number of PRINTS of this cute little guy...the mayor of my fictitious (well, it's real to me) Peppermint Bark Park...where mountains are made from yummy peppermint ice cream and and trees made of peppermint sticks and candy canes...with scrumptious pieces of peppermint bark scattered here and there amongst the snowy ground. so, careful where you walk because you may just be tempted to stoop down a grab a quick bite. ;)

https://www.etsy.com/listing/172047607/peppermint-bark-park-limited-edition

how oh i LOVE candy canes and snowmen!

a link to the ORIGINAL PAINTING can also be found in my shop through the listing posted here.

random question/thought...why do you think candy canes are so difficult to unwrap? must be packaged by a dentist i'm thinking....;)

the park is open to the public...and FOR SALE!

i'm happy to announce that my favorite painting i've done all year is FOR SALE! :) click on the link below to read where my inspiration for this fantastical winter wonderland came from....

http://www.theenchantedeasel.blogspot.com/2012/12/welcome-to-peppermint-bark-park_1800.html

this ORIGINAL PAINTING is FOR SALE here:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/117873639/peppermint-bark-park-original-painting

Happy Holidays to all and i hope you enjoy your visit to Peppermint Bark Park, truly the tastiest park around....:)

welcome to peppermint bark park...

where the trees are made of candy canes and peppermint sticks and the mountains made of huge mounds of peppermint ice cream....topped with a sweet, swirly StarBright mint. speaking of StarBright, meet the park ranger himself, Mr. StarBright Snowman and his peppermint loving pals. together they make sure that Peppermint Bark Park stays sweet and frosty all year long. please be sure to watch your step when visiting, as one is sure to stumble upon a piece of bark or two. and then, well....it just may be time for a yummy snack ;)

well, for all who do not know, i am crazy about candy canes, all things peppermint and of course, super cute snowmen. so here is my latest little creation inspired by all of those things. i actually wound up sketching it the night right before thanksgiving and have been painting it over the last couple of weeks, in between working on Christmas gifts.

below are some pictures of the painting in progress. hoping to finish it up (finally) tomorrow. then it will be FOR SALE as an ORIGINAL in my etsy shop. NO PRINTS will be sold.

~WelCoMe WiNtER~

today is the first official day of WINTER...and i couldn't be any happier about that!:) it truly is my favorite season! now if i could just get some SNOW....

happy winter solstice to all my friends and the happiest of holidays to you all as well!!!

enjoy....:)

~WINTER COVER FOR SFC MAGAZINE~

there must have been some magic in that old black hat they found...

well, here it is! in all it's snowy glory!:) the winter 2011/2012 COVER ILLUSTRATION for http://www.storiesforchildrenmagazine.com/

i truly loved every second of creating this piece. from the sketch posted below to the finished painting. winter has many wonders, from the blanket-like snow which often covers our region to the endless hours of play time for children to create adorable snow creatures out of the white stuff that falls from the sky.

i could go on and on...as winter is truly my favorite time of year:) i can't wait to see this piece at publication time in december (which is my favorite month by the way)!

WINTER 2011/2012 COVER SKETCH FOR SFC MAGAZINE

here is my APPROVED sketch for the winter 2011/2012 cover for stories for children magazine www.storiesforchildrenmagazine.com. i am so excited to have been given this opportunity to have my work showcased on the cover of such a wonderful magazine for children. the art director, rosemarie www.rosemariegillen.com, has just been so amazing to me in the last few months, allowing me to do an illustration for each issue. i absolutely love contributing and i love the challenge that each new piece brings.
this piece has a special place in my heart. as everyone who knows me knows i am CRAZY about WINTER! seriously. i love it all...snow, ice, cold air, winter sports...all of the wonders of winter. and december is my favorite month of the year. i swear i could probably live in an igloo and be ecstatically happy (yeah, i love winter THAT much)!
i wanted to convey the playfulness of childhood in winter and what better way than to illustrate a group of cute little multi-cultural kids building a snowman...and a cute snowman at that;) teamwork at it's best!
thank you again to rosemarie for being so sweet to me and for giving me all of the opportunities she has in the last few months to work with her and her team at such a great publication!

illustration friday~winter

ok...i'm so biased here. but this week's i.f. theme might be my favorite! I LOVE WINTER..LOVE IT!!! this illustration was meant to be made into a rubber stamp, but time did not allow for it. oh well, there's always next year:) i sketched it first in pencil and then hand-inked it with my good ole' rapidograph pens...the BEST!:) i am hoping to turn it into a full-blown color painting SOON!
below are a few other sketches and designs i felt fit the topic of "winter". did mention it's my favorite season...?;)