Merry Christmas!

Here's hoping you have a great Christmas and take some time to be with the people you love. This is a new Christmas painting I just finished.

This has been quite the year for our household and I am just glad it's almost over. It will be nice to usher in the new year and hopefully a bit of a fresh start. I normally look forward to the Christmas season all year, waiting for that "magical" time of year when you get to be surrounded by those you love and everyone seems to have that frantic busy pace about them. The nights start to get cold and lights sparkle, there is eggnog and cookies, shopping, special events and then finally the time to just chill and take it all in. Hopefully you're taking the time to let it in and reflect. With the craziness of this year, I have looked forward to this time, but more than Christmas, I look forward this year to being able to start next year slowly but solidly.

It's funny how we move through cycles in life, we wake up to a new day with new problems, new challenges, a new start. We go to lunch, then start again. We start the week new, each week. Then each month, and finally each year. All the while several projects, events, chores, goals, and dreams are all started new. It's a good feeling to be able to start something fresh, to have finished something (whether you failed miserably, succeeded, or just peetered out) and have the chance to start over, start something new. God is so gracious in giving us chance after chance to keep starting over.

So next year look forward to some exciting things from the Woody Miller art factory! Hopefully I can get on the ball from the start, and stay on it!

Tribute to Sam...

Sam Miller

1979-2007

Artist, brother, friend, son, lover, musician,
movie maker, skateboarder, trouble maker, creative
spirit, naturalist, cousin, grandson, laugh creator,
peacemaker.

Best of ... Hats!

So when I found out this weeks Illustration Friday was hats, I freaked. I started thinking about what my new picture would look like and how many hats I could fit into one image. So in the mean time I thought I'd post another something of mine with a hat in it.

As it turns out, I LOVE to draw hats! Most specifically, animals with hats. And a lot of Fez's. Since I couldn't pick one picture with a good hat, I thought I would do a "best of - hats" collage. So here is my homage to the head cover, and doesn't even include all of the hats I've drawn!

Be sure to check back within the next week, I'm still working on a new piece with the theme "HATS"!

Double Grow

I've got 2 for grow this week. The first is a new piece, a winding river making it's way through an autumn forest. A forest for me is a continual reminder of birth, growth, death and rebirth. Every fall the leaves die and grow new again in spring. But in dying, they continue to grow, to change. In fact their growth is most extreme in their last stage of life, when the color is most radiant... Plus I'm really into drawing owls lately!

The second is an old picture I titled the tree of life. Many things grow on it and come from it. Also, for those interested, I've just started my own "Etsy" shop! Right now I have 8x10 prints and a set of Christmas cards up there, but I intend to list more items this week. Check it out here (www.WoodyMart.etsy.com).

Extremely Spooky!

Here's a house I did a few weeks back that is "extremely" spooky, also very Halloweenish. It was drawn from a house in Redwood Shores, one of the most mild suburban neighborhoods where nothing like this ever happens... or does it?http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif



Also here is a print I did for the Four Oceans Press print exchange. It's Linoleum cut, 2 blocks. I'm pretty happy with it, the theme is "Autumn", so I'm still on the fence as to whether the colors work for that. I suppose if it was spring the colors would be more pure. Anyway, I call it "Autumn Conference".

sneak peak

Last weekends show was, despite the light flood, all around a success. Thanks to everyone who stopped by to check out what I do! Now that shows over, on to the next project... I've been busy all week getting ready for SCBWI Northern Cali. chapter's "Illustrators Day". Trying to get that portfolio packed with the best I have, and really the challenge is to try and make it look like it was all done by one artist. So, a couple new pieces.

Also this month, postcards are on sale over at psprint! So here is the new little ditty to be sent out soon to publishers, art directors, and the like. Starmaker Aziz, who juggles stars into the sky at night, and on until the morning. Also fits for this weeks Illustration Friday, imagine that coincidence?!

Lately I've been very enamored with the work of a bay area artist, Liz Amini-Holmes. Her work is so mysterious, yet comforting at the same time. So pop on over to her site and check it out...

This weekend, ART SHOW!

The type is a little small, but here is my 'ad' for this weekend's Art On The Square in Redwood City. What is that you ask?... Click on the picture above to read more.

Come down to Redwood City this Friday night or Saturday for a big party. There will be live music, food, and tons of local artists including photography, jewelry, sculpture, painting, and more. The last two were lots of fun, so this one should be even better because it's two days!