Sunshine and Painting, a Perfect Pair

Hey,

I don't know about the rest of the country, but over here in eastern WA, it's been sunny, clear and all-together gorgeous out! I spent yesterday painting in Starbucks after riding my bike around town enjoying the summer-like weather. During this fantastic spell of good weather, I painted this sweet fair-haired girl. She has a hippie/Native American vibe and a sweet disposition. The actual painting's expression is much happier but the camera's resolution removes much of the detail causing things (like her lips) to seem small of "off" .

Last week my sister and I discovered a Scandinavian singer named Sondre Lerche in Spin Magazine. To say the least my sister has fallen hard for him and his ideal voice, and I can't say I blame her. Below is an adorable song called Heartbeat Radio and it radiates all that this artists is. Take a peak, push play, and be prepared to order a CD ( I already did!), because once his honest lyrics and light hearted voice fall on your ears, you'll be falling head over heels.

Enjoy!

Only time for a quick up-date!

The last week has been a wonderful series of upper 70's lower 80's in weather which of course lead to sunbathing, chocolate cookies, and Peach Crystal Light Ice Tea.

After so many days of fun, I now find myself with a dizzy head, and upset stomach.

Ah-well, if that's the price for such a good week, so be it! A few days ago I saw Clash of the Titans, and although it had some fantastic action sequences (the kracken fight) the plot was all over the place, as were the characters emotions. I saw it in 3D, and quiet honestly I think the best parts were the previews. Sorry to come down so heavy on the "Titans" but I tend to be a movie perfectionist. At one point a blunder in obvious proportions was laughable!

At the end Zeus is standing with Perseus and they have their backs to the sun. During a dramatic pause in speech, with out turning around, or angling his neck, Perseus looks at a breath taking sunset. hmmmmm, he has his back to the sun, but looks at the sun set.. I don't know about you, but I've made up my mind about Clash of the Titans, and it's less than satisfactory.

Hopefully, tomorrow I can give an update on my two latest paintings, one of which takes place in Tibet, while the other is in my own backyard.

Stay crafty,

~Sarah

A few quick shots of my week

Before I do another post about my spring break, I wanted to share how my paintings are coming along. During my vacation I saw my two favorite movies, Chocolate and A Good Year. I just adore the simplicity of Chocolate and the well crafted sets. A Good Year is be far my all-time favorite movie in every way. First, it was based off a book, so the lines have depth and the actors were able to really dig deep into their characters. Secondly, it takes place in Provence which is in the South of France. Provence is full of Tuscany styled crumbling cobble stones, farm houses, villas and churches. The sun kissed land is abundant in vineyards, gardens and lush orchards. The music in this film is a mixture of Harry Nilsson tunes, 50's styled rumbas and love songs all sung in french. Technically it's considered a romantic comedy, but the director, Ridley Scott approach the project with the determination to cut all the predictable romantic comedy staples.

The result is a gloriously well crafted film contrasting our modern business era with the simple Provence life style.

Anyways, sorry about going off like that, but I really cant say enough about this movie, after all, it is my favorite.

Using this inspiration, I wanted to paint a table covered in many bright table clothes, under an old fashioned chandelier and strings of lights. Laid out on the table are plates, glasses, and light wines to complement the rich desserts on the cake stands. Around this prepared feast is a circular room with open windows, welcoming in summer breezes. Light white-honey tones from the wood work contrast brilliantly with the blue twilight sky beyond.

So far I've only put down the base colors, later on I'll add the shading. For an experiment, I basically painted with colors straight from the tube. I did this as an exercise and contrast from my other finished painting (below) which requires careful mixing to get the effect needed.

My other painting, which is based off Alice in Wonderland, is done!

Eventually these will all be prints, and be for sale on my Etsy site, which should be up soon.

Well, that's about it for now,

Stay Crafty

~Sarah Bosserman

Beach, Portland, Easter, Oh So Busy!!

Hello All!

I just got back from my Spring Break in Portland, Oregon and Rockaway Beach.

Although the weather was full of hail, rain, mist and a host of other water-based weather Portland makes up for itself in spring blooms, shopping and culture. Yes culture, boutiques, grand gardens, dozens of art galleries and local eateries that do one thing, but perfectly.
To be quiet honest, a spoon of yogurt has more culture than my town.
(and I mean that in the nicest possible way of course!)

My first day started with a breakfast in a small cozy Cafe with an old friend, (This is her blog http://essenceofmollie.blogspot.com/) and I had some Bob's Read Mill Oatmeal, a local blend and specialty. The rest of the day was spent shopping with Jojo, Grandma Sally, and my Mother. We hit the Nordstrom Rack, Forever 21, tons of boutiques, and my favorite, LoveCulture. Along the way my sister and I took note of the decor in our favorite stores so we can repeat them in our room. Josie and I have high hopes to say the least.

Later on, my immediate family and I ate dinner at a Portland based (family friendly) restaurant called McMenamins' Pub. McMenamins' is the very essence of Portland itself! A little unusual, homegrown, local, and darn good at what they do. Take for instance every year they have a UFO rooftop party at one of their locations. My favorite McMenamins' is the Edgefeild Estate, complete with restaurant, movie screens, a gorgeously muraled hotel and strolling gardens. Another thing great about this place is that its family friendly. I remember visiting the Edgefeild place when I was little, eating a burger while watching a movie on the big screen with my sister and parents. I believe its that warm welcoming feeling that makes McMenamins' so great, you don't have to ditch the kids in order to enjoy some authentic food and drink.

Another aspect I love about McMenamins' is their advertising is so gosh darn beautiful! They take the art of coaster/poster deign to another level. Here are some photos I snapped of their neon sign, a poster, a coaster and a man testing a brew.

Once we finished our hearty burgers, and some house brew (for my parents only, I had a tall glass of milk, so don't go getting any ideas!) we headed off to one of the most sought after businesses in the Great North West, Trader Joe's.

Again, this is a local, low cost, high quality, artsy and semi-unusual Portland business. Although Trader Joe's is only a market, they take pride in providing the naturalest, freshest merchandise for their customers. If you've ever been to a farmers market, Trader Joe's is much like; hand painted signs, murals of the surrounding country side, and games for little ones please the eye with bright colors, and silly characters. My family loaded up about 150 dollars of grocerys for the cabin and we took off for Rockaway Beach.

(Here are a few of my favorite hand painted Trader Joe signs, I wish I could show you more!)

My sister and I couldn't find the "Hidden Monkey", and NO, we aren't to old for such games.

Aside from this segment on my trip to Portland, I also want to mention my adventure in dyeing Easter Eggs, a rather dangerous sport in my family.

Using a clear wax crayon, my sister (Jojo/Josie) and I sent each other messages on the eggs, some of them were nicer than others. The blue one reads "Josie", light green says "Sarah smells" (all in good fun of course), the brown says "Sarah", the green-grey one reads "I love my tomato" (Tomato is a nick-name of mine) and lastly, the purple one says "Josie is a Dill Weed".

I hope you all had a happy Easter, and don't forget come back for more segments of Rockaway Beach and Portland OR.

~Sarah