What I've Been Up To

Happy Spring!

in

Spring arrives quietly

tulips from the farmers market

This season- awakening and renewal, I look forward to many things. I feel like the flowers that stretch toward the sun, ready to open. 🌸🌺🌼🌷🌻🌹

Appreciating Central Parks Cherry Blossom Tracker. Excited for Hanami, while I’m so far from Japan, the cherry blossoms are always lovely in NYC.

Earlier this month, work sent me to SoCal for a conferences so I tried to make the most of being back in California

Hollywood!

Dipsea Steps in Mill Valley

XC at Lake Tahoe

Wishing you a lovely spring! 😊

Home in NYC

in

It’s been a cold NYC winter—embracing the snowy days while looking forward to spring. So grateful for the food and friends to make this season a little more bearable :)

(The last three photos are from Le Bernardin, a restaurant that has been on my bucket list (!!))

Doodles and drawing

Having fun with Japan doodles, and a quick little polaroid of Gromit for Making Art Every Day. Gromit was a quick jot, the lines are a bit wonky, but I just tried to capture his overall cuteness. We’ve been really into Wallace & Gromit in our household lately :)

February flew by, didn’t it? I wouldn’t say I started the year at full speed, but I don’t mind—things unfold in their own time, and there’s no need to rush the process.

Here’s to March—a fresh, new month ahead. Wishing you a beautiful bloom into spring!!

What I've Been Up To- Back Home in SF

in

Every time we return, our little tradition is to walk up Bernal Hill and greet the bay. These pictures were taken at sunrise, right before the new year. I still say it—San Francisco is the most beautiful city.

In general, everything feels a little topsy-turvy, and it’s hard not to feel helpless at times.

I really appreciate the Americans of Conscious Checklist. Their vision: a kind and thriving nation.

They offer clear, well-researched actions—this week, it’s donating to Norcal Resist and emailing senators about various concerns. You don’t have to tackle everything, but the tasks are simple and straightforward. I’ve already checked off a few myself.

And at the bottom of their page, they always share some good news, which is a welcome break from doom scrolling.

Hard to believe we’re already more than halfway through February—spring is just around the corner. :)

What I've Been Up To- Happy 2025!

in

Happy New Year to you!

  • We started off the new year with Osechi, traditional new years food in Japan. Each dish has a special meaning. My favorite is Kuri Kinton, (which is unfortunately cut off in my photo)- but its the golden candied chestnut on the far left representing wealth!

  • Made my wish/goal for the year with Daruma.

  • And spent the first day of the new year at Golden Gate Park Botanical Garden

I don’t know who to credit with : “January is just a practice month, I'm starting my year in February” but I couldn’t relate more :D

I hope you dear reader are taking care!

What I've Been Up To- Home in NYC

in

Making Art Every Day

Lisa Bardot has a fun Making Art Every Day challenge, and I joined in for Novembers prompts which were ‘The Secret Life of Objects’. Some days were definitely better than others but I’m happy I stuck it out until the end. It was really nice to slow down, and pay closer attention to some every day items that I may sometimes take for granted.

(Her December prompts are up for anyone interested in joining next month!)

No. 12 was done with a tutorial by Tatyworks.

I reckon most procreate users are familiar with Lisa Bardot, but if not you MUST check her out. I’ve recently joined the community and love her brushes and approach to inspiring creativity.

Around NYC

It’s nice to be back in NYC, back into the whirlwind.

Also enjoying all the New York foods. (To me, nothing beats Barney Greengrass in the UWS.) For fun, I made a NYC print with some favorite NYC treats.

We also caught some fun shows this month. I absolutely loved Cabaret at the Kit Kat club. I started this doodle of Emcee though I think it still needs something…

Holidays!

Now that Thanksgiving is over, we can officially start off the holidays. I love stopping by Macy’s, the Rockefeller Tree and seeing Patience and Fortitude (the lions of the NYPL) ready for the holidays.

I also made this silly holiday pic with Santa at a hotdog cart. What does it mean, I don’t know but it was fun to make!

Hope you dear reader, take care and be well!

What I've Been Up To! Autumn 2024

in

Oh my old neglected blog! I’m reviving my little corner of the web. Dusting off cobwebs and will likely give a facelift in the coming weeks.

But life has been going!

Rothko and me above- both pics taken in San Diego. @MCASD la Jolla

What I’ve Been Up To

I made this Chomp Chomps poster which cracks me up. It’s a pass at making a cohesive art series and I just find them so cute. I used Lisa Bardots Playful Painters brush set in Procreate which is really fun to play with.

I also recently learned how to create repeating patterns so I’ve been having fun with that. I should definitely go back in and add more Gilmore Girls icons, perhaps a key from Dragonfly Inn or a Hep Alien poster?

The second print was just messing around with random shapes. It literally took 30 seconds to make, but I like the festive happy mood it gives.

Also after a long hiatus, I got back on the pottery wheel at a local studio. While I’ve taken a step back with pottery this year, I just know I cannot live without some clay in my life, so I’ll continue to squeeze in a session here and there.

And lastly some pics from our recent California visit. While I may spend more time in NYC, I still feel like California is home. We stopped by San Diego, LA and of course San Francisco.

The Dia De Los Muertos photos are from the Mission District, SF. I made an altar with some folks at Lotusland Yoga which is an amazing studio I would recommend if you are in SF.

I first moved the Mission District over 10 years ago, on the same year my grandmother passed away. When I saw the procession and altars, I was touched. Inevitably, as time goes on I have lost more loved ones and I take comfort to think of their spirits visiting temporarily this time of year.

It’s hard to believe its nearly halfway through November already. I resolve to work on updating this blog more!