Snow Day Light

Snow days are: soft light, books, and countless cups of tea.

I have been fascinated this morning by the lovely snowy light in my apartment... I really wish that I could spend more daylight hours here! Winter needs to end, and longer days need to start.





Stay safe and warm today. :)

[All photos and content by Ann Howell Brown, 2013]

Art Camp!

Several weeks ago, I designed and taught an art camp -- also known as the most fun summer week ever -- for The Music School of Roanoke Rapids.

My students, ages 7-14, worked on drawing, painting, and collage techniques; learned about van Gogh and Georgia O'Keefe; explored color theory and even made a permanent art installation to reflect The Music School's core values (see above photos). IT WAS SO MUCH FUN, and the students took home a bunch of amazing original art that they had created at the end of the week. 

Here are some photos of their work... starting with their garden-scape/sea-scape collages.

We also did a still life, where used their fingers as view-finders to identify a composition, and paint it using shading to add value.









We explored the color wheel, learned about various painting and drawing techniques, and practiced drawing flowers super close-up, like Georgia O'Keefe.







Stay tuned for pictures of my next camp, which is for 4-8 year olds... should be quite interesting. :)

[All photos and content by Ann Howell Brown, 2013]

The Creative Process: Color the Dark

I feel like I spent days playing with neons + neutrals before this sort of fell into existence in the middle of my living room floor circa 11:30 pm last night. More often than not, this is how the creative process works for me -- I plan, work, revise, and try to "systemize" my process, and then something I truly love forms itself out of the scraps when I'm not even paying attention.

More close-up photos and a listing on Etsy are forthcoming. I'm feeling like this piece has the texture/simplicity for a good art print... thoughts? :) xo

[All photos and content by Ann Howell Brown, 2013]

Visual Landscape: Summer Jungle

I feel surrounded by summer green jungles, both inside my house and outside, and I love it. Go green!





I definitely think that my jungle queen status has been achieved.

PHOTOS: 1 + 2: rural ENC on my evening run // 3: new baby fig tree I planted in my apartment // 4: new money tree (still hopeful that it might grow some ca$h for me one day)

[All photos and content by Ann Howell Brown, 2013]

Almost-Summer Blues

I thought it was supposed to be "April showers bring May flowers," but it feels like all we've had this May is rain and gray clouds.  This gray-blue-green-ness has been, quite appropriately, reflecting itself everywhere in my environment... Including this adorable new trailing baby fern that I planted in a teacup from India.



To cope with this weather/end of the school year chaos, I've turned my apartment into a mini-rainforest, repotting all my plants and diligently spraying away the spider mites with soapy water every day (blast them!). I'm realizing more and more that small trees and succulents are my vehicle for achieving Jungle Queen status, and I feel totally fine about it.



Even my paint water jar is blue! I'm keeping my mind's eye on this happy place, and waiting for SUNNY blue skies. :)

[All photos and content by Ann Howell Brown, 2013]

Itty Bitty Heart Art // Part 3

The final three of the Itty Bitty Heart Art pieces are here and ready to party...



Paint chips and color play to create Itty Bitty Heart Art // 7... Caribbean blue, diva pink, black and white stripes, and lemonade.





Itty Bitty Heart Art // 7 - My favorite parts about this piece are the tiny pink hearts inside the big black and white one; the two-tone blue and yellow background with a little bit of grocery bag brown peeking through; and the contrast of the black and white stripes on the edges of the 5" square frame with yellow paint drips. More photos here and here.







Itty Bitty Heart Art // 8 - I love the lavender frame of this piece with the black and white edges. The color is DREAMY, and the black and white edges are a tad streaky and blended into each other, not quite so crisp. And there's another teeny pink heart. More photos here and here.





Itty Bitty Heart Art // 9 - There's a peek of sunburst gold in the bottom right corner of this yellow frame, just outside of the picture here. To see more, visit Etsy or my portfolio site, if you'd like. :)

So, that concludes my first mini-series of 9 Itty Bitty Heart Art pieces! What do you think? Does the world need more? Or, are 9 hearts quite enough already? I'd love to know what you think, and thank you for your support and feedback.

PS: Also coming soon: A new, re-imagined version of the ever-popular "Hey Babe" piece... stay tuned. :)


[All photos and content by Ann Howell Brown, 2013]

Itty Bitty Heart Art // Part 2

Three more Itty Bitty Heart Art Pieces are up on Etsy -- adorable, affordable, 5-inch-square color explosions. Spread the love with some heart art!

More photos are below, and also on Etsy and my portfolio site, if you'd like to see. :)









Itty Bitty Heart Art // 4 - This is probably one of my favorite hearts in the series. It features that amazing deep ocean blue, and the frame is a mix of bright white, iridescent gold palette knife work, and black sprinkle-drips. There's a lot of contrast, but it's softer and glow-y.



Itty Bitty Heart Art // 5 - Purple daggers, black and white stripes, sky blue, and multi-colored hearts.

Itty Bitty Heart Art // 6 - A blossoming art critic told me that this heart looks like it's exploding (with love, of course), shooting out rays of sunshine. The edge of this piece is a smeary gold, and some of that gold travels up onto the gray-and-white frame, creating a subtle but interesting contrast against the wall.

Head over to Etsy to see all six Itty Bitty Heart Art pieces, and check back tomorrow for three more!

I'm curious, would you put one of these mini pieces in your home? If so, where? I've started a Pinterest board hashtag, #imaginedartgoeshere, and I use it whenever I stumble upon a lovely space that could use some Imagined Art. :) Do you have any other ideas? I'd love to hear!

[All photos and content by Ann Howell Brown, 2013]