Recycled.

A few years ago, I began recycling my recyclables...
(The photos are definitely worth clicking to see 'em larger, IMO.)

Jelly jar is now a candle holder. And an iced tea bottle is now a pretty bud vase.

Drug store votives are dressed up and reused.

Your trash is my treasure.

I'm a Foodie!

Besides art, 2 things that make me happy in this life are eating and cooking. I love food. I take after my mom. She was cheerful to cook for the people she loved and everything she made was a little masterpiece sitting on a plate. She also was a fabulous watercolor painter and a gardener, but that's another story.

My sister has been bugging me for 3 years to write a cookbook. The problem is, all of my culinary creations are instinctual. In other words, I never write down a recipe or measure anything. I find that ingredients (such as tomatoes) taste different depending on the season in which you find them, so I make adjustments to my dishes according to what tastes, smells and looks good.

But I have decided to start writing down my recipes from time to time and adding photographs to accompany the recipes (when my camera cooperates).

In the winter, I crave fresh juices and smoothies, probably my body's response to the darkness of cold and flu season. So in the mornings, I have been blending my fruits and veggies. Then last night I stumbled across Jo Fong's blog, and found an instant kinship! So in honor of healthy eating and Jo's blog, I decided to post this morning's smoothie. I also made oatmeal-blueberry pancakes from scratch, but they were gone before I could photograph them.

In the future, I will be posting my food photos and recipes on my Potluck Sunday blog (my collaborative blog with Joan Yoshioka), but for now I will give you a little taste:


Blend ~
1 lime, peeled and wedged
1 tangerine, peeled and wedged
1/2 large Rome apple, cored and peeled
1/2 banana
3 generous handfuls baby spinach
3 icecubes

Blend until very smooth!

Illustration Friday - "Balloons"

I am busy working on the illustrations for a children's book this weekend, but I had this idea in my head and I wanted to see what it might look like on paper...

©Kathleen Rietz

Tastes of the Season

Yes, I know this is my art blog and you want to see more paintings of kids hugging their puppies or demonstrating yoga poses for the upcoming children's book I am working on. BUT - it is my blog and I can do what I want. So yesterday I baked between paintings and sketches, and I just wanted to share this other creative side of me with you all.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Soy Honey Glaze (from the cookbook Japanese Light)

Shortbreads (the specks are cacao nibs, which I buy from a specialty spice shop in the city.)

Also, if you haven't visited my Moleskine blog in a while, feast your eyes on this.

Photos ©Kathleen Rietz

Happy Bloggiversary, Little Blog!

Today marks 2 years that this blog of mine has been in existence! Yay! I wanted to say a big THANK YOU to all who have stopped to visit - even you "lurkers" out there - and especially those of you who come by regularly and leave comments. I have 'virtually' met so many other incredible artists and talented people. You all inspire me and at times encourage me, and it's been a lot of fun. I have even met some of you in person, and have made some friends. So....THANKS!!

Earlier this week I launched another blog, "A Moleskine Journal". Those of you who visit regularly know that I am under contract for 2 children's books at the moment, and now I am negotiating a 3rd contract. As funny as it may sound, I sort of needed a creative escape from the children's book illustrations (read as 'art therapy'), and have found that escape in setting up still lifes (or single objects) in my kitchen or studio and drawing from life. I even added a section of this work to my website. It's been fun to tap into a skill I have not exercised in a while. Here is what I worked on tonite in my kitchen:

Maybe tomorrow I will add some garlic...

Autumn Oak

©Kathleen Rietz
More therapeutic sketching between illustrating my children's books.

Look Again

I visited the nature sanctuary again today, probably for the final time this year. These critters camouflaged themselves so well....I would have completely missed the praying mantis if it had not scurried as I walked past it. We seemed to have startled each other.


praying mantis (the colors are amazing!) The praying mantis was about 5 or 6 inches (approx. 13-15 cm) long.



grasshopper (I see you!)

It was nice to break away for a little while....I took Leon with me after hitting the gym. I am working at home on the children's book illustrations and a small side project this weekend. I am hoping to find a little bit of time to draw in my Moleskine tomorrow. My growing interest in nature photography and my new Moleskine have been great outlets to help me to relax lately.

Sketch Buddies

One of the last warm afternoons of September, my friend Joan and I took our sketchbooks to Starbucks and spent a couple of hours sketching and getting caffienated. Later that night I bought my first Moleskine, and what a difference (as you can see here)! Joan's drawing convinced me to give one a try. My sketchbook paper had too much "tooth". I was not very happy with my sketches during this session.


The pencil sharpeners are actually ones I still had from when I was in gradeschool!


Joan drew my purse. You can see more of her drawings here.

Leftovers

©Kathleen Rietz
..in my moleskine....I am finally "okay" with the fact that I am very VERY diverse as an artist. I enjoy a quiet evening lost in my new moleskine as much as I enjoy drawing whimsical images of children in my "children's book" style. I also enjoy cutting stained glass and grouting to create my own mosaic projects, primitive silversmithing, and creating textile patterns on my computer in Photoshop. Go figure. I always thought I had to pick one and skill/style and stick with it to create a "brand" for myself. But I don't care anymore, really. This blog is to showcase my creativity APART from my professional website, so this is what I drew last night and wanted to post today. : )

The Moleskine

©Kathleen Rietz
©Kathleen Rietz
©Kathleen Rietz

Fellow blogger and good friend Joan Yoshioka has been visiting from Hawaii and staying at my home in Chicagoland. We have so much to post about...it has been a vacation of sorts for us both. But tonite I am finishing up some sketches for the children's yoga book I am illustrating, so we are taking a little break from our adventures.

Today was grey and cold...the first real nip of autumn in the air. I bought this Moleskine sketchbook last night while we were out, and today we decided to have an afternoon of sketching at my kitchen table. Now I understand why artists become obsessed with their Moleskines....they are just so "different" from any other sketchbooks out there. It was nice just to do some sketching, free of deadlines and pressure. I guess there is still this fine artist living inside of me, set free on the pages of her new Moleskine.

In Line

©Kathleen Rietz

...waiting...

Read my new article in the SCBWI-IL's The Prairie Wind. It's all about surviving the dreaded professional "dry spell" freelancers face. I am now officially a regular contributor to "Illustrator Tips".

Gardening Pal

Today while I was pulling weeds I spotted this little guy keeping watch over my garden.

©Kathleen Rietz

That inspired me to add this fine art print "Symphony In The Pond" to my growing online shop. You can see all of my designs available by going to my website and clicking on my shop page.

©Kathleen Rietz

Little Flower Girl

©Kathleen Rietz
The colored version of my submission for Illustration Friday.

She's an "emotional" girl...

©Kathleen Rietz
Trying out more emotions...this time on one character. Not always easy to do.

Annie Had Tea With A Kingfisher - color sketch

©Kathleen Rietz
A color sketch....
Color always changes things so much.
You can see the pencil sketch directly under this post.

Illustration Friday - "Worry" & Day 18 of 21 - Celebrate Summer

©Kathleen Rietz
I love carefree summer days that make me forget about my worries. Looking forward to celebrating summer!

Day 12 of 21 - another challenging pose

©Kathleen Rietz
I tried another pose that seems sort of challenging to me. Sometimes we lose the fullness of form when we try to draw a person lying flat on the ground.....and I think the foreshortening of crossing one leg over the other can also be challenging. But this is such a relaxed pose. Can you tell how much I am longing for summer??

Day 11 of 21

©Katleen Rietz
Tonite I challenged myself to draw a child in a scrunched position, and to give that child glasses. I sometimes think proportions can be tough in a pose like this, and glasses can look comical if one is not careful. Overall, I am pleased with the sketch, although I admit I fussed with some shading and the spade and watering can for a while and it took me longer than 15 minutes. I sort of liked it before I added all of the rendering. It had a really nice spontaneity to it.

Day 9 of 21 - babies & daddies

©Kathleen Rietz
Two things I struggle to draw in my whimsical style are babies and men. So here's a shot. Facing my fears.
I struggle with finding the appropriate size for babies, and making men look masculine yet friendly. I welcome constructive suggestions or feedback.

Day 7 of 21

©Kathleen Rietz
Today I worked on adding an interior in my work. I often struggle with what to put in a background. This is pretty pain, but it is a quick sketch. My aim was to set a story and setting. Jumping on a bed is a theme in my illustration work lately! I wonder why that is...?