moments, wonderful moments

This weekend was full of everything wonderful: road-tripping with my love, coffee (lots of coffee!), a little shopping, a lot of inspiration, and time spent with my family. <3. Not so productive on the art side of things, but I suppose sometimes a break is important.

Karl and I drove to Florence, where we celebrated his mom's birthday.  I just had to share one of the gifts we surprised her with. I kind of wanted to keep it for myself!

It's (still) snowing like crazy here in Mill City. Karl and I bundled up and went for a winter walk after dinner. It was amazingly beautiful.

Here is my latest collection of winter windows, as I call them!

I am off to cozy up by the fire with a cup of tea. Happy Monday!

everything is extraordinary

Happy Snow Day! It's coming down like crazy over here...so pretty. Is it snowing where you are?

This is a custom piece that I finished last night. Check it out!

"In the right light, and at the right time, everything is extraordinary"

Here are a few process pictures:

These kind of abstract paintings are so much fun to create.

I hope you all have a warm and cozy day - <3

in the studio

Hello friends, I hope you are all enjoying this wonderful Sunday afternoon. It's been snowing off and on here - makes for a very cozy sort of weekend.

My beloved Epson Printer arrived this weekend. Needless to say, I was ecstatic. And, a little nervous. I've never been the best of friends with technology. It was the easiest thing to set up, and the prints are nothing short of A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. <3 I am in love.

Oh, the pretty ink cartridges.

This printer is a big guy, so I had to make space in my studio. Here's where I do my creating:

(That's the OTT LITE! My life will never be the same. Draped over the chair is the apron I wear when I paint. I am a messy painter.)

This is possibly one of my favorite pieces of all time. I found it at Many Hands Trading. It says "Love Who You Are". Such a good reminder! And the green bead sticks? Mill City junk shop for $1!

I have these ornaments hanging in my window - and from my chair I see this reflection.

Look how it loves its new home! <3

Karl is busy making snacks, and we are going to nest on the couch and watch a netflix! Have a wonderful evening.

on destiny and impulse buying

Hello Lovelies! I hope your week is off to a great start.

After work today, I made a super quick stop at Target. List in hand, I was determined to get in and get out without doing what I do best - wander the aisles aimlessly, and ultimately exit the store with many unnecessary items. (my husband just loves that). 

That being said, I knew it was fate when my eyes happened to gaze upon these gems as I made a bee line for the checkout with my bubble wrap and packing tape.

And, only one of each left. The pink screaming 'Mary!!' and the red shouting 'Carol!!'

Can you even stand it?! What I would give to own a pink vintage typewriter. Or a room with walls covered in that pink wall paper. I am in love. <3

PS. This is my mom on her birthday. She's the best.
PPS. I am working on a few new pieces right now that I cannot wait to share with you! Stay tuned.

free spirit

I once saw a woman in Winco who had a tattoo all across her chest - flowery/viney/leafy - the most incredible and gorgeous (and VISIBLE) tattoo I have ever seen. 

My conservative and cautious mind warns against getting a visible tattoo, and always trumps my free-spirit, creative heart. Lately, my heart is dreaming of getting this tattooed in gorgeous scrip, right on the inside of my forearm: "imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring" --marilyn monroe
(speaking of gorgeous script, my girlfriend Tonja just got a tattoo on her ankle that is simply beautiful and very much an inspiration to me!)

 This is my lovely friend Alice. If you look really closely, you can see that she has the exact tattoo location I am talking about. Isn't that amazing?


 I am thinking tomorrow is going to be a Starbucks kind of day. What kind of day will you have?

happy, happy friday

Congratulations to the winner of our giveaway - Cora Martin! Thank you, everyone for your kind words and feedback. It means the world to me! Check back for another giveaway next month. <3

Here is a little eye candy to get you through the day! My latest piece "What you are doing matters" -

(this is another profession scan!)

In the name of Valentines Day, I thought I would let you meet my husband. <3

We are celebrating Valentines Day early this year because he will be in Bend next week for work training. (not that we are really doing anything at all, but sometimes doing nothing, together, is the best!)
What are YOU doing this weekend?

ps. what did you think of Lady Gaga's new song - "Born This Way"? (out today). Not what I expected. That is all I will say!

xoxo Happy Friday to you all!

so. unbelievably. excited.

Hey you guys. I can hardly contain myself over here. These past few months have been filled with so much learning...and more research than ever! I am so excited to share with you my latest learning experience.

"All of my Light Shines for You" is one of my latest pieces...what you are seeing above is a professional scan, which will enable me to make high quality prints of my work. Yahoo!  I found the best Professional Printing/Scanning Lab in Portland. Their work is better than I could have ever imagined. Today I zoomed up there to reunite with my babies (aka the three originals I left with them to be scanned).

I will post new pieces throughout the week, so check back to see more!

Now, it is off to bed with an ice cold glass of water and my book :).

In the name of LOVE.

It's GIVEAWAY time, people! In the name of love month, and simply because I want a reason to celebrate. It is titled "Live in Love". Perfect for Valentines Day.

 All you have to do is this:

On Facebook - Tag yourself in one of the three photos you see above (do this before midnight on Thursday, February 10). One lucky/random winner will be announced Friday morning!

Here is the link to my artwork page on facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=28151&id=118960611500231#!/pages/Mary-Wangerin-Artwork/118960611500231


Happy Monday! I hope your weekend was fabulous and full of lots of everything you wanted to do.

creative hangover

Happy Saturday! Its the perfect rainy, cloudy day here...the best kind of day for painting. I am currently suffering from a creative hangover, after spending the last two days in super/hyperactive creative mode. I am taking a break with a steaming hot cup of coffee (topped with whipped cream)...

Here is a sneak peak of a commissioned piece I finished this afternoon - (can't wait to share the whole thing with you!)

Just for fun, here are a few of my best friends -

 Have a wonderful evening <3

Leo's Package

My wonderful mother in law surprised Karl and me with the best (early) Valentine's Day package in the mail! (Don't you just love getting mail the old-fashioned way?) Leo loved it too. Check him out.

 It's 2pm and I have a pot of coffee brewing with my name on it. I'm in the studio and ready to be productive. My brother's birthday is coming up, and I am working on a fabulous piece for him. I just can't wait to share it with you!

Happy Thursday!

hello, gorgeous!

The past couple of weeks have been extremely stressful over here. To say the least! So, yesterday, I had very high hopes for a quiet and relaxing morning...curled up on my couch with a cup of strong coffee, my latest book (Eat, Pray, Love) and Leo. My plans flew out the door when I stepped outside into the crisp, 6am air and gazed to the east - the most spectacular sight, ever. The sun was getting ready to wake up, creating the most gorgeous silhouette of the mountains, with blues and pinks painting the sky.

My brain just wouldn't shut off after witnessing a sight like that! I got to work right away. Here is the progress:

So today, I will forgo all to do lists and just paint:).

Happy Love Month! <3