[i] LoveLife

Dear Santa...

I love that we are writing our history as we go. That probably sounds silly - but I took the girls get their photo with Santa yesterday. And it was super fun! I don't always say that when I take the girls to the mall. Sometimes I say WOW I AM NEVER DOING THAT AGAIN. But not yesterday. The timing was perfect and every piece fell like I was hoping it would. Our previous three Christmas photos have gone like this: Pilot wants to see Sants, she sees him, she freaks out, the photo is taken and then we all laugh. It's been so funny because Pilot just loses her mind. Penn's pretty stoic and chill about it all. And yesterday we were all predicting that Poet would be her unflappable, very serious self. And yet we wrote a different ending to that chapter. So funny. Yesterday was a really great day with my ladies and I needed it.

December YOU SPEEDY BUGGER! I can't believe we're crossing the halfway. It's all down hill from here.

Today: We are taking care of business. Frank's getting neutered and I'm hopping the US order to mail packages. The girls are working on our towering mountain of LOVE-YOU-BECAUSE books. Now that I know it's not going to net me 25 years in Alcatraz - I will sip a latte as I zip down the highway instead of grinding my teeth and giving myself an ulcer. Wish me luck!

GO!

Meant to be.

I like to think that this phrase is true. Even when it's unbelievable. Yesterday I bounced over my TO-DO list and ended up in just the right spots. I learned about some great new ideas and found inspiration in unexpected places. I did some work. Some play. Oh, it wasn't all roses - I broke some stuff, spilled my latte, and started to cry in public - but as far as what I'm going to hold in my memory bank - it was pretty okay. Pretty okay.

GIFT GUIDE. I was asked but I just didn't get around to making one this year.... Picking my favourite pieces is like choosing my favourite kid (Poet). But there is definitely a lot of stuff available around here. The ARTSHOP is a good place to find things. If I had to name my TOP three K.Barteski pieces for gift giving they would be:

1. SCRIPT prints. I LOVE THEM ALL. This collection. This one. This one. This one! Let the words spill out in my signature brush script.
2. YOU-ARE-AWESOME posters. Customizable, colourful, and easy. Make sure the ones you love know what you love about them. There's nothing like seeing your name in print to truly understand the impact of knowing you're loved. There are three different styles in a variety of sizes!
3. MINI BUS ROLLS. These are graphic, good-looking and giving-friendly. They come in 3 sizes and are easy on the eyes - meaningful on the heart.
4. SHE + ANNA gallery prints. So beautiful. There's only ONE SHE print left. And THREE ANNA prints left.
5. Original ART. Always a hit.
6. HELLO BABY books
7. LOVE-YOU-BECAUSE books
8. okay, I'll stop.

DON'T FORGET. Today at noon is the US deadline for orders to arrive in time for Christmas. (The deadline for YOU-ARE-AWESOME poster + any other customizable work was yesterday.)

Today: I'm going to hang with my three lovely ladies and take photos so I can remember that we're in the thick of it - it's good. We are going to do a little Christmas baking + singing off key. Maybe some whining. I'm positive there will be crying. And definitely some sneezing - it's cold + flu season around here! First up - COFFEE.

GO!

Still LINKING the love.

This is a sneak peek of a side project I've been working on: LINKwithlove.org I just finished designing a little idea that I hope will make spreading the word fast, effective + pretty. I'm probably a little heavy on pretty... but hopefully EFFECTIVE will follow that. It seems that people are on board when they hear a little bit more about the idea. WHICH IS that if we all LINK to the original sources and exercise respect + love when handling images, art, photography, ideas, words, music, film and awesomeness on the internet - the world would be better for it. Actually, all I want to do is inspire a millisecond of thought BEFORE you pin or post or share something. Are making sure you've got a link to the original source? Are you giving credit where you should? Are you contributing to the GOOD OF MANKIND or to the soupy, sad greyness that is miscredited and uncredited work? If you can't credit the source (artist, photographer, writer, musician, etc) then rethink it. LINKwithlove.org was inspired by this. Which was inspired by this. Which inspired LINKwithlove.

Watch for more information in January about WHAT THIS IS and HOW YOU CAN HELP. In the meantime - like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, tell your friends, share the idea - get the ball rolling. If you have great ideas for spreading the word... I am all ears. Please share with me. We can do this. 

Thanks + thanks.

Today: I'm picking up + packing prints. I spent the day yesterday doing a grand amount of research on Hockney + Warhol and that made me want to get my freak on. Actually it didn't. But I kind of want a pair of ridiculous eye glasses. It prepped me for a project I'm working on for somebody in NYC that I'm not supposed to talk about. NOW I really want to get to the bookstore to see if I can find the answers to some of my curiousities. And have a latte. And finish my Christmas shopping.

GO!

Good love.

You give good love. That's what I was thinking on the weekend when Penn cuddled up to me at just the right moment. And then all of a sudden - I was busy noticing how different folks give love and what we do when we get love and just how awesome it is to feel love... And here we are. This was the LAST piece of brush script I did before retiring my favourite sumi brush. Kind of appropriate + rghtfully so. It made it just over the 850 pieces of script art mark. Not bad. This is a new print that I felt I needed in a neutral colour to help compliment life around these parts.

Hey USA:  if YOU want to give good love from my ARTSHOP (including bus rolls or YOU-ARE-AWESOME posters) those orders need to be in by this Wednesday (Tuesday for custom YOU-ARE-AWESOME posters or MINI BUSROLLS). I'm going hop over the border on Thursday (December 15) to mail a big shipment of stuff. After that date - I can't promise you will get your goods in time for Christmas. ACTUALLY - I can promise that you WON'T get them in time because CanadaPost is slow + painful.

Hey fellow CANUCKS: You have until the 19th of December to order. The last batch of shipping will go out on the 20th when we will break for a week of holiday cheer.

To the rest of the world: I will do my best. Order soon.

Today: Pilot is 4 years old. Holy crap to that. We're still recovering from a weekend of celebrating. And eating a lot of sugar. And trying to learn the life lessons that tell us not to scream THIS IS ALL FOR ME AND NO ONE CAN EVER TOUCH MY NEW TOYS when we are given gifts. Wow. This morning we will party with the cuties in Pilot's class and the afternoon I will be painting in high gear.And ordering goodness to kick off LINKwithlove.org. Finishing Christmas gifts. Making cards. Hitting mid December is a fabulous way to light an inferno of GO under my butt!

GO!

Fashion hits the WALL.

Another COVERT MISSION. Last night, afterhours, Dan and I snuck into a fancy underground mall to make a SCRIPT super wall like the one I made for my art show called TipsyTipsy. I thought I'd most some pictures in case there were curious minds. It was like an art adventure! It was sort of the OPPOSITE of breaking in and stealing. We were breaking in and gifting art. How awesome is that? (okay, we didn't actually break in - we had a key... but it still felt pretty bad ass.) LOKA BOUTIQUE is a womens wear shop with amazing clothes, but even cooler owners (Hi Anita!). They felt their new store was missing something and needed some ooompf. It's their second location and has a location and window wall to DIE FOR. Dan was walking by one day and they got to talking and the new FASHION SCRIPT wall idea was born. I hadn't seen the space until I got there last night. I curated a collection of my most "fashionable" SCRIPT pieces. There are some old favourites of mine and some NEW SCRIPTS created just for this location.

And up it went. Piece by piece.

I think it turned out pretty sweet. The wall is a little smaller than I was anticipating. I am still pretty pumped about the SUPERWALL from TipsyTipsy. So truthfully - I think the installation would look better if the SCRIPT pieces were half the size and there were twice as many. But, I roll like that. It was fun working with Dan. We're a pretty good team even though we come at things from the opposite angles. He's a pretty unbelievable person to have on your team. I love that guy.

If you're in Winnipeg - definitely stop by LOKA in the Richardson Concourse to take a look. Pick up a cool new top and maybe a fabulous piece of SCRIPT ART, too. Or a rad Matt & Nat bag with a fabulous piece of SCRIPT art. Or something like that. (BOYFRIENDS + HUSBANDS, DAD: this is a GREAT place to do your holiday shopping.)

Today: I'm painting, designing, puttering and getting some shipping ready. Hopefully there will be one more post. This weekend is birthday paloooooza as the holidays take it into high gear for our family. Party central!

GO!

Right this minute.

Cheese! This photo is from our tree-trimming family moment last weekend. It was intense. We were all hopped up on last year's candycanes. It's probably the WORST photo in the history of man. I grabbed my dusty point-and-shoot to use the timer and realized that someone had smashed playdough on the lens. Or most likely boogers. Or WHO-KNOWS-WHAT. So we kind of look like a hazy bunch from the dirty thirties. No one looks particularly good. Poet looks stoned. So be it! Either way - it reminded me of a bouquet of things:

• tree decorating with toddlers is a free-for-all and should be approached like a game of hot-potato and whoopsy-daisy and oh-well. All good. BYOB FOR SURE.
• Penn's face lit up for EVERY. SINGLE. ORNAMENT. Even the ripped tissue paper that the ornaments were wrapped in earned some ooooooohs + aaaaahs from her. That was magic.
• this season is not about a day - it's about a FEELING.
• we're FEELING it.
• we started strong with our self-portraits + family shots in 2007 but have faded drastically.
• our dogs are fabulous and I'm so grateful
• if I'm deaf when I'm old it's because my kids are SUPER noisy.
• last years candycanes are SUPER DELICIOUS.
• 2011 was a heck of a year.
• LIFE IS GOOD.

It's a busy time for everyone. Don't go out in traffic like I did on Tuesday. I nearly lost my mind. Stay home and shop online. My ARTSHOP is full of good stuff. And more coming on Friday.

Today: I am not entire sure of my plan because I'm waiting on some info to start a big art job. In the meantime I am going to try to be a super-productive alien. I can do that sometimes. I'm building a SCRIPT superwall tonight and rocking around like an elf trying to up my holiday bustle so I can get everything in order. I LOVE winter so bad. ;)

GO!

 

Breathe.

And just like that December was a quarter down. It occurred to me when I was sitting in some traffic gridlock yesterday instead of painting. The panick sort of rose up in my chest and the number of days compared to the number of tasks STARTED TO TRIP ME OUT. How does the time go by so fast? Exhale. Exhale. This time of year tends to get a little bit overhwelming. Pilot's birthday is next week - then the barrage of holiday events. Then Christmas itself. Then New Years. Then a trip to Salt Lake City. Then Dan's birthday. Then Poet's first birthday. A trip to visit in the inlaws in Florida. Penn's birthday party to plan + coordinate. Winter is crazy here.

Woven through the chaos are a bunch of really great things:

• I am SO excited about a reappearance of a SCRIPT superwall in a local business. It's happening this week! And it's fabulous. Watch for it on my Instagram feed.
• I am waiting patiently to talk about a big SCRIPT project that I did for a popular company from Brazil.
• I am working on even more stuff for an agency in New York. This time around some typographic magic.
• I started a new painting.
• I have successfully planned a bit of a fairies-meets-princesses 4th birthday (completely with a visit from a REAL princess) for Pilot after bombing everyone's birthdays last year.
• I'm about 50% done my Christmas shopping. Okay maybe 34%.
• I have a NEW print in the ARTSHOP that includes a special edition version that's pretty cool.
• The ANNA photographic print SOLD OUT in an hour yesterday so I have ordered more and we are back in business. The bigger 11x14 ANNA GALLERY print will be available to pre-order on Friday.
• There's ONLY one SHE print left in the huge GALLERY edition.
• The HOLIDAY CARD designs are available until December 31st.
• Dan invented a holiday cocktail that is hot apple cider with a splash of coconut rum. We call it a Hawaiian Hot Toddy. It's like being cozy on a beach. Actually it's LIKE HEAVEN. Oh man - it's delicious!
• HEY. I don't know why I didn't think of it before - EVERYONE ON MY CHRISTMAS LIST IS GETTING BRUSH SCRIPT ART PRINTS. Done!

Today: It's our girl tribe day and it's JAMMED with things to do, people to see, groceries to get, crafts to make, places to go. It's actually so full that the chest tightening is happening again. It's TOTALLY WRONG to start the day with a Hawaiian Hot Toddy. It's TOTALLY WRONG to start the day with a Hawaiian Hot Toddy. It's TOTALLY WRONG to start the day with a Hawaiian Hot Toddy. Okay. How about coffee? Exhale.

GO!

Every little thing.

This is my newest work. It's the painting called Anna. I finished it a week or so ago and if you follow my Instagram feed (kalbarteski on Instagram) you were the first to see how it evolved out. There's a story hanging in my heart about this little bird. It's an Anna's hummingbird. They're smaller and wider than most of their cousins. They're amazing. They live on the west coast and love it there so much they don't migrate in the winter. The male hummingbird sports some of the most amazing pink iridescent feathers I have ever seen. And that's what inspired me. The canvas is painted and then tinsel glitter is applied to make the pink areas look as incredible as they are in real life. This painting is done in enamel and sits a magical 30 x 36 inches on a thick gallery wrap canvas. It's hard to explain (if you've seen it in real life - feel free to weigh in!)... it's subtle + light like I imagine a hummingbird is. It's a sweet combination of script, paint, drips, glitter and wildlife. Be still my heart. Those are the technical details. Here are some in-progress shots...

In an art show last weekend. And in my kitchen.

This painting came to be through a complicated set of stories + people. Moments + memories. Even a movie! I could go on for days with the intricate signs from the Universe. But mostly...

Hummingbirds are known in folklore and native cultures for their determination. My favourite hummingbird story is about a forest fire where all of the animals flee. But the hummingbird zips back and forth with tiny droplets of water to douse the flames. The other animals call out to the small bird that he is too little and his small drops won't be enough - the hummingbird barely stops and says - well, I do what I can. It was story that stuck with me because sometimes I decide on a path or a project that's bigger than me and I hear 'you're not going to make a difference'... and maybe I won't.

But I do what I can.

The text: EVERY LITTLE THING. Hummingbirds are the smallest birds. They are tiny and could be considered insignificant. But they have magic. Every little thing. I love that there are so many songs that pop into my head with these three little words. But, I also love that EVERY LITTLE THING; person, idea, dream counts towards something. It's my call to action... every little thing matters.

PS. This is actually a male hummingbird. Which makes is strange that it's called Anna, right? Maybe Anna is not actually in the frame... maybe she's a star. Maybe she's a memory. This beautiful fella is thinking about his Anna...

Today: there may be some new prints showing up in the ARTSHOP. Anna will be there very soon. As a photographic reproduction and an limited gallery print (with glitter applied to match the original). The original is hanging in my kitchen at the moment because I feel like we've just met. i want to get to know her a bit. Man, I feel like painting.

GO!

45 is the magic number

Hello Monday. Thanks for entering the giveaway for the Blurb book credit. I used a random number generator and lo-and-behold it chose the number 45. HOW CRAZY IS THAT? That kind of shook me up when I remembered that the giveaway IS FOR A $45 BOOK CREDIT AT BLURB. WHAT!? I tried to explain the significance to Dan, but he was unimpressed. That's so crazy. And then when I sought out comment number 45 - it felt like the spirit of goodness was in the house. FOR SURE. For sure!!

Congrats LisaB. This is a pretty sweet giveaway and, for the record, I'd like to read your book when it's done(email me!)! It sounds like there are lots and lots of folks out there who need to get those rad ideas into book form before they float away. ME TOO. I'm working on a couple of new Blurb Books for 2012 and can't wait to share them. Thank you to Blurb for the giveaway.

Hey! STICKING WITH THE 45 theme:

• The most Powerful Images of 2011. Warning - some are intense.
• Here's 45 ways to save money on holiday meals. (My version is: ORDER PIZZA.)
• Watch this amazing video on how to tie a scarf in 25 different ways. I watched it 5 times it was so amazing. I was mesmerized! And I KNOW - it's not a 45, but it's so great!

Today: If I stay focussed - I'm totally on track to stay sane during the holidays. I may need a holiday cocktail or two, but otherwise it looks promising! I'm trying a different approach to the holidays. Just be loose + happy. That's gotta work better than getting all stressed out. I am going to finish the last of the ARTSHOP sale shipping, tie my pretty scarf into a super fashiable neck wrap (for the record I think I do the Celebrity style), pour a big coffee and set out to be awesome. Totally awesome.

GO!

Blurb giveaway.

I love printing books at Blurb. I currently have 2 books for sale on their website. Hello Baby books. And the new LOVE-YOU-BECAUSE books. WHY do I print with Blurb? It's a simple story. Before print-on-demand books were around I PRINTED A BOOK CALLED LOVELIFE. It was back in the day when you had to order 2500 books as a minimum order (gulp!). And store them yourself. And ship them yourself. And invest an incredible amount of cash. And sweat. And tears. And I then along came Blurb. They print the books you design as you sell them. They ship them for you. They make making books A FUN-AND-FROLICKING journey. They make quality books and that's what makes me happy.

[ Above: two examples of other kinds of Blurb books - not designed by me....]

They do all kids of books - from photography to cookbooks to journals to WHATEVER YOU CAN THINK OF. I've designed 6 books on Blurb. I've personally ordered over 20 books from Blurb. I'm working on two very special new books on Blurb (more details in January). So, it's safe to say I love them.

They emailed me last week and said "hey - your LOVE-YOU-BECAUSE book is really popular. Way to go! Do you want to do a giveaway for your readers?" I get a lot of these kinds of emails from all kinds of companies and it's not that I don't love giveaways... but sometimes I think it's misleading and I'm not pimping products. AND most of the time businesses want me to do giveaways THAT ARE NOT FOR CANADIAN RESIDENTS. Which really gets my goat. So I told Blurb this was the case. And they said - WE LOVE CANADIANS. And now I love Blurb even more.

This is not a paid endorsement. This is me appreciating a company that makes doing my job (creating pretty things) easier. This is me appreciating the people who support what I do. SO. Take a browse of the Blurb site. What can you dream? What would you make? What can you see? LEAVE A COMMENT TELLING ME WHAT KIND OF BOOK YOU WANT TO MAKE AT BLURB... On Sunday night at midnight - I'll pick a random winner to receive a $45 credit from Blurb (which I would like to keep for myself!). That's enough to make a radical book. Or buy a handful of radical books. Like these ones...

• Hello Baby books - in two sizes
• LOVE-YOU-BECAUSE books
• Deliciously Different (my new favourite cookbook of all time).

(Okay. That might have been some book-pimping. I'll stop.) LEAVE A COMMENT TO WIN.

Today: I'm running errands fast and furiously so that I can get back to my studio + paint. I did some live painting last night at the Downtown Underground art show and now it's calling me. And so is the weekend.

GO!