I’ve been so busy working like one of Santa’s elves to get all the paintings done for the “Maitland History Illustrated” show, I didn’t find time to blog. While working on the show paintings I was doing research, making daily doodles, got commissioned to do a mask for a gala event, had two birthdays and Easter.

It’s been hectic to say the least. I’ll start with the mask. I was asked by a member of my doodle group (on Facebook), who just happens to work with an ad agency in Chicago, to create a mask that could be used for promotional materials and be auctioned off at a gala event. After several sketches, and tweeks, this is what the final art looks like:

It’s based on a theme for victorian masquerade masks, and turned out to be a fun project and hopefully a successful one for the agency & the cause.

The first birthday was for my daughter, who turned 14. She loves Edward Scissorhands (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Scissorhands), so that’s who’s hugging her in birthday doodle:

She also got highlights in her hair:

(not fun)

(fun!)

and had a sleepover, another party the next day and presents galore.

My dad had his 29th birthday, and he’s always had a favorite song:

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqvBIR0k1_o)

We celebrated dad’s birthday a few days late (thanks dad), so I could finish preparing for the History show. It turned out to be a wonderful opening, and I truly enjoyed every moment. The biggest surprise of the night, was a lovely, lavish, bouquet of flowers waiting for me at the museum. I was so excited to get such a stunning gift, but what took the cake – the Parker Lumber Parker’s (http://tinyurl.com/3ogn4v5), who spent much time with me, answering questions and being pestered, sent them. I am still over the moon.

This picture doesn’t do them justice.

These two showed up at the show, along with little Toby (not pictured), and lots of other friends and family. I was lucky enough to get some photos from my friend Rick Kilby, who has a wonderful Old Florida Facebook site (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Old-Florida/145618702158761) and a great blog (http://studiohourglass.blogspot.com/)

Rick took this photo of me and my projector screen. The screen is lamenting the killing of birds for the purpose of decorating ladies hats. Images like the one I painted, are one of the reasons the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey was started in Maitland.

That’s Louis Dommerich on my shirt, who with his wife along and other like minded families, helped fund the center.

This is an authentic Maitland chair, as it was found on garbage night in the city of Mailtand. It has had a total overhaul, and is now ready to be seated in, sat upon, set, and stories of history told in it, on it, sitting.

Above, my portrait of Jules André Smith, the founder of the Research Studio (now Maitland Art Center)

When you first walk in, on the left, you see the wall I chalked an illustration of citrus, which had a big part of building Maitland, and there’s the “muskmelons and Mockingbirds” clock, along with some ‘pioneer nuts’, which you can’t see, but they’re buckeyes with pioneer faces painted on them.

Here, some of the pioneers and their stories. There’s more, but I can’t give it all away, or you might not come take a look.

There were lots of doodles and happenings since I’ve written here on the blog, but I won’t bother to post the lot of them. I’ll just end with my Easter doodle, that brought the really busy spring, to an end. It’s starting to feel a lot like summer here.