A New Suit of Clothes for the Wild Boy

New work in progress.

Reptilia. Museum for the Blind.

Two blind boys investigate a reptile specimen. Work in progress.

The Cottage Garden

 I found an antique photograph at the Portersville Steam Tractor Show this summer. It was of two sisters from the early twentieth century in long dresses, standing in a very spare yard or garden. Then I found a picture of a cottage garden that I found memorable for it's very claustrophobic sort of landscaping. I decided to combine the two elements to make an outdoor garden scene that was somehow very closed and claustrophobic and a bit creepy. Here is my first day at it.
You can see how Cottage Maids in the Autumn Garden turned out at My Good Babushka. Painting, Chainmail. Knitting and Embroidery

Fundraiser Print for Amy Ludwiczak-Taylor

Sales of this print are going to Amy Ludwiczak-Taylor. Our kids were in the same Pre-K class, and that is how we became friends. She was diagnosed this June with a rare and aggressive brain cancer. She is a very busy, vibrant, loving mom with three very spirited young daughters and, as you know, having a few extra bucks in a crisis never hurts. Buy it and hang it up, or give it to a friend!

The details of this print on etsy:
Print of an original painting by Julie Kwiatkowsk-Schuler of a Victorian era Lady Snake Charmer. Sales of this print will go to help my friend, Amy Ludwiczak-Taylor, who was diagnosed in June with glioblastoma multiforme. It's a brain cancer and it sucks. Digital colorpress print on 110 lb white, matte cardstock 8.5" x 11" and includes a white border. Printed area is approximately 8" x 9.25".
Your print will not contain the "My Good Babushka" watermark.

Buy it here.
Or if you don't want to join etsy, contact me for a print- julie_schuler@comcast.net. Cash, check, money order or Paypal!

Portrait of Cat and Bunny

Here is the completed Portrait of Cat and Bunny on a Victorian wing chair. The client let me get a little wild with the decorative additives. I had only to wish this were a larger piece, so that I might lavish more textures upon it. But then you might miss the cat and bunny!

Pet Portrait. Cat and Bunny

Here is my process, as I've begun another pet portrait. I was very excited that this client has tastes similar to mine. She is allowing me to put in the damask wallpaper and a Victorian wing chair. As you can see, I tore up some of my Architectural Digests looking for some good source material. I was instructed to keep this on the "cool" side with blues and tans and gold. At first I put in more of a thalo blue and brown damask, but it looked too distractfully modern. For all the curclicues of victorian decor, real victorian decor is not "distracty", so I redid it in a softer blue and gold damask. Then I put in a blue chair before I remembered my client asked for tan. So I changed it. The last thing I did was change the white roses to yellow, and I only decided that at the very end of the session, so I did not get to altar them or add the greenery that I intend to add.

Now the only thing that's missing are the pets!

Snake Charmer Portrait

Here are the final stages of my Snake Charmer Portrait. This piece has already found a good home, but I intend to do more "cabinet card" type pictures in the future.

Snake Charmer

I have been perusing Victorian era cabinet cards and this painting is based on one of a snake charmer that I found particularly intriguing. I kept it to a limited palette, like a hand painted picture would have been for the period. For a while I had these two oval frames with a floral embossing, and I had no idea what sort of picture would look good in them. I think this will be just the thing!

Bye Baby Bunting

This is the last of my nursery rhyme inspired pieces. It is 8" x 10" acrylic on paper. Bye Baby Bunting. It is sort of Alice in Wonderland-y, victorian lacy- with an absinthy green background.

I am thinking of going back to oil paints, and perhaps oil paint on wood panels. I would like to try forest themes and narratives for my next series, but when I'll be able to begin is anybody's guess! I hope it won't be too long.