Sketchbook blog

  Nate from years gone by:

I sent off another 50 small wood rounds to Art-o-mat at the end of September 2019. You can see my packaging in the background of this shot.  I tried to limit my color palette and focus on tropical flora inspired by Matisse.  I really enjoyed painting this red coral. My goal has been to finish 100 pieces of work per month, but lately I've experienced some family tragedies that have taken over my time and emotions.   So to highlight the positive, here are some cute pictures of the family having fun in September.

Richard Nathaniel Arnold Born Thursday, August 10, 2017 "Baby Nate" The Last Time From the moment you hold your baby in your arms, You will never be the same. You might long for the person you were before, When you had freedom and time, And nothing in particular to worry about. You will know tiredness like you never knew it before, And days will run into days that are exactly the same, Full of feeding and burping, Whining and fighting, Naps, or lack of naps. It might seem like a never-ending cycle. But don't forget... There is a last time for everything. There will come a time when you will feed your baby for the very last time. They will fall asleep on you after a long day And it will be the last time you ever hold your sleeping child. One day you will carry them on your hip, then set them down, And never pick them up that way again. You will scrub their hair in the bath one night And from that day on they will want to bathe alone. They will hold your...

Meditation on the First Day of Summer  Sometimes the gentle breeze whispers after the heat of the day and the fireflies appear in your favorite old haunts. Bowers of green oak leaves fold over themselves above your head to beckon you deeper into the forest. The magnolia bud you've been watching finally bursts open with a powerful ambrosia that mingles with the sweet honeysuckle. The sun falls low and in its final dazzle paints the highest pine limbs with lavish splashes of pink. And you wonder what force on earth ever pulled you from home in the first place.

With all the hubbub of events surrounding Art-o-mat's 20th anniversary and other exciting art projects, I have neglected telling you about our candle making endeavors. Spring 2017 Batch This spring, Clarice opened a new online shop at Big Cartel .   She has been selling slow burning soy candles there and in-person. Here is a listing from her shop , above.  This is a 4 oz. Carolina blue candle made from soy wax.  It will take 28 hours to burn completely.  (That's a long time for such a small candle!) All her candles in this spring 2017 batch have the scent of SNICKERDOODLE cookie dough . Fall 2016 Batch Last fall, she made both multi-color crystal wax candles and single color soy candles. We still have a couple 4 oz crystal candles (with apple pie scent) for sale in my Big Cartel shop.  All of the other listings on this shop have sold out.  I hope to take these listings down soon and replace them with so...

Very early Tuesday morning, I delivered 200 Endearing Young Charms to worldwide Art-o-mat headquarters, USA. This delivery included one batch of 50 keychains and 3 batches (of 50 each) of bottlecap necklaces.   I've never done 4 batches at one time.  This is my 13th Art-o-mat batch ever. (photo courtesy of Art-o-mat ) Clark loaded up his truck the next day to take a huge delivery to the Cosmo in Las Vegas. I have been staying up late at night, packing more handmade items that I painted on the weekends. Alex has helped me keep the creative juices flowing. Just a couple early process shots A couple necklaces went to some special people. Clarice and I will work a local craft fair next weekend, so I've been making more keychains and necklaces to sell. Then we'll get another Art-o-mat batch or two together for December delivery. Here is Peyton's necklace that he won on my Instagram ch...