You can order Ghosts and Spirits Tarot at the USG website under "New Releases"

Ghosts & Spirits Tarot is now available for purchase! I would love to hear what you think about my latest tarot creation and am looking forward to receiving your comments and feedback along the way. Thank you everyone who has watched this project grow and flourish over the years.

In other Hunt-Kramerville news:

Connor has been dazzling the neighborhood with his driveway chalk art. Our UPS man stopped dead in his tracks and gazed at the drawing of the spaceship—I thought something was wrong, but then he gushed about how AWESOME the drawing was. It was the first time I had ever seen that delivery man truly smile from ear to ear. Did my 11 year old’s art trigger some wonderful childhood memory for him? Or did the unexpected of seeing a rendered rocket on just-another-driveway break his hurried routine across miles of tarmac? Art has a way of inspiring people in surprising ways. If anyone questions the purpose of art—look no further. Connor’s drawing certainly proves that a drawing of a spaceship can create momentary sacred space and happy smiles!

Connor creating chalk art on the driveway

My 7 year old daughter Kyra has been busy working on her “Animals Talk Back” project for school. Gifted Education has proven to be quite demanding when it comes to the big assignments like this, so time management is essential (good training for freelancing and deadlines). She had the option of creating either a mask or paper-mache sculpture, along with requisite research and “interview”. Kyra decided to build an elephant! I have to admit I was intimidated by her ambtious ideas, but willingly prepared the supplies and let her go to town. I am not a sculptor and was unable to offer any valid advice, so I was relegated to clean-up gopherness as such artistic endeavors are obviously messy!

Kyra building her elephant using styrofoam, wire mesh, paper-mache, toothpicks and glue. After drying for 5 days, she spent many meticulous hours painting "Pooky", as she affectionately named it, using various shades of purple and gray. She was determined that "Pooky" have a purple cast. Note: Yes, that is "Spock" in the background.

"Kippers" wanted to claim the finished masterpiece for his cage. He has impeccable taste.

Art is life! Treat everything you do as if it’s a new adventure.

~Lisa

The finished Blue Jay-Shapeshifter watercolor painting

April is one of those pivotal months during the year that marks a time of transition and preparation. I spent two weeks giving my house a deep spring cleaning as a way to purge the debris of a season gone by and to commemorate new beginnings and a period of creative fecundity ahead. Even though I was busy renewing my surroundings, I continued to work on my bird project along with some Spirit Drawing orders. All the while, thoughts of the Ghosts and Spirits Tarot‘s imminent release is having me doing the pre-publication anticipatory dance—waiting, wondering, hoping and a host of emotions that accompany getting published.

I think Blue Jay-Shapeshifter is symbolic of this dance with all the feathers and roots symbolizing an extension of fervent activity. My 11 year old son Connor, who is becoming quite the artist in his own right, is a wonderful, candid critic of my work. I had hit a wall and wasn’t sure how to bring the visual chaos together. He looked at it and said “Mom, those details are crazy—how do you keep it all in order?” I suppose it’s metaphorical of a busy life. How do we keep balance during these busy days? I rarely go to bed thinking, “I got so much done today.” I’m usually lying there thinking about all that I have to do tomorrow. But I’m also realizing that this is not a bad thing—this is one’s motivational force, the part of the daydreaming ego that keeps us pushing on. I’ve also learned to pace myself and enjoy the process along the way. Rather than one big achievement, it’s the balance of energies that provide us with daily feelings of accomplishment. There is no next big thing. The next big thing is always here in your heart and soul fueling an inspiring life along the way. The recognition of this internal divine, one’s personal power is the very definition of success.

The Blue Jay understands this:

“Connecting with the power of blue jay means becoming the master of your energies. Work on completing one level of achievement at a time…”~Lesley Morrison, The Healing Power of Birds

Blue Jay watercolor painting in progress before Connor provided invaluable advice.

Back to Connor. He provided an objective view of a painting that I’ve been spending far too many days on. “Mom, you need to push the warmer colors at the top of the painting and I think you need to make his face more colorful”. How right he was and how thankful I am to have a child who appreciates art and everything that I’m doing in the studio. Thank you for helping me see Blue Jay-shapeshifter with more discerning eyes, Connor.

In other Hunt-Kramerville news:

Welcome to Fairy Tale Corners

More cozy corners

Here our cat Timmy is King of the Castle

Toys and books are an integral part of Fairy Tale Corners' decor

This is one of my favorite cozy corners in the house. There are fruit trees and a vegetable garden right outside the window. Kyra swears she has spotted fairies dancing amid blossoms.

Spring cleaning includes taking the bunnies out for tea

This pretty much sums it up!

Art is life! Treat everything you do as if it’s a new adventure.

~ Lisa

January is turning into a “studio hermit” month as drawing and painting have slowly supplanted the hullaballoo of the holidays. The Swallow-Shapeshifter painting-in-progress had been on the board for a while due to other pressing commitments. But the “break” allowed its after-image-glow to seer into the depths of consciousness and materialize into a more thoughtful, well-executed image. I like this piece as it encompasses everything I love about doing art. It’s always hard to explain exactly what the creative drive is all about, but in the barest of explications, I think it’s a transverse humming of the soul; an intersection of energy that coalesces into something penetrable and emotive.

Finished pencil drawing and initial watercolor washes.

Washes are followed by the drybrushing of details.

The finished Swallow-Shapeshifter watercolor painting

In other Hunt-Kramerville news:

A creative life is anything but a pristine one, as many of my author, artist and musician friends would concur. As much as I would love to maintain command of my surrounds, I often have to make choices that exclude household fastidiousness. I probably take the “A clean house is a sign of a wasted life” too much to heart. Given how jam-packed my days are, negotiating studio time and/or practicing piano or well, just being mom; dusting and other mundane labors are allowed to languish on the backlog of to-dos.

The happy corner of the kitchen and the magical realm that is Kyra's bedroom.

My mother-in-law, who has the “perfect” home,  passes on her House and Garden-style magazines to me—often somewhat butchered by her gregarious scissor hands, but with enough intact to provide me with sensual escapism. I don’t really read these periodicals, but I will leaf through dreamy pages of idyllic perfection as I proceed to fantasize about my own interior decorating choices. But more times than not, rather than being dazzled by overall layouts, I will hone in on nooks and crannies and the details that give personalized expression to one’s domicile. In between piles of chaos, I nurture cozy corners in my home; little pockets of pleasure that tell stories about the inhabitants and offer temporary reprieve from the debris of a life well lived.

The corner of my bedroom, a space of quietude and good fairy tale reads. On the shelf I have a book entitled "Colors" that friend/fan Lloyd Goatee had made for me. You can also see my dear friend Kris Waldherr's portrait of Isis and a gorgeous Waterhouse poster that she had sent to me. The teddy bear is one of my oldest possessions circa 1970--full of patches and holes from a lifetime of adoration. Every single object in this photo tells its own story.

This is all I seem to be able to maintain without big fuss—a small blissful exercise in nesting. Do you have sacred spaces in your home? Do you pay close attention to the apexes that bring a room together and perhaps serve as subconscious stability?

I think for me, my cozy corners help to balance creative distractions and smatterings of overwhelmed-ness. I notice that our furry, feathery creature companions tend to gravitate to these comfort zones. I think this says it all.

Kippers and Snowy in the corner of the library. Elsa with her alligator friend on the corner of our bed.

When I walk into my studio, the first thing I see is one of my cozy corners. That seems to set the right balance for a day that will certainly be filled by messy creative activity.

Kyra doing what she loves to do the most: reading fairy tales.

In this house, we all like to curl up to a good book in a cozy nook.

~ Lisa

Artist and model Tamara Newman sent me a beautiful photo of herself to use as inspiration for a bird shapeshifter piece. I immediately knew I had to draw her. I loved how she pulled up her hair and looked to the sky as if she was about to open her wings and fly into the heavens of endless possibilities.

Tamara, hailing from the United Kingdom exhibits her work at various art festivals and has had work published in FAE Magazine and The Magical Times. Her magical creations are also sold in specialty shops in Glastonbury and Cornwall. Tamara boasts a strong following of admirers and fans with her versatile presentations. I love her dragon font!

Tamara, a beautiful lady and an accomplished artist in her own right.

Everything about her posture, her countenance, her coloring and even her fantasy artwork made me gravitate to the barn swallow. Lesley Morrison, who is writing the companion book for the “bird project”  (to be published by U.S. Games) e-mailed me some thoughts about the swallow and the powerful energies that they possess:

“The swallow is a herald of many interesting energies. It is precision of flight, innocence of spirit, upward movement, and a link to many powerful deities. Swallow has mastered agility, whirling in flight and changing direction in midair to capture its prey.

Swallow is a harmony, balancing the peaceful and chaotic faces of life. It is a hope that wherever our dreams may dance we will master the instincts to catch them.” ~Lesley Morrison, author of The Healing Wisdom of Birds

Painting of Thumbelina flying with her swallow friend from The Fairy Tale Tarot (Llewellyn 2009)

I’ve always loved the swallow and relished painting one in flight for the beloved fairy tale, Thumbelina. I’ve always viewed this bird as a harbinger for a happily ever after, with its fantastical fae-like presence. It darts as it flies with its swift, incisive movements—almost as if it is in play, teasing human observers with it’s unpredictable movements.

“The swallow is an auspicious symbol of hope and renewal. It glides over the waters of the unconscious, where dreams and collective myths flow. The bird and girl fly through mists, leaving their troubles behind.” ~excerpt from The Fairy Tale Tarot

I started with a sketch, taking design/layout and anatomy all into consideration.

Then I refined it by working out the anatomical kinks. Photos tend to distort and in this case, the arms are largely obscured by shadow and fabric, so I drew out the bones and muscles and adjusted their size to give the drawing an elegant, aesthetic quality. Once I felt I had a solid drawing to work from, I rubbed the back of the tracing with graphite before redrawing it onto a stretched sheet of ARCHES 140 lb. watercolor paper.

The traced-down image serves as a basic template for the final drawing. After many hours of intense rendering with a fine arts mindset accompanying every stroke, I felt the drawing was finished. As you can see, much of the drawing is created spontaneously on the watercolor paper. These days, I rarely over plan the tracing—I just let the details emerge without formulaic construct. This helps me connect with the image on a deep, soulful level without distractions.

Detail of face

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In Hunt-Kramerville news:

Goodbye old kitchen! Little do people know that the woman behind the soft pencil drawings and delicate watercolor paintings has been slowly remodeling her house the frugal way–with her own hammer and nails.
I grew up amid construction, having helped my family build their house when I was a little girl (now my wise old Pop advises and helps me with my house). Believe it or not, the physical demands of home improvement tasks actually feed the intense creative spates in my studio. It’s the act of renewing something that breathes fresh air into cognitive streams. I don’t get artist’s block because I build blocks, so to speak, between brainstorming sessions. This balance between home improvement and artistic expansion is a satisfying way to move through my middle years. My feet are solidly on the ground, yet I can still spread my wings.

Connor will be taking his black belt test in December. Cutting off the *padawan* braid will be part of Connor’s transition to Junior Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do. Poor Kippers won’t be able to perch on it anymore.

~ Lisa

If you were to wander the grounds of my New England childhood, you would definitely see how nature influenced my artistic path. The dappled lighting, the deciduous trees and leaf covered woods are nothing short of mysterious and magical. Everything hums with life and suggests something sacred. My art wasn't so much about imagination, it was about connecting with my surroundings.

Mom & Pop pay homage to the Fae world by acquiring gargoyles and gnomes. I remember how much my father hated cutting trees! Here's my daughter Kyra holding an abandoned bird nest while conferring with a fantastical friend.

Mom still has some of my nature inspired early artwork. Pop still has my first car that's being taken over by nature.

During my visit, Mom asked me to retrieve an abandoned bird's nest for her collection.

A deep love for birds and bird nests is obviously not ours alone! On the right you can see how birds may have influenced artists such as Patrick Dougherty. This was taken at the Florence Griswold Museum in Lyme, CT. Connor can be seen standing next to his sculptures as my Mom approaches.

Here’s an example of what I started working on after I returned from my trip. The visual stimulus was transcribed onto paper from memory. All of that inspirational ‘food’ had to go somewhere! The trees, the rocks, the hills…

Pencil drawing (before watercolor application) for a collectible card game to be published in the near future

Here’s another painting I’m working on that was inspired by birds, nature and other organic wonders that seep into my psyche and are brought to life with pencil and paint. My artwork reflects a connection with my surroundings–something pulsing and alive and a part of us all.

This is a close-up of Swan Shapeshifter in-progress. Yes, I use a lot of different blues as the world is full of vibrant subtlety. It's truly impossible to capture the full breadth of Mother Nature's palette.

Speaking of birds…

My studio companions Snowflake and Kippers (who love to sit on my art table lamp) oversee the bird paintings, quite literally. Um, yes, I have a poop catcher for them.

~ Lisa

The finished Heron-Shapeshifter watercolor painting

One of the most common questions I get as a professional watercolorist is: “How long does it take you to paint a picture?”. That’s a fair question though not an easy one to answer. It depends on a variety of factors including: subject matter, the amount of detail, how a painting flows along and even the level of distraction one may have to reconcile when one is working in one’s home. Distractions like kids and kitties.

Timmy, Kyra and Elsa giving me a dose of cuteness

I can say this for sure: I’m a much more efficient and confident painter now than I was 20 years ago. I’m also less fearful of taking risks and following my heart, something that has helped me avoid creative disasters and technical difficulties. The heart and soul direct the painting, not the hand, not my education and certainly not what I think people may want to see. This total liberation of one’s creativity makes for efficient, and mostly satisfying days in the studio.

One can see the difference if one compares images from my first tarot project created back in the mid-nineties to the works I’ve done in recent years. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still proud of what I had accomplished with Shapeshifter Tarot. But it was painted using a younger, more timid brain. Like the soft hues of “The Dreamer” in the painting below, my  artistic voice was still a quiet whisper that needed to develop its vibrato.

My first big project: Shapeshifter Tarot 1995-97.

During those early years, I drew and painted with painstaking care. I was slow and inexperienced and sometimes let deadline anxieties get the better of me. My fear of making mistakes made for long hours in the studio. Thank goodness I was young at the time and could get by with little sleep.

Lisa in the 1990s with a Shapeshifter portrait of 60s music icon Donovan

Fast forward to 2011:

Many paintings and publications later…

The once insecure girl is now a bold woman in her mid-forties who takes on each painting with gusto and know-how. That doesn’t mean I don’t make mistakes, but now I know how to work with those mistakes to great effect. With my current project, the paintings are large, alive and symphonious. The frigidiy is gone, the paint strokes deliberate and the time clock is non-existant (yes, there is a deadline, but I no longer fret about it). If I would have to guess, each bird-shapeshifter is taking me about a month and the process is pure, uninhibited enjoyment. That is a luxury that I feel I’ve earned and one I’m thoroughly enjoying.

Initial watercolor washes

Halfway through

Final details and dry brushing

And thanks to modern technology, I can scan my painting between paint sessions and share them with you…when not being distracted.

More distractions. This is for the birds. (Photo: Kort Kramer 2011)

~ Lisa

My backyard: View from the studio (Photo: Kort Kramer)

I am very lucky to have a lake view from my studio window where I can watch birds frolic, fish and fly.  Ducks, pelicans, cranes, egrets, grackles, chickadees, crows, mockingbirds, hawks, vultures, loons, cormorants and a host of other species provide me with a show of flapping wings and glorious calls.

But by far the most spectacular and mysterious of these visitors is the Great Blue Heron. It silently swoops down with perfect grace. Then it patiently stands by the shore with sturdy long legs and focused intent. Its smooth deliberate moves make it a perfect specimen for the artist (and is much easier to draw than a hummingbird!). I enjoy watching and sketching this otherworldy wading creature. To me, it epitomizes patience and provides a good reminder for hyperactive humans like me to take it easy and go with the flow.

Through choppy waves and still waters, these stealthy predators exercise great patience. (Photos: Kort Kramer)

"The heron's majestic beauty exemplifies the need to develop good coping skills in the face of challenge. It exercises patient vigilance when hunting for food, even though the outcome may not be successful." ~Animals Divine Tarot companion book

Sketching the birds was easy, creating a bird-shapeshifter composition was not. Not all drawings are created equal—some flow on the paper with immediacy, while others require more patience and exploration. It took me a while to capture the essence of what I  envisioned and felt about Heron.

This is the process of working through a drawing until it feels right.

After a few frustrating sessions, I had to walk away from this piece. But when I came back, there he was—I saw the Heron-Shapeshifter surfacing from the water, breaking the impasse that had left me cold the previous days. He revealed himself to me when I stopped forcing him from his hiding place. He came to me like a fish between the ripples. I didn’t waste any time and went straight to the watercolor paper, like a heron diving for that prize. I triumphantly finished the drawing in a day’s time—a reminder that you can’t always force art, it has to come to you.

Here's the final drawing on cold press watercolor paper. Following my gut instinct, I decided to flip the design.

One last note from Hunt-Kramerville:
What would be a blog post without posting my kids’ drawings too! They see me sketching and drawing birds and wanted to be part of the fun. Kyra took a cartoon-ish approach while Connor couldn’t resist sketching a “robo bird”. I should read him Hans Christian Andersen’s The Nightingale so he realizes that real birds are better than fake ones.

Left: Connor age 11 Right: Kyra age 6

Observing swans in Lake Wales, Florida 2007 (photo: Kort Kramer)

After the intensity that accompanied the Ghosts and Spirits Tarot work, my new project provides the perfect calm that I now need to refill my creative well. Birds have always been supporting and sometimes leading subjects in my work. Their connection with spirit, mythos and profound symbolism are the embodiment of the human psyche. They’re natural messengers of the soul and translate nicely into museful renderings. Here are a few of my sketches and works-in-progress (as well as a few paintings from the upcoming Ghosts & Spirits deck). The ideas and images are inspired by my friend and fellow author Lesley Morrison, whose new book The Healing Wisdom of Birds is a beautiful tribute to these divine creatures. I’m honored to be working with such a passionate, knowledgeable bird enthusiast who is helping me to expand as an artist by seeing these avian wonders in new, amazing ways.

sketching swans

Swan-Shapeshifter: Graphite on Arches cold press watercolor paper

From sketch to final drawing

Initial watercolor washes on Fabriano cold press watercolor paper

Work-in-Progress "Vulture-Shapeshifter"

Swan Maiden from the Ghosts and Spirits Tarot

Guardian Angel from the Ghosts and Spirits Tarot

Left: the initial sketch * Right: the final drawing

The next morning I sketched him out as I remembered him. In the days ahead, I would experience sharp pains on my right side that stretched from my right hip to my quadriceps. I attribute the acute physical discomfort to a combination of sleep deprivation, middle age and jogging/biking/walking. What did I do with the pain? I did not take aspirin, nor did I stop the aforementioned activities — I channeled the pain into my artwork. This is what emerged through twinges of agony.

Watercolor painting-in-progress

Here’s the finished painting…

The final Ghost of Banquo

Friends and fans have been enjoying finding all the faces/creatures that I hide in my paintings. These sideline observers are rarely planned. They just happen.

***

Meanwhile, we have a new addition to our family. Meet Sally the Studio Hamster!

Sweet lil' Sally

Sally loves to rummage through the Calico Critter fridge

I’m learning so much from Sally and have grown to adore the cute little creature that she is. She has a sweet personality and loves to be cuddled. She also loves to explore and sleep in the Calico Critter house!

As you all must know by now, animals are a huge inspiration to me.

Cards from The Fairy Tale Tarot and Animals Divine Tarot

~Lisa

The other day, we found a shivering baby bird on our front step. We looked up at the nest built over one of our hurricane shutters and assumed the worst. We gently picked up the fragile creature and examined it for injuries. Miraculously, other than being half-scared-to-death, it looked fine! Putting it back into the impossibly high nest was out of the question, so we decided to bring it inside for the night in fear that a predator would see it as a convenient meal.

Our family felt such sadness because we honestly didn’t think it would survive, but there is something about a distressed animal that brings out kindness and hope in most people. We had to try and save it.

“Birdie” was panting and shaking, but soon warmed up to us. She reacted positively to my 5 year old cooing at it and seemed content to be snug and dry in a makeshift nest that we made with whatever we had on hand.  Feeling helpless, we called a wildlife specialist and were instructed to return it to the same area where the  parents would be looking for it. At first I felt skeptical assuming the parents would have given up on its baby.

We put it in one of our planters, where it would have some shelter from the elements. As distracting as it was, I kept peeking out at Birdie, praying and hoping for that imminent reunion. Sure enough, the wildlife specialist was right! We spied two doves looking down at Birdie from the rooftop next door (at least now we knew what kind of bird it was).

I checked on Birdie and saw that it was pooping up a storm, so it must have been getting the parental attention it needed. But by nightfall it was still in the planter. Even though it was sprier, preening and trying to spread its tiny wings, we felt it prudent to bring her back inside for the night (where we live, the night creatures rule the land). The next morning, it almost seemed as if Birdie had grown overnight. It was wide eyed and respondent and no longer panted in our presence. We put it back into the planter while mom and dad were waiting nearby. Then we happily saw one of the doves feeding the baby. I cannot even begin to describe the joy I felt when I finally heard it chirping—it felt wonderful knowing that this precious life had a chance (and a voice) despite all the odds against it.

While caring for Birdie, I couldn’t help but reflect on Thumbelina and her desire to help the dying swallow in the tunnel. Everyone around her was dismissive of the creature, but Thumbelina was determined to nurse it back to health. She carefully gave it water and covered it with a straw blanket, tending to her new friend until it was well enough to fly again. Thumbelina saved the swallow and in turn the swallow saved Thumbelina.

Princess of Swords from The Fairy Tale Tarot

What can we learn from this? Birdie gave us a gift. It reminded us how precious every single life is and how much each creature contributes to our fragile ego system. The doves that we hear cooing around our house are nothing short of nature’s own brand of music. They add something to our every day and are reminders of the simple joys in life. Birdie didn’t give up hope on itself. Instead of languishing and dying like we feared it would, it survived and thrived and now has a chance to spread its wings and fly!

For me, this experience was an auspicious one as well. The next project I’m working on after Ghosts & Spirits Tarot will be focusing on birds. Birdie’s spirit will definitely be part of my creative process as I honor these creatures with pencil and paintbrush.

~ Lisa