Riverside Restore's Artist Showcase for Habitat for Humanity

welcome home!

The Habitat for Humanity's Riverside Restore has put together this awesome showcase to celebrate it's anniversary. They selected 40 artists to create with dollhouses and plaques. These will be on display for the August Artswalk at the Riverside Main Library and remain on display for the rest of the month (in case you can't make it for artswalk). Here is a link to the Press Enterprise article. Many talented artists have donated their time for this unique event.
For this project I joined forces with my Grandmother, mother, daughter, and son. It was a four generations collaboration! It was very gratifying to work together on this project which helps to aid other families in acquiring their first home. The home is the foundation of any family, and we were very honored to contribute our art to this cause. Our home(s) have always been eclectic places strewn with remnants of our creative pursuits and passions. We titled our dollhouse "Home is where dreams grow". Almost everything in the house was re-used, re-purposed, or purchased from thrift stores originally. We all put together our odds and ends to create this dream home.
From the living room on the bottom left we begin with my grandmothers room. She wanted morning glories in a mural in a garden room with plenty of flowers and birds. To the right we have my mothers christmas room full of glittery delights; it's her favorite season! She extends her style in the room directly above in her "mexicali" room. Wall-papered with spanish classifieds and cartoons, the decor is not unlike that of her actual home- colorful and festive. To the left is my room inspired by magical forest fairy-folk, with prisms hanging from the window and a copper penny floor. Cute little mushroom fabric pillows were made by mom mom. My window is the entrance to the patio roof where I can sit on the bench and watch the world go by. I grow upstairs into the middle room that is an art studio. The entire third floor has a sunrise mural on the back wall that spreads into my two children's rooms. Kaelah's room has a pile of treasures that stretches across her floor, threatening to take over the house! Overflowing with music, photography, art, and especially books, she really captured the essence of her environment. To my right is Roulan's room. This young artist has a wall of melted crayon and a drawing of a "cool scientist chameleon" on the other wall. His bed is made from colored pencils.
The house is topped with a green roof where butterflies can rest as the chimney bellows puffs of love!!!!

you can vote for your favorite dollhouse or plaque at this link here
http://www.riversiderestore.org/15years/gallery

  

"Home is where dreams go" garden room by Patricia Hill (my granny)

Christmas season room by my mom (Belvia Bailey)

mexicali room

my magical dream room

kaelah's beautiful mess of aspirations

Roulans crazy room of creativity

My mom and I delivering our finished dollhouse. We almost melted, it was 115 that day!!!!!!

Riverside Murals

Riverside is a pretty unique city and while I can't say that I do not miss the climate and culture of San Diego, Riverside has really grown on me. I particularly enjoy the legacy of my husband Jason Wilson's family here. His great-great grandfather, George Stanley Wilson, was a prominent architect back in the day. Jason's best friend Reid Macfarlane (RIP buddy!) even grew up in a home designed by G.Stanley!

It's a small world here in Riverside. My daughter wrote a song about Riverside, you can hear it here.
When her orthodontist, Dr. Jack Kavanagh, remodeled his front office, I offered my opinion that there should be a mural there. Low and behold, he agreed! He said he would like to feature Riverside landmarks, and so I chose two of my personal favorites; The Peace Tower and Friendship Bridge on Mt. Rubidoux and the Rotunda at the Mission Inn. G.Stanley Wilson designed the beautiful rotunda.

I really love the details in this mural and am very happy at the result, now all they need to do is finish off the carpet trim!

Roulan working by my side

so proud of his lizard 

little hummingbird detail for the ladies working hard by the desk all day :)

it was pretty big!

Some details and a close up of the signature. Both of my children helped work on the mural so their names are on it as well. Kaelah did most of the cobble stones, the world peace sign, and the buckwheat flowers; and Roulan drew the lizard all by himself and painted it too!

me with my mural of the rotunda

The rotunda at the Mission Inn

Warrior Women Paintings

 I created two individual pieces for the Elemental Sisterhood art show. These reflect my views of the required balance of feminine energy needed in healing our planet. My whole life I have been seeking to fuse my art with my desire to communicate ideas of healing, of elevating consciousness and radiating new vibrations for positive change. I used to paint what bothered me in my surrounding; urban sprawl, environmental degradation etc., but then I realized that these things are already there and enough energy and attention is spent in their perpetuation. I need to put forth the visions and solutions that come from the light in my heart! These are the things I need to share. I was very moved by a speech during election season by Alice Walker called "Democratic Womanism". She echoed my feelings about the role of women in fixing the damage to our earth and our spirits. In the picture below, titled "Warrior Women Sewing Seams, Sowing Seeds" a young girl is mending the earth while planting seeds of love. She loves her work, she is smiling as she moves forward.

Warrior Woman Sewing Seams, Sowing Seeds. acrylic on wood.

The second painting is called "Justice Sows Revolution". Here we have a mother in the garden growing the food that nourishes her body while she nourishes her baby. She is accompanied by butterflies, a dragon fly, a praying mantis, and a bee. She is Lady Justice. The scales are kicked to the dirt as she gets the good work done, and her blindfold is off because she sees what is going on- she knows what to do and proceeds. She is free.

Justice Sows Revolution. acrylic on wood.

details and sketches from these two panels and some of what I did in the collaborative works in the Elemental Sisterhood show:

Elemental Sisterhood

Awhile back I was grumbling about wanting to be in an art show to my friend Cosme Cordova. He owns Division9 Gallery and is an incredible asset to this city of "Arts and Innovation" to say the least. I guess it was good timing because he just so happened to be working on an all women show. He put me in touch with Kiandra Jimenez who was responsible for rounding up some gals for the show. Once again, I am so lucky because that was the beginning of a fantastic artistic journey, a challenge, and some lifelong friendships I am sure. Five of us met up to begin brainstorming on what we wanted to do. We had no idea that five artists working in different mediums could be so much on the same page, and that our work would be of equally great quality and so complimentary to one an-others!
Maggie Tello-Case does fabric work with embellishments. Erin Maxwell does mosaic. Cynthia Huerta (already a friend from a few years back!) does wood burning and painting. Kiandra Jimenez does fabric work with paint. I just paint!
Details of our story can be read here from the Press Enterprise article. Here are some photos from our show:

Cynthia Hurta, Kiandra Jimenez, Maggie Tello-Case, Erin Maxwell,  and me! Selena Wilson

Here are some of our collaborative pieces:

This one was my favorite! I gave her glittery nipples. yes, that's right...glittery nipples. A savy lady bought her up the first 20 minutes of our show :)

I just love how these freeform collabs are unpredictable to view. You can't be sure what your eye will run into next

the vine work from each panel grows into the next so these pieces work as a group or individually.

my profile <3

People really liked our profiles, but they were so personal that we couldn't sell them! We decided we would offer to make them for people who are interested. We now have a blog of our own where people can read our story and acquire one of their own custom art profiles, lovingly made in mixed media :) I have more details on my own work in this show here. The photos above were taken by photographer Mariela Campbell, you can follow the link to her blog and hire her for weddings, portraits, anything really because she is great!

Heartimalz

Last year I began doing these little designs I call Heartimalz. It started off as a simple doodle of an elephant contorted into the shape of a heart. Naturally I needed to draw more animals like this, and so the art form evolved into a more mature version. So far I have done Heartimalz as wedding gifts and upon request from friends and family. My next series will feature California native animals and plants! I am so excited, so stay tuned :) Here are a few of my finished Heartimalz, they can be found on products in my zazzle store. They are ink and watercolor works on paper. I made a facebook page you can "like" if you like Heartimalz. I will update here and there when I create new ones.

* new ones 2015 These two are my dawgs, Raider and Roxy. Raider is a bluenose we got from the shelter as a puppy, and Roxy is a Chug, chihuahua-pug who came from a student of mine.

This one is a memorial for a mother/son pair who were murdered! RIP 2016

Rooster for Francine in Kauai '12

Whippet for Teresa '12

Arctic Fox for Hanna Landry '12

Baby Elephant for one of my oldest friends (she's not old-even though she's a grandma- we've just been friends a long time!) Rhiannon '13

Flamingo for my niece Shannon '14

Lion for my daughter Kaelah '12