No Run-of-the-Mill Cakes Here!

Is your idea of a "personalized" cake one that you've picked out of half a dozen at the grocery store, then had "Happy Birthday Billy" spelled out on top in whatever color the bakery attendant chooses? Or is it one that you've chosen out of dozens of photos from Walmart's cake album, only to have it look nothing like the picture when you pick it up?

Most grocery stores have a "central location" (such as Denver) where all their cakes are baked, frozen, then shipped to other locations (such as Colorado Springs, Monument, and Woodland Park) throughout the state only to sit in the freezer even longer until they are thawed out, frosted, decorated with your basic trim, balloons, and confetti, then stuck in a refrigerator case where they sit for days, causing the frosting to crack and colors to bleed, all the while hoping someone will take them home. If you're lucky, you get a "manager's special": a cake that's been sitting so long it's on the verge of being dumped in the trash. Even if you order from a bakery, chances are the cake was baked a week or two ago and has been frozen until your order comes up, and the frosting used to decorate it was possibly made days ago for someone else's cake and you get the leftovers!

What if you could choose your own flavor of cake, filling, type of frosting, colors, and personalized greeting? What if you could ask for a motorcycle, a dinosaur, or martini glass--items that can't be found in assembly-line fridge bins at the local grocery store? What if you could order your cake as fresh as possible?

I bake all of my cakes either the night before or the day of your order. The frosting is prepared right before I decorate, not days before and stored in the fridge where the coloring and cream can separate. I make every single cake to order, down to the cake's flavor, filling, colors, picture, and message. I can do whimsical, three-dimensional, and/or "painted" cakes; sheet, round or square cakes; tiered or three-dimensional cakes for any occasion!

Sure, they cost a little more, but people will be talking about your one-of-a-kind cake for weeks! And aren't you worth it?

E-mail me at srmerchant326@hotmail.com with questions or to place an order. Please give at least 3 days notice.

Below are some cakes that I've done over the last several weeks. Please let me know if you have any questions or feel free to leave comments.

(One of these days, I'll figure out how Blogger lines up the captions with the pictures, but for now, you can probably figure them out!)

Mazda 6 for Bob Penkhus Mazda.

Turkey cake for Thanksgiving Potluck.

Three-in-One Twilight Cake

Guitar Cake for Going-Away Party.

Martini Birthday Cake.

Hawaiian Baby Shower Cake.

Motorcycle Groom's Cake.

Sugar Skull Cake for Dia de los Muertos Holiday.

T-Rex Cake for 2-year-old's Birthday

Miniature Show Paintings

I rent an art studio at Cottonwood Center for the Arts, located in downtown Colorado Springs, CO, at 427 E. Colorado Avenue, Studio 212. Cottonwood features new exhibits in the main gallery every month, and have an opening reception on the last Friday to kick off the new show.

November's theme is "Miniatures," where no canvas can measure greater than 12 inches in length or height (the frame can be larger, though). I had grand ideas of having 3 series with 5 paintings each: Pets, Flowers, and scenes of Colorado Springs. Not sure where the month went, but I only got 3 paintings total done! Time sure flies, doesn't it?

Anyway, the 3 paintings I finished in time for the show were Rascal, a Schnauzer/Terrier mix, my friend Sandy Higginbotham's new puppy; Dakota, my son Matt's Keeshond in Garden of the Gods; and Zeb, my late two-point domestic long-hair (he died in February). These sell for $85 each.

Unfortunately, traffic was very slow for the Artwalk (too many people hitting the malls for Black Friday and recuperating from turkey comas from Thanksgiving the day before) so the Gallery only had one sale. Many of the 90+ artists weren't in their studios either, not that we had many individual sales anyway, so I guess they didn't miss out on much.

But anyway, these are photos of the paintings I did for the show and are still hanging in the Gallery. The show runs through January 14th, so even if you couldn't make it on November 27th, you can still go shopping! You're sure to find something for even the pickiest person on your Christmas Gift List.

The November show is important for Cottonwood because it's also a fundraiser: half of all sales go to Cottonwood (they normally only take 30%). Because of their small sizes, many of the original paintings are priced within many peoples' budgets. This is a great way to add to your own collection as well. If you want to see more, come to Cottonwood during business hours because many artists have plenty more miniatures for sale inside their studios. WINTER business hours are Tuesday - Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and closed on Sundays and Mondays.

I have several pochades (rough drafts) for sale for $25 each in my studio as well, and I finished a 4th pet today, Neo, a Beagle/Pekinese dog that belongs to my friend Teresa.

My miniature pet paintings measure 5x7 inches and are on gallery wrapped canvases, which means they don't need framing. The pochades are on 6x8 inch canvas panels, so you can display them on a small easel or shelf, or get them framed. My painting "Labyrinth" is also on sale for $2350 and measures 24x48 inches (not a miniature!) on stretched canvas.

If you'd like to have a portrait of your own pet done, please email me at srmerchant326@hotmail.com, mention you saw this blog and get a 5x7 painting for only $50--that's a savings of $35! For out-of-town folks, I can sell the painting through my Etsy Web (www.nepneeart.etsy.com) site or you can pay by check or money order.

Thanks for looking, and be sure to leave your comments!

Pop Pop in Paris

Cottonwood's theme for their October Artwalk was "Dia de los Muertos," or "Day of the Dead," a Mexican holiday that celebrates loved ones who have passed away. Typically, the artwork depicting this holiday includes macabre images, skeletons, cemeteries, and the like.


When I visited my Mom in June this year, I was struck by a photo of my late father on her fridge, one my sister had taken when Mom and Dad visited her in Paris while she was working as a nanny. They had visited an artist's studio, and Dad was in a typical pose, hand to chin, looking out the window. The way the light was streaming through the window, I pictured him in heaven with angels' wings behind him. This is what I wanted to show in my painting: Dad "Contemplating Heaven."

So, I went to work, sketching it out and simplifying the composition because I wanted the focus to be on Dad. I added a cross to my painting similar to one a friend gave me as a gift years ago that she picked up in Mexico. Also, instead of the alley scene on the artist's easel, I made a miniature painting of my "Purple Irises" that hangs outside my studio at Cottonwood. As a finishing touch, I airbrushed the light streaming in through the window.

I'm happy to report my painting was accepted into this juried show. I didn't win any prizes, but I'm so thankful that I was able to share this memory of my father with all the folks who attended the Artwalk. There were TONS of people there, and I received many compliments on my painting.

Thanks to all who came! Below are photos of the process.



Sketching the details.



















Blocking in the darks.
























Adding some color.
























When I paint with acrylics, I use several layers like watercolors, so the painting takes a long time.
























Doesn't look anything like him. :(
























So I painted his face out and tried several more times.
























Blocking in the Irises.
























Adding a whisper of wings.























More layers to the Irises.























Added some paintbrushes to the table. I like how the shadows turned out.




















At first, I painted Dad's eyes closed, but then I "opened" them. I like them better open. :)























Irises done, sunlight airbrushed.
























It was difficult to see the items on the bookshelf in the background, so I made up my own. At the recommendation of another artist, I made the wings more visible and added yellow candlelight to the wings from the candles on the fireplace mantle.




















The finished painting: "Contemplating Heaven," a/k/a "Pop Pop in Paris."

























The show is over the third week of November, so I will be getting it framed and shipping it to Mom as a Christmas present. I'll be getting giclees made, and my brother Mark has requested one, so that'll be his Christmas present this year as well.

Starsmore Recycling Bin

Back in June? July? I painted a recycling bin for the City of Colorado Springs. I did the Labyrinth, with goblins on one side and the M.C. Escher scene on the other. It's now in the lobby of the City Administration Building at 30 S. Nevada (& Colorado, northwest corner), so if you get a chance to go there, keep an eye out for it!

Back in August, I did a story for the Starsmore Discovery Center about a fundraising art festival called "Canvases in the Canon." While chatting with Cathy Railton, program coordinator and my interview victim, I told her I'd volunteer to paint a bin for Starsmore if she contacted the City to have it delivered to my studio. It arrived a few days later. Cathy invited me to do a demo at the festival, so I brought the bin to work on, and passed out brochures to those who stopped to "admire" my work.

Here is the completed bin, but if you'd like to see the work in progress, please click here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2035822&id=1387599568&saved#/album.php?aid=2035822&id=1387599568&ref=mf.

Labyrinth is DONE!

I started this Labyrinth painting in 2006. I invested 5 months and over 60 hours into it before I lost the DVD cover. I met a woman at a birthday party in June while I was in MD for my daughter's graduation, and she had a copy of the correct DVD cover and mailed it to my studio so that I could finish it. Now, 3 months and over 30 hours later, it's done.

I waited until after taking a portrait class with local Colorado Springs artist Dan Schultz to do Jareth, and the difference between Sarah and Jareth is enormous! Almost to the point where I want to re-do Sarah. But the painting in its current state says a lot about the growth I've made as an artist, especially over the last 3 years. In fact, I can see a big difference between the characters on the left done 3 years ago and the characters on the right, done these last few months.

The painting is listed for sale on my Etsy site for $2500 because I have to cover Etsy fees, but for anyone who buys the painting directly from me, it's $2350. It's hanging in the hallway at Cottonwood Center for the Arts right now, where I have my art studio, so if it sells off the wall, Cottonwood gets 15%.

To see more photos of the process, check out my Facebook photo album, Labyrinth.

Please feel free to leave comments on the painting, good or bad, and thanks for looking!


I apologize in advance for the sequence of the photos, but it's way too difficult to move pictures around in Blogger, not to mention I don't have the patience for it! Also, I apologize for the huge spaces between pictures--if I don't do that, the captions don't match up correctly. :(


The completed painting:
















Hanging outside my studio at Cottonwood Center for the Arts:






















Sir Didymus:







































Ludo:
































The Goblin City next to Ludo:





























Fiery:





























Goblin City in the background:





































"TURN BACK! THIS IS NOT THE WAY!" A False Alarm:






































Sarah with the Worm above her and "Labyrinth" below her:





































Wise Man with Bird Hat ("It's so stimulating being your hat!"):





































Hoggle:


























"Did she say it?"


























Toby:




























Jareth that I painted in 1994. I've come a looooooong way!














































The Worm ("'Ello!" "Did you say 'Hello'?" "No, I said ''Ello,' but that's close enough!"):























Jareth in 2009, before adding the purple frames.




























Jareth with the purple frames:

The Art of Recycling

The City of Colorado Springs launched an Adopt-a-Bin Recycling Program earlier this year. Through a special partnership with SBM Site Services and BETTR Recycling, fiber barrels were provided to the city to be distributed throughout city buildings to encourage employees to recycle their aluminum cans, newspapers, plastic products, and other recyclable items. The goal of the program is to "implement a low-cost, creative, and infectious recycling program that can be easily copied for the inspiration and convenience of our employees and our community." In fact, the employees have been so supportive of this program that they donated their own money to help purchase the bins.


In order to promote the program and encourage others to participate, the City sent out a Call to Artists, naming it the "Art of Recycling," to get people to decorate the bins to attract attention and make recycling more fun. Eileen McCullen with the City contacted Cottonwood Center for the Arts to see if any of their studio artists would be interested, and over a dozen have taken advantage of this opportunity.

The decorated bins are adopted by city employees and positioned throughout city buildings, where the employee is responsible for emptying the bins and taking the items to recycling. The City even scheduled a judging for city-employee-decorated bins, with the First Place Ribbons tying for the Stormwater Customer Service and Hillside Community Center's Teen RISE Club.

I agreed to decorate a bin because of the opportunity to display my artwork in front of hundreds of people on a weekly basis. It's free advertising, and hopefully, will result in some commissions or murals.

Below are pictures, but because they take so long to upload, I didn't include many on the "process"; rather, I included more of the finished product.

My bin was adopted by Nick Kittle, Fleet Finance Manger, and was installed at the (very busy) City Administration Building at 30 S. Nevada. He is a big Labyrinth fan and claimed my bin the instant it was brought into City Hall. Also, he wanted it to be "front and center," where it would get a lot of exposure, and this building is one of the busiest in the city.

Let me know what you think!

(I apologize in advance: the spacing is all messed up--Blogger really frustrates me!--and I don't have the knowledge nor the patience to fix it. Hopefully everyone will be able to figure out what caption goes with which photo. Sorry!)




After three coats of primer, I sketched in the M.C. Escher scene at the end of the Labyrinth movie on one side, and the goblins on the other.




















Blocking in the darks.























All finished and signing my name under a staircase.




















Adding my Web site: http://www.stephaniessmorgasbord.com/.




















These are the completed goblins:

In the lobby of Cottonwood before heading to City Hall for the judging.

My completed masterpiece!

Studio 212

I've been so busy with projects and volunteering that I haven't had a chance to update my blog, but since I have so much good news to share, I HAD to get on and update!

First of all, because I am doing so much more than murals, I decided to change my blog name to "Stephanie Johnson Murals AND MORE!" That way, I won't have to keep taking "commercial breaks" to show what projects I've been working on.

Secondly, Greg and I volunteered for 6 weeks at Cottonwood Center for the Arts, helping them get set up in their new digs in time for their Grand Opening in April. I loved the artists and environment so much, that I decided to get a studio there! Good thing, too, because Matt, and now Shaina, have taken over my basement art studio.

Each artist is allowed to decorate their studio to their taste, and I really wanted to show off my mural business the most (in addition to all the other stuff I do). In the front "client" area, I decided to paint a mural, and found inspiration in "The North Star," by Peter H. Reynolds (I also own his books "Ish" and "The Dot"). I changed the blonde boy to a brunette girl (for obvious reasons), chose several of my favorite scenes, and paraphrased the text to come up with my mural. My studio neighbor's granddaughter insists it's the "coolest studio in the whole building" (that's saying a lot, considering there are over 80 artists!). My friend Mike Pach says "Your photos don't do it justice, people really need to see it in person to get the full impact."

Consider this your personal invitation to come on down and see it! Cottonwood is located at 427 E. Colorado Ave., Colorado Springs, CO 80903. I'm in Studio 212 on the second floor. Take a right at the Studio B sign (it doglegs at the utility sink), turn right at the dead end (at Jo Carol's studio) and I'm the first door on the right. Look for the Purple Irises painting on the wall. Cottonwood is open Monday through Friday 10-6 and Saturdays 10-2, but call ahead (719) 237-1273) to make sure I'm there, as I'm still teaching classes outside the studio.

Cottonwood also hosts "Last Friday Artwalks," where we feature a themed gallery show, and all the artists are in their studios to give demonstrations and answer questions. Talk about great exposure! So far a woman from Parade of Homes and another interior designer have shown interest in my work, so cross your fingers they lead to jobs!

In the meantime, I made a bear for a client who found me on my Etsy.com Web site, I'm finishing up Matt's Labyrinth painting, and the fellow who hired me to do his Winnie the Pooh drawing wants me to do another project.

Here are photos if you can't come down right away. Let me know what you think, and if you run into anyone needing a mural, please keep me in mind.