December Special, Printable Gift Tags

The Holidays are a time for sharing, so during the month of December all orders will qualify for a FREE GIFT from me to you.  

When you make a purchase you will have a choice of 1 of the 4 different FREE printable holiday gift tag designs... Pixie Elf, Holly Boot, Snowflake Stilettos OR Christmas Wreaths.
Once a purchase is made I will email you the pdf printable file of your choice... Pixie Elf, Holly Boot, Snowflake Stilettos OR Christmas Wreaths. When you buy through my etsy shop ErinGoPaint you can leave a message to seller with your choice of FREE printable tag page.  








If you make a purchase at Praline Pixies EGP or the GF Illustrator on Zazzle you can contact me on my Facebook at ErinGoPaint, let me know what you bought - and then I can email you your printable gift page.







Happy Holidays to all, 

and to all a good night!

Praline Pixies

After receiving many requests for my princesses, super heroes, and fairy tale characters on t-shirts I have created a place just for that.  

Introducing Praline Pixies... 
"Here you will find my original watercolor illustrations of young african american and multiracial girls as princesses, super heroes, and fairy tale characters. I am inspired by my daughter who at 3 thought all princesses and beautiful girls had yellow hair and peach skin. I started creating so she - and many others - can see that beauty is not confined to one look.

I believe they have a very positive influence on how young girls see themselves. I have been told by so many clients that their daughter thinks the painting is them. So they get to see themselves reflected as the beautiful princess, instead of a constant stream of images that look nothing like them. 

Life is certainly not all about beauty, but if young girls can grow up appreciating who they are and the beauty that they have, it will help them to grow into strong and confident women. "

My art prints are collected by buyers worldwide, hoping that the t-shirts and fun products available will find homes all over the globe.

Thanksgiving Reflections

Before the holiday weekend is in full swing I am taking a few moments of quiet reflection to consider all that I am thankful for.

I am thankful... our house stood strong during the wrath of Sandy, as so many others were not that fortunate.

Thankful that we were without power for only 8 days.

Thankful that our curbside tree fell into the street, and not the other way.

Thankful for a strong and helpful community.

Thankful for the supplies we did have on hand.

Thankful for our library where we and hundreds others found refuge, power, and recharging each day.

Thankful I had made all my October deadlines before Sandy forced me to take a 2 week vacation(?)

Thankful for our friends who invited us to their home each day.

Thankful that these friends have a gluten-free home, and that was one less thing I had to worry about.

Thankful for Betty at the fish counter for giving us 2 bags of ice when we couldn't find any.

Thankful to be illustrating for Simply Gluten Free Magazine.

Thankful for the GF community I have found on Twitter.

Thankful for my family, my friends, my husband, my daughter.

Thankful to anyone still reading my list!  :)

Wishing everyone a wonderful gluten-free Thanksgiving Holiday!

Guacamole

"Guacamole, a Balanced Diet", watercolor & ink on paper, 8x10, copyright Erin Rogers Pickering

I LOVE guacamole and I used to think of it as something to be saved for a special occasion. Just to be enjoyed sparingly.  That somehow because of its rich, creamy texture (SO rich and creamy) and the divine, savory flavor that it must be decadent.

Before I went gluten-free chocolate was my number 1 migraine trigger.  I went 23 years without chocolate (yes, 23 years!) and I used guacamole as my substitute when the chocolate craving hit hard!  That oh-so-fabulous Rich Creamy texture did the trick and curbed the cravings that drove me mad.  Those beautiful avacados kept me from having the chocolate trigger migraines that confined me to bed for 4 or 5 days at a time, and unknowingly I was also getting a mega health boost. 

Now that I know all the amazing benefits of avacado it has become a staple in our house.  I make and enjoy guacamole every chance I get, savoring every delectable bite.

Every Day

"Balanced Diet, Peppers", watercolor & ink on paper, 8x10, copyright Erin Rogers Pickering

Everyday you have a choice to eat healthy. Or not.  
A choice to improve and heal... to grow stronger, healthier, more vibrant.  
Every day, every meal YOU choose what you put in your body.  
It is in your hands and in your control.

What choices will you make today?

Hanging on to Possibility...

Got thrown a bit of a curve ball today... and on a dreary rainy day like this I could have justified curling up in a ball on the couch with a big blanket. Maybe even with a big box of cookies.

Instead I painted...

 "Beach Baby" in progress, watercolor on paper, 8x10, copyright Erin Rogers Pickering

  

I painted joy, beauty, imagination and endless possibility. 

And, that feels even better than a big soft blanket and all the cookies in the world!

Share the Love, Spread the Word - Simply Gluten Free Magazine GIVEAWAY!

As you may know, I will be a regular contributor to the new magazine Simply Gluten Free.  The magazine will be making its debute with the Nov/Dec issue.  Carol Kicinski of the blog Simply Gluten Free, and author of 2 cookbooks:  Simply Gluten-Free Desserts and Simply Gluten-Free Quick Meals, is the mastermind behind the new magazine.  And from what I've seen I believe it's sure to be a winner!

This week I have 2 FREE subscriptions to give away!  A one year subscription is 6 issues... and it will be hot off the press in time for your holiday preparations.
Sign up below for a chance to win!

Here's some info to whet your appetite...

"We have pulled together the internet’s top allergen free bloggers to create a beautiful, lifestyle magazine for people with food sensitivities  by people with food sensitivities.  These are the people who are not just writing about food sensitivities, they are people who are successfully living allergen free lifestyles every day.

Rather than focusing on deprivation, Simply Gluten Free Magazine will celebrate the abundance of a gluten and allergen free life.  We will provide simple, beautiful solutions to the challenges you face.

Simply Gluten Free will be an aesthetic, high-quality print magazine with a fully digital version, issued bi-monthly which the readership will want to collect and savor throughout the years.

While food and recipes will always remain at the core of the magazine, we will also cover such topics as Beauty, Medical and Nutrition, DIY (Do It Yourself) and Crafts, Fitness, Homekeeping, Entertaining, Travel, Eating Out, Special Needs and Special Diets.  In our Beyond Gluten Free Section we will provide mouthwatering, innovative and simple recipes for diets such as Paleo, Dairy Free, Vegetarian, Sugar Free and Vegan.

With an age range of writers that spans four decades, we will move across the age spectrum to include viable solutions from infancy and childhood to teen, college student, and young adult, to issues faced later in life as we are determined to leave no one out."

Carol is generously donating TWO full year’s subscriptions to Simply Gluten Free magazine as a giveaway prize! So there will be TWO lucky readers!  

How to enter the giveaway:

Using the Rafflecopter form below, just leave a comment sharing what you’d most like to see covered in a gluten-free magazine...  Cooking how-tos? Types of recipes? Label deciphering? Meal planning? Gluten-free makeup and body care products? Entertaining? Eating out? Hidden gluten?

Giveaway will run until Saturday, September 22, at midnight. Winners will be chosen at random and announced the next day. I must hear back from the winners within 3 days, otherwise the prize is forfeited and another winner will be chosen.

Contest is open to anyone in North America.

Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Gluten-Free Dream Come True!

Recently I was talking with a friend about nightmares and stress dreams. And that now any and all of our stress dreams manifest as gluten nightmares.  Always the gluten.  
No matter the source of the stress.
Like eating something we shouldn't, and the ensuing panic, waking petrified and shaken.  Wondering if it was real. When I was being down-sized from my job I had terrible gluten nightmares - with anounomous people shoving gluten food down my throat as I walked down the street.  (Hmmm, there is a story for another day).

But today it is a truly happy dream.  
I am thrilled to announce that my Gluten-Free dream has really come true!
I will be illustrating food.
Gluten-free food.
For a Gluten Free Magazine.
For the fantastically, spectacular new Gluten-Free magazine... Simply Gluten Free!!! 

Three of my passions have come together in this wonderful place, and it blows my mind.  I keep pinching myself to be sure it is real.  
The premier issue of Simply Gluten Free Magazine will be Nov/Dec, perfect timing for your holiday preparations.  You can find more information on the magazine here: Simply Gluten Free Magazine, and Carol Kicinsk of Simply Gluten Free, and see all the amazing contributing editors.

Sometimes passions do align and dreams actually do come true!!
My pencils, paints and food are poised and ready to go.

Sweet Dreams!

Good Morning Gluten-Free

"The Strutting Rainbow, Gluten-Free", watercolor & ink on paper, copyright Erin Rogers Pickering

In celebration of mornings I created my GF rooster!  

He is nothing but happy! 

He is my testament to wonderful awakenings.

I am no longer slammed by pain upon waking, dragging myself from the bed, calculating how long it would be until I could lay down again. 

That is no way to start any day, and certainly not every day!

So, here is my rooster… Strutting his stuff through the kitchen in the early morning light.

Happy to greet the day!

Happy to be alive!

That, is exactly how I feel!

Beach Baby, sketch

"Beach Baby" rough sketch, 8x10, copyright Erin Rogers Pickering

Our little girl is most definitely a beach baby!  She believes that the beach is the greatest place on earth, well, maybe second only to an amusement park!

But, a day at the beach for her is really like going on vacation.  The water, the shells, sounds of crashing waves, the planes going by pulling ad banners, the bright umbrellas, all the kids, and last but certainly not least... the potential for sand castles!  

I think when she first approaches a new beach she imagines great big elaborate fantastical castles... with moats, towers, windows, and flags flying!  She never quite gets there, as that rhythmic, pounding surf continues to call her in and away from that castle of her dreams.

No matter, there is always next time!

Life is Short - be sure to LIVE!

"Life is Short", watercolor & ink on paper, 5x7, copyright Erin Rogers Pickering

Sadly, I was reminded this week again how short and precious life can be.  

I am very much an advocate of healthy eating and lifestyle choices, but sometimes, you know what, you just should eat the cupcake!  

And truly enjoy it - without guilt.

(As long as it is still within the safety range of your food intolerance.  I think 'cheating' on your allergies and intolerance is crazy - Pure crazy!)

For me the biggest and best treat of all is feeling healthy, energized, pain-free, and happy. And being able to do things that bring me joy.

Life IS Short... so take a chance, take a class, go back to school, tell him you love him, ask her to marry you, step out of your comfort zone, commit to eating healthy, commit to exercise, take a vacation, laugh, dance, dust off your resume, try something new, get out of the house, and off the computer, turn off the TV, take the leap, and as Nike says, "Find your greatness" and "Just DO it!"


Life is Short - eat the cupcake!

Red Hot Kitchen - Red Hot Peppers

"Red Peppers, Balanced Diet", watercolor & ink on paper, 8x10, copyright Erin Rogers Pickering

I love painting peppers!  They are so sculptural, curvy, and yes - sensual!  Quite often resembling a body stretching, bending or relaxing. And, absolutely vibrating with color!  They almost glow in the sunlight... and that is natural antioxidant color.

Gorgeous, crisp and refreshing.

This illustration was bouncing around in my head for a while before I gave it the opportunity to be born on paper. (not sure why I hold them in so long sometimes).  But, once it burst to life on paper it made me want a red kitchen.

I put together this fun collection as I dreamed of what my crimson kitchen might look like...

              

'Red Hot Kitchen' by  eringopaint

Vintage Red Apron with White... CoffeeKlatch $18.00	vintage Dutch canister set, ... AtticAntics $85.00	Red Pink Vintage Handmade Wo... PearlsVintageG... $22.00
Vintage Tomato Slicer dovetailvintag... $9.00	Food Buy It With Thought Vin... 3LambsIllustra... $26.50	Star Home Decor / Whimsical... CarriageOakCot... $25.00
Heirloom Tomatoes Art print ... TheJoyofColor $21.00	Red blue nuno felted blouse,... jezek $112.00	Organic Jam Gift Basket of F... Northernlodge $25.00
CIJ SALE Crochet Strawberry ... FrejaToys $4.25	Red and Brown Floral Oven Mi... madebyemily $22.00	Vintage Metal TV Tray Marchi... TwoStoryVintag... $28.00
Red Apple Sugar Cookies guiltyconfecti... $21.00	CIJ SALE. Linen table runner... JBworld $18.99	food photography tomato &quo... sixthandmain $14.00
2 Small Pyrex Milk Glass Des... FoxandHoundsto... $8.00

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

Color Inspiration - Azure (#1)

The other morning I was struck by the beauty of the crisp clear blue sky as I went for a run.  A gorgeous blue sparkling in contrast to the bright, fluffy white clouds.  That color got stuck in my head for days.  It is a color, when paired with white, that seems to announce summertime!

Azure. Cerulean. Lapis Lazuli... ok, I know, too light to be Lapis but that name is lilting and magical, and I just had to use it.  

I have been collecting, noting, snapping photos of this color everywhere...

Bright and playful in a park.

Making a lively theater ensemble.

even an ordinary hydrant becomes charming.

and a fabulous garage tucked away just leapt out at me.

Not sure yet how I will be using this color, but it is certain to show up in something new as it swirls in and around me.

Purple Hydrangea

"Purple Hydrangea", watercolor on paper, 8x10, copyright Erin Rogers Pickering

Our area is a riot of color with the Hydrangeas in bloom!  
Lush, abundant, heavy with color and petals, they are spectacular.
Truly a feast for the eyes.
I love June in New Jersey!

Showing Up

Sunset over Puerto Vallarta, acrylic on Canvas, 24x36, copyright Erin Rogers Pickering

Sometimes I get lucky... lucky to go on an amazing vacation, and watch night after night of incredible sunsets.  And even years later, I close my eyes and I am in that hot tub on the beach, cocktail in hand, with my husband, watching the greatest show on earth.

Sometimes I get lucky... by setting up and showing up - out pours a painting as if by magic!  And I am purely the go-between that is mixing and moving the paint.

This painting literally exploded out of me. 

Last night it left me exhausted and conflicted.  

This morning I saw it with fresh eyes and attitude.  I went back to the easel this morning and painted from the heart, from what I felt, from the experience... and less from the literal.

I finished.  

I am pleased.

I feel very lucky indeed.