maya’s blog

We have some new dates for September:  the 11th, 18th, and 25th.  Added a younger class too, we now start with 6 year olds!  Hoping for some good turnout and I know it will be a ton of fun.

See the schedule here

Last weekend, we had a booth at Legends Night Out, our neighborhood association summer get-together.  Being new to the area, it was our first time and I was a bit surprised at the turnout!  My mission was to get the word out about art lessons and meet some neighbors.  Success!  Got a little sun too.

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We own a medical illustration business… Clint is coming on board to help me take care of everything, and after much debate, we are renaming it “Shoemaker Medical.”   Shoemaker for Clint and/or Maya Shoemaker.  Medical for medical illustration and animation.  It is professional and to the point.  Clint and I are very excited.  We relaunch with marketing materials in a few short weeks.  For a full list of the business names that didn’t make the cut, send a self-addressed stamped envelope and $900.

I am going to teach some art again this summer!  I’ve missed it since I closed down my art store, where we did classes, workshops, private lessons and general mess-making.  Time to open up my home and try it out again. Come one, come all!  And please let me know if you have other ideas; I consider this only my first offering.   Summer Programs Schedule

blood cells sketch - think I’m going to make some cell biology jewelry.

I’ve been gardening!  This year I have all new beds since we’re at a new house with a new-to-us yard.  We’re planting using crazy hippie “organic methods,” but it doesn’t seem so out of the ordinary to me.  Clint and I want to rename it “normal gardening.”

In the [far] past when I had flower gardens in Michigan, I didn’t do anything with chemicals but then again, I didn’t have to, because I was starting out with healthy, diggable soil.  I have read a lot about soil over the past months, and Clint and I have done a lot to try to improve our hard Texas clay.  Hopefully it worked!

Do you need new photoshop CS4 shortcuts? Perhaps Adobe stole your “R” and gave it to Rotate? Here is how you take back control!

Photoshop > Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts

Here is access to pretty much everything! If you need to change a shortcut for one of your tools, click on the drop down menu called “Shortcuts For:” and you can pick “Tools” there. If you choose a key command that is already taken, Photoshop will warn you that the other function will no longer have a shortcut… which in my case, was fine and dandy!

I don’t have to rotate my canvas a thousand times a day, but smudge and blur I must.

I haven’t written much about medical illustration lately, so I thought I would just check in.  I have been very busy at work.  Mostly with very good stuff - interesting projects - but just a lot.  Without giving away any proprietary information, here are some of the things I am working on: Read more »

Last night we slept in our new house for the first time! We moved during the day with the help of my friend and co-worker Allison, and the big things are all in their places. The kitchen was the hub of the move and is now full of boxes. I am sore and tired but very happy.

The home is peaceful, warm, and relaxing. I love the bathroom which will be very spa-like. We are going to make a yoga space too. I am hoping that having it set-up and ready will encourage us to practice more. That might not happen, but at least when we DO practice it will be in a nice environment.

Artwork and other ventures will occupy the office along with the work-desk. There is a guest room (which will have a guest-air-mattress for now) and a guest bath, a nice living room, and a garage. Yay covered parking! I think that’s about it! Looking forward to beginning all the little projects that go with our new house!

A super-exciting LEGO® anatomical specimen exhibit is in full planning mode.  NSF funding?  Other grants?  Participants are Dave, Clint, Maya.  Ovarian cross section, heart, kidney, blood vessel, etc. in the works.  YAY!