Play Big!

Detail of an Illustration (by Melani Grube) of a woman playing a very large string bass, a ribbon-framed corner and a flurry of butterflies emerging from the strings.

  How are you enjoying your Saturday? Let me encourage you to: Play Big! Work, rest or play, let’s put everything we’ve got into each day,  and we will make a difference in our lives and the world around us. Fiddle on.

Read More

Illustrated Title Banner for the Painting, “Wild Horses”

A detail from Hand-lettered title for the painting, "Wild Horses", with illustration element of a horse head with flowing mane.

  Happy Sunday! I hope you are having a wild and wonderful time. “Wild Horses” is the title of my newest painting for which I have been sharing the work-in-progress pictures. Now, watch for my next post when I reveal the completed piece. What is your favorite thing to do on Sundays? Tell me about…

Read More

Horse Protection Day

Detail from pen and ink illustration of a cantering horse, mane flowing, tail flying behind.

  Horse Protection Day is March 1st (I know I missed it by a couple months. I just found out about it.) It was founded by pet lifestyle expert and animal behaviorist Colleen Page to bring awareness to the plight of both wild horses and unwanted horses being auctioned to be slaughtered for their meat.…

Read More

Everyone Loves a Good Race

A detail from A pen and ink portrait of a horse and jockey racing across the field. The horse is "Bravazo" in the Preakness Stakes 2018.

  A happy accident: posting about my newest painting of horses and the 2nd of the Triple Crown horse races, the Preakness Stakes 2018, happening this weekend. So, I couldn’t resist illustrating one of the favorites to win, “Bravazo“. His trainer, D. Wayne Lukas, has won with four horses before this. But really, it’s the…

Read More

Selfie, Sorta

Detail from A sketched "selfie" of artist Melani Grube. Red hair, bobbed, glasses, face.

  A selfie, sort of. A sketch of me, if I looked a little different. So, really, it’s a character sketch based on me. Sketching seems to be a series of choices. Which features do I include? Which features do I imply? How close to reality do I take this? How much do I let…

Read More

When Red Beret Meets Raspberry Beret

Girl in a raspberry colored beret.

  Ever get a song stuck in your head? As I worked on my version of Picasso’s “Woman in a Red Beret “, the song, “Raspberry Beret “, by Prince floated into my mind. I started to wonder if Prince had been inspired by Picasso, too. And then, I realized the poetry of following “…berry”…

Read More

A Backpack to Go with the Red Beret

  Every hip, urban, tech-chick needs her accessories and the Woman in a Red Beret is no exception. So I designed this slouchy backpack with techie mesh side pockets and cord-and-metal-bead details to set off her ensemble, while packing a laptop for her on-the-go coding needs. Wish I had one… What’s your go-to accessory? You…

Read More

Inspiration for Your Week

  When you work with your imagination, you work with the best in the world. Could you use a little inspiration? I know that I could use a little inspiration this week. Life threw me some curve balls like my son breaking his hand, a gas leak at our house, and looming radiation treatments for…

Read More

Happy 125th Anniversary, Vogue Magazine

  Happy 125th Anniversary, Vogue Magazine. You’ve explored the ideal of women’s expression in society and made us ponder who we are and how we present that to the world around us for 125 years. The ultimate conceptual selfie. Strike a pose and blow out those birthday candles. I’m excited to let you know that…

Read More