The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery

......Francis Bacon

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Back To The Art Of Painting

    Having taken the last few days off and away from my studio, it sure feels good to back to it!

  I do think everyone needs a break from their work, no matter what their work may be, even creating. As much as I love my work, I need to nurture myself too, a little R&R.

  Having a break allows me to to open my mind up to new works and new techniques. I come back to my studio refreshed and ready to go, my head filled with new visions of whats to be.

  I finished this painting yesterday. I love the flow and the colors. She lets everything escape her head. All her thoughts and insights pouring out into the world, filling the world with promise and hope and good thoughts.


"Intuition"
12X12
Acrylic, Mixed Media
Giclee's Available

So...Go ahead and give yourself a little break. Everything will be waiting for you when you return.

 

Monday, November 29, 2010

Let The Holidays Begin

I have decided that I am going to just sit back and relax this holiday season. I am not going to go "brave" the crowds in the malls, fight for parking spots or wait in long lines........I am going to really enjoy this holiday time.

  I am going to enjoy it for what it is rather than what it has become. I plan on sipping hot chocolate and listening to Christmas carols while knitting by the fireplace. I am spending my days in my studio creating, I am going to really  find the peace and joy that this holiday holds. 

  Now, that doesn't mean that I am not giving gifts. My family this year decided to pick names and buy just one gift to exchange, a special gift that will have more meaning to the recipient. And of course, I am going to spoil my grand baby Shane! This will be my "Perfect Christmas"


"Winter Bird"
Mixed-Media Collage
Original and prints available


  How are you going to spend your "Perfect Christmas?"

Friday, November 26, 2010

Art Prints Now Available!

 I am happy to announce that I now have affordable, fine art prints available. Some of these will be signed, limited edition prints of my original paintings and you have your choice.

  Regular art prints, unframed-We use Epson  Lustre papers and Epson Ultrachrome professional archival inks to print our Photo Inkjet Prints. These prints have white borders for ease of framing. Signed and numbered.


Velvet Giclees, unframed-Somerset Velvet Giclee Prints have the authentic "look and feel" of high quality watercolor paper and are produced with Somerset Velvet paper and Epson Ultrachrome professional archival inks. These prints have white borders for ease of framing. Signed and numbered.


Canvas Giclees, framed or unframedCreated from InteliCoat Magiclée Torino 20M canvas and Roland pigmented inks to produce our Canvas Giclee Prints. InteliCoat Magiclée Torino 20M canvas is acid free, water resistant canvas with a matte finish. There is an extra fee for stretching and framing. Signed and numbered.


Enhanced Canvas Giclees, framed or unframed- to make your Giclee  very special, I add real paints to certain areas of the painting for an authentic look and feel. Normally for an extra fee, but now till Christmas, there will be no extra charge! Enhancing can ONLY be done on Canvas Giclees.

 And open editions are available as well on request. These are unsigned, un-numbered prints. Not all original paintings will have prints created on all surfaces and this will be noted as paintings are posted in my online portfolio and up here on my blog.

  These are beautifully crafted prints and I know you will love them. If you need any more information, please feel free to contact me at any time. You can reach me by phone as well at 805-404-4093. Happy Holidays!

Monday, November 22, 2010

Beautiful Art

How exciting!...I received my painting from the Artswap, swap I joined with artists from all over the world.

This painting was done by a very talented artist by the name of Joanna Posey. She also has an Etsy shop where she sells her creations. I LOVE it Joanna, thank you so much!

"Paradox"
By Joanna Posey

If you scroll down to my previous post, you will see what Artswap is all about. I can't wait till the next one. If you would like to join in on the next one, Go to David Pringles website. Create art everyday!  

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Painting Progress

Hey everyone!......Just a quick little blog post on a painting that i started a couple days ago. Thought it would be fun to post the progress it's making.


"Intuition"
Mixed Media On Canvas 
12X12

Sorry I can't stay long and visit with you all today but, I have to get back to the studio. I promised myself I would stay off my computer and get some painting done today! Enjoy!!

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Artswap 2010

  Today is the day .......All over the world, artists are carefully packing their precious works of art and sending them off to fellow artists all over the globe!

Artswap 2010 !

This is BIG! 

And I am so excited to be a part of it. Right now, I can't say where my painting is going, you see, it's a secret. No one knows who is sending a piece of artwork to them until they receive it. I can however show you WHAT I am sending................


"Urban Spires"
12X9 Encaustic on birch panel

This swap is the "Brain Child" of David Pringle, a very talented artist himself. David started the swap by "Tweeting" it on Twitter as a way of connecting artists and sharing their work with one another. He is dedicating this November Artswap to fellow artist and friend Kristen Ettensohn, who sadly passed away this last July.

David is also going to publish a book featuring all the participating artists and their work. This book will be available for purchase after the swap is completed. 50% of the proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the KME Memorial Scholarship Fund

I am urging all artists out there to sign up for the next swap! You can go to Davids website for all the information. This was a fun swap and just look at all the powerful things that can happen when you get a group of talented artists together.......It can change the world!


Monday, November 15, 2010

Monday

  Got up extra early so I could catch the beautiful morning sky!

 Well, it's a new week again and time to get busy in the studio. The "Angels In The Barn" show went really well! I sold a lot of my work and met some interesting artists.

  Now I need to replace the work that sold for new creations. I am getting ready to have an "Open Studio" day, perhaps early next year so I need to psych myself up for that. I have spent the morning re-painting over old canvasses. I sometimes do that if I feel my work has evolved over a period of time.



My ultimate goal is to paint at least 5 paintings per week. I think I can manage that. And in the meantime, I have also managed to condense my studio down a bit. I really like how I have it set up. Most everything is within an arms reach and I have plenty of floor space to set out my canvasses. So I have no excuses not to get in there and create! here is a photo of just one little section.......


  Well...........off to work I go. I have lots to do! have a great Monday!

Friday, November 12, 2010

A Most Wonderful Show

 The "Angels In The Barn" Vendor show was last night and it was a kick!  The home where this is taking place is really breathtaking, and as my hubby and I were walking up the incline to the barn, two adorable Bassett hounds ran down to greet us with wagging tails and proceeded to guide us up the path.





  We made our way up the grade and it was like stepping into Disneyland! All lit up, with a crowd of people, all vendors in the show.

  There were tables set with all kinds of sweetness. From cheesecake and brownies, homemade snowflake shaped cookies and hot apple cider. They even had a margarita machine set up that produced a constant supply of blended bliss.

  There was a huge bonfire burning and you could see the entire valley from the top of this hill. I didn't want to leave!


  The lady on the right is the very gracious Joan. This is her home and barn and she coordinates this show every year!

  There was a slight chill in the air but it was still comfortable. Inside the barn was a bustle of vendors admiring everyones else's work. There were beautiful velvet sewn bags, sparkling jewelry, hand painted ceramics, rhinestone encrusted motorcycle helmets, fine art paintings, knit and crocheted items and the list goes on and on.

  Keep in mind, this was just the vendor show. The actual event doesn't even start till today. It run's through this Sunday and if you are anywhere near the Simi Valley area, this is a "Must Go To" event. Believe me, you won't be disappointed.

  And the cool part..........I have already sold several of my paintings, hooray! I will be up there again on Saturday and even though Joan says this will be her last year, I am hoping she will continue this tradition here in Simi.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Beautiful Treasures

 Happy hump day! My good friend Linda and I went antiquing yesterday. It is so much fun to slowly wander through these beautiful shops and daydream about who owned these objects and what their lives were all about. I can spend an entire day there. I love the feel, the smell, it is just so lovely and warm. It's like being on a wonderful treasure hunt.

 And of course, I saw many things that had once filled my childhood home. I suppose that tells everyone how old I am! Yes, you could say I'm "vintage" but I'm not an antique.... not yet anyway.

  I saw so many things that I wanted and the shop keep was very gracious enough to allow me to take photos of the unique vignettes that she so painstakingly set up. Some of the items were not actually vintage nor antique but crafty little creations of some of Simi Valley's local artists. So I thought I would share some of these beautiful treasures with you!


 I could have just curled up and napped on this beauty! This is the first thing that caught the eye as we walked into the shop. So inviting!


  As you can see, some items are not actually antique. But all of these finds would fit in nicely with any vintage or shabby chic interior. Can you spot the little handmade angel?


  I fell in love with this refurbished antique dresser and I also love the wrought iron window grates too.


  And just for some fun......wouldn't this carousel horse look darling in a childs room. Or, even in my art studio! If you look closely, you can even catch a glimpse of my very talented artist friend Linda. Hi Linda!

  We had so much fun and came home with only some vintage wood thread spools, although I could have bought out the entire place.  We are going to do something artsy with those spools so stay tuned. Anyway, that was my Tuesday adventure. Thanks for coming along.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Weekly Intentions Monday

  I know I haven't posted my weekly intentions for a couple of weeks now. It seems like other things just keep popping up in my mind. Other things that I want to post so I just put them on hold for a bit.

  This week is a busy one. I have the vendor show and setup on Thursday and the art show itself on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Right now, that is my main focus for the week.  I still need to finish up some artwork and get everything tagged before Thursday. I'm really excited about the show and I hope to have a lot of success with my art.



  So, that has me hopping around the studio like nuts and we are also putting some finishing touches up on our bathroom re model. Today the baseboards go in. I chose a really pale, minty blue color for the walls and it is so pretty. Very calm and soothing color for a bathroom.

  My studio purge and cleanup continues as well and I am happy to say that I have made great progress in that department already! I still have to go through all my lampwork glass and get that all packed up, that is going to be the worst chore, but soon I will be done and have a great little space to work from until our move. Here is a photo of one section of my studio..............





  And.....I decided that I didn't like my new hair color after all. It seemed to kinda go "rogue" on me and turned a bit orangey. Last night I toned it down with a really nice golden cappucino color and it's much better now. It's really dark though and I scare myself a little looking in the mirror in the mornings, after all, I am a natural blonde so this is very extreme for me. I guess it may be awhile before I get used to it. Today my daughter is going to add some light streaks to it. Just around my face to lighten it up a bit. If I get brave enough, I may even post a pic of it after she puts those in. Here's a peek...............





  Right now, I think that is all I'm going to focus on for this week. That should keep me busy! Have a great week everyone!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Pretty Little Things

 As I get rid of a lot of my overflowing possessions  in favor of a neater, more organized household, I am gaining a deeper appreciation of those little pretty things that I am keeping.

  Anthropologie is one of my favorite shopping haunts. I  needed my Anthropologie "Fix" so I made a trip there the other day and picked up three more of these tiny, sweet little bowls. I had three already but to my delight, they had more colors I had not seen before!


  I just adore these little bowls and I have them scattered throughout my studio to catch all the little bits of creative bliss that seem to accumulate everywhere. I even keep my Moo cards in one of them. In the white bowl I have beach sand that I collected from the shore of Venice beach in LA and my little sparkle y,  crystal hair pins.

   I have been creating small art pendants for my upcoming show as well. These are original , little works of art that I encase under glass, 1 1/2 X 1 1/2 inches only. . I have been having so much fun creating these and adding copper chain and small gemstones and vintage beads to them.

  Another pretty thing that I picked up are these adorable tiny succulent plants. They come in the sweetest little pots and are so inexpensive.

  
  I might even be able to keep these alive!  I sometimes have a hard time keeping my poor plants thriving. I guess watering is a must. These little guys won't need as much water so I might have some success with them.
How sweet are these! The one on the left is a "Burros Tail" and the other is a "String Of Pearls"

  These are just some of the treasures I am hanging onto. My home is emptying out fast I am happy to say but I do still need pretty little things to make my space happy and warm!