2010 Making It Count

The beginning of a New Year always brings hope and anticipation of a fresh start, new beginnings and quiet reflection of the days gone by for me.
2009 was a great year in so many ways for me. I had numerous opportunities to teach, to write and be published featuring my art and techniques, to demonstrate my art in a variety of venues. I participated in my first outdoor show, had the pleasure of being commissioned to do several projects for wonderful customers, all great things for my artistic endeavors. I'm truly grateful for all that I have been blessed with and have experienced.

I even bought my first house this last September, which by far was a dream come true for me. Owning my own home was something I wanted so very much for as long as I could remember. I wanted that place like I had as a child for my children to feel like they belonged somewhere that was theirs, too. A place to gather and make memories. To grow and then come back home to.
Since moving here, I barely feel like I've had a chance to settle, with many projects and obligations vying for my time but in 2010 I am resolved to do things to really make this home, ours.

This year has also been a year of struggles personally, which I revealed one big emotional trial in a post a couple of weeks ago. Day by day, I feel stronger having gone through this, but there are still moments that I have to shake my head and wonder how I let this happen to me again. Life is full of backward and forward moments, I guess. We need to travel the road no matter where it takes us and just understand that in the end, it's a part of who we are and who we are to become.

So who do I want to become in 2010 and beyond? What is it that I want to do?
I wrote in my journal last night, late, right before the stroke of midnight and penned some ideas. 10 in 2010 that I want to accomplish and work towards. Then I started adding other things that came to mind because when I looked at my list, they were all about my art. Something that I love and work hard at, but that's not the only part of my life that I want to move forward in and enhance. It's easy to be engulfed in a passion, but I don't want it to be the center of everything.
Family, friends, community and self improvement need to have a say in my everyday world as well.

The other things besides my artistic goals are:
Be Involved (open to interpretation, could be community, school, other people's needs...I often get caught up in my own world that I forget there's more out there I could be doing)
Send random snail mail cards. (who doesn't love a surprise letter or card? it's those unexpected moments that can lift someone up when they need it most)
Take a Trip to no where ...I plan so much of my day, I want to just try something spontaneous without any planning other than what clothes to bring. Adventure is something I'm missing.
Learn Something Completely New...I have no idea what at this point, just something I have yet to learn.
Loose 40lbs...this is something I really need to do. I have gained that much in about 2 years and I'm not happy with myself, time to make a change
Start Doing Yoga -I lost a lot of weight after having Josh by doing yoga and lifting light weights daily. I need to do this again for myself.
Lastly,

Make It Count
That's my motto for 2010, making things count. If I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it well. I'm going to waste less time and do the right things for the right reasons.
I want to be able to say that if today were my last day, I truly made it count.

What does that all look like? I think that along with my artistic goals, these other components in 2010 that I want to focus on will make my life more enriched and I'd truly feel balanced. I work hard every day. I want to know that I've also lived well, every day.

Hope that this New Year brings you much happiness and satisfaction in your world.

Go now, and Make It Count

Broken But Not Lost

"Broken" work in progress....
I've had what was once a pure yellow background forever. It just sat on a shelf, waiting for me to be ready for it.
I took it down last week and began working it--adding black, gray, splatters of white. Scratched into it, beat up the canvas as I created what was inside of me. And then, this portrait began taking shape. Perfectly representing what I have been feeling lately.

Not knowing where to go with this.....

I'm still working through my strokes as much as I am my feelings.


Little by little, with every layer of paint, her destiny is becoming more clear.

Despite the fact she is 'Broken' and many tears have been shed, she is not Lost. I know she will be all right.
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Stay tuned for the finished painting :)

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Hope you had a very Merry Christmas or Happy Holiday as you celebrated all that is joyous in this season. I had a great Christmas, filled with lots of friends and family. Both boys here together, an abundance of food, laughter and fun. Late at night I did sit and reflect on this year and how many things have changed for me. It's good to sort things out with your own soul before you breathe them to the rest of the world. I'm still sorting and hoping to have answers as to where I want to go next soon. Or, perhaps the answers will come to me later. Either way, I am going to make some changes around here. I'm feeling the need to move forward after being held back for so long. In reality I did move ahead over the last few years but it was doing so with a anchor weighting me down. Now the anchor has been released, there's no telling what's ahead.

What do you hope is in store for you in 2010? If you had to choose one or two things, what would they be??

Check out some of my work for 2009 in this Flickr set:

CLICK HERE

New WIP-and House News!!!

Remember this video from a few weeks ago? Well, in between projects, I've been working on it some more and wanted to show you the work in progress up to today.



30 x 40 mixed media acrylic painting on stretched canvas. Orange!! A totally new color palette for me. I love to experiment with colors and and textures if you haven't already figured that out about me and my art! I knew it would take me a few weeks if not a month to complete this painting (and it has) so I wanted to work on a painting that was more fallish in tone but not necessarily theme. I'm also trying to think ahead for my next outdoor show in October for the Holly Arts festival in Pinehurst. My goal is to have 3 new LARGE pieces to showcase for it. Can I do it?? I want them to be attention grabbers! Any ideas on other striking color combos I could use for a fall show???


As you can probably see here, I've outlined my subject and lightly started to paint in the main features....the shirt here. The background has about 5 colorwashes of a variety of orange hues and a slight amount of collage elements on the right hand side.



I took the above photo indoors so it's a little blurry because it was dark but you can see now how the skirt is coming together.

Closeup of the side view of flowers and details on the shirt.

I haven't done a lot with people or the human figure but I was pretty siked that I was able to acheive a sense of fluidity with the shirt and skirt.

and here we are as far as I have gotten. I still need to add some more details and a little saying on the left hand side where there isn't as many flowery vines...but overall, I'm pleased with the painting. I was joking with some friends thought that she turned out more plus sized then I attended but perhaps I was portraying myself subconsciously (I'm a size 14 on a good day ;).
It was fun just coming up with my girl's fashion choices on the painting! Long, long, long time ago, I used to want to be a fashion designer so this is probably as close to I'll ever get to being one. The possibilities are endless with paint and a pencil!

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Okay. on to my house hunting news--last week I wrote about narrowing down my choices about buying a home and today I'm here to let you know that my offer was accepted for the older home so I'm on my way!!! whooooohhoooooooooo! DS loved the house when we went to see it last Saturday so it solidified my decision to make this move and which one to pick. We've had the home inspection done and overall it was pretty good for a home that was built in 1963 but there are some things that need attention so I'm going to have to address those things in our next round of negotiations because while I have money to do this right now, I don't have alot of leeway to make major repairs (like the roof and a new airconditioning unit or at least repairs of the two items). Luckily, I have friends and family that know how to do all of the things that are on the home inspectors list so it wont' cost me as much money but still.....before I sign the dotted line, I need to evaluate some of these items a little further. Overall, I really think I will still move forward so hopefully by the end of September, I will be moving!!! :) This is something I've totally have been obsessed with for a long time, so I'm really excited. Thank you all that have been following around for your good thoughts and words of encouragement. The last month or so has been totally chaotic for me so to start house hunting on top of it, well, I couldn't have done it without all this wind at my back!!

Hope you have a great week!


**PS stay tuned for an upcoming anniversary give away!!! In September it will be my 3 year bloganniversary!!!!! Can you beleive it?? Anyway, I will be hosting a giveaway soon in celebration!

PPS---Don't forget to stop over to Creative Workshops and check out my class, "Fun with Faux Encaustics"! It's a great class to learn about collage, mixed media painting, using acrylic mediums and more to create a 'faux' encaustic look. I've put together 16 videos to walk you through all the steps from a-z, all for only $45.00! The best part is that the classes are open ended so you can work at your own pace on the project. We are also hosting MANY other classes on Gail's website, so if this class isn't for you, be sure to check out some of the other offerings! You won't be disappointed!!!!

Peeking in on me :)

After almost a month off from really creating much of anything, I'm back in the studio. I needed a break to be honest with you. Preparing for Springfest really burnt me out! BUT, I'm ready to get back at it. I'm working a bunch of things, including a few custom orders as well as putting the final touches on my new class coming up July 15th.

Take a peek!

Drive by Question

This will be a drive by post so you can see what I've been doing....first the above picture is my newest and biggest to date painting....30 x 40. Wowza. Can she do it???
My goal is to have 2 large paintings completed before Spring Fest which is April 25th. I have some time but you know how that is, a month is going to fly by before you know it. AND in between doing this, I have about a 100 other things to do, including working on some custom orders--oh and find time to fold laundry. We won't even talk about the dust bunnies. Of course, bunnies are in right now I hear, especially so close to Easter :)

I previewed this painting in a previous post but this is a much better, more clear shot. Yay for longer days and sunlight!

I did tell you I have no intentions of throwing my house series to the curb, just yet...right? I have plenty of places I've lived yet still waiting for their moment on the canvas--so stay tuned. This little gem (8x8) on 1 3/8 canvas is titled, "Richmond Road". I'm taking you back to 1998 when I moved to North Carolina from my temporary stop in Meadville, Pa. My life, my life of my husband at the time, and my oldest son's life changed forever. We planted our roots down south but it also was a time that uprooted our family. Jim and I broke up shortly after we moved....a little over a year later and it really seemed like a dark period even though it began with so much hope. We had a lot of changes in our lives right before this move--my job was chaotic, it was down right exhausting and it drove me to the ground along with the family. Who knows why things happen, but they do, and somehow we rise above those moments and move forward, one way or another. The good news is, we all are still friends, and we maintain our dysfunctional family (which has grown as we both moved, got involved with other people, made new friends). So yes, there will be sun and it'll will be all right...I promise.

Okay so not so drive by as I intended. I get to typing and even though most of the time I ramble, I love stopping by my blog and giving it some love. I hope to get better at blogging more often. Not to mention my need to catch up on all my favorite blogs..I'm sorely behind!

Ohhh hey---if you haven't seen my latest article, check out this little blurb. Very cool!

***Question of the post--I kinda know what color I want to do my large piece but would love to hear from you. Do you have a color you think I should try out?? What's your opinion?? Remember, I try to stick to 2-3 main colors and then use different values of those colors in my pieces for the most part.

Can't wait to hear your ideas!

Life is Good---read on!

Life is good :)

I have been blessed to be published in the new Cloth Paper Scissors (March/April) issue! I'm really excited to share this new piece which unveils one of my signature techniques with a bit of a twist! Be sure to check it out next week when it arrives on the news stands!

In addition to the article, a few of my tips and prompts are sprinkled throughout some of their new sections! I'm so excited :) This is the last article I have submitted so I need to get busy so I can meet my goal of being published a few times this year.

I'm loving all the comments in my last post about what you LOVE, it's so fun to get to know all of the Sweet Repeaters better! Speaking of getting to know each other better, I was asked to participate in the lovely and uber talented Chrysti Hydeck's 29 days of giving feature she has been doing on her blog. In doing so, I was interviewed and offered up 3 GREAT prizes, one of which is an ORIGINAL painting!

Go and check it out here and let me know what you think :)

((My February giveaway is open until the 25th so if you haven't signed up...whatchya waiting for???)))

With Heartfelt Thanks!

I can hardly believe it's been over a week since I last posted. Well, when that happens you know I'm out of sorts as I'm normally pretty reliable....normally. This week has been the exception to the rule with me feeling like total junk, run down, congested, body aches...blah blah blah blah blah. Add that to having to work on opening a new branch, get adjusted to a new schedule, and a few other misc. things added in and you have my excuse as to why I haven't posted.

I did manage to get to the Carolina Mixed Media Guild meeting on Thursday, lucky thing as I was to present a demo on using acrylic mediums to add texture to mixed media paintings. I debated on whether or not to cancel. I really really wanted to have the opportunity to do the presentation but with feeling so ill I could barely muster the energy to get dressed and get to work let alone work on a presentation and samples. Well, somehow I did it even though I wasn't at a 100%, and I actually survived! :)


This is one of the samples I brought to the monthly meeting. 4 x 6 mixed media collage on canvas, using acrylic paint, papers, stamps, graphite pencil & washes, gesso, then for my feature technique-I used tar gel to create a unique image transfer. This piece is called "Broken"--which is basically how I've felt for a long time, brokenhearted if you will so I thought it appropriate to use a portrait of myself over top a little journal writing which lets my constant questioning of 'why' come out in my art. I've pretty much moved past this time in my life, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't have sadness over what could have been....

The uniqueness of using tar gel for an image transfer is the fact you only need one coat of the gel over top of the image. With most gels, you need to use typically 4 coats to get a good transfer, letting each dry for a day before adding the next coat. With tar gel, one coat does the trick! For this image I used an inkjet print sprayed with workable fixative to set the ink. I added a layer of gel and then let dry overnite before peeling the paper off the back of the print to acheive the image/skin.


Another good reason to go to this month's CMMAG meeting was our ATC Valentine's Day swap. Penny our new President made these uber adorable goody boxes to hold our treasures. After my demo, everyone started the ritual of trading cards and ohhhhing and awwwing everyone's beautiful creations. It was so much fun! I truly felt like I was back in grade school!

These are samples of the ATC's I made for the group. I collaged canvas paper, used a brayer loaded with 3 colors and then adhered fabric/paper hearts I made then finished off by adding some text and a little decorations with gel pens. Lots of fun!!

Enjoy a sampling of other members cards--each and everyone was totally unique!


Awww...Debbie's included a sweet treat!


What a great way to spend the Thursday before Valentine's Day, don't ya think?? I appreciate those that were at our meeting and put up with my feeling under the weather, it was thrilling to be able to do a presentation amongst such a talented group of artists! Thank you again for support :)

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Some sad news to report--my step mother in Florida is not doing well at all..things don't look good unfortunately. Out of the blue, her heart stopped and she went into seizures one night last week--she has spent the last week on life support and nothing seems to be working. No answers as to why this happened or even any forwarning. According to my father, the evening was normal, laughing, joking, spending time with the family, went to bed, hugged good night and said their love for one another then next thing he knew, she was having seizures (never happened before). It doesn't seem fair to have no warning, or is that a blessing? Please keep my father and my step sisters and all in your thoughts and prayers if you will. Life will not be the same for them.

CMMAG Interview--check it out!

I'm excited to share this interview I did for the Carolina Mixed Media Guild for which I've been a member of for a little over a year. This group has a huge pool of wonderful mixed media artists. I'm honored to be a part of such a diverse and talented group.

Thanks Michelle for doing the interview with me, it was lots of fun!!

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On the creative front, not much going on this week. I've been struck with some sort of flu bug that has left me pretty much useless. It came on all of a sudden but when it hit, it felt like someone took a sledgehammer against my chest and then hit my head for good measure! I even missed my beloved First Friday at the Artist Alley.....wahhhh...that's one event that I've grown to enjoy with all my local artists friends. We meet monthly, share goodies, network, and then often meet afterward for dinner and or a drink. Always lots of fun and many laughs.

The good news is that I did have a chance to meet up with several of the gals over at Nanette's for another creative Art Play Night--a tradition I think we are going to keep! Check out the fun!

Penny, Nanette (our lovely hostess with the mostess), Amy and Kathy all enjoying some wine and creative time

My project for the evening--working on some Valentine ATC's. The hearts are made from from some cool fabric paper I made with a combination of fabric, tissue, paper, paint, stamps, stencils and more. Lots of fun :)

Hope you have an opportunity this week to share your creativity with the world :)

Spread the Love--Sweet Repeats January Giveaway!

Starting off a new tradition, it's a New Year anyway--I'm going to host a giveaway each month!! I love giveaways and what better way to promote my new article in Cloth Paper Scissors, 'Itty Bitty Bits of Inspiration" which is out in news stands on January 6th. Win one of my magnets as part of the giveaway AND a $20 dollar gift certificate to my shop!
The 20 dollar gift certificate can be applied towards more magnets, prints, or to put towards an original painting.


How to enter?

Leave a comment and tell me what your greatest accomplishment was in 2008!

You get extra bonus points for linking back to this post in a blog post of your own, simply leave another comment with your link.

Giveaway open until January 9th!

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I'm almost finished with larger version of my magnets, these are 6 x 6 on 3/4 inch masonite, created in the same technique as described in my article, just larger. I was inspired by a potential client asking for a custom piece but in a larger format.
I think I will call them:

Sweet Wall HeARTs
What do you think?


When complete, they will have a hanger on the back. I may offer them in different sizes as I think I used up about all of my 6 x 6 wood pieces. One of my internal resolutions is to cut way back on my supply spending and use what I have to complete new pieces. I know a lot of others have a 'creative purgatory of supplies' (thanks Penny for the quote) like me and need to downsize just to think so join a long with my resolution if you'd like. Of course now, I do have a few dollars left on a Michael's gift card so that doesn't count, just for the record. I actually created a 'bizness' budget for myself for 2009. It's not elaborate but it does give me some guidance and a plan for my art business.
Basically I included: shipping and packaging supplies (cello bags and chipboard for my prints as well as envelopes, tape, tissue, bubble wrap, etc), a print alotment each month, basic supplies, marketing and advertising, professional dues, entertainment (gotta have money to go out to eat or host more art parties with my creative friends), education (I'd love to got to an art retreat but I still can't afford it-but I may be able to take an online class), and then finally, my big Daddy purchase that I'll make this year...soon...a new desktop AND new laptop. I've debated and debated about whether to buy a laptop or a desktop and what size, type, printer, blah blah blah. There's pros and cons to both but in the end, I think buying the best desktop possible so I can do digital art and more with my pictures is really where I want to focus. Then I'll buy a lower end laptop just so I can be mobile and have access to my 'business' and email when I'm away from home. I will only really need that mostly for internet/email so it doesn't have to be the big dog of laptops.

So there you go. I checked off something that was on my 2009 to do list. Now to stick to my budget---stay tuned and see if I can do it!

Don't forget to enter my contest for a magnet and a gift certificate (tell me what your greatest accomplishment in 2008 was), and spread the word for an extra entry!

In 2009, I hope to reach at least 200 sales so I appreciate your help to give me some exposure!

Art Everyday Month--November 24-25 Winter in NY collection 2

**Post updated---I always like to see the beginning of something so I can appreciate the journey it took to get to the end--so take a look at the stages of my latest collection and enjoy the ride.**
1st pic--plain background on an incredibly clean table for me...lol. Wow. Have to chronicle that one. If you could see it now....well...let's just say it doesn't look the same as this pic. I have a feeling the cleaning fairies are visiting tonight so I can start cooking tomorrow and setting the real table that has been put away for several months. For one glorious day this year. I will have a dining room table.

Using acrylic glaze and washes of color over molding paste---you begin to see the textures take on a life of their own.


More washes and detailing now see this project to the end where the subjects are defined, the details are in place...and Winter arrives in full force on my canvases....

Just a quick post

to show you my Winter In NY collecton 2 that I've finished....

It's cold enough to rename these pieces, Winter in North Carolina!

Don't forget to book mark my shop if you are looking for some holiday deals...


Starting on Thanksgiving!! Hope you all have a wonderful day and rest of the week.

I know one thing, I WILL NOT be going to the grocery store again this week. Geesh. I've dropped a load of bills there!!! wahhh!