Split Personalities

 Sometimes I think I have a split personality. Well a lot of times I think that, especially when I'm working on projects. Often times I have many things going on at once and my head is buzzing with ideas and like a chicken I pop from one thing to the next and then go run and do a load of laundry and come back and wonder who the heck destroyed my studio while I slipped out for a few minutes.

 This week has been no exception, did I say this week..well actually it's been the last few months dealing with controlled chaos (not sure of the exact definition of that...you'll just have to visualize what that means).   And then all at once things start to come together.  

It's funny though to look at the pieces that are born during times like these. I do have a method to my madness, but it kinda amazes me I can go from the painting above to this one below all during the same painting session.

I like things visually stimulating whether its through color, texture, or composition. I enjoy adding fun crazy cool and made up elements....

 

....and then I like to bring it down a notch and keep it simple but  yet still full of texture and interest.

Kind of like my personality, I can be all over the place and into everything but when I'm ready to dig in or relax, I like the simple things in life. It doesn't take a lot to make me happy, just a bit of variety in the day.

 I'm heading back to the beach soon and taking these with me...Save the date:  June 6th from 6:30-8:30 an opening reception for my exhibit "Coastal Reverie at Artful Living Group, located on Cape Fear Blvd in Carolina Beach.  It'll be a feast for your eyes, full of color, whimsy and coastal memories displayed on the canvas and I can't wait!

Jodi

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Have you heard about Gelli printing? It's all the rage right now and I'm thrilled to be teaching a class that will go over some printing basics,  add some super cool exciting tricks to get the most of your gelli plate, AND show you some awesome ways to use the gazillion prints we will create in class.

This October at Art Is You...come join us!

 

 

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Perhaps Faces are your thing, if so, check out my "Mermaids and Maidens" class also at Art Is you,  there is no doubt you will come away with a magical and mystical portrait of a maiden or mermaid that is full of depth and color with the step by step instructions I'll have for you.  

Join in on the fun!

 

From this to this...

Since returning from the Outerbanks, I've been painting like a mad woman.  See, a break does do one good.  As does having lots of deadlines to meet but we'll stick with the inspiration as the reason for my majorly productive week.

First things first this week though, I had to start with cleaning my studio.  It may not look spic an span but if you had seen it before....oh my....it was a pure t disaster area!

...and just for giggles, here's my studio when I first bought the house and had a feature in Cloth Paper Scissors, "Studios".  HA.  I am not sure I"ll ever get back to that pristine state!

See that ladder over to the right...at one time it housed all my art supplies.  See the very first picture to see where I'm at now....at least where I let you see!! :)

I do love all the shelves, it couldn't have worked out better for me in that aspect. Looking at this picture makes me long for an even tidier studio but at the same time, I'm so much more busy with projects than I was at the time I had this picture taken. It had to have been back in 2009 or 2010 before I left the bank (in October 2011).  Since that time I've gone from having 3 online classes to 10 going on all at the same time, 2 galleries and shops to about 13 or so, and many other projects like articles, special videos for partners,  workshops and retreats and so on. So ya...having a messy studio or a full studio rather isn't a bad thing. I'm grateful for having things to keep me busy and very grateful for the continued inspiration coming my way to keep me moving forward.

Speaking of inspiration...I wanted to share with you one of my latest paintings from start to finish.  Nothing fancy, just a slide show of my work in progression.  I use some of these techniques in several of my classes and will be featuring a portion of the process (and a whole lot more) in my in person class at Art Is You in Stamford, "Mermaids and Maidens"

Take a look to see how I went from this...

 To this......

It wasn't easy..and I made a lot of changes along the way..but I love how she came out.  Portraits take a lot of time.  Some artist spend months on them and others can knock them out in a day or so. I'm somewhere in between.  I love adding depth with color and texture and layers upon layers of paint.  

I used a variety of materials including Golden and Matisse acrylics,  stencils (some that I am working on for a special project for Jerry's Artarama.. hey rumor has it we may even be working on some videos for them as well.shhhhhh!!), inks by liquitex, charcoal, paste, neocolor ii crayons, and then final paint layer using Silk Acrylics and Primary Elements from my friends at Splash of Color.

So there you have it....a peak at a bit of my process, of course during my classes I really go in depth and walk you through all the stages and give you lots of tips about products, how to use them, when to use them, practice exercises and more.   I hope to see you in one of my classes, either online or in person.  Until then,  take your time, don't be afraid to make adjustments, play with color, let your imagination go and enjoy the process.   This painting was completed over the course of 3 days or so, so keep that in mind if you are doing this your self.  Patience. Patience. Patience.
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Don't forget, my Mother's Day special ends in just a couple of days! Come take advantage of my sale over at Creative Workshops!

AprilSale 20% off Discount and MORE!

Hey y'all! Happy Friday Eve! I just wanted to give you a sneak peek at some of my new items in my Etsy shop and to tell you about a SHORT Sale I'm having (using coupon code APRILSALE) you can save 20% off your ENTIRE purchase from now through Sunday. So be sure to stop by and check out what's new and wonderful as well as some of my existing items....I'm about to change out a lot of pieces to go to different shops as well as a show so if you see something you like, don't delay, it may not be there long!! :)

 The best thing is these lovelies can be enjoyed WITHOUT any worries of calories!!! YAY

I like that!  I've been on a diet and am starting to shape up so I'm living vicariously through my cakes.

haha.  They are good but I still crave sweets from time to time....sigh. Bathing suit season is almost here! YIKES.  And my 25th year reunion...double yikes! Not sure how that can be so....my invitation but have come to the wrong house!!

:)

My week has been a little busy coming back from GA and decompressing from a show that took a lot out of me...I'm still not fully unpacked!  I do have a lot of work on my kitchen table....if you could see how my studio has bled into my living room and kitchen, you'd swear I was living at an art warehouse!!! Even though things didn't go just as I had hoped for the show, I've done my best to get back on the saddle and dive into new projects.......such as getting ready to send some orders out to new customers on the coast and in Ohio!  

Things like my new line of 'beachy' fun art like my cute little shrimpy guy:

And for another shop that is all about mermaids...will be getting a couple of my new sweet mermaid girls:

I'm loving doing these type of funky portraits lately, I had to keep one for my Etsy shop...

Here is a peak at "Sea of Love"....I started drawing her at the show when I was slow and just maybe..maybe...it was a good use of my time (if she sells..LOL...it will be) and maybe the weekend won't feel like it was totally wasted.

Click on the picture to see the full piece!

If any of you are in the neighborhood next weekend, I will be at Spring Fest in Southern Pines, NC....downtown Broad St will have over 150 vendors showing their lovely art and crafts on Saturday, April 28th from 10-4pm.    My booth is in the same location its been the last couple of years, right in front of Denkers. I hope to see you there. I will have a whole new body of work to show off that I'm really excited about!!!

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Well kids, that's all for now...I need to go back and paint a bit more....there are lots of irons in the fire coming up so I better get busy and create...create....create!!!

Don't forget to take advantage of my sale this weekend

Use Aprilsale  at check out to receive 20% off your entire purchase!!!

Offer is good thru Sunday!

Have a wonderful and creative weekend!!

xoxo

Jodi

A little tour of my artsy world and our next Artful Gathering instructor, Zinnia Galliher!!

Hi kids! Waving hello from sunny NC..and sharing pics from my latest show (first of the season) in Acworth, Ga.  You can see behind me my new collection of owls and summertime art that I've been doing (whimsical beachy characters, mermaids, and lighthouses).  Color collections are something I've been working on since I've began painting and it's one of the most exciting parts of playing out ideas I have in my head and doing so in funky colors that really pop and speak to those that view my work.

 Here's a little peak from the side of the booth...lots of nooks and crannies of goodness spread throughout. One thing I strive to do in my shows is to have something for everyone, so even if you can't afford my 600 dollar painting, I have everything from cards for 4.00 to small minis under 25 and everything in between! Hopefully that's a good strategy..I have tossed it up in my head as to whether or not to only bring mid to high priced originals and forgo all the little items but the economical voice in my head says to have something for everyone because I hope to inspire the masses and not just a select few with my artwork.
On the flip side..it could hurt me because if someone sees a print for 12-15 dollars, after they see an original..they may opt for just the print but its a gamble either way you look at it...

 ...some of my mermaids in my new collection :)

Cake art along side some of my marketing material from published work in some awesome magazines :)

2 of my favorite new paintings. I especially love the colors in the my long village painting, "A Beautiful Messed Up World"....it also contains graffiti writing on top and underneath the work of all of my life secrets. If you took the time to decipher it all..you'd really gain some insight into my world!! LOL That could be good or bad depending on how you look at it!!

 My funky lighthouses...I've been painting tons of these pretties for my summer galleries down by the beach and for anyone that truly loves the majesty and mystery of lighthouses...the symbolic wisdom of guidance and direction they offer as well as the staples of a coastal community, offering safety and direction to those that need it the most.  I'm fascinated by them but of course I like to portray a fun version of what I see and that's exactly what this series is all about. :)

whoohooooo...some more owls in fact these are samples from my upcoming class at Artful Gathering (and today is blog hop day so be sure to read on and meet another wonderful instructor!).  Sign ups start MAY 3rd!!!!!!! YAY~

"Discover"....
This is a playful graffiti abstract that I just adore, it's a 24 x 36 painting that to me encourages one to just go for it..lay all your cards on the table and just dive into the world, take a chance, explore, discover, and be YOU.
Go out and enjoy this world, we only have one chance to get it right!! :)
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And now....check out our next instructor for the Artful Gathering blog hop, our fearless leader, Zinnia Galliher
Our Next Artist is Up for the Artful Gathering Blog Hop!

Celebrating Artful Gathering 2012 Online Art Retreat,
Open for Registration!
Blog Hop your way for chance to win!

From June to August 2012, ArtfulGathering.com will be presenting TWO exciting semesters of premiere online video workshops offered by fabulous artists who are known nationally and internationally. We are all very excited to share out knowledge, skill, and creativity with you, and we hope that you will join us for this AMAZING annual online event.

Blog Hop with us for a chance to win a prizes from Jerry's Artarama!

Each week the faculty of Artful Gathering will be announcing a featured blog to visit.

You can hop along with us until the final destination blog is reached, and where ONE Grand Prize winner will be chosen at Random for a chance to win a $200.00 e-gift card from Jerry's Artarama!!!Two Runner Up winners will also be chosen at random for a chance to win a $25.00 e-gift card from Jerrys.

Each week I will announce the next featured blog for you to visit, and there you will find a new secret word or words that you will need to collect along your way from blog to blog. Once you have collected all the words from each blog you visit, they will work out to say a very artsy phrase. Here are the rules:

1. For your chance to win, you must collect all the secret code words and submit them upon the final destination blog in May. A random drawing will be conducted from those contestants who have submitted the complete collection of secret words!
2. Three winners will be randomly drawn. One for the $200.00 e-card to Jerry's, and two runner's up for the 25.00 e-card to Jerrys.

Remember to collect all the secret words. These words will work out to say a very artful phrase, and you'll need all the pieces to be eligible for the final prize drawings!

Please HOP over and visit the Amazing

Cristina Zinnia Galliher

http://zinniasart.blogspot.com

(Pick Up the Next Secret Word)

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