Getting out there

Our local Border's is going out of business. I got some great moleskin sketchbooks for 40% off, and a table display for the art show this summer!!!

Two weekends ago, we met up with Mom, Dad, Kendall, Luke, and Pax at Borders since they had recently discounted the books even more! Upon arrival, I headed straight to the Arts section, where I found a small collection of graffiti books...and empty shelves :/...disappointment.

Then, I spotted Mom. She was huddled close to a shelf rapidly flipping through books. As I snuck up to scare her :) I saw the vast array of the exact books that I had been searching for!!!! The two of us stood there for an hour flipping through every mixed media/artist journal/crafting technique book that was left! Surprisingly, we narrowed it down to only 3, and this was my purchase:
It was the first book Mom handed to me when I walked up, and she proclaimed, "I think you could use this for the show this summer," and she was right! I am about a quarter of the way through it right now, and have made about a million margin notes!

Good news, what I'm doing is pretty much every thing she's suggested. However, there is SO much more that I can do!!! I'm working on this slowly because, seriously, I have a 7 month old :D I don't want to get too far ahead of myself! But, she does give great ideas!

These are some of the things that I am wanting to do:

*Grow my Etsy site (the silhouettes are the only thin listed right now :)
*Promote myself, get a clientele. I need to move beyond the wonderful family and friends who have been buying my products
*Create a website...if only I had the capability to design my own site...I can see it in my mind!
*Attend more art fairs, and maybe get my work in some more stores.
*My ultimate goal: To open a Studio/Gallery shop to teach classes and sell local art work!

Basically, I just need to get this thing off the ground! I have really enjoyed following many blogs of those of you who seem to have succeeded in these areas. I would LOVE your advice and suggestions!

Silhouettes

I have recently been working on a new project! Silhouettes are very big right now, and I have had a blast getting to play around with the traditional craft.

I thought I would vamp things up to modernize it a bit, and came up with these adorable canvases!

Right now, these sweet little gifts are the only item in my Etsy Shop, which is also why I haven't advertised my shop yet. It's a little too empty to be broadcasting it, but I couldn't hold this item from you any longer!!!
Now, don't think that these treasures are only for your little girls. I'd don't have an example up right now, but little boys and even DOGS look adorable captured on these canvases!

You would be ordering a fabric covered canvas, with the fabric of your choice, with the silhouette of your child(ren), or pet created in artist acrylics. They look adorable in any child's room, and will capture this moment in time!!!

Please head over to my Etsy Shop and check them out!!!

My groove :)

T-man and I were sick for over 2 weeks :/ It was my first time being sick as a Mommy, and it was super hard, especially since the babe was sick too! We're feeling much better now, and back into our normal groove!

I'm not sure if it was just the lack of energy from the flu, or what, but for a while I was feeling, well, less than inspired. I think I was trying to for myself to create in a way that I'm not used to, and it backfired...until...
Da da da! It hit again! I'm not sure what it was, but I became completely inspired to create Wild Flowers!!!
I used left over scraps from previous projects,
and painted over an abstract piece that I was less than pleased with.
I had just picked up this gorgeous turquoise, and was thrilled to use it!!!
Ta-da!!! I love it!!!
I may add a bit more to it, but we'll see. I've got a second one in the works as well, but it's not quite done! Enjoy the flowers!

Abstracted

At the beginning of the year, Big A surprised me with a painting class that I had been wanting to take! Nikko was offering an abstract oil painting class, and I was on cloud 9! I LOVE abstract, and it has been years since I had dusted off my oil set (I actually had to find it!), and was ready to get the show on the road! I was super pumped that I was going to whip out a TON of paintings in the 7 week course time...

Things didn't go exactly as expected :) Nikko is an amazing teacher, and my class was so much fun. Everyone came from different art backgrounds, and produced their own individual styles. I, however, wasn't able to find my groove as I usually do. I could blame it on baby brain, but I'm sure that it was just that I was out of practice!

As the weeks went on, I produced some pieces here and there that I loved, and actually did really well on the night that Nikko taught us mixed media with acrylic...but that's only because that's what I've been doing lately! Either way, it was a confidence boost to finish the class strong.

Last night was our last class (*sigh* and *light sob*). I actually brought back 2 paintings that I had worked on over the weeks, and probably had at least 3 paintings layered on the canvas! It was a relaxing evening, and I enjoyed the fellowship of my new friends greatly. But the biggest joy was the paintings that appeared at the end of my brush!

After I took this picture, I added a little more detail with graphite, and I think it brought the whole piece together.
This last one is my favorite, and the picture doesn't accurately show the vibrancy of the colors. If you frequent this blog, you know that color is sort of my thing. It's like i toss the whole crayon box on whatever I'm working on! ...I think that was my problem in this class. As I was getting used to the fluidity of the medium, my colors continued to get muddied, and i attemped to layer in the same way that I do with acrylics. I finally had a break through, and really liked the results!!!

I will probably attempt to do a bit more abstract with my acrylics, so I will share my journey as I go!!!