Three more faces!

Portraits 2 and 3

I've doubled up this morning - here are number 2 and 3.  I used the same markers (Prisma and Copic ) but a different type of paper. Much smoother - I liked the way the markers responded much better.
I promise these ladies did not plan to wear almost the exact same thing LOL ;)

Portrait No. 1

The first portrait for 29 faces is complete!
This was done in artist markers on watercolor paper - ACEO

In which Art Squirrels Scamper Through my Head...

So I sat down last night with a handful of art supplies, thinking that I would create something like this:

I

And instead ended up with

 

I'm not quite sure what happened there, or what the squirrels in my head have been eating. I'm pretty okay with how the surprise art turned out, but I really wish I could create what I set out to do every single time.

Somehow my ideas get lost in my brain or on the way to my fingers ( maybe they get lost in my arm??)

So, tonight I'm getting out the pile o' art things again - who knows what will happen! Maybe I'll set out to draw a miniature landscape and end up with a five legged horse. Which would be quite possible because I can't draw horses worth beans.

 

 

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The Power of Purple

First, some sobering statistics:

*One in 4 women will experience domestic violence during her lifetime.

*Every year, more than 3 million children witness domestic violence in their homes.

*According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, domestic violence is the third leading cause of homelessness among families.
(source - http://www.safehorizon.org)

You are probably aware that domestic violence affects people, mostly women, of all walks of life, of every race, on every rung of the economic ladder. It is a problem that affects the children and families of the victims as well. You might not be aware, however, that October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Each of us can do our part, either by spreading the word, volunteering, or donating to any of the numerous women's shelters or related charities throughout the world.

This October I'm trying to do my part by using what I love - art!

This lovely purple treasury is a collection of beautiful finds, with a message of healing.



I am also going to do my best to contribute to local shelters using proceeds from the sales of my art. I have several auctions on eBay, such as this ACEO, which will automatically send a percentage to the Houston Area Women's Center when the item is sold.

And since PURPLE is the color used to promote awareness of domestic violence, I am going to be using purple in as much of my art as I can. This little ACEO is just one example -

I hope you've been inspired to seek out ways to help in your community!

Small wonders

 

 

Small format art, or SFA, includes any work measuring no greater than 14 inches, or 35.6 centimeters, in either direction. These miniature masterpieces are an enjoyable and affordable way to bring art into your home, either as additions to your decor or as part of a new or growing art collection.

As an artist, I love using my imagination to create little scenes that will fit on an ACEO,

 

or a 2" x 2" canvas.

 

Little works of art such as these can be displayed as a whole collection on a shelf, or matted and framed together on a wall in your living room. I hope the miniature scenes you've scene here have struck your fancy or have peaked your interest, and that soon you'll have your own little SFA collection!

 

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A beautiful collection of....collections!

The past several days have seen quite a number of wonderful treasuries - all filled with beautiful art, and handmade and vintage pieces.

 

I've been privileged to be a part of some of these collections:

and I've even put together a fun collection of my own!


I hope you'll take a moment or two to browse through these great finds, and perhaps pay a visit to some of the wonderful Etsy shops represented!

 

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a quick hello and update on things!

Wow - has it really been over a month since I last posted here? yikes!



I've been in the midst of creating, and have been busy with a home refinance and a bunch of other things...



One of my next upcoming "side projects" will be to enter the next upcoming ATC swap hosted by Grumbacher Art Supplies. Details are posted on the official Grumbacher facebook page, in the "notes" section.

Deadline is July 1st to get your card postmarked so you still have a little more than a week to submit a beach-themed artist's trading card!

So what does weekday morning traffic have to do with art....?

If you've ever wandered over to my other website and caught a glimpse of my little blog I have there,you might have seen my post a little over a month ago about how I had just been inspired to begin a new piece.



Weeks have passed since I began work on the piece, and I'm happy to say that I have finally finished!



You can see the detail more clearly here:



This abstract landscape began with a glance out of a car window, then continued its journey as first a drawing in stark black and white, and finally was given bold strokes of color.


As of right now this mixed-media abstract artwork has earned the name "View 59-1960", because inspiration does not always mean a creative title.

Rite of Spring

Spring is almost here. In fact, here in southeast Texas we can pretty much say that spring is around the corner by the end of January. This year I'm welcoming the season by planting new things in my garden - strawberries, cabbage, and spinach (and a replacement rosemary plant for the one that died) and working on some pieces that will feature the colors of spring.

 

 

 

I wanted to showcase the soft shades of green and aqua, as well as the colors of the warm sun and budding flowers. They are both in acrylics - the first painting is on an artists panel measuring 6" x 8", and the second is on a 1 1/2" deep canvas measuring (I believe) 12" x 24". Neither piece is titled yet.

I'll also work on producing some ACEOs to showcase spring themes. I may follow the trend of the two paintings and create simple, abstract pieces, or I may decide to produce more detailed works such as this one, Titled "Among All the Commotion":

So, with new art ideas, along with projects around the house, lots of thorough cleaning, not to mention my full time day job, I've really got work to do!

What plans have you got for spring?

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The season of love...mittens...and snuggling!

Even here in always hot and humid southeast Texas, it has been cold and rainy lately. Afternoons indoors listening to chilly wind and rain prompt thoughts of warm blankets, hot cocoa, and a good book - preferably shared with that special someone.

Here are some great snuggle-weather finds from some wonderful shops:

I love these half-finger gloves from Deekas! I love the idea of having that extra warmth- and the color combo is so pretty!

 

Oh and I think these hand warmers from WormeWoole are the neatest thing! What a sweet, unique gift for Valentines Day!

More finds are in this treasury I recently put together:


 

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Snowflake Showcase

a look at some Wintry and Wonderful treasuries!


"Soltice" - my little ACEO, Wonderland, is featured!





And this one features one of my digital art pieces, "Skylight"






I love the beauty and sparkle of these treasuries:









OH! before I forget! There are some sparkly pleases and thank yous and chocolates awaiting you if you click the button below, which will take you to a really great blog featuring even more pretty snowflakes!

A look back at some fun treasuries :)

This past week I have gotten the chance to not only curate but be a part of wonderful treasuries on Etsy



Smack in the middle of the week, of course, was Halloween. I took some time out from sneaking fun-sized candy bars to create this fun Halloween-themed treasury:




It was so hard to pick a favorite from the bunch! Let's just say that ALL of the featured shops have many wonderful unique things that made me smile and go "oooo!"



I was also thrilled to be a part of a beautiful purple and green themed treasury, curated by Pam of MainelyDwyers



Here is the little cityscape ACEO that was among all the beautiful jewel-toned items:

Wordless Wednesday September 26, 2012

 

 

And a new listing preview...

 


Must taste like candy!

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what is this and tell your friends math CAN be cool...

I'm continuing my dabbling and messing around in Procreate(tm), which I first mentioned here, and I've added even more nifty cool fun to my repertoire via a fractal generating app. Now, fractals have always fascinated me, even though I've never been able to wrap my head around the mathematical equations used to produce them.

Image by Free-StockPhotos.com


Yes. OMG math. what is this I don't even...



Math is supposed to be boring and numbers and why do we have to memorize this stupid quadratic equation and NO! you tell ME how to find X, because I have better things to do...



So I've started combining some cool fractally wonders and some other cool and nifty artsy ideas, and have come up with something like this:






Of course, now I'm stuck not knowing what to call this colorful...fun ...strange...fractal...thing...



So...I'd love to hear some ideas on a title. What words come to mind when you look at the piece? What catches your eye first? I'd love to hear from you!

Getting a little procreative...

A few days ago I downloaded a really neat app onto my iPad (okay besides the blogging app I'm using and still floundering at) - called "Procreate". I've explored and played with brushes and textures, and have even downloaded a few extra brush sets. So far I've really enjoyed using it, and have created some pretty cool art in the meantime...

 

This one was my first - I just felt like playing with colors in the background - I think that's either the "decimal" or "halftone" brush in the background (the dots)

 



Loved the brushes in the retro set - can you tell?

 

 

This one started with a photo of clouds taken in my backyard - see them in the background?

 

This is my latest - inspired by the fireworks displays on the Fourth. The fireworks themselves were made using a modified brush from the "luminance" brush set.

 

Soon I hope to have a few new additions to my "pretty little pixels"section!

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Friday faves!

Here are just a few of the pretty things I've added to my faves on etsy:

I love this vintage teapot, which can be found inveranellie's shop...

this bracelet went from my faves to my purchases in the same day! You can find more fun finds like it here at BeadsNStyle.

And finally, this fun, colorful piece by Heather Montgomery.

I encourage you to click the links and explore these shops and the countless others etsy has to offer! You never know what you might find!

The colors of inspiration

For Valentine's Day, I received from my absolutely wonderful "significant other" a bright, rainbow-colored knotted and woven bracelet. Since then, I have worn it just about every day (sometimes being in a rush and forgetting to put on my usual at least three bracelets before heading out the door), and have found myself studying the combinations of colors within the piece.

I have discovered that, even though I call it my "rainbow bracelet", the various color groupings are not of your typical ROYGBIV variety, but interesting variations of the same. I've found that the green-plus-yellow-plus-purple, or the pink-plus-orange-plus-green combinations, along with the others that catch my eye, to be great food for my imagination.

So, this begins a side-trip into the colorful corner of my mind, where I will begin creating art full of enough rainbows to feed all the unicorns in the universe.

Unicorns love sharpie markers.

some new-found inspirations...CityScapes

Sometimes this week, or perhaps this weekend, I'm going to start working on a painting or two. Of course, this depends on what sorts of fun things the house and kids suggest for me to do - you know, the usual laundry, cleaning, errand-running, etc...

If you have browsed through my paintings you may notice that much of my work revolves around trees and forests. However, I also have a love for interesting cityscapes!

I've decided that my next series will be based on and inspired by photos, memories, and paintings that I have seen of various skylines and cityscapes that I have seen. I'm even considering putting down the acrylics and - GASP! - using watercolor for a change heh heh...

Here are a few pictures that others have produced that have inspired me and gotten my brain churning and conjuring ideas:

There are so many amazing places - I'm going to enjoy this project! :)

Trends? What trends...?

So... Are you a trend follower?

...Me?... hmm.... no...

I can't bring myself to do it.


Which is why my art will always consist of whatever I think is awesomesauce at the time of my creating the thing of art. Whatever that thing of art might be.

Today it has been miniature paintings - two of them, actually. They're not finished, yet, but because I started one, my brain decided I needed to start another YES AT THE SAME TIME RIGHT NOW.

The point of this is not that I suddenly had the urge to create two paintings at once today, but that I chose paint colors that I thought would look interesting, or created textures that I enjoyed the look of. I don't pay attention to whether or not the combination of orange and purple is a trendy color scheme, for instance. I merely start painting and grab colors that catch my eye at the time.

I'll even just start randomly picking colors that transition from one to the other, which, I admit, might be a little predictable, but if I like the result I figure someone else might, as well.

So, when you're browsing my shop for art, you won't find the latest...you won't find trendy...and you certainly won't find fashionable.


Because truthfully, you should NEVER expect fashionable from an artist whose socks never match :P