Me,down to a fine art

Still Painting

2010-10-13T17:02:00.000-07:00

Another painting as I explore . I don't know how I feel about it, but it's interesting !

Royal Bird

2010-10-06T17:04:00.001-07:00

I was able to paint this morning . I was very discouraged over a piece of bad art but I am learning that the best way to get past it is let it go and just keep painting . I liked this piece .It is very colorful and fairytale like . The princess doesn't have a face because she didn't want one;)

I honestly don't think I would be painting if not for Wyanne's class . I am grateful that I am, wherever it leads .

Pumpkin angel

2010-10-02T17:05:00.000-07:00

I painted ! Me , who hated paint !! Thank you Wyanne . I started painting pumpkins and this little Angel just showed up . I sketched her out and painted her . I thought she was a fairy at first but I think she's an angel .

It's a beginning ..

Goals and Goings on

2010-09-29T07:42:00.000-07:00

Image by Carla O'connor
I was inspired by Kelly Berkey ,who recently did a Vlog on her blog(wow, that sounds like a Dr suessism) about what she was working on and what her aspirations were. I thought I would share mine. I am very involved in Wyanne's Paint free class . I am discovering some important things about myself . I remember when I signed up for her class that I thought " I don't like paint but I do want to discover my style so Ill just use what she teaches with a different medium " but I have actually painted and am looking forward to painting more. I am starting to see a color palette emerge . I have discovered that I like canvas better than paper to paint on . I also like to paint on larger surfaces . I recently painted on an 11x14 and I felt it was to small .I am feeling less frustration with paint. I really cant put all the things about this I am feeling into words but hopefully eventually it will show in my artwork .I am keeping the things I am painting strictly in the Paint free class to keep the process intact but I am in that class with some incredible ladies . If you want to register for the Oct 25 class , I highly recommend it . It has been worth every penny so far and we are just starting the third week.

I am also working on my drawing skills . I signed up here and I am going to make it a goal to sketch everyday and I am practicing value .

I am also making it a point to study anatomy . My goal is to render the human form in my art and I also love faces . I ordered this book . I think it is important to know anatomy if you are going to draw the human figure .

I am really trying to learn the " Language of art " and get to a place where I have the knowledge to express myself more freely . The land of art is very vast . I am only just beginning to discover it and what it has to offer .

If you would have told me 20 years ago that art would become a passion of mine , I never would have believed it . I feel very small in the land of art . I have so much to learn and I am surprising myself with the things I am drawn too and how little I know . I am studying art history, when I can . I am ashamed to say that I know very little of some of the great artists.

Things I thought I didn't like I am being drawn too. I recently discovered Virginia Cobb and Carla O'connor . They paint in abstraction . I found myself wanting very much to explore that . So really I am at a very exploratory stage . I have no idea yet what my favorite medium is or where I plan to go . It is exciting and scary at the same time . I am like a baby discovering a new world. I am obsessed with learning right now and I think sometimes that's where the frustration comes from I want to run before I can crawl , so to speak . I can see small improvements and thats a good thing .So what about you ? what are your goals and aspirations?

Paint Free

2010-09-24T15:42:00.000-07:00

Hi all , I am laying in bed sick . I hate being sick . I really don't feel up to doing anything at the moment so I thought I would Blog . I wanted to share with you how much I am loving Wyanne's new class "Paint Free" . We are only in the second week and I am learning things about myself. I think it is the most active I have been in a class and I love the energy coming from the other classmates and Guess what ? I painted and I actually liked it . I hated painting remember ? I actually put paint on Canvas and enjoyed it !! Wyanne has me excited at the discoveries I am making. If you are looking to find your unique style then you NEED to take the class.

I want to leave you with a little inspiration that I found online :

EVERYBODY KNOWS ...
You can't be all things to all people.
You can't do all things at once.
You can't do all things equally well.
You can't do all things better than everyone else.
Your humanity is showing just like everyone else'
You have to find out who you are, and be that.

You have to decide what comes first, and do that.
You have to discover your strengths, and use them.
You have to learn not to compete with others,
Because no one else is in the contest of "being you."

You will have learned to accept your own uniqueness.
You will have learned to set priorities and make decisions.
You will have learned to live with your limitations.
You will have learned to give yourself the respect that is due,
And you'll be a most vital mortal.

DARE TO BELIEVE ...
That you are a wonderful, unique person.
That you are a once-in-all-history event.
That it's more than a right, it's your duty, to be who you are!

Visit Annas place , it's inspiring.

Fab Fabric

2010-09-21T09:45:00.000-07:00

Danita is teaching her first online class !! You can register here . I love that you get a kit of supplies on registration, it makes it easy!! Congrats to Danita , I think she is great! I also love this Love Note pillow Tutorial by Alisa Burke. I can see so many ways to use this idea.For the bride and groom, you could make pillows of their vows , or how about pillows with letters from those who are no longer with us or some of your children's first "love notes" to you or you to them :) A great idea for Valentines day .

Stuck .

2010-09-20T08:13:00.000-07:00

I am feeling stuck . Stuck , you know that place where frustration takes over and you want to pitch your art supplies ! It's like wanting to speak in a language you haven't yet learned to speak . I struggle to draw . I feel comfortable using pencil but as soon as I try to move beyond that medium frustration sets in . I have been trying to sketch with charcoal to get something down on paper to use my beautiful pastels but when i hold charcoal it just feels unnatural to me , different than graphite.I love the look of loose lines but I seem to have trouble producing them . I just need some direction .Sometimes I feel lost. What do you do in times like these ?

Stretching to sketch Week 1

2010-09-15T17:40:00.001-07:00

The Sketches are up for Week 1 at Kelley Berkey Designs . This is my sketch . Go check out the others they are amazing. I hope you will join in the challenge:)

Strike a Pose...

2010-09-08T20:11:00.000-07:00

Kelly Berkey posted about wanting to draw the human form . She set up her camera to catch still shots of herself during her ballet workout. I loved some of the poses. Kelly has a beautiful dancers body and I think she is capable of holding some beautiful poses. Alot of us don't have access to live models to draw from . So Kelly is going to start a weekly challenge . She will post a pose and we can all draw from it . I think this is a fantastic opportunity for us to learn together . I hope you will visit kelly here and participate in the challenge . We can all inspire each other .

Pastel play ..

2010-09-05T13:11:00.000-07:00

I was inspired to make this piece by this post . The text says "Strength, between the Tears and the Truth " .I am just playing with some pastels . I don't have many but I plan to remedy that;)

Hope you are having a creative weekend.

Silly Sunday Winner!!

2010-09-05T05:09:00.000-07:00

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2010-09-05 12:07:26 UTC

( Excluding any double comments)

send your email to : jlyne@frontiernet.net

Anne Marie - Toronto said...

I do love to be silly and boy, do I ever need it right now!!! I just ordered Carla's book, but this seems right up my alley. What a generous giveaway! I haven't blogged about it yet, but I will either this evening or in the next couple of days. Thanks for the opportunity!

Congratulations Anne Marie !!!

Carla Sonheim and my silly giveaway ..

2010-09-01T20:55:00.000-07:00

I went to Borders Tuesday and picked up this book . I took the last copy they had that day . I've been seeing some of my fellow bloggers doing the exercises . I thought it looked like fun .

I have to say that I did a little research on Carla Sonheim and I could really relate to her . Did you know she took her first art class at the age of 30 ? I listened to her blogcast interview here .

I really like her and I am looking forward to her silly 2 class. I want you to join me . I really thought more people would want to play with Carla . So , all you have to do for a chance to win is just leave a comment under the silly Sunday giveaway post (below) . Thats all . Just say you want to win , Thats it ! I will be drawing a name on Sunday .

Silly Sunday Giveaway ..

2010-08-29T01:03:00.001-07:00

I have been wanting to do a giveaway for awhile .I decided to give away 30 days of silliness! I saw this class by Carla Sonheim and I knew this was it! For 30 days you get a daily dose of silliness sent to you in an email from Carla that will include a link to a downloadable pdf inviting you to loosen up and play . We can all use a little silliness in our lives . All you have to do for a chance to win is blog about Carla's Class and my giveaway and then leave me a comment. Lets get silly together! I will draw the winner next Sunday, September 5th.

Good Luck !

(if you don't have a blog you can still enter just leave me a comment letting me know.)

Tonights play..

2010-08-28T19:46:00.000-07:00

Actually I didn't feel like playing tonight but I did it anyway . I decided to try a technique that Jane Royal from Painted heart Studio was kind enough to post a step by step on . I love the texture from the tissue paper . I went a little crazy, but oh well . I will definitely try this again . Jane , thank you and I love your work .

And Guess what ? Tomorrow I am going to do my first ever Giveaway . I have been wanting to do something for awhile but this just seemed right , so come by tomorrow for details!

Are You an Artist?

2010-08-28T14:31:00.000-07:00

Today I read a post that sat like a rock in my gut . It brought up alot of feelings and thoughts . The post I read, was from someone who attended her local art fair and was struck by the lack of "real" art. Which led me to wonder what real art is ? At what point can you call yourself an artist? The post talked about the journey of an artist to overcome self doubt and failure only to have no guarantee of making" real" art . So what keeps a person striving to create ? What measures your success as an artist? Her belief was that art is also about communication . I agree with this but even if you as an artist can communicate your idea onto a canvas there is no guarantee how your viewer will perceive it. Our perception of our world differs . What we perceive as art differs. I asked my 15 year old what her definition of an artist is . She responded with total confidence that she herself was an artist. I responded " but you don't draw " she replied "I am an artist because of my love of music and I write songs and we all are artists inside". She said this with such belief in herself. So at what point do we begin to doubt our abilities ? Do we need an art degree or do we need to sell our art to become a "real " artist? What is" it" ? I signed up for my very first art class here at home . I will be going once a week starting next week to learn some of the fundamentals . I am doing this so that I can progress in my artistic ability . I am a beginner who only started to draw for the first time ever this year . When I create I really do work to the best of my ability with the knowledge that I have . Is that not enough ?

So leave me a comment . I want to hear your opinion on this .

The Secret lives of Princesses and a sketch ..

2010-08-27T16:56:00.000-07:00

My sketch for tonight .

This evening as I was sketching the Ups truck came and I was expecting a few supplies that I bought on ebay. I went downstairs to get the package and on top was a Barnes and Nobel box.I thought that was odd since I have a nook and hadn't ordered a real book in a little while . I opened the box to find a gift from my mom and her partner .An early Birthday Present!! I was surprised ! I am usually hard to surprise because I buy my own gifts and have even been known to order my own birthday cake .

You want to know what it was? it was this . Just look at the illustrations. The book is even more beautiful in person .It is a treasure trove of inspiration ! I love the illustrator. Anyway , I thought I would share .

My sketch for tonight..

2010-08-26T19:43:00.000-07:00

A sketch ..

2010-08-25T20:06:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to spend a least a few hours sketching every night. I loved doing this one because as I have said before I could sit and just shade and shade. This sketch was actually inspired by a photo of someone I know .I actually like it:)

a place to call your own

2010-08-22T22:14:00.000-07:00

"I wanted a place where I could wake up and look out a window and see the mountainside across the clove, a place that felt like a secret tree house, a place all my own." - Sandy Foster

Oh , how I can relate . You have to read the Fosters article here . I really loved the story and it reminded me how a dream can happen even on a limited budget. I loved the photo of her in those pink wellies , I think it shows her spunk .Her blog is here . I am so in love with this little cottage. My husband and I are working on getting our house on the market . We have 5.5 acres near our present home . We are wanting to pair down our lives some without a mortgage so that we can both do more things we love. When I saw this cottage an idea was born . I have seen many little cottages I like and used to save pictures on my computer . I have a perfect little spot in the woods for a cottage on our other land . Wouldn't it be a wonderful place to read and draw ? I love solitude . What about you ? Wouldn't you love a little space of your own ?

Do what you love .

2010-08-21T11:35:00.000-07:00

image courtesy of Kat Ostrow
"You could be doing other things,but do those things that you want to do "

Last night I sat at a table painting a background for a class I was taking online. I was slapping acrylic paint onto the watercolor paper when I realized , I am not enjoying this . I stopped . I thought, why are you doing what you do not enjoy ? I asked myself "What do you enjoy "? The answer came easily , I enjoy sketching in graphite . I love the shading process. I pulled out my pencils and did a sketch using my pencils . No , it wasn't great but as I was sketching I enjoyed it . I took out a few conte crayons added a little color , smudged with my fingers and still I felt joy in the process. As you know from previous postings I have taken and am taking online art classes with a variety of teachers . I always learn something . Most concentrate on mixed media techniques and wet media . Sometimes wet medias frustrate me . I, like alot of others, seem to be searching for a niche . A little place in the art world . A place where we can find our own style . As I processed all of this last night , I thought about why I create art . I thought about what I want to express and what would make me feel like an artist .The Answer - To create something that I am pleased with . If I were creating or forcing a process for someone else, I don't think I would want to create. Then a sentence that I have heard from many artists over and over entered my mind "it's about process not product" . I get it ! when I was told this the first time , I thought yeah right , whatever, but for the first time I understand this.

Then I thought about other artists who's work I am drawn to and why . One that came to mind was Kat Ostrow . I remember the first time I saw her work online . I loved her work and as I think about why , I know that alot of it is the freedom and impulse I see in her work . I love all the lines . I wrote her once and she was so kind . I expressed to her how frustrated I was and how I wished to find my own style . I remember that she told me that if I could ever just let go and draw from a reaction to what I see I would probably find what I was searching for . Smart Lady Huh? I hope you will visit her to see more of her work and I love the way she shares process on her blog. Last night I also googled other artists who worked in a style I was drawn to . I was led here . I found her because of one of her portrait images . Again , I thought, "what is it I am drawn to in her work?" . It was about the softness , the lines . I also emailed her and got a very kind email from her that was very helpful . I want to say how wonderful I think it is when an artist will actually reach out and answer your questions . I know it takes time and I am very grateful . So based on this I have decided that I am going to spend more time exploring semi dry mediums and doing what I enjoy. Maybe if I take the time to listen I will find what I am looking for . What about you ? Are you enjoying what you are doing ?

p.s I am heading to Dick Blick to indulge myself a little (maybe alot) ;)

healing and friendship

2010-08-18T07:45:00.000-07:00

Sometimes as I am visiting the blog world I will hear the same message over and over . Little snippets in different places but all with the same message. A message that I feel I am meant to hear. This time the message that I see repeating itself is about healing and friendship. I think I have mentioned it before but I am happy to see some new art classes embracing healing as part of the class. For alot of us when we create we are met with resistance inside ourselves . Lots of negative voices saying all kinds of unkind things. The one thing I am learning is that in order to really create authentically and to be creative at our best we need to learn to let go . To let go of expectation and judgement . For me ,this is always hard, but I really do think that it is the key to finding my own unique style . I believe that slowing down and losing myself in the process and not the outcome is the way to heal . I know that I have struggled this year with things outside of art . I have seen my fellow bloggers struggling . We all want and need support to heal . We want to be "OK".Which leads me to the next part. Friendship. If you have friendships who support you and share your love of art , count your blessings. I am going to be very honest here and say that I find it very hard to find loving nurturing friends where I live. I am not saying they don't exist. I would love to have some girlfriends who could share my love of art supplies and who I could just sit together with and create. This is why I rely heavily on my online support system and friendships. What about you ? Recently, as I was cruising the Internet I found this post . It is about finding a tribe of people who support you. I hope you will find time to read it . I think as artist we should show support for one another . I appreciate those of you who support and inspire me . I consider you part of my tribe. I also want to Be a support . I really love seeing the work of all my creative friends out there. I believe that if we support each other and share there is wonderful healing power in that . Art heals right?

I also want to bring your attention again to Juliette Crane . I love her new post on" how art heals and the beauty of friendship ". I hope you will have a chance to visit her.

How are you healing and connecting?

Lets Face it !

2010-08-16T12:16:00.000-07:00

As I have mentioned before I love online classes and especially those involving faces. I have never taken a class with Jodi Ohl but I would love to . You could win this class. Go check it out here for a chance to win !

Back to school?

2010-08-11T07:54:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about the classes I am seeing online. If you have never taken an online class, you should! I love workshops. No hassle and you work at your own pace . I really believe that being creative is something that we all were born to do and it is so healing and good for your soul . For some reason when we start to be creative in the form of artwork we are met with our fears .Right away they make theirselves known . We compare ourselves , judge ourselves , ridicule . I love that alot of the new classes and teachers are focusing on these issues as well . I know for me , judging only hinders my ability to be creative and it takes the fun away. I wonder why Art isn't a bigger part of our lives?
I love this post by Juliette Crane where she talks about courage. She says that creativity is a "constant discovery and unraveling of ourselves".Her blog is wonderful and worth a visit . She is also having a giveaway . So check her out!
Now onto Classes...
World of Whimsy 2 , Tamara is such a wonderful teacher and her views are so healing. I am currently taking this class . She is also going to be offering a FREE course called" The heart of art" you can learn about it here . I think it is so loving of her to offer it .
Mixed Media Faces is a class with Monica Zuniga . I just signed up for it . Monica is another very loving teacher that focuses on creating without judgement . I have taken many many classes with her and I can't say enough about her.
Painting Free with Wyanne , I am so excited to see Wyanne offering this class. She is awesome! notice again that this class focuses on freeing yourself up:)
Towers and Turrets, I was so excited when I saw this Promo . I love the name and I have been wanting to take a class with Sharon for awhile.
So what do you think? Are you ready to go back to school?

More...

2010-07-24T14:15:00.000-07:00

1. My daughter , the Bride

2. Bride and groom

3.Groom and his father at chessboard in castle

4. Groom

5. Bride in mirror

Some of my favorites...

2010-07-24T13:55:00.000-07:00

I have more to share from my daughters wedding but blogger will only let me do a few at a time. 1. Bride and her father

2. Bride and Groom at the castle

3. Groom , Father of Groom , Father of Bride, Groomsmen

4. Bride with her Maid of honor and girls

Wedding and World of Whimsy!

2010-07-19T08:28:00.000-07:00

Whew, I can breathe!!! Today is the first day I have had a moment of solitude. The wedding was beautiful . I don't have any pictures yet because the photographer is still working on them . She took ALOT! The bride was beautiful , though I may be biased since I am her mother. We decided at the last minute to move the wedding inside the castle . I am so glad we did because it was brutally hot. The groom cried ,which only made it more beautiful . I feel so lucky to have him as a son- in -law. I will share pictures as soon as I receive some.

I have missed art . I have been dealing with wedding details for so long. I thought I deserved a new workshop. So I decided to take World of Whimsy 2 ! I love Tam , as a teacher , and this class will focus also on healing which I could use right now. The class started today . If you would like to register you can do it here .

I have missed all of my online art friends . I have been checking in but I hope to be able to comment more now. I have also been reading alot . Soon we will be getting our house ready to sell . I am very conflicted about this. I love my house but we also have land near our house with a beautiful view . We are planning to sell and then build there. We plan to downsize and are hoping to be mortgage free . Thats our goal . So please keep me in your prayers . Change is not always easy . I am looking forward to connecting with all of you again :) Hope you are having a wonderful summer and being creative!

All about Change

2010-06-28T07:37:00.000-07:00

My life is all about change right now. My oldest daughter graduated in June and is getting married July 17th . I can't believe the wedding is so close.I know I have talked about it before but it's hard when your firstborn is leaving the nest. Plus this year has been financially hard. My husband is self employed , he has a vinyl siding business and he does home improvement work.Things have been very slow and with all the extra expenses of a wedding .It has been difficult. We are considering putting our house on the market, because it is much more than we need and building a smaller home. We have other land that is close to our home so it wouldn't be a total relocation.

On top of all that change , Our first cat died last week . He was missing last weekend and on Monday he showed up on our porch with no visible injuries but was bleeding from his mouth and was barely alive. I will spare you the other awful details but it was sooooo hard. We had to put him to sleep. The Amazing thing was that a few days after my cousin posted on facebook that she needed to get rid of her cat .It looks almost identical to the cat we lost. So we decided to take him . We just got him yesterday and we are in an adjustment period . I have two other cats and 2 little dogs . They aren't too thrilled with our new pet.

So this is where I have been . I am just feeling a little lost. I miss my creativity . I need some security in my life . How do you handle change?

A girl can dream ,Right?

2010-06-04T09:53:00.000-07:00

I was browsing the internet and I saw this http://www.adventuresinitaly.net/f10mawn.html . A week in Italy with Misty Mawn . I mean Art and Italy ,what's not to love? I have never really traveled anywhere alone, but I would love to do this. I had the privilege of taking a class online with Misty and it was Amazing! So maybe I will allow myself to dream even bigger and check into this . Go Ahead, lets dream of creating art in italy with Misty Mawn.

Faces In Technicolor..

2010-06-03T15:26:00.000-07:00

You know how I love workshops right? I do!! Sharon is giving away a spot to her faces in Technicolor workshop. I have been feeling down lately because so much has been going on . My daughter graduates tomorrow and then is getting married July 17th. I am proud of her but she will be my first to leave the nest ,so my feelings have been mixed. I haven't had a chance to do anything artsy. Today I sketched for the first time in a while and it felt really good. Art grounds me somehow, so a new workshop may be exactly what I need. It starts June 18th .Check it out for a chance to win a spot.

Where I have been..

2010-05-29T03:09:00.000-07:00

Wow! I know I haven't posted in a while. So much has been going on that I haven't been doing alot artistically. We had my oldest daughters wedding shower last weekend.We had around 18 people here at our home .It turned out nice. Now, on to graduation. The same daughter Graduates June 4th and then we will be in complete wedding mode as she is getting married July 17th .I have been having some mixed feeling. I am happy for her but my first will be leaving the nest:( .

I have also been spending time reading. I have had a Barnes and Nobel nook for awhile and I love it! I found some groups on facebook that lets you lend books to each other. I have found that with the nook I have been reading lots more. I have always loved books and reading but we live in a small town and we are about 35 minutes from bookstores, so the nook has allowed me to have instant access to more books. I really just want to bury my feet in the sand and sit on the beach and just read.

I am still checking in with all of you . Following your blogs.

Hugs,

Jackie

Meet Patience..

2010-04-29T20:43:00.001-07:00

If you read the post below this one you will understand exactly how this doll got her name. Her and I struggled every bit of the way, but she taught me so much . She is my very first cloth and clay doll .

Begin Again..

2010-04-22T17:17:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't posted in a while .The truth is I have been struggling with myself and art. I took a Cloth and Clay doll class . I was excited to begin. I had never sewn before or worked with clay .I got out the little sewing machine and I taught myself from you tube how to get it going. It wasn't perfect but I thought ok , It's not to bad .I then moved onto clay over the fabric . I worked and worked and worked and I was very unhappy with the result. The face was not attractive at all. I walked out of that room covered in clay looking disheveled and beaten.My husband looked at me standing at the top of the stairs and said"what In the world"? At that moment I said to myself "You are not an Artist" . I told myself I just was not good enough. I whined and swore I was not going to create anymore. Then the clouds parted and the sun came out .... Ok , it didn't, but I was reminded by a very recent post and then another that I am not alone . Trying to embrace your mistakes and be a beginner is not easy. It hard not to compare yourself to others and to live with the awkwardness of learning. It's hard when your inner critic is breathing down your back to keep going . Art seems to bring up all my inner issues. Perfectionism and control do not mix well with art but what are my options ? I can quit or find my way through. Thank you Tracy for reminding me that I am not alone . I will find my way through this .I will just begin again.

Wedding Planning and some Artful Inspiration..

2010-04-10T02:10:00.000-07:00

We are in full wedding planning mode.My daughter is getting married July 17th. She also has senior prom AND graduation . We found her wedding gown this week ,picked out the bridesmaids dresses , flower girl dresses and today it's all about the Cake.I have alot of mixed feelings .This will be my first to leave the" nest". I love the man she is marrying but I still think she is so young (19) . My sister is her "Wedding planner". I just really don't know alot about the whole wedding process. I have been married for 23 years and I got married for 25 dollars at the courthouse . So weddings are a little out of my element . Plus I have been accused of having ideas over budget (LOL). Imagine that?? When we all went to Michaels this week to check a few wedding things, I was distracted by art supplies. What do they expect right?

The above photos are of the castle where she is getting married . She is having her wedding outdoors.We visited there again this week too . My sister had to do all these little things there that I really know nothing about.

On another note....

Here are a few things I find inspiring this week.

I fell in love with these prayer boxes as soon as I saw them. Nancye was so sweet to put together a little class on her art doll site .If you want to learn to make these you can!

Also aren't we all looking to find our own voice as artist's ? I have been waiting for this Gut Art class by Mystele.It is all about learning to find who you are as an artist. So if you are interested check it out! I have alot to say on "Finding your own voice" but right now I just don't have the right words to put a voice to mine. I do have faith that we all have our own and with a little searching I think we all have something uniquely creative and authentic to offer.I will do a post on this later.
Another Place I have been finding inspiration lately is Kat Ostrow . There is something about her work that draws me in and ignites this passion in me to find my own way. I love the looseness in her work .It stirs something in myself that I can't get to right now. So go visit her.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend and are able to find lots of inspiration of your own !

A Queen..

2010-04-02T10:52:00.000-07:00

Practice for Suzi Blu's Piety &Passion class. I did it on watercolor paper instead of wood for now to practice some of the techniques. Not completely pleased but I am sharing anyway.

Off With Her Head!!

2010-03-31T20:32:00.000-07:00

NO! not Alice . Queen Elizabeth. I am taking a class where we are doing a tudor style portrait. In particular a Sketch of Queen Elizabeth for the first Portrait and a 3/4 view at that. Now, while I do love all things vintage and that era facinates me I really don't find Elizabeth all that attractive. Thank goodness this is 2010 or I am sure I would be beheaded .So here is a few sketches . One of Mary Tudor who I find more pleasing . I am going to have to find a way to make elizabeth a little more pleasing . Any Ideas?

Happy Birthday Renee!!

2010-03-28T10:12:00.000-07:00

This afternoon when I was reading through my blogs I saw a familiar site in my reader. It was Renee's .The tears came immediately .I miss her posts. I clicked over to find a Beautiful post written by her sister Jaquie. Today is Renee's birthday . Happy Birthday Beautiful Renee!!!!

There is so much more I could say but I wont. Renee always had a way of touching you so deeply that you sometimes just needed to be still.

Silence and a Sunshine award

2010-03-23T09:55:00.000-07:00

I have been quiet haven't I ? I have been pondering the art of letting go. Do you ever find that sometimes you will get this message and it just keeps coming to you from all these different places? The message for me has been "Let go". I am speaking of this in a very artistic sense. All of the artist that I have watched and admire just let go .They do not hold back with the brush , they are not stopping to think between every stroke. Sometimes I will write an artist and ask them how they are able to do this. I have been told many times that it's because they get lost in the process and not the outcome of what they are creating . It seems simple doesn't it? For some reason it is not so simple for me. Sometimes I get stuck and the negative voices show up with the old "your not good enough" crap. I will work through this however and I am sure that I will find the lesson I need . I can't imagine not creating and my inner voice is screaming things like it wants me to paint bigger and let go. So that's where the silence is coming from .

On another note... I love my artist friends. Even though I have been quiet I have been visiting their blogs and I am on twitter .Twitter has allowed me to meet the most wonderful artist friends. One of my blogger friends Carrie gave me an award.Thank you Carrie. I am happy I met you :) .Thank you for thinking of me.the rules for this award are.

* Put the logo on your blog or within your post.

* Pass the award onto 12 bloggers.

* Link the nominees within your post.

* Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

* Share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award.

I am proud to pass this on to :

Pam @ Pam T's Art Loft

Manon-The art of Manon Doyle

Tina - The Artful Life
Diane-My Art Journal

Julie -Ann- Heavenleigh Art& Good You dolls

Maria-Twilight Calls the Dream of Art

Gina Lee Kim-Gina Lee Kim

Claire- C Barone Art

Heidi-Art Journal of Heidi Alamanda

Angela -Angela Recada

KreativeKandy

Melita-Gussying up the Tuttle

A Paynes Gray Portrait..

2010-03-11T18:10:00.000-08:00

This is my first portrait for Alma's paynes gray portrait class .I really had fun with it.Some of the new classes I am taking are very liberating .I just had fun with this:)

Goodnight Renee

2010-03-09T20:11:00.000-08:00

My heart is heavy. Even when you know it's coming ,it still leaves you breathless. I am glad to have been graced by such a beautiful person ,if only for a moment. A moment that I will hold in my heart forever. Goodnight Renee .

"Faith , Love and Joy"

2010-03-08T14:59:00.000-08:00

I am sorry I missed my Friday Find post . My computer went down and I had to have it repaired. I thought it was going to take a while but I got it back already .Yay!! . So while I was waiting for it to be fixed I did this mixed media piece. I am learning.

I am sad to say that the Fabulous Faces class is ending. I learned alot from tam and I am grateful .I am sure I will take more classes from her in the future.

So , On to my Friday Find. I am choosing Alma Stoller. I really love her blog. She has a Payne's Grey Workshop, I love her glossy project tutorial , she does amazing things with magazine covers. Plus she shows you how to make a zine . She has a great etsy shop too with some of her own great zine's .Check her out!!

Thanks also to Wyanne. I received the print I won and it is fabulous. Thank You Wyanne. Make sure to enter her weekly karma giveaway!

Shades of Orange and Wyanne Giveaway

2010-03-03T10:19:00.000-08:00

I was so excited this morning because I won Wyanne's giveaway. I love her and I will cherish the print because it's amazing!! Thank You Wyanne!!

Also here is a piece I did for fabulous faces in shades of orange.The writing says"If you are not at peace with yourself,you are at peace with Nothing"

In the new pic I uploaded I added some white stamping for more texture:) Umm .. I think it's done ;)

Purple Portrait

2010-03-02T06:45:00.000-08:00

In our Fabulous faces class this week we were asked to create a portrait using an extra element and all in shades of one color,except for black and white of course.So here is my purple lady.

On another note, I miss Renee so much . I hope an angel whispers in her ear and tells her I am finally painting.You see I was really afraid to paint but I really wanted to and Renee always used to leave comments saying "paint Jackie, don't wait".I am learning that it doesn't matter as much what we create as it does that we are creating.

Lets Talk about Workshops...

2010-02-28T13:17:00.001-08:00

I love online art workshops.They are an amazing learning tool . I first decided I wanted to learn when I was browsing blogs and saw some amazing mixed media art. I was so inspired I decided that I really wanted to try to learn to draw and paint. I remember seeing links for workshops on sites. I was a little overwhelmed. I wasn't sure which ones I should choose first. I really knew nothing about the whole process . The first class I decided to take was Mixed Media With The Girls with the lovely Wyanne. It was a class with 26 videos and I remember feeling a little overwhelmed . I downloaded them all and I got distracted for a while and didn't end up watching them all but recently I have went back and watched her classes and they are amazing. Since that first class I have taken lots of online workshops and I still am . I sometimes took so many at a time that Suzi blu said to me "Slow down Momma, One thing at a time" .I think I was just so excited I wanted to do it all .So, I want to talk to you about this in case you yourself are thinking about a workshop.

Most workshops are hosted on a Ning,which is an online platform for social networks.You usually register and pay for the workshop and then the site owner sends you an email invite into a virtual classroom (forum). Once inside the classroom you then have access to videos and or Pdf's.

There is a supply list and you can communicate with your fellow classmates and most even have ways for you to share your artwork.

Don't be afraid to take one. They really are great learning tools and I have found them very supportive environments for learning. They vary in prices but I have never felt that they weren't worth the money . I have always taken away an invaluable lesson. We all have different ways we learn and each teacher teaches in their style. Some may be better than others for you.

Here is places I have taken workshops with a little review .I hope you find it helpful.

1.Mixed Media with the girls- Wyanne Cost $68.00 . I loved Wyanne's teaching style.I was able to see her creative process and how she worked through mistakes in her artwork.This class has 26 videos and Wyanne constantly reassured and reminded you to loosen up. I also love that the videos were downloadable so that I can rewatch and learn.There is also a private blog in which to share with others.

2. Suzi Blu - Goddess and the poet Cost $55.00 If you know suzi ,she is a bit eccentric and has a unique teaching style . I had no drawing experience at all when I took this class but I did enjoy it . I still need to work my way through all of it. Suzi was very responsive as a teacher. Answered emails quickly .There is a forum for her students to interact but honestly I didn't interact much . The videos are downloadable and she provides nice color PDF's.

Les petite dolls- Cost $55.00. This class is geared towards beginners . Taught in true suzi blu style. I learned alot about colored pencils in both her classes. Great interaction for students, downloadable videos and pdf's .Lots of great information.

I also took An angel class, a petit marie class .

3.Monica Zuniga - When I took my first class with her she was running a special and you got three workshops for a special price. I cannot say enough about her Pencil Drawing class cost $60 dollars. I learned so much from this class. I really like Monica as a person and a teacher. She is just wonderful . I have taken many many classes with her and I will continue too . Downloadable videos and pdf's. You cannot go wrong with any of her classes.

4. Pam Carriker- Pursuing Portraits-Cost $70.00 I loved this class and I learned alot about shading . Only thing I did not like was the Video's are not downloadable.She does provide pdf's and you can return to watch the videos. I really wish the videos were downloadable.

I also took shades of grey and Visual Journalism . I loved her style.

5.Misty Mawn _ she just had a portrait class. Cost $100.00 .Let me just say if you get a chance to take a class with her.Take it. It was worth every penny. I liked her very much and she stretched us as students.Taught me so much about different mediums and was so personal when I emailed her questions. I will definitely take a class with her again if given a chance. she also had a private group for us on facebook , flickr and she had great music and links:)

6 Tamara Laporte -Fabulous faces class cost $ 45.00 GPB (around 68.00 US $) I am in week 5 of this class and I love it. Tam is supportive and a wonderful teacher.She provides beautiful pdf's, downloadable videos. She is very responsive to her students questions and I love that she even records video responses so we can actually see the answers.

I have also taken classes with Jane Desrosier but I can't comment yet because I still have yet to watch them . I do love her art though and I hope in the future to see more from her

so where to next??

I have signed up for a watercolor class with Michelle Brown and i am very excited to explore watercolor with her.

So my advice is if you are thinking of taking a class do it!!! If you know of any workshops that I didn't mention let me know maybe I would be interested. I really love faces and am trying to explore all I can right now.

Friday Find

2010-02-26T09:18:00.000-08:00

I chose to focus on this print today for my Friday find.It is a print created by Diana Evans. She dedicated it to our friend Renee, who has terminal breast cancer. She is donating some of the proceeds of the print to breast cancer research. If you would like to buy a copy of this touching print called "Fly In Love And Peace" you can find it here.

Our Beautiful Silver Bird..

2010-02-20T12:49:00.000-08:00

Image has been removed because the artist asked me to.You may find it and her other artwork here.

I awoke this morning around 5 am . I sometimes like to get up early because my house is so silent then. I sat at my computer as I normally do with my coffee and started going through my reader to make my blog visits. My heart literally skipped a beat when I saw "Circling My Head". I was hoping that it would be Renee . As you know I met Renee through blog hoping and I remember so clearly reading her posts with tears streaming down my face .I could relate because I had an Aunt die of breast cancer and I understood her pain and I could relate to her posts. However , I was not expecting the connection that came after leaving my first comment. She had a way of reaching out and touching you on a very personal level. I know that many others in the blog world feel this way as well.She writes with such an openess and rawness tempered with tenderness and kindness. She became a friend to so many of us . She took the time when she was very ill to send the most encouraging and supportive messages.If you visit her blog and read the comments you will see just how important her words were to many. I love Renee and I am sad to report that the post this morning was from her daughter posting that her prognosis isn't good . Our Renee is preparing to leave but she will not leave us untouched . I remember in one of her post that she said it was important for her to tell her story and she was afraid that she would be forgotten. That is impossible because she left her touch on so many of us. She has a powerful voice one that sometimes left me not knowing exactly the right thing to say . One that sometimes left my heart aching for her. It aches today. I miss her posts . I know she is surrounded by many who love her and I wish her comfort and peace.

"I shall walk down the road.
I shall turn upon my feet
The kisses of Death like scented rain
For Death is a black slave with little silver birds
Perched in a sleeping wreath upon his head.
He will tell me, his voice like jewels
Dropped in a satin bag.
How he has tip-toed after me down the road,
His heart made a dark whirlpool with longing for me.
Then he will graze me with his hands
And I shall be one of the sleeping silver birds
Between the cold waves of his hair as he tiptoes on.
-Maxwell Bodenheim
Dear Death,
Please be gentle with our beautiful Renee and when you tip-toe to her may you graze her with your most loving touch as she becomes one of the most beautiful silver birds.

Watercolor Inspiration

2010-02-19T13:22:00.000-08:00

I was inspired by a Free watercolor class that I watched online today .It was a class taught by Molly Murrah.Molly seemed to be a wonderful teacher but it seems they need to fix a few bugs. The live screen kept going blank after a few minutes in which I had to refresh but it was well taught. I think I will purchase the downloads . So the watercolor medium inspired me and I found these portraits done by an artist named Molly Brill

I thought you may enjoy the inspiration as well!

Friday Find

2010-02-19T08:46:00.000-08:00

I chose Emily Balivet as a Friday find. I have great respect for her profile paintings because I know this is a tricky one to draw and she paints it so beautifully. I also love the magic captured and the beautiful way she paints hair.She is a great inspiration to me.Be sure to check out her art!

Together Strong.

2010-02-16T08:42:00.000-08:00

I am joining in lighting a candle for Renee . Right now she is very ill . I met Renee while blog hopping one day and I was immediately drawn to her. Her words on her posts are both inspiring and sometimes leave me at a loss for words. She has been so loving and encouraging to me and many others.Though she has been struggling with so much loss and her own pain she still continued to post and visit our blogs with beautiful comments . So I knew through the silence that she must be ill. I miss you Renee. I hope you will feel our strength as we become Together Strong . Come home soon. Together Strong. Please join us in lighting a candle on your blog for Renee.

Fabulous Faces Portrait

2010-02-12T20:38:00.001-08:00

I know I have mentioned before that I am in the process of taking the Fabulous Faces Workshop. I was a little behind because alot was going on .Tonight I watched the second video from class and this is the portrait I painted. I am just learning to add color to things. I used Caran d' ache crayons and acrylics and graphite with this portrait.She is not finished .I need to paint a background . For the first time tonight I wasn't totally frustrated with painting. I actually enjoyed it. Thanks Tam:).

Friday Find

2010-02-11T20:38:00.001-08:00

How beautiful are these paintings? When I was looking for an artist to feature I came across these pieces by artist Daniel F. Gerhartz. His work is so beautiful and so romantic . I love the feel and the brush strokes. His work touches my soul. He even has a video available in which they filmed him painting for a whole week .Just like looking over his shoulder. I remember reading that in older days the student actually moved in with his teacher to learn . Following his every move in the studio . Well this is one artist I wouldn't mind watching . I really love his work and I have a new appreciation because painting is difficult . I know, I am struggling to learn. right now my hands smell of oil from shiva painsticks (Oil paints) ,but this is what keeps me going, the hope that someday I can produce something beautiful . I hope you will check out his work!!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Snow Entertainment

2010-02-07T10:56:00.000-08:00

We ended up with 36 inches of snow. The crazy man jumping into the snow in the video is my hubby. I am sure he will be complaining about his back tonight. I am glad they are all entertaining themselves.You can tell by the giggles that they all found it amusing:)

Friday Find

2010-02-05T19:25:00.000-08:00

Isn't this a striking portrait?I love the emotion in the face .I also love that it isn't so overpowering with color. It is a piece by Roman Sprenger .Visit his Online Gallery here . I love that art is a universal language .There is no language Barrier with art .

Friday Find

2010-01-29T03:40:00.000-08:00

Thie piece of art is by Elisabetta Trevisan.I am in love with her women figures and the way she uses vibrant colors but also has a softness and a magical quality. Be sure and check out this very talented female artist.
Hope you have a Wonderful weekend!

Trusting and Moving forward

2010-01-25T18:38:00.000-08:00

So it is the start of a new week.I am keeping my commitment to myself to sketch. I started two of my workshops this week.Sunday , Julie Prichard and Chris Cozen Class started .It is going to be about color and color theory .Right now we are making a reference catalog of our paints.I also started my fabulous faces class and still working on my Misty Mawn class.I am starting to feel as if I want to paint some of my sketches.Paint is totally intimidating to me but I have been using my word for the year"Trust" to move forward in my art and it is helping.When my voice of self doubt has been creeping in and my fears can be heard ,I say to myself,"Jackie,Trust Yourself" and I move forward. I will use that as I learn to paint.So here is a few new sketches .

The first one was a practice for the misty mawn class in a 3/4 profile .I really , really want to paint her but she is on sketch paper.I have been sketching on 14x17. The second is for my fabulous faces class.I wanted her to be more stylized but I think she looks more realistic than I wanted.She just evolved on her own. I am also learning to share more of my art .It is a very vulnerable thing to do but I love when others share and I think we all learn from each other.Here is to trusting and moving forward!!

A few faces

2010-01-20T08:50:00.000-08:00

Just thought I would share a few sketches . I am trying to at least do a sketch a day which is enough , sometimes I could sit and shade for hours the more I look the more I see. I hope I can eventually move in to color but for now I am content.

Monday ,Monday

2010-01-18T08:48:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday, I know it's been a while since I posted so I thought I'd catch you up on what I have been up to. I was finally able to order my "Nook" , it's an e reader from Barnes and Nobel.It won't arrive until February ,but I am excited. I also found this cool shop on etsy called Mud Stuffing , I bought myself this coffee mug

He has some beautiful pieces if you want to check it out. I also signed up for a couple new workshops. No surprise ,right? I think I am addicted. Soon ,as I work through all of them ,I am going to do reviews on my blog ,so watch for those.They may be helpful for those of you who have never taken an online workshop and even for those who are just wondering about the classes.

One class that I have registered for is Fabulous Faces. I have never taken a class with Tam so I am looking forward to the start of it. You can check it out here . I am also taking my first Portrait class with Misty Mawn . Here is a sketch I did for the class.

I am sketching faces and going to try to do at least a sketch a day. Art can be very humbling.It is something that takes lots of practice and sometimes you produce something your proud of and then it reminds you not to get cocky about it by making the next time your draw a struggle.I think art has alot to teach me about patience and devotion and hard work . It has also taught me to truly see. I am seeing things I have never saw before and paying attention to details I would have taken for granted before. I tell myself if you just show up and put in the time you will progress. So that is where I am . I am learning and taking small steps. My word for the New year is "Trust" . I chose it because I need to learn to Trust myself and the process.I am also learning to slowly share some of my art. Thank you to all of you who teach and share your art. I am so grateful because I am learning through you.

Have a great Monday and don't forget to look for some reviews from me soon !

Are you awake?

2010-01-03T07:41:00.001-08:00

Have you ever wondered if you have been sleepwalking through your life? Sometimes I feel as if I have been. Why did it not occur to me to earlier in my life that I loved art? Early this morning I was surfing the Internet and I realized there are so many artist out there I love. Names I have never heard of , pieces I just want to absorb. I can't connect to my artistic child because she isn't here. I don't remember art.I don't remember wanting crayons. The only thing I remember about art class was this cute guy who sat beside me. The closest I ever got to loving art was wanting to be a makeup artist. I would spend all my money that I babysat for on makeup and pour over faces in magazines for tips. My sister remembers bringing friends home and she said I would rattle off a whole list of what they needed. I remember looking at faces and thinking how I could make them better. Makeup was my palette. Maybe that is why I want to draw and paint faces now. I want to share with you a few artists I discovered this morning .

First Kate Smith , I love , love her work . Something about her work speaks to me.

and Chris Reilly , I love the way he captures french women. You can see more of his work here , you may even discover a new favorite of your own.

I may have been asleep for most of my life but I am awake now. Don't forget to slow down and absorb the beauty around you ...

Want to curl up with a book and a nook ?

2010-01-02T12:45:00.000-08:00

I do. I want one of these and if you do too go here for a chance to enter to win a nook.All you have to do to enter is post the link on your blog then go back let her know and also tell her about the books you want to load your "nook" up with. Part of my resolution this year is to read more in the new year. here is some on my to read list.
1.The fearful symmetry
2. Sarah's Key
3.The woods
4. The Pact
5.Shiver
6.The road
7.Fallen
and many many more..
So go check it out...

Wish list..

2009-12-20T09:59:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to see this issue of art journaling . Several friends are in it which makes it so special . Congrats to Linda and Tracy !
They are both talented and supportive of others .They have been so helpful in sharing with me as I learn . Pam Carriker is in this issue too. So it's on my wish list.
Also on my wish list is "The nook " ,the new ereader from Barnes and Nobel, I have the first amazon kindle , which I loved but I am selling it and I am buying myself "the nook".It seems to have some features that will work better for me . First it accepts paypal to buy gift cards so I can buy books easier and it also uses the Att wireless network which works better for my area . I plan to read more in the new year so this is something that I really want!
I'd also love an Exacompta Sketchbook and if you need a little inspiration to want one too I got you covered ,lol . I love how she used this sketchbook .
So if santa brings me any of these things , I would be very grateful .Umm and a little talent would be nice too!!
I wish all of my friends a very creative and Merry Xmas!
To my very special friend Renee who is battling breast cancer and having a very hard time right now,You are in my thoughts and prayers . I wish santa would bring her and her family some peace and comfort through the holidays . Sending you lots of love , stay strong!!

Links I am Loving...

2009-12-15T16:09:00.000-08:00

I want to share with you some things I am loving right now. I love the internet . I love reading blogs and I have met some incredible people online. 1.
2. I love this blog
http://www.dayswithmyfather.com/ , a loving tribute to a father . So beautiful and touching!

3.I love this post http://inspiredmess.blogspot.com/2009/12/life-aint-all-cupcakes-glitter.html, so raw and important and full of hope.

4. More than words http://carrieleewendt.blogspot.com/ , She has incredible art and a wonderful blog and the reason I am loving number 5!

5.
I would love this book and I plan to buy it as a gift. I think it's beautiful.
6.Speaking of books ,I met this author on twitter , she is so personable and I just really like her and her books look great Valerie Storey
I am planning on buying "Better than perfect" and "unleashed".If you have a young adult this could be a great xmas present.
7.Very Pink is a wonderful knitting site. I really love her you tube videos for a beginner.
8.A handspun yarn shop on etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/blondechicken, I also met this chick on Twitter and the colors of yarn are beautiful.
I hope you find something you love as well!

Beginning ...

2009-12-11T10:19:00.000-08:00

“You can learn new things at any time in your life if you're willing to be a beginner. If you actually learn to like being a beginner, the whole world opens up to you.”_ Barbara sher

I love this quote but I am struggling with being a beginner. I had read that when we first "begin " we initially feel wonder and excitement and then move into the fumbly clumsy part and that this is the time when most people quit. I am in that place . I want and need to be creative in some way . I don't know in what direction "ART " is leading me. Right now I am "Everywhere ". I am learning to knit , I am teaching myself crochet, I am taking workshops to learn to draw and paint . I am searching for myself and my niche . I have always surrounded myself with learning. I am like a child released in a toy store filled with all the things I love and want to see . I have a passion for learning . I just don't know where I am supposed to be headed . I am 40 years old and the questions that I am asking myself is "Where have I been all my life?" I really wish I would have spent more time at a younger age pursuing myself but I didn't . I am a 40 year old beginner. I also ask myself ,if I were to not sit in this beginning stage where will that leave me ? I have no choice but to learn to be a good beginner. I get frustrated . I want to draw and paint to express myself . I want to knit . I want to crochet . I also plan to someday sew and I am sure there will be many more things I may want to explore . I try to soothe myself with things like Grandma Moses. Did you know she didn't begin painting until she was 75 years old ? SO maybe it's never to late to begin .

Are you getting ready ?

2009-12-07T04:41:00.000-08:00

We got our christmas tree up yesterday. My girls have been bugging us to put it up. So my oldest baked cookies and we all put the tree up. They so love christmas . I just don't seem to be as much in the spirit this year.I do love the lights and seeing all the collected ornaments once we get started.
We also got our first snow here on saturday. I love the first snowfall .I hope you all are getting ready for christmas as well . I will have a new post soon . I am working on so many things.
HUGS!!!

Sharing

2009-12-02T02:49:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving . My girls were off school for 9 days and my youngest is going to try to return to school today as she has had a fever for the last few days.

I decided to share a little of what I have been up to . Last saturday we visited the castle in Berkley Springs Wv. as a possible location for my daughters July Wedding. It really is a beautiful place , rich in history and it was perfect for my daughters outside wedding . So we booked it. They were happy to have found a location . You can see more pictures here .

We spent Thanksgiving with some wonderful friends of ours from Delaware who have a vacation home near us . It was really cozy . They are both wonderful cooks . I really enjoyed their company and we chatted after dinner and "Jackie "( we share a name ) happily sat and crocheted as we talked . It brought back memories of me teaching myself to knit the year before . I had learned the basic stitches from a dvd about a year ago and I had found it so meditating. I have always found the idea of knitting a throw or blanket so appealing .

When I came home I decided to try and knit again and I am currently happily knitting some washcloths ,LOL

You got to start somewhere right? I hope to improve my knitting skills .I have tons of books on knitting and crochet and had been meaning to get to it . So I am happy Jackie provided the inspiration..

I am also taking different art workshops. I am taking a winter goddess class here with Monica. I haven't had time to watch the full class but I did a winter sketch .We are to practice making sketches for our painting . this is the first one I did. Keep in mind, that I have never drawn anything beyond stick figures and as a child I don't even remember playing with crayons . So this is hard for me to share .

I am also taking three classes with Pam Carriker , who I love. One of the classes I am involved in is called Pursuing portraits and I did a few sketches for that class as well.Pam , is a wonderful teacher .

I am really taking so many classes and really trying to find my niche or where I am supposed to be . I thought maybe I could be vulnerable enough to start to put myself out here a little . I love seeing other people share so I thought maybe I should too . Sometimes I am involved in so many things it's overwhelming for me but thats ME. I hope with practice that I will be able to eventually do something that I am proud of and happy with .

New Moon Madness

2009-11-19T10:50:00.000-08:00

Yep , thats me behind that book above . I have caught the Twilight Madness. I read all the books in 4 days. Once I got started I couldn't put them down . So unless you are living under a rock , you know that tomorrow is the release of the second movie in the saga "New Moon . All over the country they are having special midnight showings tonight. I will be among the madness tonight . So what you say? Well I have not been to a movie since last year and I am a true introvert . Most of the time I am home playing with my art supplies or on the internet. So let me paint this picture for you .

I live in a little town in wv where it looks like this .Population less than 5,000.
Our nearest town with a theatre is a 30 minute drive (about 68 miles from DC) .New moon has been sold out there for most days. So we have about an hour drive to a little town called Moorefield Wv , population , 2,400 . biggest store in that little town is of course a Walmart and right behind it it is the theatre. So knowing they had some tickets left , my daughter and I make the drive to score tickets for the midnight showing. We arrive around 3 pm . Not a soul is stirring . empty parking lot:( so I walk to the door and try it , it's locked . I press my nose against the glass and knock on the window . I was thinking surely they must have office personnel working . My 18 year old is looking at me horrified "Mother,they are not going to open the door for you , you are not Oprah " . I chuckle and say ok lets go to walmart. So we do some shopping and know we cannot stay over in this little town till 6 o'clock . We are trying to think of options of how we can get our tickets. It's not looking so good . So we leave walmart . I insist that we check the theatre again. My 18 year old rolls her eyes and insists that it is going to be useless and I use all the motherly authority I can muster and say " lets just try , you never know . So she obliges me ,muttering under her breath. As we approach we do see one van in the parking lot and I can see a woman inside . So I say "I am going to go ask her and my teen says " Omg, you are so embarrasing" as I approach the theatre doors the lady stands back . I try the door it is locked . She opens the door for me . I say " can we get our preshow tickets ?" . She says" I am here for the same, but there is no one here " she had arrived to find the door cracked. So here we are the three of us inside an empty theatre. we wander about calling "Hello", to our own echoes . No one is there . Just the three of us locked inside.
It really is quite comical . So this being a small town ,the lady locked in with us ,calls a cousin of a cousin ,who works there and she is shocked that we were able to get into the theatre . she sends someone , a manager in her red pickup truck to take care of us and they look at us with mouths gaped open standing inside the locked up theatre:) . So she comes in and sells us our tickets !! So tonight I will drive windy roads with two teenagers who get carsick and me an introvert to see "New Moon ". I hate crowds but I will wait to be hoarded into the crowded little theatre and I will not arrive home till at least 3 am . Wish me luck!

November News...

2009-11-01T11:00:00.001-08:00

(Picture by Monica Zuniga )

I cannot believe it is November already! I usually love fall but we have all been sick on and off here so I haven't really been enjoying it so far. I want to share with you what I have been doing though. I am over halfway in the third book of the Twilight series . I started the first one when I was sick this week and I haven't been able to put them down . The story is a nice escape from reality . I also am taking a keepsake journal workshop called "EVE to EVE" . It began Halloween eve and runs through to New years eve. It covers lots of things . Klair is a wonderful teacher. I love listening to her voice and the class is just soothing. I also took a Coptic book binding class with her and I loved it but I still need to sew my pages together. I also am seriously considering taking this class with Monica called Winter Goddess . I cannot say enough about Monica . She is so kind and so talented and I love her classes . It is also Art everyday month here . You can participate however you would like as long as you are doing something creative.Oh and if that wasn't enough how about NaNJouMo? A daily journaling prompt for the month . Day 1 is today and the prompt is "Freedom" . I have been wanting to journal so I will think about how I would like to use this .

What are you up to for this month ?

I am off to watch "The proposal " and just relax . It seems that's all I have been doing but I have been so drained since I have been sick . Hope you had a Happy Halloween .

A Public Hanging...

2009-10-21T18:49:00.000-07:00

I just witnessed a public hanging . What ? Where? Isn't this what you are thinking ? Surely they don't exist in the year 2009 ? They do. First , let me give credit where credit is due . I owe the honor of these words and this hanging to Suzi Blu . Today she hung a " baby goddess" in a public forum with plenty of people to watch . Let me explain ...
I know there is alot of copyright infringement going on and that there is alot of frustrated artists. I have seen Illustrators have their artwork stolen and sold as digital images for stampers.I agree that credit should be given to the artist for their work . I love and support my fellow artist. I have paid for classes with Suzi Blu and I loved that she would say " You have a right to make art " , "You are safe", and lots of other loving phrases . A lady had posted a you tube video on art journaling and she had used images in it off of the Internet and some of the images belonged to Suzi Blu
She did not claim the artwork as her own .She stated in the video that she had gotten the images off of the internet . It was a video for teaching purposes , she was not receiving money .
So here is where the lady is led up to the gallows ... Suzi Blu posted the situation on her blog and in her post she called the lady" old" accusing her of having" no pride" and called her art "inauthentic shit art " . (do you see see the noose being placed around the lady's neck?) .Suzi claims that" she doesn't have time to send the lady a private email " and that "this is a situation that needs to be dealt with in public" , " A situation that affects us all ". This is the part where I agree. This affected me . Deeply to my core . I do not want to be the silent onlooker watching in the crowd , as the crowd cheers the public hanging of an innocent person . My "voice" may be "Tiny" in comparison to Suzi blu but it is a voice of compassion . I was taught by Suzi that "no art is original ,that we are not so unique that it is not something that hasn't been done before ". I do not believe that the intent of this woman was to steal or hurt anyone but her voice was not heard over the rioting crowd who visited the hanging through a link on suzi's blog and threw even more hurt onto the situation. I know what it feels like to be vulnerable and how we need to be supported in order to feel safe to share our art and I am thankful for the people who do share and put their selves out there. I personally do not feel comfortable putting my "Art " in the hands of a teacher who would march me to the gallow for making a mistake or march me in front of a crowd calling my art "Inauthentic art shit" and trying me publicly and watching as I am beaten by the crowd in the name of her "Authenticity" .
I followed that link on Suzi blu's blog . I was too late. The lady artist had closed her youtube account and removed her blog . The public hanging was complete . I watched an artist die.

A to Z = ME

2009-10-15T19:07:00.000-07:00

Recently , I came across a blog called "Circling My head" . I am happy that I did . She has the most moving blog, She lives with Inflammatory breast cancer and shares the most raw things. She feels like a kindred spirit to me and I hope you will visit her and leave some love. She did this little A to Z , and I enjoyed reading about her so I thought I would follow her lead:)
A = Age 40 years old
B = Bed size (King) oh , I love my bed!
C = Chore you hate (Grocery shopping)
D = Dog (2 chiuahuah's )
E = Essential to start your day (Twitter)
F = Favourite colour (RED)
G = Gold (white please)
H = Height (5 '4)
I = I’ve come to learn (I love learning anything)
J = Judge (with mercy)
K = Kids (2 teenagers, both girls )
L = Living (I am grateful)
M = Mood (Down)
N = Nicknames (none)
O = Owl (Sharp )
P = Peeve (Liars)
Q = Quote (Souls do not show up in business suits,they sit cross legged wearing jeans ,Sipping a glass of wine)
R = Reckless (I have been )
S = Siblings (A brother and a sister)
T = Time you wake up (varies always)
U = Unhappy (is just a feeling)
V = Vegetable you ate last (Mushrooms)
W = Want (Jacquie to regain motion- Renee to have her wish)
X = Xenophobic (No , I love different cultures)
Y = Yearn (Always)
Z = Zealous (Overly sometimes)
Thanks Renee

Struggling with myself..

2009-10-14T04:06:00.000-07:00

I am sorry I haven't posted in a little while but I have been struggling with myself. I like to stay positive so when I am not feeling that positive I sometimes just get quiet. Why am I struggling? I am not completely sure. As you know , I am always talking about and looking at art. I started as a scrapbooker and then a stamper making cards and quickly fell in love with mixed media art. I decided that I wanted to learn how to "make art" like what I saw . So I jumped in , head first, and signed up for lots of classes. Seriously , I had so many. I became overwhelmed because I had never even really tried to draw or knew that I loved it. So I decided that I needed to take some baby steps. I decided to concentrate on learning to draw before I added some of the other things. I have always had trouble doing one thing at a time . I have an " I want it all" attitude and I am extremely hard on myself . That's why you aren't seeing me post "art". I am trying to keep it to myself because I feel very vulnerable and I want it to be about "art for me" right now. I don't want to get caught up in posting and thinking to much about it when I am trying to learn.
I love learning from others and I love seeing all kinds of art and for those who are putting themselves out there I am so Happy you do . I admire you for it . I think I could deal more with others than myself when it comes to my "own inner critic" .
Recently I saw a blog where a lady set up her own learning schedule , just like she was in college , with whatever she wanted to learn about art.I need to do something like that , so I can have some structure. I want to learn so much . Art history, sketching , painting. I just want to soak it all up and its very hard for me . I am like a child learning . I struggle because I suck at being a beginner. However , I intend to follow this wherever it leads for me because I want to make art.
If you have any suggestions for me , I would love to hear.
My wish for myself is that I can make art without judging myself so harshly because who knows what potential is locked up inside me if only I would dare just stop judging.

Tackling the "Truth"

2009-10-03T10:30:00.001-07:00

As you know , I am reading the "Joy Diet" along with Jamie ridler studios and this week it was about telling yourself the "truth". I thought , that has to be a breeze compared to "Nothing" , but that pesky martha insisted that if we weren't comfortable with " nothing " we should not move on but stay with "Nothing" . I did. I did find this week of nothing a little easier . My body did not rebel as much as last week and it wasn't quite as bad. I did at the end ask myself the truth questions as I felt more comfortable and I have always prided myself on my ability to get honest with myself but you can't tell yourself the truth if your not quiet enough to listen and hearing my own truths is not something that is easy for me. When I know the truth, I act, but sometimes I just simply don't know "my truth " . I am hoping with time that my "truths will come into the light for me to see so that I can tell myself the simple ,plain truth. I wish I had some insightful , eye opening truth to share with you ,but I don't .. truth is , I am a woman still trying to find her own truths and the peace and joy that comes with it. I wish for us all that we find that for ourselves.

Inspiration Wednesday..

2009-09-30T13:17:00.001-07:00

I have found so much inspiration the last week that I want to share my"Inspirations " with you.
1. Jamie for the idea of Inspiration Wednesday.
2.Melissa Haslam, An Australian artist , her artwork is so amazing to me. She inspires me to want to learn to draw and she sent me the nicest email with suggestions for learning. I am in love with the faces she draws and the way she combines bontanicals. I hope someday to at least own a print. Visit her blog .
3. Fatima Ronquillo , an artist from San Fernando, Philippines, I first discovered her on twitter , she inspires me because she opens herself up so warmly. On her blog she shares works in progress, peeks into her studio and more. She is a "self taught" artist, which amazes me . I find inspiration in her work because if it's possible for her she opens up the possibility for you and I . One of the things I love about her was this statement "I paint because of the naive desire to see an idea transform into a pictorial poem. Ideas hail from dreams or visual flashes inspired by memory, artwork, music or literature - all the things I live and love. With a painter's language of color, tone and form, I express lyric poems of joy, love, wonderment and nostalgia". How beautiful is that? That is exactly why I want to draw. Read more about her here .
4. Mondo Beyondo a 5 week class that I am going to be taking about "Dreaming Big" because thats what life is all about right??

What do you find Inspirational right now?

The Art of "Nothing...

2009-09-25T16:52:00.000-07:00

Who knew that doing "nothing " could be so hard! My mind didn't like doing nothing one bit . I sat in silence and my body hated being still. I used this little kneaded eraser( kinda like putty) to keep my hands busy while I sat. I pretended to be in the only seat in the room and I watched my thoughts come in and I acknowledged them as visitors. Oh , the endless chatter and nagging.Has it been 15 minutes yet? Did you hear that bird? Shouldnt you be tweeting and on and on .. So , I'm sorry I dont have any wonderful news to report because there is "nothing" . I plan to keep practicing because it seemed I kept hearing these words " BE STILL". So on to truth !!
here is a poem I found on being still.
Thou art? -- I am? -- Why argue? -- Being is.Keep still and be. Death will not still the mind.Nor argument, nor hopes of after-death.This world the battle-ground, yourself the foeYourself must master. Eager the mind to seek.Yet oft astray, causing its own distressThen crying for relief, as though some GodBarred from it jealously the Bliss it soughtBut would not face.

Till in the end,All battles fought, all earthly loves abjured,Dawn in the East, there is no other wayBut to be still. In stillness then to findThe giants all were windmills, all the strifeSelf-made, unreal; even he that stroveA fancied being, as when that good knightWoke from delirium and with a loud cryRendered his soul to God.

Mind, then, or soul?Break free from subtle words. Only be still,Lay down the mind, submit, and Being thenIs Bliss, Bliss Consciousness: and That you are.
-Arthur Osborne

What is bringing me joy in this moment...

2009-09-22T18:44:00.000-07:00

As you know I am embarking on a "Joy Diet" . As part of the process , I am noting the little things that bring me joy. I thought today I would share a few of the things that bring me joy at this moment.
1. Twitter friends ( I am lucky to have some uplifting people on twitter, I really didn't intend to love it but I do!)
2.Suzi Blu's Les Petit Academy ( I love learning with her)
3.Hands and Heart (Monica Zuniga), Sept 25 Halloween Party ,I love Monica
4.Haute Doll ( the faces are amazing ,I am going to get some magazines to use as inspiration for my faces)
5.Treasure Hunt with Heather Plett ( Twitter Friend ) . Amazing idea !!
6. Pop tarts
7.My Keurig, I love it!!
8.India Arie , ready for love, My favorite part of the lyrics is :
"If you give me half a chance,I'll prove this to you, I will be patient, kind, faithful and true To a man who loves music ,A man who loves art,Respect's the spirit world,And thinks with his heart."
All of her music is so positive .
9.Pumpkin Spiced Latte ( shared by a twitterer)
10. Vintage poetry book I bought, here's one I marked:
Music I heard
Music I heard with you was more than music,
and bread I broke with you was more than bread,
Now that I am not with you, all is desolate,
All that was once beautiful is dead.

Your hands once touched this table and this silver,
And I have seen your fingers hold this glass,
These things do not remember you ,beloved
And yet your touch upon them will not pass.

For it was in my heart you moved among them,
And blessed them with your hands and with your eyes,
And in my heart they will remember always,-
They knew you once,O beautiful and wise.
-Conrad Aiken

Spill it !! with Carmen Torbus

2009-09-19T21:40:00.000-07:00

Straight Talk with Carmen from Carmen Torbus on Vimeo.

A new workshop all about finding your style as an artist and spilling yourself onto canvas. Sound fun? Class begins October 1. You can even win the class! Check out the details here .

Beginning the "Joy diet" with "Nothing"...

2009-09-18T11:50:00.000-07:00

I had this book on my bookshelf for a while now . I had forgotten I even had it until I saw that it was going to be a blog along at Jamie Riddler Studios . I tweeted that if I had the book I would join in . When I pulled the book off the bookshelf I saw where I had bookmarked into it a few chapters but I never finished it. I wondered why? so last night I opened it and started to read the first chapter and my first thoughts were oh no , I remember , this is the book that started with wanting me to do "Nothing". Right away I remembered the anxiety I felt with the idea of being still and doing nothing.As I read the chapter again I still felt the anxiety but the message is much clearer to me now. I actually chuckled along with Martha . I do not have a full time job . I have plenty of time to do "Nothing" but I am always surrounded with books, blogging, twittering , projects, and art. My mind is always racing like a rabid squirrel ( as Martha says). For some reason being still , really still , frightens me. So we will see how I make out this week. I am looking forward to following along with all of you on this journey . I am hoping to get some insight from some of you . I loved that Jamie suggests that we look for the little things that bring us joy , so that we start to notice it. I also love the idea of the little art cards. I am hoping to bring more joy into my life on this journey and maybe quiet myself enough to hear the real me. I am very happy to be sharing this with all of you. Finally a diet where gaining is the GOAL!

Treasures and Spell Bottles

2009-09-14T14:27:00.001-07:00

Saturday I went with my husband to Berkley Springs Wv . Its a little town rich in history not far from where i live. We visited little shops and I brought home some things to use in my art . So I created a slideshow so you can see.

Also... Are you ready for some Halloween FUN!! Monica is having some super fun workshops and to top off all the fun and prizes and free classes she is featuring Cristina Zinnia ,who is doing some free stuff as well as having a paid workshop. Cristinia is doing a free spell bottle class .Now who wouldn't want to make a spell bottle ? FUN !!!! Also I say this in the sincerest way Monica and Cristina are really wonderful people.So kind and encouraging.So come have fun with us . It would be scary if you said NO!!

Remembering Debbie...

2009-09-13T06:49:00.000-07:00

Today has been 4 years since my Aunt Debbie ( Debra Overbaugh Adams) passed away from breast cancer . I thought as a way of sharing her with you and as a way for me to memorialize her I would make a list of some things about her so you can share in her memory too.
1.She had auburn hair
2. When you got a letter from her it was 10 - 12 pages long( front and back)
3. She didn't have a loud laugh it was more a grin where her eyes twinkled.
4. She loved to talk and was very open
5.She was a dreamer
6.She lived in Germany for a little while
7. She was married 4 times.
8. She was the picture taker in our family
9. She had one brother ( my father ) who we lost at 41 ( suddenly of a heart attack )
10.When she found out she had terminal breast cancer , a tear slid down her cheek and she said" At least I don't have to worry about dying of heart disease"
11. She planned her own funeral
12. She is buried next to her brother
13. She believed she would be a survivor and beat odds many times ,she was given months to live and she battled for 5
14. She loved defying the odds
15, She wrote a letter to be read at her funeral
16. Her favorite color was blue
17. She hated getting rid of anything , she was a pack rat
18. She has 3 children
19.She was creative < she crocheted , painted and did ceramics, macrame , she had many interest 20.People liked her 21. we used to take walks at night in the snow 22. When I was younger , I stayed with her alot , we would sit up at night eating and talking. 23.When I was scared about her illness and I called her she always made me feel better . 24.She was still childlike , During chemo she ate lots of icecream, I bought her a musical santa and it played we wish you a merry xmas and I brought it to her hospital room and she stared at it in amazement.. 24. She loved animals 25. She bounced me hours on end when I was a baby, so I wouldn't cry. This is just a touch of who she was . I love her and miss her and she lives on in me. The above Blackhawk video " sailing on the ships of heaven " was chosen by her to be played at her funeral . She is not in it but I thought it would be nice to share it here.

Wanna have some halloween fun?

2009-09-06T20:14:00.000-07:00

Hands and heart is opening registration September 24 with lots of prizes and FREE stuff!! Be sure and check it out:)

Focus and The Joy diet..

2009-09-05T18:50:00.000-07:00

The other day when I was surfing the internet I read this by Melly Hocking and it came at a time when I was already thinking about what I was going to do to gain some focus.Right now I am involved in alot of online art classes and I haven't been giving them the focus they need because sometimes there is so much noise around me . I mean sometimes we are on information overload. As a person I am like that anyway. I am always several steps ahead of myself. I surround myself so much sometimes I can't concentrate.I at most times will have books beside me, my twitter open, checking myspace, reading blogs, blogging myself, downloading art classes, chatting on yahoo,texting on my cell.. ok , you get the point and I love it but I was thinking lately I have been spending more time collecting thoughts and dreams then the actual process of learning and living. As Suzi Blu told me " less jabbering more sketching" lol.. You gotta love her!! So, after reading Melly's post,I asked myself whats important to you in this moment and the answer was I am excited about the classes I am taking and I don't just wanna surround myself with wonderful supplies and classes and dreams .I wanna make art and see how I feel about it and what I can do and guess what? That takes practice and focus especially when it involves learning several things at once. So I will need to eliminate for now some of the things that aren't as important to me until I give myself a chance to grow with this new venture. I wanna see where it leads. I mean if I was sitting in a college class trying to learn ,i'm sure my professor wouldn't want me twittering,blogging, texting, and trying to learn. So I am going to give myself to this, in this moment.I am going to spend less time dreaming and more time living the dream .
No, i am not disappearing , just quieting the noise becoming more involved in the process of learning. I have decided to follow along on a book blogging journey starting Sept 18 ,We will be working our way through "The Joy Diet", discussing and blogging about the journey.If you wish to read along go here .Other than that ,I plan to "make art".Sometimes ,it is OK to step away from people or things in order to put your focus where it needs to be. So I am here. I will be checking email and my blog , but as Suzi says, I will be spending less time jabbering and more time sketching and maybe once I get some focus there i will have something great to share:)
I leave you with this quote , which describes where I am right now.

I want you to get excited about who you are, what you are, what you have, and what can still be for you. I want to inspire you to see that you can go far beyond where you are right now.
--Warren G. Bennis

Live the questions....

2009-09-02T08:09:00.000-07:00

Sometimes messages come across my twitter like synchronized swimmers.Today the theme seems to be "beginnings" . I will be 40 next week and I am looking forward to it and have decided that it will mark a new beginning in my life. I plan to begin to take better care of myself and begin to nurture my inner self as well . I am not sure exactly what direction this will lead and with new beginnings comes disorder and anxiety for many of us . We as humans ,like answers and knowing . We like to have an order and like to know where our paths may lead. We search for answers to who we are , what we want, is this the right path for us,is it worth the risk . We pry in search of our inner selves always looking for the answers to our personal quests .So today I am reminded of this by poet Rainer Marie Rilke...
I beg you ... to be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves like locked rooms and like books that are written in a very foreign tounge.Do not now seek the answers,which cannot be given to you because you would not be able to live them.And the point is,to live everything.Live the questions now.Perhaps you will then gradually,without noticing it,live along some distant day into the answer.
I know its a difficult thing to do. When someone close gave me this little poem I don't think I was ready to even understand it and I wasnt very comfortable with that as an answer but I practice sometimes being still and just sitting with not knowing . I let the uncomfortableness of living the questions just Be and trust that as I am living them that one day the answer will appear when I am ready to live it , after all living the questions is part of the journey ,is it not?

Some things to share..

2009-09-01T18:50:00.000-07:00

Every day when I am surfing the internet or twittering (oh yes, I twitter) I come across some amazing people. I am also taking some art classes online ,as I mentioned before ,and I have met some there as well. SO I want to share a few places to visit with you . Maybe you will find some inspiration as well.
The Chocolate Chip Waffle , not only is the name yummy but the blog is as well.
Pam T's Art Loft , Her art inspires me. ( I wanna draw like her when I grow up ) lol
Melly Hocking, She always leaves me thinking and inspires me to dig deeper (thank you)
Create something today (aka. Crafty Tassy) she inspires me to create , and she is the warmest person.She will be doing an art journal class soon and she has a passion for art and teaching that shows. Thank you Tassy!!
I don't have alot to show in the way of art right now because I am learning and practicing my grey scale. I do have lots of new supplies coming . Whoo hoo!!
ENJOY!

Embracing ART

2009-08-29T21:19:00.000-07:00

Most people who know me, know that when I get involved with something I am an all or nothing woman.So as usual and true to my form , I have gotten myself into several art classes. I became interested in mixed media art and in particular the faces . I'm excited but seriously I need an intervention. I am so facinated that I can take a class from my home and learn with these wonderful artists but I can't take them all at once right ? right? . I am almost afraid to click for fear I may want another one,LOL. So , I am going to give my all to what I have signed up for .Here is where you can find me.. 1> HANDS AND HEART with Monica Zuniga ,She is a wonderful teacher and I love her voice and she is so kind. I signed up for the magical kit and I have four classes there.Right now I am working on the pencil drawing course, which I LOVE.
2. (This one I am blaming on a tweet) Suzi Blu's Les petit Academy . I am taking the Goddess and Poet class, it just started.What can I say it's Suzi Blu? So as you can see my hands are full .
3. Paulette Insall's , All about faces class (thank goodness it's not until Oct) , but I am excited for that one as well.

When I was younger I wanted to be a makeup artist, I loved looking at how I could transform faces but I got married young and didn't really think about that dream anymore but you know what ? I think in this way maybe I can reclaim a piece of that dream. Did I mention that when I was young I never had an interest in art? Not even coloring .Somehow though it has been a part of my life and is helping me learn about myself .I never even knew I liked art but I am embracing it now. I have never even tried to draw but when I first saw faces and mixed media art ,I knew I wanted to learn . So I hope to share my journey here and I hope to embrace other artists as well, all of us learning from each other . I want to give a special shout out to one of my fellow beginners , who is finding her way in art too. I found her post so beautiful and so raw and honest , and I think we can all see a piece of ourselves in her lovely post. I wish for all of us who want to be artistic that we can embrace those parts of ourselves and with lots of practice excel and share our uniqueness.Here's to us!!

I have had many lovers...

2009-08-25T06:29:00.000-07:00

One day I came across this post .In it the writer compares her interests to new lovers. I have had many lovers. Once when i went in a music store and looked at a violin , I was infatuated, i bought it and in my 30's decided i wanted to play.I took lessons from a very young talented woman , who wanted me to play twinkle twinkle little star in front of an audience,,, GASP!! Did you know playing a violin is difficult? Once during a lesson she picked up her viola and I was more in love, I wanted to play both ..lol . So my teacher , whom i adored , moved away and with it my went my new found infatuation. Don't get me wrong ,I still look longingly at my violin but it sits unplayed in a corner.I am surrounded by books calling my name. I have dvds on Knitting and needles and yarn because I fell in love with the peacefulness of it.Oh did i mention I also have crochet dvd's because I fell in love with a pattern that needed both..lol.I have an art room all to myself because I fell in love with scrapbooking that then led to stamping . That lover has led me into lots of self exploring and still entices me.. I could go on and on and on. Would you like to meet my new lover? My new lover showed up unexpectedly , as I was surfing the internet, beautiful and seductive, called to me, igniting in me passion . It was this thing called Mixed media art .and this lover encompassed all the infatuations I have.Vintage items, Words,Color,Faces,stamping .. it was love at first sight! I longed to learn to draw and paint .This lover awakened in me hidden desires. So when I read this post . I knew, knew I needed to nurture these lovers .I am going to embrace them when I can. I am going to let them seduce me and see where it leads.If it doesn't work out , I will take what I learn and move on . Maybe just maybe I will find one that will be a lifetime passion . So here is two ways I am nuturing these passions.
I am taking this class, the painting faces one, with Paulette Insall in october and I found this Magical kit that includes 3 workshops with Monica Zuniga for an amazing price for this week only.Oh , and I am hoping to win this workshop . Boy it's sounds like this new lover has my head spinning !! here is a little preview of Monica Zuniga
Be careful ,, you might find yourself in the arms of a new lover...

Win a free Art Journaling class

2009-08-24T14:19:00.000-07:00

Guess what?? Julie Prichard is giving away a free art journaling class! How exciting is that? It is called Super Nova and it has two parts.The first part you can learn to make 3 of your own journals and the second part is all about art journaling .Its a great price anyway but the chance to win makes it all the better. For some reason this class is calling my name , rather loudly I might say. SO i hope I win:) > she has a cool blog too . Here is the promo video , go check it out!! GO ! GO ! GO!

Just my opinion...

2009-08-22T15:57:00.000-07:00

Last week ,as I was going through the motions of reading the blogs that I follow , I came to a blog that I am always inspired by .I read the post and when I got to the bottom of the post I read this sentence " Who would your true self be if you were willing to drop the baggage and take other people's opinions more seriously than your own"? A voice inside me rebelled against this. I heard it say " You want me to value the opinion of someone else over my own? You see , I found this a contradiction to the authentic me. How authentic am I if I am willing to take someone elses opinion over my own? I am a firm believer that the answer to who I am is within me already and that it is my job to excavate the real me.That sentence that day was something that I thought about"alot" .The context that the author wrote it in was that someone had said something positive about the author and caused her to see herself in a new way. What if the comment had been a negative one? Would it have changed the weight of the opinion ? It still would have came from the same source . So what weight should we give any opinion in deciding who we are? I see myself as a filter. Positive and negative opinions go in , they are weighed by my authentic self to see if I accept them or not and I choose what feels like it fits.If it fits then I keep it , if not , then it is discarded. I challenge that the reason the author kept that persons opinion that day was because it fit her authentic self and it was brought to her attention that maybe she should consider this as part of who she is. She accepted it to be true , therefore it was ,but it was HER who accepted it. Everyday we are told positive and negative things about ourselves, it is our job to sort and apply. I cannot trust that someone can see me better than I see myself. I have to trust myself to be authentic and truthful with myself.Take for example, if I tell a skinny person that she is fat and she knows she's not ,most likely she will filter it and not give any weight to it ,but if I tell an overweight person she is fat she will know in herself the truth and it will leave a mark . If the person is skinny and for whatever reason believes shes fat she would give my opinion the same weight as the overweight person. She is choosing this to be part of who she is.Therefore , isn't it still her own opinion? I am not saying that we should disregard everyone elses opinion. I am saying we should use them only as a means to discovering ourselves, questioning ourselves and as part of the self excavating process. I cannot ask the world "Who I Am"? that is a question only I can answer.

Be your authentic self. Your authentic self is who you are when you have no fear of judgment, or before the world starts pushing you around and telling you who you're supposed to be. Your fictional self is who you are when you have a social mask on to please everyone else. Give yourself permission to be your authentic self.
~ Dr. Phil

WishCasting....

2009-08-20T11:09:00.000-07:00

Who Is the "You " you wish to be? this is the question that was asked in this wishcasting post.
The woman I wish to be is a woman who is at peace with who she is . She is a woman who feels comfortable in her own skin and is not afraid to be who she is despite other peoples opinions.She is a woman of strength and independence and peace.Confidently showing herself to the world without fear of being judged.
Who is the "YOU " you wish to be?

Whats your type?

2009-08-18T14:02:00.001-07:00

One day a friend of mine suggested I twitter. I really had no interest as I already have a myspace and facebook and blogs.. yada yada. I didnt really get the whole concept of it. I was thinking why in the world would someone want to know that im sitting in my pj's drinking coffee . I really thought it must be stupid. Well I was wrong. So wrong! I have been following some great people and learning alot about myself. So one day someone tweeted at me " What is your MBPT ?" it said "I am INTJ". so I sat and I looked at that tweet and I was thinking " what the hell? MBPT -INTJ ? i ran all the possible codes in my head. Finally I thought she must be asking me my message board name and she is telling me hers ..LOL . So I tweeted back about just signing up and that I hadn't got my invite to the class yet, That must have sounded like code to her. I should have said WTH IDK (what the hell? I dont know) .So guess what? today I figured it out ! Its kinda like saying whats your sign in tweet.. Who knew!! You can read about it here.You can find out your type here .Now I know , I am INFJ :)

Whats your type?? leave me a comment , i'd love to know . Oh and sandy, I'm sorry I was a dumbass..LOL.but next time I will proudly answer ,I am INFJ.

The Color of truth

2009-08-15T11:00:00.000-07:00

If I could paint truth using a color ,I would choose Yellow, a transparent bright yellow. A yellow so bright that sometimes you would need glasses to behold its brightness.Why? because truth is light and there is no darkness in truth.Transparent because the truth is something that you can always see through , no secrets hiding underneath it. Andre Gide writes " The color of truth is gray " .I have been thinking alot about the " truth " and what our responsibility to the truth is and how hard it is for some to look into its glaring light and how some walk through life shrouded in a cloud of lies unwilling to see the truth. Maybe Andre Gide thought the color of truth was grey because there is such a fine line in truth . A fine line we walk daily . I am by nature a very blunt person .I believe in the power of truth .I believe that facing the truth, however hard, allows us to grow as people. I search out the truth in myself because I know that in those truths is the real me. What is our responsibility to the truth though? Should we offer people our truths without them asking us for it? What if the truth is something they are unavoidably trying not to face? What if their untruths are uncomfortable for me? Should I sit with the uncomfortableness and allow them to remain in their own darkness because its not my business? I picture these untruths like a person sleeping in a dark room .Is it my job as a truthseeker to come in and jerk open the dark curtains and let in some light? Is it my job to tell an abuser that he is abusive when in his mind he is a good husband? Should I tell an addict that I see the addiction they are hiding? Should I tell the teenager who is pregnant with her second child that I see her mistakes? Should I turn my cheek to prejudice even though I flinch at the ignorance ? I have made mistakes, I have went through times of darkness , we all do , but when you are trying to live in the light , how do you handle the darkness? Some of the most life changing things for me in my life was when someone looked me straight in my eyes and said " I don't agree" or took my hand and said " turn around, you are headed in the wrong direction". Sometimes I needed a slap of reality and truth .So when darkness is near ,how do I protect my light? What if my light infringes on someones darkness and they aren't ready? What is my responsibility to the truth? What color is truth for you?

Shiny Glass Globes and Sweat....

2009-08-14T07:46:00.000-07:00

Today I want to share another wonderful blog I love with you.It's called Blisschick. She has some wonderful posts. One in particular that made me think recently was one about negative people and how they hinder our growth.Here is an excerpt from her recent post..
Negative Nellies will pop your balloon or take in hand that fragile, shiny glass globe, pretending interest, and then "accidentally" drop it.
How many times have we shared an idea we thought was wonderful or a piece of ourselves that we were proud of or excited about (our shiny glass globe) only to have our excitement burst by feelings of inadequacy and self doubt? I know for me, many times a negative comment has left me doubting myself,had me reevaluating myself and my worth, wondering if my view of myself was somehow distorted,that maybe what I thought was shiny and beautiful really wasn't. In her post Blisschick reminds us "that we have to stop showing these people our shiny glass globes"
Positive people who support us are essential to our growth.There is a part of me , a big part, that doesnt value what I am doing or who I am without the approval of others.I have been struggling and working on this for a long time. I want to be the woman dressed in the outrageous outfit or the woman standing out in the crowd and not caring about what others are thinking.The woman who is completely comfortable in her own skin.You know the one? the one who has a peacefulness on her face and really is ok with who she is.That is the woman I aspire to be. I also want to remember to "give back" ,listen and accept the creative voices of others without judgement . I want to be the woman who knows how to handle a shiny glass globe with care.
She also has an interesting theory on how we can help get rid of all this self doubt , you can find it here . Blisschick says we need to "sweat it out" , literally, Move, work our bodies into a sweat to dissolve our inner "stuck chick" . Ok , she has my attention, that inner voice who has been telling me to "Move More" got a little louder when I read that. Thanks Blisschick!!

Ordinary Courage and Midlife...

2009-08-12T08:34:00.000-07:00

Another blog that I discovered and had been meaning to share is "Ordinary Courage" .Just the name itself is Beautiful to me, but their is some real content there.Today I was struck by this little sentence "Midlife is when the universe gently places her hands on your shoulders,pulls you close, and whispers in your ear". Maybe I should do an art journal page about that and what she would be saying to me because about 6 months ago it felt liked she gave me a kick in the A**. I will be turning 40 soon and about 6 months ago I was acting like a lunatic.When I read this excerpt from Brene Brown -
"It’s time. All of this pretending and performing – these coping mechanisms that you’ve developed to protect yourself from feeling inadequate and getting hurt – has to go. Your armor is preventing you from growing into your gifts. I understand that you needed these protections when you were small. I understand that you believed your armor could help you secure all of the things you needed to feel worthy and lovable, but you’re still searching and you’re more lost than ever. Time is growing short. There are unexplored adventures ahead of you. You can’t live the rest of your life worried about what other people think. The time has come to let go of who you think you’re supposed to be and embrace who you are."
I thought wow thats powerful and it is.You ever read something and you think something is here for me? I just need to sit with this and think about this and soak this up for a little while. Brene' is right. we spend the first part of our lives keeping ourselves protected with all kinds of vices and defenses only to find out that this only kept us from our true selves, it hindered our growth. We are taught that we should fit in ,only to discover that true beauty comes when we allow ourselves to stand out and embrace our individuality.I picture it like a flower in youth closed up tight ,protected, but the real beauty is on the inside , when the flower opens fully,only then , can you truly appreciate all it has to offer.

Beauty In strength...

2009-08-11T17:22:00.000-07:00

Honestly a month ago I didn't even know the definition of mixed media art.Somehow when I was blurfing my way along one link led to another .Literally sometimes I was so taken by a piece of art that it would bring me close to tears .Today it did bring me to literal tears.Along the way I found the artist Pam Carriker.I remember the first time I visited her blog ,I was so drawn to the colors , the faces , all of it.I emailed Pam and I remember that she directed me to a place I could find more info because for the first time I saw something called an art journal.At that moment all the things I was attracted to made perfect sense.The quotes I would save, the vintage things I loved, old books. A place that would incorporate it all .I still haven't begun but the seed has been planted.I had intended to find my way . The idea of this blog was there. Then today literally I cried and decided it was time to start.Here is why...

It is a painting by Pam called " Beauty in strength". You can read her inspiration for this piece on her blog , but , as soon as I saw it ,I knew, before I even read the story.You see ,I have seen this face of strength before .I Have watched this determination .For me ,this was the face of my aunt, a face of someone I loved.Sadly, my aunt did not win her battle with breast cancer.This September the 13th she will have been gone 4 years .She was a woman with the most beautiful spirit and the expression of determination and strength is one that is easily recognizable in many who are battling this disease.Before she passed away I dreamt of her and in the dream she turned into this beautiful butterfly ,I cannot even describe how beautiful the butterfly was , so when I also saw the butterflies in this painting it made it even more meaningful to me. The writing on the painting says" I don't think of the misery but of the Beauty that still remains" and that is the truth , that's what I remember, her beauty, that strength , that will remain with me forever. I bought this piece today and I will cherish it forever.Thank you Pam !

Pam is also going to make prints of this to sell in her etsy shop and all proceeds will go to the Susan G Komen foundation

Right after my aunt passed away I wrote this for her and I thought it might be appropriate to share it here...

My biggest fear is that no one will know...

how you were so much bigger than your disease,

how you found humor in the unlikeliest of situations,

how you smiled through pain,

how you found courage in the face of fear,

how you held hope through hopelessness,

how your eyes twinkled brighter than your baldness,

how you became determined to beat the unbeatable,

how you fought with hope until your very last breath,

how you believed in the strength of all women,

how you inspired me to be better than I was,

You were beautiful.

You had a beauty so bright your disease was dimmed by it.

You had a spirit that will not be quieted by death ,

and my biggest fear is that no one will know....

~In memory of Debra Overbaugh Adams

Welcome..

2009-08-11T15:58:00.001-07:00

I have been wanting to start this blog for a while.I already have a blog where I share cards I create, but I often blurf around the internet and I have been so inspired by different mixed media artists and others who so inspire me with quotes and other things.Inspire me to listen to my own voice ,inspire me to push myself to be a better person ,inspire me to learn new things.Sometimes the things I want to share just doesn't fit well on my card blog . Maybe something you see here will inspire you or lead you down a different path towards exploring your own creativity.Maybe you will find a new artist that touches you in some way and sparks a new interest.This will be a place for me to refine Me,down to a fine art!