Painting 2

Here is a photo of the painting I created last weekend! (Happy b-day to Jennifer!) A trip to the beach with her and her young'un in May inspired this image in my head. While I worked on painting the ocean--much harder than one might think, I might add--I spoke to Amb over the telephone about art and traveling and having the time you need. Painting a picture for one best friend while talking to the other... does it get any better than that? Well, maybe if they'd both been there with me in person....


And the $2 frame from Goodwill with the painting in it:

I'm off tomorrow for three weeks to Europe, so I'm sorry to report I'll not be able to post for awhile. When I get back, however, I'm sure I'll have much to share!

Be well.

xo

Painting

I have always wanted to paint. In the past, I've never felt very satisfied with my paintings. But that is beginning to change! First of all, I can see that practice has been helping. Second of all, I can use other media to help with the affects I can't achieve with acrylic paint (probably due to lack of training and practice), like doing shading with colored pencils. Third, I can add other components that makes the art more dimensional and textured, and man-o, that makes the art my style, more original to me. This is a big revelation and I couldn't be more excited about it!


This is a card I made for friends Marilee and Ryan, who got married last weekend near Pagosa Springs, CO. Probably one of the most beautiful places I've been to, ever! They are very outdoorsy folks, thus the theme for the card, and the rainbow and two people are done in colored pencil and then glued to the card with spacers so that they pop off the card. I love how the card turned out. It was about 7 x 12" in the end. Be sure to click on the image if you'd like to take a closer look.

Today I did another painting in this style, and framed it in a frame I found at Goodwill this week for $2! Gotta love that place. I'll post that one soon.

Meanwhile, I've made a new friend, Tara, of the Tinkerfrog blog. We met through the apron swap, and this week I had her over for a fun afternoon of talking about art, quilting, Colorado, cooking, and work life. It was a splendid time, and we are both glad to have made a new art friend. She is hosting an online quilting bee, which looks like a ton of fun. If you're interested in joining, visit her site! It seems like a low work-commitment, and at the end, you have the blocks you need to complete a quilt top for yourself. Hmm... the possibility!

Industrious!

I've had lots of art time in the last couple weeks and I want to be sure to show you what I've made! In preparation for my trip to Europe in July, I made 5 quilt tops, to eventually be turned into quilts for some of the babies I'll get to meet! I don't want to spoil the surprise, so here's a glimpse, Crazy Mom Quilts style:


I have to admit that straight-up quilting doesn't really do it for me anymore. My heart just isn't in it, and there is always an aspect of self-imposed obligation to it when I create one. I mean, who wouldn't love to receive a quilt, especially for their child? For that reason, I've loved to give them. But I don't love making them. After thinking more about it, I decided that for another baby I'll be meeting, I would just do something different, and I am SO pleased with what became of that challenge.


I found this awesome shadow-box frame at Goodwill for 5 bucks. It had some awful thing in it that easily came out. My mini-quilt, about 12 x 12, is a huge improvement! If you click on the photo you can see an up-close view of all the stuff that's in it, and below are some other perspectives.

Finally, I made some excellent fabric greeting cards, a start to the type of cards I plan to start selling in my online shop (to begin with). That shop should be created by the end of 2009 at the latest. I'll be sure to announce its grand opening when the time comes. These cards are made in the style of Denyse Schmidt, whose book Quilts, has provided unending inspiration for me for many projects.

"Should" vs. "Dream"

During a phone conversation with Amb over the weekend, I was saying how I felt compelled to make things for other people, that there were things I "should" make. I said I was struggling with wanting to fulfill my dream of making art for myself or things I could sell, but that I was feeling obligated in another direction! Amb said, "Well between 'dream' and 'should,' I'd go with number one!" Put so simply, it made it seem silly to have had any sort of indecisiveness regarding how I should spend my time.

This afternoon, I read a great quote by Henry David Thoreau: "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined." So tonight while in the shower, I had a design inspiration for an apron. I promptly sat down in my room and created a prototype. It's close to what I had imagined, but not quite, so I'll definitely try making another one. Introducing, the craft apron. Something to hold cleaning supplies or screws, wipe your gluey fingers on, stand on a ladder and hammer something in. Made of durable but cute fabric, you can be stylish while truly working.

Front view:


Back and side views:

Two things I learned: that I want the black to not be plain cotton, which is all I had to make this one tonight, but rather that durable fabric similar to one the colorful circles are printed on. And that there is such a thing as an apron that's too long! After thinking I was complete with this, I had to cut three inches off the bottom and re-sew it. Much better! Also, I tweaked the actual shape of this apron so that when it's not being worn, it looks more trapezoidal in shape than rectangular. That makes it fall straight on the side.

While in Cali the first time last month, my cousin handed me a stack of old photos and when I was looking through them again this weekend, this one caught my eye. This was my first Christmas and that's me and my mom. And so, a love of aprons was born!


It is time to live the life I've imagined, I think!

Grounding Myself

Three trips to California in one month has definitely inspired me to re-focus and keep myself on the ground for a little while. On the second trip, I visited my dearest Jennifer, who, through energy, words, and angel cards, encouraged and empowered me to manifest working part time at my day job, for my sanity and my art. The day after I returned from that visit, I asked about it, and the wish was granted!! Starting in August, I'll work a day less a week and I can't believe it. I am so grateful and excited. Jennifer's was one of many omens I've seen and listened to regarding this. The time is now.

Below, a mother's day card and a birthday card made of the same materials. They were fun, and still lovely despite being so simple.


And now, let me introduce you to two VERY inspirational artists. Amanda Jean, at Crazy Mom Quilts, appears to be a homemaker who pumps out quilts at a rate I've never before imagined. I am amazed at how much she has made since I last visited her blog four weeks ago. And her designs are totally my style. Since that first visit to her blog, I haven't been able to get her designs out of my head. I love them! And she challenges herself in lots of ways, one way being not buying fabric when she already has so much! There was one post in which she stated she'd not bought fabric in 50-some days! I was so impressed!

The other artist is Two Inky Hands, actually a mother-daughter duo who make fantastic cards, bookmarks, collages, etc ALL OUT OF RECYCLED STUFF! I discovered them at the Salt Lake City Airport during a layover, and couldn't help but pay $8 each (OMG!) for two of their cards. Both cards used bubble wrap and they were so simple, and and entire card was made of reused items. Check out their website (click on their product line links to see some of their work), and be inspired yourself.

To ground myself, I plan to stay put till mid-July, my next plane trip. And I plan to make more art and write and eat from our garden and from the local farmer's market, where I'm off to now!