Beat the Heat

Ah summertime. It’s going to hit 97 today so we are off to the lake. I just wanted to share a couple of the journal pages I finished while on my trip. I have to say I’m amazed at what you can do in a Moleskine journal. The pages hold up really well to paint if you don’t use too much. Gesso works great on them also. I took limited tools with me and had already added some paint and collage elements, even a little stamping to the background.
Have a wonderful day, stay cool and don’t forget to do a little bit of art everyday~

About Letting Go

That is the title of this piece that I finished today. As part of a group of artists/friends, who meet daily to exchange tidbits about our lives, share tips and techniques, and enjoy each others company, we cheer each other on and share in the victories, and we also give comfort when life is not so perfect. Hearing of the losses experienced by a couple of these ladies, reminded me so much of the loss of my own grandparents and beloved pets through the years. These losses touch most of us because we have experienced similar times in our lives. On so many levels life is about learning to let go. Letting go of loved ones, letting go of our children as they grow, letting go of things that frustrate or irritate us. Things beyond our control. There is beauty in letting go. It may be hard to see, but it is there. That is what I hoped to convey in this piece. The beauty. Remember to look for the beauty.
Available in my etsy shop.

A New Beginning

Busy working like a fiend, but managed to finish this finally and get it listed. No journal page today, but at least some art and lots of writing. Hope you are all being productive:-) The sun is out and makes me long for spring, but that cold 30 degree temp is keeping me inside. This piece feels just like that to me. Longing for spring flowers on a bright, cold, winter day.
Misty Mawn’s latest piece inspired me a bit with this one. I love her use of white. She gets so much texture from a simple color palette.
(sold)

Finished!

I finished my latest WIP! Summer brings many wonderful things, but studio time is not one of them. That is not necessarily a bad thing. It makes us slow down and enjoy things more. A lot of the time I have more than one project going on, and this is only in my art life, real life is a whole other story:-) This past month has been no exception. The difference is that with the kids home from school, and limited studio time, I am forced to slow it down. I have several writing projects in the works, and last week I pulled a couple of very late nights getting a couple of journals ready to send to the publishers, but I also have spent lazy afternoons at the pool with kids, doing absolutely nothing. Evenings are spent BBQ-ing, and visiting with friends and neighbors, and an occasional trip to the lake is squeezed in. Ahhh, wonderful!

All of the little extra details are done. Check out the cross-hatch detail on her hat, the little string attaching the price tag to the hat, and the little buttons on her dress. Tiny little things that add to the whole. The flowers are from napkins, inspired by Sharon Tomlinson’s amazing work. Little bits and pieces, gathered from here and there, that together, complete the picture. ‘Summer’s Gifts’ is available in my etsy shop. Wouldn’t you give 5cents for a cute hat like that? Happy summer day friends!