A Little Piece of Art

My friend Alisa (prettylittlependants) presented a little portrait challenge, so I thought I would take a few minutes to make this small, 4×6 piece. You can see the requirements on her blog. Anyone can play! It just has to be an original portrait that is 4×6. I used Caran d’ache water soluble crayons for this. I have created a piece of art every day now since January 1, 2009. It is a fun habit to be in and I highly recommend it! Even if it’s something small like this, or a little bit you do in a journal, it doesn’t have to be big, just spend a few minutes creating. Your muse will thank you!

Mind Wide Open Challenge December

Well, Gail went and did it again! I really was going to give this months Mind Wide Open challenge a pass due to a very busy schedule. But I just had to sneak over and see what the image was and I ended up staying up into the wee hours last night to do this piece.

I am calling it ‘Capture The Moment’, which I have represented with the little caged butterfly. The word prompt at MWO is ‘Beginnings’ and I have included the beginnings of wings, sprouting from her back. These represent her first attempts to soar on her own. The beginning of the journey to find her true self. Remember when your child first starts to venture out on their own? It can be frustrating and make you proud, all in the same moment.

Using a 10×10 canvas, I applied the image first and then added molding paste around it, stamping into it for even more texture. Acrylic paints, water soluble crayon, stamping, drawing, and some charcoal combine to give it a wintry feel. A little butterfly also hangs from a string

a true ‘captured moment’. Voting starts on

December 8th.
This piece is available in my etsy shop and remember, I am offering free shipping the entire first week in December, on all original works.

A Productive Weekend!

I’m having a fairly productive weekend! In between cleaning out closets, I was able to finish and list this new work titled, ‘Be Set Free’. That’s what cleaning out clutter feels like to me~it sets me free! Sometimes I am just in the mood to purge and I go at it like gangbusters getting things cleaned out and organized. Now in the midst of this cleaning frenzy, my house looks like a hurricane came through (thoughts and prayers to those going through ‘real’ hurricanes:-). But, there is a method to my madness, and an upcoming neighborhood garage sale to spur me on.

Don’t forget about the Mind Wide Open voting that begins tomorrow. I have seen a couple of the other entries, and they are gorgeous! You can scroll down to see mine, I’ll keep my fingers crossedxxx.

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend, productive or not!

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!