acrylic, 2.5"x3.5"

Sharing an un-success

Taking a break from the ladies and birds. I played today with a little intuitive watercolor ATC card.

I splashed some watercolors on the card, "saw" the picture immediately but wasn't sure how to draw it, so I started with a pencil. Added pen lines over, some light stamping and stitches to frame it. I don't know if it shows, but the girl is holding an open egg shell and a butterfly emerged from it. I used that image in several collages/paintings a long time ago and was actually surprised today when I started drawing it again.

Here is where the un-success and coincidence come into play. I found a package in front of my door today and wondered what it was (as I am not expecting anything). It was from Somerset magazine. I submitted two art pieces 15 months ago and haven't heard from them since. Well, they decided that they are not good enough for publishing and of all days today my art reappeared. See the egg and butterflies? Isn't that an interesting coincidence?

Here is the other piece that I submitted. I thought that eggshells and embossing (on the wings and the egg above) are interesting. I was obviously wrong.... A short while ago rejection like this would have crushed my self-esteem. I don't know why - but today it didn't... Well, not a lot... but I don't plan on summiting art again to Somerset anytime soon.

Window(s) to my soul

9"x12" canvas panel

The walls

9"x12" canvas panel

I always enjoyed being alone... but I'm starting to think that I may went to far with it. If I did build walls, it has been a slow process and it happened without me noticing it. How does one change and become people friendly? Should I? Questions, questions....

Copycat

According to Wikipedia a copycat (also copy-cat or copy cat) is a person (or animal, or computer program) that mimics or repeats the behavior of another. I wanted to see a page from my journal on canvas, so I that's what I did... painted it again.
Love is everywhere.
Love is the poetry of the senses.
Love is, above all, the gift of oneself.

Little silence....

A little silence, little rest, is good.

9"x12" canvas panel

I heart the beach

For some reason this morning I couldn't wait to jump out of the bead and go to the beach. As you can see there is no sun. It was early, peaceful and even the waves didn't make much noise. Thanks to Google Earth I know that my morning walk is 3.3 happy miles long. I was greeted by my long time friends. They are lovely, but don't want to pose for photographs, so I can only share blurry pictures.

When I was a little girl, I used to search for heart shaped stones on the beach. Sometimes I would find a shell that needed only a few grinding strokes to also become a heart.
When I was all grown up I remember my fingers creating hearts from drippings of a beeswax candle in the scariest night of my life.

Before I started reading blogs, I didn't know anyone else who did that.

I'm happy to see hearts popping all over and glad to join the group of heart seekers from all over the world.

I'm waving to you in this picture, but you can't see it. What you can see is my favorite necklace, mixed with my iPod wires and a piece of my lovely Norah she-bag.

HI!

Finished!

Thank you for all the wonderful comments about this journal!

It is finished. This is the back cover:

And here are the faces peeking through...

This was relaxing and fun and I'm not finished with faces. I have to paint some more before I move to other things. Have a happy weekend!

Forever is composed of nows

I don't think these two pages look too good together. The whole thing was not planned... my idea was to do whatever I want to and not care how it turns out.

It was interesting to see how the textured paper in the background will work with the painting (as that was also not planned). I found out that I like painting on textured/colored stuff more than painting a clear gessoed background.

Love is everywhere...

Words on the page are:
With the past, I have nothing to do; nor with the future. I live now.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

The life of every woman...

What a busy page! It takes me ages to stamp/stencil the words, but I find it relaxing and enjoy the process of mixing font types, sizes, colors.

Almost finished...

I painted, painted, painted some more and almost finished my journal. Actually, I don't know why I call it a journal... probably because it is in a book format and I don't know how else to call it. I want to add some words and details and it will be done.

I don't think I'll add words to this spread.

New journal

Thank you very much for the uplifting comments about my fragments and my lost muse! I really appreciate that you take the time to write. Many good suggestions... I can see that I'm not the only one that gets lost from time to time. That helps :-)

I made a new journal and started gluing scraps of papers on it.... without thinking - just glue and paper. I also made a conscious decision that this will not be something for sale and that I don't have to worry how it will turn out. The muse came dancing back! And I was happy as could be with my paints and brushes and the regular mess of mixed media work. I didn't have time to take photos and my journal is far from finished, but I wanted to share something. So, here is my cover:

The rest will follow soon.

Fragments

Nothing much to say.... nothing finished to show... just fragments of work in progress. For some reason it became difficult for me to create... That's a new thing! Usually I start and finish projects in a day, and can't wait for the next day to start another one. Lately I am not happy with anything I do... so I start, then I stop, then I think about it, lose courage to finish it. I don't know why that is happening and should I flow through it or force myself to finish things. Anyway, that's why I'm showing bits and pieces... hoping that they will become more than fragments soon.

Blog awards

Big thank you to Janet and Lani for nominating me for Rockin' Girl Blogger and Nice Matters awards.

I am supposed to pick 5 other blogs and nominate them for the same thing, but I can't. I was one of the kids that got picked last for sports in school, and probably because of that would feel horrible to choose some and leave others out. I read 64 blogs daily... all of them deserve both awards. Just look at my blog list on the side bar and click on any link.... you'll find inspiration and meet some wonderful women and it will be clear why I can't decide only on five.

Just the two of us...

What a weekend! My dh and I spent the last two days soaking in the beautiful views of Mendocino and Sonoma counties. I can't help but share some of the pictures. The ocean, hills, rivers, lakes, forests, vineyards.... it is all breathtaking.
There was an unexpected bonus - kids (12&20) decided to tidy up everything (even my art desk is organized) and cook us a meal (well, not for me... I'm still on the raw food journey). They were happy we enjoyed our time alone.
I think I'll keep smiling all week. Hope you'll have a smiling week too!

How to paint a water drop

After having a lot of fun with the long tutorial from yesterday's post, I thought I'd post a short one today. I recently painted these cherries for a friend. My Mom called me all excited, but not about the cherries. She loved the water drop on them and asked me how I painted it.I made a quick step by step worksheet for her. This time the water drop is a tear because I'm sad that she's in lot of pain. The humongous cast went off, and she is heeling well, but it will take time and now it hurts more than before. It will get better with time.

1. Water drop should be painted the same color as the base it's on.
2. I added a darker shade on the outside bottom right corner.
3. Same dark shade on the left side inside the drop.
4. Deepened the shade inside.
5. Added a highlight on the inside of the drop.
6. A thin highlight on the opposite side and a tiny dot somewhere on the shaded area.
That's it. I painted this very quickly, so it's far from perfect... but I hope you get the idea.

I wish you more dew drops than tears.

Little Wing

I was very brave today!

I painted over a framed reproduction that's been hiding under my table for more than a year. This is my biggest painting ever! 14.5" x 18"!!! I didn't even add any words... (but I may change my mind later). It was very interesting to paint in a format that I'm not used to. It is easier to do details so big, but at the same times the mistakes are also big and show much more than on a small format. I'll try not to look at it too critically right now... so I'll close my post with a wave from the 'little wing' (in reality - the biggest wing I ever painted).
xo

Live Your Dream

After my "lovely" experience with pastels and fixative I decided to try something different to protect my drawings. I created a bird that lives on a happy house, covered everything with plastic transparency and stitched all the way around. It worked for this project, but I still have to figure out what to do with the bigger drawings...

More photos on etsy.

I finished my four-week-raw-vegan-food challenge and this is how I look now:

Just joking!
I can't believe that I'm posting this silly picture... Hana made me do it :-)
I am eight pounds lighter and many times happier than a month ago. I love trying new things and this has been fun. So much fun that I would really, really like to become a certified raw food chef. I signed up for the e-newsletter from this website and they sent me a raw brownie recipe. A perfect thing to make for my "I did it!" party.

I will start saving money for the culinary school.... Imagine teaching workshops about creative journaling and healthy eating... I like the idea (maybe I'm the only one).
Cheers!

Notice my short hair! The hairdresser decided on her own to chop off more than 5" of my hair... I couldn't even complain... I was speechless. At least I didn't cry (as I used to when I was younger). It will grow...

Goals are dreams with deadlines...

This is what I do while I watch Hana and her friend have fun in the pool:I bring my watercolors, paper cut to 2.5"x3.5" and a brush. Just enough stuff so that I can start my bird cards. I also had my favorite Pitt pen, but made a mistake of touching an undried part.... and it got destroyed. I made the same mistake several times. And I always buy ONE pen... Why? So that I can suffer, I guess.

Finished cards are listed in my etsy.