exploring we will go- a trip to the dahlia farm

Old House Dahlias is a 14 acre dahlia farm located in Tillamook, Oregon and it is pure magic!

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happy weekend!

gluten free fish taco salad

Eating gluten free has changed my life and while I am not strict about cutting out gluten (I cheat once in a while), I have really enjoyed all the great alternatives out there when it comes to eliminating gluten from my diet. 

One of my favorite meals is a fish taco salad- it's kinda like a deconstructed fish taco. I've eliminated the tortillas and the rice and replaced them with quinoa, added my favorites veggies and fresh seasonal fish.

INGREDIENTS:

Butter lettuce

Quinoa

Black beans

Grilled corn

Tomatos

Purple cabbage

Avocado

Grilled salmon

Cilantro and lime juice for added flavor

love notes download for you!

With all the stuff going on in our country and the world, is there anyone out there struggling with low moral, gloom or overwhelm? Well, I've been searching my heart about some simple ways to spread a little kindness and love to you guys and I'm going to try something new here on the blog. I've decided that every few weeks, I'm going to be giving you some little love notes to download for free. Just something simple and uplifting that you can grab, print out, hang up or share with someone who might need a little pick me up!

I've got my first set of love notes for you today!

Grab an 8"X10" print HERE

Grab a sheet of postcards HERE

fresh new mural in the studio!

I've been busy preparing for my Petals and Paint Art Retreat in October and part of the process is painting a new mural in the studio. It's one of my traditions to paint a different mural for my each of my retreats that can be used as the backdrop for photos and a way to add a custom "vibe" to the studio space. As many of you know, I believe paint is one the easiest ways to transform a space and using that paint to create a bold statement wall is one of my favorite ways decorate! Here is a peek into my process-

I have two large moveable walls that each have a different mural or solid color on them. The first step was to paint over one of my old murals. 

Lucy helped me with this process. Our only goal was to cover everything up with lots of bright and messy color!

We let that first layer dry and a couple weeks later we invited our friends to the studio for a messy playdate! I let the girls add a second layer of paint- lots of marks, expressive brushstrokes, finger painting- basically, I asked them to make a big creative mess!

 

This was the BEST DAY EVER!

Then a couple weeks later, I started prepping for my layer of flowers. I started by adding large areas white paint over the top of the messy layers. My goal at this stage was to hold onto some of the color and marks in the background while adding white space that could be transformed into flowers.

Once those white areas were dry, I got busy painting my flowers. I like to start with black outlines of the flowers. For this process I always use a paint brush and Gold High Flow Acrylic paint in black.

Then I filled those flowers with color and lots of details and more black line work.

I love adding areas of black paint in between the flowers so that they pop even more! This process is really time consuming but it's the stage when things start to come to life! 

I continued to work my way across the surface painting flowers, adding details and even adding dots and marks to some of the space. 

The result is a BIG, BOLD and COLORFUL wall that will be the perfect backdrop for my upcoming retreat! 

Looking for a little more inspiration when it comes to using paint and creativity to transform a space?

painted floor runner   painted countertops    statement wall   kids statement wall  flower mural   guest room mural  doodled dishwasher   painted deck  kids room makeover

NEW! online classes

I've got a new round of online classes ready to this fall! I've also got early bird prices happening until Oct.1st. So get em cheap while you can!

MONOPRINT MAGIC

begins Oct. 2nd

$15.00 EARLY BIRD $10.00

Register HERE

Monoprinting is a form of printmaking where lines or images can only be made once. I fell in love with the process back in college and it still remains one of my favorite ways to create! Join me for a fun little class where we will explore a variety of simple but unique ways to create monoprints. We will use additive and subtractive methods, collage, we will experiment with paint and inks, play with texture and make use of everyday materials and supplies to create on of a kind prints.

*Note- This is NOT a gelli plate printing class, while I will be touching on how to use a gelli plate, we will be using a variety of everyday supplies to print.

PALETTE KNIFE POSSIBILITY

begins Oct. 16th

$15.00 EARLY BIRD $10.00

Register HERE

When working with paint, a palette knife can be a really fun alternative to using a paint brush! Typically a palette knife is used for mixing paint but it can also be used to apply paint. In this class we will be ditching those brushes and exploring all kinds of ways to use palette knives to swipe, scratch, drag, dot, mark, layer and spread that paint!

PLAYFUL PENS

begins Nov. 6th

$15.00 EARLY BIRD $10.00

Register HERE

Pens are some of my favorite supplies to create with! They are cheap, easy to find, versatile  and there are so many different ways to put them to use! In this class I will be sharing some of my favorite ways to use pens to get creative- from drawing, mark making, using the ink to paint with- I will be sharing some of my favorite ways to hack those pens and push there potential!

TEXTURE ADVENTURES

begins Nov. 20th

$15.00 EARLY BIRD $10.00

Register HERE

When it comes to my creative process, I am always looking for fast and easy ways to add texture to my surfaces. Over time, I've discovered a variety of really creative techniques to add texture to my art. Join me for a messy little class where we will be dipping all kinds of strange things in paint to create surfaces filled with texture.

BUNDLE OF 4 CLASSES

$50.00 EARLY BIRD $35.00

Register HERE

In addition to the new line up of classes I am also offering a bundle option. This bundle includes all four new classes. If you are interested in taking all four classes, this is the option for you!

Just a quick reminder that this is the last week to get in on the early bird price for my Petals and Paint Art Retreat in October! We have 3 spots left! More information HERE

happy weekend!

unicorn toast

My readers will know by now that I love simple, healthy and pretty food! My theory is that the more colorful and beautiful the food, the more you will enjoy it and be less tempted to eat Cheetos and Oreos for breakfast. Something we are loving around here (especially Lucy) is unicorn toast! This colorful trend was started by food stylist Adeline Waugh and basically it's pastel colored cream cheese slapped on some toast. And though it's simple, there is something that feels so special about eating colorful and whimsical food!

There are all kinds of ways that you can make colorful cream cheese but we like using natural ingredients like beet juice, pomegranate juice, blackberries, turmeric, spirulina powder, raspberry juice and more! You can also use natural food coloring if you don't have the time or patience to create your own.

Simply mix the natural coloring with cream cheese to get desired color.

Spread on your favorite bread.

I like taking it even further and add all kinds of toppings like fruit, granola, chia seeds, coconut, etc.

The result is colorful and delicious toast that is healthy (and a HUGE hit with the kiddos)!

pricing your artwork

I get asked all kinds of questions about all sorts of creative things and once in a while I take the time to answer the frequently asked questions here on my blog!

Something I get asked a lot is how to price art or handmade goods and while this process looks really different for everyone, I thought is might be helpful to give a little insight into my own philosophy on pricing that art. So pull up a chair, grab a cup of tea and join me for a little chat about art and money!

Have a question you want me to answer? Feel free to leave a comment or email me alisaburke@gmail.com

Looking for more art business tips and advice?

how to start selling your artwork- HERE

jump start a creative career- HERE

taking a leap into full time artist- HERE

coping with creative burnout- HERE

coping with failure- HERE

how to keep your work authentic- HERE

the art of chasing a dream- HERE

managing life and a creative business- HERE

the art of setting goals- HERE 

the art of blogging- HERE and HERE

the things I haven't shared- HERE

stronger than I ever knew- HERE

happy weekend!