Home- At Last!!

So much to tell since my last post- I finished my photoshoot a day early and it felt so good to be done. Since I was not scheduled to fly out until Sat that meant I had a free day to do a little site seeing and wonderful Tonia took me to one of the best little craft stores I have ever been in called St. Theresa's Textile Trove- I was in heaven! So many little one of a kind goodies! Then we had yet another yummy lunch

(the week was full of fabulous lunches thanks to Tonia!) Then I got go visit my very first Hobby Lobby which I have wanted to do for a while since we don't have them in California and its a good thing because I don't need anymore places to blow money!! The week ended on a really good note and then.......... it all went down hill when I got to the airport on Sat. As the plane was pulling out it broke down on the runway, no electricity- no air and we were stuck, then back to the gate, still stuck and then we de-planed and all had to get new flights out! It was so late that there was nothing for me until the next day so it was another night in Cincinnati! I finally made it home late Sunday afternoon and I won't go into all the craziness but it was quite a travel drama will all sorts of craziness!!! But I am thankful to have made it home safely and though I am exhausted, I am just so thankful to have gotten the opportunity to have spent my time and energy on my passion!

Blessed

So here I am on day 3 of my week in Cincinnati and though I am exhausted, I am feeling really positive and so blessed. This experience has been great so far- lots of work but really great to get the opportunity to just do something that I love so much- paint! I am really close to finishing all my projects and this might even happen early! Now I am glad that I took lots of time to prepare! I have met so many lovely people and Tonia D. who has been there from the start has been fabulous to working with and so helpful. More to come tomorrow!

Day 2

It is getting late and I am tired but Day 2 went great and I am even more excited and encouraged- more later when I am not so sleepy!!

Under My Belt

So day one of my photo shoot is under my belt! All my worries and anxiety are gone and replaced with inspiration and the reality that this is actually happening! Today went great- lots of fun techniques and a day full of re creating everything....again! I will share more in time! It is so hot here and I thought I would go walking once I got back to the hotel, but I just cannot take the humidity and heat- I am spoiled by San Diego! So I have been enjoying the cool comfort of my hotel room and cable channels that I miss out on at home...like Bravo, Style and E!!!!! So needless to say I am happy and relaxed.

Pay Off

So it is almost time for me to leave for Cinncinati! Months of hard work, my hands even my feet have taken a beating but it all comes together for this week- yikes! I am trying not to be nervous but of course I am but I am quite excited for my hard work to pay off, not to mention, I am now on a 2 week vacation from my day job...yipeeee!!!

What am I doing here? Well besides finally sitting down after a long day of work at my day job and then home for another 5 hours on artwork- I am taking a look at my advance copy of Cloth Paper Scissors. And though I knew one of my articles and artwork would be in the mag, I was surprised when I opened the package to find that my work is the cover artwork!! This was just what I needed for an extra push for these last two weeks until my book's photo shoot. I must admit I am close to running out of steam getting all my art finished, prepped and perfected but this was just a little taste of hard work paid off!!!

Good Intentions

So my good intentions of blogging everyday obviously seem to have gone down the drain- so here we go again- I promise this time I am going to try really hard to blog as much as possible because there are lots of exciting things on that I would love to have record of! But I do have a good excuse and that is working on the projects for my book and upcoming trip to Cincinnati for the photo shoot. I have been working nonstop and my fingers and hands are actually sore from painting! At this point I am starting to freak out and I am finding myself fighting what I always do when creating something that will be seen by others- which is start questioning and thinking I need to start over- I have done this since college art classes- a project would be due and I would work non stop for weeks and weeks and then the night before I would get this sudden rush of new inspiration and grab my brushes and paint over the entire project and stay up all night and start over creating something I felt better about and AMAZINGLY finish it- crazy eh? I am fighting this horrible creative pattern I have gotten in because everything I have created is wonderful and I need to know when to STOP!! Anyway, lots of work, lots of paint, lots of mess around the house but lots of lovely moments where something bigger takes over and I step back and think "wow where did that come from?" I keep trying to live in the present and just be thankful for the opportunity to put my passion as a painter to good use and to share with others....so exciting!

Lovely Long Weekend

So I spent a lovely long weekend back in my hometown on the Oregon Coast. I went home for a wedding and it was great! Not only did I get to see lots of faces from the past but I got to beachcomb minus tides and scavenge for photo ops in tidepools, go on walks with my parents, ate at Pacific Way and got to relax. Now I am back and ready to finish up all the art for my book ! one month and counting until I go to Cinncinati for the photoshoot and I am thrilled, excited, inspired, and nervous (but in a good way!)

Sick

So my goal of posting an entry a day has been postponed due to the fact that I have been so sick for the last week, in fact this is the sickest I can ever remember being!! I have completely lost my voice, and am coughing my brains out, have not slept a full night of sleep in over than a week!! All my goals, inspiration, worries have been put on the back burner while nursing myself back to health.

Wonderful Times

So my parents were here this last weekend and we had such a nice time. I am always complaining about living in San Diego but this was a spectacular weekend for weather and it is fun playing tourist here. We went to Coronado which truly transports you into another time and place and we did lots of walking and hiking and of course eating Baja Fresh.

I'm Back

So I have not blogged for a while..so busy...but I am back and I have a goal of an entry a day! Life as usual has been crazy, I am not quite sure how exactly I am making my schedule work right now but I have been able to fall into a groove with the balance in my life. I cannot believe that I work a day job (which I love) and that have a second job- I work and LIVE with college students and am actually making it as an artist. I recently signed a book contract- YIKES and have officially started the process of writing and creating for the book- so exciting yet daunting but I have this feeling that this crazy juggling that I am doing may be coming to end in the not so distant future. In the meantime it seems that because I am so busy I am actually more focused and productive as an artist. Back in college if I had a painting or a project due, I would procrastinate until the 11th hour and waste all sorts of time doing other things! Now I don't have that luxury and it is actually working in my favor- I am more creative, more productive and quicker to plan and execute art. And to top it off, all the college students I am around actually keep me current, yes I am only 32 but there is still a huge difference between myself and 20 year olds. They keep my eye, and taste current and actually challenge my creative thinking. And the best part of this journey right now is sharing it with my husband. He is the greatest support and even though he usually has can't keep my schedule straight but he has this amazing ability to make me feel like it is all going to work out.

Tuesday Inspiration

Quick Update

So much going on lately there is not enough time to write about averything! Gallery openings at my day job, signing a book contract (yes a book contract!!!), getting some wonderful magazine opportunities, turning 32, teaching, traveling to Oregon twice in a week- so many roller coaster moments: one day happy the next confused, the day after tired and then back to happy.

Canvas Collage

This weekend I taught a fun class called canvas collage and it was a blast and everyone really impressed me!!!

more work & new pics coming soon!

Gaining Perspective

So much going on- saying goodbye to old friends, celebrating the spring, working hard trying to figure out my art and my place in life, set backs and encouragements, exciting news and new obstacles. Then as it usually happens when life throws too many things at you- I am now sick. Just when I felt challenged beyond the usual challenges, sickness sets in and all I now care about is getting my body back to normal. Quite a lovely way of gaining perspective- if I was not able to stop my emotions, my stress, my non stop activity- my body would stop me. Now many of the things I was consumed with don't matter, I just want to feel better.

Illustration Friday- Red

“Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life.”
~Samuel Ullman

So Hard at Work

So I have been working my little tail off on a new series of canvas/mixed media sculptures and that was about all I did this weekend- sew, paint construct, sketch, sew, paint, construct. I took a break on Sunday to go see Pan's Labyrinth with Andy and wow what a movie- sad, disturbing, magical, hopeful all rolled into one! Very violent though, I am finding more and more that I just don't like violence in movies, I used to not mind so much but now it tends to ruin a story for me. Anyway, lovely movie despite the violence. This week is going to be crazy busy- I am not excited about it!

Illustration Friday- Super Hero

this is just a little sketch of my mom- she is my hero!

New Work

yipeee...I finally got my camera battery in the mail just in time to take some pics of new work- Here is one! I have been working very hard on a series of fabric sculptures that will I will be doing some fun and exciting things with- stay tuned!

My Battery!

ARHHHHg! I am going crazy because I don't have the battery for my camera! I left it back at my parents house in Oregon at Christmas and am currently waiting for it to arrive in the mail. I never realized how much I use a camera!

New Year-New Goals

So it is two weeks into the new year and though I don't make resolutions I am a big planner and am obsessed with my goals and I am now feeling overwhelmed by all of the things that I want to do and there is never enough time! After spending 10 days during the holidays back at home (yes I still call Oregon home) my desire to leave Southern California is stronger than ever. It is strange, I have been here for 5 years and it still feels so temporary to me. We had a wonderful time with family and it was so wonderful to show Andy and his family all the lovely little pockets of the Oregon Coast. Someday soon I know that our path will take me back until then I will keep being loyal to my passions. I have been in this creative mania lately, I can't stop making things, I can't stop finding new ways to push my ideas, I dream about every project that I work on...I am haunted by my art... yikes! This week I have spent my evenings going to the gym for spinning class and then home to print all sorts of my drawings on fabric which I am going to then create all sorts of fun stuff with. My ideas are endless and the whole concept of using all of my art with fiber and textiles makes me giddy! I can only imagine what my husband thinks when he walks in the door and there is fabric all over the living room floor, bees wax boiling on the stove and the me running around our little apartment from room to room working on all my projects! But amidst all of this chaos and messiness-I somehow manage to find my sanity, I am strangely at peace. So...I will keep my head down and keep working hard on all of my projects and goals- including growing my hair out- this will be the biggest challenge for me!

Illustration Friday- Buzz

Heartache

So anyone that knows me knows that whenever I go back home to the Oregon Coast I come back to San Diego sad. This time is no exception. It is easy to think that it is the vacation mentality that I miss but nope...it is the place, the pace, the simplicity that I miss. I miss the rain, the green, the chill of the wind it is all magical to me. The best part about going back home is going with my husband and sharing all of the special places with him. Right now it is sunny in San Diego, the sky is clear but my heart aches for a little rain, some green mountains and a deserted winter beach.

PEACEFUL Christmas Card!

Illustration Friday-Help

Graffiti Christmas

Just a Little Preview of my Weekend Work

Illustration Friday- Mask

a hero is someone who has given his or her whole life to something bigger than oneself.
-joseph campbell

Whirling

Life feels strange right now, so many unknowns, so many possibilities, so many things to do. I have been on this creative whirl lately and it feels like I can't stop. It is all I think about, all I do in my free time- what a lovely feeling to have something so true and dear to me- my art. I still have a day job and thank goodness for the flexibility! Times like this keep reinforcing my desire to embrace a full time artist's life but I have to practice patience. Financial freedom in my life and my marriage is more important to me- I am working THIS hard for the next chapter in our lives and that chapter will involve working for myself as an artist- there I said it and now my dream is out there floating around in possibility-SCARY! Until that time I will keep myself focused and continue to work hard as possible even if it means staying up late painting, creating and trashing my poor messy art room!

Illustration Friday- Might

Deep is a wounded heart, and strong
A voice that cries against a mighty wrong;
And full of death as a hot wind's blight,
Doth the ire of a crushed affection light.
-Felicia Hermans

Little Lovelies!

Once again there has been more creating going on this weekend- my fingers are sore!

Busy Creating Ornaments!

I have been busy- as usual creating some fun ormanents out of scraps of old paintings- so much fun!!