Esty Featured Artist

Many thanks to Debbie Gooter for the my interview and feature on her blog Etsy Featured Artist- check it out!!

Graffiti Bangles

More bangles added to my shop!

Lay by the Pool of Course!!

what do you do when you are exhausted from a week of designing brochures and booklets for a university, working late nights on paintings, waiting for canvas to dry from a morning spent painting???? Go lay by the pool of course!! Thank goodness we purchased a condo in a complex with a pool because 1 hour working on my freckles is just what I needed!!!

Handm@de Oxford

Many thanks to Handm@de Oxford for the mention!!

Hand-picked

I was super thrilled to have one of my canvas graffiti wallets featured on etsy's front page-as a hand-picked item by uncorked- thanks a bunch!

Ecopalooza

Finally finished the purses made from recycled junk mail, fused plastic bags and canvas for the ecopalooza exhibit!

Coming Soon- New Paintings

Started on a series of small and fun paintings that will be in my etsy shop SOON!

The List

Life has felt really strange lately- honestly I have had a rough couple of weeks- I have had one foot in my work life and another in my life as an artist- quite honestly it has taken a toll on me- transitioning into a new job, working on art, trying to catch up with stuff, maintaining a personal life, keeping up my work-out routine...it feels like too much at times.  I have had a number of “melt downs” the latest being on Friday when I locked myself out of the house as I was getting ready for work in the morning. I completely FREAKEd out and when that happens I typically call my mom- so while I was waiting 2 hours for my husband to come home to let me in I called my mom and lost it- she always gives good advice and she talked me down and ended our conversation by telling me to try not “pull the whole list out” which is what happens when I melt down- the whole list comes out with everything that feels wrong in my world. Unfortunately my list was already out and has been out for the last two weeks and quite honestly it is bringing me down!  I have spent far too many hours questioning, aching and feeling overwhelmed and after a couple of hours shedding tears on friday I decided this had to end.  I don't have a lot of answers right now but I do know that I have lots to be thankful for and like I have always done in times of struggle- I return to my core and I let myself get lost in creating and while I had lots of projects to work on this weekend I found time to get my hands dirty and spent time painting big (my fave!) and painting for the mere purpose of the process and it actually made me feel better :)  Now it is Monday and I am not sure if the 2 hour cry on Friday made me feel better or if I just needed to reach the bottom of my internal struggle and just give up on thinking so much and embrace the now.  

 

Upcycled Art Supplies!

So I got busy yesterday and forgot to post for my "Inspiration Wednesday" so better late than never! Back in college, everyone was on a budget especially when you are a fine arts major- there are tons and tons of supplies to buy every week so I would often try to find creative ways to paint and create CONSTANTLY but not break the bank!

To this day I still use many of the same supplies that I used in college and one of my faves is recycling cracker and cereal boxes when they are empty- if you don't have the time or the money to buy canvas upcycled cardboard makes a great surface to do quick and expressive compositions and can hold up under lots of layers of paint- just what I like!

I start by cutting up my box

and then cover it in a couple layers of paint- not being too perfect of course!

then a little expressive writing and ANOTHER layer of paint

this is when I do a quick sketch- I prefer this exercise to be fast and free- this is a time that I choose to be expressive without worrying too much about composition

 

then I add my color with paint and a little more free writing

Rare Bird Finds!

Many thanks to the lovely post on Rare Bird Finds this morning about my graffiti clutches! Check it out!!!

Sneak Peak

Just a tiny sneak peak to share of a project I just finished for the fall issue of Quilting Arts!

More Shop Updates

More fun accessories added to my etsy shop!

Transformation

The transformation of my fused plastic bags, canvas and junk mail has begun! 

Stay Tuned!

Inspiration Wednesday!

So I have decided to designate Wednesday as the day that I share some kind of inspiration, project or idea will all you out there- I have so many little tricks and techniques that I use and I figured I might as well share a few! Lately I have been trying to make use of all the things that go to waste around the house- my theory is that you can paint on anything so I might as well stop throwing out useful things that I can incorporate into my canvas paintings and accessories- Since I have been working on some really cool purses for a "green" exhibition I have come up with all kinds of ways to incorporate everyday trash into something new!!!

Fused Plastic Bags

I know that fused plastic bags are really nothing new these days but I have been using them for a while in my own projects and sewing them into my canvas paintings to create one of a kind yardage to sew and create with. They are so easy to sew, you can paint on them, write on them, and incorporate them into mixed media projects!

Materials-

Plastic bags of course! (I like to use colorful bags or bags with text on them)
Iron
Ironing board
paper
scissors

Cut up 4-8 plastic bags (I like to experiment with the number of bags I use)
Layer on top of each other
Lay piece of paper on the bottom and the top
Iron each side for about 15-30 seconds (again, it helps to experiment with the time and the temp)
Pull paper away and your bags will be melted together

After your bags are fused try painting them! I found that spray paint works really well on the surface as well as permanent markers and paint pens! I then use my painted fused plastic and sew it onto the surface of my painted canvas and use my machine to sew lines and squiggles and designs for EVEN MORE TEXTURE! The end result is a cool piece of "material" that could be used for all kinds of fun projects!

2 Hours of Sleep!

I am exhausted! I got about two hours of sleep last night which were on the couch because I couldn't stop tossing and turning in bed- it has been really humid here and my brain would not stop and I watched too many trashy shows before getting ready for bed and all of that stuff equals NO SLEEP for me!!! I had big plans tonight to clean my messy studio and to get photos of artwork cleaned up and to get a jump start on some projects for publications, and so on and so on...but no luck tonight...it will have to wait!

But I am happy to say that I posted a new clutch on etsy!

Questioning

I have been working all weekend- jumping from one project to another and working on some really neat purses that will be part of a "green" gallery exhibition in September- more info to come! I think life has caught up with me- between starting a new job, family visiting and then all the stuff that has come up with my book and my creative life...I'm exhausted and there is no end any time soon! My days are full, my evenings are full and brain is about to over flow! Lately I have found myself questioning if I made the right decisions in the path that I am on, trying to make the switch from fine artist into the crafting world has really meant putting myself out there, hoping my creative concepts will translate, hoping people will understand my book (so far I am still skeptical about this one due to yet another bad review!) chasing my creative dreams while still working a day job so that we can pay the bills.  Sometimes it seems like life would be easier if I didn't have this crazy desire to paint and create- but it is unstoppable and I LOVE the process of making art so much that it makes my questions, my exhaustion, the bad reviews all seem like nothing compared the the pure JOY I get from sitting in my studio for hours painting- this much I know is true. 

Photos

Finally starting to catch up on photos of new work 

(and myself!)

Someday I will get everything done!

Couple More Wallets for Etsy!

my shop!

Back to Normal

I am finally back to my normal self- this weekend took it of me but in a really good way. It was so positive and uplifting to have people enjoying working with paint, getting to meet so many kind and creative souls and finding all sorts of new inspiration was all really wonderful...but....it is really difficult for me to jump back and forth between the many hats that I wear– coming back to work on Monday, trying to find energy to be positive and hardworking with different things and then have family staying at our house was hard! And last night I crashed– literally–and fell asleep at 8pm on the couch and then somehow drug myself to bed. I am finally energized and back in the swing of things and ready to jump back into the the juggling act that is my life. I have so many creative projects to accomplish and after the weekend in Long Beach I am so inspired to work with canvas in different and creative ways.

Look for some updates to my Etsy shop in the next couple of days and all kinds of posts with creative ideas that I will be sharing with everyone out there!!

Long and Amazing Weekend!

So I am back from a LONG weekend of teaching and demoing at the IQF-LB and it was SOOOOOOOO much  fun!!!! I got a bit nervous at the last minute that maybe my stuff wouldn’t translate or it would be too funky or wearing motorcycle boots to a quilt show was the wrong shoe choice...but I was so encouraged by the wonderful feedback and positive reaction that I got from everyone!! SO many wonderful and creative people in my classes who were very open new ideas and VERY open to making a mess- just what I like!

Just a few highlights-

Getting to spend time with Ruth Rae and her daughter
FINALLY getting to chat with Traci Bautista
Meeting the Artgirlz!!
Having Barbara Delaney help me set up, cleanup and just be all around wonderful person
Brainstorming with Pokey
Getting to spend the early morning before everything started browsing through the AMAZING quilt gallery

****Meeting so many talented and amazing women!

My brain is so full of people and places and opportunities that I will continue to share in the next couple of days- 

After I got home Sunday night I somehow mustered up the energy (drank a lot of coffee on the drive home!) and went over to hang with my in laws- me and my sis in law ALWAYS have a great time together- so much FUN!!! I can't believe I actually made it through dinner without falling asleep- AMAZING!  But it was back to work today and now I have to switch gears...there are still lots of creative stuff to work on- proposals, artwork, articles and a project for my appearance on Quilting Arts T.V!!!