For the Sake of It

Today I spent a good part of the day painting just for the sake of painting.

Haute Handbags

Check out the latest Haute Handbags for my article on making textural totes!!

Freshly Cleaned

There is nothing like a freshly cleaned and organized studio to go into a productive weekend!! And the best part is that I took the guest bed out!

Just What I Needed

A morning spent hiking with family at the beach was just what I needed after a VERY, VERY long week.

Too Sleepy

Too sleepy to blog tonight- the never ending exhibition is draining my energy- a day full of labeling, stuffing, sealing and mailing invitations. More to come tomorrow after a good nights rest!

Everything Mixed Together

I try really hard to only focus on my creative endeavors in my blog but it seems that the last couple of weeks everything going on in my life has been all mixed together to make for just about the most intense balancing act I have ever attempted- though I don't want to bore readers with the daily happenings that don't involve my journey as an artist- I cannot help but include them in this post since everything has been smashed into one big stressful glob!!

1. I finished my final author review for my book and seeing all of the pictures and layout just makes me even more excited for it to be completed but so challenging to know this is the last time I see it all before it is final...YIKES!!

2. Exciting opportunity to create a tote for a lovely person who works here- talk about pressure...more details to come!

3. The bulk of my craziness has come from my day job- my boss came down with pneumonia which meant the installation of our gallery exhibition fell on my lap and all last week was spent in these galleries- trying to place art, moving things around, sweeping, cleaning, formatting checklists, etc, etc, etc ugghhh- an INCREDIBLE task for little ol' me.

4. Lots of running back and forth to the San Diego Museum of Art to drop off/pick up artwork loan paper work..uggghh!

5. More house buying stuff- man this process is like another full time job!! Last week it was the inspection, paperwork, paperwork and then crunching numbers and more paperwork- there went my evenings!!

6. And last but not least- I turned 33 on Friday (March 14th) there was not a lot of time to celebrate just enough to fit in dinner with my hubby and bro at my favorite Restaurant- Tofu House- there is nothing like yummy Korean soup for comfort after a crazy couple of weeks!

Push Pause

This last week has been spent running in all sorts of directions- from busy work filled days at my job, to home buying responsibilities, to some AMAZING opportunities that have recently come up with custom purses (that I will share later) to getting the last draft of my book to review.....I feel like jumping in and out of all these different worlds, knowing in the back of my mind there will be an end to this juggling act and if I can just keep up the momentum a little longer I will make it through. Today, I had to take a breather and I stepped out of my office to admire the sunny day, the blue sky, the blooming tree outside the door and I had to snap some photos just to remind myself that it is ok to pause.

So Cute

No time to blog yet today but in the meantime I came across this video and it has made my crazy, stress filled day a little lighter!!! So cute!

March 15th Workshop

I am excited to announce that I will be teaching a class on March 15th at my favorite local shop GeeGee's in the lovely Village of Carlsbad- So if you are looking for a fun filled creative afternoon in North County, San Diego- please join us!!!

Paint Your World!
March 15th
11am-2:00pm
GeeGees Stamps 'N' Stuff
$46.00

This class will introduce you to simple and FUN painting techniques. Learn tricks and tools that painters use- techniques that range from using abstract images to mark making to incorporating collage, to making a mess with paint! You will have the opportunity explore your own voice with paint and canvas and be lead through a series of exercises that will result in creating your very own personal and expressive paintings that can be hung on the wall

No previous experience is required.

Advance Registration required
Call early to reserve your seat. (760) 729-1779

Mission Accomplished!

I have FINALLY added purses to my etsy store- and there will be more coming soon. I have slowly been trying to make use of all kinds of plain zippered pouches, paintings and canvas scraps and that have built up and are taking up space!! So I decided to start turning each of them into an original work of wearable art!!

Bad Back

So once again I have been absent from my blog...sigh.....but this time it was not because of being busy it is because I threw my back out and have literally been out of it, barely moving, barely walking, stuck on the couch with a heating pad and the remote control and lots of advil.  I can't figure out if it is from hours of sitting in an odd position while sewing or crawling around on the floor for hours while I paint or from my bad fall last weekend (see entry below) or just because I am getting old.  I will be turning 33 in a couple of weeks and maybe this is what happens- I don't know- but I have been miserable and finally today I was able to walk and move and finally got around to taking lots of pics of all sorts of fun stuff I have been working on- including some purses for my etsy shop which I am going to try and post tomorrow.  Life has a funny way of working- I have been working so hard, running around trying to juggle a million things and when I am not smart enough to stop to take care of myself- my body literally makes me stop!! I have gotten more relaxation, peace and calm in the last few days of pain and lack of movement than I have in the last 6 months so in a strange way thank goodness for my bad back!!

Attack of the Reoccurring Mess

This is the story of my life right now- my creativity, paint and projects have spilled into every nook and cranny of our tiny apartment- literally! Something that looks so simple, like paint splattered, dripped and swiped across canvas is really a complicated and messy process especially when you don’t have lots of space. Our little extra bedroom is packed to the ceiling with purses, fabric, paint, sewing machines, and enough crap to make your head spin!

The biggest space issue seems to be the guest bed that is about 5 feet high (with great storage underneath) but it has evolved into yet another surface for working and keeping piles of canvas, paperwork and projects on-

this eyesore proved to be quite dangerous recently- this weekend I was up on the bed opening the window and I literally slipped on a pile of canvas fell all the way off the 5ft bed, hitting my work chair on the way down- unfortunately I don’t have any pictures of this episode since I was all alone with a confused cat watching me from the hallway as if I was insane-but I do have bruises and a sore body from this terrible fall!!

Now that my art room has become so crowded I can barely paint in it- I have moved to the kitchen floor- I am much more comfortable working on the floor anyway so this is a corner in the kitchen that has become another work surface.

And where do you put purses wet with paint and yards of canvas dripping with color when they need to dry when you are living in 525 square feet??? Well anywhere they will fit like in the shower or on the tops of doors or on our bed frame or even on the curtain pole in between the living room and hallway!

This creative mess has literally gotten out of control and I feel like I am living inside of a box- a paint box!! But with all of this said, we are hopefully counting down the days until this changes- I am glad to announce that we entered into escrow yesterday with the condo that we want, it is NOT huge but it is at least a quite a bit more space with an amazing ocean view but superstitious me doesn’t want to jinx it by talking too much about it but will definitely be so EXCITED when this stage in out lives becomes a little less messy!!

Commission Dogwood Purse Series-Finished!

Whirlwind

I just got back from a whirlwind trip to CHA in Anaheim and what an experience it was! This is all such a strange experience for me and I am still processing it all- coming from the fine art world it is quite bizarre to see the corporate fingerprints all over supplies, products and the craft industry- I knew it was a billion dollar industry but CHA really made it hit home for me!!!! Not that I am complaining about being involved by writing a book but it all made me really think about how I want to move forward in this whole new world. Not to mention, I am a total newbie in all of this- it seems that everybody knows each other and have been on the "circuit" for a while so topping off my few days was this overwhelming feeling of being "the new kid on the block" even though I have been a working artist for the last 15 years!! It felt like the first day of high school in a new town all over again. But I did get see Tonia and Jessica (F+W Editors) I also got to connect with the lovely Jane Wynn and her husband Thomas who were an absolute joy to hang out with at the F+W dinner, I also saw Gayle from GeeGees Stamps and Stuff the local Carlsbad shop that I teach at (by happenstance she walked by my demo) I also was able to connect with Jenny Doh of Stampington and after all sorts of the online correspondence it was great to finally meet her in person.
The best part is that my demo went great, the minute I dipped my brush in paint and started creating, everything else fell away and I was in my own world! I had lots of lovely people stop to talk and watch and hopefully sparked interest in my book. Overall it was a good experience for me because it has helped me to redefine my creative path and inspired me to look for alternative ways to create success for my book and my ever evolving art career but it is going to take me a while to process this experience! I had to get back last night and jump back into the house hunting and signing papers process and the reality of getting the place we want- (but I don't want to jinx it by talking about it so I will wait to make the official announcement!!

Insanity

I am officially a very, very bad blogger (how many times have I posted the same sentiment??) Life has become INSANE!! And today has been the culmination of it all...had to deal with getting yelled at by an upset person at my day job this morning (even though I am just the messanger people love to take things out on the messanger!!) and randomly a quite famous movie star called our office early this morn that I have been dealing with all morning...WHAT THE HECK?!?!?!? The last few weekes we have spent all of our free time house hunting and this has proven to be more of a process than I EVER imagined! Lots of looking, talking, crunching numbers, making offers, its enough to make me scream especially when I am used to using all my free time working on my art! But thank goodness for our awesome realtor Chris- he is like a personal trainer who keeps you motivated and inpired to keep going even when things aren't feeling so great.

On top of all this I have been preparing for CHA and since this is my first time at a convention of this nature I am nervous but also excited- like everything else in this book process...I have no idea what to expect!! I will be at the F+W booth on Tuesday at 1:30pm doing a techiques demo from my book and will also have a "make-n-take"-where people can make canvas medallion earrings to try their hand at working with canvas and paint- fun and easy project! I am excited to spend a couple of days walking around and exploring the show as well as meeting and connecting with people I have corresponded with online AND maybe I will sneak over to Disneyland if there is time...I need to have some fun!! More to come....

What a Weekend!

What a weekend!! We went to a wedding at the Birch Aquarium at Scripps and WOW what a great place for a wedding. We spent most of our time looking at fish which was nice because weddings and receptions can be so socially awkward so it was nice to steal away and fish watch! I spent a great deal of time at the jelly fish tanks taking flash free pictures of these amazing creatures- there is something about them that are so magical to me! The rest of my two days off were spent looking at houses, making purses, looking at more houses, discussing houses, painting and working on more purses...uggghh...not enough time to get everything done but we are a little bit closer to finding a house, which is actually a huge accomplishment!!

Good Day!

Today has been a very good day- I just heard back from Artfiberfest and I am pleased to announce that I will be teaching 3 classes in October- please stay tuned for more info! I cannot express how excited I am about this opportunity and cannot wait to take part in this amazing retreat!!

In not so exciting news....I am also very excited to have found this punk inspired, pyramid studded bracelet on my lunch break- finding yummy accessories for cheap might not be exciting to most but I LOVE a good bargain and I have been looking for something like this for a while- who can beat $7.00? Unfortunately, this is going to be a doozey of a weekend- I HAVE to finish up some wholesale purse orders, prepare for my demo at CHA, clean my art room and the house (AGAIN), go to a wedding, go house hunting and desperately try to get a little of relaxation here and there- YIKES-wish me luck!

This is Today

Back to work today after a nice long holiday weekend and as much as I complain about having a job and wishing I could stay at home ALL day long and paint...I must say that I work in a lovely place. I snapped this shot as I walked out of my office for lunch- big blue sky with big puffy clouds and all the lovely spanish architecture surrounding me- I really need to be thankful for what I have today and stop wishing for perfection. I'll try harder- I promise!

In other news, the weekend was actually the first in a long time that I have relaxed- my hubby made me stay in bed yesterday with my book and magazines and before I knew it I was sucked into a marathon on the history channel of Monster Quest (my new favorite show!). I have this strange interest in legends and creatures such as bigfoot, the giant squid, sea monsters, etc. Yes, random fun fact about me that my husband can attest to as well as the many conversations that I start leading with the phrases like...what would you do if you were camping and saw bigfoot? Do you think that there could actually be giant sea serpents in remote parts of the world? What if there really are birdzilla creatures that eat people? Well, my day spent in bed learning of all the world's monsters and scientific data to back up their existence was like a dream come true!

And last, I found out that I will officially be at CHA on Tuesday, Feb 12th at the F+W Publications Booth #1751at 1:30pm doing a demonstration promoting my book Canvas Remix. This is both exciting and nerve racking at the same time! I feel like such a newbie in this whole process but it can't be as scary as meeting up with a bigfoot...right?

Illustration Friday- Plain

Monday in Photos

Productive

Today has not only been a productive day but a creative one! I spent a great deal of time cleaning our house this morning- after weeks of emotional distress over where to live and steps to take to buy a house...our humble little apartment has suffered! And the worst of it was my art room which was literally trashed! Thankfully a good clean and time spent organizing means I will be productive and that was just what happened! This afternoon I got tons of stuff done- I have been working on new purses and in between waiting for the layers to dry I started on a new series of paintings and this is the first! After months spent on a book and then lots of my time spent making functional items (like purses) it feels so wonderful to paint a painting- what I love most!

Embrace the Unknown!

Oh my goodness, my brain is tired, my head hurts and I am officially spent! Things have been crazy these last couple of weeks as we begin the process to maybe buy our first home- yikes!! So many decisions to make and things to think about and it is just now dawning on me at age 32 that I just might officially be an adult! I have gotten very few creative tasks accomplished this last week because our evenings have been filled with conversations (thanks to me), emotions and of course tears (since I cry about everything). I have exhausted myself with worry and I am declaring today that I am finished fretting about the unknown and instead I am choosing to embrace the looming questions. In the meantime this weekend will be spent painting (hopefully a little bit for myself) and filling some little orders and working on all kinds of new and wonderful opportunities that have come my way. And… I must give a heartfelt thank you to Maryam from Marrakesh for the wonderful blog entry about the recent tote bag that I made for her- please go check out her beautiful blog!! Tonight it’s a movie with my hubby- I need to have some fun!

This is Me Today

This is me today- reflective, challenged, creative and trying to be calm. Life is crazy right now, we have been spending our free time trying to figure out what comes next, where do will we choose to live in 6 months and where do we see our lives going? Big questions to tackle with the rest of my own uncertainties- like how best to market my book? what will CHA be like and will anyone want to watch my demo? how will I make it through my day job when art deadlines are looming? will I continue to lose sleep over the noisy students above me? and the questions go on and on and on. But I have decided to just address what I can do today- this is me today... confused but thankful, tired but strong, restless but creative...and that is enough for now.

Italy Here I Come!!

So it is official I will be kicking off my book release in Italy! You know what they say...go big or go home?!?!? Below is more information and links- feel free to email me with any questions!!

Toscana Americana Workshops
presents
"Canvas Remix
in Tuscany"
Painter/Instructor
Alisa Burke
Cortona, Italy June 28-July5, 2008
Join painter and mixed media artist Alisa Burke for a week of inspiration, travel and creativity. Marking the release of her new book Canvas Remix, Alisa will dedicate the week to teaching techniques and projects pulled from her book. With the village of Cortona as our backdrop, we will find inspiration in the sites, sounds and flavors- We will explore new colors, images, and ideas from our surroundings. Be prepared to delve into the world of a modern painter by learning about canvas and paint- techniques that range from free writing to graffiti to color glazing to splattering and making a mess! We will then push our canvas paintings and redefine your concept of art- Be prepared cut, rip, sew and remix your canvas into lovely objects and mementos that represent this amazing journey to the Italian countryside.

CLICK FOR MORE INFORMATION!

Back to Life

I am back from Oregon and as usual I am kinda bummed to be back- I love the Pacific Northwest, I love the rain, the crazy weather, my home on the coast and I often go through a week of transition after spending a week at home. The week was relaxing, lots of hanging out, lots of visits to my favorite spots and lots of board games. Unfortunately I had to cancel my class that I was teaching at my parents gallery due to the crazy weather and snow on the mountain pass between the coast and Portland- too icky for Portland attendees to drive! (but I will return at another time to teach!) in fact it took us almost 5 hours to get to the airport because of snow and ice! The whole week I was at the mercy of my husband and brother who just might like each other more than they like me! They were running around like they were 15 year olds looking for trouble, playing games, and teasing me- YIKES! But overall it was good to step away from stuff, good to take a break and get ready for the next big push! I can thankfully say that I just sent off my last author review for my book and the next time I see it, it will look like a book- I can't wait! So much to do, so many decisions to make for our lives, lots of exciting things to come!

Illustration Friday- Soar

Just a little doodle from my sketchbook- I thought it fit perfectly into this weeks word!