2013 in the rear view

It's about gone. Finished. In the record books. What of my 2013 goals did I accomplish?  Well....most but not all when it comes to art.  A noticeable effort and some success was achieved with the 2013 list.
In review it had for me the following:
1) Create more....everyday I can. --  Did it!
2) Take time to submit to get published.-- Back onto the list for 2014 as I didn't even try.
3) Try new products and explore.--  Did it!  And of course back on the list for 2014 and thereafter!
4) Work on existing blog and create a website.-- Did it!  This too is ongoing.
5) Set up and sell on Etsy.--  Did set up my store but have not put effort into stocking or working it.
     I know Etsy is "the place" but not sure I agree to begin with.  I'll re-access the storefront thing into
     this new year.
So all in all not too bad given the time I actually have to devote to my art.  I am pleased with the journal dash sketchbook dash mixed media art I've done this year in these books.
I've done 3 complete books, tags, and a bit more this past year.  I LOVE the mixed media books.
For me they create finished pieces, along with ideas to build upon or take further another time.
LoVe, LoVe, LoVe!
And so as we all head into 2014 I'm excited about ART!  Who couldn't be?  So I leave you with my last two entries recently done in my third book.

Wishing you the best in 2014!!

Merry Christmas!!

                                   Wishing you and your dear ones a Very Merry Christmas!



Time to get Serious

Christmas is what, a week and a couple days off?  How in the world did that happen??!
Having truly lost a week with the ice storm and very the extreme weather event we just came through, its now a mad dash to the Christmas finish.  Good thing there are no really big plans or I'd definitely be hyper ventilating about now.  Then again...there is not even a tree up in our house yet.  Gulp!

While there may be no tree up I have gotten a couple of canvases painted in the past few weeks and a sketchbook journal page done.  So clearly not all has been lost.
I'm sure you are all much more organized than I am but it will all come together for me.  Wishing you a good next week!!


Frozen

This may be an understatement!  This is Texas, freezing cold, inches and inches of ice, none of which belongs in this State!  If your from the Midwest or the North (which I originally am), this is what you expect and actually learn to drive on.  But sorry Texans, this is not your game. 
Image courtesy wfaa.com   
Now granted, ice is hard for anyone to drive on but, most of us whom live in Texas don't even own an ice scrapper!  Really! So needless to say when it gets like this nothing moves.  Or should.  (See above!)
So it's been a day at home.  Bad for business but great for snuggling up with the Ipad and spending some time doing art.  :)
Which is exactly what I did.  And with the deep freeze settling in and now relief in sight today may hold more of the same.  Pity.  (tee-hee)


Happy Thanksgiving!!! 
                                                           Christmas here we come!!

Always Thankful

So Fall has quickly turned to Winter here.  Wet, cold and ice in the forecast for tonight. Yuck and more yuck!  I've been down with a very nasty cold for a week.  The kind that you soldier through all week, accomplishing nothing more than the have to do's.  My art has suffered as well.  Just last night felt like picking up the art journal for first time.
There seems to be much going on around me ...affecting me.  Family in the hospital, Thanksgiving could be an iffy proposition, not to mention a daunting task for what will be last minute execution if it is a go.  Work of course.  And this is beginning to sound like a lot of whining!  But not really.
In all things be Thankful and I am always thankful!  Things work out, get done (or don't), and the sun rises the next day.  So if you are a bit harried already with holiday happenings or just life itself keep this in mind.

I know it's Fall...really I do!

While it may be Fall you can't take the flowers away!  Seriously, I should be working on Christmas but with my Flower Attention Disorder I've only dabbled at Christmas things.  (Shame on me!) 
I worked on this piece last weekend and really like the technique I tried.  Now that I've done this piece I plan on doing more with the same messy background layers I worked on with this one.  Totally different approach than I am accustom when I start painting. 
The vibrant colors really came out and I like the almost "batik" look it has.  I'm excited to expand on this new process and already waiting for inspiration to hit for the next piece.
Have a wonderful weekend!


Collage play

I'm continuing to work on bringing new life to old pieces of my artwork.  This is a 5 x 7 wood board piece that previously had something way different on it. (Yes, flower oriented of course!) The sad truth is that it just didn't make the grade as artwork should go so I papered, drew, painted, and even used a flower stamp I made to make it  completely anew.
Hope you like her!
Today is just the beginning

Re-Do #1

So I quickly picked up after my last post and started in on the pile of "bad" art that needed to be transformed.  I grabbed a very bad canvas board and started in on the re-work.
 She just hadn't turned out.  I had modeling paste, paper, paint, ink, you name it.  But it just wasn't very good at all.
So she disappeared........
 
CAUTION!  VERY BAD ART!
Re-Done  and Happy!


 I couldn't really undo the modeling paste which was primarily the "I Choose Joy" so I worked around it.
With more layers of colored paints the background became more complex and it took on life from there.
My scan of this doesn't really do it complete justice as the words are painted with a translucent pink paint as well as the legs of the bird in translucent green.  Happy with this one so let's see what I make of the next one I grab from the "bad art" pile!

Happy Paint Party Friday!

After taking a week off from participating with everyone over at paintpartyfriday I'm happy to have a moment to browse through many of the posting over there and join in!
Last week I found myself looking at the studio and thinking, I've been really messy!!  I mean... out of control... this space has to be cleaned up kind of messy.  So with task at hand I cleaned.
What I found interesting was that in looking at older works I realized my own growth in my art.

So look what I now have----
Lots of panels, boards and canvas that I simply feel like they are not worthy of keeping.  They will become the backgrounds and inspiration for new pieces.  Yeah!
Plus, and I may need an opinion on this, I've begun a new organization system.

Canvas Boards

Canvas Sheets

I grabbed soft binders, clear plastic sleeves, and put in my canvas boards.  This way I've got binders to organize not shuffle through stacks of boards.  Good idea?  I'll let you know.  Because this takes them out of my view.  Not on display but half the time they are in stacks anyway.
Then I did the same for my canvas sheets.  Binders for these also.




This weekend looking for a more "inspiring and creative" time in the studio.   Happy Halloween!









Happy Paint Party Friday!

Woohoo!  Friday!  And this week finds me with today in the studio.  Every once in awhile I like to collage with images from magazines and play around with what I can create that way.  See more here. It  pushes me to create something funky and fun starting with cut out pieces and then expanded upon.
Collage on canvas with paint, markers & paper.
Because this makes me "work" at loosening up it usually takes me longer than anything else I do to finish.  This probably means I need to do more of this!
This weekend I plan on cracking open some brand new Twinkling H2O's and playing with watercolor.   Enjoy your fall weekend everyone!

See more great blogs here

Finding Joy

Hi friends!  Today is a great lazy day for me.  I don't usually allow myself to just "not do" what needs to be done.  But today is a day of real relaxation.  This equates to "joy" to me.  It's not always easy to find you know? 
As I've mentioned before I have friends battling cancer, friends battling other BIG issues, and now a friend of my sons who is rather another "son" to us looking at a long road of recovery from what could have been a deadly vehicle accident a week ago.  Joy is definitely not easy to find!
But I hope it is not eluding you and you are having a wonderful weekend.

The Holidays--

The Holidays are coming!  The Holidays are coming!  Oh my and a great big sigh!   Everywhere I'm
looking these days it is Halloween or Christmas or both out for display.  I'm just not ready to embrace this.  Just being honest.  But while I'm not ready to "go there" just yet I actually have made what I call Gifts from the Heart. 
Just getting started with these as they are more time consuming than one would think.  Paper, glue, and embellish.  Not hard just takes time.  And not just for Christmas either which makes them great.
Since my last post I also proceeded with making a few tags.
Haven't really done these before but they were fun to do.
Hope you have a creative weekend and join me over at
                                                    http://paintpartyfriday.blogspot.com

Sept 22, 2013

At last I think Fall is in our air!  Taking it all in yesterday and today with windows open and a crispness not felt in a long time.  But, being Texas, I'm sure we will be back in the 90's tomorrow.
After having taken a couple of days to get my "art house" in order I am back with not enough time on my hands it seems.  Isn't that just the way life goes though?
These little beauties are going to end up on tags & cards possibly.  Still trying to decide.
My etsy shop is going to get things added to it and hopefully & that will be next weekends project!
Enjoying football season, and outdoor projects put off until cooler weather, all great things that come with fall too.  Hope you have had a great weekend! 

And there is dancing in the streets!

Okay, maybe I over exaggerate BUT  it has finally happened.  My artwork is for sale on-line!
Whoop- whoop!!  It's been quite a struggle to get to this point but it really all came down to time.
Time to set it all up, time to take pics, time  to organize myself.  Well, okay, maybe that's going a bit far. But having set aside 1 1/2 days to focus on getting this process going I am feeling good.
Click on this to enter my Etsy store!!
There are plenty items to still put into the store but it's a start which means there is forward momentum!
Plus, I am selling my original canvas paintings on my website.  Either click here to go there or click at the top of this blog for Home then go to Shop.
So see there really should be dancing in the streets! Instead join me with all the great link ups happening over at Paint Party Friday by visiting here.
I'm sharing the completed canvas, I showed the starting picture of, a couple of posts back.
Hope everyone has a great weekend!


 

No, it's not really Fall

Yesterday 104, today the same? Oh, excuse me...only 102? I stand corrected.  And guess who didn't have the household air conditioner in working order for a full 24 hours during that ascend and sweltering 104. Yep, it was a timely mechanical failure that left us tossing and turning Thursday night to what seemed like a jet engine sound of fans in an attempt to sleep.  But by 5 last night we were back to "chill'n"!  So no I can't say as I feel like it is fall-----at all.
Last week I started a canvas by doing the background and while I did finish it, I haven't had time to scan and load it.  So here is one I recently completed.
"Angel in Progress"
 I'm hoping to have some time over this long weekend to complete some pieces.  Thinking of doing a booth in November and will need to ramp up my production if I do.  Besides it's too hot to do much of anything else!

Studio time today!

I'm having a great Saturday! (Hope you are too.)  It's great because so far I've slept in, checked in on some art blogs, and now in the studio for awhile this afternoon.  Doesn't get much better than that.
Today I'm going to be working on doing something with this canvas I've got prepped and ready to take on it's real purpose.
 In the meantime though, I've been seeing other artists share their entries submitted to the Lilla Rogers Global Talent Search     http://lillarogers.com/global-talent-search/schedule/      The competition had a large amount of submissions and a selection down to a remaining 50 was made earlier this month.
Nope, not a finalist but it was great to have the opportunity to enter.  If not familiar with the contest the submission had to be a playground theme.  Here was my entry-

Thanks for noticing, yes of course there is a big flower on the playground! Ha ha!  There is so much talent around that it can't be easy to pick a winner.  I think just entering makes of us winners!!

Doing Hard Things

A couple of months ago I created a little canvas (below) to put in with a gift to a friend who was beginning chemo.  It has the saying that my mother-in-law would say to my husband over the  years whenever hard things in life came about.  These words are repeated as needed still to this day whenever we need reminding.
Some have more or even harder things to overcome and deal with in our lives than others but we do all have hard things cross our paths.
Just remember....

Doodle Houses

My art time this week has been limited to "couch art" which means if I can't do it in the studio its done on the couch.  This sounds like a relaxing atmosphere where I can loose myself in creating, and to some degree it is obviously.  But, when you factor in the hoarder like collection of assorted pens and pencils strewn about my perch and a dog who instinctively knows when I've found that perfect comfort spot then knowingly decides it must be the perfect time to want something....treat, outside, rawhide, general attention, etc.  It can actually be a trying feat to produce worthwhile and pleasing couch art!
If you are a dog lover, as I am, you wouldn't have it any other way though.
So this week I doodled some artsy houses in my journal book.  Have you doodled lately?


Canvas board

Besides my ongoing collection of pens, which I added to again this weekend.  I rarely walk into the craft store and out without a canvas.  I just really like canvas.  I have, or actually have had in my head that if I wasn't creating on a canvas that I wasn't really creating anything of value.  Really?  Well that is just silliness!! Don't know why I had thought that, or from where such a thought would come.  I guess the great painters of history were on canvas.  Why not aspire big!  tee hee!!
Which brings me to canvas boards.  I felt these were merely an inferior way to say you were working on canvas.  And this may still be how I feel BUT, I have to say I am into my second pack of canvas boards and I'm really enjoying them! Especially for heavy mixed media use.  It is so much easier to create backgrounds and add papers and paints to this canvas with a sturdy backing. 
Canvas Board
I've been creating a lot the past couple of weeks and enjoying it.  I've even done some work on the ever so long promised Etsy shop. (No, still not open.)  But baby steps are being made.  I'll share more canvas boards in upcoming posts.  In the meantime I have a brand new pack of pen markers to try out.  Gotta go!

Save me...I'm melting!

Whoa, it just couldn't be much hotter here in Texas right now. For me it is that time of year when I find myself sprinting from one air conditioned environment to another.  No lingering in the elements for me!  Those of you in the mountains states.... well...shame on you is all I have to say :)

So last Friday I participated in Paint Party Friday.  Not really being a social butterfly I found myself glad I had joined in.  (Thank you Eva and Kristin for doing these.)  There was a wonderful group of great and interesting artists participating.  Think I may have to become a regular.

So with the heat I spent a bit of extra time during the week in the studio.  I'm finishing this piece.  Actually it may be done and just drying right now but, I can't make my mind up on that just yet.
Its has the 3D element to it which I really like.  Having done this before I thought. Why haven't I done more of this?
This piece helped me re-group after working on a piece last weekend that has had to go into hiding in the "art protection program".  It's true fate is in the balance.  Enjoy a cool weekend!

Just for quick fun

This little 6 x 6 canvas was a quick (about half hour) of play last night.  For some reason it went from my plans for a flower, of course, to this.  After putting the first layer of paint down I felt like being kind of messy and layering paint, paper and ink.  Wish I would have stopped with just the Love at the bottom but it's knowing when to stop....right?  Hope you are having some quick art fun of your own.


Flower Alert!

It is apparent if you look at my art that anything I create either is or has a flower present.  I mean really, who doesn't love flowers?  This being said I may have crossed the proverbial "flower" line with this canvas!
I started with a 12 x 24 canvas, a size I seem rather taken with lately, and laid down my base blend of colors. Yes, I actually didn't start with pink!  Then I simply began filling it all in. 
I used:  acrylic paints, oil sticks, pan pastels, and even a bit of sharpie.  It may be a bit of overload with the flowers but I still kind of like it.  Have a great weekend!

Fun? No thank you!

It is Friday night.  It should be a happy, and if lucky, a relaxing time should it not?  Why yes!  It should be.  I on the other hand have exasperated myself with all things website tonight.  I updated it last week and added the portfolio page.  Wasn't crazy about the colors of my flash booklet that I created and incorporated but thought...it will do.  No it won't!  So tonight with all kinds of time on my hands I thought I'll just sit down and quick like change the colors, change a couple of other things and be off to play and create.     Silly me.     
I have re-created this file.  Uploaded it about 3 times, all without success.  Why?  Good question and one not answered as of this writing.  I even cleared my cache browser at least 2 times. (Yes, it sounds fancy but really not as most of you know.)
So with time and a lovely friday night dissolving away I thought I'd zip over to this page and make a quick post.  About what?  I haven't accomplished anything.  Haven't been creating tonight.  So I logged out.  Well again, that just wasn't going to do.  So I logged back in and to now your dismay this is what you are getting.  Ramblings of a unhappy computer user.  Ahh, it happens to the best of us.
Not to fear though.  I am going to give my website a night to ponder on it's poor cooperation and see how it feels about it all by tomorrow or the next time I can sit down to it. 
I do hope you are having a better end of the week than me! :)

Long Weekend

Happy 4th weekend...a bit late.  What has been a long weekend has been a really quick weekend.  Along the way have spent time with friends and family both.  Enjoyed good food, conversation and a delightful ride through the pasture.  Yes, pasture.  And during this ride/ tour of a large haying acreage I realized that as an artist I now notice shades, and colors and get inspiration from surroundings differently than before my art journey began!  Beauty has never been lost on me when it comes to being outdoors, but every once in awhile something you wouldn't expect to take as beauty is just that.
Given all the activities and usual duties of any weekend I haven't had my "day" in the studio as I had hoped.  (I did add a portfolio to the home page.  But requires flash.)  Will probably rework that again sometime.  No new art to share
but I did find this wooden canvas I had done awhile back.
Hope you enjoyed your weekend and God Bless America and it's founding!

Today's accomplishment...

I primed an 18 x 24 canvas friday night I think it was in anticipation of spending some time today in the studio.  At the time I was prepping this canvas I just wasn't sure what I wanted to do.  Collage, paint and what was it going to be?  Luckily I sketch and draw and journal every night because last night my efforts developed what ended up on canvas today!
So I started in with my usual colors.  Which brings me to another thought.  Why do I keep buying different colors?  I mean really?  If I am going to be drawn to the same one's time and time again!
I digress.  But as I worked with this canvas I really enjoyed it.  I wanted to complete it today so I was hurried a bit but I am happy with the outcome.
Now I'm looking forward to the upcoming holiday weekend.  I have website updates I have ready to do, plus could I actually get the etsy store ready too?  Check back to see!

Busy being Creative

I have started my 2nd art journal for the year this past week. Yeah!  Happiness! Having completed one it is so good to look back and see what good days and bad days (with my art) look like.  And I have a 3rd one going as well since the beginning of the year.  It's a bit bigger than I like and so I seem to go to less often.
Aside from the art journaling and sketching I've spent a bit of time in the studio cranking out a couple of  canvases, a clock (another post later), and today retreated back to a chunky wood piece. 
I was doing these all the time awhile back but hadn't done one in quite some time.  My husband was in his workshop so it made it easy to get one of these cut and I was off to create.
Meanwhile he created this fabulous piece for me!! :)

 He is so talented as a wood worker!  Building is one thing but, when he does art with wood he never fails to impress me.  He can "turn" beautiful bowls and boxes.  This however, is something totally different.  Inspired by my daughter in law and a creation similar she had done using utensils, he made quite a unique piece.
Of course I am his biggest fan!
So creativity has been busy in our household and hope you are finding some inspiration this summer as well.


Idle Hands

I mixed it up a bit this week. I grabbed a magazine and sat down in front of the tv. Not to read of course but to cut it up!  Unfortunately I had to lop this poor gals head off and with a bit of glue, paper and markers gave her a makeover.  (She is welcome!)
It was fun and put my idle hands to work.  Grabbed a few more images and will probably do a couple more "makeovers" before I'm through.  Silly is good right?!
This weekend I start my 2nd art journal of the year.  I've finished one completely and bought a new one to begin yesterday. Happiness!  Of course had to feed my addiction to pens and paint while I was purchasing so really excited to try the new ones out. Until next time....
Have a great week!

Memorial Day Weekend & a bit of opinion!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend.  I know I am enjoying the pace of these few days  and remembering those who have and are serving our great country and the sacrifices made!
I had hoped to spend some time on the etsy shop but don't know if that is going to happen.  It really IS on my to do list!  I have however spent some time gazing about the web and noticing a pattern among artist blogs.  A big question.....What to do with the Blog?
Seems many are wondering what to do with their blogs.  So many questions, so many options, yet at the center of it all seems no one is actually truly "loving" the blog process.  Then of course there is the to monetize or not monetize their blogs.  This platform, "blogging", is truly that, a platform.  What any of us chooses to do with it is an individual decision.  Not everyone should be teaching and selling art classes but it seems that's what we are "suppose" to be doing if you are trying to fit in.
Hopefully if you stop in and visit my little blog corner of the world wide web you catch a glimpse of my art and come back to see what I'm up to again.  Blogging is a platform ever changing for each of us individually, depending on what we individually have going on.  At least that is how I view it.
Trying to be like someone else's blog or art business is not being true to ourselves.  At isn't that what we claim our art is all about?  Showing our authentic and individual voice?! There I've said it.  Don't know where that all came from!  :)


State of Mind

Well it has been a long week.  A very long week!  I've lost it to being under the weather.  A week of being sick and nothing to show for my lost week makes it even worse.  It all started Mothers Day, sore throat and then down hill from there.  Didn't even pick up a art supply or think I had the energy to take on such an endeavor. :(
So this that I did the week before was obviously a fore-telling of what I now need to keep in mind.
 
Just be happy!  Nothing I could do about it anyway.
So this week should be different.  Putting on my happy face!

p.s.  I uploaded the new blog header I had worked on AND
you now get to this blog either through my website at
www.twistofpink.com OR direct at www.twistofpink.net.
I guess not all has been lost for a week!

Sunday in the studio

Today is such a beautiful day one can't help but look at things optimistically.  I plan on getting outside but priorities right?  Studio time first!
So this little canvas started as yellow, then ended up not going in the direction I "thought" I was going.  It then became a lightly crackled blue.  I was all over the place trying to find what I wanted.  And if you don't know what that is it can take multiple layers! :)
Bring Your Light To The World
But in the end it all came together.

As for other news I'm beginning the process of gearing up in the Studio for my "next steps" in all things art.  I'm a thinker and a planner so it has to come together in my head and on paper before it takes on motion and success.  So best get with it!
Have a wonderful week.