Love is my Fuel-Art is My Vehicle

Scrap paper, china pencil, acrylic and stencils on 98lb Mixed media paper

Excuses On Top of Excuses

Ok- I've been gone for most of February, and here's why...

Gaston School of the Arts- the day I was finally set to sign my lease, the day of my new career(!) My partner dropped a bomb...she couldnt do her full time job and art classes too. The contract was for us both, not just me. Which made me feel as if...what am I chopped liver? I can do this alone... Which is pure bunk. 4 weeks of paintings all by myself?!? I have trouble with two new images every month! Coming up with my own art for me is no problem. Coming up with an image I can teach and recreate is a huge deal. My brain doesn't want to work that way! So finally today, the director and I spoke and we are going to hold only ONE class a month, whew! And i'm happy to say my partner is kicking ass and taking names at her job! She's super creative and she'll get back to it, in her own time.

Sick- so dang sick off an on I didnt want to move. yucky everywhere, and as soon as one of us was fine the next would get it and we've rolled it around for about three weeks- yucky ick.

Art Journalling- Every coupla months I become re-obsessed with journal work. Work made for me and my enjoyment...I could totally paint the same page everyday over and over, and I would be just as content...but to have BOOKS with my work is AWESOME! I love to put nonsense on toppa nonsense and it turns into art...sometimes not...but usually yes. So awesome! Glue and paper and paint and marker heck yeah!

Wii U- I'm convinced the government has a movement connected to video games to keep us inactive so that we're easier to herd and overtake when the time comes. (just kidding...sorta) Mario is in my head and dreams!

Wind Through the Keyhole Stephen King- The dark Tower series is my all time favorite works of SK, and this may very well be my favorite book out of the series. When I'm not working, cleaning, cooking, teaching (yoga and art) or playing the Wii...I'm nose deep in this marvelous book. He really transforms me to mid-world, a place i'm not all too sure I'd want to live, but I'd visit...roundtrip.

Other than that, I'm just lazy. But i love to blog...and I'll be more frequent, and hopefully more entertaining!

Tutorial- Dream Catcher

Scraped Paint and Old Hoops!

Acrylic Painted Hoops!

Painty Feathers

EASY PEASY!!!

(This was totally just a whim-)

I was feeling so puny today I decided to make something uplifting.

First, I took the inside of an embroidery hoop and painted it. 

I then scraped paint on watercolor paper and cut feathers out of it and decorated them with little designs in sharpie.

After the hoop dried, I wrapped hemp around the outer edge of the hoop and made loops...tightening the string as I got closer and closer to the center. I really kind of winged it- but i'm sure there are plenty of tutorials online!

I then took all the ribbon I could and knotted it around the bottom of the hoop.

Added feathers and- Wah Lah!! 

A Dream Catcher!!!

Workshop Coming SOON!

My next adventure...an online class! 

Starting in July I'll be offering Journaling Inward- Adventures in Art to help you harness your creative energy and put it on paper! We'll create a journal, practice writing techniques and paint with wild abandon! FIVE weeks of fun for only $60.00...I'll provide PDFs and plenty of photo's as well as a few videos of me in the studio!  I'll have more info for you and a page to sign up next week soon as well as a Flickr and Facebook pages so that we can all chat about our process...

I hope you'll go on this adventure with me!


Edit: I'm crazy busy and battling procrastination like the flu right now! The workshop will most likely start in August...sorry for being so slack human.

Preparing for Words

The first of many pre-painted journal pages...for a long time I was trying to do everything all at the same time. I felt like I needed to sketch, draw, paint and write in order to finish a page. Silly! I don't have to follow any rules....there are no rules. Only wants...what do I want to do??? Who cares how others do it? It's so easy for me to forget that the coolest part of being an artist, and a self taught one at that, is that I never have to follow any rules. I never have to go into a box, never have to be structured...

 So the next open path in my journey, is helping others figure out the same thing. There are no wrongs, screw ups, mistakes...it's all meant to be for a reason. You intuitively know what needs to be where, even if your mind and eyes are telling you different. The more we listen to our heARTs and souls, the more in tune we are with everything, and art just flows naturally. Will everyone agree? NO. And not everyone will like it, but you can't second guess yourself based on what you think others will like about you. I officially no longer give a hoot about what anyone thinks of my self expression and creativity. It's MINE! My art(and yours too) will speak to some, and some will dislike it...but you have to love it. Once you love it, the rest shouldn't matter, doesn't matter...Make ART!