i love the olympics

I have enjoyed my Olympic filled weekend. I'm recording hours and hours of events and play them throughout the day. The short track has been my favorite so far.
My kids have been in ice skating lessons for a few weeks now, and so they have been interested in some of the ice events. Paul actually played ice hockey last winter, but decided ice skating he liked, hocky, not so much. Lila was able to start lessons too, even though she wasn't officially old enough. I don't know which they like more, the lessons or the trip to McDonalds afterwards.























tracking deer this morning...

blue angels

woo wee! what a week! I feel like a broken record, but sometimes I just can't keep up with my life. It's a cycle of normal, crisis event, recovering from crisis event, sitting around looking at the fallout and wondering how I got a week behind on laundry, again.
My husband and I are pretty good budgeters. We can predict most expenses, have plans if faced with crisis, live within our means and put away what we can for the future.
YET somehow, I can not translate those skills over to actually living my life.
We have a financial advisor,
I think I need a life advisor.

cleansing

How's your week going?
Tomorrow is Friday, but my weekend is shaping up to be quite busy.
Ice skating with the kids
a party for a friend
a trip to Artropolis (yay!)
Paul is attending a b-day party
guests coming over for super bowl

PLUS I am meeting with my accountant on Monday so have to sort out all my tax info

I am probably forgetting something

ah well, time for Lost season premiere

happy housekeepers

Instead of going to Artropolis at Chesterfield Mall like I wanted, we cleaned. Grandpa came over and got the kids leaving Mike and I alone, to purge, scrub and dust. I seem to have a bit of a book hoarding tendency, so I sorted through stacks and stacks of children's books and I'm happy to say I was able to donate about 30% of them. Paul's shelves are orderly and there is even some empty spaces.
Then we were off to get everyones hair cut, Mike, Paul and Lila. Everyone looks great and I keep smelling their heads :)
For dinner I tried to be healthy with a plate of falafel, tomatoes and homemade cucumber dill sauce.

















I baked the falafel instead of deep frying it, and it was just wrong. But the sauce made it edible.

Next Sunday... Artropolis and maybe dinner out.

apparent

Thank you for encouraging comments! I'm sure the weather is related and it is darn cold here today. Lack of sunlight isn't good for me, no sir.

This morning after dropping the kids off, I came home and went straight to the studio. I started three different paintings and kept getting frustrated, and kept painting over them, until this image emerged on top. I was working on an itty bitty masonite board, about 8" x 7", much smaller than anything I've done recently. I think the change in scale helped and I'm happy.

a serious case of the blahs

I think I have the January blahs, bad.
I should paint more, because it makes me feel good, but I'm tired, lethargic, unmotivated,
I can't believe tomorrow is Friday, I have nothing to show for the week. Where did this week go? It was Monday like 10 minutes ago.
I want to control time, rather than time holding all the power.

contemplation

I can't believe it's Sunday night already. This weekend has flown by. As my kids get older they get so much more Interesting and Fun! We played three different board games today, Lila helped my make stuffed french toast (delicious), Paul went to an ice skating party, Lila and I made a necklace and did some finger painting. Somehow I managed to squeeze in a painting too.

It does seem that my January blogging has suffered though. Instead of posting everyday, I am averaging every other day. Still it's better, and maybe a pace I can keep up in February and beyond...

worry like a feather

on ebay here

Class was great! It's called "Psychology of the Exceptional Child" and it's part of my degree program for my BFA in Art. Education. I think it's going to be really interesting and not to heavy on the coursework.

I've been having a good time painting, and I tried out a new bread recipe. here's the tasty results


















It's from a book I got at the library called Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. It's this really easy process where you mix the ingredients, let it rise and put it in the fridge. You can take some out whenever you want, form a ball, and bake it. It can keep in the fridge for up to 14 days and the batch makes enough for six loaves. I may have to buy the book because there is so much more like adding ingredients in, making cinnamon rolls and different kinds of loaves. My first attempt was great, so I can't wait to try more.

tuesday taxday

I am busily printing out monthly reports for sales from my online venues. Thank goodness they are organized and that they keep very nice reports for me to print out and hand to my husband to make into a pretty spreadsheet for my tax guy.

Actually it probably won't be that easy, but the information I need is there, we just have to put it all together and make sense of it.

Also I start my class tonight. Hoping, hoping, hoping for a good teacher...

family fun

This weekend, we were so busy, but we had a lot of fun. Friday night was spent at the Grandparents house, a favorite event for all of us. Saturday morning we had Lila and Paul's first ice skating lessons for this session. Paul skated last winter, but it was Lila's first time on the ice. She has been begging me to take her ice skating for a few months now, so when I signed Paul up I asked if my very enthusiastic three year old could join the four year old class. The director allowed it and Lila did great. I was told that three is actually a good age to begin ice skating, but it's not good to force a three year old, so they start their lessons with fours, who are slightly more cooperative. Well Lila was very motivated and did awesome!
Saturday night was a charity trivia event. Our team came in 11th out of 48, no thanks to me. I only knew answers that pretty much everyone knew. Oh well, it was still fun to get out with the hubby.

Here are the paints I promised you... look how creamy, like butter


















I love these paints, and they weren't expensive either, about $5.50 a tube, and they were 30% off this week.

Here is another painting in progress, I've been focusing on brushwork and layers lately. It's a fun (though time-consuming) way to paint.























Unrelated: Did any one 'get' Ping's outfit on the new season of Project Runway tonight? I would blame my lack of knowledge of avant-garde fashion, but the other designers pegged her as going home too. I do look forward to seeing more of her work, maybe it will make sense the more I see.

emerge

YAY! I just finished watching American Idol, I am very happy :)
Is it wrong to like a tv show so much ?
Lila and Paul watched the first hour and Paul had fun deciding if the singers where "chumps" or "champs" (his terminology) I don't know where he picks this stuff up! But it is actually a good grading system. Lila seemed to enjoy it too, she laughed at all the right parts. Mike was here too and we were all lined up on the couch, sharing a blanket...good times.

On another note, I bought twelve new tubes of paint today. It was a brand I had never noticed before, but today, for some reason I did. They have the most gorgeous colors, I'll have to post a pic of the tubes tomorrow.

Finished!

This morning things were back to normal. I dropped the kiddos off, came home and went to the studio with my coffee and finished this painting. It felt really good to work in the empty house. I have another promising painting started that I can't wait to get to tomorrow. I'm feeling fresh energy after our extended holiday break where I didn't get much done. Back to work!

Any American Idol fans out there? I am a huge fan and can hardly wait till tomorrow night!!!

work in progress

oh dear, it doesn't look like much does it?
Painting is strange, it has to go through ugly stages, well at least mine do, and it seems the uglier I let it be in the beginning, the happier I am with it in the end.
I think it has to do with being free and loose with the painting and trusting the process. If I try to control it, I lose.

Tomorrow we go back to our schedules again. I loved the extra time with the kids on their snow days, but we all need our routines. Next week my class starts up too, psychology of the exceptional child. I'm hoping for a good professor, it makes all the difference.

white primer

the creative extent of my day was priming a cabinet door for painting, so i'm not going to bore you with a picture of that.

It seems very difficult to get things accomplished when I have the kiddos underfoot all day. Since they have been home since Thursday I am getting behind again.

I'm having flashbacks of this summer.

I love taking care of them and doing things with them. As they get older, the projects we can do together get more interesting too. I know they are my first and foremost so I don't feel too badly when my time is going to them, but it does make me wonder how other mom/artists balance it all...

snow dayS

We turned out to have a snow day after all! I think around 4 - 5 inches fell, and it was bitterly cold, so no school today AND no school tomorrow.
It's kind of nice to be 'trapped' inside with bad weather howling all around you.
I ate so much food today, but good food. Big salads, berries, turkey, pickles then a yummy dinner made from one of Annabel Karmel's cookbooks. She is one of my favorite cookbook authors. There are no dogs in her books, every recipe is a star.
I will have to leave the house tomorrow to get some scans done and to buy dishwasher detergent. I hope it's not to cold or dangerous out there! I'm safe and warm in here!

stupid weather people

it's 10 to 10, my children are still awake, because we played big band music all night and danced, because they told us all day

winter storm

winter storm

don't drive tomorrow if you don't ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO

so I figured, snow day

the WINTER STORM has come and gone. There is a pretty, light dusting of snow, no schools have been canceled, and my kids are going to be near impossible to get up tomorrow.

also, there is no completed painting to post, I danced instead

Baby it's cold outside

It warmed up to 16 degrees today.
Tomorrow a winter storm arrives around dinner time.
I guess I better go get my milk and bread, or whatever it is everyone rushes out to buy in the event of snow.
I like snow, I want snow, I have a tobaggon that will fit me and my kids and I can't wait to take them sledding, but I won't be sledding in 10 degree, frigid, windy weather.

I worked on a painting today, I thought to post a work in progress, then tomorrow the finished piece...


















You can see a sliver of my cluttered desk.
You will never see pictures of my studio gracing pages of a magazine. I always feel a little guilty, or ashamed, when I see a cute, color-coordinated, clean, cozy, workroom. I barely have time to floss my teeth, much less spend time decorating my studio. Perhaps someday, when my kids are older, or I'm finished with school, but right now if I can find time to paint, I am happy.

Day 4

I'm finally feeling better. My husband and daughter had work and school, while Paul had one more day off so we spent the morning running errands. I managed to fit in an eyebrow wax with Paul chatting away to the stylist...

Is that chocolate? (I guess the wax was brown)
That looks like chocolate
Can I smell it?
Why does it smell like chicken in here? (apparently the stylist brought a sausage biscuit into work)
Does that hurt mom?
Your eyes are red now
I don't need to wax my eyes

and on, and on

the stylist humored him and his running dialouge and I was happy to get my neglected brows in shape.

nothing like mother and son bonding

Happy Day!

I think it's safe to announce, as a few of you have emailed me already...
I am in this months issue of Cloth Paper Scissors!!!

I am over the moon about the whole experience. I love this magazine, and am honored to be a part of it. I remember when I first stumbled upon this magazine, I quickly ordered all the back issues I could. It's such a happy day when it arrives in my mailbox. It's a surefire way to get inspired.

Well imagine what I must have felt when the magazine in the mailbox had my art in it too!



















I have the originals listed in my etsy shop, as well as prints available.

Day two

The first two days of the new year haven't been that great. I'm fighting a new cold, on top of the old cold I was still recovering from. Last night I was so fed up with not being able to breath through my nose that I was actually taking medication. I started with a day time cold remedy, which did nothing.
Then I moved on to the hard stuff, Sudafed, which did nothing.
So I waited about two hours, trying not to combine drugs, and took some Musinex-D.
Which cleared up my sinuses, AND kept me awake till 5:00 in the morning.
I then awoke at 8, bright and chipper, (irony) and had a coughing spell, which ended with me pulling something in my back.

I am not complaining though, well maybe I am, but I am not letting it get me down. I am trying to remain positive, a cold isn't the end of the world, tonight I'll take some night time cold medicine, sleep like a baby and enjoy the last day of vacation with my family. I've gotten used to having my kids and husband home for the last 11 days. It's been wonderful in fact. We need times like this to reconnect.

January Blogging

on ebay here
starting bid $.99

Long time reader(s) may remember I did art everyday in the month of January last year. I was inspired my Misty Mawn's challenge, and I have to say, it was a great experience and I believe I will be doing my own version of it this year.

I am challenging myself to create everyday and to blog my efforts, everyday.

I find it too easy to put off posting new entries when I'm not holding myself accountable. I like posting, I like getting your comments and I like this form of virtual journaling.

So, starting today, January 1st, I will be posting something new, everyday for the rest of the month. There, I said it out loud, now I have to do it :)

I think I need to get my mail lady a present

New week

Thanksgiving was just right
the craft show exceed expectations
and my house isn't in 'too' bad of shape

I think I'll go to bed early and start my busy busy week rested and fresh

metal wings

I'm taking a metalsmithing class, and so I was inspired to add some metal embellishments into one of my paintings. I had some scrap brass already, and I bought a jewelery saw this week, so I cut out these delicate little wings. I didn't think glue, or gloss gel would adhere the wings well enough, so I 'stitched' them on with copper wire...























I'm so happy with the results and am thinking of ways to embellish my embellishments (stamped letters? etching?)
on ebay here

wings

Another cabinet door, with an egyptian inspired angel
on ebay

Did everyone have a good halloween? I had family over for chili, baked potatoes and hotdogs. The kids were cute in their costumes, Lila was a snow queen and Paul was a cowboy AND best of all it didn't rain.

In other news, I am taking a metalsmithing class for jewelry making. It is fun and fascinating and my mind keeps coming up with designs for necklaces and bracelets. Of course I have absolutely no time to do anything outside of class, but a girl can dream.

two birds

Another cabinet door painting, I love working bigger!

I almost didn't get this painting listed, there was a GIANT green cricket in my studio today camped out on this painting.
I waited,
I waved paper at him,
I made loud noises,
I left and came back later...
Nothing.
I finally get fed up, tilted the painting up, expecting him to jump off
NO
So then I had to push him off with a paintbrush
He's still in my studio somewhere :(

on ebay here

hand to hand

woo wee!!! I did a gigantic painting (well big for me)
It's 22" x 16" painted on a cabinet door, see the brass handle
It was different and fun and I absolutely love the result
I see more of these in my future
on ebay here

watch my daughters take on the painting...

three stories

Somehow I survived the last month.
For the last four weekends I had a major event...

1. My sister's camping wedding extravaganza
2. Lila and Paul's family birthday party
3. Archon (weekend away and art show)
4. Paul's birthday party, where I had ALL the boys from his kindergarten class at my house.

This weekend we have NOTHING planned and I am so excited. I want to clean my studio and relax and paint.
Hope your weekend is enjoyable!

Jasper

My poor kitty Jasper got in a fight with a chipmunk, and lost
He has a nasty, infected, wound on his neck.
Antibiotics have the swelling down, but I still feel sorry for him, so I did his painting of him, to show my love...























on ebay here

I'm Back

Had a wonderful weekend getaway at Archon, (a sci-fi convention)
I think I was 16 at the first one I attended.
I participated in the art show for the second year. Though my work is quite different from 'traditional' sci-fi art, think carefully rendered dragons, metal bikinis and planetary landscapes, I get a few people who delight in my more primitive takes on fairys and mermaids.
I sold several of my prints mounted on wood blocks, which made me feel good :)

no time to talk... busy painting

come together

Yesterday my to-do list had 14 items. Last night around 7 pm I finished the last one. Now I get to start all over today, currently my list has seven items, one of which is to get Lila's new (used) daybed painted white. We are moving her to a big girl bed this weekend. But to start off the day, Lila and I are going to Zoomagination at the zoo.
I'll just have to get to the other stuff later.

painting on ebay HERE

folk art puppet theatre

little fish

on ebay $.99 starting bid see HERE

I just had a wonderful weekend full of family and friends and houseguests and a party...
not much work though :)
I'm starting fresh this morning, fueled with a cup of coffee and broccoli quiche. I've was quite industrious last week, painting every day, and I am trying to continue the practice. The weekends seem to be too busy to work, and maybe that's ok. Instead of feeling discouraged, perhaps I should just determine in advance, the weekends are family time and accept that I won't be painting.
Sometimes I'm afraid that if I paint, a lot, I will run out of ideas, but the opposite seems to be true. The more I create, the more ideas I get. It's hard to believe it will sustain itself. I know being an artist has less to do with 'inspiration' and more to do with perspiration, but there is an element that seems magical and beyond my control

new day

i have been a busy busy bee
I have SIX paintings in various stages of done
I have been painting so much and it makes me a happy girl
There has also been a lot of dreaming and planning and doing.
It all feels so good and so right. I feel like something big is right around the corner.
Speaking of big, I have been painting BIG. This painting is about 16" x 12". for me that's monumental :)

Now on ebay, $.99 starting bid HERE

'super' duper

I think I've talked before about collage and the subconscious...
Here is another perfect example. I was flipping through my atlases and saw some face sized water areas, which are the areas I create most of my faces on. I noticed it was a map of Michigan and had some of the Great Lakes. I drew my girls face and cut it out and then discovered "SUPER" stamped across her forehead. It made me laugh because I knew I was doing a flying piece.

I'm back to listing myself on ebay, starting bid $.99!
see here

changes

For one who does not like change, I sure am making a few around here.

First of all I am trying something different on ebay. The talented and prolific Heather Galler has offered to take over selling my paintings on ebay. She has developed quite a following on ebay and is taking on a few artists to help promote their work. The painting above is called "Hopeful" and is listed HERE for a starting bid of $0.01!

Hopeful is also how I am feeling about a new gallery my art will be displayed in soon. Cranky Yellow has asked for some work so I gave them four originals and six prints. Stop in and visit them if you live in St. Louis!

I have several other things brewing, but I'll save them for another post...

ambiguity

Life is about to change again
Paul starts Kindergarten tomorrow, he only goes half day, but it is five days a week.
Lila will start Junior Preschool the next week, for three mornings a week.
My school starts the week after that, but I'm only taking one class (yay!)

My hope is that I have more time.
That I'm not always playing catch up
That I'm able to do the things that are important
That there is time everyday for smelling the roses

unknown

This painting is listed on ebay with a $0.99 starting bid price!
See here

I work in blues and orange, alot.
I thought green and red would remind me of xmas, but this doesn't at all. It actually reminds me of August.
I'm beginning to really like this complementary color scheme.

Hurry up lunch! I have a crockpot full of curry chicken. TWO jalapenos, cayenne pepper, coconut milk, ginger, garlic, onion, carrots, potatoes, I'm drooling just thinking about it :)

perseverance

buy it now here

I'm having salad bar and pizza for dinner
I like to tear up some romaine lettuce, slice hard boiled eggs, chop up some turkey, get out the olives and croutons, a couple dressings, sunflower seeds, anything else that sounds good
and arrange them all in one of my kids divided plates so my hubby and I can make our own salads, just like at a salad bar!
then I pop a cheapy supreme pizza into the oven, and we have a tasty inexpensive EASY dinner
yummy!

IF = Idle or 'she liked to sit in her chair and think'

how time flies when you're having fun,
or at least when you're really busy

I remember being a kid and dreading the end of summer and return to school
And now as a parent, I think as strongly as I was trying to hold onto the last days of summer, I bet my mom was wishing for the first day of school

For Sale HERE

IF = Tango

It takes two to 'tango'

Lame, I know :)

But I had much fun creating it.

I used modge podge instead of matte medium. Quite different. I see pro's and con's with both.

Modge podge:
Very thick (like thick school glue)
smells like glue
tacky and dries quickly
less expensive
I got fewer wrinkles and air bubbles in my collage elements (yay!)
slight sheen to surface when dry

matte medium
thinner
not tacky, you can reposition collage elements
matte finish

I will probably switch between both in the future depending on what effects I want.
It's good to have choices.

hazy

You'll have to click on the image to see it larger...
I was feeling a little constricted in the normal size which was 9" x 7.5" so I cut a really long, narrow piece of wood and created this lovely lady.
The dimensions are 17" x 6" and you can't tell in this scan, but I also added a wood box frame.
See her now on ebay