the week in pictures

had to go see the Chihuly myself - still up & mostly intact, thank goodness!

art time with my dudes - it was a fun afternoon!

Some recycled silk sari strips hanging in my studio

fly WIP 4x4 canvas panel - mixed media, acrylics, inks, vintage & new papers, rub ons

Another "I am completely spoiled in this country" moment.  Asked if my frozen yogurt was to go.  Packed in a bag with a block of ice.  I may never get this kind of service again!

New art supplies - perfect pearls sprays - iridescent & right up my alley!

Starting up the bead crochet necklaces again.  Love this color combo - she may be a keeper!  how embarrassing that I have to reteach myself how to crochet.  Perhaps I've stayed away too long.

Technically these are photos from last week!  I am completely falling in love with my iPhone.  I have it with me all the time & I can always take pictures at a moments notice.  I also love instagram - cute square photos, funky filters & "polaroid" frame - I look like a genius!

Keeping Myself Occupied

My hubby was traveling & I was lonely so I did some retail therapy.  I bought myself into a new class Inscribed by the uber talented Traci Bautista.  Her book Collage Unleashed was one of the first mixed media books I purchased for my library.  By the way, there is a new one coming out the first of the year, Doodles Unleashed, & I can't own this one soon enough.

My inspiration board with color palette & damask pattern on Colourlovers My actual piece bottom left: 4x6 flat canvas panel WIP.  Bottom right: another WIP 8x10 flat canvas panel

The class is a art journaling workshop & I'm not much of a journaler.  I keep notebooks & journals, but they are not pretty, artsy, fancy ones.  I'm pretty much a list maker & that's what you'll see in the notebooks.  I sketch a bit, but not very often, & when I do, it's normal pencil or black ink quick sketches.  I was so drawn to this class by the preview video.  I wanted to learn her techniques & transfer them to my canvas craze.  It should be interesting to see where this takes me between Christy's Classes & Traci's.

Beginnings of the background

Ink doodles detail

Current WIP picture of piece

So Many Canvases, So Few Complete...

Sometimes I have a million ideas in my head & I start getting them all out.  Or I have a background or color idea then the inspiration stops there.  All I know is, I gotta whole lotta canvases going on at the same time.  Actually, I'm perfectly happy with that!

WIP You Inspire Me to Soar 4x6 canvas flat panel: Just started this as a gift for a sweet someone.  I'll be adding a quote.

WIP Untitled 8x10 canvas flat panel: Part of my Americana phase.  I also have a 4x12 with the same pattern in the works.

So I have lots of canvases I've started.  Sometimes the backgrounds will sit there for weeks.  Either I get majorly inspired & complete the canvas.  Or I get an idea, work on it for a bit then come back another day & another day & another day... one day it's complete

WIP Fashion Plate 4x6 flat canvas panel: LOVE the colors on this one.  The picture doesn't do it justice.  There are 3 shades of aqua - light to dark, a white damask stamp on the right edge & a lime green dress form stamp.  Not sure where I'm going next but it's one of my faves.

Inspiration for the piece below

WIP Untitled 4x6 flat canvas panel: I started with lilac & light blue acrylic paint.  The rest of the design will be hand drawn doodles & lettering.  Not sure how I'll add color - maybe acrylics & my pitt pens - may add some patterned paper.

 

 

I do have a few new pieces done, just need to photograph them, maybe I'll get them posted this week.  Just finished another class with Christy Tomlinson Creative Color Workshop.  It's a quick 1 week workshop on color but it's jam packed with lots of good info about searching for color inspiration & transposing that onto an art piece.  I'm also in the middle of the Three Hearts class.  I'm still watching the techniques portion of the class & have not even gotten into the journaling yet.  Christy shares so much in these videos that it makes it easy to go off & experiment.  As you can see from above, I'm not holding back after that She Art class!  Wow, the places my art has gone this year all because of Christy!

I Have Lost My Marbles (make that my expensive Toho seed beads)

FB update a few days ago & I'm still running!

I'm completely in over my head, but I have 7 months to train.  I've run 2 10k's in the past year & have yet to fully complete a training program.  I don't know what makes me think I'm gonna do it this time.  I do have definite goals though:

• First & Foremost: do NOT let the wagon of shame pick me up.  If you're running under 16 minutes miles & yes, I can fit in that category at the moment, the paddy wagon is gonna pick you up off the course.
• Must complete the race - no completion, no hardware - Must Have Medal!
• Get some of this excess weight off me - get out of my large clothes & into some of my mediums &, dare I dream, smalls - I'm not even 5'2", yes I should be in a small!
• Completely rock the tiara & tutu!

How lucky am I that my hubby is going to run my first half marathon with me?  Also extending my luck, all my immediate family members live in FL & are coming to cheer me on.  

what every marathoner needs, deodorant in marathon fresh scent - a complete impulse buy at Target - hee hee marathon fresh scent - hilarious!

So the hubby suggested I blog about my runs to help keep me accountable.  I found a program I like that works with my schedule.  For awhile I was kinda flailing trying this & that.  What a mess!  And, my shin on my left leg is Killing Me!  I may be in for some shoe shopping but I'm going to have to do that via the internet - which is absolutely Crazy!  So this week is my first full week of the training program & I'm sticking to it.  I'll let you know how it goes next week. 

So if you're wondering I'm running this gem of a half marathon.  I'd say perfect for this she-she frou-frou pink glitter tiara kinda gal.

All About the Red, White & Blue

I took this anklet class from my friends at LB J'Zazz

Land of the Free - 4x6 flat panel mixed media canvas

Hero WIP

Hero Detail - 8x10 flat panel canvas

These last few months I've been inspired & drawn in different directions than my usual path.  As an artist, that's okay with me!  I'm known for my glitter & pink but have been finding tangents; different color combinations & themes for me.  It's been red, white & blue & Americana lately.  I don't know if it was because I was feeling a bit homesick or part of the trip home to the US, but I am enjoying it!  I have more to show including the finished "Hero girl".  She was inspired by something my sweet sis told me - boy am I lucky!