Creativity

I have just added a new badge to my blog for Jamie Riddler's Full Moon Dreamboards. For anyone who does not know her, Jamie is a creative coach and blogger who finds wonderful ways to motivate others. She helps others move things along in exciting, enriching ways. There are just not enough words to explain the positive energy that flows from her workshops, online activities and blog.

My painting is on it's way to Virginia. I finished it and delivered it at the end of last week.

Tomorrow night (Tuesday, 8/25/09) I am having a sale of some watercolor paintings. Christine at Feather's Wellness Studio decided to have a marketplace in the studio to raise money for the Jimmy Fund. This is the first time I will offer any of my paintings for sale. Hopefully, people will like them and buy them all.

Tide Pool

This is so exciting. I finished this collage painting, finally,

today.

It is to be a wedding gift for one of my former students

who was married a couple of weeks ago.

I really tried several different designs

before this one came to me.

It's a combination of several

ideas that I had.

It seemed to work the best for the shells

that I had painted.

Her Mom told me that they both love

anything to do with the ocean.

So I figured that a tide pool of shells

with a few additions

would work.

I'm going to try a dark colored mat for it

and a simple frame.

Ill take a picture of the completed

composition in a day or two.

Flying Away

I did this little painting the other day.

It took some time, but I enjoyed the effort.

Some time I'll do another one using negative space.

My husband and I are taking a short trip for a few days. I won't have access to my computer, but I'll check back in on Saturday. Take care and have a lovely week.

La Tour Eiffel

I just finished this canvas of the Eiffel Tower. This is the first completed collage canvas that I have ever created! It was fun and a little challenging. I wanted to use my own art and drawings in the composition and I can see that there are some adjustments I'll need to make the next time I try this.

I am amazed at how quickly some artists seem to accomplish this style.

This took many hours.

I think it's worth it, though.

Gifts From the Heart

On Saturday morning, Jamie Ridler announced a lovely surprise gift. She and a group of friends had designed a set of 36 affirmation cards to download and print! They were so lovely, that I printed mine immediately. In addition, Amanda and Jenn at Kind Over Matter offered a pattern for a scallop box sized for the cards to fit inside.

The other members of the group include: Rachelle Mee-Chapman or Magpie Girl, Brandi Reynolds at Joy Rebel, Jamie Ridler at Starshyne Productions, and Kind Over Matter.

This liitle act of kindness gave me a lift. I appreciate the generousity of these young women.

I hope that I will find a way to pay them back.

~~~perfect to start, end, or lift the day~~~~~

I hope others will enjoy this nice gift.

Happy Birthday, Leah at CED!

Happy Birthday to Leah Piken Kolidas at Creative Every Day!

She just posted an article suggesting ways to celebrate yourself.

How perfect!

Leah suggested that we write down some things (25-50 Good Grief!) that delight us.

Well, the first one is easy:

I find that the more I find ways to express my art,

the more I enjoy creating it.

It seems like it increases by multiples

with every new attempt.

Aside from this,

I would make a list

My Delights, in no particular order, include:

Babies, color, flowers, the ocean, beaches, seashells, coffee, caramel, Tuesday,

friends, children, quilts, fabric, drawing, sewing, music,

dance, bike riding, celebrations

Harry Potter, handsome people, comedy, romantic movies, rose scents, sharing,

learning, quiet reflecion, massage, Reiki, fresh air, discovering new places, and more.

I'm off, right now, to find some new delights. I hope everyone has luck enjoying the pleasure of

a beautiful summer day.

Sunshine Blessings

This painting is a gift that

I created for my niece.

She just had a new baby and I decided produce a painting for her.

I wanted a lullabye, but she said "You Are My Sunshine" is a favorite song of hers.

She described the baby as her Sunshine and joy.

So, I used the words from that song as the inspiration for the picture.

The piece is too large to scan at home, so I took a picture of it.

The result is that it looks angled and the quality is a bit off.

I wanted to post it before I bundle it off to her.

Funfetti Cake at the Beach

On Friday my daughter asked me to help her make a birthday cake for two of her friends. She really wanted moral support and a little advice. I was thrilled to give her the help she needed.

Since the party was going to have a luau theme, she wanted the cake to be decorated to look like a beach. We bought "funfetti" cake mix and baked two layers of sweetness. She then decided she wanted figures of the girls in bikinis with their faces glued on.

I think they came out rather cute. The decorated cake looked great with the figures added to the beach.



Who knows where this will lead. She always has such fun ideas!

Wishes

What do you wish to nurture?

It's Wishcasting Wednesday and I have been nurturing my hopes and dreams.

My wish is to nurture my art into something new and fruitful. As I cultivate this process of drawing and painting, I keep exploring new avenues to try. There are so many things to learn in creating a personal style. Even though I have reentered this effort after years of hard work in education, my dream is to become accomplished and successful. The challenge is to stay original, not reproducing ideas. There is so much already produced and I am compelled to remain true to my own style.

Line Drawings

It's so fascinating where art can take you when you try a new approach. I was reading about Zentangles on Maria Thomas' web page . She is an artist with amazing talent who created this concept. I thought I would try some zentangles on my own. Here are my results...

Pretty interesting, I think.

They may not seem so to the observer, but to me they are amazing.

When I tried at first, I started with the heart and added the star as I reached that point in the design. My second attempt is what I call a fish - rather imaginative isn't it? The flowing lines of each of these made me think of a dress.

Because I'm experimenting, I may add some more details.

I'm not really sure where this will take me, but it's fun to find out.

Dolci

Here is the final product of my painting efforts.

I love the colors

and I'm really not going to add anything else.

I may or may not use it for my header.

I think I'll play some more before I decide.

I'm really glad that I finished it