Mornings

What does yours look like?

I stumbled across a book called A Year of Mornings by Maria Vettese. I do not own this book yet, but it inspired me to think about those quiet moments in my day that no one else sees. I think through capturing simple moments in our daily routines, we can better appreciate the beauty in our lives. Maybe our quiet moments are not in the morning. If you have kids they might be late at night or when your baby is napping. We all need stillness. 

This morning  I started painting an ink drawing I have been working on. I leave this painting out on my kitchen table so that I can work on it little by little each day. I have like three different "work stations" set up around my house, so there are no excuses to not create. Because for me, at times making art is a choice, and if the supplies are not out I am not as motivated. I will show you a picture sometime of my crazy art supplies everywhere. 

I hope your Saturday is just dandy. I am going to the Killers concert tonight, thanks to my awesome husband. 

Bye!

let some light into your life

I was playing around with my camera this morning. It has been so beautiful outside since the ice storm went through a few days ago. I just know it will all be melted by the time I get home today from work. 

Hope you enjoy your Friday! Play some Mr. Jones on your way home like my BF Katie used to do in high school on fridays. 

Custom drawing

This is what I have been working on these last couple weeks. It was kind of a love/hate relationship, but now that it is finished I would have to say it's definitely a love relationship. It was made for a lovely gal named Rachel (for her boyfriend). The drawing is of a lion statue that her boyfriend's grandfather owned and has sentimental value to him. How great is it that we can use art to hold onto our favorite memories and remind us of the things in life that matter most. I love being a person who can make those memories and objects come alive for people. 

Now back to what I said in the second sentence. When I said Love/Hate relationship I meant that in no mean way. Every time I make a drawing or painting, it is a process that requires choices. Should I use soft or hard charcoal? What size paper? Should there be a border?  Should I darken this section? Should I add more contrast? Should I focus on the most minute details? Should I start over!? There are times when I get so frustrated from working on one small section that I will stop and not start until the next day. I was always taught the importance of walking away from a drawing/painting so that you can re-evaluate the project with fresh eyes.  Patience is important.

I find that when I am drawing something I need to be in the right mindset. I can't just sit down and knock out a drawing in one day. It is definitely a process. I find the best way to get into that mindset is to turn off the tv, turn on some great music, get into comfy clothes and set aside some time only for creating. It's kind of like writing a paper in a way. 

Upon finishing this drawing I did raise my price for a custom drawing. Since I put so much time and effort into this process, I feel it is important to pay myself accordingly. Pricing is a whole other topic that I could talk about for another post. I am still new at this whole selling art thing and I know I have so much to learn. 

I would love to hear any thoughts about your process of making/creating things and if you sell your own artwork how you deal with pricing.... I am definitely going to research this topic more. 

No Inhibitions

Here is my mondo beyondo list (see posts below for reference). I made my list in brown marker. I know it is not a "pretty" color but it is an honest trusty color. I have some resolutions for 2009 that are simple and others that seem kind of unreachable but not impossible. I would love to hear if you have any dreams or unreachable (in your head) goals.  

Sunday is a day meant to be enjoyed. Drink some coffee or cocoa, take the cats for a walk, make a pot roast. Be happy that you are alive and whatever you do, don't think about tomorrow, there is no need to wish the day away until it is over. 

How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. - Annie Dillard

New Painting

....its a beautiful friday! 

I had so much fun making this painting. It is quite large. You can find it in my shop :)

First things first

I know I said I would have my Mondo Beyondo Post today, but there is a change of plans. What I do have for you is one thing from my list. I would like to create a beautiful workspace, free of clutter, organized, that inspires, and makes me want to create create create! I am a true believer that you must surround yourself with things you love and beautiful things. So here are a couple ideas I have for my office makeover.....

This picture is from pottery barn of course. I chose this picture because I already have this type of desk in my office, except for it is white. Now this isn't exactly what I want my office to look like, but it is a start. I like the soft light color on the wall, the amount of light that is coming into the room and the organized clutter on the shelves. This is definitely a more realistic picture of an artist's workspace, hence the canvases and pictures scattered along the walls. Which brings me to my second wish list item.....

This flat file organizer from Dick Blick is exactly what I need to organize my watercolor paintings, drawings, and prints! It is a sin to not store your paper flat, and I have committed this sin by stacking things up against walls and putting papers in random corners of my office. This would be a life saver. It  would also allow a place to set extra supplies on. Which brings me to picture three:

I love the idea of these little white flower pots from ikea to use as storage. This picture was taken from an art blog that I discovered while exploring on etsy. The artists name is Geninne and she has great taste! I can see myself using some pretty vases to store my pencils, markers, and paint brushes in for easy access. Just lovely :)

I also need to accessorize my new space....so here are a couple pictures of items I like....

These pretty turquoise curtains from urban outfitters are so fresh and tranquil. I also LOVE this pretty flower rug from anthropologie. Lord knows I could never justify buying it in the largest size (which is of course the size I would like). So I will continue looking for colors and items that I love and get to work on making my workspace the best it can be! One of my first missions is finding a new paint color for my walls. Right now my workspace is a dark greenish yellow color called fossil butte.....not very inspiring. It makes me want to puke just thinking about it. At the time I thought it would be nice solid distinguished color....

Thanks for reading. I would love any advice or ideas about your office/studio. 

See you tomorrow!

Mondo Beyondo

            

I have been following Andrea Scher's blog now for about 3 years now. She is an amazing photographer and jewelry designer, but she is also an amazing and inspiring creative force in the blog world. Every year after the start of the New Year, she does a post called Mondo Beyondo. Basically, it is a list of things you are wanting to bring/manifest into your life that are almost too scary to write down. Yes. We are allowed to be this selfish. We deserve to manifest our dreams until they become a reality. Studies prove, that if you write down your goals they are bound to happen. I have a particular story about this......

When I ran track in college, my coach told us we needed to write down a specific time that we wanted to reach at the end of the season. Even if it seemed unrealistic or crazy, we were told to write it down. My race was the 800 (about a 1/2 mile). In high school the best I had ever ran this was in 2:25.  I decided I wanted to run 10 seconds faster than that, which at the time seemed impossible. Every day I would look at the index card with that time on it and it forced me to give 100 percent in practice every day. By the end of the season at our last race I achieved my goal. I ran a 2:15  half mile and took fourth place. I didn't really care about what place I took, but I had accomplished my goal, and it all started with writing down a time with a black sharpie marker on an index card. Looking back, I wish I would have written down 2:00 flat! The lesson is, you must keep your list somewhere where you can look at it daily! You can't just make a list, stuff it in a drawer, and cross your fingers.  

I am going to really think about my list today and post it tomorrow. I would love to hear what your list is? Even if this is the first time you have ever read my blog. Choose bravery over fear. Dream big! (See Andrea's 2008 list here)

-Kelly

Good morning! It is Sunday and what a beautiful day it truly is. I woke up this morning, brewed my dunkin' donuts coffee, put it in a thermos and set out for walk.  It felt great just to move my legs, clear my mind and to breathe in the fresh crisp TN air. I find that when I am restless or in need of a mood boost going for a run or a walk can really make a difference. I guess it must be what dogs feel like? They have all that excess energy and have behavioral problems if they are not walked regularly. I am not a dog expert by any means, it is only what I have observed on the dog whisperer show. A lot of my explanations of things stem from my tv watching habit! If you have a dog maybe you could enlighten me more about walking and behavior. 

I wanted to share with you my new valentine cards that I designed last week and have now made for sale in my shop. I took the design from my Red Flowers Collage and transformed it into little sweeet valentine greeting cards! I am so excited about them, because I think they are so lovely. I think it is nice to have something different on a valentine besides hearts for a change!  

Sunday is the best day. A time to relax, refresh, and to revive yourself before the next work week. I plan to print out and make more of my valentine cards, spruce up the house, and to watch a movie later in the day. I hope you do something relaxing and fun on your Sunday :)

New Blog

Hi everyone out there! 

So I had ignored my last blog for so long, that I decided i needed to start fresh. New name, new pic, and hopefully new posts every couple days. 

It is absolutely freezing in my house right now. I don't think heaters in the south are as good as heaters in the north. I am originally from MN and I know that my house there never felt as cold as the house I live in now (in TN). Either that, or homes down here not insulated as well. My cats are also cold. Poor abner and amelia have been fighting to lay under the blankets by my feet. There is plenty of room for both of them, but they don't like being near one another. Go figure! The only reason I got a second cat (Abner) was so that the first cat (Amelia) would not get lonely. There are a few rare moments when I will come home and find them cuddled together on the bed or couch....but never when I am around. 

So I decided that I am going to start making lists everyday. I am one of those types of people who just bounces from one thing to the next with no real deliberate plan for the day. I am NOT a list person, but I know I could be more productive and feel better about my day if I started making them. I found this link on ehow on how to make a list. We will see how well this goes...

Here are a couple things I hope to accomplish today in order of importance:

1. Make doc. appt for check up

2. Go to Hobby Lobby for new ink pens (yay!!!) and paper for custom drawing I must do this weekend.

3. The dreaded Laundry

4. Make pot of chili to keep me warm and nourished this weekend

5. Exercise...since it is too cold inside I will just do some circuit exercises inside (situps, pushups, lunges, jumping jacks). 

6. Paint or draw

I hope you all stay warm! Make some chili or soup and I will see you back here tomorrow :)