Life Happens

Taken a few weeks before we were sick, my kitchen is also my art studio so things are always messy in there!

I keep meaning to write a blog post and my mind is always so jumbled with a million other things that I can't seem to narrow down exactly what I want to write about.

We've been sick here for the past two weeks from sinus infections to tonsilitis and pink eye, my goodness it's been rough. The weather has been absolutely amazing too which makes it even harder to be sick. Now that we are muddling out of the sickness and the loads of laundry and the mess (since no one loves to clean when they are under the weather) I am hopeful that it is going to be a glorious weekend full of outdoor activities and maybe some painting.

Even though I haven't felt the greatest and I've had to spend many hours holding my almost 2 year old son (since that's all he wants when he is feeling ill) I have found the time to paint. Sometimes I feel guilty but then I remember that I'm not just a mom, I am a human being with passions and hobbies. The dishes can wait, the laundry can pile up a little more and I can escape into the canvas for an hour here and there.

Here are some of my latest paintings. All available for purchase too!

Punchy

Sherbet

Wild Flowers

Ruth's Roses

Thanks for stopping by my blog. I so appreciate your company :)

I entered a Juried Art Show

So I worked up the courage to enter into a local art show in my town. I entered two paintings. And the one above got selected for the show! There were 38 paintings selected out of 133 so I felt pretty good about it. It is at the downtown Fayetteville Arts Council until the 17th I believe if you are interested in seeing it or purchasing it. 

It is called Ruth's Roses (named after my grandma Ruth of course).

I think sometimes you have to be brave even if you are unsure of yourself. 

Along the wall

Here are some of my paintings lined up against the wall. I feel like I am finally fulfilling that part of myself that has been ignored since becoming a mom. I had this voice in the back of my head for the past two years saying "You need to paint again!" But I just wasn't ready until now. Now all I want to do paint! Colors are swirling in my head all night. I am not sleeping so good anymore!

It is hard to find the balance between "me" time and being a mom. I know we all have that battle though.  I have to make sure that I am a good mother first and foremost. Most of my painting is done during nap time or after he goes to sleep. I also have to say that my housework has suffered since I've been picking up my paint brushes regularly! But that can always wait till tomorrow right?

There is a call for submissions for a local art show and I was thinking about entering a few pieces. What do you think? I am scared but somewhat excited to do it. I have until the 16th to decide. 

Hello it's February already? Say what?!

Wow the new year is already flying by. Sammy and I have been having a lot of fun playing outside (the weather this winter is so mild!), painting, and eating ice cream on a daily basis. Yes it's all about fun folks. We work hard and play hard.

This new year 2012 is going to be a great year. I can feel it. I have had these dreams marinating in my heart and I'm going to make it happen. I have started to paint a lot again. It is the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing I think about when I go to sleep. In fact, I have started to dream about paintings and colors. It is quite amazing and I feel rejuvenated. I bought a bunch of canvases and I am having fun experimenting with no expectations. My big dream would be for me to produce a series of cohesive paintings and to present them to an art gallery. Maybe by summer I will be ready for something like this. We'll see. I put it out there in the universe and now we'll see what happens. I have felt compelled to start another blog just for my artwork. I will be posting there a lot. I hope you join me on my adventure!

Gift idea

To anyone out there who is looking for a gift idea for Valentine's day.....

It's a Bird on a Cup painting by yours truly. I can add any letter to the cup that you wish. I can paint any bird that you like AND it is an original work of art that you will have forever and ever!

Just head over to my shop for purchase.

Thanks and have a great day!

What is holding you back?

I am writing this post for anyone out there who feels blocked from their creativity. I get this feeling a lot as a mom. I get all these great ideas in the back of my mind for things I want to make and then as the day goes on I get stuck in the routine and tasks of daily life and these ideas stay merely ideas. Sometimes I get some time to myself and sometimes I just want to do NOTHING. This has also been a roadblock. Then I will read some other creative mom blogs who have 5 kids, keep up 3 blogs, exercise daily, grocery shop, work from home, and still find time to paint and create beautiful things and I'm left feeling extremely inadequate. Does this ever happen to you? Do you have any tips for when you feel unmotivated or stuck?

I guess the trick is to stop coming up with excuses when I have time and to just make something. Even if it is just getting my watercolors out and playing rather than creating some grand miraculous work of art. I made the above screen saver/wallpaper as a reminder to myself. If you would like a copy for free just send me an email :)

Oh and I made this little painting yesterday and it is for sale in my shop now.

Hoping you can let your creativity flow today!

Kelly

What is it about Owls?

Newly painted and in my shop

Owls are cool. They have been in style for a while now. I like to paint them. I like to see them. Here are some cute owl-y things I've found on the net.

This little orange owl family by Pirdy on etsy. I can picture them sitting on a little shelf along with some cute artwork.

This pretty antique inspired owl ring by beautyspot on etsy.

3. Tis the season to put some owls on your tree. Made by the pinkperch. This shop also has lots of cute mobiles.

I can picture these bookends by graphicspaceswoods in a kids room or home library/office. I also love the books in this photo.

That's all for now. Thanks for stopping by!

I found the time

Since becoming a momma I haven't found the time or motivation to get out my art supplies until this week! I am proud to say that I have listed some new small originals in my shop! My hope is that I can try to do one painting a day while Sammy takes his long nap. Of course there are about a million other things I should be doing while he naps like laundry, cleaning toilets, taking a shower, etc. but it really has been fun to paint again. I like using watercolors because they are easy to get out, easy to clean up, and they do not take up too much space on my kitchen table.

I am excited because it is Friday and that means my husband gets to be with us all weekend. During the work week it seems that we don't see much of each other because by the time he gets home and we have dinner we are both tired and always go to bed early. The weather is beautiful here so I am sure we will get out and enjoy a walk on one of the trails. Maybe we will do a little decorating for Christmas, although I would like to wait until Thanksgiving has passed. I feel it deserves it's own celebration without Christmas getting in the way :) I hope you have a super weekend too.

xo,

Me

Hello Monday

Hello Monday, I have decided to be productive today. The photo below shows me amongst the many many boxes that we have to go through in order to feel settled. This was taken the day after we moved in so we have made some progress since then (thank goodness)!

Today I have plans of cleaning and organizing some of my "pretty things" (such as holiday decorations, lamps, and vase), making a guest list for my baby shower, and working on finishing a painting. Yes, I finally have access to my art supplies! They were boxed up for quite some time for the move and I am finally able to get some of them out and start making again. Since money is tight this year (we still have a mortgage to pay and also our apartment rent ugh) I have decided I wanted to make most of my Christmas gifts this year. I won't be posting them all since some of my family members read this blog, but I will share a watercolor with you that I have been working on for my husband's grandparents. It is based on a picture of their farm where they raised their kids. They still live on the same property but in a newer house. I am hoping this painting will evoke many memories for them :) Most of the gifts I plan to make will be smaller paintings and drawings as well as some painted ornaments. These gifts will be much more meaningful than something I could buy anyways right?

Here are a few pictures of my progress. I like to add lots of layers to my watercolors to build up a richness of color so I still have quite a bit more to do on this one.

And I just want to thank you for visiting my blog. I know I was out of the loop for quite some time, so your presence and comments mean so much to me!

Why Create?

playing with my paints this morning

As I mentioned before I am taking an e-class called In the Fishbowl by Marisa Haedike. It is a class that covers how to make it as an online artist plus so much more! I have been sitting with some of the questions that have been brought up in class and would like to share some of my thoughts with you all today. If you don't mind :)

One of the questions was: Why do you create?

I create because I have a strong desire to do so. So many of us lose that passion as adults. When I make something I lose track of time and I can enjoy just being in the moment. I believe that when people create they are putting pieces of their souls into the world. I like to think that the paintings I make reflect my personality and show the world how I see and define beauty. And like some of my classmates have mentioned I believe that everyone is creative in their own way and that people would be happier if they took some time out of their day to make something.

Another question that one of my classmates brought up is: What are you doing when you are at your best? and when you are at your best how do you feel?

When I am at my best I am creating, running, making conscious decisions, learning new things, not judging myself or others, and enjoying the moment for what it is. When I am at my best I am not trying to do or be something I'm not. When I'm at my best I have focus and passion for what I am doing in life. I feel free from the expectations of society. My spirit is just how it was meant be.

Those are my deep thoughts for the day and now here are some pictures of my garden. I am so excited for my sunflowers to bloom!

Bye!

Succulents

I am really fascinated by little plants, especially succulents. I photographed this little guy while I was in Lowes a few days ago. People must think I am crazy walking around photographing plants in such a big store.

I love my watercolor paints and hadn't used them in a while. I painted this today as I am not feeling well and it is very relaxing to me. It will be for sale in my shop later today if you are interested.

5 x 7 inch watercolor with ivory matte

Now I'm off to the doctor's. I think I have strep throat, which is crazy because I haven't had strep since I was in high school! I haven't taken any kind of antibiotic in at least ten years.

Have a happy Saturday!

trust is the key

New Painting called:  American Hardwoods

I feel so lucky that I have a place I can come to for great support and advice. I want to say thank you to all of you for your input yesterday. I love that I have blog friends who understand me! 

After some reflection I realize the reason I was feeling so confused yesterday is due to fear. Fear that I will not succeed. Fear that I will not have money. Fear that I should do what society thinks is the best way.  I went over to Creative Thursday's Podcast  (thanks for the reminder Ashley) and listened to her podcast on trust. Here are some points that really spoke to me:

Trusting myself means:

believing in myself

believing in my creations

I can think clearly

I already have the answers

that life is working in my favor 

that I won't compare myself to others

that I will make decisions from a place that is secure and happy

Not trusting myself means:

I will let others beliefs drive my decisions

I make decisions out of fear

I will not have peace

I will not be creative

I will not be happy

 

Therefore, I have decided to not apply for the teaching job. Instead I will keep making more artwork. I will trust myself. And if I falter....you better be the first to tell me!

May peace and trust be with you...(that sounds church-y)

I feel light on my feet

Hi friends

Did you all have a good weekend? I really enjoyed mine! I did some bike riding, ate dinner with friends, saw a bluegrass band in downtown Clarksville, and started running again. I have been a runner all through high school through college and up to now. When I started experiencing allergy problems this spring I had to stop running for a while until I could figure out what kind of medicines/inhalers worked best. Now I am happy to say that I am back at it and it feels GOOD! Running gives me a kind of freedom in my spirit that makes me feel like I can do anything. It must be the release of endorphins and sweating out the toxins. 

I also made some new artwork just for myself. I might work on it some more but I wanted to share what I have so far. It's called Where I've Been and Where I'm Going. It is a mixed media piece that shows maps of the places I have lived: Minnesota, North Carolina, and TN. My feet, the tree, and the sky represent where I am going.  Here is a close up of the the quote in the middle of it which says:

"Far away in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them. But I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead."

-Louisa May Alcott

Now I'm off to run errands, feed the neighbor's dog, and pick up more canvases to paint paint paint! Hope Monday is a Funday for you!

Tea Time

Here is a new painting I've been working on called Tea Time now available in my shop. I am discovering how much I love doing mixed media paintings. There is so much freedom and fun involved. One of the most rewarding parts of it is not knowing how the final product may turn out. Now I leave you with a quote that can be applied in most areas of life, not just art. I hope you have a non-manic Monday!

 "If I create from the heart, nearly everything works; if from the head almost nothing." 

- Marc Chagall

Getting my Fixx

About a month ago I was feeling brave and submitted some of my artwork to the Indie Fixx Galleria, which is an online gallery of indie goods  featuring a juried mix of indie designers & boutiques. Last weekend I got an email saying they have accepted my submissions (big smile). So from April 29th- June 10th I am displaying eight pieces of my artwork there. It's amazing what happens if you just put yourself out there isn't it? Indie fixx also has a blog and lots of other great links. If you feel like exploring, check it out and support independent artists in the world! 

I also wanted to thank some of my dear friends for purchasing some of my artwork recently. It means the world to me that you like what I do. I think the encouragement I have received from my friends really makes an impact on me. It reaffirms that I am on the right path and that I need to keep listening to my intuition. And thank you to all who read and comment on my blog! Your presence does not go unnoticed. I get excited to come to this place everyday to see what you have shared with me. 

Believing and charging on....

me

Big Painting

Hey there you blog readers you

Here is a picture of what I made today. Actually it took yesterday and today. You can click the picture to see a bigger view.  I have been busy as a bee and a bird lately. My mind is filled with all these ideas and projects. It is like an explosion of creativity or something! Better ride the wave while it lasts, right? 

~I will be back later with a Thursday Things post ~

Art Giveaway

Hi friends

A lovely blogger is featuring some of my work this week and doing a giveaway of one of my prints. I feel so honored by this :)  Jen also has her own organic clothing etsy shop which you can find on her blog as well. I am so excited to give a peice of art to someone who will enjoy it. If you are interested all you need to do is head over to her site and post a comment to enter. 

 Thanks so much Jen! 

artwork

I reworked an old painting and this is what i came up with. Yay for bright colors!

Artwork

New painting/collage made with handcolored cut flowers, watercolors, and acrylic paint on 8x10 inch canvas. 

Now I'm off to go plant some veggies in my garden!

Have a springy weekend!

Thursday Things

Happy Thursday!

I decided to start a series of posts to take place every thursday called Thursday Things. It is basically a list of "things" that I have noticed, like, appreciate, and want to pass on for the week. So here it is: 

Four Things

1. My friend Katie's blog post today about living a passion filled life.

2. I LOVE going to spin class. I started going last week and am now addicted. It is a full 50 minutes of cardio in which I sweat all the toxins out of my body. It makes my legs feel strong and it clears my head. Being an avid runner, spin class is a great way to change it up. Try it!

3. I have revisited my David Gray CD and I really love this song. 

4. This is a sweet photo blog to visit.

5. I am looking forward to seeing the tulips bloom in my neighborhood which inspired my new painting seen above :)