New OOAK Abstract paintings in my Etsy shop!

I have an assortment of OOAK Abstract Paintings in the works.   Four have just been listed in my Etsy shop.   Stop by and take a look :)  I am really have such a great time painting these!

Florals & Abstract Paintings

 

Working on Florals and Abstracts lately.

Hope you like them :)

First Day of School...today!

My kids started school today and I'm working on some illustrations!

It's strange to have my kids back in  school in July (year round school).  Part of me feels bad that it's still summertime but they just get more breaks throughout the year.   It all evens out compared to regular-school-year-schedule kids.

Are you ready for your kids to go back to school yet?   I know it's still early!   :)

Long time no write...Sorry about that!

We have finally settled into our move to TX from PA...mostly.   We did two moves in six months so it's been pretty busy!    I've finally unpacked enough art supplies to get started again on my artwork.

The kids begin school this week (a year round school here in TX).  So, I have lots of art I'm working on and am so excited about!

Please stop by and like my new FB page to see updates on my artwork.

I'm working on paintings again as well as my stationary line.

Hope everyone is doing well and I'm looking forward to getting back to the "world of art!"

Recycled Artwork...Abstracts on Cardboard

Below are some new abstracts done on some cardboard that was going to be recycled.   These are mixed media using acrylics and pen and sealed with protective varnish.   They will be listed for sale soon in my Etsy shop...I'll keep you posted.

OK, I have a habit of saving glass bottles and jars as well as cardboard backing from notepads and packing material in hopes of creating something beautiful out of them someday.   My collection grows until it becomes a huge pile and then find I have more items to paint than I have time to paint them.   Every few months I end up recycling most of the glass and most of the cardboard.  I let them go as they take up space and I know I'll accumulate some more.

Happily, I am beginning to tackle some of the cardboard pieces to create some new works of art!  My next paintings on cardboard I plan on leaving some of the cardboard as part of the painting so the lovely texture and color of the cardboard will be part of the final work.

Do you ever "hoard" items in hopes of beautifying them?

Springtime & Planning a Party

Springtime is here!

Although it's officially Spring I wore my winter scarf as it was a windy 38 degrees here in PA.  I'm glad I did as it was very chilly while I was watching my 4 year old run around the school yard with the other kids.   I love watching him run around and explore and look forward to watching him while feeling the warmth of the Spring sun vs. the chilly breeze of today.  There were still traces of Monday's snowfall on the grass!

This week I've been busy planning a Spring / Nature themed party for our daughter who turns 8.   She loves crafts and painting and has been happily helping with all that needs to be done.   The photo above shows a glimpse of flower pots the kids will assemble with silk flowers and decorative birds.   The photo below shows the backboard to a flower toss game.  I'll post pics of how everything turned out after the weekend.   Take care!

Remember Valentine's Day parties when you were in elementary school?

Happy Valentine's Day to You!

Remember the Valentine's Day parties you would have in Elementary school?  

I remember mine and they were my favorite of the class holiday parties!   First, you got to decorate your very own little mailbox (a.k.a. shoebox with a slot cut out) any way you want.   Then, kids fill it with cute tiny cards and yummy treats.   As a child who loved artwork (and chocolate) Valentine's Day was even better than Halloween.   You get yummy treats AND get to look at all the cute designs on the little Valentine's notes.  

My three kids are having their Valentine's Day today and I get to bring in cookies to one of the classes.

 I had high hopes of baking and decorating sweet heart cookies but that didn't happen.  Instead, I made a trip to the supermarket bakery & purchased beautiful heart cookies which I'm sure the kids will love.   Sometimes my Kodak / Hallmark moments of baking and decorating fancy cookies for my kids class parties don't come to fruition.   But, I will enjoy being there and watching the kids have a great time!

Enjoy yours!

Overwhelmed by all the inspiration!

I hope you are having a happy and healthy start to the new year!

As you can see...I haven't blogged much in a while.   I have realized that I have been spending WAY too much time being in awe of and...

                                                admiring
                                                searching
                                                pinning (love Pinterest!)
                                                absorbing
                                                & cheering other artists creations in whatever free time I have.  

As a visual person I will always be seeking and absorbing other artists creations...but, I need to learn to limit the time I spend doing it.    I LOVE art, color, patterns, textures, so much that I easily get lost in the online jungle of inspiring images!  

Has that ever happened to you? 

Anyway, I'll share some of my favorite finds soon.   Plus, I will be giving myself some art assignments that I will share with you weekly.    I'll keep you posted...I promise ;)

Have a great day everybody!

Kids are back in School!

 Wow...the summer sure went by fast!  After being home with the three kids all summer ( no camps) I'm ready for them to return to some structure.  They were very ready to go back too.  So now I have a child in 4th grade, 2nd grade and pre-k (he starts in September).  

I have so many plans to take advantage of my new freedom and create illustrations and paintings like crazy!  Organization and focus are important so to - do lists will be made and I will have a plan on what to focus on before I sit down to create.  I would hate for my precious two hours a day to be non productive because I'm chasing after every creative venture I want to pursue and not progressing on anything.

Needless to say, I'm so excited to begin creating again!

Do you have any plans for when your kids return to school?  If you work full time does your life get tremendously busier once your kids return to school ( homework, sports, etc.).  

Would love to hear how your schedule changes :)

A little painting today...

Hello! Here is a little painting I worked on today with watercolors, acrylics and pencils. I've been finding some precious pockets of time to paint this summer with the kids being home. It's been wonderful but I feel guilty at the same time that I'm not spending as much time with my kids as I should. The three of them have been busy on the computer while I paint. They have fun playing their games and I have fun painting (and enjoy the peace and quiet!) so I easily lose track of time. So, they end up with a bit more computer time than they probably should.

It's hard sometimes to find the right balance between carving a time to paint and doing more productive things with the kids. I need to create a schedule for limited painting time for me and computer time for the kids....and stick with it! I did begin my older two on chapter books yesterday...so that's good!

Are you home with your kids this summer too? I'm sure you are more disciplined than I am...lol :).

Spring is Calling...New Painting!

 

My goodness...What beautiful weather we have been having here in PA !  

The birds have been singing, kids have been playing...OUTSIDE...and we haven't been wearing our bulky winter coats for a while now.   Hooray for warmer weather!  It's so nice to see kids biking, swinging and creating chalk drawings on the driveway.   

My neighborhood is coming alive again after everyone has been hibernating all winter. 

Above is my "Bird with Flowers" painting that I just listed on eBay.  

It is done in acrylics on a 3/4" thick 9 x 12" gallery wrapped canvas.

I worked on it during the winter months while thinking of beautiful days like this. 

Enjoy!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day to you!  I usually have some fun holiday goodies on the kitchen table for Valentine's Day and my kids Birthdays but today it will be an after-school treat :)  I love seeing their little faces light up when they see the table treats.  Have a great day!

Earrings!

 Aside from drawing and painting I simply LOVE to create jewelry!  I find it so relaxing and fun to sort through my ever growing collection of beads and wire and piece them together.  On my to do list is to try my hand at soldering and enameling.  There are just not enough hours in the day!

 

Drawing Progress

 Here is a glimpse of how my drawing on an old dictionary page is turning out.  I ended up using gouache and graphite pencil.   Next time I may mount the dictionary page on a heavier artists paper to make it more sturdy.  I had to be careful not to use too much water so the page wouldn't buckle.  So far so good!

 

I

Testing a photo upload from my iPad

OK, the photo of my sketch yesterday uploaded blurry from my iPad so I'm uploading again. I'm using the BlogPress app because Blogger does not give me the option to add a photo to my post when I log on with my iPad....and after all..what is an art blog without photos?!

Looking forward to painting later once the kids head to school...have a great day everyone!

Drawing on old book pages.

I began some sketches on some old book pages that would have otherwise been thrown out. Tomorrow I will work on adding color with acrylics and will post the progress. Hope you had a great day ;)



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Peace!

Wishing everyone a peace as you prepare for the next round of holidays!

Enjoy your time with family and friends. 

Back 2 School...

Kids are finally back to school!

Although I will miss them, I am looking forward to having some time alone 

to work on new artwork.

I now have 2 kids in elementary school full time and 1 in pre-K.   

It is so strange to have my little girl now going to school all day long.

I'm used to her being by my side and talking, singing, dancing and clinging to me.

I hope everyone's kids have gotten off to a great start this year :)

Quick Sketch...

Once in a while when I have piece of paper, pencil, a moment to focus, (the stars and moon align...lol!), I will do a quick drawing of my kids. 

Above is a quick sketch of my 6 year old daughter while she was drawing some Pokemon (my kids are so into Pokemon). 

Happy Friday everyone!

Licensing site launched!

Sweet...I finally launched my Licensing site!

I originally began working on it a year ago but was never happy with it.

I would work on it straight for weeks.  Then a month would go by where it would just sit there...untouched and unpublished.  

The problem is that I am a perfectionist when it comes to my illustrations.  Unfortunately, this leads to nothing getting finished.  Please note though...When I get an assignment from someone I give 110% and make sure it's done beautifully and on time (I probably spend way too many hours tweaking & obsessing over it..lol!).  

Finally, I just sat down and got rid of what I don't like.   There are tons of artists sites that I love and admire and are so much better than mine.  But, in the end, this is the site I came up with and am so very happy with how it turned out...although I'm sure I will still be tweaking it!