Flamingo~

Hello friends! It's been a crazy, busy week so far with not much time for painting. It's not my favorite kind of busy for sure. We are preparing for a weekend camping trip with my husband's family. The weather is shaping up to be cold and rainy with a chance of more rain. I remind myself that we are Oregonians and are therefore never bothered by a tiny thing like rain. This three day trip requires 4 days of planning, shopping, packing, repacking etc.! It really would be easier to put wheels on the house. HA! Despite my busyness I do have a new piece to share with you that I painted last week. I wasn't sure that it was finished but, after sitting for a few days it just feels done.

I am so excited to have a new animal friend to add to my Whimsy Collection! I give you Flamingo! To tell you the truth I am not a bird person but, a really close friend asked me if I could try creating a flamingo. I really wasn't sure about it at first but once I got started I really loved the process and I am thrilled with the way that it turned out. Hurrah for new creative adventures!
That's it for now. Here's hoping your week treats you kindly!
xoxo,

Flamingo is a 9"x12" Mixed Media Collage Painting on Canvas Board.

Dance In The Rain~

What a difference a day makes! A couple of days ago I was having a horrible day. I was grumpy and burned out. I was sure that I would never paint again, I mean what is the point I asked myself? I was feeling very disconnected and frankly, sorry for myself. Do you ever feel that way? It wasn't pretty! Friday morning dawned and just like a bad storm my mood had blown away in the night. What a relief!

I was ready to paint. I didn't think about what I was going to create, what colors or textures I was going to incorporate, I was like a mad scientist with a burning desire to see my creation come to life. This is what came of it~ Dance In The Rain. I hope that you like it as much as I do! It was funny after I was finished drawing her face I stood back and had this wonderful  "Ah ha" moment. "There you are" I said to myself out-loud. That may sound really strange but, she was inside my brain and then she was on the canvas, seeing her come to "life" was a brilliant feeling!
Have a beautiful weekend!
xoxo~

Dance In The Rain is an 8"x10" mixed media collage painting on canvas.

She Saved Herself~

Hello friends! I have something to share with you today! So, let's get to it.

She Saved Herself~ I wanted to create something so badly yesterday but, I really didn't have a thought about anything except her hair and that I was time for her to open her eyes. With that being said I got stuck creatively a few times but, mostly I tried to just go with the flow. I must confess that it took forever for me to figure out what she was trying to say. Her face was less severe in the sketch form. I could have redone it but, instead I chose to forge on! I love all of the texture. There are layers and layers of it and that makes me really happy! I can't wait to see what today brings! That's all for now. 
Its hard to type with a wiggly toddler on my lap! LOL!
xoxo~

Hello~

Hello Monday! I hope you had a happy Mother's day! I sure did! Last week was not a good week for creativity with being sick and having a birthday for my 2 year old and then Mother's Day. I just wanted to pop in and say that I am still here. I am sipping a mug of steamy coffee and kids are starting to stir. I'm aching to paint something. I don't know what it's going to be but, I can feel the creativity crackling like a live wire. Let's hope this persists until the kids are on the bus and off to school and I can dive into a fresh canvas and make it messy. See you tomorrow!
xoxo~

Bold, Brave, Beautiful You~

Today is a run by post. Yesterday I came down with a nasty cold. It's just not right to be sick when it's beautiful outside!

This was a really challenging piece to finish. It's not my favorite but, I love where it ended up. There are parts that I absolutely adore! I particularly LOVE the message. Bold, Brave, Beautiful You!  There is a ton of texture going on, lots of layers of paper, paint, stamps, doodling and much more. I'm gonna go find a mug of tea and crash on the couch (if my two year old will let me). 
xoxo~

Bold, Brave, Beautiful You is an 8"x10" mixed media collage painting on canvas.

Flashback~

It's Saturday! That unto itself is a reason to celebrate! It's going to be a beautiful day here in the Pacific Northwest. I have a never ending list of things I want to accomplish, before I dive head first into said list I wanted to sit and enjoy a steaming mug of coffee and share a flashback with you.

What you are looking at is circa 2009. It is one of my very first Mixed Media girls. I still love this piece so much! She sits on my dresser and greets me each morning. I can remember the feeling of awe that I had after creating her. Like "WOW, I made that"! I still feel that way about most of my pieces when I am finished. I just cannot believe that something so awesome came from me. This morning I really looked at her and noticed how my style and technique have changed and how it has stayed the same. In so many ways I am coming into my own artistic style. I am trusting my own heart and letting go. It's really a beautiful and painful/scary process. A little like flying without knowing if your wings can actually carry you. I am trying to ignore the mammoth butterflies in my stomach and just focus on the art. Just push through my nervousness and ignore my inner critics. So far everyone who has seen my work has been so very generous with their support and kind words! There is a certain amount of irony in realizing that I was afraid to share my work because of what other's might say and in reality the only one who has been negative is my own inner critic. I am humbled and overcoming with gratitude by every single person who follows my blog or LIKES my Facebook Fan page. It is an amazing thing to feel supported by a community. So, thank you! It really does mean the world to this little mixed media artist. Have a fabulous weekend! I am hoping to get into the studio to create. See you next week with a new piece!
xoxo~

You Are Enough~

Happy Thursday all! I have a fun piece to share with you today. I am really excited about the addition of purple. That probably seems really silly and maybe it is. Creatively it is so easy to stick to what is comfortable and forget that the world is full of so many other colors. LOL!

I give you You Are Enough. I think she kind of looks like a fairy tale princess. Her world looks sort of dreamy to me. I just LOVE it! I added a little bit of corrugated cardboard for texture! To be honest it makes me ridiculously happy! I tell you it's the simple things! A little bit of doodling, which I am becoming much more comfortable with adds some interest and layers. It's almost meditative to doodle away. As always thank you for stopping by! Have a fantastic day!
xoxo~

You Are Enough is an 8"x10" Mixed-Media Collage painting on canvas.