Art Journal

I am still working away

It’s been another busy year for me. I got to spend time with several of my Best Arty Friends in Seattle for some Amazing Watercolor classes at Daniel Smith. The store is incredible! My Mom and I had a wonderful time catching up with Bexs, Jane and Angus and on top of that met some absolutely gorgeous new friends!

I was featured in the news! It was all about my work with Beads of Courage! I jumped at the chance to bring light to this cause. Thank you Cheryl for thinking of me and contacting the station. A huge thank you to Bobby Lewis from 10 News St. Pete for the absolutely amazing piece he put together. I have added the link below.

http://www.wtsp.com/entertainment/places/bobby-lewis-on-the-road/making-courage-beads-to-honor-sisters-memory/307252432

I have also been selected as a Feature Artist for the Beads of Courage “Carry A Bead” Kits. I have been having a blast coming up with funs designs. I have started making Holiday themed kits which have been very popular.

What an amazing Art filled year!

So much incredible art flowed in 2015! What an awesome year it was.

Here are some of my Art highlights from the end of the year. Both glass and from my Art Journal…

Another year flew by

I am amazed every year. Time just seems to fly by and before I know it it’s December already! How did that happen? I had a jam packed year of traveling and Art retreats! As usual Dr Cornelius accompanied me on my adventures.

This year I went to London in October for an amazing Art Retreat with the Fabulous Jane Davenport! My Mom attended as well and we had an absolute blast with everyone and lots of yummy art was made by all.

I also came up with a very fun new design called the Creepy Cuties inspired the the art of Megan K. Suarez. They were so popular that I had trouble keeping them in stock for awhile. Needless to say there are now versions of them popping up by other artists. They are super fun to make and so many ideas to explore with them.

Lots of beads being made I am also taking a couple of great online Classes. Paint and Pixels with Ivette Newport and Robin Laws and Miss Quoted with Jane Davenport and Joanne Sharpe. Having a total blast with Miss Quoted here is my warm up. Ink and Watercolor….

And my favorite piece done on my iPad…

It’s been a whirlwind so far this year

Things seem to be going nonstop this year. It started off with Visits from My Dad and StepMom from St John USVI! Then my Mom and StepDad came for a visit. Mom and I went to Oklahoma for a Faster EFT seminar. It was fantastic. I learned a lot about myself and what my triggers are and I am working on clearing them. I also want to apply it to Art and Artists at some point. My Art has grown tremendously since I started the whole “Tapping” process. I am just amazed at all the differences. We also took several of Dina Wakely’s Classes at Whim So Doodle but that is in another post so I won’t go into it again.

I have also been doing lots of vendor events and shows. I was amazed when a friend told me she went over to one of her friends houses and told me they were watching my videos up on their big screen TV! How cool is that!

Then just last week Jane Davenport was in the US. We met in Portland for an amazing three days! We shopped till we dropped everyday ate when we could and even managed to work in an Art Play Date with Ivy Newport and Robin Laws. What an amazing trip!

Now I am working on some large orders and coming up with new glass designs. I need to clone myself so I can create more!

I have also made and sent over 100 Act of Courage Beads to the Beads of Courage program!

Here is some of my most recent ArtJournal Pages and Homework from the Class Beautiful Faces that I am taking at the moment.

You can find Inspiration everywhere

I posted about some classes that I had taken not long ago with the Amazingly Talented Dina Wakley. She said something in class that really struck a cord in me. That as long as you have the features in the right spot you don’t have to have all the details. While I knew this I did not have the Aha moment applying it to my beads until this class. See I have an idea in my head about how I want my faces to look… basically like I draw and paint them and well it wasn’t working in glass. I wanted the little details you just can get unless you are enamel painting. I do plan on tinkering with that at some point but now is not that time. Anyway here is the first Loose Face Focal I made that I mailed to Dina as a thank you for the inspiration.

I love how a bird showed up on the back side of the bead. Birds have been showing up a lot in my work lately.

Here are the other loose face focal’s I have created since I started. I am enjoying the process very much.

If you would like to find out more about Dina and her art please visit her site www.dinawakley.com

Whim So Doodle + Dina Wakley = Fabulousness

My Mom has been in town and she is really getting into her art so I decided we needed to take some classes at Whim So Doodle in St.Petersburg. Lo and behold the wonderfully talented Dina Wakley was in town. I signed us up for three classes. They were great and I learned so much and played with so many yummy supplies. We did Gelli Plate printing and then a anything goes printmaking. And the last class which was my personal favorite the Art Folio. Some of the techniques she taught were very freeing. If you ever get a chance to take a class with her I recommend her highly. You will learn oodles of great things!

Here is some of my work from the Class.

I also had another very successful Trunk Show on Facebook! I won’t have another show for awhile. I will be on the waiting list for a couple of months till I can get back on the Calendar. I missed the last date. I am also adding new pendants and focals into my Etsy store link is on the sidebar or at the bottom of my blog. I hope you come over and check out the new work.

Be Fearless!

Recently I was taking two classes at Whim So Doodle in St. Pete with Joanne Sharpe. Both were Free Motion Quilting techniques. Joanne said to me that I was talented at everything that I do. I was a little startled by that statement. I by no means think I am talented at everything I do but I have heard it before so it made me stop and think.

My Mom told me a story not long ago about when I was young. She had entered my Brother and I in a drawing contest at (if I remember the story correctly) Holy Spirit Hospital. She said when they were announcing the winners that I was perched on the edge of my seat ready to run up on stage the moment my name was called. She said I just knew that I would win something and as it turns out I did. I think I have tapped back into that feeling now as an Adult. There are NO MISTAKES in art feeling. That create with abandon feeling we used to get as children but went away as we grew up and were told that we were doing it wrong. I gave up drawing and painting for a long time because I was told by a College Professor that he had no clue how I got accepted to Art School because I sucked. I thought to myself well then it is a good thing that I came here to make jewelry. Well those that see my art now are surprised that I gave it up for so long.

I think my point in all this is that I have become Fearless. Especially when I am learning something new. I just go for it. Last weekend was no different at Whim, I went for it with Free Motion Quilting and I am so happy with the results that I am now looking into getting a sewing machine. I loved the process and this is the second time I have taken a class from Joanne. She is an amazing teacher!

So try to quite that voice in your head that tells you “You Can’t” because YOU CAN! And just GO FOR IT! I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised with the results when you get out of your own way.

Sketch de France with Jane Davenport

Or Dr Cornelius terrorizes Paris! Either one works in this case. I recently attended another Jane Davenport Escape Artist Retreat this one held in Paris. Like all her retreats I learned a great deal. There is just something about seeing and hearing the process in person. Things just click in my mind. They might have said it on video umpteen times but the connection didn’t spark.

We kicked off the retreat with a Segway tour through Paris. The instructors told us we would all want one by the time we were finished and they were right! So Fun!

The next day was another long exciting day with a bike ride through Paris. I admit it was a bit daunting you had to be on your toes at all times. People not paying attention and cars that didn’t want to stop were just a few of the hazards but we all survived and got some quick sketches in along the way. Dr Cornelius posed for lots of pictures. These are just some highlights from the bike tour.

Another day another Bike tour in the pouring rain. This time we took a train to Giverny and toured Monet’s Garden. The sun came out on two occasions during this trip. To let us have a really lovely picnic lunch on the banks of the Seine. The second time was while we were in the Garden. We quickly got in some sketching and watercolors.

The whole retreat was a blur of art and touring… museums and more art. I need a vacation to recover from all of it! Oh and Mr Sennelier came down to great us when we went to his store. A feast for the eyes… lots of money was spent!

Just a few of the things I worked on while in Paris.

Oh and on another note entirely I found some awesome Gluten/Egg free French bread that made me so happy. It wasn’t that dense tasteless stuff you find in the US. I was dubious but I didn’t have a reaction. The restaurant I found it in sold me a loaf. YUM!

Wow how times flies….

Here we are in 2014 and it’s Tax season already! It seems like just yesterday I was doing my business taxes… First year I am showing a profit. Exciting! If I continue I will need to start paying myself a salary. Weird… Who would have thought, but I guess being persistent is paying off.

On to more fun topics I recently made a trip to San Francisco to spend a lovely Valentines Day with my wonderful Husband. I had a great time even with all the fog!

It was sunny where I was sitting and pea soup on the water!

That is “The Rock” lurking in all that fog. I can’t even imagine being locked up there!

I worked on two art journal pieces in between long walks around the city and a visit to Dick Blicks for lots of new yummy art supplies!

Right now I am frantically finishing up a Flamingo that will be on display through out Florida this year for an Estuary Project to promote clean waterways. I am calling her Fanny and she will be delivered on Friday. Here is a progress picture.

I am also gearing up for two upcoming shows! I will be at the Winthrop Arts Festival March 22 & 23rd. It’s in Riverview FL. Come on by and say hello if you get a chance! I am also going to be at the Art-is-You Dixie Trunk show Wednesday April 30th 5pm to 9pm. I am super excited about both shows!

I will post pictures of glass work in another post another day. There will be lots of it.

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
« Nov
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29	30	31

Login