Me, Owww...

There are some times in your life where you just feel like being snarky.... but you still want to look cute doing it. Meow.

A Rainbow Touched My Heart...

One day I was driving around running errands and I saw... a rainbow. Only it wasn't a real, prism-in-the-sky kind of rainbow. It was a logo on a local park sign. But I thought it was cool. So I jotted it down in my notebook for future use, and let it go.

But when I was working on this piece recently, the space to the right of my little blond-headed girl needed something. I wasn't sure what. The elements at the top of the page were rather "heavy" which is why I made her dress black... to balance that all out. And i really liked the cloud, so I wanted to keep that element in there somehow. And then I thought of the line in that Andy Grammer song that goes...

"...only rainbows after rain..."

And bing! The multicolored image from my journal popped into my head. And although I was planning to use it with a shooting star... why not a rainbow straight to your heart?

It worked as the perfect element to fill up the space and I loved the story that went along with it...

"The storm passed and then a rainbow touched my heart."

That's kind of how I feel when life hands me something that I didn't think I could handle... and then I get through it and feel so much more empowered. And I thought this was a great visual reminder of that sentiment.

Patch It Up...

Not too long ago, I got Lilla Rogers' book I Just Like To Make Things. In it, she had a few creativity exercises, and I fell in love with this patchwork looking one! She had us pick several of our favorite colors and then fill in the squares with them. I was so ecstatic with the results, I wanted to use the idea in a real painting.

So I divided a 16"x20" wood panel into 4"x4" squares and went to town. I wanted to keep the colors a bit more muted, so that whatever (or whoever) I painted over top would stand out.

I used the same techniques from my last painting... only this time I used my dominant hand (Spoiler Alert! I actually liked the left handed one better!) But the very dry brush strokes and multiple layers still came through and I love all the scritchy-scratchy detail that produces.

I decided to make her dress black so that it would pop over the pastel background. It worked!

And I ended up giving her a black mouse-eared hat just to balance things out. Of course once I made the hat, it felt like too much black.... and so I emblazoned it with my own little pink mouseketeer logo to create some visual distraction.

Typically when I think I'm done, I'll prop my painting up on the living room couch — opposite where I sit to watch TV. I'll glance over at it every once in awhile to see what I like and what I don't. So after staring at it for hours, I went back and added some shadows, and lightened some areas too. It was still a little scary as the Recovering Perfectionist in me didn't want to mess it up.

But the longer I stared at it, the more I saw things I wanted to change. So if it's a choice between leaving it as is (and not being happy), or trying something else to improve it (even if I don't like it)... why not just continue to improve it? And even though she's done... I still see things I'm going to change... and I'm not scared to do it!

Talk about patching things up!

Left-Handed Pinky...

Sometimes I get a creative idea in my head and I must execute it immediately! And such is the case with a recent painting of mine... featuring this adorable little girl I named Pinky.  You see... I wanted to loosen up my style a bit and so I decided to do an entire painting left-handed! I wanted a real folk art feel, so I took several approaches for this personal assignment...

Starting with my usual techniques, I began to create lots and lots of layers. Lots! It's actually pretty funny (and a little scary!) to see where the face begins in this process. It actually looks like a psychopathic fluorescent baby panda, right?

Ahhhhh... a little better with more layers, but still kind of scary without the eyeballs! But I knew in my head where the piece was going, so I let myself trust the process and let it unfold with my non-dominant hand.

For this painting, I used a very, very, very dry brush for all of the strokes. After I put the paint on the brush, I wiped it almost completely dry onto a paper towel. When I changed colors, I didn't re-use that wet brush... I used another dry brush.

It took a long time and required much patience, especially doing it awkwardly left-handed... but the effect was worth it. Lots and lots of yummy layers of colors that highlighted the paintstrokes beneath.

Layers covered. Layers uncovered. Adding more over top. It really was a deliciously delightful process!

The last thing I did was add the polka dots to the background... because I'm an ass-backwards kind of gal... and because I thought it needed a little something subtle. But when I stepped back... I fell in love with her immediately! She was everything I had hoped for in my mind, before I started to paint. And when that actually happens — besides being a miracle in and of itself — I start to believe in myself as an artist. I start to believe that maybe I really can make the things that I see in my head. And I start to want to create more things because I trust myself.

Now that's one left-handed compliment!

It CAN Be All Unicorns & Rainbows!

Who says life can't be all unicorns and rainbows? Certainly not me! In fact, I love to perpetuate the idea of beautiful natural occurrences and mythical creatures... especially in a whimsical painting. For sure!

This piece actually started as a background created with watercolor crayons and pencils... making fun marks and scribbles in a free-form manner. A little bit of drawing and it looks like this. A little bit of water and it turns into that.

A little bit of paint and that turned into this... and then this turned into that...and then that turned into a unicorn. Wheeeeee!

I thought I'd give this piece a nice pastel theme and play up the rainbow and the Unicorn Girl. Can you tell I was channeling My Little Pony?

And although it seems simple in subject, it was the tiny little tweaks here and there that set my brain on fire. I absolutely loved going back in to add little details to create interest. I kept adding, changing and tweaking it until I was satisfied with the finished piece. The most exciting part is that now I know how to fix what I'm not liking... and I'm less afraid of messing up my painting. So, see.... miracles do happen!

Studying With The "Masters"

I'm so excited to share that I'm going to Art & Soul Retreat in Virginia Beach this weekend to paint and play with my own personal, modern-day Master... Mindy Murphy Lacefield! Yippee! I'll be taking her Play Journal workshop where she'll coax students to let out their inner child and play and get lost in the process of painting, writing, and journaling.

If you follow my blog, I'm sure you've seen a lot of the paintings I did from her Paint Your Story online workshop...

And then mixed media pieces inspired by her True Free Spirit class online...

And maybe a few from the mini Frolic class she offered virtually! But there's not too much better than studying with someone you admire — in-person — for two days straight! I've met Mindy Lacefield and her spirit is just as colorful, whimsical and tenderly sentimental as the work she does. She is such a loving, approachable person and everyone I know who's life she's touched is more playful today... in part because of her.

Now that's what I call a Master!

Fat Tuesday... Facebook Style!

A couple years ago I took a magnificent trip to New Orleans, Louisiana for the week prior to Mardi Gras. While there I got to experience so many amazing things! Good food. Foot-tapping music. Gorgeous antiques. Booze. Beads. Colorful parades. Wonderful architecture. Cool shops... and spectacular art!

There was one artist who's circus-themed dolls caught my eye, and I took her card with me. Amber Leilani Middleton. After returning home, I found her on Etsy. Then I found her on Facebook. And then we formed this real and true friendship. It is uncanny how many things we have in common: rubber stamping, collage, art dolls, folk style painting, circus themed art... we're even almost the same age! Pretty cool.

Even cooler? I just acquired a piece of her art! This pink party girl was one of my faves with her glittery hat and a bosom of golden framed clouds. All-at-once she reminds me to have fun and be calm and floaty like a white billowy cloud. I'm so delighted to have a handmade doll from an artist I admire. But even better? I'm thrilled to have this new kindred friendship with an art maker like myself.

For more about Amber Leilani Middleton, check out her blog and this awesome interview she recently did. I bet you'll have a lot in common too!

Brown Baggin' It!

Over the past few years, I've been learning to paint faces. There is so much inspiration out there in the way of online classes and a whole lot of artists that provide additional inspirational styles... and that's where my problem lies! I love them all. I've tried on a few styles by taking workshops with Suzi Blu and Mindy Lacefield, and I've been very happy with the results. But it's not me... totally. When I try to paint faces, sometimes I don't like the eyes, or the nose, or the lips, or the shape of the face. I get frustrated with the shading, the hair, hands, clothes.... and well.... just most of it! So I had an idea.

Sometimes I'll sketch something out on a piece of copy paper and I'll love it. Perhaps it was the feeling that I wasn't ruining my journal or a good piece of canvas with a painting I didn't like. Hmmmm.... what's something cheap I can paint on? Hey! How about brown paper lunch bags!!! Yesssssssss! That's it! I'll practice my faces on lunch bags. Perfect!

And what started as a side project when I had the time, has turned into an all-out obsession! I absolutely love painting on these lunch bags. The ease of the paint onto the surface. The base of kraft brown beneath my art. The crinkly look and feel of the paper. It's just begging to be messed with! And I've got a pack of 40! Can you tell I'm excited?

These bags handle layers and layers of paint and washes. I really don't feel bad about messing up anymore. Okay, so... maybe I do. A little.

In fact, I loved where this face was going so much that I was afraid to add hair for fear of messing it up. But alas... I turned to another one of my brilliant ideas and made photocopies of it... and then painted on those first!

But when I added it to the original it was even more exciting because I have gotten to the point in my sketching and painting where I can duplicate something I've already done! And the most important part... I'm not afraid to try! Practice really does help. Who knew (maybe someone at Carnegie Hall)?

I even had this idea to paint a portrait inspired by Charlie the Clown — a modern vintage rag doll I recently made. I applied the same rules of layering and shading that I had learned for people faces and it came out great! Just like I had pictured it in my mind. This is way too much fun!

So... what started as an exercise in practice painting, became a lesson in fearlessness. I have learned so much about how I approach art and what I do once I get there. I've learned to stop, look, and spend time in the details. And then stop again. I've learned to step back... and wait. Not to rush. To take my time. To make deliberate marks. And then do it all over again.... on the next one! I can't wait.

Valentines: Painting My Little Heart Out!

It's funny that hearts seem to keep blooming in my artwork. Perhaps there is a little love in the air this February? Love of painting that is! I've had such a wonderful time taking Mindy Lacefield's True Free Spirit online workshop and the February project was such a blast!

Quirky Girl Collage was the theme and torn up magazine pages were the basis of this mixed media exercise.

Cute little elements added a whimsical touch, like the bunny. I tried to make him look like a little ragamuffin of a stuffed toy. Kind of floppy and cute.

Her head turned out... well... a little more gigantic than I realized (until I was finished!). But I did mention the theme was "quirky" right?

I really enjoyed the process of creating this mixed media collage... (click here for a short video)... it was fun and relaxing! Something I love about making this kind of art. Art from the heart should be fun.

Facing A Blank Canvas...

After last week's confession, I feel like I'm beginning a new chapter in my life. Starting fresh. Like a blank canvas. Now, I must admit that a clean slate used to intimidate me to no end. But over the years, I've learned to just do something! Anything! Make a mark. draw a line. Paint on some color. I've learned that I don't need to know what direction I'm going... or where I might end up. As long as I keep moving forward. Painting has taught me a lot about life!

Now that school is in, it's the perfect time to "study up" on what it is that I want out of life. And as luck would have it... I stumbled across the perfect workshop to entertain my curiosity! Having admired Flora Bowley's work for some time now, I saw that she was having an e-course entitled Bloom True. Her 5-week workshop takes a "transformational approach to painting (and living) that celebrates intuition, connects body, mind and spirit and allows unique and expressive paintings to emerge naturally and authentically." So I've set my intentions for this class... and I know that I'm in the right place at just the right time.

Courage, Grow, Discover...

In the months before my recent vacation, I spent most of my time preparing for an art show... so I didn't have a lot of time left over for fun painting play. Arriving home from Colorado... I needed to paint and this is what came out of me.

The lion originally was just a simple flower, but it told me it wanted to be a lion... so I complied.

The details are the fun part. Now that I've learned to play when I paint, I just paint what feels right in the moment, and worry about the composition as it creates itself.

I find that I am drawn to symbols like circles, swirls, stars, dots, clouds and raindrops.

And I'm still working on my faces while at the same time trying to find the perfect set of eyes. There are just so many ways to illustrate them in acrylic. Perhaps I'll make a whole painting of eyes to see what I like!

I Love Painting... No Bull!

I've been painting a lot of backgrounds lately, being inspired by the process and just really getting into the details and having fun. Suddenly, between the pasted papers, oil pastels and brush strokes there emerged a face of sorts! And... no bull... I knew just what I was going to make of it!

Combining recent discoveries from workshops by both Mindy Lacefield and Jesse Reno — as well as my own tried and true techniques — I created this primitive yet whimsical pretty pink bovine piece.

I really enjoyed getting into the details and puzzling out how to make the painting work as a whole. I was loving the battle of chaotic elements inside and outside the figure and used different techniques to balance them out. I brought the face together with a light wash of pink. I added red to some of the feathers, but kept some of the imagery in others...

I'm very fond of that seredipitous peek-a-boo stuff! And I love all the texture that was created from the many layers beneath. Rubbing out the oil pastel outline really helps emphasize that.

The body was a little trickier. I wanted it to be pink, not just because the face was... but because it was also a nice contrast to the blues and teals of the background. But the pink looked really dull and plain. I had taken a soft shade of blue to re-paint some of the flower elements inside the bull and it gave me an idea... to fill the body with scribbles, doodles and graffiti of the same shade! I now love this technique and will definitely use it again!

The elements outside the bull were the perfect contrast and so I didn't mess with them very much. Adding a slight dark shadow around the animal was all it needed to stand out against these delicious, obnoxiously bright swirls of color!

Alternating shapes on the painting — like these squares here —really helped balance out the overall piece. I definitely have a tendency to go on and on and on with a single shape and try to break out of that habit whenever I can.

I am overly ecstatic with this piece and wish I could make another one just like it! But my process is so organic, I don't know if it would ever come out the way I intended. I guess I'll just have to play around and see if that ain't no bull!