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.

For Today, a Moment of Silence...

    . . . for the fallen.

Letting Go...

Well, folks... it was fun while it lasted. After more than 2 years of running my own handmade business, I've made the decision to start looking for a full time job. As much as I've enjoyed hours, days, weeks and years of making dolls, collages, assemblages, jewelry, circus and boardwalk themed art and mixed media creations... my efforts are just not bringing in what I need to make ends meet.

I've thought about this for awhile and I am happy about my decision. This gypsy life of not knowing where my next dollar is coming from is not necessarily for me right now. I'm not letting go of the business altogether, but I am going to put it on the back burner. And I'm certainly going to keep making stuff... but in my own time and things that make me happy. I am my new customer!

So, along with this news... I thought I'd share with you a little bit of the good, the bad, and the ugly of the past 26 months that I've had my art business...

I loved waking up to make rag dolls... bits of fabric strewn about various rooms in the house. I was excited about scouring the flea markets for the random discardia that I would eventually turn into something new. And I stayed up late putting paintbrush to canvas, not knowing how many hours were passing by. I was exhilarated by the thought of a new idea and thrilled when it came to fruition. I was in my element!

When I discovered that certain products were popular, I came up with ways to streamline my processes... creating more efficient methods to produce a lot more pieces in record time. So, maybe I ate dinner on the couch for a couple weeks... but hey... the stuff got made!

Because much of my creative process is so organic, my one-of-a-kind pieces take as long as they take. And most of them took several hours.... yet my pieces don't command a "several hour" price tag. I found myself compromising my art to meet deadlines or perceived price points for my target consumer.

Being my own hand-maker of things means lots of work night and day... and very little time for leisure activities (oh, who am I kidding... I don't even have time to clean the house!). Great for saving money. Bad for my social life. I was literally tied to my work.

I was very regimented with my online and social media marketing efforts. I had a website for years. I posted on my blog multiple times a week and on specific days to create continuity.  I tweeted. I facebooked. I shared photos, techniques, projects, new stuff, old stuff, funny stuff... all kinds of stuff. I created an Etsy shop and kept it up-to-date with all my latest creations. I wrote cute stories about the products. It wasn't enough. All that effort did not really increase my sales.

I thought about teaching as a source of income, but it was so hard to come up with a project since most of my creations are really one-of-a-kind. When I finally entertained the idea of trying to teach online, the investment of time, money and new programs I would have to learn, outweighed my current schedule, budget and (lack of) patience! It was a good thought. But bad timing.

I did my share of craft shows over the past couple years. In the beginning, sales were great, I had tons of people crowding my booth, I was happy to share a piece of myself with someone, and could predict with some accuracy what items would sell. Since I started... the sales have gone down significantly, the art and craft crowd have diminished, I get more lookers than buyers (they love my stuff, but don't make a purchase), and what used to sell doesn't. For example... a lot of people at these shows are now making upcycled vintage mixed-media jewelry at prices that are way below what they're worth. The competition is hurting sales.

Not to mention Mother Nature... who rained on more than her share of art shows and ruined my displays, rusted some of my jewelry creations and blew over some of my now broken shadowboxes.

But it was a fabulous experience! I learned so much about myself and fine tuned many of my creative and business skills. I'm actually excited to go back to a regular 9-5 job with a steady paycheck. This journey has taught me a lot about what I really want in life and that new perspective is a big influence on what kind of employment I'm searching for. Although my background is in graphic design, I've realized that I don't necessarily need to return to that field. Of course I would love to have a job with some creativity involved, but it's not absolutely necessary.

So, I'm pretty open as to what my next job might be. What I really want is to work for good people, who appreciate what I can bring to the table, and who work together towards a common goal. People working in harmony. A company that really follows it's own mission statement. Heck... a company that has a mission statement! So hey... let me know if you hear of anything... okay?

Sweet Little Sweet Cake

I'm not sure what possessed me... my love of sweets? My recent vacation doodles? My restricted sugar diet? But whatever it was, I certainly was possessed! My desire to fill an entire 16"x20" canvas with cupcakes... and cotton candy... and donuts... and ice cream... and candy apples... and more... simply overtook me.

In fact, I was so in-the-zone that I never replaced the lightbulb directly over my work table. I was practically painting in the dark! I just didn't want to waste one moment. And, all along I knew I wanted to photograph the background before drawing out the cake shape... but I finished that part in the evening (when there's no good light for photography) and just couldn't wait to move forward. The curiosity was killing me!

So, I just did it. I kept drawing and painting and painting and smearing... and loving every single second of it! Masking the outer area with a light seafoam green acrylic just made me giddy with success.

Then for the inside. I wasn't sure if I was going to leave the colors graduated, but I stared at it for a while and felt an obnoxiously bright pink would tie it all together and make the candy pop! And when all was said and done (around 11:30pm!), I sat back and reveled in my sweet little creation. And that was the icing on the cake.

Okay... what's next?

What a Knockout.. I Mean Knock-Down!

A few months ago, I created a custom Knock Down Doll order for a couple's wedding reception. They were having a boardwalk-themed event and wanted a bride and groom doll — as well as a pack of Georgia Bulldogs — for an actual arcade-style game they were going to set up. These particular dolls were actually modeled after the real bride and groom... but the assignment gave me an idea!

My longtime Tillie-style Knock Down Doll should have a bride!

And so I went to work on a design, giving him a tux and tails with a striped vest and boutonniere. The new bride was dressed in white with bow detailing, ruffle edging and a bouquet of pretty red roses.

The fun part is always when I get to see them come to life. Adding the little details like a handmade ribbon bow for the groom...

...and real lace trim for the bottom of the bride's gown.

I created a new-style couple...

...and a distressed bride and groom (hey, we all know one of those, right?), made to look aged and worn-in (or out)!

But I have to say that the most fun I had was posing these Knock Down Dolls in... well... shall we say.... appropriate positions for my photo shoot. This one just cracked me up to no end. It pretty much sums it up.... what a knockout!

The bride and groom Knock Down Dolls are now available in my Etsy shop. Choose from new style, a distressed worn-in duo, and I can also take custom orders for civil union couples! Makes a great engagement or wedding gift for that boardwalk, circus or carnival-loving couple.

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!

Rocky Mountain High!

So I'm still riding high on my trip to Steamboat Springs, nestled in the Rocky Mountains! We had absolutely gorgeous weather (well except for that crazy hailstorm on the drive in!) which ranged from 60° in the a.m. to 86° at midday, then cooling down to about 50° overnight. And it was a dry heat. Being from hazy, hot and humid New Jersey, it was an exciting change for me!

We stayed with relatives and so the first day they took us on a bike ride along the Yampa River. Along the trail we wound around suburban areas, quiet forests, a little bit of downtown Steamboat...

 ...past some art galleries...

...and even took a break at a beautiful Botanical Garden that was right on the path! The ride ended up being about 12 miles long — and for someone who has not exercised in a couple of years — I was pretty proud of myself. Plus, we got to see an awesome cross-section of the area. It was a great day.

We also visited the natural hot springs for a dip... that's actually where Steamboat Springs got its name from. The pools were varied temperatures from warm to hot and some of them were actually cooled by the mountain stream that ran through the area. Harnessing Mother Nature's finest resources. It was very relaxing.

We took a gondola ride up to the top of Mount Werner to enjoy some gourmet appetizers at one of the restaurants and enjoy the sunset over the mountains.

Now I know what John Denver meant by, "I've seen it raining fire in the sky." It was simply breathtaking!

We hiked around Steamboat Lake....

...and up to Fish Creek Falls.

And no trip anywhere is complete without a little jaunt into town for some artsy landmarks, some fine cuisine... and some shopping! In fact, I barely shop local anymore. It's all too commercial. I save my money for when I go away and for good reason.

Like when I walk into F.M. Light & Sons and they have an entire wall of cowboy boots! When I knew I'd be heading out west, the one thing I wanted to come back with was a good pair of boots. And I did. P.S. I'm in love!

There were tons of old signs in town. I just love funky vintage signs. I could have made a whole trip of just walking around and taking photos of them all. Maybe next time.

Oh yeah, and we even went to a rodeo! I haven't been to one since I was about 9, when a bull came rushing toward the fence I was standing on and squished my little finger between it!

They had a fun, funky ragtime band playing while we munched on BBQ and waited for the competitions to begin. They actually lived only two blocks from the rodeo. Nice gig!

We took a side trip out to an adorable old mining village called Georgetown which was filled with art galleries, antique shops, eateries and the like.

They really kept a lot of the old architecture from the mining days and that made this little stop even more charming. It's one of those teeny-tiny towns where everybody's nice and happy and friendly and it makes you want to buy a home there and stay!

Oh yeah, and sometimes we actually just hung out at the pool or on the balcony of our condo... especially after all that exercise. You know the only one who gained any weight on this vacation was my suitcase!!

We saw tons of stuff, did lots of things, and spent most of our time outdoors in the amazingly fresh Rocky Mountain Air. Being at 6,770 feet (and higher sometimes!) was definitely a challenge, but we also took it easy and slow... how a vacation should be.

It was super nice to get away and spend time with family from all over the country that we don't get to see very often.... and Summer in Steamboat was an awesome way to do it. Until next time cowboys and cowgirls.... Yeeeehaaaa!