Paving it's way

I feel exhausted.  I have been working almost every night for the past 3 weeks or so to produce some art for Downtown Betty's.  I haven't been feeling the best and I have really had to push through and force myself to sit down and work at night when I haven't been feeling like it.  I have really enjoyed painting them, but I am just tired.  I have been busy trying to get this house ready for my parents because they are coming in for Thanksgiving this week and there were soooo many home projects that we had put off doing, until these past few weeks.  Really bad timing for sure.  Also, Finn and Sully's birthdays have been in the mix as well... crazy times.  I have completed 3 new pieces, and I am working on the fourth one now.  I have 2 pieces that I had done this past year that I am adding to the collection.  That was my goal to have 4 new pieces and I can't believe that I have done it!  Well, not yet, but hopefully by the end of the day I will!!!  I still have to frame all of them and spray them with a UV-Resistant clear coating that will protect them from moisture and UV light rays.  I ordered new business cards which I am excited about and they were just shipped today!  Business cards have a way of making it feel oh so official.

Now number two is through!

I just finished my second piece today.  It is much larger than the first on and more detailed.  What I love about painting with coffee is that it is so random in the way that it chooses to bleed on the fabric, and you can change it with one squirt of a water bottle.  I like this piece way more than the first one.  I like the colors that are in this one and it is a little more dreamy than the first one and I always enjoy a dreamy quality.  I really busted my butt to get this one done.  I worked every single night on it and sometimes in the days.  I really forced myself when I was feeling too tired at night.  It always felt good to push through and I ended up making a lot of progress where I could have been sleeping, watching tv or serfing the net... that doesn't accomplish anything!  Now, I have two pieces of art that have been done in a week and it feels good!  This last piece was fun because I took a different approach to the way I did it.  Instead of drawing the base sketch out first, I had a general idea in my head and just started without any lines or real plan.  It just evolved as I went and it was very freeing to do it that way!  I wasn't tied to anything and felt no stress about what I was doing.  I am going to try and go about it that way for the next one again.  I think I want to do a series of small pieces of close ups of the cocoons.  We'll see how it goes.  I am planning on starting tomorrow.  I am running out of time!

Piece number one... just done.

I have been working on my first piece for the salon and it has been SO MUCH FUN!!!!!!  I have been going throughout my day anxiously anticipating sitting down at my chair to work.  Once I got started it was the best!!  Starting is definitely the hardest part for me I am finding.  I am loving working with staining fabrics, drawing and transfer of paper onto fabric.  To me, this particular mix of media is endless with possibilities!  I have so much swirling in my head that I am ready to try.  I just finished the first piece last night and I am pleased with it.  I don't think I am going to post pictures until after the work is hung in the salon though.  I think it might ruin it for me.  I want to present it all together at the end.  I only have a few more weeks left and my goal is to have at least 3 more new pieces.  More than that would be great... we'll see. 

Piece number one... almost done.

I have been working on my first piece for the salon and it has been SO MUCH FUN!!!!!!  I have been going throughout my day anxiously anticipating sitting down at my chair to work.  Once I got started it was the best!!  Starting is definitely the hardest part for me I am finding.  I am loving working with staining fabrics, drawing and transfer of paper onto fabric.  To me, this particular mix of media is endless with possibilities!  I have so much swirling in my head that I am ready to try.  I am almost finished with the first piece and I am pleased so far.  I don't think I am going to post pictures until after the work is hung in the salon though.  I think it might ruin it for me.  I want to present it all together at the end.  I only have a few more weeks left and my goal is to have at least 3 more new pieces.  More than that would be great... we'll see.  I have to sign off... it is up to the freezing cold studio I go!!!  3rd floor on cold dreary night... coffee, heater, and pandora?  :)

The beginning of a chrysalis

I was inspired by the idea of a chrysalis which I am going to experiment with in my work.  I feel like I have been in this chrysalis all wrapped up and for the first time I am able to start peeling away the layers to see what has been formed inside.  I found this painting entitled, "chrysalis" done by an artist named, Rose Frantzen, and I think she is amazing!  Tonight I was painting on linen with coffee and adding a layer of watercolor pencil ontop.  I was happy with how it turned out so far.  Tomorrow I am going to add some color because it is neutral right now.  I have started to notice a trend in my work, and that is it is usually mostly neutral with color added as a secondary part.  I don't know why it keeps working out that way.  I think that is why every artist is different in their own way, because we have our own natural direction that our work takes us.  I felt alive in my studio today.  It is great to finally get started.  Getting started is the hardest part.  I am working on getting a handful of pieces to put in my friend's salon/gallery in November.  I have a goal that has to be reached soon so I must keep working towards it!!