A Studio Day Inspired by Springtime

My home and life is where I draw inspiration from. This past weekend, the beautiful temperatures and warm sunshine pulled me outside to work on my flower beds. It will take a few more months for them to get here. This is what they look like right now. With the company of my furry friends I worked hard to clean things up and let the little green shoots that are popping up see the sunshine too.

Then onto getting some of the driveway out of the edges of the grass. This is one job that is too much for one person. I tried to get Katie to help, no luck there and Brian was off to VT for spring skiing. My hamstrings were so sore from all this work, but the promise of the blooms to come and soft green grass to walk barefoot in is well worth it.

Yesterday was a full day at the studio. I had it in my mind to do a four season series of trees and started this winter one a while back. When I went to work on it yesterday I couldn't bring myself to think of any more winter. So I started to transform it.

Adding some spring greens.

And bright blue skies.

With the temperatures back to normal and the grey skies outside, it was a good day to be inside my bright cheerful studio.

I'm trying to get some new pieces to bring to Art and Soul Gallery in Ogunquit, ME. They will be reopening next month on weekends.

I was working on this painting "peace within" and added this peace symbol, but decide I like it better with just the word peace.

Today I'll be heading back to have a little more painting time, then teaching my classes, and keeping the inspiration of more sunny spring days to fuel my soul on this wet rainy day.

May sunshine fill your heart with love!

Cheers to Sunshine and Springtime

My heart is happy today as I wake to the shinning sun and birds filling the air with song. I'm so grateful for the above average temps we are having these past couple days, thank you mother nature.

Tax Time

The task getting my paperwork for taxes has been weighing on me, but this is the week that I have started the job of my organizing and prep work to get it done! I began this morning by sorting my statements and receipts into piles. I have really let my filing get out of hand, now I am vowing to get a grip on my creative chaos for next year.

I hope I'll be celebrating completing this task by the end of Thursday!

The Greatest Gift

Happy 14th Birthday Katie! My heart is filled with such gratitude. From the day she was born I knew that my life was blessed with such a gift. Even through the tough moments that come with being a parent, I know that nothing in life compares to the love and joy that I experience from being her mom.

Ready for a Change

Years ago in high school I was ready to change my mousey dark blond hair into a beach blond. What did I use? Sun In, producing an effect much different than I was going for, but all in all it hooked me into hair color. Ever since I have playing around with different shades of blonds. Recently I started wondering about going a bit darker. At my last hair appointment I asked my stylist what he thought of my color and he was all for going darker. So a month ago I made the appointment, have been thinking a lot about committing to this change, and decided why not. So today was the day. I was hoping for a dark golden blond with hints of red. The actual results....

quite a bit darker, and I would say more brunette. I think I like this change, I feel a bit sassy and bolder. So I am going to embrace this change (at least for the next six weeks before I head back for my next appointment.) I have been working on a few new pieces, trying to be looser and adding some drips and splatters to my work. Here is the piece that I finished and will be taking home to hang in my office to try to liven that space up a bit.

Now I just need some elves to come and make me curtains with the Amy Butler fabric I bought almost a year ago. I wish I was more talented with sewing, I think half of it is my machine likes to be temperamental.

Love Always

May love always find a way to bring us together!

A Glimpse of my Studio Day

Here is a peak into a day in my life at the studio. On Mondays I have no classes scheduled so it is a full day to devote to my own art (well after taking half of the morning take care of the business end of things.) I was so happy to enter my warm studio. It's been quite chilly here in New Hampshire and the winds whipping made my eyes tears as I walked across the city to get to my building.Right now I'm working on a piece that is just for me (no intentions of selling this one) as I need a big, bright, cheerful piece to hang over my desk at home office. It has been a while since I worked on such a large piece and I really am enjoying the freedom of movement.Before I got started I had to unpack my goodies I bought yesterday at the Michael's in Portland, they were having a clearance sale on many of their Golden products, their fluid paints are my favorite and really add great vibrant color. I almost always work on more than one painting at a time. Today I set a goal of trying to finish a painting from start to finish. Lately I have been getting a ton of inspiration from Alisa Burke. Her is my process.

Start with some patches of golden fluid paints and move the canvas around to create some drips. When dry add some flower shapes with gesso.

Next spray paint and more drying time. By mid day I have added some color to some of the large flowers in the big painting on my easel, created a sketch for the first painting of a series of trees that I have been longing to do, and I am half way done on my goal for today.

Next to collage in some words that I had collected in January and make room for new ones to go up on my flower ephemera holder.

Then add a little more splattering, some more layering of color, and ta da the finished piece! Each month this year I have the goal of setting one day aside to devote to this new practice.

As I was leaving the studio at 6:15 tonight I snapped this one last shot of my easel. It is pure satisfaction having such a productive day of creativity.