More “new” older stuff (and a new girl)

I’ve found more items that I created, then sat off to the side until I either:

• finished them up
• reworked them
• or just finished scanning/seaming together

First, a bunch of heart collections…

Click on image to see wording better

These I grabbed from words in a book that I brought together to form unique sayings…writing is a little on the small side, but still quirky I think…

These are vintage-inspired hearts I created to break out of my colorful heart mold.  I stuck to warm tones, beiges, tans, etc.

This is the “reworked” Pregnant Girl I did a little while ago…I just never liked the original and learned quickly that I need to work on my side profiles!!

These girls got finished up…

And this collage is an old one I did over a year ago, but felt like it was never quite ready to go so I reworked it a bit…

And finally a newer girl, Starlight Angel.  All these originals are available (soon to be listed in my shop) and of course I can create a card, journal, magnet, bookmark, mounted print out of any of these images using my pick any options.

I just scanned 20 more pieces today of mostly newer stuff (and I have 20 canvases prepped and ready for some seasonal/harvest-type stuff) so I’ll be sharing lots over the next couple weeks.  Please check back or see my shop for more

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New girl and mounted prints!

It’s been a while since I created a new girl…and several months since I’ve created a girl that was 16×20 in size.  As you know, I’m big on gratitude and with Thanksgiving not that far off, I wanted to create a piece that spoke to both.

Usually the imagery of Thanksgiving is a cornucopia of fruit and vegetables; but this girl I wanted to paint a cornucopia of hearts or love.  Give thanks for the love in your life and be sure to give it back as well.

I’ll be listing her in my shop for $175; you, my blog readers, get a sneak peek before I get the listing and additional photos in my shop, so if you’re interested in her before I list, let me know!

Now, if you like this girl, but want a more cost effective option, you can get a mounted print of this girl. (like the segue into my new topic? *wink*)

Here’s an example of an 11×14 mounted print I created

Mounted prints on wood give the look and feel of an original, but cost much less.  The print is literally mounted onto a cradled wood panel and is ready to hang.  Choose all black sides or patterned paper sides for a more quirky look.

You can choose from 4 sizes: (the following are for rectangular images)

11×14: $55

8×10: $32.50

5×7: $22.50

ACEO (2.5×3.5″): $7.50

To give you perspective on the different sizes…

These are the small ACEO mounted prints; they’re popular in the art world as their inexpensive price makes it easy to collect a bunch. These are the only ones that are full wood blocks and 3/4″ on the sides

With the exception of the ACEO blocks (as mentioned above), the mounted prints come on cradled wood meaning they are open on the backside for easy hanging.  The sides measure 7/8″

And for the square images in my shop…

I also carry mounted prints in square sizes

12×12: $50

8×8: $27.50

6×6: $22.50

4×4: $15

Click here to get to my mounted print sections in my art shop but note I’m still just beginning to add specific mounted prints, but you can choose any of the “Pick any image” options for any size and let me know the print you want mounted.

What my kitchen island looked like the other day when I cranked out a bunch to bring to the Barn (several have sold already, yay!)

Last night I prepped a bunch of backgrounds on canvas for some fall-themed pieces I’m working on, so stay tuned for some more new artwork!  Thanks for checking out what I’m up to!

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New work, sort of…

I realized that I have “newer” work that I haven’t shared in entirety here just out of of sheer forgetfulness…

First, these are 4 girls that I created about 2 months ago…a little different from my usual style but I was trying out a new background technique…

And I also created a set of Halloween cupcakes a couple weeks back…

These originals are available in my shop now!  I can also make cards, prints, journals, magnets and bookmarks using any of these images with my “Pick Any” options in my shop as well.

While flying back and forth and having down time in between, I created lots of sketches…these among dozens of others:

I’m making it a goal to get these from sketches to full blown collaged paintings by working a little bit each night on these, so hopefully I’ll have new pieces posted soon.

I’m SO excited that it’s September and fall is around the corner, so I’ll leave you with a photo from a previous fall here in Colorado.

Have a great week!

 

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New girls

Earlier this week I mentioned that I sat down last Sunday and spent the day making a bunch of girls; they follow two themes so I’m grouping them as two sets of four.

Here’s the first set:

Clockwise from top left: receiving girl, faithful girl, worry girl, perceptive girl

Prints available in my shop now; I’ll share my other girls next week once I get my act together and get them listed for my shop.

Hope you all had a nice 4th of July; enjoy the upcoming weekend!

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Whimsical Wednesday: up in the air

I don’t have anything completed to share with you this week; just a bunch of projects up in the air.

I actually completed a piece this weekend but it’s for a friend’s gift, so I can’t quite share just yet…but will give you a sneak peek.  She wanted cherry blossoms.

And I’m working on a motherhood piece for mother’s day, so this is still mid-stage…

I am also starting a set for a certain pâtisserie, so I started the backgrounds for them…

I also played a little bit more with my french postcards as well as new Italian postcards I was able to source from a lovely archivist to use with my photography from there.  Here are just a few of the dozens I created.

And…that’s what I’m up to…hope you’re having a good week

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Whimsical Wednesday: a bunch in the works

An early sketch for a Spring Girl I'm working on

I know, I’ve been quiet.  The last 2 weeks have been challenging for me.  They say business is business, but when it’s your business, it gets personal really quick.  I know I need a thicker skin to run a business, but the reality is I’m a sensitive soul (don’t think I could be doing the kind of artwork I do without being one!) but it’s really hard to brush things off when people get picky, snippy or say things that crush my spirit.  So, I shut my shops.  That’s what I did (and that’s why I strictly stay with running an online shop, I can shut it down when I need to).

Actually, I need this week to not only take a breather, but finish taxes/inventory, catch up on administrative tasks, and meet deadlines on unique pieces, custom requests and wholesale orders.  So I think I was getting a bit overwhelmed, getting to the point where I was feeling run down and unhappy with what I was working on and lots of changes and cranky sentiments were wearing me out.

This is why I rarely do custom orders, especially paintings.  It’s soooo difficult to create someone else’s vision and I really take it to heart if they’re disappointed (or I drive myself crazy trying to make it just so).  So while I’m always flattered when someone asks me, I almost always turn down commissions, less it be for a very close friend or family member and only if they let me have creative control of the piece.  It’s just too stressful otherwise and if something is not up to their vision, I take it too personal even though I know I shouldn’t.  But I guess that’s the upside of being my own boss, I can choose what I want to work on and what I don’t want to work on, even though I’m trying to still create healthy boundaries and the people pleaser in me is still learning to be comfortable with saying no to certain requests.  It’s all a process and I know I’m not the only one who struggles with this!

Okay, enough yappy…here are some of the things I was able to work on this last Saturday.

This is a “body image” girl that I’m still working on; need to do some color balancing on her and some editing. Think most of us women could afford to be kinder to ourselves, especially when looking in the mirror, right?

Some custom collaged frames I was asked to make…these are actually pretty easy for me to take on because it doesn’t involve painting a girl!

A sneak peak of something I’m working on…really loving her, she’s so sweet!

I’m pretty excited, a big package of wood blocks arrived at my door today and those mounted prints I spoke of months ago I’m actually going to work on this week while my shops are closed and hope to have them listed when I reopen…sizes as small as 4×4 to as big as 11×14.  It’ll be a way to own something that is ready-to-hang artwork, yet less expensive than an original own a piece of my artwork and still handmade by me.

So, that’s what I’m up to in a nutshell.  Hope to have more material to write about this week, but don’t blame me if I keep quiet for a little longer…just trying to build my reserves. 

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Whimsical Wednesday

I haven’t been able to paint since last Wednesday, but it was then that I finished up two of the girls I shared sketches on a couple weeks back.

16x20 Starry Girl

 

11x14 Content Girl

Here’s a piece I’m working on about enjoying simple pleasures and counting blessings, but can’t seem to figure out what to put in the middle…so I’m kinda stuck right now!

Usually if I get a block, I put it away for a couple days, but this one has been stored for weeks and I keep looking at it with no ideas…in time…

I have another busy weekend ahead with 3 big wholesale orders to work on and I’m already feeling drained this week with busy, long days followed by really bad sleep (restless dogs, changing the clocks, mercury in retrograde?) so I know I’m going to need to paint to have a release and have a couple ideas percolating, so hopefully I’ll have more new material to share next week.

Speaking of changing the clocks, I must say that the longer sunlight later in the day is a nice surprise (especially coupled with the beautiful weather).  Captured this lovely sunset tonight:

Now, off to an early night of (hopefully deep, restful, undisturbed) sleep.  Wish me a luck (because I’m turning into a bear without good sleep!)

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Whimsical Wednesday: Girls in progress

As mentioned the other day, I took one night last week to sketch out some new girls while watching American Idol (I’m a dork) and came up with these 3 curly girls…as you can see, they are mostly in sketch mode still but the one in the foreground as least has a background and a dress…now for some arms…yeah, I forgot to include those!  (I told you it’s been a while since I sketched!)

A couple weeks ago I did some finishing touches on my latest sisterhood/friendship piece but still feel like it needs some work…words on the dress, something else in the background?  This is a 16×20 so it’s pretty apparent that there’s some empty space going on, so I still have yet to figure it out!

This is a piece I created a while ago, but never quite finished it, so here it is complete…now I have to scan it 6 different ways as it’s also a 16×20 and my scanner is much smaller.  Then piece it together, edit, then take more photos, then list…I tell you, so much more than just painting pieces in this business!

Remember that pile of paper pieces all over the couch and floor from the mayhem of last week?  Well I finally cleaned up…

But as usual, the dining room table took the brunt of all my projects in the process of being worked on, touched up or photographed.  A clear dining room table is reserved strictly for when company comes over and that’s a rare thing!

I haven’t been able to do any painting/creative work this week and not sure I will be able to.  I forgot how much extra work it is to hold down the “fort” and 3 ADD dogs without help, so days have been spent working to fill orders; nights are cleaning, laundry, dishes and more work.  I’m looking forward to when David gets back on Friday and think I just might put my shop on hold for a couple days just to reconnect with him and take a breather.

I have more pieces I’ve worked on, but I’m still sticking it out with licensing and need to keep most of my non-girl stuff under wraps for a bit.  But I’ll still try to provide glimpses of work each week.  Thanks for stopping by and take a peek!

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It’s all good…

in the hood?  Nope.  The sticks?  Nah, doesn’t rhyme.

Let’s just say this mountain girl is much, much lighter today.  It’s so challenging when your head and heart are in conflict and you’re unsure what to do.  So that’s when you have to listen to your gut.  I did that, made a difficult decision and wouldn’t you know that in response, I got the best outcome possible.  Relief.

This morning I woke up to it being only 40 degrees outside and all day today, it’s been in the 60′s.  I’m a happy girl.

If you’ve been following me for a year or two, you know that fall is my favorite time of year.  It’s definitely the New Englander in me.  And I LOVE Halloween.  So I’ve created a bunch of Halloween girls (though only 2 complete at this time).

This is Jack 0′lantern girl who like me can hardly wait:

And this lovely lady who is ready for the masquerade:

I’ll have the originals, cards, magnets, etc. in my shop soon, but it’s hard to keep up as I’m creating way faster than I can get all the possible options up.  So if you ever see a piece that you like but it’s not listed in my shop, know that you can choose any of my “Pick any” options and when checking out, let me know which image/girl you’re interested in.  Don’t ever feel like you have to wait for me to list something.  I make everything myself in my studio so I can make anything as soon as I complete a piece.

I also just finished another coffee collection, have a heart collection in the works and more and more girls.  It’s mayhem over here but I’m really enjoying all this creating.

Tomorrow I’ll talk more about my creative process, from sketch to finished product and now the extra steps that needs to happen now that I’m licensing my art.  Lots of new stuff I’m learning (and wish I had known when I first started mixed media!).  It’s all good.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

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Whimsical Wednesday: More Pin-Ups and 2 New Girls!

It was a productive week for me with artwork and moving my art shop along.  It’s great having one primary focus right now and I’m getting a lot done from not splitting my attention amongst 4 shops.

I got a whole new batch of pin-up collages completed…these ladies are sooooo fun to work with.

I also managed to get 2 new girls completed this week, this one I’m naming Inventive Girl:

She’s juggling a lot but doing what she can…

And here’s my other girl; I love this saying:

She is a Strong Girl

I’m planning on doing more hearts and/or cakes next week.  My portfolio is nearing 100 pieces…which I’m pretty pleased with considering I’ve only been painting less than a year.

My friend Jennifer over at Babee Crafts recently ran a blog giveaway with shops that do good and she featured me.  If you’re interested in learning more about me, you can read this lovely bio she pulled together of me.  Thanks Jennifer!

Now that I’m more organized, I plan on doing a lot more giveaways on this blog in the future (and not just ACEO’s but prints, magnets, boxes, bookmarks, note cards and journals, so stay tuned!

As always, thanks for taking a peek into my world.  You can see these pieces and others in my art shop.

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