Flower paintings

Hi there!

I know in my last post I said that I would share more from the 30 Paintings in 30 Days challenge, but I wanted to share these with you first. This pretty little (5" x 5") piece was a commissioned by one of my good friends ( a brilliant wedding photog) as a gift for another friend of hers. What a special gift, right? 

She told me her friend loves these colors and Chrysanthemums, then we figured out what size to make it. I loved doing this and I think it turned out great! If it wasn't for this commission I might not have ever made a painting that was mostly yellow, green. and white, but I'm sure I will again! And my friend and I decided this was a win-win situation. She didn't have to stress about the perfect gift, she just gave me me the specifics and I took care of the rest.. and then I get paid instead of some store where she'd buy something she wasn't sure about. Total win all around! :-) Yay for smart friends! 

This fun collage above is how I started the mixed media painting. I love doing fun backgrounds, even if you hardly see it when it's done. The photo below is how it looked in phase two as I was starting to paint in the flower. I really like how you can still see the book page through the flower. Maybe I'll do another piece and let it show through more like this.

Now I just want to share one more painted flower with you. I did this over another piece that never felt quite right, so it has great texture from the layers underneath. Taking the old and making it new again can be so rewarding. This one sold on Facebook. It's only 4" x 4" and it's called "Rebirth".

Thanks for stopping by! Have a creative day :-)

xoE

You Are Strong And You Matter

 Hi there.

I wanted to share some photos of a few healing art journal pages I made recently.  There's been a lot going on around here, so I had to get some paint on my hands for a bit of therapy!   There have been many days when I needed a reminder like this, and I knew I wasn't alone, so I did the page above for many people I love who are going through hard times.  You are stronger than you think!

The above page was done in all acrylic paints, with my hands, then stencils and brushes.  I added a touch of charcoal to create shadows.

Here's another reminder for anyone who needs it, because yes, you really do matter!

This page was done with acrylics for the background.  I used my hands again to smear the paint (good therapy!) then I stamped on paint to create the swirls. I used oil pastels to draw out the lettering.

The page on the left isn't done yet.  Sometimes I like to leave pages in various stages, so when I have time I can jump in at whatever stage I want.. start a background, work on the middle stage, or finish a page.  So far it has acrylic paint, parts of a magazine page and the image is part of a plastic bag that pasta comes in from Trader Joes.  I love to use unusual things!  Hey, why not... it's my journal!

My mom has not been well for a while and it's been weighing on me heavily.  Then two weeks ago she wound up in the hospital.  They let her go home that night after tons of tests, but while I was waiting for news about her that night, I started this journal page below.  I drew the images with a charcoal pencil.  The page next to it says  "Do you ever feel like you are carrying the weight of the whole world on your shoulders.... and then some?"

I still have to finish it, but I really like it so far.  It's a bit different for me, but it's an image that I had to get out and on the page to help me feel better.  There's that art therapy again!

Things are looking up over here though.  My mom is finally getting better and now we KNOW she's going to be OK... even if it takes a while. 

So with that said, I have a lot to be thankful for!  And speaking of... yesterday was our anniversary!  My husband and I got married 12 years ago!!  That seems so crazy that it's been that long, but it has!  Happy Anniversary Honey!  One of my dear friends (Hi Manya!) watched our kiddo Sunday so we could get out for a bit.  We went out to Newport Beach and had such a nice time.  Thanks Manya, we love you!

So with that I'm signing off.  Just remember, you ARE stronger than you think!  

And so am I....

 I think.

Dear Yellow, I Think I Love You!!

Lemon Tart

This week's color for the Summer Of Color challenge is yellow.   I didn't have much time this week, but I remembered this lil' bit o' fun I had laying around from years ago that never got finished.  

 I did this at a time when I wanted to create but was sooo stuck because I was taking myself and my art way to seriously.  So I decided to start making fun whimsical stuff that some might not consider art or take seriously.

  That's when this little collage was born.  The only reason it didn't get finished at the time was because I kinda forgot it's purpose.  It was almost done but I didn't know what to put at the top.  The word "tart" kept coming to mind (which would make me laugh whenever I thought of it), but I would talk myself out of it because it was too silly.  Um, hello, that was the whole point.  So my lil' Lemon Tart got tucked away and long forgotten until this wonderful challenge reminded me of it.

You can decide for yourself whether "tart" is referring to the lemons or the girl ;-)

The whole idea came from the cool netted bags that our lemons come in.  I kept saving them and one day I decided to make a collage on watercolor paper and use one of the bags as a dress.  I started by painting the background and the lemons, and cutting out a magazine photo of a girl and gluing her down.  Then I "designed" her recycled lemon bag dress and hat. She needed a necklace so I drew and painted on a citrusy one for her.  To blend her in she has a soft wash of paint over her and I doodled details onto her, the lemons, and other parts of the collage with a black pen.

To finish it (finally!!) I glued down a piece of paper across the top and stamped on leaves with green paint.   Then I stamped "tart" and added more layers of paint and pen until I liked it.  Done!   Whew!  In time to post for "yellow week".  Woohoo!

And now ... because 1) I think I'm in love with yellow

and 

2) I'm also now in love with my iPhone and the "Hipstamatic" app I decided to make my post even longer (!!) and share some yellowy photos with you from our recent Kern River trip.

You can see the reflection of my shirt on the window.  Coolio!

I love how the bus is distorted from the windshield! 

 None of these photos were altered in any way!!  That's all the work of my iPhone and this amazing Hipstamatic app (well... and a talented photographer, haha) !!  

Ok, that's enough.  See you soon!