Variation on a theme...

As things go, I have a favorite drawing from my morning of sketching at the Garrison Art Center on Monday. Here is the second in the series featuring this sketch..."Viva la Vida", 8"x4", acrylic.

I am also finding that there are certain colors I seem to like these days. Not necessarily a bad thing except that after awhile everything starts to look the same. But I am happy with this version of the sketch and am looking forward to the version done in oil. Now it is just a matter of finding the time to dedicate to an oil painting for it is truly a labor of love.

Have a wonderful week and happy creating!

Back to Work

Today, was the first work day of the new year and I was so sad. Don't get me wrong, I like my job and the people I work with, in fact this is one of the nicest jobs I have had. But today I didn't want to work, I wanted to paint! After such a wonderful day of drawing at the GAC yesterday it was so hard to get back into reality. Even now, as I sit here and type...my eyes wonder to my sketchbook and my heart yearns to do just one quick drawing. But alas, I know that there is no such thing as one quick drawing so the dilemma becomes give into my craving to create or do what I need to do in order to be ready for the morning?? Well maybe one quick drawing, what could it hurt and besides you only live once.

Give into your creative urges and happy happy creating!

Winter Angel

WOW! What a difference a new camera makes. It has been awhile since I've posted a new piece of art. Today's piece is called "Winter Angel", acrylic, 6"x"9". She was the perfect item to work on during a winter snow storm. The other reason, an angel was the subject of the day is because I finally gave the other angels to my cousin so a new one is needed for greeting cards.

But about the new camera...Santa (aka my hubby) gave me a new camera for Christmas. It is amazing the difference in the pictures. Now we are working on getting the missing piece to the tripod and I will be in business...literally in business WOO HOO.

It felt great to be back in the studio yesterday. It had been so long since I painted. I am thinking maybe more painting today...

Well that is the short update for today. Stay warm, be safe and happy creating!

I Believe

The holidays are wonderful and yet, the holidays are so hard. A very wonderful friend of my mom and dad lost her husband 17 months ago to cancer. At the beginning of their journey in dealing with this disease she started a blog. The intent was to keep everyone updated on how they were doing; it was easier than trying to e-mail everyone. However, over the months as they battled together to overcome this obstacle in their lives the blog turned into something more. It became a testament of their love and commitment to each other. It is a beautiful and sad story of a journey that did not end in happily ever after.

I don't visit the blog very often, I jump in periodically to see how this lovely lady is doing. Mostly, I find the rawness of her writing overwhelming and beautiful. I read her entry late last night and it stayed with me. I thought about it throughout my morning routine and throughout my day. And then again as I began to write my blog entry.

So here is what I believe this holiday season...Life is too short to argue over gifts and who's house you should have Christmas dinner at. Spend time with those you love since you never know when they will be gone. Above all...celebrate the lives that touched yours.

And I wish for my parents' dear friend to have a wonderful holiday season and may it be filled with all the individuals in her life talking about her husband with love and laughter.

So...

I believe, I believe,
I believe in wishing wells,
But I also believe in a lot of things,
Things the daisy tells,
I believe, I believe that a four-leaf clover brings,
Lots of luck, lots of joy, lots of happiness,
I believe those things.
And when it's christmas time I believe in santa claus,
Why do I believe, I guess that I believe because
I believe, I believe,
I believe that dreams come true,
If you wish for a dream by a wishing well,
Don't tell your wish or you'll break the spell,
It may sound naive, but that's what I believe.

And when it's christmas,
I try to believe in santa claus,
Why do I believe,
I guess that I believe because
I believe, I believe,
I do believe that dreams come true,
And if you wish for a dream by the wishing well,
Don't you tell the wish or you'll break the spell,
It may sound naive,
But that's what I happen to believe.

Sang by Frank Sinatra

Happy creating!

Let It Snow

My favorite little artist and I had a lovely painting day on Sunday. It felt wonderful to be back in the studio. While I painted, my little one worked with clay. She experimented a bit with it to see how it worked and molded, then she created leaves.

It was so interesting to watch her work as she tried out this new medium. So like and yet so unlike play-doh. It took her a bit to figure out what she wanted to make but once she started there was no stopping her. She cannot wait for another day in the art room, so she can paint her creations.

As for me, it felt great to break out the paints and to dabble a bit in pencil. When I was an undergrad I loved working in pencil but then as time when on and I discovered paint well the poor pencils where all but forgotten about. So Sunday, I dusted off the box (the same one from undergrad and the same pencils), sharpened a few and had some fun. I may do a few more snowman cards in pencil since I liked it so much. But I also realized that they are easy to bring with me when I do one of the 3f's.

So, I asked my favorite little artist if I should do another fair and without hesitation she voiced her opinion. A resounding "NO!". Then she told I should do a home fair which is interesting since I will be doing. On December 5th, I will be hosting The Sunday Soiree, featuring art and jewelry. It should be a fun event, watch for the invite.

Well, that is all for now my friends. I promise to try and post more often and not let the "real world" derail me too much. Happy creating!

Thoughts

So, I did another craft fair yesterday and have another coming up in early December. However, the more fairs, festivals and flea markets (hahaha could just call them the 3 f's) I do, the more it is becoming clear that these are not the right venue for me. They offer good exposure but you can't really live on "oh, these are lovely". Perhaps I need something more retail...

But I just found another fair that takes place next weekend and is local. If they respond to my inquiry and the price is right I might do it.

Today, however is a painting day. My favorite little artist and I will be spending some quality time in the art room. Cleaning, cooking, shopping will have to wait for another day.

Enjoy this lovely Sunday and happy creating!

Reality

My poor, neglected GarnetOriginals...being back to work at a real job and all my art projects become second class citizens. I don't necessarily want it to be that way but I am just unable to create after working. My tired brain does not focus and I am lucky I can string two words together. It has even been ages since I posted to my lovely blog. But really who wants to read about open enrollment and carrier renewals!

But all is not lost, I will be at a craft fair this weekend. I'll post the invite to my facebook page. However, if I am to be completely honest, I am not prepared. I have some items but I don't know if I will be able to sell enough to make back the entrance fee.

Well, that is all for now since the last thing I want is for this to feel forced. My blog should flow freely but tonight I just think it is dammed up...

All my love and happy creating!

Long Live the Wicked Witch

It has been awhile since I last posted and I am sure you miss me terribly. A lot has happened over the last couple of weeks.

Let's start with the Bayside Arts Festival. It was a beautiful day and the area was lovely. I made a nice contact who gave me lots of helpful hints and I got to see my friend and meet her other half. I had not met him before so when I saw them together my first thought was "they fit together". They were my blessing that day since when you work a festival stand on your own it is kind of hard to take a break if you know what I mean. Altogether it was a good experience and I hope to do it next year.

I started my new job at the end of last week and have hit the ground running. Lots to do in not a lot of time but it is all good. I am amazed by the group I work with, the spirit of teamwork is refreshing.

My favorite little artist is still struggling with school. It feels like for every step forward we go two steps back. But we will get there. She is having a great time at soccer and karate which I hope will help her in school.

So being green one lunch at a time is going well. I am thinking of of maybe creating a Facebook fan page about it. However, there are so many days I feel like a green wannabe that it seems like it would hypocritical. Maybe one day.

Well, I am off to decorate the house for Halloween with my favorite little artist. Enjoy the wicked witch hats (hand painted notecards). Happy creating!

It's Friday!

I cannot believe that it is Friday! This week and last have just been a blur and to top it off I haven't accomplished everything I wanted. However, this week marked the beginning of a new beginning...I am no longer "in transition"...woo hoo. I started a new position on Thursday and am once again part of the gainfully employed.

Everything happened so fast and I am still trying to wrap my head around it. One thing I do know is that I need to continue to work on my art and building GarnetOriginals. My small little business must survive! There are some good things coming together for GO...professional pictures will soon be done and then quality greeting cards will be printed. It will be exciting to have an inventory to work with and see if any local stores will carry the cards.

Tomorrow will be an art focused day once soccer mom duty is over. My favorite little artist and I are looking forward to some quality time in the art room.

This Sunday I will be at the Bayside Arts Festival which should be lots of fun. If you are local I hope you will stop on by.

Last but certainly not least...my wonderful friend made it through her surgery and is a breast cancer survivor. Don't forget...October is breast cancer awareness month so get your pink on!

Love to all and happy creating!

To the dogs...

Today was Hounds on the Sound...it was a puppy filled day. Unfortunately for me, my products didn't quite work with the dog-lovin' crowd. I sold some items but not enough to break even which was quite depressing. Next weekend if the Arts & Musical Festival at the Playland Boardwalk which I think will be a better venue for me. It is a two-day event so lots of opportunities to sell my work and network.

October is breast cancer awareness month. Please take a moment to send positive energy to all those friends and loved ones who are battling this disease. Also, ladies be sure to get your "girls" checked out...early detection saves lives!

Love to you all and happy creating!

Do you like the pink pic? Found it here. Thanks self-tanning queen.

Hello Again...

Hello
Again hello

Just called to say: hello.
I couldn't sleep at all tonight
And I know it's late
But I couldn't wait.
Hello
My friend
Hello

Neil Diamond

I can't say that I can't sleep since I will be out cold very soon, however, in surfing through the web and my book marked pages I realized it has been a few days since I posted. So then I thought...perhaps someone misses my musings so I should post something. And well, since this song popped in my head I thought I would have that as the beginnings of this post. :-)

Aside from my ego-enhancing thoughts that someone might thrive on my posts, life is good. Tomorrow night I head over to the Greenpoint Gallery for their Salon Show. I have entered 3 pieces and maybe I'll get lucky and place...it is a long shot but a girl can dream can't she?

Sleep well all and happy creating...your mostly humble friend :-)

Sweet Blooms

The Patriot's Day Flea Market is on Saturday and I am almost ready. Today, I painted two more Sweet Blooms which is the next series for my hand painted cards. There is one more to do but I have posted the completed ones here. Unfortunately, my photography skills are still lacking since you can't really see the nuances in the coloring.

I do need to determine what artwork I will bring with me to sell. Since it is a flea market I am thinking super affordable pieces. The objective is to sell as much as possible.

My favorite little artist and I had a good day. A trip to the art store always makes us smile. I bought some new paint and finally figured out what type of brush I really like. Even better, I found a $50 gift certificate and was able to use that to pay for all my new fun stuff. My favorite little artist used her tooth fairy money to pay for her purchases. It was a good shopping day.

Tomorrow, I need to finish the Sweet Blooms and I am also hoping to maybe do another mixed media piece.

Happy creating!

Baby Butterflies

Preparation for the Patriot's Day Flea Market continues. The latest addition to the product line is the Baby Butterflies. Four are featured here and I have one more to do. Ideally, I'd like five variations for each notecard subject matter. I did paint five butterflies but, unfortunately, it ripped when I was removing the tape. I was able to cut it out, however, I am hesitant to glue it onto another card...I think it will look cheap. I am also at a loss for what other subject matter to use for the notecards.

Tomorrow, is the first day of school for my favorite little artist. She will take the bus and I will meet her at school. Her uniform is all ready along with her favorite color socks (purple, in case you're interested). It is hard to believe that she is starting kindergarten. We can't wait to meet her teacher and see who from her pre-k class will be in her class.

For me, tomorrow will be a painting day. One more butterfly to do and then maybe begin work on a mixed media piece. It will be so strange to not have my favorite little artist with me during the day. The goal will be to stay busy while she is in school and countdown till the bus drops her off.

Well, that is all for now. Hope you enjoy the butterflies. Happy creating.

Z

Here is the latest installment to the alphabet by Garnet :-) I am slowly painting each letter so possible clients can see an example of what it looks like. Of course, since it would be a custom piece their version would be one of a kind (OOAK). Ideally, once the alphabet is completed I'd have cards made of all the letters.

Also, I received today all the cards I ordered for the Flea Market on Sept. 11. They came out beautifully. I am really excited for the flea market, it will be my first one and I am optimistic that there will be a market for my cards.

In addition, to the photo-cards I am working on individual hand-painted cards. The Little Mommies" are the first installment but there will be many more. My thought is to do at least five variations on each theme. So, there are two more mommies to paint and then figuring out what to do next. Maybe more angels and butterflies?? Possibly some trees? So many options. But I really need to make sure I plan things out well since I need to be ready for next Saturday.

Well, that is all for today, my friends. Happy creating!

The Little Mommies are HERE!

On September 11, 2010, I will be participating in my first flea market. For info on it click here.

The focus of the flea market will be to see how much interest there are in the photo-cards based on my artwork. Then I got to thinking on how nice it would be to have actual handmade cards as well. So I experimented with printing out Blue Angel and decoupaging her onto card stock. Not my best idea. Then when I was sitting outside with my favorite little artist yesterday, I decided to create a mini drawing based on my mother theme. I liked it so much that I painted it on 3 of the cards. The paintings are small, 3"x4.5", but they really do look lovely.

So I will post them on Artfire and see what happens. Then the day of the flea market, I will deactivate the listings and see how it goes. Oh and I did get some nice feedback on my work from a woman on Artfire. She is opening a shop in Ohio and is interested in possibly showing some of my work. Stay tuned for more on that since I don't really know how it will pan out.

That is all for today. Happy creating!

Blue Angel

I decided since there are so many people out there who love angels, I might as well do another one. So now I have two angel designs to be used for cards, journals, etc...

Golden Angel belongs to my cousin but Blue Angel (shown here), 7"x9", acrylic, is up for grabs. If you like her let me know.

Happy Creating!

Two Almost Complete Paintings

Here are the two pieces referred to in this post.

Today was a good art day. Other than applying the gloss medium, I did two paintings. The gloss medium I lent to my sister and I will pick it up tomorrow. Once glossed, I will photograph and post both pieces. It was wonderful to spend some quality time in my studio. It is a good break from the monotony of searching for a full-time job. Supposedly, the economy is getting better but I don't see it. All I find is that the same jobs are reposted repeatedly. There is one position that has been on the jobs for over ONE year! Is the employer really hiring? With the amount of unemployed individuals I find it really unlikely they haven't found a qualified individual to fill the spot. Especially, since the position isn't one that requires rare skills.

Tomorrow, I will continue my search and hopefully will find something that will match well with my skill set. I also hope to go to the library and start a new green mixed media piece.

Happy creating!

Green is Good

For anyone who knows me, I have some green tendencies. Mind you, I am no Ed Begley, and I could certainly do many things in a more green focused way but for the most part I do try and be environmentally friendly.

A couple of months ago I received a packet from a prior employer. The amount of paper contained in the packet was appalling and really uncalled for. What is worse, if I was still an employee of the company the packet would have contained even more paper! Now, understand that there are federal laws and regulations that require employers to send employees certain information, however, it does not always have to be in hard copy. In fact, my colleagues and I tried desperately to avoid having to drown employees in this much paper. Unfortunately, we lost the battle to one very stubborn individual who pulled rank on us.

I really hated the thought of putting all this paper in the recycle bin. But what could I do with it? The answer...create a mixed media work. So today is the unveiling of my first mixed media piece which incorporates re-using a small portion of the mound of paper received from a past employer. The work is called "Green is Good", 10"x12", decoupage and acrylic.

The title comes from a tag line that I include on all my e-mails. To be honest, I copied it from a wonderful woman I used to work with. It is short and sweet and hopefully reminds people to think before printing e-mails, etc.

I hope you enjoy today's piece. Happy creating!

New Sketchbook

It really is an amazing feeling when you finish one sketchbook and begin anew. I started a new sketchbook today which is happiness. The crisp white pages that call draw on me draw on me! So sitting outside I did three new sketches which have the potential to be lovely paintings. But it is not only the excitement about starting a new sketchbook that is invigorating but also the feeling of accomplishment as you look at the finished book.

I took a look at the first sketch I did in the now finished sketchbook, it is of XO, the piece that placed 2nd in the open juried show sponsored by the Art Society of Old Greenwich. :-)

I also continue to work on my mixed media piece, it is not working out the way I had hoped. But I will work through it since sometimes the pieces that give you the hardest time work out the best in the end. Here is to optimism!

Well, enjoy your weekend and check back soon for an update.

Happy creating!

Opening Night

First, a big thank you to Al at the Sapphire Lounge...he did a great job on finalizing the hanging and made us feel very welcomed.

The night was a mix of good and bad so after wallowing a bit, this post is only going to focus on the positive. I was fortunate to have my hubby and my good trusted friend take the trek to NYC with me for the opening. We walked in and the lounge was like a different place from when I saw it on Wednesday. All my works were hung on the walls and the lightening was just right. Candles completed the ambiance and the DJ announced the show a couple times, too.

We enjoyed good music and were able to talk with some of the patrons who visited the gallery space. The favorite comment of the evening was from another artist who told me he was more into my work then his own. What a way to inflate my ego :-)

The time spent at the lounge was easy and mellow. It was also filled with many laughs. All in all I will remember it fondly. My first solo exhibit, it looked beautiful and I learned a lot.

On a different note, I am attempting my first mixed media piece. It is exciting to add a new element to my style and the best part is that the additional element is from re-using wasted paper. I'll elaborate more once it is complete.

Happy creating!