Love Heart

Love Heart - 3 x 3 miniature canvas

Love Heart - Mixed Media Miniature Painting new in my Etsy Shop

A bit on 30 Paintings in 30 Days. I over estimated my ability to get paintings done while traveling. Which isn't a surprise. :) However, I may be able to 30 paintings in 45 days. *she says hopefully* 

Once I get home and am able to actually finish what I have started. We'll see. 

Sharing today with the folks at Paint Party Friday, hosted by Kristin and Eva. 

Beach Hearts

There is nothing more soothing than wandering along a beach enjoying the view and admiring the treasures as you go... an interesting shell, a crab scuttling back to the water, starfish clinging to the rocks. The rhythmic sound of the waves and the calling of the birds has a calming effect on my occasional stressed out soul. 

I'm blessed to leave near the Puget Sound, where it's a quick drive to many beaches. And when ever, and where ever I go, I seem to find hearts... 

Under my feet...

And above my head. 

Can you find the hearts in these pictures? 

I hope your day includes something to sooth your soul! 

Pansies!

These little pansies have been blooming in this old bucket all winter long. Their cute little faces are still cheerfully decorating the back deck. 

Happy Sunday! 

And the greatest of these...

I worked on a spread for our local altered book exchange this past week. It's our last one and while part of me is sad it's ending, a bigger part is relieved. Even though I enjoyed working in all the books, it was becoming a burden to do them while my creative energy is so low. This took me a week! I'd paint a layer and go to work, add some ink and go visit my son in the hospital, another layer and off to work again. :)

Here is the spread: 

 The theme of the book is "All you need is Love"

Various layers of paint, stenciling, paint, inks, with heart ribbons, layered hearts, sticker letters and felt hearts, pitt pen and sparkly gel pen. It was fun, however long it took me to finish. ;)

And while I wasn't able to attend our local art group on Sunday, I did send some tiny valentine tags to share with the artsy ladies. 

Joining today with Clytie at Random Hearts for  Guest Heart Thursday

Also sharing with Paint Party Friday, hosted by Eva and Kristin

HuMp DaY Haiku - Shades of Red

I *heart* Vintage Maps 

with Shades of Red and Yellow

New wearable art! 

I enjoy creating wearable art HeART pendants using some of my supply of vintage maps. This heART pendant is now available in my Etsy shop, along with a couple of others. It is a continuing series of original wearable art HeART pendants.

So what do you *heart*?

A year or so ago, I started doing Hump Day Haiku with Carla Sonheim's Silly classes and decided as a challenge for myself, I'd continue. I have found that creating a haiku (non rhyming poem with 5 - 7 - 5 syllables per line) feeds my soul. I especially like creating them to go with my photos and art. 

Would you like to share a haiku you have written? 

You may include a haiku in the comments, OR you may copy your blog post url (featuring a haiku) and add a link to your blog using Mr. Linky. And consider visiting other contributors blogs to see what they've created and say hello. 


Submitting to Artists in Blogland

Autumn Sedum

I love how the Autumn Sedum blossoms frequently grown in a heart shape! You can barely see the little chickadee metal sculpture that has been engulfed by the plant as the summer progressed. 

Sharing today with Guest Heart Thursday

Things I want...

The workers up the block to finish their work so I don't have to listen to heavy machinery while drinking my morning cup of tea. 
Warm weather!
My ankle to stop hurting
Someone to organize my office and studio
My son to find a reasonably priced apartment in a safe neighborhood
More hours in the day
My muse to come back



So, how's your Monday going?

Sedum Heart

Sedum flowering

purple blossoms bursting forth

with a show of heart

Sharing with Guest Heart Thursday

and 

Haiku My Heart Friday

Wild violet

Purple violet

spreading in the rock garden.

It's there by intent. 

Growing in the rock garden, a tiny purple violet. It's busy seeding itself to regenerate for next year. I love how these little guys, with their heart shaped leaves, wander about the yard. And so I let them, always delighted where they appear. 

Linking with Clytie at Guest Heart Thursday.

Given with heart

During our final day of workshops at the ArtforAll conference I helped coordinate this past week, I received this lovely bouquet of flowers. The card thanked me, on behalf of those attending, for my tireless work on making the event successful. It totally surprised and overwhelmed me.

I have a confession. I am not tireless. It took SO much energy to make sure everyone was having a good time, and any little bumps not felt by our wonderful art friends. I simply wore myself out. However, the thank you's we received, the enthusiasm from those taking classes, the camaraderie in the 24 hour art room, all made our combined efforts worthwhile.

A couple more days of rest, and I'll be back to my normal "tireless" self. *grin*.


Joining today with Guest Heart Thursday, hosted by Clytie at Random Hearts.

You do see the hearts on the ribbon, don't you? 

Owl dolls

Today at ArtforAll 2012 in Portland, my friend Pam McVay hosted a "make and take" demo on shrink plastic dolls. I decided to create an owl, based on the "drawing an owl" technique I learned last Sunday at our local art group. Danielle's class was adapted from Juliette Crane’s “How to Paint an Owl” class at Art Fest 2012.

This is is the after picture: 

This is the before: 

Drawn using Prisma color pencils... and it was amazing how deep they became once they were "shrunk" in the craft oven. 

I also created this little owl. Did not allow for shrinkage when placing the holes for the wings, and cannot add the brads to hold the wings. I'll tie them on later. 

And then I started this owl, which will be "shrunk" tomorrow:

These owls are so much fun to draw that I'll be making more of them!

Linking to Paint Party Friday. Make sure to check out what the fabulous artists have been creating this week. 

Also linking with Artists in Blogland Show and Tell Saturday

Heart-filled Welcome

This morning, after a good night sleep, I stepped out on the deck of the hotel room to view the river. And look what I saw in the clouds, welcoming me to the day. 

Today the other planners for our ArtforAll 2012 conference will begin arriving, and the craziness will begin. I'm envisioning a peaceful conference where all are blessed and satisfied. With this group... it may be a challenge, but that's the way it will be. A peace filled joyful arty conference. So be it! 

I'm linking this to Guest Heart Thursday

Petal heart

Walking out to work in the garden a couple of days ago, I spied this petal on the step to the deck, near one of the little violets that are growing randomly around the yard.  It looks bit like a heart to me. Don't you think so too? 
Just a little reminder from the universe that I am loved, all is well. 

Sharing with Clytie at Guest Heart Thursday. 

Dancing with light

It amazes me the way a heart can take the worst losses and still survive. This week marked a sad anniversary, and we worked hard to make it a day of happy memories.

Joyful expression

Swirling flowing bright colors

Dancing with the light

Dancing with Light

I want to create a "dancing with light" image that I see in my head. This watercolor sketch from my journal is a start. (The yellow in the photo did not come through well at all, it is more intense.) I plan to rework this more intuitively (and larger) to see if I can get the flow more as I see it. 

Two hearts

Another page from my journal this past week... two hearts. 

Thanks for stopping by! 

If you have time, I'd love you to check out my newest Etsy Treasury. :)

Sharing with Clytie at Guest Heart Thursday

Joining with Rebecca at Haiku my Heart.

And also joining in with Paint Party Friday, a fun weekly event held by Kristin and Eva. 

Faerie Forest

Magical Archway!

Entrance to the forest trail

where we start our hike.

Mossy camouflage!

A hidden faerie entrance

underneath a heart.

Perhaps the faeries 

were showing us their treasure.

Abundant morels!

Lacy faerie moss

all along our woodland trail

lead to trillium

 

There are many lovely treasures among the woodland trails this time of year, moss engulfed branches,  wild morel mushroom, hidden faeries teasing us along the way. Spending time with one you love wandering the woods is indeed magical!

Sharing today with Carol at A Creative Harbor on Magical Monday. 

Paint Party Friday

It's always fun to participate in Paint Party Friday, hosted by Eva and Kristin! 

This week has been busy and stressful, however I was able to finish a small piece for my second "Art Only" Etsy shop. I'll be added some pieces to it throughout the weekend.  My first Etsy shop  will morph into mostly vintage ephemera and other vintage items.  

This piece is an ACEO sized mixed media canvas (3 1/2 x 2 1/2), created with layers of  vintage book pages, acrylic paints, stenciling, (all left over from another project) and inks. 

The heart is leftover painted paper pieces adhered to heavy back chipboard, cut out and varnished. 

All these bits and pieces left over from other projects worked together to create this little canvas. 

Have a wonderful Friday, everyone! And do stop in to see what the other fabulous PPF artists are working on this week. 

Magical View

Driving  south to Mount Vernon last week with my husband, I spotted a snowy clear cut on a hill, with a few trees left in the draw. From our distance, it looked like a heart. The magic of finding hearts. I literally do find them everywhere. :)


After attending the "Art of Moving Forward" workshop in Anacortes last weekend, our heart was spotted again along Highway 20. I attempted a picture, my camera just didn't come through. ( A Canon SX30IS 14.1 MP with 35x is on my wish list.)


Here's one my friend Cheryl took for me with her much better camera.  :)

This is inspiration for a canvas that I hope to work on soon... 


Sharing today with Carol at A Creative Harbor on Magical Monday. 

Paint Party Friday - Heart with wings

Happy Paint Party Friday everyone! This fun weekly event is hosted by Eva and Kristin.

This week I worked on a variety of things, but what I'm showing is this small 3x3 canvas. I painted this with acrylics, no intention in mind initially.

I also just finished this little heart, by tinting and adding the wings, with the intent to place on a canvas, but hadn't determined what background. 

And decided to see if they go together. Hmmm... The canvas should be larger, and I'm unsure the colors go well. But it's given me ideas, and that's the name of the game. 

For my birthday, I've treated myself to the "The Art of Moving Forward" in Anacortes, where I'll be this weekend learning all kinds of information about how to have a successful art business. I'll be by to visit you all as soon as I can when I'm back. In the meantime, have a fabulous weekend! 


And hey, if you have time, check out the Treasury I just created on Etsy for a Team Challenge "In the Woods".

Find out what the other Paint Party Friday artists are working on here. 

HuMp DaY Haiku - Mossy Stump

On a mossy stump.

Wandering in our wild space

Message calls to me

I've had a hard time the past few weeks, too many demands, too much stress, too little support. And wandering the back “wild space” near the creek, listening to the birds, I came across this stump, embedded with an old rusty shovel, showing me a moss heart. Hearts literally jump out at me from all over. What do you suppose the message is?

I've decided I need to take some time away, all by myself, to think and find out what’s in MY heart. I must let go of the perceived expectations of others (and myself), and focus on being true to ME.

Note that this week I'm also submitting this post to 

Guest Heart Thursday  at Random Hearts

Haiku my Heart at recuerda mi corazon

And now... back to our  HuMp DaY Haiku!  
I started doing Hump Day Haiku with Carla Sonheim's Silly classes...  and decided as a challenge for myself, I'd continue.  In this process, I have found that creating a haiku (non rhyming poem with 5 - 7 - 5 syllables per line) feeds my soul. 

I especially like creating them to go with my photos and art. 


Would you like to share a haiku you have written? 


You may include a haiku in the comments, OR you may copy your blog post url (featuring a haiku) and add a link to your blog using Mr. Linky. And consider visiting other contributors blogs to see what they've created and say hello.  

Moss Heart

Noticing details. 

Moss upon a rocky slope

forms a gentle heart.

Linking to Guest Heart Thursday  at Random Hearts

Haiku my Heart at recuerda mi corazon