Happy New Year & Illus. Fri -'highlight'

(click for closer view)


12x12, watercolor, pen, colored pencil

Happy New Year!

We were blessed with mild weather and abundant sunshine today so I was able to finish an illo in our sunroom to submit for Illustration Friday. I received an amazing book for Christmas (among others, which I'll share with you soon) and I absolutely love it! Kudos to artist & author of Personal Geographies - Exploration in Mixed Media Mapmaking, Jill K. Berry for putting this book together! I've always loved anything to do with maps and can't wait to try out more of the projects in the book....

This illo is a combination of reflecting on the past year and IF's word this week 'highlight'. I knew immediately what the theme for my first map would be, to 'highlight' memories of travel, events or just plain everyday life that seemed to be my focus each month last year.

I imagined each month as an island, shaped like the first letter of that month with symbols representing the event or thoughts & feelings I experienced. I had so much fun with this (and actually didn't realize how much I travelled last year!) I highly recommend doing one of your own - what theme would show up on your map?

Because it's a brand new year, I think my next one will focus on wishes, dreams and artistic goals for 2012 - a possibility map - because last year didn't give me much time to devote to my art like I wanted to. How about you, what will you be focusing on in 2012?

May the new year bless us all with happiness, health, grace and abundant creativity! <3

Illustration Fri. - 'contraption'

6x8, artist crayons, watercolor, colored pencil, charcoal, ink on cardboard

For IF's word this week, my interpretation: high-wire 'contraption'. It's also the third piece in a circus themed series I started a few weeks ago (you can see previous ones posted individually here & here). I loved the recycling/repurposing aspect of creating these pieces on cardboard....

Check out this contraption in where else - Vegas baby (dang they didn't have this when I was there last year!!)

I hope you're enjoying much creativity & inspiration in your little corner of the world. As always, be well.

Illustration Fri. - 'mesmerizing'

6x8, artist crayons, watercolor, colored pencil, charcoal, ink on cardboard

For IF's word prompt this week 'mesmerizing' - this is the second piece of a small set I'm working on (the first one is here) with all the pieces having a circus based theme.

I've always found everything related to the circus, county fairs or midways 'mesmerizing'. The fun and festivities, colorful costumes, games of chance, thrilling rides (although you won't see me lining up for many of them) & magical atmosphere have always intrigued me. It's so much like life at times, yes? :>

Have a creative week friends + be well.

Illustration Fri. - 'boundaries'

My offering for IF's word prompt this week boundaries. I was a bit stuck at first and really wasn't sure how I could create anything for this challenge that would speak to me. But then I started thinking about personal boundaries - you know like not being able to say no to art projects/ commissioned work, relationships or job ruts that we may find ourselves in, or even people who want us to commit to things we really feel that we don't have time or energy for - although sometimes it's a good idea to have a close friend or loved one push you out of your 'zone' :)

I don't know about you, but lately I've been feeling like life is a big circus, travelling 'round and 'round, giving us all a curtain call when it's time to do our act (lol)


6x8, artist crayons, watercolor, colored pencil, charcoal, ink on cardboard

"Learning how to set boundaries is a necessary step in learning to be a friend to ourselves." - anon

Trying to find balance and stay focused on my hopes & dreams while trying to maintain my personal boundaries is where I'm at right now, so I decided to do an intuitive-based piece. I didn't want to do any guesswork so quickly gessoed up a few pieces of cardboard (I recently purchased some books online and kept the padding inserts) I started laying down some fluid inks, artist crayons, charcoal, pens - whatever was in front of me.



This afternoon I started on the other 2 pieces and to keep the recycle / reuse thing going, I cut up some paper grocery bags to make another one of my beloved paper bag journals...

Have a fabulous week friends!

Book Love ♥

Happy Monday all -- hope you hit the ground running today to get your week off to a great creative start!

My day was spent tying up loose ends on a project, one I mentioned awhile back. I'm honored to be a part of the book project shown below which is due for release soon:

More sharing:

Today's mail brought some huge inspiration to my studio! One is by the amazing & talented Misty Mawn and the other by a new to me illustrator - fashion illustrator Anna Kiper. I love how each book is unique & beautiful in their own way, reflecting each artist and their style...

First up Misty Mawn's book:


book images © Misty Mawn

You can really feel that Misty's heart & soul is present in her book and the surprise at the end [insert spoiler here] was icing on the mixed media cake for me - brava dear Misty!! I've always loved her fearless approach to art and messy is okay attitude. I was thrilled when I won a couple of her original paintings a few years ago from her online portrait class. Let me tell ya her book is going to be displayed right beside them when I set up the gallery wall in my studio. Now if I could just get her to sign my copy [hint hint ;]

book images © Misty Mawn

Next up, Anna Kiper, totally different in contrast - fashion & design influenced and a feast for my illustrator eyes & senses! Fabulous renderings, tips and ideas for any fashion /costume illustrator. My mind is swimming with ideas, I just need to stock up on some new supplies :) :)


book images © Anna Kiper


book images © Anna Kiper

All I have to say is SO much inspiration - SO little time! Oh well, we do the best we can right? Have a lovely inspired week!

From the heart

(artwork © copyright Misty Mawn)

"Art is not what you see, but what you make others see." -- Edgar Degas

Look what I got in the mail yesterday! I feel so unbelievably blessed and fortunate to have won the drawing from Misty Mawn's first online class. Because of the holidays and me going on vacation, I just got it in now and boy was it worth the wait!!! I cannot describe the feeling of holding it and seeing her handwriting, anticipating what was inside and then to find it so carefully & tenderly wrapped up like a precious, beautiful gift.

My reaction was, in this order: screaming, crying...then sighing :>

And yes, that is TWO original pieces you see folks, along with some of her postcards...that sweet soul even tucked in a CD she made just for me (love it)

I am speechless... and in awe of her talent, soulful energy and generous spirit. I loved it all but I have to say the piece with the girl & bird really spoke to me. I've been feeling like that girl, holding onto a large bird (burden), flying with only one wing, however I've remained positive and optimistic because of the golden light (kind & caring support) all around me. Like her, I can hug and recognize the beauty of the "burd-en" knowing that it's brought me to a different, stronger and decisive place, one I wouldn't be at without it.

Misty, thank you from the bottom of my heart - mmwah!! xoxo

Inspire Me Thursday - 'newspaper'

Macy's advertisement from last Sunday's newspaper and a handcut stencil
(which I didn't end up using)


Added gesso to soften & mute it overall, then added artist crayons to bring out my focal point...the hands....i LOVE to incorporate them into a piece....they are so expressive and of course are my favorite tool, way better than paintbrushes at times - not as indispensible as pencils tho :)


'untitled', mixed media watercolor journal

Defined the sleeves a bit more, muted out the bracelets & added a ring and stem w/leaves. I originally thought I wanted a blush-pink rose, huge in bloom, but decided on a minimalist look. I still want to add a quote along the edge of the sleeves as this journal is dedicated to quotes /self-portraits...


detailed view

Journaling with found imagery has such instant gratification, it's so easy & quick to do. I hope I've inspired you to try this...

Illustration Fri. - 'infinite'

mixed media, strathmore watercolor journal , 8.5 x 5.5 (8.5 x 11 open)

"When you live your life with an appreciation of coincidences and their
meanings, you connect with the underlying field of infinite possibilities."
-- Deepak Chopra

My offering for this week's IF prompt, 'infinite'. I originally intended for this journal entry to be more Fall in tone and feeling but it's still summer here (and will be for another month or more) and so I guess it influenced my color palette and mood. I so miss Autumn in the Midwest...

And yes I truly believe in infinite possibilities as long as our minds and hearts are open enough. However I also know that you have to be at the right place or time in your life to recognize them, openly accept them without question and place your trust in the universe...

By the way, a new moon is upon us as of yesterday. Did you write down & send out your intentions [wishes] into the universe? I did...

me and my lovely friend Vanessa (Happy Birthday dear girl!)

Hello all! As promised, here are photos from the opening of my show running all through September here at our local gallery, the Firehouse. I'm showing in the small front room alongside a super talented pastel artist from San Antonio who's showing in the main room. To kick off the month they host First Friday receptions to 'meet the artist'.

I was a bit nervous, but at the same time I was excited to be taking this bold first step and the whole experience was a bit surreal. I felt myself being totally at ease as guests & patrons started coming in and I got to meet and greet them, discuss my work, and answer questions about upcoming workshops. Feedback and comments were very positive overall and talks with other artists were constructive and supporting.

A special thanks goes out to the lovely girls at the Firehouse, Nancy & Nicki, for putting my show together - I'm still in awe at how creative Nancy was displaying my work!!

Wishing you all a happy & safe Labor Day holiday...

Winding down...

"know that even on our darkest nights
sisters are there for us lighting the way
like moonlight and stars" - LTM

As the weekend started to wind down I found some time to finish that journal spread I started the other day. It was inspired by the Somerset article "Let's Face It" featuring DJ Pettitt. I love her style which she so generously steps out in the article to show how she creates a piece.

I Iike how this turned out even though it's a bit somber & wintery for this time of year. Maybe it's because nighttime seems to be the only part of the day where I'm able to collect my thoughts as things cool down - the weather's been blazing hot here....

Also I've been thinking a lot about sisters, all the different ones we have in our lives. Our blood/family sisters, art sisters, blog sisters, soul sisters and friends who are like sisters (maybe you're lucky enough to have a sister that's all these rolled into one amazing sister!) The ones we open our hearts & homes to, the ones we bravely bare our souls to, the ones with whom we laugh, cry and dream with... I cherish all the sisters in my life...

Love the moodiness of this song today.....by the way, have you celebrated the sisters in your life lately?

SP Wednesday, musings...

Decided to play in my journal today after pulling a few photos out to do a SP entry. I keep the photos simple and cheap for my journals - inkjet on plain paper, nothing fancy. I do admit that I'm not one for self-portraits and so they are a bit of a challenge for me.

However, I'm on a mission right now to try out at least 1 or 2 new journaling ideas each week leading up to the Mixed Media Journaling class I'm teaching here locally in July. I want to have some solid techniques to share with my students.


'self-portrait', 10x10 journal

Evolution of the page: I'm always amazed when a page starts to come to life on its own, especially when I have nothing particular in mind for it. I have been very introspective lately and pondering many things so that's why I think those past, present, future 'balloons' popped up. The white blocks were stenciled in and are perfect for adding text, I'll get to that another day...

Why don't you join us over at Misty Mawn's blog for her SP wednesdays? I'm finally getting in on this weekly challenge - only took me three months to get around to it :>

Have a great week y'all!

Inspire Me Thursday - 'petals'

What a fun, carefree prompt this was. I love drawing & painting flowers and can't get enough of the color yellow lately (not sure why, it has never been a fave of mine) but it's definitely good to paint outside your 'comfort' color zone now and than :>

This was done in my handmade paperbag journal which I'm sad to say is almost full! I need to scout out some of those large, thick paper grocery bags next time I head out of town as no one here carries them, at least from what I've seen.


artist crayons, acrylic, white pen, charcoal, decorative paper, letter mini-stamps on Fabriano w/c paper in handmade paperbag journal


closeup for detail....

Thanks for stopping by and I do hope your weekend is a good one!

SoulCollage - Council Suit

Well.........I finally 'pulled' my second SoulCollage card out of me. I say pulled because that's exactly what it felt like. For the last few weeks, I was not making any progress on my deck and thought it might be due to the small amount of images I had gathered. I decided to spend my 'dry time' sourcing out more images. Then this morning after visiting this artist's blog, I was able to finish this card with one of her freebie images (thank you Connie!)


Free Spirit Gypsy - Council Suit

According to the SoulCollage book (*see footnote for info), Council Suits are the Archetypal Dimension in your deck. They are thought to choose us instead of the other way around. Some may only stay with us a short time, then move on. However, some stay with us our whole lives.

I believe this one has been with me since I was a little girl......and continues to reinforce my free spirit attitude, my need to walk my own path, to seek out new & exciting places and people, and to savor my wanderlust ways. Now that I think about it, my Mom was always reminding us that we had 'gypsy blood' in our family. However, that could be because her side of our family is Ukrainian - shawls and 'babooshkas' (head wraps or kerchiefs) were worn everyday :>

Okay, now I need to catch up with the others working through the SoulCollage process with our Discovery Group hostess Carla at Wings 4 You coaching!

*SoulCollage® is a registered trademark of SoulCollage®, LLC. Information about SoulCollage® can be found at: http://www.soulcollage.com/

SoulCollage® cards are to be reproduced only for the personal use of the maker of the card and are not for sale, trade, or barter. The SoulCollage® process is described in Seena B. Frost’s book, SoulCollage® http://www.soulcollage.com/book/soulcollage-book.php

Inspire Me Thursday - 'Umbrella'

affirmations journal, 12x12

A quick journal entry for this week's IMT prompt.....a much needed break from my 'serious' art. You see, I've immersed myself in some painting exercises / practice on tone and values since having my latest piece [constructively] critiqued. Lots of time to put in yet but to remind myself to enjoy the PROCESS in these exercises, I'm taking fun little breaks like this in my journal :>

And speaking of journaling, I'll be teaching a one-day workshop at our local gallery. It's part of their Summer program schedule on July 11th, 'Mixed Media Journaling'. Looking forward to making it a creative and inspiring day for everyone so hopefully there will be enough local response to make it a GO!

Have a great week y'all!

Inspire Me Thursday 'Swirl'

Soooo happy that I'm finally getting a chance to join in over at IMT, seems like ages since I've done any of the prompts!

I love adding swirls into my artwork - either as a background repeat motif or as part of the main subject as with this illustration. I've always been fascinated with 'Tree of Life' art and have seen many interpretations of it from different cultures and mediums including fine art, jewelry and metal sculptural wall art.


'tree of life' - moleskine, mixed media

This particular tree of life is part folk art / part expressionism representing marriage so to have some special symbolism for me, I added 13 leaves (#of years married) and also a heart entwined with a 'swirl' of roots, which pretty much signifies that everything I do is from my heart. It is at the very 'root' of my existance, guiding me to the people I need to be with on my journey and for the most part sending me down the right paths :>

Before I forget, I also wanted to mention that Susan Tuttle is having another GIVEAWAY of her book, Exhibition 36: Mixed Media Demonstrations & Explorations. I already have a copy of her FABULOUS book, but it would be nice to gift somebody if I win. Pop on over to her blog and enter here

Thanks for stopping by, have a wonderful week!

January Art Journalers - Jan. 21, 22, 23

affirmations journals - 'doorways'

Okay so I finally got at that page from the other day in my previous post. I've been snapping photos of unique doors for quite awhile. When I travel, I always end up finding at least one or two that just fascinate me - weathered & distressed, peeling paint, rusty, vintage hardware are just a few things that I love. Doors like that are very mysterious to me and make me wonder who has walked through them........and what lies beyond. Think of doors for a moment - are you opening any in your life right now? Closing any? What meaning do doors have for you?

This entry is combining 3 prompts from this week's January Art Journalers group with Misty Mawn as I decided to play catch up:

Wed. 21 -altered photo
Thu. 22 - crayons (i used watercolor crayons)
Fri. 23 - a favorite* artist....guess who? *wink*
*I hope I did justice emulating some elements of her style

Here's the poem in this entry as you may not be able to see it clearly. I've known of Rumi's works for awhile but not this particular poem, the words really resonate with me:

The Guest House

This being human is a guest house,
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they're a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame,
the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
--Rumi

I'm going to try to get more journaling in this weekend, I am SO loving this month of art journaling with everyone and want to keep the momentum going.......many thanks Misty!

January Art Journalers - Altered Photo

affirmations journal - title to be determined when journaled :>

The prompt today for Misty's Jan. Art Journalers is 'altered photo'. I was organizing my studio today and came across one of my fave magazines Cloth, Paper, Scissors and remembered that there was an article in there about altering photos digitally. Do you have the Jan./ Feb. issue? Well....let me tell you about this feature article in the Workshop section by my friend, Chrysti Hydeck (whom I had the pleasure of meeting in person at the inaugural ZNE art retreat in Cali last year, her work is stunning). This article ROCKS! If you haven't done much in the way of digital art, you must give her step-by-steps a try.

This photo is from my private collection and was taken in Michigan about 2 years ago. The aged/spotted portion of it is a manipulated photo of an old cookie sheet that I was ready to toss, no kidding! Anyhow, Chrysti's instructions were super easy to follow with lots of variations to help you personalize your own work.

Okay, I'm off to do a print of this and work it into a journal page......

A Week of Color, Day 7: 'Blue'

affirmations journal - 'breathe'

Breathing is second nature to us.....deep breathing and being conscious of every breath we take however is something that you learn to be aware of. Yoga or meditation are 2 great ways to practice good, efficient breathing - not that shallow stuff that most of us do, I'm talking deep-from-the-belly kind of breathing that raises your chest and expands your lungs. It takes some practice at first but it's worth.....every breath.

Thanks to everyone who followed along on my Week of COLOR Journaling with Misty Mawn. I hope I've inspired you to get out your journal or go get a new one if yours are all filled (good for you if they are!) and explore your beautiful, creative self.....and oh yes, don't forget to BREATHE :>

A Week of Color, Day 5: 'Red'

affirmations journal - 'heart'

"Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart." - Confucious

Just a sketch but I did get a journal entry in today - yay! Anyhow the color RED, oh yes I do love it and hearts too, I even sign my name with a heart on all of my work. The heart symbol has always been very special to me, I think it's because I put so much heart into everything I do.....truly :>

I may use this as a reference for a larger piece on a wood panel, I think she would be lovely with the right background, don't you? No matter, I was definitely in the mood for something simple today. Tomorrow, well....that's another day my friends and the color challenge for us January Art Journalers is YELLOW.

You know, as much as I've had ups & downs with this challenge, I have to say that I have flexed my artistic muscles quite a bit - more than I would normally - thank you for that Misty!!!

January Art Journalers - Jan. 5th

from my affirmations journal - jan. 5th 'connect'

A little late posting my journaling for Misty Mawn's January Art Journalers Group. It seems like everytime I want to commit to something like this, my attempts are thwarted in some way - unexpected commissions, everyday life, blah, blah, etc....No excuse but certainly a reason :>

I hope YOU are finding time to journal everyday, or every second day or once a week or a couple of times a month....you get the picture. Journal whenever & wherever you can -- embrace & nurture your creative time, no matter how much of it you have and what you end up creating!

By the way, don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY! All entries must be in by January 14, 2009 to be eligible. Read all the wonderful & inspiring AFFIRMATIONS everyone is embracing for this brand new year. You can enter at the January 1, 2009 post below - good luck!