Illustration Fri. & Paint Party Fri.

5x8 moleskine: watercolor, pen

My offering for IF's word prompt this week 'grounded' and also for Paint Party Friday -first time submitting over there for me.

Yoga has been on my mind as we started this new year. It's not because I'm one for making resolutions, I like to think of them more as personal goals - and one of them is to dust off my yoga mat and get 'grounded' by practicing it consistently this year. I stopped and started it more than a few times last year, so gonna give it my best shot to stick with it in 2012 (as well as getting more illos & paintings done!)

One of the aspects of yoga that I connect with most is the concept that what happens on the mat is much like training for life. Yoga poses ask your body to find strength, balance, and flexibility all at once - a lot of situations in life also ask for a combination of these qualities. By practicing yoga we're able to approach life with a calmer, more grounded, outlook....

A bit of info I discovered on yoga 'grounding':

Grounding allows Expansion

By simply grounding down, our ability to expand is increased. When we stretch in yoga we get a sense of liberation. Without the fundamental feeling of being grounded, none of the other qualities of the heart can unfold. The qualities of the pose – physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual – flow from the foundation. By focusing on the foundation we feel safer, stable, and trusting. When we feel secure we can expand.

I hope I've inspired you to give it a try....namaste.

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

A Snowy Monday...

"A snowflake is winter's butterfly." - anon

....as a winter storm system sits over the Land of Enchantment state for most of this week.
Temps should be back to normal by Friday so for now i'll stay Instagram-inspired,
sip hot cocoa and enjoy :>

Stay warm + creative!

Giving Thanks + Instagram Love

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson


Sharing my latest love [obsession] and wishing you & yours all the best this Thanksgiving weekend.

Be blessed ♥

Greetings from...

Hello!

Alas, another month has passed to share things with all of you - wow.

I've had so much going on the last five months it's been ridiculous.
Life's "stewpot" has been cooking up mostly good things but adding some
bittersweetness in for good measure. Recently we packed up, moved and
said goodbye to more friends and another community again....



However...I'm loving the cooler & drier New Mexico climate and our new home
(the pic above shows the backyard & sunroom to the right).
South Texas was not for this northern girl (I can take hot temps but add high humidity
in there and I wilt). The crisp smoky air & fall colors here are something I've missed immensely
- it's what I've known most of my life.

The change of seasons helps me reset my compass, slow down to reassess goals, dream a little bit & then focus on where I want to go next. It's what I need, it's how I thrive. Can you relate?

"What comes first, the compass or the clock? Before one can truly manage time (the clock),
it is important to know where you are going, what your priorities and goals are, in which
direction you are headed (the compass). Where you are headed is more important than
how fast you are going." -- Anon

Looking forward to sharing pics of my new studio with you as well as some fresh work and art community pursuits I'm involved in locally. Btw, here's a really good moving tip: write the contents (or most of) on the outside of boxes, saves time like you can't believe especially unpacking studio/kitchen boxes :>

Stay inspired friends and 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.

Summer days & nights

Hello again, finally. I cannot believe it's been two months since I posted anything here(!) Life has been a strange mix of many things for me this summer: lots of travelling (car & air travel), preparing for a move (again), trying to fit in time for art, even if it's only to journal (yet not feeling inspired to do more than take photos of everything) and trying to get thru the heat here in Texas (108 degrees here yesterday ok? pass the sweet tea please)

I've been very introspective as a result of all the above - when I find the time that is - and so opened up my paper bag journal yesterday and completed the spread below. In the second pic I placed a deck of cards that I purchased on my latest trip, "Healing With the Angels" by Doreen Virtue, PH.D. (yes that's her last name) and they were sitting nearby unopened, I had been waiting for the right moment to experience them. I read the little book that came with it and picked out a few cards before I made this piece. These Oracle cards are said to help you communicate with your guardian angels, that they have messages to deliver to us and are ready to guide us if we open our hearts & minds and just listen:





How did you spend your summer? Hopefully it was filled with many, many wonderful things to look back on and also things to look forward to.

Before I forget, I wanted to mention that the 100 Illustrations 2011 Annual, featuring my work and 49 other illustrators, is now available from Barnes & Noble. The pink arrow points to my cover piece:


Thank you to all those on the book design team and of course to the lovely Diana Evans, for the opportunity to be a part of this project.

Will try to post more as things get done & free up my time to do so, enjoy these last few days of August friends - be well.

Illustration Fri. - 'winter'

A bit of a repost but I wanted to submit this illo for IF's 'winter'. I created this on a winter solstice 2 yrs. ago, it's one of my favorites and was / is with some Flickr friends too....

Have a safe & Happy New Year's celebration my friends - wishing you all a creative & prosperous 2011!

hello december....

and hello to you out there on this first day of december...

yes i am still around and trying to be productive, i hope you are too

today i'm feeling gratitude for all the good in my life: the people, the places, the happy moments, the sad & silent moments too (for they make me appreciate the happy ones even more)

i came across this somewhere, a few fill-in-the-blanks to help prompt you into practicing an attitude of gratitude - mine, just off the top of my head, are shown in blue

i'm grateful for... LOVE
my life would be dull if it weren't for...all the crazy, fun, fascinating, talented people i've met
the following people make my life richer...because they...(these could be people you personally know or people who simply inspire you) there are a lot of people i could list here but i'll simply say this: you know who you are because i've already told you so and why
i don't know what I'd do without...coffee :>
i appreciate the following things about myself...honesty, creativity, sensitivity, giving, determined
this year I've been blessed with...TIME (and at certain points it felt like a curse because it seemed to go so slow with no progress in important areas of my life, but now i see it as a necessary blessing in disguise to help me move forward in the right directions)

in the spirit of the season, i've decided to host a giveaway soon (for my 200th post) so please stay tuned for that... sneak peek below, handpainted wood tiles w/magnets, each one features my original art, no two are exactly alike. they're mounted on blank greeting cards for gift-giving. i'll be giving one or two of these away & the rest will be for sale in my new Etsy shop very, very soon :>

the fall season up north is so different then the ones we get here in south texas.

i muse and daydream about all the years that i got to experience that glorious color up there, those wonderfully crunchy leaves and crisp, smoky air....

it reminds me of something i read awhile ago, something i try to remind myself every day: never take what you have right here, right now, for granted - embrace it while you can;

the fall color at my front door now...



....and inside - all things "m" like:

magic [a treasured vintage book],
memories [a photo from back home of our maple tree]
and music [love, love this song]



have a safe, happy hallowe'en friends...

hello, sharing, news....

Helloooo.....dusting off my blog before it dries up and blows away :>

Life has been strange lately, busy as a bee & social as a butterfly one minute then feeling much like this flower - standing alone, feeling like I want to float, craving a minimalist existance......

I decided to join Susan & Chrysti in their latest prompt for {Echo} Week 23 - Minimalist as the timing was good to get it posted and I thought it fit perfectly with the mood I was trying to convey with my camera...

new work - sharing:

Above is a sneak peek of my 'They Draw and Cook' entry. If you're not familiar with TDAC, it's a blog that features illustrations with a twist - all the illos are themed to recipes. I'd been wanting to send something in when I first heard about it but the announcement of a book being published finally gave me the push I needed. My recipe/illustration was accepted for publication on the blog this morning by Nate (thanks!) but it's not posted yet - they have a ton of last minute entries for the book so when the link's up, I'll let you know.

one last note - art show:

I'm joining a friend of mine next weekend at a local arts & crafts event, we're sharing a booth and and so I've been busy putting cards & prints together but not really sure what else I'll have for sale , maybe some small original mixed media pieces.

And yes, yes I am still hoping, planning, (plotting) on finding the time & inspiration to get my new Etsy shop up and running - I feel like if I wait any longer I may just shelve the whole idea....

Here's to being inspired and creative and moving forward - rinse, repeat.....

Illustration Friday - 'acrobat'

A quick line sketch, some scribbles with colored pencil and a bit of Photoshop magic for IF's theme this week 'acrobat'. I originally thought of doing a traditional (human) acrobat, but decided to focus on an animal one instead.

This is my first ever drawing of an elephant, actually I don't generally draw animals at all, mostly just birds, but I really enjoyed it. I had mentioned the saying to a friend of mine awhile back on how to tackle a huge task or project (like my new Etsy shop). Do it the same way you would if you had to eat an elephant - one bite at a time - so I added a few nibbles to the ear :) Thanks for the nudge to sketch this Kris, I think with some tweaking it would make a great inspirational card or print......

Have a creative week friends - and as always, be well.

time and tomes

Helllooooo out there......just peeking in as the dust settles [literally] in our new place. I have a nice, bright studio here, more storage too but there's much to do in the way of setup & organization. The upside to all this work is that I'm purging as I go and finally bidding adieu to things I've long outgrown. It's been quite the haul this past week or so but I'm keeping my eye on the horizon as I sift through all the boxes & totes.

I'd love to have a little giveaway/pay it forward once I sort through everything as a way of sending some good vibes out into the universe - I may even throw in a small art print or two, we'll see :)

Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday weekend if you're celebrating where you are - be well friends.

sunshine, butterflies & books....

a delicate beauty in flight



SCORE! A fabulous find: vintage books from a nearby town's library shop

"Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love.

It will not lead you astray." -- Rumi


sunshine peeking through.....thank you dear Vanessa for a wonderful afternoon.....

* * * * * *
I can hardly believe it's August already - summer is flying by for me, how about you? That said, I've got lots of need-to-do's and not a whole lot of "done" : )

I hope to have some art to share with you soon, as well as an update on my new Etsy shop.
Have a fabulous weekend and as always - be well.

The Sketchbook Project 2011 Tour

Hello! Just peeking in with a quick update for y'all. Yes the banner above is a hint at what my post is about....

After shuffling my feet back and forth for about a month now, I decided to sign up for this project before it fills. They closed out a few themes I was considering but one of them was still available and so I chose: 'in flight'.

I'm hoping this experience will help me to break out of my 'hang on to it/ hoard it' thing I have for my work. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't love sharing it, it's just really hard for me to give it up forever - okay just typing those last few words is enough to rock my commitment to this, good thing I already paid :>

I have until January 2011 to complete it before they need it back (it's gonna see NY before I do, hee) so I'll try to share my process with you before I send it on it's way for touring the country. It's stopping at 6 major cities and one of them is Austin, TX, it would be great to make it there to see the whole project all in one place.....

Are you joining me in 'The Sketchbook Project' - if you aren't, what are you waiting for? C'mon, jump in!

Happy 4th!

A quick post with some journal art to share as I've been trying to stay on track with this calendar journal, preparing the pgs ahead of time really helps with committing to it daily (or at least every couple of days *wink*). For the first week of July, I let the holdiays inspire me....

Wishing you & yours a safe [and dry] holiday - we've been getting the tail end of Hurricane Alex all week here in South Texas, fingers crossed it stays dry for tonites fireworks!

Be well....

Journal Bliss

I've been soooo bad at keeping a daily/weekly journal of life events in the last six months so yesterday I decided to dedicate (& rescue) an abandoned journal and turn it into a 'calendar' journal. I'm sure you feel the same way as I do when I say I don't feel any pressure to produce art when I just.get.to.play.....

BUZZ: Our local Art Gallery asked me if I'd like to offer artsy gifts like journals/ small pieces of original art, etc. for the upcoming Fall & Christmas season, (yeah I know, but this is the time of year to think about that).

That got me into creative mode and thinking of the possibility of reproducing my original art & design for a fill-in calendar journal for those of us who are too busy/intimidated/not sure where to start/ just wanna have a quiet & safe place to vent. I don't know about you, but I find that having an inspiring, easily accessible place to write down even just a few words or what I'm dealing with that day to be a great release - one filled with intent, vindication & purpose.

Anyhow, I'm searching out a professional printer to re-create a 2011 calendar journal with my original illustrations & favorite quotes for each month. I'm hoping to eventually add them to my new Etsy shop. My grand opening will be sometime in June.....

Stay tuned for updates - be well.

Illustration Friday - 'Fearless'

"There is no such thing as a fearless warrior or a dread-free artist."
Steven Pressfield (The War of Art)

An entry from my portrait journal for IF's 'fearless'. I've always been fascinated with surreal artwork and actually any art that at first glance doesn't make any sense to me. Yet when I try to create a piece like that myself, logic always seems to get in the way. This was a huge step forward for me as far as being 'fearless' and actually completing a piece even when the elements didn't 'go together', at least not in my mind.

I've been studying song birds recently and as I flipped through my book, a page opened to the American Crow 'Corvus brachyrhynchos', I added it to the portrait I was working on without thinking why/where to put it and quickly too before I changed my mind. I'm not really sure what the meaning of this piece is for me altho I'm sure an analyst somewhere would have a few things to say about it (ha!) - but doesn't all of our work speak for us on some level??

Have a great week!

Birthday In Vegas!

Hello all, listening to this song today, it's been playing around in my head since coming back from a very special trip yesterday. My hubby surprised me and whisked me off to [planet] Las Vegas for my birthday earlier this week! I say planet because it really is like stepping into another world, so much to see and do. Thank goodness it was only a short trip (4 days) because we didn't sleep much - it really is the city that never sleeps, let me tell ya!

Now that I'm back down to earth I really need to concentrate on getting my portfolio put together. I've had so many stops & starts with it, everything from distractions & creative blocks to everyday life pulling me away from getting it done. What do you do to move beyond this kinda stuff (crap) ? I even took my 'Art & Fear' off the bookshelf today for a quick reread to see if that helps...

Anyhow, I hope you're enjoying much creativity, a little bit of fabulous & a whole lot of whatever it is that inspires you in your little corner of the world. As always, be well.

"I imagine that yes is the only living thing." e.e. cummings

Hello friends, it feels like ages since I've posted and even more since I visited everyone, I will try to get around soon, promise.

Rain, rain & more rain in the forecast this week, unusual for south Texas that's for sure...April showers bring May flowers tho, right? Until then, I've got my own sketched bloom above [it was great pulling out my watercolors & colored pencils on a whim].

Besides, I'm in a bit of 'research and discover' mode the last few weeks so let it rain, I've got plenty to keep me busy. And I've been saying 'Yes' to a few things too, one of them being a new camera, a Canon Rebel t1i. My other one was adequate for what I needed but it bit the dust awhile ago so decided on an upgrade. I feel like I have SO much to learn - and it isn't even one of the 'big boys' as far as cameras go. I'm aiming for a photo shoot after the rain lets up....

The other source of busyness is focusing on a new direction for my work, more illustrative in style and design oriented. There are a few things connected with this forward motion, but I'm not ready for a reveal just yet :)

What are you saying 'Yes' to right now? Was it spontaneous or did it take you awhile to decide - maybe you juried it around in your head or had someone help you realize it was time??

Much creativity to you - be well....