In one word.....Balance

Beautiful lake effect snow this morning..... :)

I've chosen my word for 2009...
Balance.

I've always tended toward being a feast or famine sort of girl. And I admit it... I do sort of like the thrill and gluttony of the "feast."

• the rush of adrenaline that comes with closing deadlines that I'm not ready for.
• the wonderful excuse procrastination gives me. (to let the house go..to not have healthy food in the fridge...etc.)
• the pinpoint concentration on the eminent task that's due.
• forsaking all other aspects of life. (I do find time to go to the bathroom, and occasionally brush my teeth)

Somehow, I convinced myself that this is the way that I work best. That I'm my most creative self when backed up against a wall.

But with age....occasionally comes wisdom.

Over the last couple of years, I've made progress with changing this self defeating method of operation. I'm finding that I'm still happily creative when I'm not so frazzled and rushed...
But, I'm far from mastery...

So, "Balance" with a capital "B"... will be my theme for 2009.

Have you decided to chose a one word theme for the New Year?

Too much TV....

"He Had That Glazed Look..." Acrylic ~ 7 x 5 inches
(detail below)

This is one of the many warm-up paintings I was doing in October and November... Makes me laugh. :)

Quote of the day:
"You can't just wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club."
~Jack London

Pick just one word for 2009.....

"Starlight Starbright" 3.5 x 5.5 acrylic on paper

Christine Kane (i love her music and her spirit) suggests an alternative to making a bunch of New Year's resolutions. She suggests that we choose just one word as our theme for the new year. I love the simplicity of this idea. I'm pondering my list... the hard thing will be to choose just one. Here are some of my ideas:

Joy
Mindfulness
Allow
Potential
Pure
Open
Essential
Self-care (I call "hyphen makes it one word")
Accept
Courage
Productive
Yes!
Healthy
High-road
Trust
Delight
Follow-through
Ordered
Prioritize
Share

Let me know if you decide on a one word theme to 2009...

Happy Holidays....

"ho ho ho" watercolor ~ 8 x 8

This is an older painting...but I laugh every time I come across it....
Our house is full...will be a bit more full this evening as my mom and her hubby arrive this afternoon.
Have a wonderful and peaceful Christmas, filled with fun, laughter, and love....and if you have a full house like we do.... a bit of tolerance goes a long way too. :)

Quote of the day:
Life isn't a matter of milestones, but moments.
~Rose Kennedy

Doing It.

"Starry Sky" watercolor and casein ~ 8 x 8 (sold)

Today, I stumbled upon this wonderful paragraph, so I'm sharing.

"We can’t get good at something solely by reading about it. And we’ll never make giant leaps in any endeavor by treating it like a snack food that we munch on whenever we’re getting bored. You get good at something by doing it repeatedly. And by listening to specific criticism from people who are already good at what you do. And by a dedication to getting better, even when it’s inconvenient and may not involve a handy bulleted list." Merlin Mann

Any strides I've made recently have come from lots of studio time... For me, there's just no other way than lots of brush mileage.

We got so much snow today it's unreal.

Getting in the Christmas Spirit!

I am the guardian of my boy's collection of snow globes. My mom has gotten them one each Christmas since they were born...Now the boys are 24 and 21 years old... So I'm holding on to quite a few! :) I do displays of them above the fireplace, and they are my favorite decoration. The ones from the "early years" are plastic, and there isn't much water left in them! Soon they'll be rattles. LOL

Quote of the day:
"Teamwork is a lot of people doing what I say."
(I can dream can't I?)

Watercolor Class Samples

"Winter Trees" 8 x 10 ~ watercolor

This is the sample for one of the beginning watercolor classes I'm teaching at JoAnn's (in Auburn Hills) in January.
I'll be teaching negative painting in this particular class (the 3rd week of January)... Come and join me!

A Painting Accepted into Arizona Edges Show!

"Break Through" 11 x 8 ~ Acrylic on Paper

I was thrilled to find out that "Break Through" was accepted into the Arizona Edges juried competition. I entered on a whim, after I read about it in Robert Burridge's Artsy Fartsy Newsletter. :) This is the first out of state show I've entered....so I am doing a great big happy dance!

I'll be offering classes starting in January

"The Sky is Falling!" watercolor ~ 30 x 22 (sold)

Can you guess why I was inspired to post this painting...I refuse to watch the local news (being here in the Detroit area and all)

I'll be teaching in 2009!
I'm excited to announce that I'll be teaching in 2 different venues next year...the Auburn Hills Joann's and through the Orion Art Center.
The Joann's classes will be project based (students all paint the same thing) and I'm starting with watercolor. (samples will up in the store within the week.) I'll be there doing a demo this Saturday from 1 to 3 pm. If you are in the plaza doing your shopping...stop in and say hi! :)

Orion Art Center is negotiating with the new owner of a vacated school...I guess there is some fabulous class room space available. We expect the classes to begin in February. (After their big annual fundraiser, the Snowflake Ball) I'll be teaching Acrylic! I'm so excited about it!
I'll also be teaching one day workshops with a variety of subjects and themes... It should be a heck of a lot of fun!

Thanks for stopping by....and have a great weekend!

Winter Windows

"Winter Windows" 21 x 13 ~ mixed media

I started this one last winter... just pulled it out today and added a bit of dark... Trying to stop too early rather than too late! :)

Thank You Notes.....

Example of a card front, using Send Out Cards.

In last Thursday's Painters Keys newsletter by Canadian artist Robert Genn, he talks about thank-you notes, and how he has never done them. The Painter's Keys newsletter is published every Tuesday and Thursday, and arrives by email. You can choose to write back with some thoughts on the topic, along with some examples of your paintings, and if you are lucky, you'll be included in the "click-backs." Happily, my response letter was published this morning.

In my letter I mention Send Out Cards. That's the company I use to send all my art related (and some personal) custom cards. I create the card front using their Photoshop template, then I can upload the high quality image to my Send Our Cards account. I have my own personalized font they created using my handwriting. I type my message, include more photos if needed, and with a couple of clicks, the card is in queue to be printed, folded, stuffed in the envelope, addressed, stamped (using an actual stamp) and mailed. The quality is excellent! I just happen to be a distributor... LOL... so if you're interested in trying it out, let me know, and I'll set you up with a free account to send a couple of cards.

Yikes! How many days until Christmas???

"My Favorite Things" waterolor~ 7.5 x 7.5

You know how when you're busy...sometimes the actual date on the calendar doesn't cut through the gray matter? Well, this morning it did! Horrors! Is there still time to do all my shopping online without breaking the bank on expedited shipping???

I am not an actual shopper...I am a virtual shopper...I start to twitch after an hour or so in a mall. (I think it's sensory overload) So, I gathered my huge stack of catalogs and started and finished my shopping this morning. I'm patting myself on the head.

Quote of the day:
“We are put here on this earth not to see through each other, but to see each other through.”

Thought Process...

"Thought Process" 11 x 10 inches ~Acrylic

Another in the Taking the High Road series...The hardest part of painting is knowing when to STOP! I'm trying to stop a bit earlier than in the past...Fresh eyes the next day are so helpful.
Have a great weekend!

distractions and diversions...work in progress

Distractions and Diversions 12 x 12 acrylic on canvas...work in progress

I was excited to find out that both of my paintings (Rock the Boat Baby, and All Together Now) got in the Lawrence Street Gallery 12 x 12 (or smaller) show! The opening is this Friday (Dec. 5th) evening. Yippee Skippee!

I'm helping out this afternoon (from 2 to 6 at the Orion Art Center's Holiday Market...stop by and visit me! :) I'll also be helping out next Thursday, Dec. 11th from 2 to 6 as well.

More gorgeous snow....

The snow has been just beautiful....sticking to everything.


I just discovered this bittersweet vine in our side yard! Looks beautiful with it's snow coat.