rediscovering my creativity one sketch at a time
Though I have not been posting much lately….or at all, I have actually been super busy in my creative life. There is too much for an update right now, but soon.
The latest painting that I’ve been working on got me thinking about my poor neglected blog and how this pretty little lady would brighten things up! More to come. : )
My family and I love Hayao Miyazaki films. So much so that my son and I made a Princess Mononoke mask together this summer. We used air dry clay which is easy to work with and surprisingly sturdy. So fun and came out great!
Madly making Valentine’s Cards.
I’ll be in New Orleans for 2 weeks working as an art handler for Prospect New Orleans (more on that later) so I have to crank these out before I leave and the love birds start flocking.
I am finishing up a long and extravagant holiday break, but leading up to this, I had been so busy that I could only take care of whatever happened to be in front of me. The other me would have been horrified by this state, but it’s been a wonderful lesson on how to let things go. The weeds and leaves are fine where they are, so I didn’t get to planting garlic this year, my husband is taking up a lot of the slack, a lot, maybe we order in more than usual, and volunteering?… not so much. But what I have learned is that when I let my propensity for perfection go, life is more spontaneous and fun.
Since my blog is one things that has fallen by the wayside, here is a little catch up on what I’ve been up to.
My job at Maximal Art.
Turns out I love making jewelry!. I always knew I loved working with tools but for some reason had never made jewelry before. Of course it doesn’t hurt that my coworkers are amazingly sweet and funny and kind and I would choose to hang out with them all day even if I wasn’t getting paid.
My pet portrait business is still chugging along.
Though spending 40 hours a week at my 9-5 has changed my ability to do more behind the easel, I still have commissions trickling in at a pace that I can keep up with.
My hand painted greeting cards.
It is a perfect in between project for me to work on while pet portraits dry or I am waiting for pasta water to boil for dinner. It keeps my juices flowing without having to stress about the time commitment. Sort of my meditation time.
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I love this new realization that being busy doesn’t take away from my ability to appreciate life but rather adds to it. I am truly looking forward to all that this new year has to offer and know I am ready to take it on!
Happy New Year everyone!
Between painting Pet Portraits and making jewelry for Maximal Art, I am also satisfying my doodling urge by making greeting cards to sell at our local CoOp. Day of the Dead imagery makes me happy.
This week I started a job at a jewelry company, John Wind Maximal Art.
It’s actually really great. I get to make stuff all day. One of my favorite thing to do in life is to make things. And making things that potentially make others happy, even better! So far so good.
The most difficult part is the sitting. I am not a sitter. I need to work out, run around the yard or garden during my breaks from the easel. Now I find myself with no time coming home (like the majority of the population, I KNOW) making dinner, catching up with my family over dinner and then immediately grabbing a few computer moments, trying to fit in some studio painting time, shower, bed, repeat.
So how to fit in my art time? Workout time? Weekends.
I can do it!
my sketch experiment 