Jacquie Williamson-Mixed Media Artist

Inspiration Avenue-Meet Katie Berggren

2012-02-27T13:13:00.000-05:00

Last year, just before Mother’s Day, I was looking around onEtsy (not sure what I was looking for, probably just poking around), and I ranacross the most beautiful painting by Katie Berggren called Recharge. It spoke to me. It reminded me of me and my daughter tryingto take a nap. Physically, the littlegirl looks nothing like Victoria, but the personality is the same. I sent the link to my husband, and he got mea print for Mother’s Day. I have theprint in my bedroom, and one day Victoria pointed to it, and said “that’s meand Mommy’. So, I guess I was rightabout it.

Katie’s work is so moving. She expresses so much emotion. Ihope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Recharge

1. Can you please tell us a little about yourself?

I’m a mother of two little boys who has always had an urgeto create. I began my art business by taking commissioned jobs pencilingportraits from photos. I moved on to colored pencil and digital art, but oneday while painting a mural on my new son’s wall, the memory of how much I lovedto paint hit me. I put down the pencils, picked up the brush and NEVER lookedback!

Simple Gifts

2. Could you describe your work?

My paintings are created from my soul ~ as a way tocapture the emotions that stir a mother, and to focus on, protect andmemorialize those fleeting moments of bliss between mother and child. I like tothink of my paintings, also, as a way to remind us of what is most important inour relationships with our families and children: being there.

3. How did you get started painting?

I took two painting classes during my time at my communitycollege, to learn light and shadow, form and such. I enjoyed them, but didn’tlove them. It wasn’t until I felt the freedom and courage to create from myheart in colored pencil and digital software that I was able to put the twotogether ~ the emotion and movement of the colored pencil work, and the freedomof the paint on canvas. Together, they thrill me.

4. What materials do you use in your paintings?

I prefer acrylic paintings, never had much luck withwatercolor paints, and generally avoided oils because I was worried abouttoxins around my babies. I love acrylic paint on rich textural cotton canvases.I mostly use brushes, but have been known to use my hands, plastic wrap,palette knives, and a variety of other tools.

5. I’ve noticed that your paintings range in sizesfrom 4x4 to quite large. Do you find it a challenge to paint in such avariety of sizes?

The first little 4x4” canvas was a surprise! But also adelight. I am happy on a canvas of any size, to be truthful. I generally keepthe larger sizes to a maximum that will fit in my car! I do not find itchallenging, jumping back and forth, I love creating paintings and all aspectsthereof!

Home

6. I love your painting style. Did you startout painting this way, or did you develop it over time?

This painting style developed in a raw and naïve way fromthe moment I put brush to canvas (after those college days) when I realized Iwanted to use paint to share my emotions instead of colored pencils and digitalmeans. My very first painting attempted the current stylized and expressive,movement-y style ~ but in a very raw form. It took a few paintings before Ibegan to understand the style, and years of painting to finesse it, and I stillhave work to do. I frequently find that the style wants to change a bit, too,in regard to adding some text, or using smaller brush strokes.

7. What is your favorite work that you havepainted?

I have many paintings that I consider my favorite that haveblossomed from the studio. To be truthful, once the piece is done, and while itis in progress, I don’t focus on the fact that “I” painted it ~ sometimes Ibarely have memories or words to describe the process (which is why it isimperative to photograph and write DURING the process, versus later!). I knowthe pieces came from within, but with such assistance from the inspiration allaround me. I would have to say Simple Gifts, Deep As A River, Home, Mid Day Rest(this one hangs in my bedroom), The Very Breath and Nature are some of myfavorites right from the top of my head, today, anyway!

8. Who or what inspires you?

I am inspired by life. Simple as that! I am inspired by thecolor, the movement, the skin. I become so inspired by watching (ok, staringat) the interactions between the mothers and children around me. Sometimes theyinspire me to create a new piece, sometimes they inspire me in general becauseI feel I have a true duty and purpose to share the purpose of a mother for achild. I am always aware of the need for this work that I am a part of ~ I amalways aware of the fact that so many mothers forget or were never notified ofwhat their children need most: their mother’s attention and affection.

9. What one piece of art has inspired you the most?

I was inspired very early on by the work of Kathe Kollwitz ~her emotional and heart-wrenching pieces from the early 1900’s focused onshowing humanity in its raw form. She created many pieces featuring mother andchild. I first discovered her work in high school, but had no idea that I wouldstill be inspired by it in my 30’s. Her intentions lie somewhere within me, notan obvious form of inspiration, or work that I have hanging in my studio ~ buta general longing to join her in representing the heart and soul of humans andtheir vulnerable relationships (in Kollwitz’s work it was often a relationshipwith war, hunger, death, and other humans) that reminds me that our emotionsare sometimes too glossed over to recognize or read. We need artwork to remindus of our pain, joy, passion and intensity.

Nature

10. Who are some of your favorite artists?

Kathe Kollwitz, Mary Cassatt, Susan Mrosek (http://www.ponderingpool.com/), RieMunoz, Gustav Klimt.

11. Do you currently teach workshops or are youplanning to in the future?

I do not currently teach workshops, but have considered it.Right now, the only art I teach is to my sons and their classrooms!

12. What one piece of advice would you give tosomeone starting out as an artist?

I would say to find their purpose, find the reason they aredoing what they are doing. Then find the art that supports that purpose andshare it with the world! There is so much to follow that, but when you know whyyou are doing what you are doing, everything else is far more doable!

13. What are your dreams for your creative businessin the future? What is the one big (or many) thing you aspire to?

I aspire for my artwork to open up possibilities for myfamily. I also greatly aspire to use my artwork to do good, to support mothersand their children in a very necessary and valuable way. I have yet to find mycomplete path for how I will contribute but am doing my best to give andsupport until the right path comes along.

Deep As A River

14. What techniques or styles would you like to trythat you don’t currently use?

I’ve found a recent urge for collage ~ and started addingsome text to my 4x4 Collection: Moments With Messages (http://kmberggren.com/paintings/4x4-moments-with-messages/),but will be doing more experimenting with collage in the future.

15. Besidesmaking art, what other things do you like to do?

I like to play games with my family, go on walks and hikes,watch movies, read, study health and natural remedies, organize, communicate,people watch, and connect.

To view Katie’s work and find out more about her, you canfind her here:

To receive emails featuring new paintings,products and specials? http://kmberggren.com/join/
See new paintings at http://www.kmberggren.com
Shop Online at http://www.kmberggren.com/shop
Follow along with the Painting Motherhood blog - http://www.kmberggren.com/blog
Facebook Page - http://www.facebook.com/kmberggrenfanpage

My First Published Piece

2012-01-15T13:17:00.002-05:00

Zoe

One of my goals for this year is to get published. It’s a great way to get your name and yourwork out there for people to see. I haveset some pretty high goals this year. You can see what they are here. Ifinally feel like I have a style of my own, and I can start moving forward withthese goals. I have learned of lot ofgreat things in the past few months, and I have built an awesome community offellow artists. I really feel like I’mon the right path. So, as my first steptoward these goals, I have a piece published in the Winter issue of AlteredArts Magazine. The magazine is availabledigitally, so if you would like to order a copy, there is a button on the leftside. Click on there and look for theWinter 2011/12 copy.

Hopefully, this will be the first of many publishedpieces. I will keep you guys posted onmy progress. I hope everyone is having afabulous new year so far.

Moving Forward-2012

2011-12-19T22:51:00.001-05:00

Well, the Holiday Market was a bust, but it’s time to moveon and make plans for next year. I’vebeen thinking a lot about what I want to accomplish in the next fewmonths. Back when I was stalking WendyBrightbill (she's an amazing person and artist, you should stalk her too), I ran across a post of hers where she had listed her 2011 I DidList. She listed all of the goals sheaccomplished during the year. Turns out,she did them all. So, this made me think. If I list all of my goals for 2012 on here,maybe it will keep me accountable and help me accomplish my goals as well. Plus, it’s not a bad idea to let everyoneknow what I’m up to and what to look forward to in the future, right?

When I began Kelly Rae’s class, I listed my goals/dreams formy business. I’m not sure I’ve actuallygotten them all down yet, but I’m going to break it down into the ones I thinkare doable for the coming year. Actually, some things I have accomplished orstarted already, so that’s amazing. Ijust need to keep ticking them off one by one. It was so wonderful how Kelly Rae taught us to break down our goals andstart getting them done.

These really aren’t in any sort of order. It’s just a list of things I want to happenfor me and my little business. Some ofthem will also probably overlap anyway. It would be great to see what you guys have in mind for the coming yearas well. Make yourself accountable too.

Get aline of paper dolls together and in stores (I’m collaborating with a friend onthis. It’s going to be so much fun. She is amazing, and I think we will workgreat together.)

Getmore Etsy sales.

Attenda few art festivals. I plan on thisbeing the last year I have to do shows. I want to get enough exposure that I can rely on online sales and nottraveling all the time.

Join mylocal visual arts association. This willgive me some exposure in the community, and I will get to meet more localartists and network with them.

Getpublished in at least three magazines this year.

Continuemy interview series-Inspiration Avenue

Startsteps toward teaching an online course. Maybe make some tutorial videos and put them on youtube.

There are probably more than this, but I think it’s a goodstart. Anything else is just icing onthe cake. My intention is to check inevery quarter and see how the list is going. I’ll try not to forget to do that. I plan on 2012 being full of growth for my business.

Inspiration Avenue-Meet Flor Larios

2011-12-17T13:52:00.000-05:00

I’ve been giving a lot of thought lately to the people whoinspire me. Being self-taught, I rely alot on other artists that I run across on the internet. There are so many amazing ones out there, I thoughtit would be great to introduce my followers to the ones that have driven me towhere I am today. I rely a lot on blogsto introduce me to new people, so I’m going to return the favor by periodicallyfeaturing interviews with the artists who inspire me the most. There is no set schedule for these posts,just whenever I am able to get an interview with someone, so keep checkingback.

One of my favorites artists is Flor Larios. Flor is an amazing artist and such abeautiful person as well. I’ve emailedher a couple of times to ask questions, and she has always responded and beenvery helpful to me. I would like her toknow how much I appreciate that. Sometimesit’s really hard to get information or figure things out, and it’s great tohave fellow artists to share along the way. When I started thinking about what to ask her, I looked at other artistinterviews. I was getting really boggeddown trying to figure out what questions to ask. Which ones are the best? Then, I decided, what do I want to know aboutFlor? So, I closed out the otherinterviews and took that approach. Thisis what I wanted to know most. I hopeyou guys enjoy it.

1. Can you pleaseintroduce yourself and your work.
Originally from Nicaragua. I am a self-taught artist and like to createmixing techniques and combining old with new expressing kindness, tenderness,magic, and mysticism thru my art.

2. How long have you been painting?
Forever!

3. How did you getstarted making art?
Years ago. I became interested after visiting museums in Boston and NewYork.

4. I’ve noticedthat you have quite a large following. Do you mind telling us whatmarketing strategies have worked for you so far? Is there something youwould like to try and haven’t yet?
Thank you! Just keep going even when you have doubts or feel extremelytired.

5. What are yourfavorite materials to work with?
Oil pastels and metallic paints.

6. What inspiresyour paintings?
Antique religious icons and Frida Kahlo's art.

7. What one pieceof art has inspired you the most?
'The Birth of Venus' by Botticelli.

8. Who are some ofyour favorite artists?
Frida, Gauguin, and Paul Klee.

9. Do you currentlyteach any workshops? If not, do you have any plans to do so in thefuture?
Not at this moment, maybe in the future.

10. What are your dreams for your creativebusiness in the future? What is the one big thing you aspire to?
I would like for my art to be everywhere...who wouldn't? To have a collection of children's bookswritten by my husband and illustrated by me.

11. What techniques or styles would youlike to try that you don’t currently use?
I never use water colors... I might want to try that next...

12. Besides making art, what other thingsto you like to do?
I like to worry about small things and big things...

13. Is there anything else you would like us toknow about you? People really like to get to know artists and what makesthem tick. Sometimes it makes them more drawn to your work.
I am insanely shy.

I want to thank Flor for participating in my interview. You can find her and her work on her blog or in her etsy shop.

December?????

2011-12-05T11:51:00.001-05:00

What on earth happened to November? Where did the time go? Even though I didn’t post very much, I didmake art every day in November. Sorrythat I wasn’t able to keep up with the posting. Maybe next year I will be more organized. I’ve got lots of things in the works for theHoliday Market. Take a look at thewebsite for all the info on the Market.

I’m going to be putting some new prints in the shop in thenext couple of days. Make sure you takea look and see what’s new. I’m trying toget some new originals for the Market. I’mmaking a few 8x10’s in case people want smaller sizes.

This is a painting I did for my Etsy Mom’s group. I volunteered to give away a prize forOctober for the treasury winners. Minewas chosen as first prize. Soexciting.

Little Trees

The Holiday Market starts this Friday. I’ll be back with all the details andpictures for you guys. If you’re inChattanooga, make sure to come by. I’m goingto have lots of ornaments and 4x4 plaques.

Art Every Day Month-Days Two – Seven

2011-11-08T15:48:00.002-05:00

I haven’t really been doing anything specific on aparticular day. I’m getting ready forthe show this weekend, and I’ve been working on some Christmas items. Here’s a picture of some of them. I’m planning on making some ornaments withsome of my prints as well. I think Iwill work on that today. I’m hoping toget a few more of these 4x4 plaques done before the show as well as a couple ofnew girls. Wish me luck. I’ve got a lot to do and very littletime. I better get to it.

Art Every Day Month-Day One

2011-11-02T18:04:00.003-04:00

Here are my first pictures of Art Every Day Month. Since Iwork at night, I’m probably going to bea day behind in my postings. I willprobably even lump a couple of days together here and there.

I have been working on some 4x4 and 5x7 plaques for myupcoming show on the 12^th. I’vegotten a few sketches done and some backgrounds. I’m hoping to do several holiday inspiredones. I know how people love holidaystuff, so this will be my first attempt. I will be working on these paintings for day two. See you tomorrow.

Spreading Our Wings-Blog Hop

2011-11-01T00:01:00.000-04:00

They say everything happens for a reason. Last summer, I lost my job. In this economy, I wasn’t sure what I wasgoing to do. It’s been so hard to find areplacement, especially since I don’t have an accounting degree. I have read art magazines for a fewyears. There was always something insideme telling me that I needed to create something. What? Thatwas the issue. I have always loved thework of Kelly Rae Roberts. I used to seeher in almost every magazine I bought, or maybe I bought every magazine I sawher in. It’s the whole chicken and eggissue! A few weeks after I lost my job,I was in the art store and saw Kelly Rae’s book. Of course, I had to get it. It actually changed my life. I found out that when she was writing herbook, she had only been painting for two years. “Wow, I can do that.”, I thought. And so my journey began.

Besides her artwork, Kelly Rae has many things toadmire. One of them is her business sense. She has created an amazing business forherself, and she taught an online workshop called Flying Lessons. She shared many of her secrets. Along with this knowledge, a vast communityof likeminded souls was created. I havemet such an amazing group of women who are on the same path as myself. It’s amazing how connecting with people whoshare your goals, fears and enthusiasm can help you in your venture. I’m so glad to have connected with thesewomen. As part of our journey, we haveset up a blog hop to help introduce each other to the world through ourblogs. Below is a list of the women whohave joined in the hop along with links to their blogs. Please take a look at them. You will be inspired by the all just as I am. You will also find some great art along theway. One thing I love about blog hops isdiscovering new artists. Take your timeand enjoy! Make sure if you like whatyou see that you subscribe or follow their site so you don’t lose track ofthem. That’s happened to me too manytimes, and I’ve tried finding their site again and found that they were lostforever.

Amaranthine Violet: http://magic-gypsy.blogspot.com/

Amy Hillenbrand: http://amyhillenbrand.blogspot.com

Beatriz Peñas B.: http://beatrizbepe.blogspot.com/

Beth Cougler Blom: http://sobliss.wordpress.com/

Carmen Patti: http://carmenpattistudio.com/wordpress/

Carol Bray: http://theredpaintedcottage.blogspot.com

Christina Fajardo: http://christinafajardo.blogspot.com/

Cindy Jones Lantier: http://www.lantier.org

Connie Rawlins : http://www.dabblinginlife.blogspot.com/

Dana Brock: http://www.dzynbydana.blogspot.com

Deborah Velásquez : http://deborahvelasquez.blogspot.com

Elissa Brown: http://thefreckledarmy.blogspot.com

Hillary Courson: http://www.hillarycourson.com

Jacquie Williamson: http://www.jacquiewilliamson.blogspot.com/

Jane Paynting: http://inkspiredwings.wordpress.com

Janet Forrest: http://tatterednworn.wordpress.com/

Jennifer DeVille: http://jenniferdeville.com/blog/

Jill Lambert : http://www.jill-lambert.blogspot.com/

Julie Hamilton: http://spaark.wordpress.com

Kanchan Mahon: http://Kanchan-Mahon.blogspot.com/

Karen Claverie: http://giddyupletsride.blogspot.com

Kari DeSaulnier: http://karidesi.blogspot.com/

Kathleen Conard : http://newfromoldcreations.blogspot.com/

Kathleen McKinnon: http://harmonyschoolhouse.com/expressions-blog.html

Kathy May: http://kathymaydesigns.org

Kelley Miller: http://www.kelleymillerartworks.blogspot.com/

Kelly Corso: http://birdinatreecreations.blogspot.com/

Kelly Hoernig: http://www.kellyhoernig.blogspot.com/

Kim Hyer: http://www.apaperaddict.com/

Kris Lanae Binsfeld: http://cherishdesigns.wordpress.com

Linda Barutha: http://lindabaruthadesigns.blogspot.com

Lisa Michele Products:
http://www.lisamicheleproducts.blogspot.com/

Liza Zeni Baker: http://lizazeni.wordpress.com/

Lynn Richards: http://alittlebluesky.blogspot.com

Lori Leissner: http://leissnerart.blogspot.com

Lori Moon: http://lorimoonstudio.blogspot.com

Mary Cottingham: http://www.barnbugstudio.blogspot.com/

Mary Sterk: http://justmarydesigns.wordpress.com

Megan Schmitt: http://www.schmittenwithwords.blogspot.com/

Melanie Douthit: www.douthitgallery.blogspot.com

Michelle Dwyer: http://www.magnetisedbylife.com/

Michelle Reynolds: http://shellsinthebush.blogspot.com/

Rachél Payne (Rae): http://collectingyourself.wordpress.com/

Rain Hannah: http://honeyandollie.com/

Rhiannon Connelly: http://www.starrybluesky.wordpress.com

Ruth-Mary Smith: http://patchworkfamilieshub.blogspot.com

Sherry Richert Belul:
http://simplycelebrate.net/cherry-blossom-soup

Shirley Ann: http://leonardarenaissancewoman.blogspot.com/

Stacey Chadwick
Brown: http://staceybrownarts.blogspot.com/

Susan M. Walls-Beverly:
http://www.susanscharmingtrinkets.blogspot.com

Teresa Cash-Czech: http://www.asmilemaker.com/

Tina Carlborg: http://www.tinachicky.blogspot.com/

Tonya Love: http://passport2creativity.com/

Ursula Smith: http://www.EasyScraps.com/blog

Zulma Cadena: http://edustory.wordpress.com/

Mary Cottingham http://www.barnbugstudio.blogspot.com

Daily Art Challenge

2011-10-28T21:42:00.002-04:00

I ran across a challenge today. Leah at Creative Every Day is having achallenge to create art every day for the month of November. So, I have decided to put myself to the testas well. I’ve been meaning to createsomething every day, but before I know it, the day is over. I will have a booth at Normalpalooza thisyear, so I need to produce some new work, so this is the perfect opportunityfor me to do this.

Several of my fellow fliers are participating in thischallenge as well, so I hope you will check it out and see what they are up toas well. I plan on posting my creationsas I do them. I may have to post a coupleof days at once, but that will be ok. I’llmake sure to mark which day it is for. If you are up for a challenge, I hope you will join me. It’s a great opportunity to get some work inyour art journals or just get some new work going. You can take a look and see what it's about in her post Art Every Day Month.

Finding Inspiration

2011-10-13T14:53:00.001-04:00

Where do you find inspiration? Better yet, what inspires you? I used to have one source of inspiration. Letme rephrase that. As far as what I wantto accomplish with my life, I had one source. Kelly Rae Roberts. I loveher. I love her artwork. I love what she’s managed to accomplish allon her own. I am starting to step out ofthat box and realize that there are other artists out there who haveaccomplished similar things. I have beendoing a lot of research, and I managed to convince myself that I can do it too. As far as art is concerned, I look atblogs of other artists all the time. I loveseeing what other artists doing, learning new techniques and getting ideas formy work. However, I’m starting to thinkI’m spending way too much time doing that and not doing art. There’s inspiration, and then there’s timebeing sucked away from my life. I don’twant to fall victim to all this technology we have. It’s incredible what you can accomplish on acomputer, but there’s a fine line there. Once you cross over, it’s hard to not just stay there. I don’t want to give up looking at blogs andtaking online workshops and all those awesome things, but I don’t want to losemyself in the process.

This cute little guy was inspired by the lovely Wendy Brightbill.

On another note, I’m trying to find inspiration in otherways. Maybe the fact that I didn’t go toart school, makes it more difficult for me to know where to look and what tolook for. I hear people say their workis inspired my nature, and sometimes I just don’t see it in their work. I’m a pretty literal person, and that may be myproblem. If I see a picture of a tree,and someone says they were inspired by it, I expect to see a painting of atree. I guess that’s why I’m not anabstract artist! I guess that’s also whyI rely so much on other artists’ work to inspire me. I have been very inspired by my daughterlately. She is such an amazing littleperson. She loved to draw andpaint. I love the fact that she willjust sit and draw or paint. She doesn’tgive it any thought. She just does. I envy the freedom she feels. She is going to be a great little artist.

This is one of my daughter's amazing drawings. I don't know a lot about kid's abilities, but it amazes me that she can do this at the age of 3. This is a pony and rainbow.

One thing I wish for is to find a balance between lookingfor inspiration, being inspired and putting that inspiration to work. I hope everyone is able to find thatbalance. It’s not an easy thing, atleast for me. I am very easilydistracted though. Maybe that’s mybiggest problem.

Etsy Treasury for My Fellow Fliers

2011-10-10T15:53:00.001-04:00

'Birds of a Feather' by JacquieWilliamson

A collection of all things birdie.

Chickadee Bird Prin... 111collagedesi... $25.00	Original Bird Paint... JillsDream $40.00	Welcome Sign person... sunshinegirlde... $25.00
Lend a Helping Hand... KathyMayDesign... $30.00	Aurora 2/100 TheNebulousKin... $30.00	Louisiana Brown Pel... lyoungstudio $46.00
Birds, flowers and ... tammyolson $20.00	Alice in Wonderland... charmingtrinke... $23.95	Tree Girl Print---O... thepoppytree $16.00
Kooky Bird Fused Gl... 3wishesstudio $45.00	Gold bird in harmon... brushstrokesan... $50.00	Felt Brooch AngelsandMagpi... $9.00
Bird Ornament DeborahVelasqu... $18.00	Backyard Birds bird... strangeling $29.99	Pink birds with hea... tracyyarbrough $25.00
Motherhood Fine Art... chloeandsofias... $18.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Norcross Art Fest

2011-10-04T21:51:00.001-04:00

Well we went to Atlanta Saturday to go to the Norcross ArtFest. First, we went to pick up myfriend Aongelic. It was prettyorganized. They had some parking optionswhere you could take a shuttle bus to the festival. This was awesome. Since I’m not familiar with that area, it wasgreat to just sit back and let someone else drop us off. They drop you off right at the kidsarea. Victoria couldn’t wait to get tothe activities. They had so many thingsfor kids to do. I’ve never seen thatmuch kid’s stuff at an art festival before. However, she must wait until we’re finished.

This festival was huge. It was all outside. I have tosay, I haven’t been to that many art festivals, so I don’t have much to compareit to. However, this one was great. It was extremely crowded, and from theperspective of an artist, that was amazing. They weren’t all there to look either. I saw a lot of people buying things.

This is a shot of the crowd. This is only one part of it. There were about three other areas this size.

Victoria got her face painted for the first time. She loved it. She had an awesome time. We went to visit our friend Erica who just had a baby, so she got to play with their dog while we were there. She had one fun filled day.

I'm hoping to make it to this show as a vendor next year. I'm really glad I took the time to go check it out. I think it will help me in the long run to see how big a show can be, what people are selling, etc. I feel like I would be so much more prepared now than if I hadn't gone. I've been to our local art fest many times. This one was so different. I should probably check out a couple more before I start signing up for them.

Another Chance to Win a Space in Life Book

2011-09-26T13:25:00.002-04:00

The amazing Tam over at Willowing, is offering a greatcourse with 14 guest teachers. Someamazing women are contributing to this course along with Tam. I have taken a couple of Tam’s coursesalready, and she is just wonderful. Sheis so informative. You would never guessyou are taking an online class. One of theguest teachers is Adriana Almanza. Ihave also taken a couple of her classes as well. Ady has a very unique and beautiful stylethat is so fun to work with. She is agreat teacher and enjoys doing it as well. To celebrate this amazing class, Ady is giving away a free spot in LifeBook. You can check out Ady's sitehere. If you would like more informationon Life Book, please click here. Good luckeveryone. I hope if you don’t win, thatyou will consider signing up for this amazing opportunity to learn from theseincredible women.

Life Book-and a give away

2011-09-22T12:42:00.003-04:00

The beautiful Tam over at Willowing isteaching a year long course called Life Book. It’s a year long journalingexperience. It is also an awesomeopportunity to learn new techniques as she is having several guest teachersparticipating in this course. Even ifyou don’t know how to draw, you will learn so much. You don’t have to know how to draw to be anartist or express yourself. There aremany ways to express yourself with art journaling without even drawinganything. Tam is an incredible teacher,and she can even teach you how to draw if you so desire. You can find out more about the course here.

If you would like a chance to win a place in the course, visit Gritty Jane's giveaway. You can win a place in the class or one of Jane's amazing originals. I hope you will check the class out. It's a great opportunity to learn some new skills from some amazing women.

Best of luck.

Growing Pains

2011-09-14T00:49:00.000-04:00

We’ve been trying to teach our beautiful daughter somethings. She knows her ABC’s, recognizedall the letters (not all the lower case, but most of them) and she can mostlycount to twenty. What else should she belearning? How am I supposed to know? I haven’t been three years old since………… So, I decided to check into a Pre-K HomeSchool program. It looks like theycharge a hefty price to go to Pre-K for some reason, so home schooling might bethe way for me to go. I haven’t foundanything yet, but I just started my research. I’m thinking this might be the perfect way to prepare her forschool. She really loves learning newthings and helping around the house. Shehas so much energy, and I think she gets bored here during the day. She loves to draw and play music. I’m hoping to get her into a creative artsmagnet school once she starts kindergarten, so I’m hoping to find a curriculumthat includes art and music. I’m keepingmy fingers crossed that I find the right thing for her. She is a very special little girl anddeserves only the very best.

Hopefully, this time next week, she will be on her way tolearning everything there is for a pre-schooler to know.

Trying new things

2011-09-08T20:09:00.002-04:00

Angela-Mixed Media Painting

Art, like life, allows room for trying new things. Do you know that feeling you get when you putyourself out there and try something you’ve never done before? What about the feeling when you succeed at itas well? It’s such an awesome feeling. It’s something I should probably try andexperience more often. I tend to stay inmy safe little cocoon, and it becomes extremely repetitive. However, I stepped a little (no extremeshere) outside the box with this painting. I experimented with the background. I really like how it turned out. It’s hard to see in pictures. So muchbetter in person. Also, I dared toactually paint the face with paint instead of colored pencil (my safeplace). I love how the face turnedout. Guess what…….I’m going to be usingpaint on faces much more often. I hopeyou like the results as much as I do.

Taking a Risk

2011-08-29T16:21:00.002-04:00

I’ve been painting for a little over a year now. I love making my “girls”. They are so much fun for me, and it’s something that I am drawn to. However, I’ve been wanting to do a couple of other series of paintings. I love birds and flowers, so I made this little painting to help jump start this series. I haven’t figured out what the second series is going to be yet, but it will come to me at some point. This was a fun little painting, and kind of represents what’s going on with me right now. I’m taking a risk with trying to do art full time and make a living out of it. It’s a very scary place to be. I have to depend on myself, and that’s something I’m not sure I can do! Thank goodness for Kelly Rae Roberts and her class Flying Lessons for showing me the way to do things. Hopefully, I will learn tons from her and be able to make all my dreams come true. I’m working on setting my goals for my business and see what exactly where it is I want to take it. My first step is to get some online sales and do a couple of art shows. Next I will plan on getting published in some magazines. This will hopefully boost my Etsy sales. It’s a hard place to be when you feel like you are alone.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the new painting. There should be more like this to follow soon.

Fitting It All In

2011-08-23T15:30:00.000-04:00

I’ve been wondering lately how I’m supposed to get everything done. Are there really that many hours in the day? Are you kidding me? Between the blogging, social networking, marketing, getting traffic to my blog, posting to etsy, workshops, actually painting, raising my daughter, housework, cooking, and all the things I’ve left out, I just get overwhelmed. So, I have devised a few strategies to help balance things. I’ve had issues with being able to paint while Victoria is awake. Then, by the time she goes to bed, I’m too exhausted to paint. I came up with the plan to let her paint with me. It helps keep her occupied, because she always wants to get into the paints while I’m painting. This has taken a bit of the stress off that. I don’t get to move as quickly, because I have to watch her constantly or the entire house will be covered in her paints, but it does help. Also, as I grow tired of reading the internet, or posting, etc. I get up and do some dishes, sweep or put on a load of laundry. It helps break up the computer work, and I almost welcome the housework. The plan isn’t perfect yet, but I’m getting there. Before you know it, I’ll have a well devised daily schedule. I just have to keep working at it. Instead of just throwing my hands up like I normally do, I will just push through and try to come up with a solution. If you have any ideas on how to incorporate work and daily life, please feel free to share them with me. I’m excited to hear other ideas on this topic.

Getting Ready

2011-08-19T10:34:00.000-04:00

I've been thinking a lot about doing some art fairs, festivals, shows, however you wish to refer to them. Along with originals, I think I need to have some smaller things. I know that if I can't afford to buy work from an artist that I really like, I do like to get a little something with their work on it, like a bookmark, magnet, etc. I'll even buy a print, so I'm trying to come up with a line of items that I can produce myself. Of course, I'm going to make my boxes. Here's the latest one.

I'm also working on getting together some necklaces, bookmarks, and magnets. I would love to make a couple of tote bags too. I bought one to play with. I'll see how that turns out. I'm really kind of excited out the tote bag. I'll put that on the list of to do's for this weekend.

I only have half a day to work today, so I better get to it if I want to have enough for a show! Have a great weekend.

Cha..cha..changes

2011-08-17T15:57:00.000-04:00

I've made a few changes here at the blog. I really like how it's turned out. I believe I'll leave it for a while. I've added a link to my etsy shop over to the left. Please hop over there and take a look at what I've got. I can always do a custom piece if you prefer. I'm working on getting some new boxes together. Hopefully, I'll have those up by this weekend.

I made the header myself thanks to a great tutorial that I found here. It's so easy to follow, and as you can see, you get great results. It was actually pretty fun to do. I didn't seem like work at all. I would have probably enjoyed it a bit more if I wasn't so impatient right now. I've got so much to do, I'm not sure where to start. It's starting to freak me out a little bit. I've decided to just take it one step at a time. Do this then do that and so on. So far, it's working pretty well. If I get overwhelmed, I'm done. I have to be careful not to get distracted. I start one thing, and then the next thing I know, I've done five other things and can't remember what I was doing in the first place.

Working on My Style

2011-08-16T01:09:00.001-04:00

I've been going back and forth about what my style really is. Is it whimsical? Is it more realistic?

I don’t really know. Actually, I like working with both. The good news is, I think there are people out there who do work with both, so, for now, I’m not going to commit to just one style. I broke down and decided to take a class from Tam at Willowing to work on my more realistic style. I seem to have the whimsical down, but I just can’t get a grip on the realistic. Here is my first attempt after watching the first video. I’m pretty pleased with it. What do you think?

I’m going to continue to make some of these sketches for a while. I’ve got plenty of the whimsical ones piled up, so if I want to do a painting with them, I’ve got them. My goal is to work on a sketch a day. How am I going to manage that with all the other things I have to do? Good question. I don’t really know. All I can do is put my best foot forward and move ahead as much as I can. I’m starting to make To Do lists. I work really well when I make a list. It’s just the making of the list that I really need to work on. Number one thing on the list…. Make a list!

Somehow, I got off track. Anyway, I’m also working on incorporating some tin cans and bottle caps in my paintings. I’m really excited about this. I think it will give my work a little bit of a 3D effect. I’m working on my first painting using these items now. I will post pics soon, so you can see how it turned out. So far though, I’m quite pleased. I’ve also come up with a couple of other ideas for the tin cans. I won’t tell you now as I want it to be a surprise. I’m pretty excited at my ideas. For now, I’m going to work on my sketching and adding these elements to my new paintings. Hope to have a couple of new paintings this week! Wish me luck.

Good night everyone.

New Beginnings

2011-08-07T23:41:00.000-04:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about what I am supposed to be doing with my life. This economy is so frustrating. The job market is so scary, not to mention, I don't believe corporate America is where I want to be. Just because I can do accounting, it doesn't mean that it's my calling. When I lost my job, I started painting, and I loved it. I've always done something creative, and when I found painting, I never looked back. I thought, "this is what I am supposed to be doing." The hard part is how do I do these and keep a roof over my head? That's what I need to figure out. Having a job is such a secure place to be. It brings home money every week, but it doesn't fill my heart. Without a degree and ambition, there is only so far I can go in an office. There is only so much I can make there. I'm never going to run the place for two reasons, lack of experience and lack of desire. I need something that fulfills me. I have finally figured out that working in an office 8-5 isn't doing it for me.

Today, Flying Lessons by Kelly Rae Roberts started. I can't wait to see what this has in store for me. There are so many things I want to get from this course. I want to learn how to make a living through my artwork. It would be so great to get up everyday and do the thing I love. To make beautiful things for people to take home with them. One of my main goals is to sell mostly online or in shops all over the counrty. I don't want to be stuck here in Chattanooga, because if I want to pick up and relocate I can without having to rebuild my business. I feel like this is what Kelly Rae has accomplished, and I'm hoping to learn so much from her. Now, to get to work. There is so much I need to learn and to create. Wish me luck on this new journey. I'm going to open my mind and my heart to all of the possibilities out there for me.

Here's some of my work. I need to stay focused and remember the path I am on.

Wondering

2011-08-02T21:22:00.000-04:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about my artistic journey. I'm trying to find what's in the cards for me. It's so hard to know what to do. Am I doing the right thing? Is this the thing I'm meant to be doing? How do I go about making this my job? I'm going to be taking Kelly Rae Roberts class next week. I can't wait. I'm hoping to get all the answers I need in this class. I've been spending a good portion of my day reading her blog. It is so inspiring to me. Well, she is. Her blog is absolutely her. It's not just ramblings about things no one cares about. She lays her whole heart and spirit out for everyone. It's so refreshing to hear her hopes and fears. It lets me know I'm not alone.

My baby also draws half the day. She has drawn so many things that are amazing to me. I can't wait to see how she develops as she grows up (not that I want her to grow up, but you know what I mean). I need to learn from her. She is so free, and just puts down whatever she wants. She doesn't sit and wonder what's going to look good. She just puts her heart on the paper. I need to do more of that.

I was reading in Kelly's blog about Artfest, and I would love to go next year. I'm going to put forth some effort into making it happen. I've also been researching shows. It's such a complicated thing to think about. So many of them want booth shots. I don't have those, since I've never been in a show. Then what do I do about a tent, etc. once I get there? It's also very intimidating. I wish I could just find a website that tells me what to do. It's really frustrating. Sometimes I suffer from information overload, and I need someone to help sort out all the clutter.

Here's one of my early works. I want to remember where I started, so I can see where I'm going.

The Big Massive Giveaway

2011-07-21T21:23:00.000-04:00

The beautiful Tam of Willowing is having a huge giveaway on her ning site. One of the first classes I took was her free Art, Heart and Healing class. It was so helpful to me. She is so generous with her information in this free class. I couldn't believe she had given it away for free. I learned so much, and I can't wait to take some more of her classes. She has several to choose from that are self study. She is now promoting a class that is going to be a year long. She will also have 12 guest instructors to show a new variety of techniques. It sounds like it will be similar to the Art, Heart and Healing class, but on such a much bigger level. I hope you will check out her site and her classes at willowing.ning.com.