New features, New showcases, New pieces!

Some fun and exciting news...the piece below was featured by another seller on etsy in a treasury and we are really hoping to make the frontpage. I haven't yet and think it would be a great honor. Plus I'm obsessed with 'whiteowl' a jewelry maker that she also included in the treasury that I had never seen before! :) check it out here...

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/ca24b47b939fcd4bd6163000/teeth-of-the-hydra

Ps. in case you just want to check out whiteowl's stuff directly you can look here at their shop:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/whiteowl

In other fun news... I officially for the first time ever have my art work hanging somewhere for sale!!!!!! So far I have only had my work hanging (already purchased) in my office, however, the wonderful salon that I get my hair done, Nash Hair Design in Falls Church, Va, is currently showing three of my pieces for sale. Nash, the owner, graciously gave me this opportunity saying it was a way to make his shop look nice and also a way to help me get my name out there. I'm so grateful for this opportunity and can't wait to hear feedback that he gets about my art!

On the painting front I must say that for awhile I have been swept up by acrylics. However, while hanging the pieces at the salon I realized how much my oil pieces and the techniques I have used really do inspire me! So, I just added a new piece (painting at the top of post) and feel at home, or like 'I'm going back to my roots' with it....texture and color truly make me happy and I think I relayed that in this piece. I think the issue and why I had strayed away from this was that I hate repetitive things and felt I wasn't doing anything different. I realized just because I'm using the same technique doesn't mean I'm necessarily doing the same thing - there can be new colors, new patterns, new combinations, new lines or structure - and I just needed to start exploring that. Stayed tuned for more additions in this area but let me know what you think of this one.

New Inspiration aka New Transition

New Piece added today!!

SO...after working with my new mediums I had previously discussed I finally came up with something I LOVE which actually is a combination of the two! :) I honestly can't stop looking at it and am really hoping to go in this direction technically for awhile. It is so much fun!!!

Broadening My Horizons...

Now that I have been MIA for awhile from blogging I decided I really needed to give it better effort. And after looking at a wonderful blog (http://www.karascakery.com/blog/) by a girlfriend of mine Kara I decided that I was majorly slacking so I'm pledging to be more active in this because it really is fun to share and write down some of my ideas..

On that note - recently I purchased some new materials that I have never worked with. Since the only painting classes that I took were in oils - I really have been self taught in the world of acrylics. There are so many wonderful and exciting mediums and things you can add to acrylics to make texture and the painting feel 3d on the canvas which we all know is something I LOVE.

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The first one I got and have actually already done a piece with is Golden's Pumice Gel. It is a great tool in order to give a sandy, gritty, pumice (hence the name) feel. Gives alot of texture and seems porous like coral almost when used in big quantities on the canvas. I have always been fascinated by the texture that I see in other peoples work and knowing nothing about it I made my husband go exploring in my art store of something to get this fix. I think it's great! I painted my first piece with it...and feeling pretty clueless having never used it I was pretty nervous. But I think think it actually turned out well - better than I expected at least! As always I just went with the piece with nothing in mind really. I knew I wanted to do a background similiar to some of my more recent pieces that use a palette knife technique that I accomplished and love but thats about it.

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Playing around with some new colors and my new pumice gel I came up with this:

"Globe"

(named by a friend actually because thats what it reminded her of when it was in this direction - I liked it so it stuck)

Here is a close up of the painting so you can actually see the pumice part....

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My second new purchase is called "Acrylic Flow Release". This one I think is going to take a lot more practice, i.e. mess ups, before I really get the hang of it as it's alot different. I see alot of work where people achieve the look of watercolors in their pieces but by using acrylics. I personally have never been sucessful with watercolors but love acrylics so I thought this would be a good approach for me.

I started on a quadriptych using this but really feel as it is a staged process of application when using this since you have to let it run all over and dry. I let the first stage dry and then worked on the "Globe" piece. Hopefully I will be able to have time this week to finish it though - I love quadriptychs! (fyi...this is a piece of work made up of four panels or canvases) I'll post it as soon as I do!

Happy monday everyone!

New Events and Business Cards...

So some good news...not only do I finally have my new banner, avatar, and business card!!!! But I'm 100% doing a show for Falls Church FIRSTfriday being sponsored by Curves in the month of May. I possible have it with Stacy's Coffee Shop in April but its up in the air...

I'm SO excited about this...making me feel like this is all really happening...making a few sales on etsy is one thing but having my work be on display for an entire month, being in the paper, and have an opening exhibit reception for me is another!!!

be sure to check back for more details if your local :) but i just wanted to share my great news!!!!

custom piece

been working on a custom piece for a customer in NY...actually has turned out better than expected and i'm kind of in love :) the amount of paint and texture on it is fascinating...

ill add better pictures when i take them this is it just sitting on my studio floor...

some new additions...

three new additions today to my etsy shop...

a bundle of roses...a small piece where i was attempting something new...i'm still not sure how i feel about it though...

my second snowflake attempt...trying another look at the snowflake look i went with the first time...but some new colors :)

and my second skyline...i absolutely loved the first one and sold it the same day i listed it! :) so i thought id try another attempt at the idea but add some new colors..i'm pretty pleased!

Welcome to my world...

How do you even start a blog? I honestly never thought I would be a "blogger" but here goes....?

I think mostly my change of heart in regard to blogging has come from wanting to be able to talk about my work and anything related to art and not bore my husband to death...

So welcome...this is me. Hopefully I'll be updating frequently enough to show sneak peaks, inspiration, ideas, thoughts, and works in progress...those sort of things