In the Studio

1. emerging

2. developing

3. waiting

1. I LOVE her so far

2.  Is something wrong I asked her?

Look under the "FINISHED,"  to find out how these developing paintings worked out.

In the Studio: While I slept

While I slept last night this idea came to me. I had to get it out of my head and into a 3D form. I like it but this is what I will call a rough draft in clay.
mmmmmm.... what is it??? You shall see in a future post.

"Being" a response to fellow artist Mystele

this painting is a work in progress for my "Afro Series"

This post is to add to the conversation that a fellow artist is having over on her blog and the topic is "being" who you are and yet continuing to still blossom in to who you are becoming. I think of this as understanding yourself and "being" open to the fact that in our
lives we all have the chance to turn from the caterpillar to the beautiful butterfly but.... like the caterpillar we sometimes have to sit still. The Still times in our lives may be times when everything we are going through is not what we wanted for ourselves but with a shift in retrospect we can look back and see how we were in our transforming state. Unlike the catapillar though we may go through transformation several times in our lives before we are our ultimate-selves (A Beautiful Butterfly).

I know that in my "being" I am in a transforming state right now and for me things are taking a bit longer to get to the other side (to the place where I have invisioned for myself). But I am thankful that I can understand that although I still get impatient from time to time, I have learned to take a moment, B R E A TH (meditate/ Pray) and proceed with caution (not for fear) because wisdom is being bestowed upon me. Wisdom.... Oh it's such a Great gift. Having wisdom does not mean I have all the answers... not at all.. but it does mean I will be equiped to deal with my lifes ups and downs with MORE patients and will seek to understand better, other than getting frantically upset like in past situations (which only made things worst). I am enjoying just "Being," living and loving life, taking the good with the not-so-good, just continuing to LEARN to be a better me.

Please stop by Mystele's blog and see what she's up to.

In the Studio: Color Joy

These are pictures of some old and NEW projects I've been working on. It's crazy how some works come to me and they develop and are finished fairly quickly and others seem to go on forever... every time I think they are finished I seem to glance across the room at them and find that one (LOL!) more layer needs to be added. And then there are those paintings or art project that you just know, this MUST be scrapped ( maybe not thrown away- It took me a while to learn this one), meaning painted over or torn apart. But in all I like to document the process as often as possible. Only one of these paintings is completely finished (I think, LOL!).

A Need to Create

These paintings have been considered "works in progress for over a year and now I have come to know I dislike this painting enough to just paint over it.
I read this post on Kristina's blog today and she had said she painted because she had a need to create in another post she titled "Rejection" and it made me think about my own need to create. I discovered my need to create when I was a young child, somehow having a pen, pencil, markers, crayons, scissors and paper always made me happy. It really is an unexplainable joy I get when I create something I am pleased with. Although there is a very small percentage of all of the items I have created that I truly love... I just enjoy being creative. I truly have a need to create, but the funny thing is there are days when the need is there but the inspiration of ideas are not flowing... crazy I know especially after claiming I have a need to create. I have found that my percentage of creating things I do not love has went down because I have found when I don't have the inspiration, I must not even try to create. If I do disaster usually happens (paintings above examples of this), this is the way I used to believe and reading her post changed my perspective on trying to avoid what I called my disasterous paintings and art projects. I understand that even if the percentage of things I create, that "I Love" are few that is OK and I am just fulling my need to create and this is just who I am and that is just fine.

The painting is a quick exercise in water colors....they are a bit messier than acrylics but I like the suttle effect that layering the same color has after each layer dries.


In the Studio, I have been working on more "Rustic Glamour" Earrings, adding even more colors to go with those beautiful summer sun dresses and such. They will be on Etsy soon.

I can Dream.... Right?

Progression of the painting for the post, "In the Studio: Color Joy," stay tuned to see it develops.


I DREAM of being ready when a Licenser comes calling to sign me, for some main stream product design all while still maintainimg my small business at least until I get popular enough with the company that I am designing for in which I make an income that will contribute handsomely to our family... oh, lets say to start just $45to 50 thousand a year with the first ultimate goal being $60, 000 (you see how I am not trying to limit myself, LOL!).

I DREAM of first becoming a very successful Etsy seller, one that designs things that people can't wait to own (I am working on getting my courage up I have being working on product for too long and have not put a real effort toward uploading anything to sell in my shop). Becoming so popular of an Etsy seller that, I must hire an assistant to help me manifest the merchandise ideas that I want to sell, is my first goal.

The problem with this Dream is....

In reality, I have been stunded!! I have been blind sided by an unsupportive love one. All my life I have been told how talented I am and I actually start selling things I made when I was young, so up until now I believed fully in my talents and what I had to offer the world. It use to seem that I could (beautifully) make anything I put my full efforts into and people approved. But my confidence has been ground to a halt by words of discouragement from someone I love. I pray and I ask myself why am I not able to let this roll off my back and press on... I don't know.

I am still painting and crafting things, I just am dragging my feet when it comes to putting these things up for sale. All of the sudden I am afraid that what the "unsupportive loved one ," says is going to come true and that if this happends I will have know reason to ever paint or craft again (I have always enjoyed painting and crafting for not only my enjoyment but for others to enjoy and the selling part is my need for validation of my talents) I know this sounds very dramatic but I feel this just may be what I believe deep down inside... CRAZY, I know... but very real for me.

I am still writing my thoughts out loud in hopes of breaking this "spell," so that it is not just a DREAM.

In the Studio: Color Joy

That is what I am feeling like, "Color Joy." This painting is being done on a piece of card board that I am recycling in stead of throwing it out I chose to paint on it and if I like what I've done it will be a keeper. I feel my "Color Joy" today, it's exciting and refreshing to get re-energized again... if there was only a guaranteed way to stay in this zone I would be so there. But I will just rejoice and be glad in it today, Thank You Jesus.

The painting is making me smile the color combo at this stage is great but I know with the way my painitngs develop this is not the end I have more work to do I am just enjoying it at this stage.... ahhhh!

Oh, look close... can you see her?? I used graphite pencil to outline what's starting to appear. I am going to do my house work and if I have some more time today I will come back and see if there is anything more that needs to be out lined in the painting to be developed further... Although I think it is beautiful I know this is not done... there are some hidden deminsion to this that will be found.