First Impression Wall

Marilyn Ferguson, of Gifts and Gab, called to tell me 4 prints had sold at her shop! Exciting news but even more exciting was to walk into her store and.....there, right before my very eyes, right when you open the door, was........

A beautiful display of my originals and paintings! On the first impression wall!! What a compliment and Thank You, Marilyn!

I also got to ship an original out today. A sweet husband is surprising his wife. She should receive it tomorrow! Shhhh.......

That's a husband who is paying attention! Woo Hoo!!

Exciting news of the day!

Flair is a quarterly publication and is distributed throughout the Brazos Valley and surrounding communities. It features one artist per issue including that artist's work throughout the entire magazine in full page layouts and advertisements. Flair is most impressive and one of the top items on my goal list of which to be a part! Which is why the following is so very exciting to me! On page 47.........at the bottom.......you will find......

A little piece of my work! In Flair! Greta Watkins, of The Frame Gallery, used my artwork, "A Work in Progress" to run with her ad for the gallery! Here's a good, close-up look of the bottom right corner of page 47.......

How about THAT!!

Arriving at a conclusion

"Seize the Day" 36x36

Here I am holding "Seize the Day" to give a good relation to the size. It's fun to paint big! I am getting ready for a Street Fair in April so I needed some big, attention getting pieces and that's exactly what I'm working on this week.

I started with my very favorite background....vintage pattern paper. I tried to take a close up of the purple flower on the right of the painting so the detail in the background would show. In the overall look it really makes a great textured surface and only when studied closely do you realize it is from a sewing pattern.

One of my favorite parts is the vase. I tried to loosen up with the highlights. Something I am working more towards and hopefully will come out in future work in a much bigger way. Notice how the entire painting appears to be a piece of a bigger picture. It looks like there is more...or at least that is what I want to convey....

Upon struggling with how to communicate that message, I arrived at a conclusion...

The best way for me to portray the meaning behind this painting, and explain the title was to hide a ladybug in the scene. A ladybug's life is short yet important and meaningful in the world of insects. It represents us as people putting into perspective how small we are in the scope of a much bigger picture. See it? Though our lives here are fleeting, in perspective of the 'big picture' , we can make a significant impact in our own way......"Seize the Day"

Unusual finds....

Spring Break led us to Fredericksburg, Tx where we enjoyed the most unique shops. One, in particular, was Homestead, an antique book store. It was so unpredictable! Surprises were everywhere!

This chandelier hung among the antiques.....

This chair looked 'styled' and ready for a pose.....

A pair of kids just hangin' out....

And the beautiful pair of legs waving hello.

The books were amazing as well! I felt I was in a movie snooping around someone's basement or attic. Fun times in Fredericksburg!

And this is why......

"Floral" 10x10

I love technology! I have a story to share. One of my originals sold using almost every piece of technology and social networking in which I am involved! This is how it happened:

"Floral" was a painting I did for an assignment in Mati and Lisa's class "Get Your Paint On". Part of our assignment was to post our paintings on Flickr and comment on other class members' paintings. Someone from the

Online class, Suzy (from Ontario, Canada) saw my painting on

Flickr, referred to my

Website I had typed underneath the description, and got my

Email address. She then emailed me which I received on my

iPhone because we were on the road. We corresponded back and forth where I noticed her

Blackberry was being used for part of the conversation. Upon returning home, I went to the

Mac to list the original on

Etsy so Suzy could purchase it through

PayPal. I then boxed the painting and mailed it through the

US Postal Service to her brother-in-law in the States who will be traveling by

Car or Airplane to deliver the painting to Suzy.

And THIS is why....I LOVE TECHNOLOGY!!!!!

First Friday Art Step...My First Show

My first show was a big success. It was a lot of work getting ready for it but I loved working on all the details. It was hard to make myself quit so I must have enjoyed it. Rick (hubby) and Mary (sis) helped set up Friday afternoon at the Perry Loft location. Then we toured the new lofts which were soooo amazing!! They really did a great job renovating this building into urban lofts. I wish I would have taken pictures of the room we were in and the other artists areas and my sister who looked so artsy in her fedora hat.....but I was so nervous and excited that I didn't get that far in my mind.

Hundreds of people came and it felt like the hours went by so quickly! I really enjoyed it when people wanted to hear the stories behind the paintings. That is my mission....to start a conversation, evoke a memory, or create a special meaning behind each painting....so to get to talk to people about it was exciting!

I had a drawing for a free "Embrace Change" print which was fun. And....BIG news.....I discovered I could take credit cards on my iPhone through an ap called Square. It turns your iPhone into a credit card terminal. Look at the website here. This time I manually entered them after the show, but they are sending me a small device to plug into the earpiece on the phone to swipe the card and have it authorized on the spot. Mind boggling!!

The wall with the exposed brick was a great backdrop for my style of mixed media! Without the help of my new art friends, I wouldn't have had the equipment to set up the booth. So, a great BIG from the top of my head to the tip of my toes Thank You goes out to Greta for the use of her screens, Nancy, for the use of the tablecloth, and Barb for the use of her table. Each of these ladies are amazing artists and generous hearts. Click on each of their names to see their work. Thank you for all the purchases, support, comments, and well wishes. I think I will do another show at the Street Art Fair in April. In the meantime, look for original alcohol ink paintings to show up in the online shop. The colors and designs are vivid and contemporary. I got many comments wondering how I did that!

Getting ready.....2 more days

Two more days until my very first show. First Friday in downtown Bryan will have an expanded version of their usually wonderful display of art and music this month called Art Step. I went to look at the space where I will display my originals, prints, and cards ....and........guess what!.....It's in a loft!!!!! YES!! For REAL! The newly completed Perry Lofts will house the artwork of the art league and I get to be there! How cool is that!!

I have been working on some new things, in addition to the mixed media work that has been ongoing. These two paintings are examples of my newest venture. These are both painted with alcohol ink and are completely different than anything I have seen before. The beautiful colors and luster is impossible to capture on camera but the inks are so vibrant and rich. It is actually ink and does not react to water, only alcohol. I've talked about these before here and here. The show Friday night will be their debut. After the show, I will begin listing the alcohol ink 8x10 sizes and cards in my online shop. I tried to make prints of these but the luster of the ink gets lost on the scanner so these will only be available as one of a kind.....the only one like it in the whole wide world.......originals for a wonderful price.

My awesomely talented sister, Mary (you can see her fabulous work here on her website and here in her online shop) is coming to help on Friday night for the show. She knows the ins and outs and besides we have fun together!

Ok....break is over....back to work. I even have my sweet Valentine helping me. He is wiring canvases right now. I will report all the details after the show with pictures! Wish me luck!