Light and Color Study

I took a watercolor class at Delta State and this was my final. I sat in my room painting my side table for a few hours. I was going for "capturing the affect of light on colors". It's actually one of my favorite watercolors. Mom says I should make prints of it and sell them. Probably take it around to all the different copy people and see who does the best job. Then make a bigger order. Plus then I'd know who to use later for other copies. Maybe I'll do that tomorrow.

Ballard Designs

I like looking at pretty, fancy furniture and dreaming about being able to buy it some day. There's a store online, Ballard Designs, that has some really gorgeous pieces. All of these are from there.

This iron bed is awesome! I would love to sleep in a bed as beautiful as this one. Here's a close up of the metal work.

This was called a console on the website. I would just call it a table, but to each his own. Anyway, really like it. I could definately find a place for it in my future house. Rugs are great too. Not sure which color I'd like best, green, blue and brown would all be in the running.

HOT! HOT! HOT!

I really love all kinds of art and experimenting with different mediums. Two of my favorite mediums are watercolor and block printing, so I found a way to combine them. Also created this style so I can sell them on etsy. But I think they are pretty cool looking, I just have to get the watercoloring part down. Step 1. Designed my block print with peppers, drew them off with sharpie, and started carving.

Here's the final carved block

Step 2. I had to rig up a light box for myself so I could watercolor over where I knew the peppers would be printed later. I used a light I bought to hang in my closet but never put up, and a plastic storage container.

Step 3. On translucent paper I drew the rough outline of the peppers and then put my watercolor paper over that to paint loosely in the bright reds and greens.

Step 4. I did two watercolors, on two kinds of watercolor paper. The "nicer" paper ended up not working as well as I'd hoped. I'm going for a loose look with some bleeding outside the lines of the peppers.

Second watercolor

Step 5. Block print. I rolled on the ink, then lined up my watercolor as best I could. The cheaper paper block prints better cause it stayed flat.

This is the more expensive watercolor paper. The colors are nice on the peppers but the black isn't as strong as I wanted.

This is the cheaper quality paper, but I much prefer its printing ability. I think I'll just have to practice a good bit till I get the paint to blend and run like I've got it in my head.

So that's it... my combination of watercolor and block printing. I have plans to do several different prints with different subject matter. Any suggestions?

Really Fun Video

This is a video I found on Thoughtful Day's blog. It's so upbeat and fun. I would Love to see something like this in person. Or to take part in it.

Pillow Talk

I really love these pillows I came across at Simply Freckles blog by Jonathan Adler. Once I went to his sight, immediate love. His stuff is so great. Just a bit expensive for me at this time in life. I kind of want to make as many things as I can to decorate my apartment. The less money spend on a project the better. My next thing to make will be a lamp for my side table. I'll blog about it cause it should be interesting.

It's Here!

I Have An Etsy Shop!! At this moment there's only two works on there, but I will definately be putting more up. First some old oil paintings from my classes at uni, then I'm going to work on some block prints/watercolors to sell. My shop's name is TheArtFactory and I drew and cut out the above words to show on my profile. Yes, it did take me an absurd amount of time to make them, but I need some way to fill my unemployed time. So go check out my shop! This is one of the two works at The Art Factory. Both are screen prints I did in a class a few years ago. I've had a thing for zebra cakes for a while now, so I did a work inspired by them.

Close up of my zebra cake screen print.

Soon to Open

I have plans to open an etsy shop this week and this is the first piece I'll be putting in it. I did a set of 15 of these in a screen printing class at Delta State. Gave away a couple and want to keep a couple for myself, so I'll probably list 5 to start out with. And I got my box of block printing supplies from Dick Blick today. So excited to start carving and printing. I've got an idea for adding color that I've never seen done before, and there's nothing I like more than feeling like I came up with a cool idea all on my own. Of course I usually find someone esle who's done it too but to know that I thought it up. Brilliant!

Here's me with my niece and nephew. Matty, the husband, took it. He was trying out the flash he gave me for my birthday. It's pretty much the best present ever.

Sooo, once I have an etsy shop, I'll post the name and link and whatnot. :-)

Serious Business Now

Now that I am officially living near Tupelo, the mission is to get a job. My bigger mission though, is for it to be doing something I love ie: art. So I will finally be keeping this thing updated and hopefully looking good, so people can see my work. It is a bit overwhelming trying to pull my art/life together to showcase. But I know I can do it. I have a lot of things I'm interested getting involved in. Firstly, Screenprinting! There is a cute little place in Mantachie that does screenprinting and I'm going to call up today to see if he needs an extra set of hands. Mine that is, I don't sell prosthetic hands. But I would like to sell my art. Kid's personalized things, block prints, watercolors, photography, drawings, house portraits, and so on and so forth. You get the point, there's a lot I want to do. I think I get too bored doing just one thing. So when I first post this there won't be any photos, but here's hoping I'll have loaded quite a few with narration by the end of the day. I decided I'd like to do a little weaving on cardboard so I headed to Hobby Lobby. Apparently the one in Tupelo's fabric is more expensive than othe locations, so I went next to walmart, sorted through their 1.50 a yard pile and found me some decent enough blue fabrics. When I got home, I cut it into a few long strips and cut off a box lid. Put 27 cuts in each end of the board, and started weaving. This is the weaving at the very beginning. It's refreshing to be working with my hands again. Meant to take pictures during the whole weaving process, but didn't. I need to get better at carrying my camera around with me. Here is the finished weaving. It's not funcional, but I really like how it turned out. If I could figure out how to market it, I would sell it on the etsy shop I'm going to open.

I feel more myself now that I'm working on art again.

Signe and Genna Grushovenko

I am absolutely drawn to these paintings. They make me want to really get back into painting. Signe and Genna are a wife and husband team who collaborate together to make these amazing works. Genna does the washes and underpainting in very beautiful rich colors, then his wife Signe paints the top image.

Australian Snapshots

High Hopes

Here are a few things that I would really like to own. Preferalby someday in the relatively near future but who knows. Wish I could register for these things as "bridal" gifts, but I guess I'll just have to slowly budget for them instead. First is the umbrella. I had seen it years ago in a catalogue and instantly fell in love. Pretty genius!

Then there are these fantastic red leather sandals. I went searching for ones exactly like this after admiring a three-year-old's shoes at the daycare I worked at. I had thought to myself, it's too bad they don't have cool shoes like hers for adults, and then low and behold they do!! Saltwater Sandals. Will be a must have for me this spring.

There are these adorable folding stools at Pearl River trading company. I'd really like to have one so I can take it outside and sit to do art. Whether or not I'd use it as much as I think I would is irrelavant to the fact I still want to buy one.

And the last little item for the evening, is a yoga mat bag. I'd actaully like to sew the bag, but this picture is pretty close to what I'd be going for.

Crab Paintings and Thrift Shopping

This is the painting of the Australian crab I finished last night. I think its my favorite out of the works I've done while living down under.

Today I went to Salvos and found a few great things.

1. This watermelon spoon and fork set. I realize that they're a little broken, but nothing that sanding and care couldn't fix.

2. A beautiful patterned sundress. Also needs a little work. I've had to undo the straps from the back, and will be resewing them in an X to make them shorter.

3. I bought two books for the plane rides to Ayers Rock and back, and then the long 27 hour stint of flights and airports home to Jackson. Bridget Jones's Diary, and The Hound of Baskerville, neither of which have I read.

4. Lastly I found an art smock, with two big pockets on the front and a tie in the back. I've just washed it to get some of the sizing out of the fabric, but when its done airdrying I'll photograph it. I love it a lot. Just what I had wanted.

Packing My Bags!!

It's official, my bags are packed! Turned my room into a total wreck before rolling up my clothes for hours. I brought an extra duffel bag just in case I'd need it to bring home all the stuff I'd inevitably buy in my six months living abroad. Ended up being able to jam everything into the three suitcases I came over with. Rather impressed with myself. That feat was only possible by sorting through all my belongings I have and setting aside everything I haven't used or don't want anymore to be given to the Salvation Army, Salvos. I'm going to drop it off tomorrow.

And I discovered that I like to cut canvas fabric off of the wooden frames so I now I can take the paintings home with me that I've done in Australia. Brilliant!

A Look Inside My Journal