February 27th 2014

 I just read a fantastic reminder over at Dreama Tolle Perry's blog to start exactly where you are right now!  I so forgot this!  It's comforting to read those words again to remind me in my new job that I can only (have no choice) to start where I am now?!  I do not know all the equipment I have at work but I will.  And what I do know about other equipment I can really serve customers and my coworkers!  

Same with everything in life, we have to just start where we are and use what we have.  With time and faith it will grow and over flow to help others  start on their path.

To the left is a picture of some of my millions of paint brushes.  I have all kinds from really cheap, like $1.00 up to you name it in $'s….and a lot of times I try and find other ways to apply paint, either my hands or sticks, pallet knives to spoons and forks.  What ever I have on hand and right now and most of the time if im in the grove, it's what I can find right away around me to create the effects I want.  If you want to paint or draw or any new adventure, just start right where you are now with what you have on hand.  We don't have to wait til something or another happens til we start. I have a few tips about one of my tools, the paint brush.  I have learned over the years a few ways to help keep a brush no matter the quality of it.  Routinely I wash my brushes with ivory soap, I have a plastic bowl I place at the bottom of the sink and while the water is running I scrub them on the soap til clean.  If I really want to give them an extra clean or have to revive them a bit, I soak them over night in some straight Murphy's Oil Soap, then rinse the next morning.  Another good one and eco friendly is Citra Solve.  Those three products you can always find under my counter.  I can't tell you how many years I have gotten out of an inexpensive brush.  Some of my favorite one's are the cheapos!  Share these few tips with your friends!

P.S.  I did my forklift training and actually picked a pallet of tables of the scaffolding and put it on the floor.  Boring to some I know but it was WAY cool! 

Live Life in Color!

February 26 2014

LOL!  Look how mess my space is!  I knew it was but till i was taking pictures to show you I didn't realize….i need to make time to clean. Hehehehe…I won't.  It's only Wednesday and I am ready to sleep for a year!  Starting a new job is so straining.  But as with everything new it will all come with time.  I was in the products department most of yesterday learning about concrete assessories and pipe, it was wicked fun!  Today I think it's a bit more and in-depth, then to the rental counter on equipment!
   I have all over my studio bits and pieces of inspiration and "rules" to help me along the way when I am stuck.  A good rule of thumb for all artists is to always have a journal going with creative ideas and little studies on those ideas.  I am not good at this concept but I do give it attention.  My series about the poem I have notes and colors and little tiny abstracts for my jumping off points and when I find that I am lost in my painting I can always refer back to my notes and then I am on my way again.  Speaking for myself but I do know alot of artist struggle with this, being so excited about an idea and along the way forgot something and get kinda lost in the process.  So notes are good!  Another idea which I think is awesome, I read it off Carol Marine's blog, put a few sticky notes around your work for little reminders as to what you wanted to do in your work.  Thanks Carol!  I've already told my daughter this trick the other day when she felt lost in her painting and it helped her a lot!  Ok off to make my lunch and to work!  As always….

Live Life in Color!

February 25th 2014

I thought I would show you parts of my studio this week.  I'm not painting this week.   Way to much going on with the new job to focus on my work.  That how ever does not mean I don't do anything related!  I either read about art or study paintings of the masters.  I can sketch or do more research on a subject that I am trying to learn or understand.  Never a day goes by that I am not involved in art some way or another.  On my table you see some small studies, which will either turn out or not and since its acrylic I can just paint over it anyway, how cool is that!  I'm a big slob when I'm working so I don't have one of those to die for looking studios.   I would like one but then I would never paint in it for fear of making a mess and I WANT to make a mess!
Speaking of mess, I thought I'd be a mess on my first day but I actually was calm and cool!  Today I am finally getting my forklift license!   WOOT!  Only waited for ever to get this!  Watch out everyone!  A crazy woman on a forklift!  LOL
Keep on creating!!!!

Live Life in Color!

Feburary 24 2014

I'm just playing in the studio…well actually here is a start of a series i have been working on from a poem i read.  The poem is "God's Grandeur", by Gerard Manley Hopkins.  So i will post my progresses and paintings.  This is just a quick wash of colors, acrylic on panel.  My main color is yellow..we will see what happens!
I start my new job today and really nervous but I know I will be fine.  Wish me luck!

M i A

It's 2014 and I, like lots of other people created my yearly to do list and created my goal lists and on and on as we routinely do in a new year.  Then I got up and threw it all away!  After going over my list and seeing most of my goals where about being "better" i got really sad as if I am not good enough now?!  I am on a journey of self love and accepting me for who I am and if creating lists or goals that emphasize that I am not already good, then that list does not match my self love.  

My art is also changing and evolving as I am digging deeper into self to find out what is there.  Scary?  Absolutely, for I am not going for end results of sellable works, I am noticing the process and the steps of process to bring me to the other side.  I am allowing myself to be in process, (which is wicked scary) and I am not defining myself as a good artist or bad, just that I am an artist.  Artist expand and grow and go threw many stages and changes through out their careers and I am no exception.  I am doing things that scare me instead of what is comfortable.  And as art mimics life this is as happening in my day to day living.

Next week I start a new job and I am nervous as hell!  Same field but and entirely different aspect of it. For those of you who don't know, I am in the construction equipment industry, selling and renting of equipment.  

So even in the change of a job I will allow my self to just be me, and after all that is why they hired me in the first place!  LOL

So with a new blog a new job and a different outlook on life and self I hope you will find something to keep you coming back on over to see what I am up to!

I will post sketches and paintings and tell about my process along the way!  

As always,

Live LIfe in Color!