Nun painting

hi fellow bloggers! hope Santa was good to you this year, and if not, perhaps you were naughty, lol?
I see lots of you are getting hit with winter storms, please be safe, the roads can get brutal during blizzards. I'm going by memory, because I haven't seen a snowstorm in a couple of years, lol!

I thought I'd show you the painting I did for my sister's Christmas present. A few years ago I made a large folk art painting of nuns for her, and from then on, every year I would buy her a nun ornament for her tree.
My original idea was to paint 2 folk art nuns drinking coffee, but I couldn't get the sketch to look right. An image of a more gothic nun popped into my mind, so I changed direction, and here she is. My sister loved her! thank goodness, because I wasn't sure what I thought of it. I guess if you paint from the heart, it all works out for the best.

I haven't made  any resolutions for the New Year yet, but want to cut back on  sugar....well I went shopping today, and of course all the holiday chocolates were on sale half price. I walked away with 4 boxes, which I will call my emergency stash, haha! And if that's not bad enough, I went out with a friend just now, and picked up some more chocolate! See, this is why I don't do resolutions, lol!

Warm Holiday Blessings to you!

Hello dear blogging friends!
Christmas is such a magical time of year, but  it can also be  very hectic, with baking, cooking,  scrambling to find the perfect  gifts, fighting crowds in busy malls...and the million other things that can turn us into the Grinch. It's easy to get lost in all the chaos, and the lists of things to do, that you forget to stop, breath, and take in the wonder of the season. Let's be grateful for what we have in our lives, and the dear friends and loved ones who share in them.
I wish you all a Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays! My prayer is that you are blessed with happiness, and much peace.

 

hi everyone, I finished the work in progress painting from my last post. This is not quite what I had in mind. I planned to add red roses, but guess what, you cannot see red roses against red hair, lol! so I had to change my original idea, and added just one pink rose at the bottom. Oh well, not everything you try is going to come out as planned. So I just had fun and experimented, covering over the elements that didn't work. That's the beauty of mixed media on wood.


While I was on a mad hunt for a rose to stencil on her, I realized how much cool stuff I have that has never been used! I was looking through a clear container and it was filled with stencils, stickers, rub on letters, and other fun stuff. They were purchased for use in my art as well as my art journals (oops, they have been neglected, lol!).
A good New Year's Resolution will be to USE THEM UP, lol! and that includes all my Golden Fluid paints which I am 'saving' for when I'm a better artist. How silly is that? It's time to get out the good stuff, and have fun with it. So many supplies, so little time :-)


thanks for reading!

Work in Progress and another owl ACEO

hi friends, I thought I'd show you my latest work in progress, which has been sitting in my art room unfinished for a few weeks now. (sorry for the glare-it's evening).
Today I worked on her face, and must say, how relaxing the process is! I can blend, and layer skin colors for hours, and I don't notice the time passing.  I know exactly what the title of this one will be, and hopefully the finished painting will look as good as the one in my head, lol!

I'm winding down my Christmas themed ACEOs, since time is rapidly running out. This one was finished last night. I called it ''Can we keep him?"
They really are fun to do, and for those of you who haven't tried them, they are extremely addictive. If you don't know what an ACEO is, it is a small artwork you create, no larger than a baseball card. You can use any technique you desire. The sky is the limit, and the best thing is, they are much quicker than paintings, well, usually they are quicker. I've had many that took over 2 or 3 hours, since I love adding tiny details,and I'm quite finicky about making sure everything is perfect. Something I need to loosen up on, lol!

If you read my blog you may have heard my wishing for snow. Well, last night we did get a little, maybe a few inches, after it had rained all day,  and we were expecting the temperature to drop rapidly over night. No big deal right? So this morning I bundled up, and left a couple of minutes early to warm up my car....problem was I couldn't get into my car. The doors had frozen shut, and there was no possible way to get in...I'm one of the 2 people responsible for opening my building in the morning so it's important that I get there. I was one minute from going inside and calling my boss to say I couldn't come in, when the door finally opened. This is what happens when you have a flash freexe. I won't even tell you how long it took to scrape the ice off my windows, but will say it was quite the workout first thing in the morning, lol! So if you hear my complaining that we're not getting any snow, remind me of my not-so-fun start to the day...or send me a virtual kick in the pants, lol!

thanks for reading

Montreal shopping, and a Free Vintage image for you

 hi friends, a few days ago we got back from our annual shopping trip to Montreal. It's only 2 days, but we certainly shopped till we dropped, lol! This year was the best one ever. I was hoping for snow, but as the train pulled in, it was dry. However, within a few hours of our arriving, it started to snow, and snow, and snow...how perfect, a snowstorm while we were there, and it was still going on when we left.
I wish I took more photographs of the streets though. They were simply beautiful.

 

Lots of pretty displays in store windows to see...

There was a giant buddha in a store. Did you know that you are supposed to rub a buddha's belly for good luck, lol?

It was the perfect little trip, got lots of Christmas shopping done, and enjoyed good food and good sights.

I made a couple more ACEOs(small art, size of a baseball card) this past week. This one was my favorite, I put it up on Ebay last night as a Buy it Now, and woke up to it being sold.  Time is running out, so I'm happy this buyer will have it before Christmas.

I haven't added any free vintage images from my collection for a while, so I dug up this Christmas post card from 1910 for you to download, and use in your art. Click on the photo to make it larger, then download.

Well, that's it for now, I need to make a few more ACEOs, then watch a Christmas movie.

thanks for reading!

Hey, chill out!

                        Have yourself a Whimsical little Christmas

hi friends, first I thought I'd show you some Christmas eye candy. I made a treasury on Etsy for the young at heart. I love everything here! If you want a closer look at these talented artists click here to go to the treasury.
It's made up of cute and whimsical stuff to give as gifts, or keep for yourself, lol!

Well, we are in the first week of December, and before you know it, Christmas will be here, and then the New Year. I can't say I have accomplished what I wanted to this year, but isn't that belief pretty typical? We rarely think we have done enough. Must be the society we live in that keeps telling us to do more, be more, have more, buy more, no wonder so many people are stressed around this time of year.  I think we can all use a little break from the insanity.

A helpful tip is to take at least 15 minutes each day, to just sit, breathe, and recharge yourself.  Take slow, deep breaths, and concentrate on your breathing. On the inhale when your lungs are filled, hold your breath for a few seconds, then exhale. Your mind will wander but stick with it. After each exhale, feel your body sinking deeper into your chair. Keep your eyes closed, unclench your jaw, and soften your facial muscles.
After a few moments, you will realize that the chatter in your mind has slowed down, and you feel so good. Continue as long as you desire, and when you open your eyes, you may find yourself smiling and at peace.

Give it a try, and let me know what you think.  In fact, if you are sitting on your computer reading this, what a perfect time to take a few moments  and see if it's true, or if I am full of crap.
And don't say you can't spare 15 minutes for yourself.
YOU are the most important person in your life, and don't you forget it :-)

love ya!