Mother's Day Art and a WIP

hi everyone! I thought I would show my latest folk art painting. You may have seen the rough sketch for this last week.
What a relief to finally finsh it. I changed the background 3 times!  nothing seemed to work, so after adding some nice vintage papers for texture, I ended up gessoing over it, and trying another color. That didn't work either, it was the wrong shade of blue. So out comes the white gesso, and then I came up with this one which I am happy with. I wanted the mother and her kids to stand out against a shabby background. Now if you can't tell, the kid on the left is a boy, lol! and my very first one. I think he's kind of cute :-)

Next up, is a work in process I am doing for the Gut Art class taught by the awesome Mystele. Working with this much color and this loose is very new for me, but I'm loving every second of it. Can't wait to get back to it. This may not look  like my style, but I really enjoy learning new things. There are so many online workshops out there, and I believe in learning all you can about something you are passionate about. Art should also be fun. I realize I never play at art, I am too serious, and spend countless hours trying to make sure a painting is 'perfect'. It feels good to let go of that, and let a painting go where it wants to.
thanks for reading!

Look what I got in the mail today!
I love these 2 little paintings done by one of my favorite folk artists Mystele. I just love the vibrant colors, and all the shabbiness! A great addition to my Santa collection, which I would love to keep out all year...
I was so happy to receive these so quickly too, way to go Canada Post! There's so much complaining online about the slow service, but considering the time of year, they must be working super hard to make sure people get their parcels. Don't you just love when you get some goodies in the mail!

Now if that wasn't enough, I got a wonderful surprise from another lovely artist I discovered on Etsy whose shop is called Studio27.
Not only did she send me a beautiful unique card, but enclosed was 2 of her original ACEOs! I collect her 'everyday goddess' collection, which I would recommend to anyone looking for inexpensive original art. Take a look at this card called Magic in the Night Sky. Just $5.00 and free shipping as well! Very affordable, especially these days when people are worried about the economy, but still want to treat themselves to something beautiful. I have bought my share of art, and will continue to do so. Now if only I can create and sell more of my own, so I can indulge without guilt :-D

Painting from the Soul

I just finished reading an interesting blog post someone wrote, about creating from your soul, and it got me thinking about this. What exactly does that mean? and do I do this? The author wrote that we are drawn to those that listen to their souls' voice. I believe this is true, I have come across artists that are special, they may not necessarily be the best 'technical' artist, but they have something extra that you perceive, even if you can't put your finger on it.

An artist I admire is Mystele, I have her on my blog list to the right. With everything she does you feel like she creates from her soul. She is a self taught artist, like myself, but there is a beautiful innocent feel to her art. There are many other great primitive artists, but I am drawn to her.
Another artist I love is Suzi Blu, an absolute creative genius, in whose work you can see her passion. She listens to her soul.

So, how does one do this? I feel like my work must be perfect, and I set about making sure there are no mistakes, sometimes scrutinizing a painting for days, looking for little flaws. What if the flaws are the things that would make it perfect? All I know is that I am happiest when I am in the midst of creating, and each of my paintings is a part of me. Sometimes I cannot bear to sell them. Am I painting from my soul? I can't answer this right now, and maybe it isn't up to me to decide. I can only continue as I am, breathing life into each new painting. Finding joy in the process. And hoping, that others feel the same.