What I love...

Do you ever feel like you love so many things that you just want to erase all the things and start all over with a clean list of things to love? Just me?

I feel like in the past few days I've listed my love for rocks/crystals, underwater sea creatures and now succulents. I'm going to have a list of three things I love and let it grow from there. (I also love my bunny because she's sitting next to me and is so so cute!)

Yesterday I wanted to post about succulents but blogger wouldn't let me. Finally it had a change of heart so here are some beautiful photographs from Succulents Galore's shop. I love these magical plants. They are so resilient, too. Even my lack of a green thumb could care for them. I love how diverse they can get and how they are always photogenic. Do you have a succulent collection? I would like to start one.

Photo Not Available

I'm trying to be a good blogger and keep it up but Blogger seems to be working against me. I've tried repeatedly to load the pics I wanted to share today and I keep getting an error. I promise it's not me! I tried to load the pics I showed yesterday and those wouldn't work either.

How about this pic from my Flickr? It's a bunch of toys and stuff on my studio shelf.

I may be slacking when it comes to blogging and drawing but I've been doing a great job making toy arrangements and looking at them.

Also, I don't think I've shared this yet. About a month ago I made these delicious fruit bowls using hollowed out pineapples. I filled them with fruit and granola and topped them with yogurt. It was a yummy breakfast.

See more of my flickr photos here.

Tomorrow I will hopefully be able to do the post I was planning for today. Or else I'll just show you slides from my last vacation. ( :

Gorgeous, beautiful, stunning and breathtaking...

Oh me oh my! Look what I just found at My Love For You... Gorgeous, beautiful, stunning and breathtaking rock collections with a very artistic twist. Cori Kindred has found a romantic way to display her collection but instead of titling the rocks by their scientific name she instead gives them name based on their appearance. I'm absolutely in love. If anyone needs a present or two for me this is at the top of my wish list... ( ; I have slowly been building my rock and geode collection and now I'm inspired to find an interesting way to display them besides using them as backgrounds for my toy dinosaur collection.

These rock images remind me of a couple of photos I took when I was at the zoo. I hope I haven't already shown these.

I love underwater sea creatures. The remind me of my crystals and stones.

Thank you so much for the responses on my last blog. I'm so happy to hear from you.

xoxo

Time Flies

Do you ever step away from your blog for so long that you're terrified you won't come back? I feel like I've been hiding. Sometimes when I get too far away from blog land I get embarrassed and then nervous about blogging again. Do you ever feel that way? I always feel like everyone has it together but me. I know that's a silly and irrational way to think but it can be pretty nerve racking. My nerves. I'd give anything to not have them. Or have a lot of nerve? I'm not sure which way to go...

Anyway, my neurotic-ness aside... I went to a wedding yesterday! It was my cousin's wedding and it was sweet and weepy and beautiful and all the other great feelings that weddings bring.

My boyfriend and I really know how to dress up!

My Mom, Sister, Grandmother and I all posed together. Three generations of strong women. This pic is missing my aunts and nieces and cousin. I come from a pretty great group of women.

And completely unrelated but aesthetically pleasing is this ice cream place I went to the other night. I didn't get a pic of my cone. It was ice cream dipped in sprinkles with candy eyes. Candy eyes!! Best ice cream ever!I have some great interviews with great artists coming very shortly. Now that I have gotten settled with my new barista job I plan on getting back into my studio and making more art. I will start posting here soon. I'm back! For reals!

Have a wonderful week, y'all!

More Art For Your Hungry Eyes!

I met Sam Parker several years ago at a Printmaking conference. We have stayed in touch over the years and I have watched her work change and grow. She recently had her BFA show at Bradley University and I was absolutely blown away. Take a look while you read her interview.

1. Hey Sam! First of all, congratulations on having your own solo BFA show! It's such gorgeous, ambitious show. What is the title of the show and what is it about? Can you describe it in five sentences?

Sam: The title of the show is The Fabric of Li. It is the realization of a pseudo-garden that I often explore while in deep thought. Li is a neo-confucian word that embodies the flow and patterns found in nature. The title is a play on words because it is saying "these things make up the 'fabric' of li", as in the totality of it, but also referencing the material that the pseudo-garden is mostly comprised of, which is patterned fabric, mimicking the patterns found in Li. These patterns can include (but aren't limited to) muscle tissue, the grain in stone or wood, the flow of water, or the spiral pattern on the inside of a flower. By walking through my installation, the viewer should be able to catch a glimpse into my personal mental space, and see the image of Li defined in organic shapes, a flow of wild colors, hundreds of paint chips, and puffy patterned pillows consuming the walls, ceiling, and floor. All of these things, together, make up the flow of nature I experience while sitting in quiet contemplation.

2. What different types of media are you working with?

S: For The Fabric of Li, I was able to paint, chip away, glue, spray, and combine together numerous non-conventional materials in an effort to destroy their utilitarian use and allow them to enter the realm of Fine Art. A few of the items I used were: a closet shelf, a storage bin, paint chips, fabric, pieces of wood, pipes used for plumbing, pvc pipe, tubes, 3-foot pipe cleaners, sequins, spray paint, wire, buttons, air fresheners, pieces of fence, and then your typical oil on canvas.

3. What attracts you to working with installation?

S: Installation attracts my attention because it, much like music and film, has the ability to get the viewer involved within the space rather than outside of it.

4. What other artists inspire you?

S: I am inspired by Judy Pfaff, Sarah Sze, Shinique Smith, Kandinsky, Gauguin, and many others. The list of artists I look at grows larger at almost a daily rate.

5. What's next? Any grad school plans?

S: Next, my partner and I will be moving down to Austin, Texas. I just recently was accepted into the MFA program in printmaking at UTA. It's going to be great. The faculty there are really talented and I think they have a lot to offer. It will definitely be a time of growth both artistically and personally.

Check out Sam's website to see more images from her show as well as her paintings and work on paper here. This show is so wonderful. When I was having my BFA show I didn't have the confidence to do an installation. I was too overwhelmed by the idea. Sam is to be admired for jumping in head first and making such an ambitious piece. You will continue to do great, Sam!! Good luck at grad school!

Lets Look at Art!

Thank you all so much for the sweet comments (here and on facebook) left on my last post. It's really wonderful to be part of such a caring community and I am grateful for you all.

Today lets look at some art, shall we?

I just realized today that two good friends of mine have started Etsy shops. They are both so amazingly talented so I'm glad that getting your hands on their work has just been made easier.

Rachael Madeline of Loose Tooth Studio is selling her fantastic mixed media framed pieces. They are all filled with romantic longing and escaped balloons. Don't forget to keep reading her blog here.

And Jessica Robles! Finally her prints can hang in your home. Her shop, Don't Call Me Hessica (and don't...) is filled with many of the gorgeous prints I have often featured here.




Both girls have been part of my dreamy couples posts so that shows you just how dreamy and talented they are. Get your wallets out and start shopping!

Good and Bad

This is the movie theater sign in my hometown. My grandfather once owned the theater many years ago.

I have really been m.i.a. for a while now. The past couple of weeks have personally seen some highs and lows. Last Monday my grandfather passed away. I called him Daddy Charles. I've been at my parents' home all week and I'm so grateful that I could spend as much time as I could there. Through this sad time it's been so wonderful to be surrounded by family. It's a good time to see how truly good people can be. I looked for that positive light in the little moments; the meals, flowers, hugs and tears were all moments where love shined.

While I was at my grandparents' home I explored their basement where Daddy Charles liked to tinker around. He had his own little wood shop and he was always creating something. Later in his life he took to pottery and ceramics and dove in headfirst. He got a pottery wheel and a kiln and went at it. His creativity was to be admired. He was the type of person who would look at something, truly study something, and then say, "I could make that," and then he did.

Here are some of my favorite moments.

My sister planted these roses in my Grandmother's garden.

This is such a hard thing to go through. Being so far away from my family makes it even harder. But I want to go out on a high note. The week before my Grandfather passed, I became engaged. The ring belonged to my other late Grandmother's mother. It's nice to feel like I'm connected to her through this ring.

It's really been a bittersweet time. This is why I am so far away from the blogworld right now but I'm working my way back.

Have a wonderful week, friends.

Love you.