Art Makin'

When I first started this blog I was in grad school working on my master's degree in printmaking. It was a place for me to show my processes and share the artists who influenced me.  I finally got that degree and ever since then I feel like I've been floating in outer space. They all warn you that when you get out of school you will feel lost but nothing can fully prepare you for just how lost you can get.  Since 2010 I've tried so many different things and tried to find the right fit for me. I'm still trying to find that fit. But somewhere along the way I put art making on the back burner and turned to crafts. Now I know arts and crafts can be done simultaneously but I wasn't doing that.  

With all these great changes happening in my life I feel like it's time to start falling back on my one true love.  Yesterday I pulled out my latest pieces of work that have been taking up space in my studio. I finally photographed them and got them all listed in my Etsy shop. I have also set up a small studio at my kitchen table where I can specifically focus on watercoloring and drawing weird little doodles over layers of flowers.  It's hard to get back into that frame of mind. It's not just throwing down some color on paper. It's forcing me to truly think about what I want to make work about and what it all means to me.  As I have gotten older the things that I love are evolving.  I still love balloons but I love flowers even more.   I wish I could decorate my whole house with beautiful crystals instead of the pez dispenser collections of my past.  It's interesting to make new work with a whole new collection of things that make my eyes purr.

So here are the pieces I just listed in my shop.  I'm excited to start focusing on this again.  I wish I could pretend it was 2010 all over again and I transitioned easily from grad school to every day art making.  Click on the images for details.

I did it!

I made it through my first sale!  I can't believe after so many months of working on this I'm on the other side.  I was so nervous, possibly more nervous that my graduate thesis show.  Despite that I plowed through the nerves and made it happen. I learned so so so much from the Nada Farm sale.  It was nice to see people interacting with my work and hearing their feedback.  I also loved styling my booth. It was fun making it look like one big colorful party.  My best friend Janey worked with me all weekend and some darling little girls kept us company. I had one setback when a huge gust of wind caused one of my shelves to get knocked over. It was one of those nightmare moments where you are afraid to look at all the damage that was done. Luckily luckily no one was hurt at all.  Surprisingly I only lost a few of my more fragile terrarium jars but all the animal jars held up through the crash.  These pics were taken post wind crash so my booth looks a little different than it had looked but I think we did a good job rearranging.  Take a look! And thank you to Adam Cox for taking some great pics! And thank you to Anne Marie and her sweet family for making me feel so welcomed!

Now I'm ready to switch gears for a while and start working on some drawings/paintings. I meant to start last night but I found excuses to avoid my studio... I had to watch the debates, get caught up on The Walking Dead, do anything besides go down to my studio... I talked to a friend yesterday about how much anxiety making art can sometimes give you. She put it best when she said that you can feel so ostracized from it when you are away for a while but once you finally start working you realize you should have been doing it all along.  I thought about that all day and fully intended on going straight home and working but I fell back in the "ostracized" feeling.  I was scared to try.  It's silly, right?  I'm so excited to work on things but scared at the same time.  Anyone else feel this way about art making?

Have a fantastic day today and try to pet a dog or a cat if you can.

Animal Jar Kingdom

Yesterday I packed up my animal jars and went outside for a sunny photo shoot. My neighbors probably thought I was crazy but I didn't mind.  Here is a group shot of the newest animal family.  

 I worked all night editing photos and got this sweet pink glitter horse jar listed in my shop.  You can find it here.

 Lately I feel like I haven't had much time to get in my studio like I would like to but I also wonder how much time I'm wasting doing things that I could not be doing... like facebooking and playing games on my phone... So I decided I want to make a thing a day. Or I want to finish a thing a day. I have many projects started and it's time I finish them.  Yesterday what I did was simple but I really liked it. I have been trying to come up with different ways to fill these little animal jars so I bought some moss and tried to play around with it. I filled this little dog jar with moss and cut out pictures to add to the sides.  It's simple but I like the look.  Someone could definitely make more of a terrarium out of it.  I need to research terrariums more. All I know to do is add moss. 

This little dog should be listed in my shop tonight.  And a new project will be finished tonight as well.
Yay productivity!

Have a super fantastic Monday!!

Vintage!

I just listed some new vintage stuff in my shop and re-photographed some older listings. My friend Janey helped me style the photos. Many many more to come. Also! There is a new posting on my other blog, Notes On Yesterday. It's all about fashion and when you get too old to dress in Forever 21 clothes. Check it out!

Lamb Planter

Cabbage Patch Kids tin lunchbox

Lamb Figurine.
Mickey Mouse and Friends tin
Teacups
"Chocolate" Bunny Figurine
Mixed Media Wooden Plaque
Bunny Planter

More Art and Vintage

I just added these fun little plaques in my shop! I've had fun making them and can't wait to make more.

Also added this lunchbox. It was sort of hard for me to do but I'm really trying to downsize for my move. Find it here.

Yay Etsy!

New in Shop

I just added this 8" x 10" photo in my etsy shop.

Also, if you noticed in my blog I've been bumming a lot about my shop and how to be more successful. I got some great feedback about styling my shop photos so that's what I've been doing lately. I've been using my "house" as a backdrop. Here are a few so far. Any suggestions?




What are your weekend plans? Even though I plan on slaving away in the studio I also plan on seeing this movie and this one. Have a good weekend!