Naperville Fine Art Gallery

These two pieces will be hanging in the 

Naperville Fine Art Center & Gallery for the month of September.

This is the 2nd time my art has be represented in this gallery.  I am honored to be amongst some beautiful and awe inspiring pieces of art.

I will admit, tho, that my "little" self or ego's reaction is to feel intimdated.  That's when I remember to center myself and recall my truth of why I am creating art in the first place.  This is just one of the many modes of getting my art out into the world.  So move over "little" self you will not stand in my way.

UPDATE:

I just returned from delivering my artwork to the Naperville Fine Art Center and the above piece titled Goddess Within SOLD before it was even hung up.  I am feeling very grateful!!!

Smile Project Update #2

SMILE PROJECT UPDATE

I would love for YOU, yes YOU,

to join me in this collaborative piece of art.

This is an update to the absolutely beautiful smiles that are presently part of my Smile Project.  
They make me smile when I look at them!

What are you waiting for?  Come join in the fun!

                 

    

   

                         

 

One morning last year, as I woke up, this idea was in my head.  It's been residing in my heart waiting to come to fruition.  Lately,  I've been feeling little nudges urging me to get it out of my heart and out into the world.   My intention is to create a piece of art expressing the value of a smile and the title is tentatively going to be "When You Smile the World Smiles with You".  (this title is subject to change during the creative process)

This is where you come in:  

IF you believe in the value of a smile and want to participate all you have to do is email me a hi-res photo of you smiling to smileee001@aol.com - in the subject line please type smiling face.  Once I receive your photo I will draw your smiling face and I will let you know when I will be posting it.

In most instances, your photo on your facebook profile will do.   When I have gathered enough smiling faces I will be creating a very large unique and fun piece of art.

She Has a Goddess Within

I happen to believe that we all know that we have a Goddess within, we just have to let her be seen. 

My intention was for her to resemble a regular woman yet when one takes the time to look closer what is revealed is the multiple layers that together creates a Goddess within.  

I took a liking to the Urban dictionary definition of a Goddess:

A woman who is so beautiful, brilliant, and wholesome that she is simply not like any other women on Earth and therefore possesses some sort of uncommon spiritual element that while it cannot be solidly defined it is clearly present. 

I've been asked by several people what I used to create her.  Please bear with me as I try to recall the many layers.  I did not document the steps as I did them. (this is a lesson I have now learned)

She is on an 14" x14" loose canvas.  I began by priming the entire canvas with gesso.  After it dried I applied a thin layer of joint compound (one of my favs) followed by a thin layer of matte medium to seal the joint compound then painted with acrylic paints.  Then I drew the face using charcoal  followed by painting her with acrylic paint.  After all of these layers were totally dried I did another layer combination of joint compound, matte medium, and acrylic paints excluding the areas where she was.  Accents colors added - shadowing was done - for her headdress I used a doillie stencil and modeling paste - on the other side of her face I used pan pastel and a stencil  and other mark making then sprayed with fixative - the random black dots are India ink - oil paint touches to her clothing - another thin layer of joint compound scattered around for the top layer of texture

There... I tried to describe how she was created.  If I missed something I apologize in advance.  Now I'm off to figure out how to mount her.  I have several ideas that I am mulling over.

If she speaks to you and want to bring her home just let me know.

fall classes

latest news

I wanted to share my latest  news with you.

    *  I am now accepting orders for custom charcoal paintings.  Perfect "one of a kind" gift.

    *  One piece of my art "Sentimental" is hanging in the Naperville Fine Art Gallery for the

            month of August

     *  Four pieces of my art and multiple journals are at Nido Bianco Gallery in Three Oaks 

           Michigan

     *  I was just accepted into the:  Art on the Praire Art Fair 2015

                                        Warrenville, IL  City Hall Complex

                                             Saturday Sept. 12 (10am-6pm) & Sunday Sept. 13 (10am-4pm)
                                             be sure to stop by!

     *  I will be teaching Create Art with Abandon AND Custom Copic Stitch Bookbinding at
           Naperville Art League in September and October.  Check out the dates and join in the fun.


By the way...  I am currently working on portrait #16 for my Smile Project.  I am still looking for more smiles to share.  Here's the link if you want to learn more so you can join in the fun.. http://www.asmilemaker.com/2015/06/the-memory-of-smile.html

Thanks for your continued support.

I couldn't do this without you!

sometimes my heart is filled with joy

Over the week-end John was busy with gathering wood, sawing, gluing, and stapling to make me shadow frames for canvas panels.  Not just several, he made 13 in various sizes.   I was on cloud nine!

Then yesterday morning he called me out to the garage.  Lo and Behold!  He found a "rejected" table and is altering it, I will be able to use as a display piece at my upcoming shows.

Today I feel like the luckiest woman in the world.

Today I am ready to make some kick-ass art.

Today I am...

this is where I am

This is where you will find me in the wee hours of the morning.

I started meditating in the morning about 3 yrs ago.  It was with Deepak Chopra thru his guided meditation.  It has been a blessing and proven to be a great way, for me, to start my day.  Quieting my mind and setting my intentions each morning have been the cornerstones for my spiritual growth.

The first weekend in June John finally convinced me to let him move a Miss Kim lilac bush to open up what he labeled the "cramped flower bed".  OMGoodness!   I do not have the words to express how much this space means to me now.  It is fondly called my outside studio.  You will often see me drawing there, under the magnolia tree, except in the wee hours (6:30 am) of the morning and early evening of each day you will see me there meditating.  I have switched my meditating practice from the guided version to being in silence and I have incorporated evening meditation, too.  I have been doing this practice for 30 days and I feel it is part of who I am now.  I say the mantra So Hum which means I Am.  It's a technique that uses the breath and the repetition to quiet the mind and relax the body.  It, also, serves as a way to stop the chatter that goes on within your mind.  And boy, oh, boy does my mind like to chatter!!!  The key is once you realize the chatter is going on simply let it go without judgement and continue repeating the mantra.

Anyway... John sneakily took this photo of me one morning while I was meditating.  99% of the time I am out there by 6:30am, in my nightgown and slippers with a T-shirt over me, and if it's chilly I grab a jacket.  There I sit in silence with the birds chirping for 30-45 minuted each morning.  

This is my perfect way to start my day.