So Busy.

Yikes! I feel like there just aren't enough hours in the day for everything I need to get done.

Here are the paintings I promised. Only a couple though, and they are far from being done. But I thought a sneak peek would be nice :)

I hope I get them done before March...oh I really really hope so.

On another note, I am so happy being in my studio. I'm am so happy that I share a space with so many other great people/artists. Michelle Ramin invited me to her studio this afternoon and we drank tea and talked art. It was just what I needed this afternoon. I wasn't feeling particularly inspired or motivated, but that little bit of conversation helped. yay!

One more thing...if you haven't voted please do!
I think the polls close tomorrow, or maybe tonight, I'm not sure...but I'd love it if you did vote for me :)

http://poppytalk.blogspot.com/2010/01/poppies-vote-no-4-affordable-art-artist.html

Thanks to everyone who has already voted!! I really appreciate it.
Okay, laundry and blog interview questions await me :)

24 Little Hours

What a difference between today and yesterday.

Sometimes I wish someone would just tell me to get over myself. I forget to tell myself this, and so I just live in my head worrying and tripping over my thoughts.

anyway, things are going a bit smoother today. I got an illustration done and I am really happy with it. I'm planning on doing another today, I just gotta get myself to the store to get some groceries before it gets too late. I'm planning on making some potato leek soup tonight! yes, I will be blogging about it...

We'll see how this goes. I haven't made it for sometime...

It's such a lovely day outside. a bit chilly, but the sun is out and I went and tried to absorb as much vitamin D as I could this afternoon! :)

Oh, I also wanted to mention that I will be doing a craft fair this Saturday at New Seasons Market on 33rd and Killingsworth! Come say hi to me! It goes from 9-5.

Okay...gotta get some errands done!

Here

I've been spending a great deal of time alone the last couple of days.
It's been good. It's been hard, but it's been good.

I did manage to get to my studio this week, but all I did was read and clean.

I'm not really sure where I'm going with this. No where really. I just felt like writing something.

The rain has started here in Portland, and I'm not planning on seeing the sun anytime soon. although, when it does come out, it's such a nice little present.

I have another month and a half of working at my job full time. I'm looking forward to spending more time in my studio and with friends. I didn't think working full time would have such an effect on my work. I guess I forgot how tired I am after working all day. Most nights I just want a quiet room with a good book.

Oh well. It's almost over. Things will be back to "normal" soon enough.
Hope everyone had a great week and hope everyone has a good weekend!

ps. I've officially had Chloe for two years this week, so I thought I would share her baby pictures today :)

Two Jobs

I've been working two jobs this week and it's been taking it's toll on me.

I love working at the art supply store, and I like my job at the grocery store, but I have one day of this week, and it's been rough.

I have tomorrow off, and I am really looking forward to being in my studio most of the day. One of the benefits of working a regular job is that you really appreciate working in your studio, and working on your art work. at least I do.

I'm going to try to spend some of my day outside of the studio too. :)
Hope everyone had a good long weekend, and a good week so far!

Thursday!

What is it about Thursday?
I love Thursdays and I don't know why.

I have a lot of things to do today, and I am ready to get started....

Just trying to figure out if I want to go for a run this morning.
I'd like to get as much running done before the winter comes.
Ah....winter. I am ready for Fall. It's still really warm and sunny here.
I want cold and rainy :) My friend thinks I am crazy...but I love that weather.
I guess you kinda have to if you live in Oregon, well, lived in Oregon.
I do get tired of it around March...but for the most part I love it.

I started working on my self portrait series yesterday, and I am really excited.
I think that these are going to convey a lot of things that I have been thinking about the last couple of years, but never really knew how to do it.

Well, I am going to finish my coffee, and get this day started.
Hope your Thursday goes well :)

Tuesday is Much Better!

Yes.
Today has been going so much better!
It was such a lovely morning. It really felt like Fall. I am not getting my hopes up...I know it's still August and there is a lot of warm weather to be had...but it was really nice.

Oh! And then I realized that my friend Nate is going to come by and visit us! So I am really excited about seeing a familiar face from home :)
I think he might bring us some Stumptown coffee too!

Um...I actually did get a lot of work done yesterday. I think I just get so hard on myself that I overlook the things that I did accomplish, however small they maybe. So I think that from now in I am going to try and be a little more like Pollyanna and see the good in all of my work :) Haha! Really. I should try harder though.

In other news, Chloe has found a new sleeping spot. She likes to make a little nest out of the pillows that we have on our bed. I found her hiding in them this morning. She sleeps here until the sun comes out on our little walkway, where she goes to spend the rest of the afternoon napping. She has such a tough little life...and yes that is her little baloney tongue hanging out.

Thanks You!

Hey!
Wow!

I wasn't expecting such a great response to my post on Friday. I am so glad I have a great network of people who have such wonderful opinions and show so much support.

I have been thinking a lot about this over the weekend. Well, thinking a lot about what I posted on Friday. I think I have come to somewhat of a conclusion. I am no way going to stop making art. That wasn't even an option. I am, however, going to change my approach a little bit. Well, I am going to try. I think that from now on I am really going to put a lot more thought into what I am doing. I really like the work that I have been making over this last year, but I feel that sometimes I am just making work to make work, and I feel that has to change. I want to make work that I have a reason to make. I want to be a little bit more adventurous. I want to explore more subject matter. I want to try to let go of this mentality of "ok, that sold, guess I should make another one."

I think that is where I was getting lost. I think that I was really running out of ideas too. You know? So I sat down this weekend and really thought about my past work, and my work now, and what I liked and what I didn't, and what works, and what doesn't. I really want to focus on the work that make me feel satisfied.

So I sat down and did these little collages on paper. They aren't quite done yet... I also started a new series of bird etchings this weekend. Well, I finished one, but I am working on two plates right now. They really make me happy, and I know birds are kinda the hot thing right now (especially on Etsy) I don't really care. Birds have always held a special place in my heart (mostly because they remind me of certain family members and moments) and I just really love to include them in my work.

So thank you all for such great comments on that last post. I really appreciate it.

Much Better

The last few days have been pretty blah. Just didn't feel like making anything or doing anything...

But today has been much better!

I got a lot of work done and I came to the conclusion that I really wasn't happy with about three of the paintings that I have been working on. So I am sanding them out and starting over. It's good though. I am glad that I realized this before it was too late, and I had to send them out to the galleries.

I have a better idea of what I want to paint, and it's good.
I have a lot of ideas going on in my head, and it's really just a matter of prepping some panels, and a larger canvas, to get started...I am excited again. Yay!

Do you ever just get stuck? Like you are kinda waiting for some new ideas or some inspiration and then it hits you and you can't wait to get to work? I love that feeling.

Anyway...I am actually really really hungry. We don't really have any snacks in the house, and because I can't really cook, I just eat snacks for lunch, and because there aren't any snacks in the house all I had for lunch was a Diet Coke and I am starving!! Wow, the grammar and punctuation in that sentence is beyond horrible...but I don't really care :)

Oh! I made a treasury!
Check it!

Happy Valentines Day!

Yay!
Happy Valentines day.

Chloe and I feel very tired. She helped me collage some panels today, and she helped me rearrange my work space. She's snoring at my feet right now.

Well, I'm tired, and pretty hungry, and feeling like a nice hot shower right about now.
Things that I am looking forward to:

Hot Shower
Food
Finding the perfect chair for my newly organized work space.
Working in my newly organized and rearranged work space.
Watching Lost AND Survivor tomorrow and drinking some beers.
My new shirt from Etsy seller Corduroy. It says "Made of all the Gold". It's a Pablo Neruda quote...

Hope everyone's day was filled with love!