Cherish Russty Brazil

2012-01-19T21:18:00.000-08:00

It's been an interesting week. I've had a headache now for about two weeks off and on and it's making me feel a bit stabbity. So things are a bit slow going. But on the painting front I've finished up 7 paintings total so far this year out of 100. Only one this week, but I think it was a good one.

I've had a thing with hands lately. I don't know why. I guess because mine always seem so useless and such a pain, so I find other peoples much more interesting. After my kids saw this painting they were talking about the hand and we started putting our hands on our faces in different ways. Fun times. My hands and arms are definitely not as flexible as they were when I was a kid.

Fun things are in the works. I'm excited about some different opportunities that have come up. I will hopefully have some details to share soon. 2012 is definitely going to be a better year.

2012-01-12T12:41:00.000-08:00

Hello! I hope you all are having a great week. It's been a bit of a rough one for me. I started having bad pain on Sunday and ended up having to spend a few days on pain medication sleeping through it. Not my favorite way to spend my days. But I'm back with the living and feeling better, so bring on the sunshine and art!

I finished up this painting last night that I started on Saturday.

As I was working on him, he made me smile a ton. There is just something really warm and fun about him. His name is Mikke and he's looking for a new home to hang around. He loves all kinds of music, but is particularly fond of The Doors and Jimi Hendrix.

I often get asked where the characters I paint come from or what is their story. My work really stems from relationships with loved ones, whether they be family or friends. I turned 36 in November and came to a realization that many people I know and love are loosing people they love. Friends are loosing parents and grandparents to ill health and old age. For a while it seemed every other day I was hearing about someone dying. It really hurt my heart to see people I love struggling with the sense of lose. Then sadly I went through my own hard time loosing my maternal grandmother, who was one of the main reasons I got started in art when she taught me to sew and knit as a child. She introduced me and encouraged a love of arts and crafts and that spread to a love of the folk art movement. Her life really influenced who I became as an artist. It felt like this great hole in my heart had been made. I will always regret that she was never able to see my art hanging in a show.

But instead of letting that weigh on me I felt like creating some art to honor the people who have meant something to my loved ones. Mikke was born out of the huge lose felt by a friend when his grandmother passed away in 2011. She was the constant source of love and stability during his childhood, so her passing has left a huge void in his life.

My friends grandmother was someone who was definitely a part of her generation doing all the things women her age did to raise a family. She created a home for them and enveloped it in safety and comfort. But as she grew older she also knew to have fun and had a great sense of humor. Mikke is ready to have fun and dance the night away, but is surrounded by a pattern that mimics some of the traditional shapes used in quilts as a reminder that our loved ones live on in our hearts.

2012-01-03T11:57:00.000-08:00

I don't usually make resolutions for the new year, but this year I thought it would be a good idea to have some goals to help focus my career as well as my personal well being. On top of doing 100 paintings this year I am painting from my soul rather then painting what I think people want to see. I've been an artist fulltime for about 12 years now and in all that time I've never found a place where I truly felt that I fit in. I'm always not enough of something or to much of another thing. The art world is like one big competition that never ends. You are competing with yourself as well as every other artist to get your work seen and for most of us to make money to support our families or ourselves. I'm always trying to find a balance in my work so that it's commercially acceptable, but true to myself at the same time. But I still get comments from more traditional galleries that I'm to contemporary, to urban, to street art. So this year I'm all about painting from my soul and not worrying so much about what venues think. I'm hoping eventually some of the different less traditional kinds of venues will see my work and think that we'd fit well together. I've never been very mainstream in life, so it seems fitting that my work really isn't mainstream either.

I'm also working on listening to my body and acknowledging better when I am not doing well and taking care of health issues when they start rather then trying to pretend I'm okay. BUT I am also working on painting every day. Even when I don't feel well. Even if it's only for a few minutes. If you're going to be good at something practice and consistent work is the key. I've had a headache for three days that makes it hard to do much, but I've still managed to get painting time in. I started the painting above last night and squeezed in a few hours this morning. Our new neighbors are having their carpets cleaned and the company is running a very loud generator, so I had to stop working due to the noise killing my head. But hopefully later I can get back to it. It's at the very early stages, so the figure doesn't even have the first layer on it yet. But I always enjoy seeing where a painting begins and how things change over the course of time. My paintings are always made up of tons of layers, so taking pictures through out the process is always fun.

One of my favorite art blogs,My Love For You has a great post about New Years Resolutions. Meighan polled a lot of creative folks on Twitter and Facebook about what their resolutions and goals for the new year are. She included my thoughts from twitter as well as lots of other good ones. Check it out and be inspired!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T15:32:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the first Monday of a new year. It doesn't seem like a new year yet. It seems like it always takes a few weeks to get into the swing of a new year. I have some different plans, but the major one is to complete 100 paintings this year. There is no set size or theme, just the idea to really get down and paint from my soul for the rest of the year. I'm excited to see what comes of it.

I finished the first painting today and I'm so happy with it. I took my time with it over a few days trying new things and really just spending a lot of time loving on the painting and thinking about the joy I get from painting.

As I was painting and layering on the colors and the face started to come to life she started to remind me of Janis Joplin. Janis always seemed to have this look of joy on her face when she was singing or dancing around on stage. I think like a lot of creative folks, Janis was a very troubled gal, but who had such a huge passion for her art. As I was working on the painting my talented amazing friend, Samantha Kira Harding told me that she thought of my style as punk folk. That is just perfect! I told her I was going to steal that. And it definitely suits the feel of this painting. Janis was around during such an amazing time when creative minds were all around sharing love and hope. I hope in the new year we can bring some of that back and make the world a calmer more love filled place.

Winter projects

2011-12-03T13:13:00.001-08:00

Where did Autumn go? It seems like it always goes so fast. I know the beginning of December isn't really considered Winter yet, but it always seems like it is. Where I live we don't really have a cold winter like other places, so we don't get such a drastic change. I'd love to have snow once. Thankfully at least our house faces beautiful mountains that get covered in snow, so we get to enjoy the view.

December always brings Christmas and winter projects around our house. I like to make a lot of Christmas presents for family and friends, because they are so much more personal and fun. But because of having arthritis and having Fibromyalgia, which is causing bad pain lately, I cut back on the amount of things I make. And started early this year. I had packages mailed off before December 1st, leaving me with only one major Christmas present left to make for my parents. I started it in the middle of November and work on it every day, hoping it will be finished in time for Christmas.

Meanwhile I'm also working on another project that has become really relaxing and fun. Something just for me, which is something I hardly ever do anymore. I'm always so busy working on paintings or dolls for my shop that I often don't have time to do much else. So when I heard about this wonderful idea I knew I had to be part of it.

Melanie Testa a wonderful artist who has spent the last year battling cancer and kicking it's butt, decided to do a project in December to help get back into being creative and blogging. This really spoke to my heart as I struggle with blogging during the times when I don't feel well. Which lately has been more often then not. A sweet friend told me to blog about it, because others who are dealing with chronic pain and illness would understand. But I still feel often like I'm just being a whiner, so I hide out in my cave. One day I'll find a better balance for blogging and sharing about that stuff. I was hoping that Melanie's idea would give me a push to blog a little more since I'd have a fun reason to share.

She is doing what she has called, Rockstar Boro. Who doesn't love anything to do with being a rockstar? Traditional boro is a Japanese term that is about mending old clothes and reusing them. It's something that really speaks to my recycling loving heart. So Rockstar Boro is in the spirit of traditional boro, but adding your own unique flavor to it. Creating a garment out of an older one in your own style. Melanie is working on a velvet wrap. Others have chosen old coats, kimonos, and shirts. You can check out and join the Flickr group if you are interested in participating. There are no rules, no cost, just fun! Everyone works at their own pace and does what feels right for them. The perfect sew along project for everyone.

I started out with an old shirt that I purchased years ago on a trip to Seattle. It cost me 25 cents from the Goodwill Bin store where you buy things by the pound. It is the softest fabric and I hated to get rid of it, even though it had become very thin and had tiny holes in it. I took another shirt that also had gotten a bit old and cut it up to make the sleeves a bit longer.

So far I have managed to add a wing onto the back. I sketched out a wing quickly on some white cotton fabric, then filled it in using ink pencils and lots of water. It gave it a nice light watercolor effect. Then I used DMC floss to attach the wing to the back of the shirt. Next up is to do the other wing.

Dyeing with natural things and things I had around the house

2011-10-03T18:07:00.000-07:00

I've always been interested in natural dyeing or what is sometimes called eco dyeing. I like the random organic designs you can achieve using found things like plants, leaves, flower petals, acorns, walnut husks, and rusted objects. I gathered up some things from our yard and from our kitchen cupboards and gave it a go with some fabric I had in my stash.

I did fabric in different batches to not cross contaminate things. This batch I put into a jar, because I was using things that you would not want to put into a pot or a dish that you ever use for food. I wet the fabric, which was linen and silk, then poured on tiny metal shavings that my husband brought me home from work ages ago. I added in a bit of rubbing alcohol and some peroxide to see if it would change the outcome, but really it just caused it to foam up a bit. I left it over night and then rinsed it all out.

The fabric all came out with nice rusted spots in different shapes and patterns. I will definitely be using it for a quilt or something fun.

The next batch I put into a boiling pot of tumeric, water, and salt. I bundled up the fabric and tied it like you do for tie dyeing to hopefully get some nice random patterns of white or lighter areas.

The tumericed fabric came out brighter then I expected. It has gorgeous rich color and some nice patterning. Not much of the color washed out during the rinsing and cleaning. I was really happy with the results.

This piece was "printed" with a home made foam stamp using raw egg as the ink. It was very easy to do, but you might get a better print with a firmer stamp. I used an embossing gun to dry the egg before putting it into a dye bath of cranberry sugar free drink, water, and some blue food coloring. I let it all cook for about 20 minutes, then let the fabric cool before rinsing it and cleaning it. The egg ink resulted in march darker areas on the fabric.

These two pieces were some sort of napkin I found in my stash. I think it might be linen or a linen blend. I tore it in half then submerged it in a glass measuring cup with leftover tumeric, water, coffee grounds, and some old molasses we've had in our cupboard for ages. I figured we might as well try the molasses rather then just throwing it away. I microwaved the whole thing for about 4 minutes then let it sit and cool for a while before rinsing it and washing the fabric. I love the color and the different shades that came out.

Over all for no money and using fabric I already have this was a lot of fun. I now have some great new fabric to use in art quilts. I will be trying more of this soon. I'm going to hit up the thrift store when I can afford it to get some more silk and linen hopefully.

The Circle of Life, a new art quilt

2011-10-01T21:34:00.001-07:00

Recently my grandmother, Millie passed away. She and my mother were the ones who took the time when I was very young to teach me how to sew. And then when I was in junior high she taught me how to knit. She also instilled in me the idea that you can do anything you desire to do with enough hard work. I truly believe I am the artist I am thanks to my grandmother and mom who encouraged the creative part of me as a young child and gave me a good foundation of skills to start with. I'm thankful they taught me how to use a sewing machine, how to read a sewing pattern, and how to adjust patterns to fit my size. They set me up so that eventually when I started doing things on my own I had this great set of mental skills to be able to create things often times without a pattern, just from an idea.

I was sad when I was unable to attend my grandma's funeral due to my health and the kids being in school. My grandparents live in Arizona, about a 7 hour drive from my home. I needed to in some way of my own deal with her passing and feel that I some how honored her memory and the part of my life that she helped create. So when my mom mentioned bringing my grandmother's things home with them I asked if I could have some of her clothing to make something out of it. I wasn't sure at the time what it would be, but eventually decided an art quilt would really be fitting as years ago my grandmother was a fabulous quilter and I would have never become a fiber artist without her. I was and still am sad that she never got to see my quilts hanging in a gallery. But I like to think that now that she's up in heaven she knows how much she influenced me and how thankful I am for her.

(If you click on any of the photos they will enlarge so you can see them better. )

I started out with a few different blouses and cut them up into large sections, cutting out the seams, getting every thing to flat pieces of fabric. Then I decided to just make random sections to later be pieced together. I sewed the little sections together like a pillow cover, then stuffed them with fiber fill rather then using batting, because it was what I had in the house. I then sewed them closed.

Normally in quilting you sew all the squares or sections together, then put down batting, and a backing fabric, then quilt it all together. Well I did this art quilt a bit differently in that I sewed the sections and stuffed them with batting, then did the quilting on them before pinning all the sections together.

I then sewed all the little sections together with DMC Floss, so the stitching would stand out a bit more.

After it was all sewn together I added a bit of color using ink pencils and permanent markers. After coloring on the fabric with permanent marker I put rubbing alcohol on it and the colors spread out and give it that nice bleeding effect.

Once the "dyeing" was finished I added black and white buttons. And got a stick off a tree from our yard and painted it white to use as a hanger.

My thoughts when I was working on the quilt was that my grandmother really loved pink and blue, so all of the quilting is done with pink and blue floss. I did the repeated circles, because life really is circular and also to me circles always make me think of a family unit. And the different sections represent that life is also lived in stages. The buttons also make me think of family and mending clothes for them.

I am really happy with how the quilt came out. I've hung it up in my studio space to remind me of all the good times I had with my grandmother. One of the other great things about doing this was it renewed my desire to sew again. I had taken years off from it due to it causing so much pain in my hands. It still isn't easy and does cause pain, but by working in small sections I can hand quilt rather then trying to push a big quilt through my machine, which was a real problem for me. This small quilt was all the fun of creating without the tears and frustration.

This quilt is so much different then what I use to make, but it feels good to explore doing more abstract quilts that are more about the stitching and embellishment then composition. I'm going to clean out my fabric closet finally and get rid of some of the stuff I will no longer use so I can actually find the fabric I would really like to try to work with. I also have some procion dyes I have never used, so eventually I think it might be fun to try some dyeing.

New Art

2011-09-12T17:41:00.001-07:00

It's been ages since I updated. I spent much of the summer time struggling with kidney infections and other not so fun things. But now that school has started I'm back to my normal goofy self.

I have fallen in love with art journaling, but of course I'm doing it with recycled materials. I started out making my first journal with recycled cardboard, book pages, and magazine cutouts. So far it's been a lot of fun and lots of learning along the way. My mom was nice enough to loan me her scrapbooking markers, so I could decide if I really want to invest in markers of my own. I don't have any extra money now, but hopefully soon I can afford some nice markers I found on ebay.

This is the front cover of the journal. I started out making this one with just 10 pages, so it wouldn't be to overwhelming to begin with. Next I'm going to make one with a fabric cover. I cut out all the fabrics today, so I can stitch on them while I watch tv.

I've also been working on paintings of course and finished up a really fun tribute painting of Kurt Cobain for a lovely customer, who has also become a sweet friend. I'm so thankful for all the wonderful people I've met due to art and the internet. The only downfall is when people live to far away to get together in person. I wish the world was a smaller place sometimes.

2011-07-15T16:18:00.000-07:00

About a year and a half ago I decided to start painting. I had been strictly a fiber artist for 10 years and really couldn't imagine doing anything else. But due to restrictions in my hands from arthritis it was no longer fun for me to work in fiber. It was to hard on my hands and I lost the desire to create that way. But eventually I knew I needed to get back to working on something to fill my spare time. At that time I really thought of art as therapy. I didn't really think I would ever sell my paintings nor paint as much as I have. I really thought of it as a way to help me deal with depression and the pain from my illness.

Some where along the line I fell in love with painting. It opened up a whole new creative life for me and I found myself really enjoying creating these imaginary worlds with paint. I started taking some online classes to help inspire me and to learn from others who had knowledge and an understanding of painting that I did not. In some ways I'm thankful I didn't get a traditional education on art, because it has allowed my own personal style to really show through. For me painting is not only about what you paint, but the marks you make, and the texture of the paintings. I'm sure this comes from my background in fiber where I really loved the texture and feel of manipulated fabric. I love to run my fingers over the paintings when they are dry and feel the bumps and ridges. I often put ripped up paper down first on my canvases simply because it adds more texture. And just recently I've started scratching layers off or ripping bits of paper off. For me there is something enjoyable in the imperfections. It's much like life and people, we all have our unique imperfections that make us beautiful.

I have begun to think about where my art is going and what it means for me personally. As I've begun to sell the paintings and had people tell me how wonderful they make them feel it made me realize that the art isn't only therapy for me anymore. It is a way to show others that there is beauty still in the world and that even during hard times we can stick together and support one another. I now often paint thinking about people out in the world and try to put a bit of love and hope in all of my work. Sometimes I paint silly things, like characters with no teeth or people with green hair, but even with the silly comes a message that underneath our skin and bones we're all just human beings trying to get through life with dignity intact. It's not always easy to do, but if I can give a bit of hope and support then I feel like my art has served it's purpose.

2011-06-29T00:24:00.000-07:00

I always want to be a better blogger. I love the folks who have great blogs with pictures and interesting things to say about their creative lives. But a lot of the time I feel like my life is just not that interesting really. Right now it's 100F degrees most days, so I hide out in my air conditioned house painting in between referring arguments between my two bored kids who are on summer break from school. This week my oldest is off at camp, so now it's more me trying to keep my 6 year old out of trouble and entertained long enough to get things done. Which is why I'm just now blogging after midnight, while waiting to make sure my husband gets up for work in an hour.

Last week I had emergency oral surgery to repair damage done when I ran into a door two weeks ago face first in the dark. I cut my head open, broke a tooth, and gave myself a nice concussion. Fabulous! haha I've had dental issues for a while, but I kept putting off doing this. So now it's a few weeks of trying to get things to heal up properly while my dentist makes me a new set of upper teeth to replace the ones that were removed. A friend of mine also passed away last week, so it was a pretty stressful time. Loosing someone is never easy. But it's always a reminder to love on people while you have the chance.

Often times when I'm stressed out or dealing with things I make art even if it's just for myself to help relieve some of the tension. I worked on the painting above last week for a class I'm taking. It was a fun way to work out some of the stress of all the teeth issues. I finished off a special painting for a friend today. And I'm hoping to start a new collection to put in my etsy shop.

Thank you to everyone who purchased a painting recently! I was shocked by the great response to my recent work and the support helped me to be able to put a down payment for my oral surgery which I couldn't have afforded otherwise. The continued encouragement and support is always so helpful and hugely appreciated!

New work in my etsy shop

2011-06-16T18:56:00.001-07:00

The Safest Place, one of the paintings now available in my etsy shop.

Life has been so busy for a while, but I finally got paintings listed on my etsy shop today. Before I could even put up a notice on here five paintings sold. I had another one sell this morning through a private sale. I'm so over the moon happy that six sold in one day! I really need a better camera for taking pictures of my artwork, so it's great that stuff is selling. Now I can help pay our bills and hopefully save up for a good camera. If you'd like to take a look at what is still available the shop is located at http://www.etsy.com/shop/CherishRusstyBrazil. There are 9 paintings left.

One thing I've noticed in the art and craft community lately is a discussion about pricing your work and how different people feel about that. I think pricing is different for everyone due to a lot of things. For me personally I price things so that everyone can afford them. I think art should be able to be enjoyed by anyone that wants it. I listed a lot of my small paintings at $20. I've had people say not to do that as it's way to cheap. But my feeling is I have this gift to make art and my main goal is to make people happy, make myself happy, and help pay bills for our family. By pricing some of the paintings at a lower price range I know I'm enabling some people who live on tight budgets to be able to afford to buy artwork that will bring them joy. And in turn I get to take the money and buy groceries or things my family needs. Everyone wins and I get to feel good about what I'm doing with my talent. I keep my overhead costs as low as possible, so I can then in turn pass on that savings to people who kindly purchase my work. I truly believe that God blessed me with a talent to create and to be able to do a job that I love, so it's my job in turn to spread the love and joy to others in the best way possible.

When I sell my work through galleries I have to price things differently, because they require a cut of the sales which they totally deserve for the hardwork they do hosting the shows as well as promoting them. I'm thankful for galleries as well as things like etsy so that my art can get to a wide range of people. I'm always happy as well to do private commissions for people to work within their budgets to create art for them that they can enjoy without having to break their bank accounts.

Thank you to all of you who have kindly supported my art for many years. The transition to painting full time was not easy for me nor for all of you who were so faithful to purchase my art quilts and dolls. I'm glad that you have stuck with me and are enjoying the paintings. I hope you continue to follow the journey to see where it will lead.

April Update

2011-04-30T17:01:00.000-07:00

Yanno's Journey

I spent most of April fighting off a not fun infection feeling rather like crude. I didn't get as much done as I hoped to, but did have three pieces in a show in Pomona which was really nice. There were a lot of great artists and thankfully I made it to the opening to see all the work hanging together.

I'm trying to get back into working daily which isn't easy when you don't have a lot of energy. But thankfully I'm taking another online class with a fabulous artist named, Wyanne. Wyanne has a great website at www.wyanne.com with lists of all the classes and her great artwork. She is a very inspiring artist and great teacher. Definitely check her out if you're looking for a boost in your artwork.

Saint Rebecca

New work

2011-03-14T08:34:00.000-07:00

I thought I would post a few of the paintings that I've been working on lately. You can see my current work and fun on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/13745574@N05/ but I thought I'd post a few here as well.

I took a five week ecourse called Get Your Paint On with Mati Rose McDonough and Lisa Congdon, so a lot of my current work was paintings for the class. It was a great experience and I'd definitely recommend taking classes with them. I learned a lot and it helped me to feel like I was heading in the right direction with my work.

This is a painting called, Angel Boy based on some of my male friends and my sweet cats. I love that he has sort of an animalistic face. Lately a lot of my work has morphed finally into being looser about realism. I enjoy more painting the creatures and people in my head rather then real people. I still do illustrative work that often calls for more realism, but I really enjoy doing work like this where I can give people cat like noses if it suits them.

Breathe

I did a set of three paintings called, Breathe, Be Brave, and Play On. For the first time I really felt like they worked well as a group as well as individual paintings. Often times it feels like one or two will stick out, but this time it felt great that they all flowed together.

Be Brave

Play On

Hello spring!

2011-03-14T08:04:00.000-07:00

The weather is already warming up here and it feels like summer most of the time. I'm not ready for the extreme heat we get yet. I keep swearing to myself I'll be better about blogging, but time seems to go by so fast. And back in December I decided to stop taking the pain medication I have been on for FIVE YEARS! Almost six by the time December rolled around. I have constant pain in my legs, hands, and rib cage. It never goes away, but it varies depending on how much I do. Originally we were just trying to do pain management to help me be able to walk around better. After a while the doctor told me that the pain would never go away and they were just going to make me as comfortable as possible. Well with comfort came the never ending urge to sleep, heavy depression, and generally just checking out of my life. I was in less pain, but I spent most of my time in the house hiding from the world and not working at all. Then my hands started swelling up all the time rather then just occasionally and they would often throb no matter how little I did. It was incredibly frustrating and I felt like my life was slowly being taken away from me.

A lot of my friends were very supportive, but I couldn't get over the cries of frustration from many of them who insisted I couldn't stop working as an artist. In the beginning I had a lot of self pity thinking, but you don't get my pain! Eventually after I stopped having a pity party for one I realized that many of them were worried about my mental health and pushing me to make art again, because they knew that it would really help me to feel better at least mentally. I'm so thankful for the people who were willing to step up and be honest with me. I don't think I'd be where I am without them.

So thanks to all of their pushing and talking I started working again last summer. But I still found it hard to do much, because I was so tired all the time from the medication. I have chronic fatigue and then to add medication that makes you sleepy on top of that was just a killer. I spent a ton of time sleeping on and off on our couch while I was supposedly watching movies with my husband. He was a total supportive sweetheart, but I often felt like he deserved more from me. He was working full time at night then coming home to do carpool, make dinner, help the kids with homework, and often times cleaning me up. When December rolled around and times were hard trying to make our mortgage and pay for Christmas presents for our kids I kept putting off going to see the doctor to have my medication refilled. At first I started to panic when I had less and less and I worried that I was going to be in deep trouble if I ran out. How would I survive without it?! At the time the thought of it set of a huge panic in my head.

I started taking less of the medication trying to ration it out as long as possible. At first it was really rough, because my body was so addicted to the medication. I was not easy to live with and really pissed off that I had to go through that. But once my body detoxed all the medication out eventually I felt better about it. I didn't really plan on stopping it, but once I realized that I could handle things in my own ways without it I decided it was time to give it a try without it for a while. I wanted to take my life back on my terms. And most of all I wanted to be able to work again and feel like I was honing my craft to get better and better at it.

So I've been painting every day now. Some days it's not easy. I've been having problems with pain and vomiting a lot in the last few weeks. But you know what, an empty trash can next to my painting desk and big glasses of ice water help a lot. You just have to learn to roll with stuff and not let it get you down. If I don't paint I feel sad and hopeless. When I paint I feel like I have my life back and like I'm contributing to the world in my own way. Me being happier also helps me to be a better mom and wife. I'm glad that I'm back to being able to be helpful to my husband rather then a burden. I still need help from him often, but I feel like we're a team again.

One thing that I often tell people when they ask how I handle being a mom and an artist living with an illness and a brain disorder, is that we all have stuff in our lives. Some people have STUFF and other people have stuff. But the point is we all have something that we carry around with us that can either shape our lives or can just be something that is in our lives. You have to make the life you want and not allow your stuff to be what runs your life. It can be hard at times, but you have to really decide what you want and go for it! My stuff will be with me my whole life, but I don't have to allow it to control my life.

Life is a balancing act!

2011-02-07T08:07:00.000-08:00

The past week has seemed so busy. My daughter, Jack was home sick from school for three days so it was non-stop cartoons and juice fetching for me. I tried to just be present for her during the day which forced me to then have to paint at night once everyone was asleep. But I'm thankful that my husband is use to having a bit of a strange schedule and was supportive of the craziness.

For many years my husband and I led a sort of odd life together. We cohabited in a house, but didn't really share a life together. I was often busy making art and doing shows to exhibit my art. It wasn't so much that we didn't want to share a life together, it was more that I didn't really know how to let go of just being myself. I was a very independent person who thought that by being a "wife" some how I was giving up myself. But with living this very independent life came a lot of sadness. I would often see couples and wonder how to get that closeness they seem to have. I wanted to be loved like that, but wouldn't allow myself to be.

In all honesty part of me lived in fear that one day this sweet man would come to his senses and realize what a cruddy person I was and would leave me. It would be easier on me to not get to attached. It's a really not fun way to live and I don't recommend it.

But a few years ago we were given a gift. At the time I thought my life was going to be over. But it really was one of the best things that happened to us as a couple. My doctor sat me down and told me it was either my career or my marriage. That I couldn't do both and remain healthy. I was so upset and couldn't understand why I had to choose. But eventually I came to terms with it and of course chose my marriage and my kids over anything else. It was never really a choice, but more just changing my mindset of what really mattered to me.

And somewhere a long the line I figured out that it was okay to be a wife and to allow someone else to help take care of my needs. It wasn't so much giving up myself, but figuring out how to co-parent and enjoy being a friend to my husband. I'm still learning, but we are a much happier household now. My marriage has changed in ways I never imagined it could. I adore my husband and he really has become my best friend. I can't imagine my life without him in it. Everything isn't perfect, but now the hard times don't seem quite as bad with him by my side.

Marriage is work, but it is some of the most rewarding work you can do in your life. It really is a balancing act trying to give everyone a piece of your time. And still have some time for yourself. Some days I don't get to paint or knit like I'd like to. But I know that it's okay, because sometimes it's just more important to be present with the people that I care about.

Starting a new year

2011-01-31T00:29:00.000-08:00

Hello! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. I was blessed by my family to have a vacation the day after Christmas. My parents, my husband, our two girls, and I packed up and went to Lake Havasu City in Arizona. My parents have a beautiful vacation home there that they generously let us all use. We spent a week resting, playing lots of games, reading books, doing crafts, fishing, and just enjoying each others company. It was the nicest vacation I've had in a long time and was a great way to end a very rough year.

I'm not really one for making resolutions, but this year I really wanted to change my mindset a bit. Dealing with the economy and all of my health struggles got me down a lot. So my resolution for this year was to be true to myself and have gratitude OFTEN! Not just for the big things, but for the daily things that make my life wonderful. Like my two daughters who crack me up all the time. Our favorite thing recently has been to randomly yell in a silly voice, "It's so fluffy!" like the little girl in the film, Despicable Me. I still get a smile thinking about yesterday in the car when we all yelled it and my husband laughed. Those are the little moments that make life so rich with joy.

I'm also so thankful for all of my health problems. I know that sounds silly. Like why would you be thankful for that?! But for me it was an eye opening moment that made me realize I needed to slow my life way down and be present in my husbands life. Through it all I've grown to realize how incredibly blessed I am to have this loving sweet man in my life who encourages me every day and who treats me like I'm his best friend. Because of being chronically ill I've been forced to have a lot of time with him and our children. I'm so grateful that when the kids are older they will remember that their mom was here to do fun things with them, be involved with their schooling, and to just be present in their lives.

One of the other wonderful things that I'm so grateful for is the community of friends I've made online. All of the amazingly talented and encouraging friends who give me hope and share the joy in their life with me. They make my days brighter and remind me that sometimes you have to stop whining about life long enough to start living it!

One of the ladies whom I've "met" through Twitter is Punk Rawk Purl aka Tammy George. She is an encouraging, artistic, fun lady. She makes me smile often and I'm so thankful for her encouraging tweets and awesome blog. She is doing lots of blogs about gratitude that are just beautiful. Check her out at her blog.

Two other fabulous ladies I admire, Mati Rose McDonough and Lisa Congdon are teaching a five week painting e-course called, Get Your Paint On! How fitting is that! When I saw the title and that they both were teaching I knew I had to be involved. Tomorrow is the first day of our course and I can't wait to get my paint on with them!

Last but not least I have updated my Etsy shop with four new paintings. I've really enjoyed working on creating different shadows and textures in the paintings. It really is fun when you finally stop worrying about realism and just paint!

Time has been flying by!

2010-12-16T00:20:00.000-08:00

Where did the month of November go? Who knows! I spent a bit of time with my husband on a little weekend vacation where we watched movies, cooked some good food, and went thrift store shopping. It was a nice quiet way to celebrate my birthday. My lovely friend, Vicki also took me to see Brandon Flowers perform his new album, Flamingo. He was fabulous and I'm so happy I had the chance to see him live.

I spent a lot of the month working on art and gifts for Christmas. This year I started early, so I didn't have that end of the month panic that usually sets in. Thankfully this year I had most of the things done early in the month. But alas I can't show most of it.

But now that I have finished dealing with all the holiday stuff I've started a new series of paintings called, The Single Ladies. They are all fun portraits of women. Pretty obvious I know. ;)

Here is a shot of the first one I finished over the weekend called, Steal The Show.

Grow Garden illustration on Amelia's magazine

2010-10-27T11:00:00.000-07:00

My illustration for Amelia's Magazine is live on their website with a wonderful interview with Ashley Dean the creator of the stunning and inspiring video for the song, Grow Garden. There is a spider made out of an old hand knit sweater! So fabulous! I want the spider. I love all the personal little touches in the video. So much creative goodness. Check it out here!

Lots of thanks goes out to Amelia Gregory who runs Amelia's Magazine. I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to do an illustration for a project that is right up my alley. I adore music and to be able to do work inspired off a beautiful video was a tiny bit of heaven for me. <3

Hello Monday!

2010-10-25T15:54:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, my sweetheart bought me a new ipod Touch as an early birthday present. I took the lovely photo above with it. I love that it looks like an old photo from long ago. That is part of my studio area where I sit to paint, draw, and sew. It's set up in the front room of our house, so it's a very busy place. I often use my ipod to drowned out the television when I'm trying to concentrate and others want to watch tv or play video games on it. The new ipod Touch is fabulous and does so much. I feel so spoiled to have it and I hope to get many years of use out of it.

This morning I started working on an illustration for the lovely website,
Amelia's Magazine. I'm so excited to be doing an illustration for a website that I love. They always have such wonderful art, music, and fashion posts. I get a lot of inspiration from their site and I'm so thankful to be part of such a great group of creative folks.

As I was working today painting away I had a moment of thinking, 'I make pretty pictures for people...that's pretty darn cool!' When I was a child all I wanted to do was be creative and share it with the world. I'm pretty darn proud that I've been making things to send out to the world for ten years now. I never went to school to get a degree in art. I do it simply out of love for art and the joy it brings me to be creative. Even with all the struggles with my health and other things I still feel incredibly blessed to have a life where I do what I love and get to spend time with the people I love. It's pretty darn awesome.

Juhanna

2010-10-18T12:16:00.001-07:00

Juhanna, originally uploaded by Russty Brazil.

I finished this painted illustration today and I wish I would have taken photos of it each step of the way. There are about three or fours layers that make up the completed piece. I started out layering a black and white photo from a magazine onto a piece of cardboard from a cereal box. I gessoed over the photo making a nice grainy surface to paint on.

After Juhanna was painted onto the cardboard I layered the black and white torn pieces around the edge and then glued a piece of an old map to the back.

The Creative Time is Now!

2010-10-18T09:46:00.000-07:00

I'm so frustrated lately, because I feel like my artwork is great...BUT my pictures are lacking. Getting good photos of artwork on recycled materials that often have lots of texture to them is really hard to do. Sometimes to much light causes shadows on the work that distort how it appears in real life. Or if you try to scan in the smaller pieces the scanner doesn't pick up the true colors and they look washed out. I'm working with an older Nikon now that was given to me by my parents, who are incredibly generous and so helpful when it comes to my work. But I need to get a new card scanner so I can upload the photos. Hopefully this week I can purchase one and practice taking better photos with it.

I've had a few people ask why don't I just start painting on canvas or buy new things to work on. That works great for other artists and I support fully their choice to do so. But I choose to work the way I do for a few reasons. One is that I love the feel of old paper, books, and cardboard. I like figuring out ways to retain some of the texture and feel of them in my work. The other and larger reason for me is that I really believe in recycling and not creating more waste in our world. To me it seems silly to buy new things when I have perfectly good things I can reuse. I'm sending out art that is beautiful and environmentally friendly. It's a win win situation in my book.

And recently as well I hear so many people say one day they will make art. One day when they can afford canvas and paints. Or one day when they can buy better brushes. It is always going to be one day in the future. But the future is NOW! Don't waste your time waiting for the right moment or the right supplies. Use what you have and create! There is so much beauty in the every day things. Open your mind and try things. I truly believe anyone of any income level or background can create. It's all about finding your creative spirit and working with what you have around you.

You can do so much with cheap acrylics, recycled cardboard boxes like the ones cereal comes in, and old magazines. Start collecting things instead of throwing them away. At our house we have a basket in my studio that we put in all our used cardboard boxes, junk mail flyers, and old paper. Then any time anyone in our house wants to make something they can dig through the basket and take whatever they'd like to use. I buy paints for all of us to use at the local craft stores when they are on sale. They are often 3 or 4 tubes for $1. I buy primary colors and black and white. You can always combined colors and mix them to make colors you don't have.

Life is so stressful sometimes, especially when it comes to money. Making art can be a really freeing fun experience. Art can be very cathartic as well. If you find ways to make art that cost you very little, it is entertaining, relieves stress, and can be great therapy. So why wait! Just do it! Dig in and get creative! You never know where it might lead.

Check out Illustration Rally!

2010-10-18T09:07:00.000-07:00

Illustration Rally has posted my Halloween illustration along with another gorgeous piece by D'Andhra. Illustration Rally

A big thank you to Natsuki Otani who runs the Illustration Rally Blog.

Romeo

2010-10-16T15:58:00.001-07:00

Romeo, originally uploaded by Russty Brazil.

This is a small painting I did on some recycled wood to hang in our living room. It's inspired by a song called, Black Rose.

Halloween is coming!

2010-10-15T13:20:00.000-07:00

October is my favorite month of the year. I love the Autumn cooler weather and brightly colored leaves. Halloween has always been my favorite holiday since I was a child. There was always something so magical about getting to dress up for a day as anything your hearts desired. My mother always made my brothers and I the best costumes.

In honor of Halloween I did an illustration for the fabulous blog, Illustration Rally. www.illustrationrally.blogspot.com Check out all the wonderful Halloween illustrations they have put up so far. And they have some great artist interviews with illustrators and creative people from all over the world. Lots of inspiring art work all on one great blog.

I don't know if they will be using my illustration yet, so I'm just posting a little teaser. Either way eventually I will post the full view for you all to see.

2010-10-11T11:18:00.000-07:00

I keep telling myself I'm going to be better about blogging, but then my health goes into the dumps and I end up hiding out for a while. I'm trying to find a better balance of honesty about my health and positivity. I don't want to lie, but I also don't want my whole life to revolve around the fact that most of the time I don't feel well.

For my new friends, hello! And a bit of a background, so you can understand what I'm talking about. Many moons ago I was diagnosed with an auto immune disease called, Fibromyalgia. It's a very no good stinky bad illness that loves to run your life and make you feel like crud a lot. For years I managed the bad times through diet, exercise, lots of rest, and medication. There is no cure for the illness, you just treat the symptoms of it really. So my life was humming along and I was making art. I was doing a lot of driving back and forth to Los Angeles, which is where I did most of my art showing. It is about a two hour drive each way and over time it took a toll on me. Eventually my doctor and I agreed that I should take a break. Well that little break has turned into two years of fighting to feel as well as I can again. All the while trying to be a good wife and mother on top of it. I'm very thankful to have my partner in crime, B also known on Twitter and Facebook as Captain, which was shortened from Captain Fantastic. He really is fantastic and picks up all the slack for the things that I can't do. We make a great team, even though at times it is hard for me to accept that I will forever need help to manage my illness and my life. I'm working on finding peace about that and I'm slowly getting there. Seeing his smiling face and all of his warm hugs help a ton to counteract the depression and frustration that comes with all of this.

But with all of that said I'm still here and I'm still working on getting better. Tomorrow morning I'm calling the doctors to set up an appointment to see if we can get me back to full strength. I've been having issues with my hands being swollen and sore for a few weeks and it really inhibits my life. That has to stop, because I have art to make and things to do with my kids! So as much as I hate seeing the doctor, I'm going to do it in hopes that we can make a game plan together to help me be higher functioning again. I don't expect to be cured, but I'm all about managing my illness so that I can have the best quality of life that I can manage. Really I think that's all anyone expects out of life. Being the best you that you can be.

I did manage to finally finish up an illustration over the weekend. Yay! Years ago I started out my career as a fiber artist. I loved fabric, fibers, and texture. I also loved all of the stories behind old quilts. I began making pictures out of fabric. It spoke to my soul at the time. It was who I was during that part of my life. But deep down I always wanted to paint. I admired people who could put paint to canvas or paper and create beautiful things. I never thought that would be me. Eventually I stopped making quilts, because it became very painful to me to do the work. I spent more time miserable then I did enjoying the process.

So after resting for a while I decided to try painting, because why the heck not? If I enjoyed it that was good enough for me. So slowly over time I've taught myself how to paint or really how to paint in a way that is fun for me. Every thing I learn is word of mouth, books, and trial and error. I'm proud that I'm completely self taught, because I think it prevents me from doing work like anyone else. I have my own comfortable style that is a lot like me. Of course certain gallery owners don't always agree. One told me over a year ago that it was too illustrative. I laughed thinking how I've always wanted to be an illustrator. I'd love to illustrate a graphic novel or a book for teens. Something with bright colors and lots and lots of people. After all as most of you know I'm all about people. I always think one day I'll stop drawing and painting them. But so far there is no end in sight. And for now I've decided I'm going to work on doing some illustrations, because I can and it's fun!

The illustration is done on recycled pages from an old medical book. I sewed four pages together and then gessoed over the top before doing the painting of the face. The top portion is paper collage that came from old magazine ads. I love people who do paper cuts and collages with beautiful patterned paper. But my personal beliefs about not buying more then I need prevents me from buying a bunch of beautiful paper when there is paper out there to recycle. So I bought a bunch of used magazines for $1 from the local library bookstore and I'm cutting them apart to use the paper for collages. I use to do collages out of magazines when I was in my late teens and college years, so it feels really nice to revisit the concept. It's like seeing an old friend again. I took a close up photo, because the scanner we have washed out the face a bit. His skin tone is much pinker in person.

Who left the heat on?

2010-08-20T15:13:00.000-07:00

We are in the middle of a horrible end of the summer heat wave. It makes it hard to do much when it's almost 100F degrees in our house. I will be so glad when Fall is here. I'm already dreaming of the nice cool November evenings. My favorite time of year.

On Monday my kids go back to school and the kids are darn excited about it. I'm looking forward to getting things a bit more organized and getting down to some hardcore painting time hopefully.

Fallen Star - an acrylic painting on recycled cardboard.

Dark Star - acrylic and ink on recycled cardboard

A Summer of Painting

2010-08-11T14:30:00.000-07:00

After many months of rest and trying to get well enough to make art I've finally begun to work on things again. It has felt so nice to finally be creating in a way that makes me happy with no purpose beyond creating. We are deep in summer time at our house and thankfully it leaves time for art as well as doing fun things with my kids. I've set up a space so when there is time and the urge strikes I can paint. It's been very cathartic for me and fun for the kids who spend a lot of time painting and making art of their own while I work.

For years I've worked on fabric painting and manipulating it through different processes. One of things I find fun and enriching to a piece is to be able to make different kinds of marks through stitching. But on canvas it's not as easy to make the kind of marks I wanted to with just paint. Paper isn't heavy enough for all the layers of paint and ink I use. Finally I tried cardboard which is easy to get a hold of and is light weight, but still doesn't buckle under all the paint. It's also a great way to recycle.

Out Of The Wind - acrylic paint, ink, charcoal, and pastels on cardboard.

Into The Darkness - acrylic paint, ink, and pastels on cardboard.

Long time no blog!

2010-03-05T18:53:00.000-08:00

It's been ages since I've blogged. I wish I had some fantastic reason, like I was busy making lots of amazing art. Or doing great things. But in reality my health has not been well at all for the last 6 or 7 months. I have been sleeping a lot and on hiatus from the art life. I'm slowly trying to get back into the swing of things. But still with some changes. I have cut back on doing shows for now and selling work. I just don't have the time and strength to deal with it all. So for now I simply create art to create. And sometimes send it out in the world to people whom see things on Twitter or Facebook that they enjoy. So if you see something you like talk to me about it. We could probably work out something.

With that said I have been doing some different creative projects during my down time. A lot more writing. And even got hired to do some photography by different websites and organizations. One of those jobs led to a really fun assignment that was a life long dream of mine. I always wanted to photograph a rock group I enjoyed. I've done some concert photography before, but never a private photo shoot with anyone.

The band, Negative happened to be in Los Angeles during the Fall recording their latest album and a friend of mine set up an interview with them for her website. She in turn hired me to film the interview and do the photography. It was a really great experience meeting three of the band members, discussing art with them, and getting to hear the album they were working on.

This is just one of many photos from that day of their lead singer, Jonne Aaron. The band had purchased a ton of neon lights that they had hung all around the studio. Jonne got down on the floor with some of the lights around him and we had fun seeing what kind of different shots we could get. I was not surprised after our visit that the name of the album was changed to be, Neon. The album is due out in June.

Upcoming show in Los Angeles

2009-06-30T12:23:00.000-07:00

I've been busy painting away and working on different projects for different customers. I finished a wall mural, a commissioned painting and a few written projects as well. Because it is summer time I am sleeping a lot less. I've seen dawn come and go many times last week. I really enjoy the quiet time during the middle of the night when I can read books as well as work on my writing. I have a wonderful friend and writing partner who often stays up till the wee hours of the morning with me. We have a great time writing away and chatting about life. One day I will actually finish editing the novel I wrote last year and then people can finally start reading it.

Coming up in a couple weeks I'm going to be in a group show in downtown Los Angeles at the Lanaca Gallery. July 17th-29th. The gallery is housed in a beautiful 1930's art deco building near the LA Mart and the Staples Center. Some of the other artists in the show are K. Howell, Crystal Lyn Morgan, Mary Rita Silicato, Christopher Villa, Lynn Gettman, Sasha Palacio,and 4614. It is a great opportunity to see a lot of great artwork in different mediums.

Come on down for the opening reception on July 17 from 6-9pm.

Lanaca Gallery
1827 South Main Street
Los Angeles, CA 90015

Workin away

2009-06-11T09:14:00.000-07:00

I've been working on some smaller paintings this week. I finished up this one yesterday and before I could even list it in my etsy shop it was bought by a friend.

I was asked recently if I could do some smaller paintings for people who don't have space for large pieces. Many of my friends and customers live in apartments/flats or move around a lot throughout the year, due to work. It never occurred to me to make things that they could take with them or hang in a smaller place and enjoy. So I've been scaling down and doing small paintings on recycled materials. As well as some small flat art dolls that can be hung on the wall or put up on a shelf.

Eventually I have to do some larger work again for a solo show I have coming up next year. But for right now I'm enjoying doing small work that is character based. Today I have a request from a special customer for some very specific art work. It is a gift for a loved one and I'm really enjoying doing it for them. I haven't done any custom commission work in a while. It is always really nice when you can make someone happy with your work. I did the first draft sketch last night and they were very happy with it so far. I'm going to try to do a couple changes on it today and then start the final painting.

Summer is coming!

2009-06-05T09:39:00.000-07:00

There is only a week left of school for my oldest daughter and then summer begins! I can't believe next year I'll have both kids in school. Time sure flies by. It will be nice to have mornings to get stuff done by myself. And I know my youngest daughter is going to love going to school. She is already big on reading thanks to her big sister.

My girls definitely take after me in the way they love books. Our favorite place in the world to go is to our local library. We go three to four times a week during the school year and even more during the summer time. Our little branch library is within walking distance of our house and it has a wonderful summer time reading program. The kids are already getting very excited about it. And I have to admit so am I. I've been making a lot more time to read the last few weeks and I'm hoping to do even more during the summer time. There are too many good books out there and just not enough time to get to them all.

Summer also means all sorts of great outside sports and activities. We live in a very hot climate, so sometimes it is to warm for us to be out in the hot sun. I miss the days of growing up in Orange County, where the summers were not to hot and we spent all are time outside in the neighborhood.

I want to do some paintings inspired by the fun childhood days of summer. I have some small pieces of thick cardboard about 8 inches tall and 4 inches wide. I was thinking last night when we were at the library that it would be fun to do some illustrations with kids skateboarding. Skateboarding was a huge thing when I was growing up. I loved to watch how graceful and fluid people seemed to be when they were on a board.

Tony Hawk was and is still one of my favorite skateboarders. He has an intensity when he skates that still amazes me after all these years. It really surprises me that a guy that tall can look so graceful when he's flying through the air on a board.

Bam Margera is my other favorite. He is someone that just seemed born to skate. Some people can be taught to skate, but others just have a natural ability that seems to be inbred in them. He is one of those people.

I picked up some skate magazines from the library and as I was looking through one of them last night it was like being a teenager again. I can't wait to start sketching and getting ideas for the new painting.

You matter

2009-05-24T21:51:00.001-07:00

I have a hard time posting to this blog sometimes, because I am dealing with things in my life that can be hard and often bring me down. I know I've mentioned before to some people that I have health issues. And as I get older my illness requires different care. Often times I can find myself very depressed or overwhelmed by life. I have periods of time where I feel like life is just flying right by me, while I have to spend time in bed resting. More times then not lately I find myself sleeping a lot at night and sometimes having to nap as well in the afternoon. But I feel blessed that I have a life that allows me to rest when I need to. And a husband who is helpful during the time periods when I'm not at my full mom strength.

Just recently I had someone ask me how often I had my assistant to do things for me. I let out a loud laugh. A lot of people assume that I have an assistant. I wish I could afford a house keeper, driver, and assistant. It would make my life a heck of a lot easier. But I don't have that luxury. I do everything myself. People are often amazed at how much I get done, considering my health and the fact that I'm raising two young children. I will tell you a little secret...I'm a horrible housekeeper. haha My mother will tell you I'm a pack rat and a slob. But I am a great mom. My kids mean the world to me and I think it's important for them to know that I'm here for them. They are only kids so long and then they will be out in the world. I want every moment I can get with them.

I think my big not so secret is that I work fast. And I'm incredibly dedicated to what I do. My time creating art is the time when I find peace in my heart. My stress and worries fall away when I'm painting or sewing. My art comes from my soul and in a way it nurtures my soul. So I always make time for my art. I consider art to be my work, but it is also my passion and part of who I am as a person.

Sometimes due to my health it is hard for me to work. During those times I dream about making art or think about what would be a good thing to work on when I feel better. And the more good sleep I have the more strength I have to make art and play with my kids. Even if I never make a ton of money I know that I will have affected people with my art and made my kids proud.

It isn't easy for me to share about my health issues, because I feel like I want people to just see the positive side to me. I want them to see the side of me that is shining and hopeful. I want people to feel love radiate from me. But I've realized lately that maybe I need to express things more often, so that other artists who are out there struggling will know they are not alone. I know there are days when you feel pain and can't work. Or feel so frustrated that things are not going as you hoped. It can be such a solitary career sometimes. But dig down deep and remember why you started creating art to begin with. Find that little voice that you had as a child that told you that you had something to show the world. That you had something to say that meant something. The art you create touches people. Whether you know it or not your art is leaving an impression on people's hearts. So every morning that you get up and you go at it again you are making a mark on this world. There are a lot of us out here in the world. But know that you are not alone. Every time I get up and get dressed I think of my fellow artists who couldn't get out of bed today. My heart is with you. And on the days that I can't make it farther then my bed I know out in the world someone is doing good work and touching lives. Reach down deep and treasure every moment. You matter.

New work

2009-05-04T16:02:00.000-07:00

Who killed the birds and the bees?

This is another piece in the series I have been doing called, The Caution Collection. It is about sexual abuse in children and how they grow up to be adults who never recover from the abuse.

A detail shot of the dead birds and bees.

This is a small part of another painting I'm working on titled, Luca and Sam.

The week of awesome!

2009-04-18T11:39:00.001-07:00

Happy Saturday morning! It's gorgeous here today in So Cal. The sun is shining and the air seems so clean. I can't wait to get out in it. Last night I handed over pieces for the upcoming show in May. That means it's time to celebrate that I met another deadline! Woohoo! To top it all off I sold another piece this month and one that is headed to the show might be sold already as well! Gotta keep feeding my kids!

Being a full time artist does have its perks as well. I joined twitter a few months ago and have been happily twittering away with a lot of other fun folks. Well on Wednesday morning, Amanda Palmer who is a musician that I love, twittered she was doing a secret show in LA at 2pm. I wasn't going to go at first, but then friends convinced me I would kick myself later if I didn't do it. So my amazing parents and husband coordinated stuff with me and got me to LA. It never would have worked out without their help. I am so thankful every day to have people in my life who support my art and my often crazy adventures. As I was driving to LA I thought a lot about how amazing the last few years have been for me. I often find myself in LA in the middle of the week enjoying some crazy adventure that touches my life and nurtures my soul. I really couldn't ask for a better life.

After a long drive I finally found the venue, which was a private studio in an industrial area. My little old warehouse metal loving heart was so happy to be there. I was tempted to do some dumpster diving for treasures for art, but didn't really have time. I got into line with a lot of other neat people that were just as excited to be seeing Amanda at such a small venue in the middle of the day. It was so nice to be in a group of creative fun happy people. As we were waiting in line people we're chatting happily and twittering away. Amanda came out to the line asking for a tutu. It was the first time I have ever met Amanda in person. And honestly I was totally nervous, because she is someone I admire so much as an artist and as a person. So as she was walking the line someone gave her a piece of jewelry. She took it graciously and thanked them. I had a corseted vest that I had made for her with me. I wanted in my own way to say thank you to her for the many things she's done with me with her art. So I saw my chance to give it to her. She took it, looked at it, and asked me if I made it for her. When I told her yes she said that it was awesome and really beautiful. Shen then gave me the best hug I've received in a very long time. When she hugs you, she really hugs you. You don't often find people that can really connect in that way with someone who is pretty much a stranger to them. I felt incredibly blessed and honored.

Eventually we were let inside where there was a small stage and her keyboard set up. She did an all request very free form show. It was so awesome! I got to hear the songs off her new album that I love. She is an incredible performer putting her heart and soul into the songs she sings. I was blown away by the sheer emotion you could see in her face as she sang for us. She dressed up in her usual stage wear and I was really surprised and impressed. She really went all out for us.

At the end of her set she moved to a more living room style area and played a beautiful song about the house she grew up in on a ukulele. After she was done playing an interview was done for an online show. Eventually things we're wrapped up and she took time to give every one hugs, sign things, and take photos with people that wanted them. I hate to have my photo taken, but I wasn't going to pass up the chance to have a photo with an artist I admire and love.

Amanda looks beautiful, just like she does in person. I look rather goofy. haha I have a hard time smiling naturally. And by this time I was exhausted and my leg was hurting pretty badly. But at least I have a photo to remember it all by.

One thing that I loved that Amanda said was that her and Brian, who is in the band, The Dresden Dolls with her have always felt that people should come as they are to their shows and they will love you, just as you are. I felt very loved and accepted, which isn't always the case in my life. It was nice to feel like I was amongst my kind of people. I feel lucky to have been a part of such a great day.

To top of the week of awesome I am going into LA again tonight to see Eddie Izzard perform at a small club. I can't wait to laugh till my sides hurt with my best friend. Last year when we saw Eddie he was incredible and that was at the huge Kodak Theater. I can't imagine what it will be like in a tiny club that only holds like 250 people.

Growing to war finished!

2009-04-14T11:24:00.000-07:00

Finally a new finished piece to share! Growing To War is finished and will be headed off to a show at the end of this week along with another piece. They are two pieces in a series. There are two others in the series so far, but I'm not sure if there will be more. When the other two are finished I will post those as well.

A close up shot of the stitching. I did some on the machine and some by hand to add more depth and feel to the piece. I'm pleased with it over all and will continue to do paintings combined with the stitching for a while.

Working away

2009-04-09T22:27:00.000-07:00

I always think I'm going to be better about updating and then life just runs away on me. I've been down with some health issues for a bit, but I'm slowly getting back to top strength. Today I finished a large piece for a show this summer. I'm thankful its done and really proud of it. But sadly I can't share it just yet.

I have a few things in the works, so hopefully I can share something soon that is finished. My good digital camera got broken sadly, so it will be awhile before I can get nice photos again. But thankfully we have a back up camera that does okay shots for now.

The heart is a piece I made to help deal with some emotional issues in my life. And also an experiment with some new ink pencils I bought. Working with them is a bit different then paint, but I'm enjoying the outcome.

An artist is an artist is an artist

2009-02-21T19:48:00.000-08:00

Artists grow and evolve as people and in turn their work changes and evolves over time. I started out as someone who was taught how to sew by the women in my family. I moved on to making costumes and clothing. Then I made paper collages for a while out of recycled materials. Eventually I got into traditional quilting. All those process brought me to art quilting.

As an art quilter its hard to explain work to venues or galleries some times. They don't know if we're art or craft. Then there is an argument between people who make art quilts. Some consider themselves to be quilters and others artists. I personally think you should go with what you feel comfortable with.

Recently I have realized that I am not a quilter. I am an artist. I just happen to work in fiber. I had a gallery owner recently ask me if I could do some paintings for her instead of art quilts. I thought about doing it, but eventually came to the conclusion that I couldn't. I consider myself to be a painter. But I paint on fabric. And I add details through stitching and embellishment. A wonderful person who owns one of my quilts said that they consider the stitching to be like an under painting. It adds life and definition to the piece. That is the perfect way to think of it.

I'm sure I could do wonderful paintings on canvas. I have in the past. But I enjoy the feeling of the fabric in my hand as I work it and manipulate it into a new piece of art. I work with a lot of materials and supplies from estate sales and the stashes given to me by family members. I like to think that I'm continuing on the work of women who have gone before me. Without many of the traditional seamstresses and quilters of the past I wouldn't be working the way I do today. I often hear people say, "Its not your grandma's quilting anymore." But I prefer to think of it as, "This is because of my grandma's quilting." Its because of amazing woman passing on their talent and love of needle crafts that I was able to learn many of the tools I use today in my work.

I am an artist who uses fiber and stitch to create with along with paint and anything else that gets the job done. I hope that we never loose the drive to create with our hands as a society no matter how we choose to do it. I truly believe that when we create with our hands we bring joy to ourselves and joy to others.

Controversy

2009-02-13T14:59:00.000-08:00

The world just seems all up in arms lately with controversy over one thing or another. The art world particularly is just going to town with the arguing and fighting. People are being sued, work is being disputed, people are being told not to show things, or that they've gone to far. Though it can all be stressful and intense at times I think its always good that people are talking. To me art should create dialogue. I hope that my art makes people think about how they view the world around them. And how they interact with it.

For about two years now I've been working on human faces. I was concentrating on trying to get people to think about how they interact with other people. Or how they view the people in their life. I think not taking people for granted is important. Humans are beautiful complex creatures. I will never get tired of exploring humanity.

I have started doing some work recently that is much more about how humans interact with one another and the world. It wasn't something that was planned. It just came about very organically and I'm enjoying exploring the different concepts and ideas in my work. But I know that the work I'm doing is going to create controversy. For a few years I've tried to tone things down a bit and not be that weird girl who is questioning everything and being upfront about it. I wanted my art to speak for me in a way. But now I feel like in a way I was quieting part of my soul. Part of me that needs to speak about things that aren't always comfortable to talk about.

I spent four hours this morning painting and thinking about war and destruction. I thought about how war affects the world, nature, the economy, human souls, our children, and endless countless other things. I couldn't come up with one thing that was positive about war. I did think a lot about how we are so passive about war and brutality that we see on the news and tv. That bothered me greatly. It reminded me that we need to continue a dialogue about the wars that are going on, so that people in the war torn areas are not forgotten. And our soldiers who are far from home are not forgotten. And especially the soldiers who have returned home and are trying to pick up the pieces of their lives and start over again. I am the wife and daughter of veterans who were both involved in wars during their time of service. I feel the need to stand up and say hey, this is an important issue that is not going away. Its not about being anti-government or anti-troops. Its about being ant-destruction. And anti-scarring human souls for life. Its about let us not forget the helpless children who are living in war torn countries. Its about let us not forget men and women who are scared to death and fighting for something they may not even understand.

I don't know if the work I'm doing will be shown any time soon. But I will be pushing for it to be shown some place at some point. I think its so important for us to talk about the things that make people uncomfortable. We are a world of people who deal with grief, death, abuse, and destruction. Yet many of us are hiding our heads in a hole and not wanting to talk about how these things make us feel. For many years I was one of those people. I was hiding behind a shield that I had put over my heart. I'm doing the work it takes to remove it and live a more honest life. Its not easy, but its the right thing to do for me and the people who love me. I'm going to be making quilts that are full of pain, but I hope that by making them that it will help someone who sees them. I know its helping me to create them. I'm not setting limits on where I will go. I'm just going to do the work that I feel led to do during this
time.

Sorry the photo isn't the best. Its dark and overcast here today. I tried taking the photo in the house with lights set up, but its still not the greatest. But I'll get another better photo of it once its finished with all the quilting on it.

Welcome to 2009!

2009-01-21T12:25:00.000-08:00

Welcome to 2009! I can't believe January is half over with already. The time sure does fly. I haven't blogged for a while, due to a few things. Mainly I was on sort of a life hiatus for a bit. I spent a few months sleeping a lot, knitting, and cuddling my loved ones. My poor brain and body had just had enough for a while, so as a family we decided it was time for mom to take a break. I really enjoyed having time to cook good meals, play games, and sleep. Oh the sleep was glorious. I spent time sleeping sometimes for 12 hours a night. We lovingly call it taking a coma. Its my new favorite thing to do. I got to take a coma last night and it was so nice. 12 solid hours of undisturbed sleep can do wonders for your body and soul.

I also managed to spend some time traveling and seeing good friends. My good friend, Mary flew me to Seattle for my birthday/Christmas present. We got to go see The Nutcracker Ballet which was wonderful! And I was there for the first night of White Tundra Seattle 08'. It was so beautiful being in one of my favorite cities with it all covered in snow. But I was glad to get home before I got stuck there. I also had the joy of seeing Rent on stage finally! My husband was a total sweetheart and took me for my birthday. We had a great time seeing a musical together and hope to do it again in the future. When Phantom of The Opera comes back to LA soon I'm hoping we can go together. Its one of our all time favorite musicals.

I've been wanting to take more photographs while I'm working to mix things up a bit and not have them be all the same boring stuff all the time. So this is what I was doing today for a few hours. I've been painting a lot for the last few weeks and I'm really enjoying it. I had forgotten how relaxing it can be to paint for hours.

A sneak peak of one of the paintings. It doesn't look like this anymore though. I'm working on a series for a show, so I'm hesitant to post the finished products till I get the okay. But at least this is a little teaser.

The Beckoning of Lovely

2008-10-14T08:20:00.000-07:00

I had to share this short film, because it touched my heart and even made me cry. Its the beauty of humanity coming together to do something as one.

Amy Krouse Rosenthal is a writer who made a short film called, 17 things i made. At the end of her film she asked people to come to Millineum Park in Chicago on 08/08/08 to make an 18th thing together. This film is about what happened. I hope it inspires you as it has me.

Amy and friends are now working on another experiment called, The Beckoning of Lovely. They are asking for people all over the world to create lovely things and submit them to be part of a future film. If you've made it and its lovely they want to see it. I've been inspired, so I'm going to create something and send it in. Just the act of creating something for the sheer fact of creating something lovely warms my heart. Even if what I create is not used I will still be blessed in the act of creating.

Check out www.whoisamy.wordpress.com for all the details. Now start creating!

Arty things

2008-10-05T14:22:00.000-07:00

Hello all. Sorry its been so long, since I did a real post. Life has been hectic. But thankfully things are slowing down a bit now. Fall has finally arrived here in our corner of the world and I plan on enjoying every bit of it. It was actually cool yesterday and today. I'm wrapped up in a blanket right now. I'm enjoying the nice cool breeze coming in the windows. I've been working on painting, sketching, and quilting on different things. Its been nice to be able to just experiment with some different things for a while.

The Unexpected

a collage done with recycled book pages.

I've been listening to some different music lately, so I thought I would share.

Ornament by the band, Negative. They are a Finnish band, but their lyrics are in English. Very sort of glam rock. The lyrics are very heartfelt and for some reason just seem to get to me right now.

Kiss of Dawn by HIM. HIM is also a Finnish band, but are much more well known here in America. This video is a bit different with a performance piece mixed in with more artistic shots.

I'm always looking for new music for when I'm working, so any recommendations are always welcome.

Before I get busy creating art I thought I would share one more thing that has been a great inspiration lately.

"Pikaland is a blog about living the illustrated life -- I've set my sights on so many things that are designed by illustrators and artists that I've decided to catalog them here!"

www.pikaland.com

The Pikaland blog brings all sorts of great artists and art work together in one place. In the Pikaland shop they also over a Pikapackage that provides you with all sorts of great artwork for one low price.

"A PikaPackage is a monthly collection of goodies from illustrators and artists who sell their wares online, resulting in ONE or TWO free monthly PikaPackage giveaway to readers and the rest to be sold as a lucky dip package to spread the word about their fantastic art. "

Its a great way to collect art on a budget and to be inspired by other peoples work.

Enjoy!

Show this Friday night

2008-09-16T09:01:00.000-07:00

If your in the Los Angeles area come on out this Friday night to the Monte Cristo club to join us for some art and fun all in one place. I'll be hanging around all night. Hope to see lots of people there.

Summer time fun!

2008-07-28T14:20:00.000-07:00

Its been a busy couple of weeks around here. I'm almost looking forward to school starting so things will slow down a bit. Almost. ;)

A few weeks ago I got to see a concert by the amazing group, Yaz! I was blown away that two people could still bring the music and fun to a large group of people. I've never heard or seen so many people dancing and singing at once out of sheer joy. Alison Monet, who does all the lead singing has an amazing voice. My best friend and I had a great time, but we always do when we are together. We also ran into an old childhood friend of mine, which is always fun.

Yaz!

The day after the Yaz concert was the opening reception for a show I was involved in at the Alex Hailey Gallery in Gardena. The reception was really nice and we had a really great turn out. I was really pleased with how everything was hung and had a great time meeting lots of new people. I had three of my favorite pieces in the show. It was really nice to see them hanging in a gallery in person. Often times my work travels to far off places and I don't see it hanging in person.

Last week as part of our amazing Library summer reading program they had a small wild animal show. I took the girls over expecting so see some local wild animals. I was blown away at all the really cool different animals they had. The guy who was telling the kids all about the animals was great. Very kid friendly and informative. My youngest daughter got to pet a Madagascar hissing cockroach and an aligator!

Isn't he cute?! The aligator was about 3 years old.

This is a Kinkajou, which are sometimes referred to as Night Monkeys. They are called night monkeys, because they are nocturnal and have a prehensile tail like a monkey. But in fact are really in the same family as Raccoons. She was incredibly cute in person.

I was gone all weekend at one of the biggest and newest quilt shows in California, International Quilt Festival Long Beach. It was great to see lots of familiar faces. Though working a show for two days was rather tiring. I don't think I'd volunteer to do that again. One day was more then enough. haha

This morning I actually pulled out my easel and a canvas that I prepped before I left last week and got to painting and collaging together a new piece. I'm hoping to do a series of these, but I'm out of canvas! Oh the horror! LOL So in a few I'm going to hopefully go pick up some canvas from a local thrift store and get us some food, since the kids think for some reason they need to eat. Imagine that. lol

Lovin' this life

2008-07-10T22:32:00.000-07:00

I have a writing journal that I write in every single day. Its the place where I open up my chest, pull out my heart, and throw it down. A few of my close friends read it and sometimes respond to what I've said. A lot of it is just personal thoughts about life that really are not fit for mass human consumption. But sometimes I write things in there that I think should be placed in this journal as well. But again its hard to know how to bridge that gap. This is definetly a work journal, but for artists a lot of what we feel can play into our work. I know it definetly affects what I do. So I thought I might share with you what I wrote in the other journal today. Its not word for word, more just the flavor of the message.

I'm a thirty something, mother of two, wife of one, care giver to many, artist, friend, goof ball, sister, daughter, and just so very me. When I was young I had great dreams and hopes. I wanted to have my own apartment and be able to create art. I wanted to have shows in Los Angeles, because LA to me seemed so mysterious and amazing back then. I was a little girl who could never dream a life this big.

Years ago I was diagnosed with an auto immune disease. I was happy to know I wasn't mentally ill and was indeed sick. But I was also sad to know that there was no cure for my physical pain. But I think in many ways my illness is a gift. It makes me slow down at times and rest when I probably wouldn't other wise. I try to enjoy the special time when I get to curl up on the couch with my kids and enjoy a movie or read stories together. I've learned how incredibly loved I am through my illness. Recently my back went out again for the second time this year. I was a total mess physically and emotionally. One afternoon my father showed up to help clean up my house. After I got over the embarrassment of my dirty house I got to the place of realizing how incredibly loved, loved, loved I am. My father cleaned up many little kid messes and went to pick up my oldest daughter from school for me. With every task he did he was saying to me with his actions, "I. love. you." Just today my mother called me to see how I was doing, because I had a bit of a stress meltdown earlier this week due to overbooking myself this month. I smiled when I got off the phone, because again here was someone in my life who was just checking in to make sure I was doing okay. No matter your life its always wonderful to know that you have people like that who care about you.

This is not the life I ever imagined or dreamed of, but its so much more. I spend my days surrounded by people I love who tell me in every way that I'm important or special to them. I create art and send it out into the world to be enjoyed by others. And the little girl inside of me still gets to spend a lot of time in Los Angeles seeing my art and enjoying other peoples many forms of art. I got a bit choked up earlier today when I was grocery shopping with my kids. I looked at them and thought, how in the world did I ever do this? How did I ever do anything worthy of getting to have such wonderful little people in my life? I often think of my husband through out the day and it still blows my mind that he chooses to spend his life with me.

I know often times people say they aren't living the life they had hoped for. Oh boy am I glad I'm not living that life I hoped for. My life is so much more. But in some ways I think you have to make your life so much more. You have to strive for more. And create more. Look for the more in all those little moments. I danced with my kids earlier today in the kitchen simply, because we could. We giggled, danced, and smiled. We hug often. And tell each other we love each other often, but in a sincere you make my heart full kind of way. You only get one life, just ONE! So its your job to reach down deep into your soul and make this the best one you've ever lived. Reach for the highest heights, dream big, strive for more, and when you get there keep on going. Rest on the stars and reach for infinity.

Deweekend with DeMeng

2008-07-09T10:55:00.001-07:00

Last weekend I went to Idyllwild to spend three days creating art with Michael DeMeng and some other wonderful people. Its been ages since I've taken time out to take a class. I was a bit nervous about what to expect from the whole experience. The main thing I hoped to get out of the class was just to learn some new techniques from him. I know there is no way I could ever replicate Michaels unique style, but I knew that I could take some of this methods and use them in my own work.

One thing I did realize as the weekend went on...being in a class setting like that is really not conducive to me doing good work. Its to hard to work without all my usual stuff and I have some routines that I do that just can't happen in a class room. Michael did play a really great mix of music though, which helped. I love to have music playing and tend to just hit shuffle on my ipod most days. It helps keeps my brain awake.

Michael is a great teacher. He instructs in ways that everyone can understand. But is also right there if you need help with techniques or critiques on your work. He really creates a positive atmosphere and makes the whole experience fun. I would take a class with him again in a heartbeat. He is a very geniune, kind, and incredibly talented soul. I wanted to stick him in my pocket and bring him home with me. haha Sadly I don't think the next teaching venue would appreciate that to much. ;)

This was one of the students who was sitting next to me. She said this was her first time doing assemblage. I hope she continues with it, because she has a wonderful eye and real natural ability. She was also a pleasure to work next too.

I have to say though that all of the students in the class were just wonderful people. I have never had such a great, relaxed, and fun group of people to work with. I laughed a lot and learned a ton. My brain got fed all sorts of great ideas and I can't wait to try lots of them out in my work.

This was the piece I worked on, on Saturday. Its the one I'm the most pleased with out of the three.

This is one of Michaels pieces that I'm the now proud owner off. I'm going to hang it in my work area, so that it will continue to inspire me to do good work. If I can't have him standing here all the time cracking the whip at least I can have his work. haha

I'm still exhausted from the weekend and trying to recover, but of course there is only a little bit of time to rest up before I'm off again. If your in the Southern California area this weekend I have an opening reception for a show in Gardena.

Artistic Designs in Fiber July 12-30, 2008
Featuring 15 notable Los Angeles fiber artists

reception: Saturday, July 12, 3-5pm

Alex Halleigh Gallery
2928 Marine Avenue
Gardena, CA 90249

Busy summer

2008-06-25T19:30:00.000-07:00

Summer is always a busy time around our house with kids out of school and trying to keep them occupied. We spend a lot of time at our local library. There is a small branch close to our house that has a wonderful summer reading program. Yesterday I took the girls over there for a drumming demonstration and signed them up to take drumming classes on bongos and other hand drums on July 10th. They are pretty excited about it. I love that we live in an area that encourages children to explore all kinds of art.

Its extremely hot out here in the desert where we live, so getting much done is hard. But I'm slowly working on things. I've started a new quilt for a show in September. I have to jury in, so we'll see how it goes. But at least I'm giving it a try.

I also purchased some dyes and supplies to try out some new things. I ordered a dvd from Kerr Grabowski on deconstructed screenprinting. I can't wait for it to arrive, so I can try out some of her methods. My husband and I purchased all the supplies from a defunct screenprinting business a few years ago. We paid pennies on the dollar for it, but I have a lot of unused screens, because honestly making the screens for printing on clothing is a pain. I don't have a printer and I hate working with all the chemicals. I didn't have the heart to get rid of them all yet. I knew one day I would figure out something to do with them. Hopefully this should be just the thing. If it goes well I'm going to invite some other artists over when it gets cooler to try it out.

I do have one quilt to post that I finished a while ago. I'm not sure where its going to end up, but I love it so far. I'm thinking about opening an etsy shop and might sell some of the smaller quilts like this one on there.

New work!!

2008-06-11T19:12:00.000-07:00

I finally have some new work to blog about! I've been having issue with my health still for a while, so its been slow going, but I don't give up. I finally finished up a small 12 x 12 inch quilt for the Breaking Traditions exhibit. Its not due till August 30th, but I don't like to wait till the last minute. And it was nice to work on something smaller for a change.

My piece is a tribute to women all over the world who provide health care daily to many people. I know I wouldn't be where I am without some amazing women who have helped me along the way.

I fused the woman together and painted the halo on the background before fusing her on. I did free motion quilting on my machine and added the red crosses by hand last.
I wasn't really happy with her mouth, so after I took the photos I trimmed the fuzzy part a bit.

Summer is definetly on its way here at our house. We have two more days left of school for my oldest daughter. I think we're all looking forward to a bit of a break. One of my favorite parts of summer is the summer fruit and vegetables. We have amazing roses and fruit trees in our yard. After dinner tonight I went outside and picked a handful of apricots to eat. Our two trees are just full of them and I can't wait for them all to ripen. In the summer evenings between the fruit trees and the roses our yard smells heavenly. I don't really enjoy the heat, but I'll deal with it for all the good stuff we get as well. Happy Summer everyone!

2008-05-16T12:58:00.000-07:00

Some people might be familiar with Michael DeMeng, an amazing assemblage artist. If your not go to his website now and check him out!

http://www.michaeldemeng.com

I've been a fan of his for a few years now, but have never had the privilege of meeting him or seeing any of his work in person. Well this year at our house has become the year of meeting cool artists whom we admire. I always wanted to take a class from Michael, because I felt like he could really push me in new directions in my own art. The timing has never been right, until now. I have signed up to take 3 classes with him this summer up in the mountains above where we live. I can't even tell you how excited I am to be able to have three days to soak in creativity and do some work with other great people.

This was all made possible by my husband. Many people don't know that I don't work a "regular" job, because of my health and raising our two young children. My husband works very hard to provide for our family. And since day one he has been one of my biggest supporters in my art career. He never says something is too out of reach for me to achieve. He has bought me countless sewing machines, some that cost more then the truck he drives everyday to work. He often pays for me to do things or buy supplies I need when I'm sure he'd rather buy fishing equipment or a treat for himself. But he never has an ill word towards me. And when I asked him about the classes and told him how much they were he didn't even hesitate in telling me I could take them. I don't need the classes. Really they are just one of my many hearts desires. I am so incredibly blessed to be married to someone whose mission in life is to give me my hearts desires. He is one of the kindest most hard workin men I know. And I know I don't say much about him, but he really is my rock and I'm so lucky to have him.

Working hard as always out in our driveway in 102F degree heat. Other people might not see much in this photo. But to me it says love and beauty. But its the kind of beauty that if you don't take a moment to stop and look at it, it will pass you right by.

2008-05-13T16:28:00.000-07:00

I meant to blog about a dress I finished last week, but life just got in the way. I've been struggling with my health the last month or so. But finally instead of just moaning about it I decided to be active in my own health and I'm going to see a new doctor tomorrow. Yay! We've also been dealing with little things in our life that just take up time. Like the kitchen floor sinking. And then me falling and putting my whole foot through said floor. Thankfully I didn't hurt myself to bad. Someone from our insurance company was out today to inspect it, so hopefully soon it will be repaired. For now my husband has covered the whole area with a board, so no more chances of his klutzy wife falling again. hehe You have to love a man though who doesn't yell at you when you put your foot through the kitchen floor. My mom made a good point though when it started sinking. I always hated the flooring in there anyway. hehe Hopefully we'll be able to get some stuff that is better suited to our family with our crazy pets and kids.

For Mother's Day I was treated to a day of just relaxing and doing whatever I wanted around the house. It really was a lovely day. My husband made me pancakes for breakfast and got me my favorite chinese food for dinner. The kids made me really cute cards and tried to not drive me crazy all day. hehe The whole day I just felt so loved and appreciated by my family. I think that is one of the nicest gifts you can give someone.

As for my own mother there are so many things I could say about her. But none of it would really be enough. My mother is someone who has always kept our family together and moving along even during the hard times. She went back to school when my brothers and I were young to get a Nursing degree and then a Master's Degree. I'm truly amazed she would go through all that, so in the end she could get a better job to provide a better life for our family. My father did the same as well. They are both really amazing people. I can't imagine going through all that while trying to raise a family. Some of my best childhood memories are from small moments with my parents. Even when they were very tired at the end of the day they would often make time to give me a few minutes of themselves. My mother would tuck me in at night pretty much till the day I moved away from home to get married. It was our time to talk about our days and what was happening with our family. Being a mother now I can imagine often how tired she must have been, but she always made time for me. I know now that we didn't always have the most money in the world or the same things other people did, but I never felt lacking or wanting. I often felt like I do now blessed to have people who love me and are part of my life, because they choose to be.

The front of the completed dress. Teh fabric is a nice jersey knit that I *gasp* spray painted. hehe I think the fabric was part of my birthday presents back in November and the spray paint we had out in our garden shed. A few hours of sewing and a great new summer dress. The white lace on the top is recycled from my mother's wedding dress. Of course my little partner in crime, Chi-dog couldn't resist sneaking in the photo.

Okay time to serve the kids dinner, because according to them they are staaarrrvvving!!! LOL

Fun With Wil!

2008-05-04T10:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had a lovely day out with my best friend, Vicki. We went down to San Diego to a book reading and signing done by one of my favorite authors, Wil Wheaton. Wil is wonderful at telling stories about everyday life and finding the humor in it all. I think Wil really appeals to me, because we are of the same generation. I can really relate to a lot of what he says. Wil is one of the people that has encouraged me through his work to just be who I am and to be proud of that. I've learned as an adult to embrace my inner geek, to be proud of her, and love her. I've become a much happier person since I learned to just enjoy who I am. :)

The event was held at Mysterious Galaxy bookstore in San Diego. I had never been there before. Oh be still my heart! It was like having a bookstore created for me by me! They had all the best kinds of books that I love. I could have spent hours in there. As it was I had a hard time not walking out of there with tons of new books. It will definetly be a must stop by place from now on when I'm in SD. They have very friendly employees and lots of parking, so check it out! If you love mystery, murder, mayhem, and magic its the place for you.

When we were helping set up chairs before Wil got there we were joking about not being addicted to books with some other fans and the employees. I said, "Oh I'm not addicted to books...or knitting...or anything else." The lady next to me said, "I'm not addicted to books...I can stop anytime I want. And I don't have knitting in my bag either." We all laughed and in my head I was thinking, "Score! Another knitter!" I love meeting other knitters at non-knitter events. If one person knitting in public freaks people out, two really blows their minds. Especially when we don't show up together. LOL

Vicki was kind enough to take a picture of us knitting. Sadly I never got her name. But she was a really cool gal.

I didn't take any photos of Wil while he was speaking, because I was sitting like 3 feet from him. And I don't know call me crazy, but I didn't think he needed a flashing camera in his face. :P He was gracious enough to take a photo with me after signing my books.

I look oh so lovely with no make up on. I've been having problems with my left eye being irritated and the tear duct blocked. I didn't think make up would help the problem, so you just have to deal with me looking frumpy. lol But look at how nice Wil looks. hehe

After the signing we went to Extraordinary Deserts. I had never been there, but Vicki use to live in SD and recommended it. Oh my gosh it was a tiny bit of heaven! Definetly not something you would want to do all the time, but man it was good. The deserts were like a meal in itself.

Vicki's desert with real flowers and gold flecks on top!

My desert that was soooooooo good.

On the way to our cars we ran across some street art. I don't know if there is more of it now or if I just never had my eyes open before.

And I actually have a finished quilt I can show today! W00t! Vicki has been having a very stressful few weeks, so I made this for her. What's a best friend for if they can't at least try to make you smile when things seem grim. <3

Vicki is someone in my life who I like to think of as the Keeper of My Sanity. I feel blessed to have her everyday. We live about an hour and a half from each other, so our monthly outings are always a special treat for me. I feel so blessed to have someone in my life who encourages me to just be who I am and who gives me a dose of reality when I need it.

Wexford Girl

2008-04-24T13:19:00.000-07:00

I'm working on some different things, but nothing really at a place where its interesting to post just yet. Mostly trying out a lot of new different painting techniques.

But in my search of the internet today I ran across a blog and an artist I thought would be worth sharing.

This is a painting that totally just speaks to me in a whimsical way. I love the city and the bear is just too much fun. I'm hoping to purchase one of her paintings when my pocketbook can afford it. I would love to have this one above my computer desk to enjoy every day while I worked.

I love that the artist embraces her own style and seems to really enjoy what she does. We should all be so lucky.

You can see other paintings and work at www.3fishstudios.com.

And her fun blog at http://wexfordgirl.typepad.com/wexford_girl/

Enjoy! Hope your having a nice spring day! :)

Well I fail...

2008-04-14T18:56:00.000-07:00

I really thought I could be better at updating this. But lately it seems like I just don't have the time to sit down at the puter for too long.

2 weeks ago was my oldest daughters 9th birthday, so I was busy working away on her presents. What does a 9 year old want besides her usual coloring stuff? Well knitted cupcakes and robot aliens of course!

Last month I got to see Angels and Airwaves in concert a few times with my friends. I haven't had a chance till recently to start sorting through the hundreds of photos that we're taken. I came across one today taken by my girlfriend, Lizz at the show at the Wiltern in Los Angeles. I thought it was a particularly nice shot worth sharing. It was taken with my Nikon Coolpix L12 digital.

David Kennedy on guitar and Atom Willard playing drums.

I have actually been working on quilts as well, but for reasons stated in the last blog I can't post them. I do have a teaser shot though. I thought posting just a part of this one might not hurt. Its a quilt about "being green" aka taking care of the enviroment.

Happy Easter!

2008-03-23T11:35:00.001-07:00

I'm a horrible blogger! I haven't posted in ages, because I've been busy as well as the fact that my computer was dying. Well I'm the proud owner of a Mac now! Yeah! So we should be back on the swing of things now. I've been working a ton, traveling around, and just enjoying life. I've struggled with work for a time, still trying to find that perfect groove. But I'm still enjoying every minute of it.

I've decided to try and do at least 3 blogs a week on here. I have a journal I write in daily, so I know it can't be that hard. My goal is to learn to how to merge the journal in a sense with this one. So be prepared in the future for some different content. This blog is supposed to be for my work and really my life is one with my work. So it just seems appropriate to not filter so much out of this one as I have been doing.

I don't have any current work I can show you, because its all schedule for shows in the future and they would prefer it not be shown before hand. I guess I really just wanted to say Happy Easter and I hope spring treats you well. Enjoy the day!

Sew much to do! Sew little time!

2007-09-26T12:22:00.000-07:00

I hope you all are beginning to enjoy Fall. It was cooler for a few days, but now we have the Santa Ana winds coming through. I'm pretending its still cool and wearing a sweater in the house. hehe

I've been sewing a lot lately working on some new clothes. I have quilts waiting to be stitched as well. I sure wish I had a clone that could help get some of this stuff done for me. There is just never enough time. But oh well I'm just enjoying having things to keep me busy.

This dress is called, Ode To Alice. I love everything about Alice in Wonderland and just couldn't resist making a very Alice like dress for myself. In person you can see on the fabric that there are faint blue circles all over it. They're sort of like the Cheshire Cat, they come and go at will.

This is a jumper that was resurrected from an earlier version of Ode To Alice, that just didn't fit the bill. It was dubbed, Finn. Probably due to the fact that I've been listening to a lot of Neil Finn and Liam Finn music lately.

I like to occasionally post things that interest me or that I think might be fun for others. I've recently joined a flickr group that is just a ton of fun. Great people wearing great clothes. Check it out if you enjoy everyday fashion and fun.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/wardrobe_remix/

Come on Fall!

2007-09-12T08:40:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry I've been so horrible about blogging. I've either been extremely busy or not feeling well. Sadly today is one of the lastest treks of not feeling well days. In a vain attempt to make myself feel better I'm drinking some yummy chai tea that we usually start drinking during the Fall. I am pretending its not 90F degrees out and therefore to warm for hot tea.

So much has been going on in our busy lives and I won't bore you with all the details. The show I was in last month went really well. The piece didn't sell, but I got a really good response from people so I'm pleased about it. I'm working on a few new things at the moment, not really sure what direction things are heading in. But I guess that's all part of the journey.

Last week we started painting and redecorating the inside of our house. So far we got our monster living room all painted. Only the rest of the house to go. LOL I managed to make a great slipcover for our couch, when all the details are done on it I'll post a photo. I've also been making some great dresses for me to wear this fall. I'll try to get my husband, B to take a photo when I wear one this Saturday before I leave to go see Stephanie Pearl-McPhee aka The Yarn Harlot in Los Angeles. I'm so excited about it! I've been reading her blog for ages. Its nice to finally be able to get to a place where she is speaking. And in my book there really isn't much better then a large group of knitters freaking out the general public. We have sharp pointy sticks and we know how to use them! ;)

"Delusions" & a nice postcard

2007-08-09T18:54:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a lot of helpful information I did another painting. This time I used Lumiere, Dyna-Flow, and Seta-color paints. After the painting was finished I ironed it on the back to heat set it and make it easier to stitch on.

This is the picture before any stitching. Sorry the photo isn't the greatest.

I tried to do quite a bit of stitching today, but eventually my back was to sore to sit at the machine anymore.

detail shot (sorry about the threads, still have to hide the ends and clip them.)

So far this one is being called, "Delusions". Eventually I'm going to make a bunch of different fabric bugs and make it look like they are crawling out of his hair, his shirt, and all over him.

A nice surprise this week was when a postcard for the show I'm in next week came in the mail.

I'm really pleased with how nice it is. My friend suggested I frame it. I think I might to keep in my studio area. Heck its my first postcard for a show, it just seems like the right thing to do.

Cities are popping up everywhere!

2007-08-03T23:11:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon this photo this morning when I was reading some blogs. I fell in love with it instantly. I couldn't believe it was a whole city made out of paper! The blog said it took 7 days to create. It was done for a photoshoot for a cd release. The blog I found it on is http://ragandbone.com/blogger/ They have lots of great stuff on there.

The city got me to thinking. I would love to buy it. But wouldn't it be even more fun to create my own?! I mentioned this to my husband and the fact that we have this nice big open shelf space above our dining room cabinets. I showed him the photo and he thought it was pretty cool. The shelf space already has a light in it. He said we could get a round globe to cover the light to make it look like the sun. I'm so excited that he is encouraging me to go for it. He said it would probably take a long time to make, but I think it will be a fun thing to work on when I'm needing a break from my real work. I'm going to try doing it in fabric. I have so many ideas going already. I really have to stop reading other peoples blogs...they are just so darn inspiring! lol

A break from the usual work

2007-08-03T22:59:00.000-07:00

I've been working for the past week on my journal quilt, but decided today to take a bit of a break from it. Its hard to sit at the machine and sew when its over 100F degrees. Thankfully B, my husband got up on the roof yesterday and cleaned out the swamp cooler. It seems to be running a bit better. We do have a/c, as well, but I try not to run it unless we really have to. I don't want to have to pay a huge bill later.

I thought it would be fun to play around with some paints. I have a ton of acrylics that I bought at a yard sale. I also got some batik frames a few weeks ago from a nice gal in my Quilts On The Wall group. I really love how people in our group are so willing to share in not only their knowledge, but their things as well. It truly is a joy to be involved with a group of people who want to share in the joy of creating and learning as much as I do. I feel incredibly blessed to be in such a wonderful group. Everyone should be so lucky to have people like them in your life. I took one of the batik frames and wrapped it in some fabric. Once it was nice and tight I covered it in gesso. It didn't take to long to dry in this heat. Then I just went for it.

My only guidelines were that I have to remain true to my own style of work. I try to always be faithful to my own artistic voice. I'm rather pleased with how it came out. And it gave me some great ideas for quilts and other paintings. But it did lead to some questions as well. I would love to paint like this on fabric and then quilt over it. I know its been done by others, but I can't imagine they would use the paint I have. It would build up quite heavy and be hard to stitch through. I also imagine you would have to use a large needle, which would leave larger holes. I'm going to research and see if I can find what other people suggest using.

2007-07-29T01:39:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for the congratulations and lovely comments about the quilt. It really means a lot to me to have other people to share in the joy with.

Well this summer so far work has slowed down a bit. The heat gets pretty unbearable some days, so I find it hard to do much sewing. I'm still working on the Mandala, but its sort of slow going. I've gotten a lot of hand sewing done on the journal quilt, so thankfully that will be done in time I'm sure.

But I hate to sit around and do nothing. We've been here 6 months already and the house still looks sort of blah. So I've started decorating and reorganizing the whole house. The outside as well. Yeah we've really lost it. LOL As if I didn't have enough on my plate. But I'm doing it all really slowly and really thinking about things before I take action. I'm giving us 5 years to hopefully have it in the place I'd like it to be. I've always wanted to live in a country cottage meets the city type of house. And I've personally decided that I love this house. I wasn't sure at first about it. But now that I've lived in it for a while I've realized I love love love it! It flows really well and its so comfortable. Its just the right amount of space for us. I can't wait till we get the front porch all set up like another room, so we can sit and read or knit out there.

This was one of the first changes in our bedroom. Nice new curtains and valances that I made yesterday. Ignore the wood paneling that *crossing my fingers* will get painted eventually.

The big thing about our decorating and why it will take so much time is that I refuse to buy anything new that we don't have to. Reuse, repurpose, recycle! I'm all about using things we already have. Buying things at estate sales, garage sales, and thrift stores. And picking up things on the side of the road.

Like painting the whole inside of the house. We have enough paint I think to paint a couple of houses. You just have to decide what color, see if we have it, or see if we can mix up what we have to make it. If we don't have it or can't mix it then you do the next best thing...pick a new color. LOL Thankfully our family that lives across town have painted two new houses recently, so they are going to loan us some equipment to get the job done when we're ready.

I did a bit of shopping this morning at some estate sales and thrift stores. I got all of this for $13.50. I think the little wooden table was the deal of the day for 50 cents. Its got little flowers carved in the top and makes a perfect little table for my reading lamp in my bedroom.

I couldn't resist taking a shot of our little dog, Charlotte who is always helping me blog and surf the net. Tonight she is taking probably her last snooze on this couch. We've had this old guy for the last 9 years. I hate the couch with the fire of a thousand suns. Yeah, no love for this couch at all. Thankfully my parents we're gifted with some new couches from my aunt and we in turn will be gifted with a couch that was my grandparents. My grandparents have excellent taste in furniture. Nuff said. Hopefully tomorrow we will be going to pick up the new couch. I have already slept on the thing once and drooled on it. I think that pretty much makes it mine. mwhahaha

Goin' to a show!

2007-07-26T12:22:00.000-07:00

Well its finally happened, one of the faces series got accepted to a show! I'm so excited about it! It just happens to be my favorite of the series so far as well. I don't know why I like this one so much. Its not the biggest one, but for me it seems like the most cohesive really solid piece. And I love the added stitching that I did on it that I didn't on the others. There is highlight stitching on part of the faces that I think just really makes things pop. The piece is based on a photograph of two people. When I first saw the photo it just made me smile so big. It was one of the nicest photo of two friends just enjoying being together. I wanted to convey that feeling, the feeling that you can get when your with someone you love. I tried really hard to not think to much with this one. I just went for it and in my opinion it really came together well.

The Hand of Friendship-Faces #4

It will be hanging at The Fiber Fest in Santa Monica, California next month. I have it for sale there, but honestly now I'm kind of hoping it comes home. Even though I could totally use the money, cuz I'm out of batting and wonder under! LOL But I love it and if it comes back to me I'm hanging it in my studio area.

20th Century Mandala

2007-07-22T12:25:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday everyone! Its a very rare over cast day out here in the desert. I'm enjoying that its not 100 billion degrees yet. LOL I'm supposed to be getting ready to head into Los Angeles for the evening to have dinner with a good friend and see a film screening. I'm so overjoyed as I usually am when I get to spend time with this friend. Moonrose_810 is this wonderful, creative, bubbly fun person who always just makes me feel like a million bucks. I adore her and if I thought I could steal her and bring her home with me and get away with it, I totally would. <3

I'm listening to a podcast by Wil Wheaton and I can't recommend them enough. I know I've pimped him on my other blog (Why yes I do have another super secret blog and no ya can't read it, cuz well its a scary place you don't want to go. LOL Really its just a writing journal that has lots of odd content that doesn't fit here.) I can't recommend Wil enough. He is a very funny author and life commentator. He has a great blog and a few books about life floating out in the ether. Check him out. You will enjoy.

As for art content for the day I'm in the middle of working on my journal art quilt, which sadly can't be shown on the net till after the show. So instead I bring you a brand new design for a new quilt. Let me just give a disclaimer now, before the photo. A lot of the images in the drawing will actually be painted on and look nothing like the flat drawing. This really is just a placement/concept drawing to make sure it would all lay out well and look somewhat pleasing. With that said here is the photos.

Forgive the pretty bad shot. I had to stand up on a chair to try to get the whole design in the photo. But something pretty interesting happened when I stood up on the chair and viewed the drawinng through the camera lense. I realized that in a way this is a Mandala. Earlier this year I try to sit down and create a Mandala. It was a total failure, because I was trying way to hard to use the side of my brain that says I must do certain things and follow certain rules. A Mandala is believed to be by some a representation of the uncouncious self. So trying to make your concious self create one just seems wrong. This came so naturally and in a way is a great representation of my subconcious self.

The large circles will be gears that are "stamped on" with paint. What I mean by stamped on is that I take an actual gear that came from an engine and dip it in paint and then transfer that onto the fabric. The small circles are another smaller gear that will be stamped on as well. The line that sort of connects all the big gears will be beading cording. Yeah you heard me, beading cording. I know I'm insane and the beading will probably take a while to finish. But I think it will be a really cool affect when its done.

This is a close up shot to show you the design in the little box. All of the boxes will be filled with this type of design. Its based loosely on computer motherboards. It will be painted on as well. Much of this quilt will be painted. I'm trying to find the nice balance of painting and fabric collage. Hopefully this one will go well. The border of the whole thing will most likely have this type of design in it as well. We shall see as this progresses.

Okay time to get a move on. Have a great Sunday everyone! Shut the puter down, get outside, and enjoy the world!

Anguish-Faces #7

2007-07-13T18:33:00.001-07:00

I completed #7 today in the faces series. In hind sight I wish I had done it much larger. I think if it had been larger it would pop much better from far away. Its watercolor paints on cotton fabric. I like the effect of the watercolors and how they bleed on the fabric. They were very different then working with acrylics. But much easier to sew through as well.

This is a close up of the teeth. I felt they needed some sort of emphasis after all the stitching was done. The paint had really bleed into the teeth and I felt made the mouth look a bit muddy. I think the mouth is the focal point of the whole piece and therefore needed a cleaning up. I thought about painting the teeth white with acrylics. But I thought it would make them appear flat. The man in the piece is very much to me dream like and fantasy, so I thought he needed something a bit different. I'm rather happy with how they came out. I think they have the right amount of pop without too much.

I'm thinking of doing something more along this line again. I rather like crossing that dividing line between "real" people and the people that are created in our minds. There is an LA artist who is doing a show soon at the Thinkspace Gallery. He has the perfect meld of fantasy and reality. I think he has a lot to say with his art and vision. I hope to get to see his show in person. Check out his wonderful website.

www.joshuaclayart.com

Here Comes The Sun!

2007-07-12T00:40:00.000-07:00

Its been nice and toasty here so far this summer. Warm enough to melt your poor little unsuspecting brain. But thankfully we've managed to suffer through. Its so hard to live in beautiful Southern California. ;)

I've been working a ton, but sadly most of it is going to shows and can't be show on the net before hand. :( I do have a drawing I did today that I will post. After it was drawn, I traced it on to fabric and painted it in. If all goes well tomorrow I will add stitching too it. Its the first time I've worked this way, so it will be fun to see what it looks like when its all finished.

So far no title. We'll see what happens as it progresses.

This is a photo I took down in Seal Beach that I thought was worth sharing. I loved the beach house, but I adored the owners sense of humor. Anyone can have a boring old address. But this house just had to have something funky. When I saw it I just couldn't resist taking a picture.

I love blogs and journals that share things that are of interest to the writer or inspire them. So I thought I'd share something today that really gets my mind going. I've been enjoying industrial type free form music lately. I've been listening to a lot of Nine Inch Nails. But I almost like Trent Reznor even more when he gets outside of his own box and just goes for it. This video is a small performance done back in March of 2006. I love the layers to the music and how it just goes in waves and you don't quite know where they are taking you. But I find by the end that you don't care where you are going, your just enjoying the journey with them.

Summer is a comin!

2007-06-12T14:29:00.000-07:00

Summer is almost upon us here in Southern California. Only 3 more days till my oldest daughter gets out of school. I'm so looking forward to it. Our plans for the summer are swim lessons, going to the beach a lot, and just enjoying life.

I'm still working hard. I went to a quilt bash last month up in Redding, where we moved from. It was a great time to get some sewing done and to visit with old friends. Sadly one of the sweet ladies I met there passed away shortly after. She will be missed and I feel blessed to have spent time with her. Her passing was a great reminder that we need to embrace life and love to the fullest every chance we get.

Though I miss my friends, moving was the best thing we could have done. I'm so happy to be here and enjoying my family so much. I really didn't realize what a sad depressed life I had been leading until now. I find joy in the little things again. Heck I even don't mind doing laundry. I think raising my kids here with a happy mom is a real gift to all of us.

A beautiful rice field on the way from the airport to Redding. I love this shade of green.

One of the many grain silos on the long 2 1/2 hour drive. Not bad for my cheapy camera and driving by at about 80 mph.

And a teaser shot for ya. I've been working hard. Somedays I wish there were two of me and I could get more done. This is no where near being done yet, but I'm really enjoying it so far.

2007-05-23T20:01:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I took yet another trip with friends and once again was very inspired. I have stuff in the works, but can't show most of it yet, because it will be going to some shows that would prefer it isn't seen just yet. So for today I have a few photos that I just thought were rather fun.

This was actually a happy accident I was lowering the camera and accidently took a picture of my feet and my friend, Marys feet. There is something so nice about the texture of the sand versus our feet. I don't know why I like it so much. I just know that I do.

This is from a show I saw on Sunday called 91X-Fest. Lots of bands and lots of great music. I choose to not photograph to much so I could just enjoy the show. But I thought this drumkit, which belongs to Shannon Leto the drummer for the band 30 Seconds To Mars, just looked beautiful at twilight. It has a really beautiful wrap job on it anyway, but then under all the lights it just looks outstanding. I love that there is a haze to the photo. I sort of felt like that myself after such a long day. A bit fuzzy around the edges, particularly my tired brain. lol

Good Feedback

2007-05-14T10:27:00.001-07:00

Over the weekend I had a chance to have some other artist critique my work. I was really nervous about it, but I think its always good to get some objective opinions about how things are working or not working. I'm so glad I did. I got some great feed back that encouraged me to continue down the path I'm on. One of the nicest things someone said to me was that they could see my style in my work and that I definetly had a signature that was all my own to my work. I wanted to do a little victory dance, because it just reinforced what I'm trying to do in my work. I want to express myself and how I see things in the world. I want things to be uniquely me in the best possible way. I'm so glad that my work calls out my name in a positive way. Many people told me that I was well on my way to being able to do a solo showing. And that they were very impressed with the quality of work I'm doing. This meant so much coming from the group of people I was with. I have grown to really respect and admire many of the artists and it means the world to me that they give me feedback on my work.

While I was in Seal Beach I had time to go down to the beach to take a few photos. This one I particularly liked. It has sort of an old painting quality too it.

This was from a show I saw Saturday night. I love all of the halos from the lights in the picture. I couldn't have planned it if I tried. LOL

Today I'm going to reorganize my fabric stash to make it easier to find things hopefully. And I finished piecing Face #4 last week, so its ready to have the back "pillow cased" on. Then I can begin doing all the quilting on it. I have a new idea for this one that will hopefully add a bit of a different feel to it.

Finding your style

2007-05-06T19:53:00.000-07:00

I've been working on finding my style for a while. I have felt like for ages that I was just sort of art soup in a sense. I had a bit of this and a bit of that in my work. I didn't have a particular style or direction in my work. I think that it can be okay if your happy with what you are doing. But I never had a real sense of peace and joy in my work. If your not happy with what your doing, then I think its really time to rethink why your doing it?!

Well from the first moment I started working on the faces series I felt so good about it. I felt a great sense of joy and exuberance every time I would work on a quilt. And as time went on I realized how much my eyes were opening more and more to the world and the art around me. I get so excited sometimes my heart races and my mind spins trying to take it all in. Its such an incredible feeling.

Over the weekend I was at a hotel in the mountains that had a ton of really amazing art. Saturday morning I was looking at a painting that reminded me of a great Dali painting. As I was standing there taking it in I realized that I had found my style in the faces series. It hit me like a ton of bricks. My style is in the realm between reality and fantasy. I'm not a surrealist, but I'm definetly not a realist. I think I just tend to show how I see life. I see the shadows, light, movement, and feeling. I have always been someone who felt things deeply. Sometimes that can be a hard lot to carry in life. But I think in the case of being an artist it can be an incredible thing that feeds your work. I'm an expressionist that takes my experiences and puts them down in fabric to express what I've seen and felt. In a way its so refreshing to know that I'm not a realist. I'm so amazed at realists. I think they have incredible talent, but I just don't think that is what my calling is. I love taking life in and then serving it back up through my own eyes.

I've finished the sewing on Face #3-The Lovers Entwine, but it still needs the beading done. I started the designs for Face#4-The Hand of Friendship today. Hopefully tomorrow I can start piecing it. I wanted to wait till I was done with the beading on the others, but I just can't not sew for that long. LOL I just live to sew and create. I feel so blessed to be doing what I love.

I've started doing more photography again and thought I would share some that I thought were worthy of being posted.

Wave from God-March 2007

I See Red, Face #2

2007-04-25T10:05:00.000-07:00

This is the second face in the series I'm working on. The picture isn't the greatest. We need to set up a better way to get pictures done here. It still needs to have the beading finished. But other then that I'm pretty pleased with it. Its called, "I See Red, Face #2" My personal tribute to a fun song by the band, Split Enz.

A detail shot: There is Satin Stitching on this one around the edge of some of the pieces. And white seed beads in the white border around the edge. I wanted a bit more texture to this one then the last one had. I really enjoyed the minimalist feeling of the first one, but this one just seemed to call for a bit more.

When I was taking the picture of this it got me to thinking about how much I miss my old studio. For many years I worked in our house where I could find space. Often taking up our whole small dining room. When we decided to sell our first house and move to a larger place my husband told me he was going to build me a studio if we didn't find a house with enough space already. We looked at a lot of houses and finally settled on a really cute house with a ton of potential. Within a year of living there he converted our garage into a studio for me. I wish I had taken pictures of it now. It was the best feeling being able to go out and work whenever I felt the urge. It also allowed me to work late at night without fear of bothering anyone. I spent a lot of late nights painting, sewing, and listening to my favorite music. It was such a peaceful place. It was also a reminder that I was loved by one man enough for him to spend his hard earned time and money to make me a space of my own. Every time I worked in there it was a reminder of the wonderful man I'm lucky to be able to call my husband.

When we decided to move back to Southern California we really didn't have the luxury of time. So my husband was sent ahead of myself and the children to find us a house. I was busy at home packing us up and trying to sell our old house. Eventually after many phone calls and emails of pictures he put a bid in on a place for us. I never actually saw it till right before we moved into it. The first time we came to visit it as he was walking around he showed me where he thought I could set up my stuff to work temporarily and then told me that he was going to add on a room for a studio for me later. He even took me to our realtors house who had the same floor plan and showed me how they had added on. I couldn't get over the fact that once again he was always thinking about me and my needs. Heck I was just happy that after 10 years of marriage I was getting my own bathroom! haha

*(Yes those are skulls on top of the cabinet. LOL I have a weird love of skeletons. No those aren't real, since someone already emailed me to ask freaking out about it. LOL One of them is a ceramic candle holder, thanks to a lovely after Halloween sale. The other is a beautiful clay skull that has celtic knotwork all over it. It was a wonderful perfect house warming gift from my best friend, Divan Diva. Not only will best friends love ya, but they'll buy you body parts and have them shipped across the world for ya. ;) Maybe one day I'll do a post of all the skeleton bits and pieces around our house. The first doll I ever sold was a hand made skeleton. But by now most of you know I'm a crazy girl. <3 )

So this is the "studio" for now. Its a section of our living room. I really don't mind it much. They've all adjusted to me sewing away even when they are trying to watch tv. I have a lot of my favorite things around, which always makes me happy.

Eventually I'd like to put up some shelves and pictures on the wall. My 30 Seconds To Mars poster from a show a few months ago was supposed to be a temporary thing. Its just slapped up with some masking tape that was laying around. I got tired of tripping over pictures waiting to be hung, so they got put out in the carport. Who knows if they will ever get up on the wall. I have dolls waiting for a home as well. They are on top of the china hutch hanging out till someone gets shelves up for them. Poor little things need a home.

I think life is about learning to roll with things and to enjoy the people your with rather then worrying about the place your in. Don't get me wrong though. I love our house here and our neighborhood. It took a while, but I'm readjusting to life in Southern California. The one thing I've missed over the last 10 years was seeing art shows and concerts on a regular basis. I've been making up for lost time since we got here. I'm seeing another concert this week and have a couple art shows and a concert booked already for next month. The nice thing is I have friends here who enjoy going with me, so its the best of both worlds.

New work finally

2007-04-02T15:04:00.000-07:00

Well we've moved and are finally settled in to a new house in Southern California. It was a long journey, but I'm glad we're here. I've joined a wonderful new fiber art group that has really helped me to start working again on a regular basis. I still need to send them info to put up for me, hopefully I'll get to that soon. I've started working on a series of faces, which is really different then the ones I have done in the past. I finished the first one yesterday and I'm waiting for the wonder under to cool for the second one.

Window To The Soul-Face #1

A detail shot of the quilting

We sold our house!

2006-10-23T22:20:00.000-07:00

Get your art on!

We sold our house last Friday! I was gone for about an hour to the store with the kids and of course someone dropped by. Before I knew it we had an offer and were signing the papers. I'm sort of sad that we will be leaving this house. It has been a wonderful place to live. But I'm very thankful that we sold it and can move on to a new life without the stress of trying to do something with this house. Hopefully soon my husband will get a job and we can find a new house to live. We already have a few prospects for new homes, so I'm trying not to worry to much about it. Thankfully my husband is really on top of things and has beend getting to know our new town and checking out different areas for us.

One interesting thing though that I have been thinking about that also relates to this blog is the fact that I really have become my own person in the last 10 years I've been married. I have my real name on this blog, because I planned on using it for family and friends who lived far away to be able to see what I had been up to. But the thing is that most people who are in my everyday life and lots of other artists who I work with don't know me by this name. After I put my real name on this blog I got complaints that my friends didn't know why I was using it on here, when I don't use it in my life or related to my work. I felt that I should explain it on here and I'm going to try to adjust the blog, so that it will show both names. I use the name Russty, because it was a nickname that I was given years ago and as I grew it really became a part of who I am. Its a bit funky and off beat like I am. At some point I just became Russty and its hard to go back. But I will not drop my real name from my life, because I adore it. My real name was chosen by my parents especially for me and means so much to me. Though pretty much only my family calls me Cherish anymore, its still very special to me. And I know when my husband calls me Cherish I'm definetly in trouble for something. hehe

Oh the times they are a changin!

2006-10-16T20:02:00.000-07:00

Sorry its been so long since I've updated. Life really has been on the path to change. Things were humming along nicely and I was getting things done when out of the blue my husband was laid off of work. We are a single income family that lives week to week. We have struggled to get by here in Northern California for the last 9 years. We moved here from Orange County, California to have a better life for us and our children. Sadly the economy has gone down so much that its just hard to make it here without much work. So after much discussion, prayer, and reality checks we have decided to move back to Southern California.

We had a very generous offer from my parents for us to go stay with them till we can get settled down there in a place of our own. We are sad at the thought of leaving our life here and the people we love. But after being away from my parents for so long I'm really looking forward to being near them again. I miss being able to drop by for a cup of coffee with my mom. Or going to see a movie with my dad. Now that my parents are retired it will be nice to be able to spend more time with them.

We have already cleared out alot of things from the house and my husband has left and gone down to look for a job. I'm here in a pretty empty house with the kids just waiting to move on. I get sad sometimes, but then I think once this is all over with I'll be in a better place so it will all be worth it. I think life doesn't always go as we plan it sometimes, but in the end it can turn out even better then we had hoped. Life is always about what we do in the mean time. My goal right now is just to be the best mother I can be, so that the transition will go well for my kids. Hopefully soon though I will have some pictures. I've been working on some dolls to keep myself busy.

I swear I will have pictures of real work soon!

2006-07-03T23:18:00.000-07:00

I've been so incredibly tired lately its hard to get much of anything done. I've been so tired and not feeling well for about a week now. Sometimes this happens in my life and you just have to sort of ride the wave till its over with. Its hard though, cuz my brain has so many things it wants to get done, but my body is just not up to the task this week.

I did actually manage to get a doll head sculpted today though. And hopefully tomorrow I can get the hands done for her. I sculpted her head out of paperclay, but I will probably do her hands out of fimo clay instead. Once they are all set I can assemble her and start adding layers of paint. I can't wait!

On another fun note I have finally given into my creative muses and have decided to just go crazy with my art and give into doing mixed medium assemblages and whatever else might come along. I discussed this with my husband who I figured would tell me that I was doing enough already yesterday. But oh no instead he took me out to our storage buildings on our property to dig out junk for me to use. As I was beginning to sort thru it all he came in and started telling me he was going to buy me a new soldering gun as well as other tools so I can cut some metal things we have and put them together. He really is a doll and so encouraging to me. He answered alot of questions I had and gave me some good advice on how to put some of the metal pieces he gave me together. He was really great and said that I could have most anything in his "junk" drawers in our storage buildings. There was only one thing that I really wanted that he said I couldn't have. :( It was really cool, but sadly its an important part to his brothers motorcycle. But I might go to the salvage motorcycle shop here in town and see if I can get one cheap or free. I'm not above dumpster diving if I have too. hehe He is also going to start saving spark plugs for me from his work. I have a feeling one day his shop is just going to end up with a big bucket for stuff for me. I wish our dump here would allow you to pull things out as well, but sadly they don't. For now though I have enough stuff to get started. It looks like a metal shop threw up in my studio. I've been having to lock the door and telling the kids not to go in there till I can get some more containers to sort and store things in.

I've been a busy little bee.

2006-06-23T16:03:00.000-07:00

Sorry I've been so quiet this week, but my husbands family is coming to town this weekend so I have been doing spring cleaning so the house would look nice. It was really just an excuse to get me to do things that should have been done ages ago. I'm happy now that I have cleaned out lots of junk and donated it to our local Salvation Army.

I did manage to get some stitching done today on Let Love In and its very near being finished. I also did some surface work on other fabric that is now out roasting in the 111 degree heat. We have offically entered summer here now and its so hot your brain wants to melt. Tonight I'm going to get together with a friend to work on stuff for a bit. I'm so glad that she called and wants to spend some time together. She is always a great inspiration to me and has lots of fabulous ideas.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll have some fun pictures for you. Hope everyone has a great weekend! Remember sunscreen and a hat is good in the hot weather and if your some place cold, send some of your weather our way. ;)

A blah day

2006-06-16T00:02:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have one of those days where everything just seems blah? Today was one of those days. I just couldn't seem to wrap my brain around working on anything. I think I've been pushing myself to hard to finish "Let Love In". I want to finish it, but I don't want to hate it by the time I'm done. I took a break tonight and sat down with some oil pastels to play around and try to loosen my brain up a bit. I think I was also worrying way to much about where I was headed next. So I finished up a fun drawing and decided that I will mess around with it some more in fiber. I figure maybe just working on a piece for fun will help not freak my brain out so much. Sometimes I get to serious when I'm asked for work to have someone else sell. Because I can't be there to represent myself in person my work has to speak for me. I do such different styles of work I'm not always comfortable sending it out to be sold without me going with it. So this time I'm going to just do whatever comes and if it doesn't sell or they don't want to take it to sell then I'm fine with that. I'm supposed to be doing this as my lifes work, not because it will sell. I'm not doing this to become anyone. I do this, because its in my blood. I do this, because its what makes my heart happy. Selling anything is just a bonus.

Tomorrow I'm taking a sort of break for the day. I might work. I might not. My girls want to go see where their daddy works now, since he has moved to a new location recently. So we are going to take him a picnic lunch tomorrow to eat with him on his lunch hour. If its not to hot I might take them to the park afterwards or to a small local gallery to see what they have hanging.

Here is a picture of the drawing since the darn scanner wasn't wanting to work for me tonight. I'm sure it will end up looking different in fabric, but I like the idea of adding alot of line work and shading with thread. I use to hate working with my machine so much, but now that I'm much more comfortable I really like the effects you can accomplish by adding line work with thread.

What's your style?

2006-06-14T17:24:00.000-07:00

First I have to say a big Thank you! to my lovely friend, Jax who does have mad HTML Skillz! hehe Thanks babe for hooking me up! I suck at coding and she fixed my links and the One banner for me. If you haven't checked out the One site you should! Its a great opprotunity to use your voice to help end AIDs and poverty. Wouldn't it be a great thing to be part of a generation of people that ended needless hunger and death? If your in the USA speak up for all the people who can't and let our president know that we want medicines and aid given to other countries. Its not about giving a hand out. Its giving a hand up to people all over the world who deserve to live a normal healthy life. Last year I had to watch my friend die from MD. To watch someone you love waste away is the worst punishment you can ever give someone. People are watching their loved ones die everyday needlessly. Why not stop it when we can?

What's your style? This is a question thats been looming over me for a few weeks now. I have many friends who have work that people see and know its theirs by the "style". I have looked at alot of my work and I really can't see one distinctive thing that jumps out at me with all of them. I think I'm a bit of an ADHD artist. LOL I just go where the work takes me. I don't force things or don't try things, cuz its not me. I've always gone to different things or tried them, because for me its about getting the idea in my head out. And often times that requires using different methods. I want to grow and learn, so I'm willing to try things in hopes that it might open a new door in my work. So the conclusion I've come too is that I probably won't ever have a signature style or a trademark. But as long as I keep working and keeping growing I think its okay. I'm still me inside even if it takes me a lifetime to figure out what that is when it comes to my art.

With a little help from my friends

2006-06-13T17:03:00.000-07:00

It was a mad house here today and I didn't think I was going to get much done. Between the kids and the pets they were determined to slowly drive me insane. Luckily for them its a short drive. ;)

But thankfully eventually they left me alone long enough to work a bit. (Right as I typed that one of the girls had to come in to see what I was doing of course. LOL)

This is what I started with this morning. The grey pieces where all fused and ready to go. I "pillowcased" the front, back, and batting together. And then did the unthinkable. I took a rotary cutter and cut it in half. mwhahaha I usually wait till B is home to do it in front of him, cuz it freaks him out to see me cutting stuff up. hehe But I was on a mission today.

After it was cut I printed some gears on it using grey acrylic paint and some gears that B brought me from work. He is an auto mechanic. He is great about hording parts for me that he thinks I could use in my work. He started a new job a month ago and it only took him about a week to let the other mechanics know not to throw away old parts before he could check them over and see if I would want them. I think its so great that he is so supportive of what I do. Even if he doesn't always "get it".

I went over to start working on the piece that is going to go in the middle of the two cut sections. I turned around to find this

My newest assistant, Bandit Houdini doing quality control on my fabric. I gave him loves and then made him get off the work table. He left to find other people to pester. But not before trying to take a drink out of my coffee cup as revenge for kicking him off the table. LOL

The pink fabric eventually became this. This piece is called "Let Love In". And I could take a long time explaining all the many meanings behind it. But I don't want to put you to sleep. hehe So I'll just say its an abstract idea to represent real feelings felt by a few different people in my life. With a splash of Johnny Rzezniks heartfelt lyrics thrown in.

A closer shot on the stitching. I really like it and just wish I could get a better shot. I need to invest in some better lighting for taking pictures. Maybe next month or the month after we can work it into the budget.

It still needs lots of stitching on the two side sections and then putting them all together. But I'm pretty pleased with it so far. I know now it doesn't seem to be one cohesive piece. And in the end it may not be. But I think thats part of the statement of the piece. For years I've lived closed off from people in my life. I'm a kind person and loving in my own way. But I wouldn't allow other people to love me. So this piece in a sense is about cracking open the hardness in my heart, the place where all the inner workings are and allowing love to come in. I have a feeling though this piece is more about the process of doing it. Thinking about what its saying to me and what it means in the grand scheme of things. So if the end product isn't perfect its still a lesson about life.

Let Love In (Goo Goo Dolls)

You wait, wanting this world
To let you in
And you stand there
A frozen light
In dark and empty streets
You smile hiding behind
A God-given face
But I know you're so much more
Everything they ignore
Is all that I need to believe

You're the only one I ever believed in
The answer that could never be found
The moment you decided to let love in
Now I'm banging on the door of an angel
The end of fear is where we begin
The moment we decided to let love in

I wish
Wishing for you to find your way
And I'll hold on for all you need
That's all we need to say
I'll take my chances while
You take your time with
This game you play
But I can't control your soul
You need to let me know
You leaving or you gonna stay

You're the only one I ever believed in
The answer that could never be found
The moment you decided to let love in
Now I'm banging on the door of an angel
The end of fear is where we begin
The moment we decided to let love in

There's nothing we can do about
The things we have to do without
The only way to feel again
Is let love in

There's nothing we can do about
The things we have to live without
The only way to see again
Is let love in

You're the only one I ever believed in
The answer that could never be found
The moment you decided to let love in
Now I'm banging on the door of an angel
The end of fear is where we begin
The moment we decided to let love in

Welcome to my new blog :)

2006-06-13T16:46:00.000-07:00

I decided to start this blog to show my work and to be able to interact with other fiber artists on the net. Hopefully it will be a fun place to post pictures of my work and the occasional rambling about my crazy family. I'm a mother of two little monkeys who always seem to keep life interesting. My art tends to be influenced alot by my family and friends, so its always changing and growing. Hopefully soon I'll figure out how to do the darn sidebar so I can include some buttons for other artists blogs who I read and love. I love to give show outs to the wonderful artists and people I have found who have enriched my life already.

I have to give my first shout out to Sonji. Sonji is an amazing artist. She has some great tutorials on her blog as well as pictures from different shows she has been in that are fun to see as well as a great way to see what other art is out there in the world. When I grow up I want to be like Sonji. ;)