Twitter Art Exhibit

It's happening again in Moss, Norway. The Twitter Art Exhibit!
My art is on its way as I write this. I worked in watercolors and watercolor pencil on Arches paper. The title of my art is "For the Love of Owls." The two owls I painted are indigenous to Norway.
I was happy to be able to participate again in the exhibit. Sure wish I could be at the event. Maybe one year!

Design of the Day on GCU

Greeting Card Universe awarded my Valentine's "Cupid Cats" design of the Day yesterday. This card has many relation specific versions. Check it out at this link.

I've Gone Postal Art

It's always a bittersweet experience to sell a painting. It's like sending your child off to college, only you will never see your child again. This ( art ) child has been created solely for the purpose of creating something that I love, and also with the hopes of connecting with a buyer and making them happy. Granted, not every painting an artist creates sells, and the creation process in itself is what brings the ultimate joy. But to me the ultimate satisfaction is connecting with someone who feels a connection to my work. I make it as easy as possible for a buyer to own my work; many times placing the payment on a lay-away type payment plan. When the art is paid for in full, it is shipped. I package the art myself with the help of my husband and the process takes about half an hour. I use UPS to ship and I'm grateful to say that my art has always arrived at its destination in perfect shape.

But as I place the art in a huge, plain, white box I feel there is something missing. The box becomes a blank canvas to me and I put myself in the receiving end of this box realizing that what's on the outside does not match what's inside. There should be some sort of art on the box "announcing" the arrival of what the buyer has invested in - something to make the buyer feel special. So with each box I ship ( and they have been pretty large ), I get my trusty markers out, roughly outline a design in pencil, and go to work on a piece of art on the box. Nothing super elaborate because the likelihood of it getting to the destination unscathed is pretty slim. The above photo collage is from the buyer of my painting "Amphitrite" as she photographed the steps upon receiving the art. She was thrilled. I believe in making the buyer feel special, because that's exactly as she/he should feel when they make an art purchase. It's a bond between creator and buyer that there are truly no words for. Expressing it visually is the closet I can get. Happy Creating!

Personal Sketchbook Entry - Woman in Hat

I just bought the most wonderful sketchbook from Barnes & Noble. Nice thick perforated pages beckon to me to draw everyday. I love to use black ink on nice, white smooth paper, and I challenge myself to let go of my need for perfectionism without sketching first in pencil before I outline in ink. I just start drawing and wherever the pen takes me I go. If I make a mistake I just let it go and learn to live with it. It's challenging and also very freeing. The paper is white, but my cell phone insists  it's grey.

Totally SWEET!

I have two sides to my artistic talent- one side is the graphic arts side, and the other is the fine arts side. Each one takes 100% of my time and effort, and both do really well for me. But strangely enough, my fine arts side is winning out because I actually sell my paintings. Still, it's hard for me to let go of the graphic arts side and the link to how I made a living for so many years. Granted, the greeting card biz is a whole different animal from the ad biz, and one that I feel isn't going to make me rich and famous, but I do enjoy creating cards and I try and design cards that I would buy myself. I'm particularly proud of my latest creation which involved many skills in PhotoShop that I was completely unable to do just a few years ago. I'm total proof that you CAN teach an old dog new tricks. I think the real key in keeping the brain sparking is to accept change and go with the flow every inch of the way. When you resist change, your mind closes up, and can't be receptive to new things. There are so many new things happening every day in technology. Why not embrace it? Learning new things is truly what will keep you feeling young and current. You may not look the part ( hehe ) but you'll certainly feel it! Check out my new "Sweet 16" card at my Card Gnome store. You can also comment on the card there if you'd like. See you there!

A Vision to Help the Healing for Newtown

Thinking about the tragedy in Newtown CT, USA, a vision came to me. While I didn't draw every child and adult, a loving crying angel has taken the innocent victims into her protection forever...

My Boxed Fine Art Cards

There's nothing like sending a boxed set of your fine art cards along with your sold art to a buyer.
You can find them on my art FB fan page.