Saturday, December 21, 2013

Rethink the Pink


A recent addition to our pre-lit Christmas trees at work has given me fits. In fact, I got to the point that I couldn't stand looking at it and I decided I had to do something about it. 

The tree itself is pretty; nice limbs, nice shape. But, the lights! They are the standard colored Christmas lights with red, green, blue and yellow-gold bulbs, but the manufacturer decided to throw one more color into the mix... pink! My mind just can't reconcile it. 

This photo shows my attempt at dealing with it. I decided to decorate it in silver, gold, clear crystal and white ornaments with a silvery leaf garland. Gold floral picks and three white silk magnolias serve as the tree topper. Using colored ornaments was more than my optical nerves could handle.

The brightly colored displays of T-shirts on the left and greeting cards on the right are not the perfect backdrop for this tree, but I'm liking it better than I did previously. 

And the cat posing below it helps make it look better, too! :D

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Tangy Zoodle No. 98

Tangy Zoodle No. 98
I'm still obsessed with the art form of Zentangle and am still learning new tangle patterns. I highly recommend tangling for anyone who loves drawing and/or wants to learn to draw or improve their drawing skills. These exercises have given me much greater confidence in my ability to make art.

Monday, December 9, 2013

Tapestry Butterfly

I think I must be going through a butterfly stage. I guess it could be worse.
"Tapestry Butterfly" - digital collage

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Vignette #2: Bunnies

Another one of Mom's Christmas scenes; this one featuring rabbits of which she is so fond.

Saturday, December 7, 2013

Christmas Vignette

Growing up, I loved the Christmas season and not just because of the presents I expected to receive, either. I thought the whole season was magical, primarily because of the charming way my mother transformed our home during that time of year. All around the house there were little vignettes of Christmas and when the early nights fell, candles everywhere were lit. It was enchanting!

My mother still has that magical touch and I wish to share some of the scenes of Christmas around her home with you. Note the Santa mug in this picture. I used to drink eggnog from it when I was very little.

Friday, December 6, 2013

Peace Butterfly



Wednesday morning, while having breakfast, I decided to take this little butterfly which I recently created and turn her into something useable or wearable. You can find products with her likeness at the following links.

Mugs & stuff

Cool, homey things

All kinds of bags

All styles of T-shirts


After I did that, it was time for lunch. I call that a good morning's work.

Thursday, December 5, 2013

A Pillow for Christmas

Starry Night Woven Throw Pillow
Once again, my good friend, Lori, has come up with another good idea for my designs. Per her suggestion, I created this accent pillow for Christmas. Cute, huh? :D

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Uh, Hello?

Silver Teardrop Necklace
OK, wow! I was just looking at my sales report from Cafe Press and learned that someone from Wisconsin had just ordered this necklace for which I was receiving a commission. It took me by surprise. Although the dragonfly design is mine, I have never put it on a necklace, nor have I ever seen this teardrop design before. Cafe Press took it upon themselves to do this and then gave me the credit. How great is that? I have to say that I love Cafe Press.

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Bowl Of Cherries - Digital Collage


Maybe I have just a little too much fun with technology, but making digital collages is something I just love to do. The image above is the marriage of the two images below.




Monday, December 2, 2013

Tangy Zoodle #97

Yes, yes. I'm still creating these and learning new tangle patterns, too.


Sunday, December 1, 2013

Highlight: Artwork by Bobbi Rullan

Abstract Silver Necklace by Bobbi Rullan of
Artshots
Since moving to Savannah, I've been fortunate to meet  wildly talented free spirits right here in my own neighborhood. The ladies with whom I've been lucky to hang out call themselves Photoholics and they get together once a month to take photos of a pre-selected site. Of course, lunch is very much a part of the outing!

Our group leader, Bobbi Rullan, is extra specially gifted at thinking outside the box and always thinks of fun new adventures for us. She is also talented in turning her photos into abstract artworks that she has recently published on Zazzle.

I hope you'll take a moment to check out her site and her creative designs! Please visit Artshots at Zazzle.

Saturday, November 30, 2013

Cinnabun In Green



Yes, you guessed it. This is the smaller project which I worked on for Mom. She redecorated the guest bathroom in her house in great fun colors and wanted a caricature portrait of Cinnabun as the piece de resistance. So, I painted one for her. We both giggle at the results.


Friday, November 29, 2013

Statement Art

OK, it's Bomomo, but doesn't it make a statement?
All fine artists are feeling the brunt of today's current economy. Many of us have even gone so far as to say art just isn't selling. Of course, I know that that's not entirely true. Some people, people who still have lots of money, are still buying art. But they are not about to buy small affordable pieces like mine.The art which sells today is "statement" art. It's big, bold, expensive. One would even design whole rooms around it. So I find myself asking myself, does my art make a statement? No, I reply. My art just pretty much hints at a suggestion. In fact, you could even say my art asks a question.

So, maybe the answer is to create statement art. Maybe I need to step out of my comfort zone and buy the biggest canvas I can find and create art using the boldest colors I can think of and slap the biggest price tag on it that I dare. I must dare to be bold; make a statement and not just a whisper.

Thursday, November 28, 2013

News On The Big Picture

I have not given up on The Big Picture, which I've been working on for my mother. This project was derailed slightly while I worked on a smaller picture for her, but not work has continued. I'm still enjoying it and loving the challenge. Just today, she asked me if it would be ready by Christmas. "No promises," I told her. 

Sorry. My phone camera caught the glare. Hopefully I'll be able to get a well lit, perfect picture, when it's finished.

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Low Country Throw Pillows


After much wondering, I finally got to see one of my throw pillows in the flesh. Actually, two of them! My friend and neighbor, Lori, ordered two with my Low Country design on them.



Here's my honest opinion. I was delighted to feel the soft fabric; very nice to the touch. And, yes, they really are furnished with a zipper for easy removal. The design is printed on both front and back, which surprised me. I was expecting to find a solid colored back, but the two sided design is really not a bad thing. In a perfect world, I would be allowed to design the back as well as the front in case I wanted a complementing backside (not to be confused with a complimenting one!).

It's also easy to expect these pillows to be larger than they actually are. A typical throw pillow is 20 inches square, but this one is just 14.25 inches. I would classify it as an "accent" pillow. It looks great in a cluster of larger pillows, but can get lost by itself. However, Lori has these perched in chairs in her entry and the proportion is perfect.

So, there you have it! The woven throw pillows from Cafe Press, and specifically shop crabulous! are definitely worth purchasing.

Throw pillows and other great items can be found in "Crabulous Fun For Your Home"



Friday, November 22, 2013

Tangy Zoodle Woven Throw Pillow

Click here or ordering info

Recently, my old friend, Tom Hurd, (no, he's not old, I've just known him for a long time) purchased my fairly newly designed Tangy Zoodle throw pillow. Because I haven't yet seen any of these pillows in person, I was so happy to hear from Tom about how much he likes it and to receive photos of how nicely it lends itself to his decor.

Thank you so much, Tom, for your purchase and sharing your photos with me. :D



Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Gingko Leaves for Susan


Most of you probably remember my Gingko Leaves collage. Most recently it was on special in the Starving Artist section of my Etsy shop. It was purchased by my good friend, Susan Amadio. Over the years her artwork, ceramic collage, has awed and inspired me. I was honored that she chose to purchase this piece from me and even more honored that she hung it with two of her recent copper pieces which were inspired by my Tangy Zoodles. You can see more of Susan's artwork on her website: Amadio Artworks


Monday, November 18, 2013

Butterfly


I get a little antsy when I haven't created anything in a while and to cure that antsy feeling I made a little digitally collaged butterfly tonight. The finished version is above, the Tangy Zoodle I began with is below, and what happened in between is a complete mystery! ;-)


Thursday, November 14, 2013

Insomnia

Do you know what keeps me up at night? Believe it or not, it's not my worries, fears or frustrations. Many, many years ago, two reasonably wise men taught me the art of taking said worries, putting them in a box and archiving them somewhere in my brain. I've learned to only open that box when I absolutely need to. And, I call these men "reasonably" wise because I later learned that they weren't as successful at this task as their pupil.

No, it's not my worries, fears or frustrations, because when you box them up, it allows your brain the freedom to dwell on happy, creative thoughts. It's my brilliant ideas and creative energy that wake me up in the middle of the night. It's those "Aha!" moments that keep me from readily going back to sleep. I find myself focusing very hard on these thoughts so I won't forget them in the morning. Therefore, I've discovered it's best to just sketch them out or write them down immediately so I can clear my head and get back to sleep.

It's 4 in the morning and my mind has awakened me with thoughts of my new art student whom I'm to meet at 10:00 a.m.for our second lesson and I suddenly have all these inspired ideas of the path our lessons should take. So, I'm up making an outline. And I don't mind being momentarily awake while I jot down some notes or make a quick sketch. In fact, I already feel myself feeling sleepy again.

In short, don't allow your problems to clutter your brain and when you wake with an idea you don't want to forget, put it on paper and then go back to sleep.

Good night!


Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Escape


An ivory tower sounds good about now. Sometimes I think Rapunzel had it pretty good. There are days when I'd love to be locked up in my ivory tower with no one to disturb me and no responsibilities outside my little room. And if the handsome prince came around and cried to me to let down my hair, I wouldn't. Fortunately my hair isn't at all that long.

Occasionally, my son and his girlfriend take long weekends and/or vacations that are nothing less than retreats. They meditate, practice yoga and eat healthy, whole foods. I would love that. Sometimes I think a week in a convent where no talking is allowed would be great, too. My sister-in-law did that once.

Of course, it would be cheaper if I just conducted a retreat like this at home, on my own; but I'm not sure how to enforce it. I would start by turning off my phone. And I would not leave my room except to go for my morning walk and my meals; all of which would be highly nutritious; absolutely no junk. And I'd be in bed early every night and get up early every morning. The time spent in my room would be in reading, writing and creating art. I frequently need my computer to create my artwork, but I could turn off my internet connection. The more I think about it, the better this is sounding to me. I just need a long weekend; a week would be even better.

Bottom line is this: I'm tired, I'm weary, I need some time off. I'm just not sure how to orchestrate it.

Friday, October 25, 2013

Enchanted Island

The coast of Georgia is blessed with its barrier items, each with its own special charms. I was fortunate to be able to attend the annual Pig Roast on Ossabaw Island this past weekend, which was sponsored by the Ossabaw Island Foundation. (Click here for more information.)

The following are photos and one short video that I snapped that day.