Creative Color Challenge - Dusky Sunsets

This month's Creative Color Challenge was inspired by the dusky sunsets of Spain. 

I've been playing the past couple of weeks. Photographing NYC. Making my own stamps, stamping with food, playing with my watercolors, filling in my sketchbook for the Sketchbook Project, holding it together at my crazy, stressful day job...not blogging to give myself a break before I start up with Blogtoberfest (yes, I'm participating again) - blogging everyday during October. So, stop back all next month. 

Meanwhile, I did my best to create with the dusky sunsets of Spain palette that Louise Gale challenged us with this month. I came close but my colors are still a little too bold. I find soft pastel anything uncomfortable to work with. Needless to say, I played with the colors as I saw them.

I saw a similar color palette at the Farmer's Market in Union Square.

That same day I bought okra and went home to stamp flowers. Okra, when cut makes a beautiful flower. I chose a couple of colors from the picture above and from Louise's challenge and stamped.

By the way, now comes the fun...using this pattern to carve my own set of flower stamps and create a line of not only stamped art but to also translate the pattern to silver for pendants and earrings.

By the way, this is how my brain thinks. Patterns for jewelry and large metal sculpture. I know that some day I will have more time to create everything that is in my heart, head, and sketchbook. Until then I will continue to create, plan, and dream. 

Thanks for traveling with me on my creative journey.

Hop over to Louise's website to visit other artists who created art using the colors from this month's Creative Color Challenge.

Shared Messages from the Universe - Live in the Moment

It is my belief that messages from the universe speak to me and remind me of something that is inside of me. When I first see them, I often don't even know what is really being advertised. Instead, the message conjures emotions or thoughts relating to something that is going on within me; in my heart, in my mind, in my soul. I see them on billboards, in magazines, store windows, church plaques...everywhere.

I secretly call them soul whispers.

The messages are all around us

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On the subway after a particularly long day...this was above my head.  

See, I didn't notice it, I was (in zombie mode) totally focused on getting home, and not paying attention to the world around me.

This is often a sign that I need a break.

 I was, however, playing with the camera on my phone. 

I captured this and laughed out loud.

And, thought to myself, 

yes, universe, 

my apologies for being a zombie, 

thanks for slapping me in the face.

I smiled as I walked home from my stop.

See, I really do believe that the universe sends us messages, the messages with the words are easier to see, at least for me to see, most of the time.  I am getting better at noticing the non-word messages (I'm still seeing feathers everywhere and the occasional dragonfly). 

Live in the Moment

be present, 

fully embrace where you are,

pause once in a while and truly - be...

turn off the planning mind, 

the worry about everything else thoughts, 

the where do I want to live ideas,

what do I want to be when I grow up dreams, 

and just enjoy where I am.

This is my plan during the next 2 weeks. 

This also requires a pause from here...

I am going to pause from blogging.

I, instead, am going to pick my camera up a little more, paint more, sketch, create, nap, snuggle with cats, work the day job, finish a post for a friends class, write more, work on my e-e-course, I am just going to be without the pull of having to blog.

So, I'll be back at the end of the month to link up with Urban Muser's monthly self-portrait prompt Perspective (9/28), Louise Gale's Creative Color Challenge, and then on the 1st for Kat Sloma's photo heart connection...

Shared Message of the Universe will return on 10/8, I know it seems so far away...meanwhile scroll back through and check-out my past Monday posts for the messages that have touched my heart.

Oh, and do me a favor, 

pause every one in a while, notice the wind that blows, 

the crickets at night, the smile on your loved one's face, 

nap, embrace where you are and...

Live in the Moment.

Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap Joy

A few months ago I signed up to participate in Kat Sloma's Liberate Your Art Postcard Swap and we're having a blog hop.

Mind you, I didn't have any postcards at the time but loved the idea of sending in 5 of mine and receiving 5 from other artists. 

I chose my photo of Cold Morning Horse and sent off my moo.com order. 

I love this photo. It was taken one very early Winter morning in Wisconsin. The way the morning light made the shadow blue, the light outline of the horse, and the fact that you can see his breath all just evoke such emotion for me. A calm yet bitterly cold day. One of those crisp Winter days that you long to stay in bed but you get up just to breathe in the morning.

I had such joy through out the month that I received little bits of art in my mail box. Living in NYC means concrete and crowds on a daily basis so to receive little bits of colorful art made my days after arriving home from the day job.

The above postcards are from the lovely:

Lorinda at Everyday Endeavors - love the colors on this painting (I loved that the first postcard I received came from someone that I know via this beautiful online art world.)

Polly Johnson (wonderful hand tinted and stamped collage art) - do me a favor and tilt your head to the right. :)

Christine at Christine Create - love the shapes, the colors, and if you visit her blog her photos are stunning!

The above postcards are from:

Christina at Soul Aperture - this photo made me smile, the colors, the perspective - joy!

Justine of Justine Gordon Photography - pure simple beauty in black & white - lovely!

and the hostess Kat at Kat Eye Studio - lovely, I just want to walk and see what is around the bend in this photo.

The playfulness of anticipation each day when I would arrive home from work, check the mail box, and flip through the days arrivals just to see if a postcard had arrived was a little like Christmas.

I am already thinking about which photo I would like to include for next year.

Now, please, please, please, hop over to Kat's blog, Kat Eye Studio, and visit a few other blogs to see the other wonderful postcards that were created and sent all over the word.

Shared Messages from the Universe - Forget the Rules if...

It is my belief that messages from the universe speak to me and remind me of something that is inside of me. When I first see them, I often don't even know what is really being advertised. Instead, the message conjures emotions or thoughts relating to something that is going on within me; in my heart, in my mind, in my soul. I see them on billboards, in magazines, store windows, church plaques...everywhere.

I secretly call them soul whispers.

The messages are all around us

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Forget the rules if it makes you happy...

As an artist, I take online classes, local classes when I can find one, visit artist studios, visit galleries, etc.

I love to learn.

Classes are great, don't get me wrong, but at some point you just have to create art.

Yes, as a photographer, I've learned about aperture, shutter speed, composition, but honestly no one has ever taught me to see things the way I see them. 

It comes from practice. 

During the past year alone I've taken over 5,000 pictures, many of them aren't very good but when you find one gem it is all worth it. 

Had it not been for my camera I probably wouldn't see the world around me the way that I do.

I feel the same way about my other art. I make jewelry, really simple twisted wire pendants, and then sterling silver, cut with a saw, formed, filed, and if I'm lucky the use of a torch to solder. I took a class a few years ago, loved it, and long for the day that I can have my own studio to create jewelry. I dream of taking the skills I learned there and not only make jewelry but also make big metal sculpture, too.

Lately, I've been art journaling and learning how to use watercolor paints, dylusion inks, inktense pencils, tombow markers, and tons of other art supplies. I've learned tons of technique but honestly, I have also learned that I really just want to make sure that I'm using the products correctly. 

I want to learn to use the tools and then I want to figure it out what my art will look like. 

I don't want my style of art to look like my teachers'. I don't want what I create to look like my classmates. 

I want to be unique.  

I don't want to follow the rules and paint a ladybug just because everyone else is doing it.

I want a little bit of me in what I create.

So, today, I want to encourage you to forget the rules the next time you take a class.  I want you to learn about the tools and then create from the heart and not from the instruction manual.

Put your heart into your art. (and stop thinking so much with your head)

Forget the rules if it makes you happy...

Sunday Snippets

I am letting the pictures tell my story and linking up with tinniegirl today.

Hop over to tinniegirl and visit a few other blogs.

You never know what you might find that inspires you.

What's on Your Workdesk? - Mandala

I'm linking up with Julia at Stamping Ground again this week. 

If you visited last week I was working on a Mandala. Well, I finished it. 

This is me painting with my Creative Team (Java and Tucker). As you can see, Tucker was approving or trying to correct something that I was doing. (Superman took this picture while I painted this weekend.)

You may remember this picture from last week. 

This is the mandala before I added color.

Here is the finished product.  I used Koi Watercolors, Inktense pencils, Prismacolor Pencils, Tombow Markers, and Peerless Watercolors for the blue. (layers, layers, layers)

I believe that you will see that center flower again.

Hop over to Stamping Ground and visit a few desks.

Shared Messages from the Universe...Closed for the Season

It is my belief that messages from the universe speak to me and remind me of something that is inside of me. When I first see them, I often don't even know what is really being advertised. Instead, the message conjures emotions or thoughts relating to something that is going on within me; in my heart, in my mind, in my soul. I see them on billboards, in magazines, store windows, church plaques...everywhere.

I secretly call them soul whispers.

The messages are all around us

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Have you ever felt like hanging up the "Gone Fishing" sign? 

Well, in Central Park during the late Fall and early Spring you can see these signs everywhere. 

Closed for the Season - the city version of gone fishing.  

They fence off many of the grassy areas and mark them as closed. They want to preserve the grass, so I get it, but I'll be honest I find it funny to see these signs at every turn.

Lately, though, I have to admit, I've been feeling like I want to hang a sign up on certain parts of my life and mark them as Closed for the Season.

Do you ever feel this way?

Now, don't get alarmed, the creative, artsy, photographer part of me just wants to create - it is, honestly, the 'day job' stress, the always schlepping, city hustle, part of my life that I lately feel like walking away from.  Secretly (ok, not too secret if you know me), I want to wear cowboy boots, drive an old pick-up truck, attend auctions, collect stuff to upcycle, tend a garden, have horses...oh the list is long.

By the way, this happens often regarding the day job - it is too stressful but it pays the bills. The other stuff, city overload, can be taken care of by visiting my family back in Wisconsin.

I feel the need for a long weekend trip to visit the apple orchard, play cards, create art at my parents kitchen table, hang out with my family, giggle with my niece, say hello to everyone I walk past in my small town, visit my favorite foot bridge, hear the birds, see stars in the night sky...

I want to encourage you to do whatever it is that you need to do to recharge as Summer comes to an end. 

Take a break. 

Pause.

Step back.

Go slow.

And, I give you permission to hang up the sign:  

Closed for the Season

Sunday Snippets

I am linking up with tinniegirl today.

A collection of photos from my week.

I am letting the pictures tell my story.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by.