And the winnnnnnerrrrr is.....

Bestes

the original horse drawing~ Lori
the print of pugsley~veganosauras
the assorted note cards~mvegan

THANK YOU SO MUCH for participating in my drawing...and sharing what you're celebrating this year...very cool to hear about it...thanks!!! Please contact me with your addresses so I can send your goodies out right away!

newfangled photos

say that fast 3 times!!

here's an assortment of updated photos i've been working on these past few weekends. these original drawings are all for sale on my ♥etsy site♥. all patiently waiting for you to take one, two, or even three home with you!! really...whatever you want!

ps..i'm super proud of myself...i've been wondering how to do collages on blogger and i finally figured it out! first you have to do it on picasa then download it here! duh!!

1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY GIVE AWAY!!! Yahooooo!

WOW...i just can't even believe it's been a whole year since i started up this blog. seems totally impossible...so much has happened in my life in that one year. when i started writing here, i had absolutely no direction or purpose at all. i was still looking for my creative voice, and just learning about connecting with clients around the united states. i didn't think about who my audience was, what i would say...i had nothing! as my journey progressed tho, i found myself opening up more and more, sharing my art work and my life~ it's been a quite a trip! and i love it!!

i am feeling so grateful today~ to all my clients, to all the lovely people that have written me, and to everyone else that has stopped by here to see what i'm up to!

so, to celebrate I am having a give away...not just 1 thing, not just 2 things...but 3 pieces of art!!

nuzzling horses is an original 8 x 10 drawing, colored with two different kinds of tea and mottled with sea salt. it comes with a mat and shrink wrapped for safety.

pugsley...my favorite, is a print from my original graphite drawing.

and last, but not least a set of assorted note cards, snuggled in individual plastic sleeves.

just leave a comment below about what you're celebrating this year. the drawing will be held on wed and announced here on thursday...good luck to all!!

happy monday!

remember all those drawings i promised to get done over the weekend? yeah...well...this is it...and it's not even done!! close...yes...but no cigar! so what did i do instead of drawing all weekend?...see below!

okay..it's hot here in california and my brothers pool was soooooo inviting!

other things that happened over the weekend:

a spontaneous date on friday night...yes, i said date! it was the first time being out with a man other than my ex, so it was a bit weird at first but i settled in and had a good time. just had to cut it short as i was on chauffeur duty again. i have to say, it was a good start back into this world i thought i'd never be in again!

i've been working hard at updating my etsy site of late, so took a lot more photos of my art saturday morning. i've been inspired to get creative with my photos...jump over there if you get a chance and let me know what you think. i am curious if this will help boost my sales at all. photos are extremely important in selling your work and i'm really putting in the effort and intention now, so we'll see if this makes a difference.

cleaning, laundry, chores...the boring but necessary stuff of life and....

that's about it!

Hope you had a chil-laxing weekend and now geared up for an amazing week ahead!

motion

all great achievements require time
~maya angelou~

i'm reading this beautiful book, letters to my daughter by maya angelou. i've never read any of her work before but am loving this book...such a nice easy read laying in bed right before i drift off to sleep!

i have to confess that i've been very, very lazy this week...no new drawings to show you. not sure why exactly, but i have not picked up a single pencil and laid it to paper since sunday...yikes...not like me at all. i think it has to do with stalling on the final draft of my artist statement, why i've come to a complete hault. i'm putting so much weight on this that i feel immobile...like a deer caught in the headlights. have you ever done this, made something so important you're incapable of motion?

i promise tho come monday, hell or high water i will have some new work to show you! i have a long to-do list for the weekend...if i get half of it done i'll be feeling very good!

~the photos above were taken in my sister's amazing, magical garden~

wise guy

California Wildlife Center's 11th Annual Celebration:The Wild Brunch!

Date: Sunday, August 16, 2009

Time: Noon - 4 p.m.

Gull's Way Estate - 26800 Pacific Coast Highway

Malibu, CA 90265

here's the finished piece to be donated to the California Wildlife Center. so far, this owl is my favorite drawing that i've done for them. he really just cracks me up...that look!!

momentum

on this tranquil sunday morning, with two cats laying next to me, i am totally stoked and happy.

for those of you who have been following my blog for awhile know that these last 8 months for me have been some of the most difficult and challenging months in my life. but, i am feeling quite successful in healing the grief from my two losses now. it's been a tremendous amount of hard work and tears to get to this point, but i knew without a doubt last night that i had finally arrived when i heard a sad song on my mp3 player, while walking my dog josie and I DIDN'T CRY!! yahhhooooo!! not only did i not cry BUT i just felt this immense gratitude wash over me! double yahhhooooo!!

i am feeling fully at peace with my past now.

i've been given this gift of space lately where i could make some very conscious choices about my career with the help of some beautiful guides...marisa from my e-course and the book, the artist guide. i am feeling very blessed and VERY excited to start weaving my dreams.

in the next few weeks i will be updating my very neglected etsy sight with new work and photos. i will be doing my very first give away for the 1 year anniversary (28th of july) of my blog, finishing up my artist statement and smaller one sentence descriptions of each of my pieces in my graffiti series, painting my bathroom and giving attention to my over-grown front yard. phew...just a few things on top of my many other responsibilities... but it feels soooooooo good! and doable!

i'm setting things in motion now and feeling unstoppable!!
in the words of austin powers, the international man of mystery..."yeah baby"!

chapter 2

onto chapter 2 now of The Artist Guide...ooohhhh barf...it's about writing the dreaded artist statement!! this is VERY challenging for me, trying to describe my entire body of work...my creative process, philosophy, vision, and passion. hhmmmm, i'm going to be stuck on this chapter for awhile, better pour myself another glass of wine!

so, in this chapter, Ms Battenfield covers all the promotional tools: work samples, artist statement, resume, and biography."assembling a great set of promotional tools develops confidence and enriches your creative process." she is right, this is part of the whole creative process and the first connection between you and your viewers. and that first impression has to be a memorable one. working diligently on my own statement has really helped me focus and hone in on my intentions with my art. in other words, why i draw what i draw.

but...if you get stuck like me, and need some additional resources, here ya go:

artbizcoach.com

mollygordon.com

getting there!

almost there with my owl...have to have done and sent out by this friday...gulp! i just have to buckle down, that's all...no backgammon games with my daughter, watching extra episodes of 30 rock, or talking on the phone...just drawing tonight!! cross my heart!

busy weekend!!

in between my chauffeuring duties, a house full of girls, sleepovers, end of season soccer party and the movies (Up-you gotta see it, it's delightful...very funny!) i did manage to sneak in a bit of drawing! i finished my commission piece of an orange main coon and my extreme close up. also got in some work on my graffiti dog piece as well. Tonight, i want to finish up my owl as i have to ship it off soon to the california wildlife center. Oh yeah...and tonight starts my e-course on recycling remix with a wonderful graffiti artist alisa burke. check out her blog, she makes these very cool graffiti purses.

some highlights from my vacation....

venice beach...Allie loved this graffiti wall. that's her wayyy over to the side

ohhhh, a potential new drawing? has possibilities!

stopping to text

balboa...emi's favorite thing in the world, candy!!~ just ask her dentist!

a little pool time at my sisters.

a little afternoon journaling

and lots of play time!

ugh...it's been hard to pull myself back into"reality" after my mini-vacation. i woke up almost in a panic this morning wondering what day it was...saturday??thursday?? do i have to go to work today...ohhhh (sighing sadly), yes, i do! i long for the beach again, mornings without alarms, the freedom to do as i please, the outdoors.

in the depth of winter, i finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.
~Albert Camus~

the artist's guide

i'm an avid reader, so if a book doesn't capture my attention by page 5 it goes right back on my bookshelf to collect dust. this book will definitely not be collecting dust. i've only read the introduction and first chapter so far as there is a lot, a lot, a lot...did i say a lot(!) of writing/homework involved in the first chapter.

i like this book so much because Jackie Battenfield has a very easy going style of writing and to me is empathic and speaks from her heart. She gets me super excited about taking total control over my career.

Jackie Battenfield

It starts by determining your "big dream" and what your goals are. Then how to define them, and make them happen by breaking things down into easy, small steps, stressing planning and making lists.

so, i highly recommend this book and will absolutely be talking about it throughout the coming months on my blog.

well.....i'm grabbing my coffee and getting back to work on my "big dream"

hope you have a fantabulous 4th of July weekend! i won't be around for a short while because i am on vacation til wednesday. my daughters and i are taking day trips around southern cal...i'm really looking forward to it. should be great fun! see ya next week!

Hey look...I'm in a few different places around the internet today...check it out!!

The Pet Boutique Blog (Where Pet Lovers Come to Shop)!

And


EtsyVeg treasury