End of Spring Semester

Well, this next week is Finals week up at USU. I've really enjoyed returning to school part-time. Seems that 2 classes at a time is perfect for me because it gives me something to focus on, but not overwhelming. If I didn't have Ethan then I would be going full-time, but he has this interesting habit of getting sick on the weekends before exams. So if I had more classes then I wouldn't be able to keep up after being up with him for hours in the middle of the night. 

The first class I had was Social Psychology. It's been interesting to see how much we've been socialized and how we conform to certain norms in various situations. I like observing people in public and thinking about the sociological and psychological implications or causes of their actions. I've taken a few psychology courses in the past, so I like human behavior. 

The second class was a philosophy class in Metaphysics. So at the same time I was learning about human behavior I was also contemplating the 'deep' questions of life. Realism vs. Idealism, Materialism vs. Dualism, and Determinism vs. Free Will. Sure is mind boggling sometimes. 

April's Art

I have a new batch of Eye ACEO's to share. They are pretty fun to paint. 

"Eye #5"

"Eye #6"

"Eye #7"

"Eye #8"

I also did a few Flower ACEO's. I did the texture in the background by putting salt on the paint while it was still wet and letting it dry that way. After painting the flower I outlined it with pen & ink.

"Flower #1"

"Flower #2"

"Flower #3"

"Flower #4"

It's not going to work out this year, but maybe next year (2011) I'll do another booth at the fair. Actually, I'll probably have a booth at the Brigham City Peach Days because they have a lot more in the way of arts and crafts. 

Egg Hunt

    We did the egg hunt yesterday, and also colored some eggs. I wasn't too fond of the fact that after having some really nice weather we've been getting snow this week. Boo! For Ethan and Zack (zack is my little brother who is the same age as ethan) I stuck the eggs in the snow, but I had to make sure the white colored eggs were on the little bit of grass that we had so they wouldn't blend in too much. 

     Here is Ethan (blue shirt) and Zack (red shirt) decorating eggs. We did it at 7pm and Ethan had not taken his nap so it wasn't as fun as I thought it would be for them. I also had to color the eggs quickly and dry them off with a paper towel so the kids could put the stickers on them. Unfortunately they still weren't dry enough so the stickers didn't stick very well. 

     Since the egg dye was in paper cups, Zack thought it was something to drink. He was very upset until  my mom finally let him have a taste. Yep, vinegar water does not taste very good. ;)  I just hope the weather warms up enough to take the kids to see the baby animals at the heritage farm. 

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

Easter Weekend

      It's fun now that Ethan is 2-years-old and at that age where I can actually start taking him to fun activities. We aren't going to an official easter egg hunt this year, but later tonight we've got cute animal eggs with m&m's in them for a hunt here at home. My 17-year-old sister Deanna is going to hide some other eggs for my younger siblings (Spencer 13, and Davey 11) in our backyard where it is still snowy. She's going to bury them in the snow and mess up all of the snow, so they can't tell where she buried them. Ha ha!!! It was my idea and it is going to be great watching the two of them dig for their candy.  For Ethan we're just going to lay the eggs on top of the snow so he can get them easily. 
      If the snow melts and the weather is warm by the end of next week, then my mom and I are taking the younger kids to see the baby animals at the heritage farm. I wanted to do that last year, but Ethan was still young enough that he wouldn't have cared about the animals. He likes cats and dogs, so it will be fun to show him the bunnies and the chicks. :)

ACEO, Eyes

These are all ACEOs (Art Cards, Editions and Originals)

2.5"x3.5" watercolor on 140 lb cold press watercolor paper

All have been sold on Ebay

"Eye #1"

"Eye #2"

"Eye #3"

"Eye #4"


I will have more of these up over time. It is just a matter of what I have going on and when I paint some more. I've always enjoyed drawing eyes since they are the windows to your soul. These are the first ones I have painted though. 

Pencil Drawings

I have a huge folder on my computer of portraits that I want to draw. My main motivation is that I want to get efficient enough at drawing faces so I can draw one of my favorite celebrity: Amy Lee of Evanescence. 

Here are my first two that I have done, and my next one will be of Avril Lavigne. 

"Jennifer Connelly" 

This was my first pencil drawing of a face,

so I know it doesn't look exactly like Jennifer. 

This drawing is 8 1/2"x11"

Pencil on white cardstock

The drawing has been sprayed with an acrylic clear coat to prevent smudging. 

Available

"Kate Beckinsale"

Created 2009

This drawing is 8 1/2"x11"

Pencil on white cardstock

The drawing has been sprayed with an acrylic clear coat to prevent smudging. 

Available

"Summer Slumber"

"Summer Slumber"

Created November 2009.

11"x14" Watercolor 
Available, make an offer

This is my favorite watercolor fairy so far. The colors are better represented in the intensity of the scanned image (first photo), but the edges were cropped. 
Although this one is available for sale, I love having the picture up on my wall for the time being. The colors of the flowers are wonderful and I look at it everyday. I sort of wish that I hadn't left the background white, but not much I can do about that now. It would be really hard to get a smooth color going on. 

Iris

"Iris"

I had never done a painting in acrylic before, 

so I bought a set and tried it out. 

I definitely need to get used to the quick drying action

or find a good medium to slow it down a bit.

I struggle with oils and acrylics because it really is a different way of painting than watercolor. 

This is 5"x7" on a canvas board. 

Here is some of my older art of various things.

Obviously a painting of a frog.

This is a watercolor that I did in high school.

I love the intensity of the colors. It's cool in a way that I am so fond of very bright, intense colors in my art because in my teenage years I was part of the 'gothic' crowd. So for about 4 years I really only wore black clothes where ever I went. I'm over that phase and wear other colors now, but I'm rather conservative in my dress. I don't have the body/personality to wear bizarre patterns. 

Available

This is a drawing of hands reaching up towards a light in the sky.

This is a 8 1/2"x11" created in 2004 on Scratchboard.

I was originally going to do this drawing in 5 mediums, 

but only have done 3 so far in scratchboard, watercolor, and oil paint.

Available

Here is the same picture in the watercolor. I love this one.

I haven't measured it exactly, but I think it's close to 12"x15".

Not For Sale

I had some free time in my art class senior year of high school after finishing my portfolio for the year. I saw a photograph of this image and I instantly fell in love. My mom very much wanted this painting, but I had to tell her 'no' that this one was staying with me. For me it has different representations. One is the 'damned' soul reaching for the heavens seeking redemption. Another is that we as individuals are always searching for the light within ourselves. 

This is a little rose. Created in watercolor the whole paper is 8"x10",

but the painting part is 5"x7".

Available

Earlier Pen&Ink Fairies

I started creating Fairies with pen&ink back in 2003. I mostly focused on those drawings till 2009 when I started moving into the watercolor fairies. Here are a couple of the ink fairies.

I love art. I love creating something beautiful and being able to have it hang on my wall so I can always look at it. Art has been a good outlet and stress reliever for me. It's also a good time to deeply ponder since it doesn't require much thinking. I have many, many more of the ink fairies so let me know if you are interested in seeing any more of them.

"Astara Alysand"

9"x12" on smooth Bristol Board
Available

"Bearer of Life"

Created in 2005

9"x12" on smooth bristol board

This one continues to be one of my favorites among

my ink fairies. She has such subtlety and elegance as she holds the secret of creation within her. 

Available

"Feathers"
Created in 2008
9"x12" on smooth bristol board
I know it's technically an angel because of the wings,
but I keep it in the same category.
Available