New WIP

There's a new piece a brewin'

Months ago a close friend of mine had a birthday. Yay! I thought how wonderful would it be if I did a painting just for her (she does like my work after all). Since then it's been an uphill battle. Not with her, but with the piece.

Many revisions happened, but to me the piece was too stiff and didn't portray the emotion she wanted shown. This piece is to be hung in the house as a reminder of God's strength shown through our weakness. A motivation and assurance for her.

Although the last revision had beauty, movement, and lush detail....it just didn't have the soul or heart I felt needed to be present.

FINALLY the seal broke and we have a heart felt sketch...but not without pain.

If you look real close you can see all of the erase marks. TONS of erase marks. Over and over. I was going to sell the sketch, but with the amount of erasing and the crease that happened by catching the drawing as it fell towards the floor, I don't believe its sell worthy any more.

I also went through some major emotions and physical pain this past week concerning my own walk with God and my faith. But through the love and prayer of those close to me I feel lifted up, and I know all is well, that God is here helping me.

SO now it's time to put it all together. I'm waiting for my new large 14x20 watercolor block in the mail to transfer. Rach, if you're reading this....don't settle on a frame until you see it finished....I believe this is going to be bigger than planned. ;)

This small thumbnail sketch is the concept for the piece. I will be following this when I draw the whole thing out. More mushrooms in a forest. Yay!

The reference for the figure is taken from http://bobbistock.deviantart.com/gallery/27097211#/d1jj6cd with slight modifications (face and her right arm).

And the Winner Is...

Our Christmas in July giveaway winner is...

oksana

I just have to say, although I didn't get to comment on the posts,  I read every single one. What magical and heart warming memories! Hold on to them friends, they are so dear!

Some stories made me laugh, some squeezed my heart and almost brought me to tears. Thank you so very much for sharing some touching moments from your life. And thank you for joining in on the drawing.

Be blessed!

Into the Word

to find peace, one must listen.

This past weekend, the past couple of weeks, I have personally been in some transition. Not with where I live, or my jobs, nothing like that. But mentally.

To find peace and calm waters I need my God, I need Jesus, I need Love, I need to know that I have no reason for worry. Without these...believe it or not...I become a mad woman with a very sharp tongue.

This past weekend I was able to sit and talk with a very wise woman named Debbie who confirmed what has been simmering on my heart. I need to get to know who Christ was and is today.

He's the breath of my work, the reason I paint what I paint.

So I decided to listen to Matthew and John while painting. I didn't allow myself to do any other work (art related) other than this painting. It's a reminder that no matter how you choose to walk it, you need the Word. You need to Listen, and you need to Know. The result? PEACE.

Why share this with you? There are times where I find myself lost and pulled away from my painting. I run my etsy shop, work with licensors, etc. This piece was a must, and I'm so please with how she turned out because it conveys exactly what has been going on with me in the mist of daily life. The "moment" here is a "self portrait". 

application...

Brian and I woke up this morning with no power. Yup, in 90 degree humid weather, our fans and air conditioners turned off. Power went out all along our street and it wouldn't be for another three hours, at the least, until all is turned on again. Wow. What luck! I get to practice praying and being in quiet. This is what I chose to do instead of complain or fret. I laid on the couch....calm heart beat keeps the body cooler...and just watched the trees thinking about Him.

With this choice my day, although not the best, was most definitely not the worst. It's hot, sticky, humid, and uncomfortable. But we are in the dining room right now, both working, together instead of in separate rooms as usual. What a blessing!

view "Into the Word" as a print on Etsy

Christmas in July!

I truly enjoyed the last giveaway so much, that I'm having another one for Christmas in July.
Giveaway Ends 7.24.11 

The Story

I am a huge fan of Christmas morning. My family is all separated, but we are all together, happily, on Christmas morning. We love our traditions. :)

One of my favorite Christmas morning memories was when I woke my younger sister up at 3am (as we always did) to go downstairs and see what Santa brought us. I think I was around 10 years old at the time. I remember walking down the stairs, and just over the banister I saw a large white table set up in the livingroom! It was magnificent!! I knew it had to be mine, it was like a shining star lit up by the Christmas tree.

To this day, that white table is in my studio, cut up, written up, and banged up.....I so love my white drawing table!

Now it's your turn!

The Entry

MANDATORY ENTRY: Share your favorite Christmas morning memory by commenting below (required).

ADDITIONAL CHANCES TO WIN: Must do the MANDATORY entry before these, otherwise they don't count.

• 1 entry - Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment below with the link
• 1 entry - Share this giveaway AND my sale on Etsy with direct links on Facebook, then leave a comment below
• 2 entries - Add my giveaway to your blog roll and let me know where it is
• 3 entries - Blog about this giveaway AND my sale on Etsy with direct links to the pages, then leave an additional comment with a direct link to your post so that I can view it
• 4 entries - Purchase some Christmas gifts from my shop at 25% off - Use coupon code: CHRIST25

One post per entry and please include your name and email address, so I can contact you if you win. I will use Random.org to determine the winner.

The Prize
Four Fairy Blessing Ornaments 
Value: $40.00

These were the number one seller last year! The four of them are 2-3 inches in size (height or width).

There is only one more set after this left...so they are extremely limited!
The design has changed for this year.

Made from Shrink Film...which is paper turned plastic. Then sealed with Diamond Glaze to protect the image. Finished off with a sweet lil' ribbon.

Giveaway Winner

And the winner is...

*** timrachel ***

The giveaway was a lot of fun! I truly enjoyed seeing the involvement, reading the blogs, and the tweets. Thank you everyone for your support and participation! I have been deeply motivated to do this often throughout the year.

And in the spirit of Christmas in July (coming to the etsy shop July 14-24th), I will be holding another giveaway soon! I will give more details coming up on Facebook, my Etsy shop, and through my Newsletter.

Enjoy the rest of your day! :)