A New Mixed Media Painting- Connected As One

CONNECTED AS ONE. Original 11x14" on Canvas Panel. Available Here
Prints available in my shop.

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” - Albert Einstein

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I began painting this lion during the last class I taught at the Sugar & Spice retreat.

It's always fun to have an audience watch me create. I paint over my backgrounds and characters so many times and while I don't get attached, the people watching usually do. 

And, for a second, their love for a certain character makes me not want to cover it up. 

But I know, if I'm to move forward with the painting and enjoy it, I have to follow my own instincts. 

Because this lion started out as a mermaid... 

Photo by Kate Daniel

Photo by Kate Daniel

Photo by Kate Daniel

But I really hated those eyes. And if you're a regular reader of this blog, you know the eyes are the part of the painting that have to resonate with my heart,

And if the eyes of my character don't make my heart melt, I have to cover them up.

So I closed the mermaid's eyes. And she soon turned into a lion.

Photo by Kate Daniel

Photo by Kate Daniel

Photo by Kate Daniel

Photo by Kate Daniel

But then the lion seemed too dull and sleepy.

I thought about turning the lion into a flower. That's how the sun came about. And just when the sun was about to become a second flower, I decided to completely cover up the lion's face. 

Whenever I want to redo a face and start over, I often cover it up completely with a circle of tissue paper, then a circle of book page or sheet music.

CONNECTED AS ONE. Original 11x14" on Canvas Panel. Available Here.
Prints available in my shop.

And just when no one seemed to be watching, I found my new lion and the sun.

From there, all of the experiences we'd had together at the retreat rolled into this painting's story...

Let us be bold. Plunge into it. Set aside inhibitions and differences. Enjoy the day. Let go. Smile more at those who matter, which is everyone. CONNECTED AS ONE.

7 Ways to Slow Down & Refuel Your Spirit

"Each of us has an inner dream that we can unfold if we will just have the courage to admit what it is. And the faith to trust our own admission. The admitting is often very difficult." Julia Cameron

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the other day i realized i've been busying up my life and not allowing enough space for what i love.

i tend to get super steeped in creative projects and take more and more on until i get caught up in the whirlwind of tasks. then i step back and realize i've stopped enjoying everything.

now i am really slowing down... allowing only a few projects on my daily to-do list and instead taking time to relax, sew, and, of course, paint! 

what makes my heart soar is cherishing the little things... those small moments in the mornings, painting in the sunshine and dinners with my husband, family and good friends. 

and so often, when i get busy, those are the first things to go.

here are a few other things i do to refuel my creative spirit and stop busying up my every day... these are just a few small things. but i find doing small things each day helps me feel balanced and more at ease. it's a lot easier to start small too.

1. i take a field trip. the things i loved most about school were recess and taking field trips. so whenever i feel bogged down with my every day, i act like a kid again and take a field trip to somewhere i've been dreaming about, but felt i couldn't fit into my schedule. some of my favorite places to go are museums, botanical gardens, the movies, and the crane foundation. 

2. i read poetry. i especially love ee cummings, rumi and maya angelou. reading poetry is something i do completely without purpose. i'm reading for pure enjoyment. so it reminds me to allow for those open spaces and just feel joy.

3. i turn off my computer. it always helps me to slow down when i get off the internet and unplug. i find that when i'm doing too much, i'm usually also filling up every minute checking something online or sending one quick email (which inevitably leads to five or six more).

4. i go to the library. going to the library and browsing magazines and books automatically makes me slow down and get quiet. i love to happen upon things i didn't know i was looking for and then take time at home or at a coffee shop to just sit and read. i just picked up natalie chanin's new book alabama studio sewing and design, and a few agatha christie and f. scott fitzgerald novels. 

5. i cook... just for fun. for me, cooking is like making pottery or painting. i love to experiment with new recipes and share them with people i love. it's something i do just to get my hands dirty and make a mess in the kitchen. i hate cleaning up, but it's the process that brings me joy. here are a few of my favorite recipes. 

6. i drink green smoothies and juice. nothing makes me feel healthier than eating greens. so i love to juice a little carrot, apple, cucumber, spinach and ginger or blend greens together in my favorite green smoothie. it's like drinking sunshine. kris carr also gives some fabulous green recipes on her website.

7. i watch oprah's super soul sunday. there are usually watch instantly episodes on the super soul website. the one with brene brown is especially worth watching. i've been in love with oprah for years. and i especially became blown away when she started her show life class. i had the opportunity to meet oprah and eckhart tolle at the taping of the first episode of life class and it changed my life. whenever my spirit is aching i know i will find inspiration on oprah's website. that's how i won tickets to see the live taping. and that experience gave me the knowing to lead my life and business in a more whole-hearted space.

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i'd love to hear from you... what do you do to refuel your creative spirit and slow down? do you love to travel? i'd be delighted to know what brings you joy and the journeys you've taken to refuel and rebalance.

xoxo,

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ps. there's still a few days to sign up for the lucky star art retreat at the discounted price... early bird registration ends march 29.

i can't wait to paint with everyone in hunt, texas october 9-13!

find details and a list of the fabulous classes and instructors right here.

pps. if you're looking for a little extra inspiration, get creative in my new workshop HOW TO PAINT AN OWL 2. class starts april 15. i can't wait to see the GORGEOUS owls you create!

REGISTER HERE.

getting published & somerset studio magazine

before i officially started my creative business, i opened my etsy shop and sold beaded earrings and feather hairclips.

these were things that were easy for me to put out into the world. while it felt weird at first, having an online shop and wondering if anyone would ever purchase anything, this was the perfect place to start. 

i remember going to the craft store to find beads and feathers and always stopping to pick up the latest issue of somerset studio magazine, gushing over all of the artwork in every issue.

i had no idea that a year later, my owls would be featured in that same gorgeous magazine. i hadn't even started painting owls yet. and i didn't dream of teaching.

i submitted artwork twice to somerset studio, sending in small illustrations that i created just for their special issues, but i was too scared to send in my best work. to me, shipping original paintings to a publication seemed crazy and way too vulnerable. needless to say, those first submissions didn't make it into the magazine.

it wasn't until i submitted many of my owl paintings to the magazine in a HUGE box that the lovely editor-in-chief of stampington and company, christen oliviarez,  asked me to write an article on how i paint my owls.

amazingly, that step led to me teaching a few in-person owl painting workshops locally and then to launching my first online class HOW TO PAINT AN OWL.

and now i'm crazy honored to have some of my whimsical animal paintings along with an article on my creative process featured in the march issue of somerset studio.

not to mention, my article is in the same issue as a cover story with the amazing cori dantini, who was one of the first artists i met online after she'd complimented my artwork. that was a huge support at the time, especially coming from someone i'd never met.

sometimes it's those little things that keep you going. and you never ever know just where everything might lead.  

xoxo,

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ps. THANK YOU so much to everyone for all of your kindness and support around my new workshop HOW TO PAINT AN OWL 2. 

an owl landed in the pine tree outside my house over the weekend, which, i'd say, is a pretty fabulous sign that this is going to be an INCREDIBLE class. and i cannot wait to paint with everyone!

if you're interested in painting owls with us, for all of the details and register for HOW TO PAINT AN OWL 2 right here. 

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pps. i just got back the paintings from this article and have listed the originals in my online shop.

a NEW VIDEO: Mixed Media Backgrounds

whenever i get stuck with my paintings, i create backgrounds. i usually have four or five going at one time. and i'm never afraid to cover them up. 

i think that's the reason why i love creating my backgrounds so much...because the process feels incredibly free-ing. 

i try and apply that same freedom to all of my paintings. but sometimes i get too attached to one of my characters and tense up before covering the parts i don't like. 

if i get frozen and don't want to try anything new, then i just go back to starting a new background again!

it's all part of my creative process and i've been having so much fun creating all of these backgrounds and layers, i thought i'd share a few with you...

i happened to record the process of some of these backgrounds from start to finish...i hope you enjoy the video!

with music by my friends' the wiggly tendrils

i'm super proud of the new intro and outro for my videos that my lovely husband brian put together... with stunning video footage shot by our good friend and photographer dave kreisman. 

we spent two days shooting around my studio and home in madison, wisconsin, so i can't wait to share more of the gorgeous videos with you soon!

happy painting!

i'll share more of these new backgrounds, loosening up techniques and how i play with layering art supplies in my newest online workshop, HOW TO PAINT AN OWL 2. 

registration opens march 15 and class starts april 15. 

sign up for my newsletter if you'd like a little reminder (and an early bird discount too). 

it doesn't have to be perfect.

lately i've been stuck.

i keep painting over my paintings again and again, feeling like what i have to express just is not coming out.

then i realized i was completely stuck on the notion that whatever i painted had to be good. 

i'd completely forgotten to find beauty in the process, knowing it's not just about having a finished painting, but about the story that reveals itself through the layers.

and, for me, that story can't possibly come through if i'm caught up in painting something beautiful.

for the next few weeks, i'm painting at the beach, so i've moved my studio to the sea. it's the most perfect place. so i expected i'd be able to get right into painting, perfectly.

of course that didn't happen.

i wasn't even liking my backgrounds. everything i painted seemed to be a big mess.

i kept covering it up again and again.

finally i made myself commit to a few characters. but my heart wasn't into it.

the more i kept painting, the more frustrated i felt, thinking i'd never be able to uncover another new character i loved again.

so i tried all of my tricks for getting unstuck.

i went out for tea and sketched outside in a gorgeous garden. and i had so much fun with these funny, little imaginary creatures sketched in my journal with sharpie.

but when ever i got back into the studio and started on canvas, i felt the pressure to paint something perfect again.

still, i kept painting. then finally it happened. 

just when i thought nothing would click, i crossed through that brick wall and painted something i liked. something that finally resonated with what i was feeling inside.

my first thought was that what i'd painted wasn't very cute. and it was far from perfect. 

follow your heart. prints available in my etsy shop.

i realized i'd been lucky these last few weeks, feeling like i didn't need to paint over my work again and again. looking back, my last few paintings felt easy. 

but i've learned that the best new things are uncovered when i show up and paint again and again, whether i like it or not. and always when i feel just about to give up and don't care what my artwork looks like anymore...that's when the best new thing comes out and finally shows up on the surface.

these new pieces are an evolution of the long-nosed snooter paintings i'd started last year. i'd wanted to get back to them and, looking back, i remembered i'd had the same stuck-ness before i uncovered those snooter characters too. it's just part of my creative process.

and i can't wait to share these new paintings with you (as soon as the top-coats dry).

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ps. i've been putting the finishing touches on my website redesign with my lovely husband, brian. 

he's having a new year's sale this month... 10% Off all website, blog and e-course design and development. 

find details and contact brian for a quote here. 

My Creative Process: Cover It Up

TAKE FLIGHT. Prints available here.

one of the most important things i've learned from studying my creative process is to have no fear in covering up something in my art. 

i feel that if you created it once, you can create it again (and probably even better).

sometimes this means i have to cover and recover an area until it resonates with me. this especially happens whenever i paint eyes. 

but if i'm not happy with something initially, i know it will always be a soar spot in the painting.

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ps. december is my birthday month, and i love to celebrate early and after the date! 

to get in on the celebration with coupons and special sales, visit and "like" my facebook page.

i'll also be sending out my newsletter on friday (my birthday) with lots of fun things. if you'd like to get it all in your inbox, sign up here.

xoxo