RUN WITH THE WIND: A New Painting

RUN WITH THE WIND. Original (SOLD).
Prints available in my shop. 

"We all have a hungry heart, and one of the things we hunger for is happiness. So as much as I possibly could, I stayed where I was happy." -Mary Oliver

...............

Painting this piece reminded me to go with what I see in the paint... even if I've never painted it before and have no idea what painting a horse would really be like.

Because when I saw a horse in all of my layers of this painting, I knew it was a horse, but a really odd shaped and weird horse. 

Yet the horse was so distinct, I could't not paint it in.

I hadn't even had my girl painted yet, which is usually where I begin. Then if there's a secondary character, it might fall into place. But the girl is always first.

It felt so awkward to just have this horse on the canvas. But I went with it and from there I found my girl and this dream catcher painting fell into place.

It really doesn't even look like the same painting here. But after I'd finished a few other pieces, I was left with this girl.

I adored the colors, but I couldn't relate to the character. 

So I just created a background over most of it to cover the face and try and find something new.

And that's when the horse appeared.

RUN WITH THE WIND. Original (SOLD).
Prints available in my shop. 

She is called RUN WITH THE WIND as a little reminder to go with the flow and allow everything to fall into place.

...............

ps. My newest class SERENDIPITY just started. If you're interested in painting lots of different characters the entire year, find details and register here.

pps. I've just returned from teaching at the Lucky Star art retreat in beautiful Hill Country in Texas and can't wait to share some of the stories and photos with you soon.

11 Things That Are Making Me Smile

Yarn bombs,

autumn flowering gardens,

buying myself bouquets of sweet smelling flowers,

spring rolls with peanut sauce,

morning rituals (journaling and sipping warm water with lemon and cayenne),

big bowls of granola for breakfast,

sunsets (photo by my brother Josh Crane),

sweets,

fresh juiced juice (beet, apple, carrot and lemon),

making a mess,

and Rufus (my brother and his girlfriend's adorable puppy).

.................

ps. My newest online course SERENDIPITY - A Year In Mixed Media is going on. If you're interested in painting lots of different characters together for the entire year, find details and register here.

New Painting: FREEDOM DWELLING

FREEDOM DWELLING. 10 x 10" on Canvas. Original Available Here.
Prints in my shop.

Painting this little rabbit was one of those pieces where I just wanted to follow what I saw in the paint.

And I saw a rabbit. 

I had painted over an old painting I wasn't liking for the background and had all of this texture at the bottom. But I didn't know what to do next with everything around the rabbit. 

So I went back to using my favorite colors and techniques. 

I found a painted page I'd created in my sketchbook with watercolors and india inks. That became the "sun" in the sky. 

Then I smeared a bit of yellow and red acrylic ink at the bottom. And that became the ground, making all of that texture really pop.

FREEDOM DWELLING. 10 x 10" on Canvas. Original Available Here.
Prints in my shop.

I call this piece FREEDOM DWELLING because in painting it I was reminded to feel the freedom of creating like a child without boundaries, to follow my instincts and to just have fun, letting things be easy and filled with joy.

............

ps. My newest online course SERENDIPITY - A YEAR IN MIXED MEDIA just started. If you've been wanting to paint and become part of an incredibly supportive and positive creative community go here for more details and to register.

...........

pps. I'm away teaching at the Lucky Star art retreat in beautiful Hunt, Texas this week... but I've got a few blog posts scheduled while I am away and can't wait to share all of the photos and stories with you when I return. 

7 NEW Favorite Art Supplies

Vintage maps,

florescent orange (daler and rowney system 3 acrylic),

distress ink pads and reinkers by ranger (in vintage photo),

sandpaper,

adirondack alcohol inks,

vintage cook books,

and stickles glitter (or any kind of glitter, really).

See more of my favorite art supplies here.

................

ps. For more art supply inspiration and lots of painting find details on my online courses here. 

Your Eyelids Flutter - A New Painting

YOUR EYELIDS FLUTTER. Prints available in my shop.

Sometimes I doubt myself as I paint.

Because I'm so used to covering things up in my work, I've noticed I cover up things that are new and original because they feel too awkward and weird.

I think they're not finished. But really, it's not the painting. It's the feeling it gives me inside.

This piece just sort of happened.

I'd covered up a painting I had never liked, leaving the only part I loved... the layers of collaged monarch butterflies.

However, when I stepped back, I thought it can't be done. It looks too strange. This is not something I've ever painted before and it was too easy.

YOUR EYELIDS FLUTTER. Prints available in my shop.

Well, sometimes that just happens. 

And I've learned that it's not that it's too easy... I paint as often as possible. 

Each piece leads me to the next.

Since this painting fell into place, it's only right that its title came right to me too... it's based on my favorite ee cummings poem: since feeling is first.

It's a little reminder that while "the best gesture of my brain is less than YOUR EYELID'S FLUTTER," whatever it is that makes you most unique, maybe say your antlers, is even better.

............

ps. If you'd like to paint together, watch a few video snip-its and find my online courses here.

A New Mixed Media Painting: ACCEPTANCE

ACCEPTANCE. 8x8" on wood. Original Available Here.
Prints available in my shop.

"Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art."

-Leonardo da Vinci 

...................

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know that whenever I am stuck with my artwork and feeling really vulnerable with my work, I paint an owl.

Well, sometimes I paint a bear to get back into my comfort zone.

This little bear came out of a lot of other frustrated paintings. I'd been feeling like I wasn't pushing myself enough, so I tried to do something different, which inevitably made me dislike my paintings... because I was trying something I'd never done before AND I'd stopped having fun.

So I dragged out an old painting I'd never liked and painted over it. 

I wanted to paint something I knew I'd love, so after I'd covered the original up with my favorite supplies (tissue papers and inks), I started painting a bear.

And out of all of the other frustrated attempts I'd been painting, this little bear fell right into place... 

ACCEPTANCE. 8x8" on wood. Original Available Here.
Prints available in my shop.

And I ended up experimenting with a few new techniques and colors... which is what I had been wanting all along.

Sometimes it just takes returning to what you're most comfortable with and having ACCEPTANCE in the journey of the creative process.

Happy painting!!!

xo,

............

ps. My newest online course SERENDIPITY - A YEAR IN MIXED MEDIA just started. If you've been wanting to paint and become part of an incredibly supportive and positive creative community go here for more details and to register.