Gee Marie

A Habit of Being Creative...

After participating in Leah's Art Every Day Challenge this last November I decided to join her Creative Every Day Challenge for 2012.  I had such an amazing experience with AEDM, meeting some wonderful new creative friends and realizing how inspiring it is to create something almost every day, how it seemed to generate more and more ideas proving to myself that I don't have a finite amount of creativity in me, it is infinite and exponential at times. If you are interested in learning more about Leah and her challenge you can visit her page here: Creative Every Day.

Being creative does not necessarily mean drawing or painting every day, it can be much more than that. For me it is about taking that part of me that makes me 'me'  and using it to add a special touch to my entire day or a small part of my day. It's about staying true to myself, what makes me happy and can be as simple as snapping a quick photo of something I think is beautiful(I took the photo above, spur of the moment because I happened to be in my studio/office when the sun was shining in on my paint brushes) or enjoying the way a simple conversation with family can turn into a philosophical discussion about life. It's about living each day with purpose and awareness, fighting off that all too familiar mode of auto-pilot taking over and just going through the motions. Adding a little creativity every day leads to living a creative life throughout the year and beyond because after a while we have developed a habit of being creative. How wonderful is that?

 

 

Welcoming in the New Year!

Has it really been a whole month since my last post!? I had great plans to start the year off right away with a post on January 1st however my work and a cold had other plans for me. Between catching one of those 7-10 day colds and a huge 3 year project going in to production at work at the end of the year there was little room left for such luxuries as blogging. No worries though! I am back at it and so excited for 2012. Blogging may have had to take a backseat to other more pressing issues but it hasn't stopped me from staying true to my love for making stuff! I have been busy filling up my sketchbook for the Sketchbook Project, I will be sending it off to go on tour at the end of this month! I've also been busy drawing and painting and planning my projects for the upcoming year. My list is still growing!

I've been trying to think of a great word or words for my focus for 2012. 2011 seemed to be about connecting with others through art whether that meant sharing my work with others, being inspired by people in my life and showing that through my work or spending time with people who share a love for art and crafting. 2011 was an inspiring year for me in this area and I hope it continues this year as well but of course I want more for myself as an artist, there is always room for improvement, growth and learning! Whether you call it focus, mediation, thoughtfulness, etc... I think it is amazing how our attention to a particular question or goal brings about the answer we seek. I often wonder if it comes from within or from another source, the universe or muse, our genius, something divine. Whatever it is I know that I will eventually find my answer. My focus came to me last night as I finished what was supposed to be merely an experiment with a new type of watercolor paper, to see how well it would hold up to lots of mixed media applications,wet and dry.

I love her, yes I know I say that about all my girls but her expression says more to me. I see style and strength in her. As I continue to experiment and learn I am constantly on a search for my own style and in this painting I have combined my love of doodling with my love for mixed media and faces.  I also see a sense of strength and determination in her expression, she is strong, I can feel her strength as I study her face. 2012 will be a year of discovery, learning more about my style and a year that is just 'full' and for that I will need my inner strength that keeps me moving forward. Thank you so much for visiting and I wish you a very Happy New Year!

Pepper at Cherry Wood Bed, Breakfast & Barn

A little over a year ago my mom and I stayed at Cherry Wood Bed, Breakfast & Barn(Zillah, WA) for my 40th birthday. If you love horses, wineries, and teepees, it is a great adventure and so much fun! I mean, what could be more fun than touring the wineries on horseback?  We visited in October and the weather was perfect! When I came home I painted this mixed media painting inspired by Pepper(the owner), her horse and of course the teepees, this is the first time I am sharing it! I didn't make it back this year but I'm hoping we will next year for sure! I posted about it previously, you can read about it here (and see some pictures from our trip)! Cherry Wood is also on Facebook:  Cherry Wood Bed Breakfast and Barn. Be sure to check it out and read about their horses. 

Granny Squares are "Amazing"

I was at Michael's Arts and Crafts yesterday browsing through the yarn(haven't done that in a LONG time). While I was there, I came across Lion Brand's "Amazing" yarn and loved the variety of stripe creating colors. So, I bought a few skeins of Strawberry Fields(I also added it to my Amazon Associate Store if you are interested in finding some of your own!) and started a super easy granny square scarf(free Lion Brand pattern). I've made one square so far and here's the scoop... the yarn is an acrylic/wool blend, worsted weight(on the lighter side) and very easy to handle. Some yarns are hard for me to use when crocheting granny squares, not this one, I haven't had to start over a single time, very smooth stitching! The pattern is super easy to follow, only four rounds and your done with one square. Don't you just love granny squares?  

 

Art Every Day Month Day 30 "A Wee Bit o' Whimsy"

Today is the end of the challenge! November just flew by and I managed to create something 20 out of the 30 days, so happy about that! My final art piece is a watercolor ATC(artist trading card), worked in watercolor and white acrylic. I've been so busy today, had to keep it small but thought it would be fun to end with a bit o' whimsy! I always love my red and white mushies and once I was done I thought they needed their own easel in order to display them in the manner they deserve. :) So, I made them one! Cute, huh? Thank you to everyone for visiting, I hope you check back often! Thank you to Leah at Creative Every Day, for hosting this incredible challenge.  I plan on joining the Creative Every Day challenge next!

Read more Art Every Day Month Posts Here: AEDM2011

 

Art Every Day Month Day 29 "Free Spirit"

Today I finished my "Free Spirit" girl, inspired by my good friend Heather. She's always been an amazing friend and I continue to be amazed at her sense of adventure, her passion for life and huge heart. I'm also in awe of her endless energy to be an incredible mom to her three kids. They are all braving the Alaskan cold now, their path has led them to Anchorage! I guess I will have to start a "Wilderness Free Spirit" girl now to celebrate this new adventure in her life, complete with a moose to remind her of her first Alaskan wildlife encounter. :) Peace, Love & Joy!

You can read more Art Every Day Month posts here : AEDM2011

Art Every Day Month Day 28 "Owls, owls, owls!"

For Day 28, I carved a small block and printed A LOT of owls. Some were too light, I'm still getting used to how much ink is too much, too little and just right. These are the just right prints on muslin. I'm planning to use these on another project that will hopefully be Christmas gifts. Can you believe November is almost over?! 

Read more Art Every Day posts here: AEDM2011

Art Every Day Month Day 26 "Print Making"

I spent today with the loveliest, funnest ladies around! I am a member of an Arts and Crafts Meetup and today's workshop was "Print Making with Margaret", I would call it "Print Making with the Amazing Margaret!" She was the BEST teacher and I'm sure you will agree after reading this post and seeing the photos. I attended this workshop with zero experience, that's zero, nada, none... and came away with enough experience and knowlege to get busy making more prints. So excited! Here are my photos of the process:

Traced image carving block

Carving process.

Finished with carving, ready to print a proof.

First proof, after I printed this I defined the upper outline of the bird a little more and then continued printing.

Prints hanging to dry!

What an incredible day, I'm always so energized after our meetups, like I mentioned before, this is a super, special group of women. You can read more about how I feel about our meetups here: The Power of a Meetup

& another big thank you to the amazing Margaret, you are a great teacher and the proof is above, hanging in Alisa's studio! woot woot!

See more Art Every Day Month posts here: AEDM2011

Art Every Day Month Day 25 "Mixed Media Background"

I spent Friday resting and snacking, it was so relaxing. Then I worked on this mixed media background, getting ready for another one of my girls! She's a cutie and will probably be ready for Day 27! Woot woot! Still loving this challenge!

More Art Every Day Month posts here: AEDM2011!

Art Every Day Month Day 24 "Art In the Kitchen"

I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving, I spent the early hours in the kitchen so my art for the day revolved around cookies, cranberries and homemade rolls. Some great color combinations and texture!

These are by far the best sugar cookies, they taste delicious and are perfect for frosting. The recipe is from Better Homes and Gardens  cookbook, the frosting is just basic powdered sugar frosting.

 Cheese Rolls, again... another Better Homes and Gardens recipe! They are my favorite rolls to make for special dinners, delicious! 

And finally, a little cranberry sauce. So easy, so yummy! One package of cranberries, a cup of OJ, a cup of sugar, toss in some cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and lemon zest. Smells wonderful, tastes even better.