Etsy shop is officially open!

Happily, I received several emails from people interested in purchasing my paintings, so I spent yesterday at a couple different print shops seeing how they'd turn out. I loved them! Wow--I'm used to creating sculptures and only having a photo to remind me of it. Prints are so much like the original! It helps with the separation anxiety with my artwork. Actually, I really love selling my work because I love hearing how people enjoy the art. It makes me happy to create it, and I love finding a happy client as well. Share the joy, right?

Anyway, you can find the etsy shop here:

www.aprylian.etsy.com

So, this whole painting tangent is another thing I never saw coming. How did it get started? Well, I think it was Jenna, my sis-in-law that happened to post about a cute painting she'd seen on etsy. And thus it began. Truly, as my banner says, Open your heart---discover what's inside. That's what I've been doing. It's an amazing process.

Family Hike & Words of Kindness

A nice family hike. My sister-in-law, Jenna, is the best at taking pictures at our family events. So here I am (in the pink) with my cousin & brothers and the kiddos out for a fun stroll. I love my family! Click on the picture for a bigger version. Isn't Utah Lake beautiful in the background?

Here's another happy thing--I got the sweetest compliment on my paintings from a new friend:

"I don't find your work "somber" at all, (you commented that you're an up beat person and don't know why your faces never smile.) Frankly I find them contemplative. (Except Alice--she reminds me of whimsy.) I look at those faces and into those eyes and I find myself transported to a quiet, meditative place I didn't know existed. What's more, I like being there."

Wow--wasn't that sweet? I did another painting tonight, but I'm not finished so I'll post it later. I'll probably sell more of them. I like having the money come in to buy more canvases with--letting my art fund my hobby is lots of fun. =)

Ebay Widget

Sage's and IKEA and a sweet husband...

So, just when it was about an hour and a half before closing, I asked Randy if he'd run me up to IKEA in Draper so I could put up a new shelf-set. I told him if we made it fast enough, we'd be in time for dinner at Sage's Cafe as well. He was already saying sure--even before my enticement. We had a nice evening together. I was especially glad I brought Randy along--the bookshelf weighed like 200 lbs! Husbands are so handy.



Hmmm....weird blur...anyway--so that's what I'll be doing tomorrow--revamping the artroom. I have so neglected my vibration in that room--isn't that crazy? I love seeing every art supply I have--but if it's not orderly--pretty soon I make a whole mess of the room. It's like I'm great at entrainment--I just need to entrain UP--not down. So, here's to up. I can see a new flat monitor in my future as well--and eventually, an iMac. Though I use my laptop the most, so maybe an iBook first. We'll see. Right now I'm just working on neat and tidy with new furniture. I love Donna Downey's artspace. I think she's got two of these bookcases.

Have you noticed that money manifests much sooner when you give it a becoming? I think it doesn't like just being paper. I mean, if you could be anything in the world--how satisfying would being stuck in the paper state be? But when I have a specific goal for what I want the money to become--it comes right along. Cool. One day, I'll really have the hang of this universe stuff. =)

So my Marie is gone...=( But I'm glad she's off having some fun--she deserves it. She put together a cute card tutorial before she left. Wanna see? Here it is.

I'm just reminded of my blog post many months ago about wanting girlfriends to go out to lunch with. Now I get to experience that a lot--and it's just a fun as it looked like it would be. And Randy's probably glad he's not having to be my surrogate girlfriend anymore. =)

New Painting

Oops--sorry about the blur there--but I really liked how this one turned out. She's similar to my last lady, but about 4 times the size. I like this gal with the slick, straight black hair. Very much not looking like me, yet feeling very "me"--go figure!

I've left plenty of space for some profound thought. =)

Uncle love

This is just too funny. You may remember a while back me posting a picture of Jasen, our 4 year old, tasting the railings at Disneyland. My sister-in-law just posted this on her blog--my brother doing the same thing. It was sub-titled--This is for you Jasen!

Isn't family the greatest?

And some paintings....

I finally got this chick-a-dee ready to show. I outlined her irises in ultramarine blue, and that one thing really through me off in the color scheme. The background was a turquoise before, but she was just not happy with it. So I kept washing in some browns and eventually gold--and then she came to life. I put a golden wash (Lumiere) over those blue irises, and that made all the difference. She didn't want blue eyes--so now she has golden green.

The texture effect on the background is modeling paste by Liquitex--very fun. very much liking the play with that!!!



I swear I start out envisioning a happy face--yet they never end up that way. Gee, I think I'm a pretty upbeat person! Something I hear alot is that my eyes are very soulful--so that's a nice compliment. I'd like to tie these paintings into my Creating Consciously work--but they don't look happy to create consciously! What's the deal? Oh, well--I go where the muse takes me! =)

Here's one of those sketches I birthed into a full-blown painting. I'm still not sure if I like this one or not. It happened when I added the sticker--and suddenly the painting required some reds and purples to tie it in. It's on masonite, and I've sanded down the colors. I do love this face though.



I used Golden Fluid acrylic for the black--and I LOVE it. Such a rich pigment. I'm sold.



A bit of a glare. I'll reshoot when I've decided whether or not to keep this particular background. I'm still leaning toward a redo. She doesn't look like all she needs is love anyway. Hmmm.... I think I need to let my creations decide, rather that the stick phrases I find!

And some sketching....

These are some random shots from my sketch book--not very well centered--oops. I think I drew this gal at church...


and then this drawing was based on a tonner doll repaint I'd seen--a about an inch and a half big, so I was happy with my enlarging proportions.



Then these are sketches I made while browsing the Internet, trying to get a feel for what kind of faces feel like "Me" to draw...




I like these two gals. They remind me of sisters.

Baby Michael

So, as my dear friend Marie pointed out, my blog was getting a little behind... Yes, I have been sculpting and painting--and having a great time playing with my art supplies. It reminds me of something Wallace Wattles said in the Science of Getting Rich--that those who appreciate art will always have money for art supplies--and so forth--that when we love something, the Universe always supplies it. That's been very true for me. I'm never wanting for art supplies. I make good use of them, too. My latest sculpt is a baby. Randy says he likes the way I make babies these days (as we have 5 children and decided that is enough--though I love them dearly--these babies are easier to...deliver!)

Anyway, I was at a store a while back and saw these cute little fuzzy bears and thought, That would be really fun to turn into a baby. So this week, I did--and he turned out pretty cute, if I do say so myself.

First, I dismantled a teddy bear (sorry, teddy) and then made an armature so the baby would be posable. I also wrapped it with stuffy, so it would be soft, and adding pellets and paddy all around.




And here he is. I stuck my hand in there so you can get an idea of the size of this little guy. I love his sweet locks of hair!



Hmmm...he's still cuter in real life. One day I'll get a camera that does him justice.

So that was fun. Off to post more blog entries....