I love getting back to my painting roots. I first fell in love with art (drawing and painting) before I ever started into Graphic Design. In fact, in College I double majored in Graphic Design and Fine Art. So painting has always been really close to my heart. And I love it when I get the time to create new work. I want to share with you a really easy technique that I think you will really love to try as well.

I absolutely love the simple yet dynamic effect of this art piece. It is sooo easy. It literally took me only a few minutes to complete from start to finish. I used images from magazines but i think it would be AWESOME if you were a photographer and used this technique to display hints of your photos in your office or studio. I think that would be a KILLER and unique way to showcase your work…. Without being to cheesy…. ya know? Or it would be a really artsy way to use your family photos as well. I don’t really have pictures of me and Brian around the house… So might consider doing something like this with our photos. Without blabbing on, below is the HOW-TO.
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Sneak Peak: Getting Crafty With Promise from The Girls With Glasses on Vimeo.

I’m so excited that The Girls with Glasses asked me to join in for an episode. I have posted about them before HERE. Full video coming soon. I am sharing a fun fine art technique that you all ask me about a lot. CANT WAIT!! Sooooo excited. Can you guess what it is?

I JUST shot Jon and Maryke’s wedding on Friday night… and HER gift to him was these lovely funky paintings that i painted for them. She had it all planned out.. colors, photos, and design ideas. I really like the way they came out. such a fun and unique wedding gift idea. This is the second one i have done for a wedding gift. I would LOOOOVE to do more. hint hint. Any takers? haha. jk.

My new favorite thing is to work in 12in x12in size… that way.. my clients can order as many as they want and put them in any order and any orientation to fit any wall. SO fun, right? Also, below I have some photos of side views and details. hope you enjoyzies!
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As I sat down at my computer this morning to blast out some emails… i felt prompted to share the mural that we painting while we were in Africa in August. Thinking back, It is really cool know that that we were able to leave a mark on their lives relationally and also physically on their Home.

This wall is along the front of their home, right outside the gates. I dont have a picture of it “before”, but i am sure you can imagine that it was just a very dark gray concrete wall.. with no life or love. As you can tell it is a very large wall. I have never done or organized a painting party for this size of a wall before. So this was all new to me.. but i liked the way it came out.

There were a lot of folks that helpeed on this project. Thank you to everyone! When i was given the task to cover this beast I took a few things into consideration. Number 1 was it needed to be bright, lively, and fun. Number 2, it needed to be treated like a canvas not just a painted wall, and number 3, it needed to be simple and easy for everyone to be able to help out with it.
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ALRIGHT!!! I am back from seattle and in the dark depths of catching up on emails, planning, designing, photoshoots, and all the crafty sorts. haa. It’s all good though. So it really seemed like you guys like my 5 things post last time. So i decided to do it again today. Again big stars for elsie because i seriously doesnt know how she does it every sunday. GEE WIIZZZ!! haha. Here are the 5 things.

1. I LOVE that i have loved painting since i was little. It’s really cool to go back and look at my life and realize that I am still the SAME person as before. That even when I was 2 or 3 you could see traits in me that i have now. haha. I know that could sound dumb, but stay with me. Things that i had thought had developed over time were really there all along.

One thing is… people laugh at me because i can get over excited about the little things in life… litteraly ooo-ing and awww-ing over chocolate covered macadamia nuts, my favorite song on the radio, a goofy facial expression, or even a victory dance after I toss & score a wad of paper in the recycling bin. Being back at home this week my mom told me that i was ALWAYS excited about everything when i was little. haha. and i still am now. thats funny. Here is a photo of me painting. Check out that style too, right? vintage dress and bracelets. Not to mention the STYLISH HAIR CUT!! hahaha.

2. I scored these white moccasin shoes at Savers for 5 bucks about a year ago. I LOVED them so much. i thought i had lost them, but YAY!!! I found them again in seattle at my parents house. good to have them back. nice and comfy, easy to slip on, and unique.

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Remember that tiny painting give away that i had a few months back? haha. well it actually took me FOREVER to do it. Perry Azevedo from Seattle was the winner.. YAY!! AND he is such a rockstar for being so patient and putting up with me. The contest just called for one painting… but because i was soo late on it, i threw in a second painting with a similar design that i had in my archives. I really loved how they came out.

I am always cautions in trying to decern what to post and what not to post. I do believe there is something special about keeping mystery to an artist and their process. But the other part of me loves other creatives, and at times I wish others would share their expertise freely and enjoy the art of sharing techniques and tips with other artists. hmm…. So i showed parts of my process here. It can give you an idea of what goes on backstage. haha. With this project i decided to use designed craft paper to add layers and texture. i chose trees and raindrops because they are located in the northwest. haah. I think thats appropriate right? hah. Below are the original photographs that Perry gave me to use. I always love to hear your feedback, critiques, and comments in the comment section. Thanks Ya’ll. heh
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WOOOHOHOO!!! This thing is really on its way! We seem to be getting a lot of momentum with this project and its making it very exciting!! Check out Barton’s last phase, if you missed it. I just finished up the last design phase for The Art For Huruma project. We have one more step and that is Phase 7. It will essentially be posting the mock up tee and poster print online for sale during August. We will be taking pre-orders in August in an attempt to minimize an overage of extra tees lying around. This will allow us to donate more towards Huruma Children’s Home. If you are new to this blog and have no idea whats going on read full DETAILS HERE.
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