Love that Arty Mama . . .

Love that Arty Mama!

I'm honored to have been interviewed about Art, Life & Mama Hood (let's pretend that's a real word ;) by the sweet and effervescent Carin Cullen today. Check out her new Arty Mama series by clicking on the picture above.

And thank you Carin for all of your love and support,
Kristin xo

Paint Party Friday: Thumbelina

"Tiny Keepsakes"

Thumbelina assemblage using an altered soap box

Happy PPF! 

I hope this week has found you happy, well and in a creating frenzy. At least that was the case for me. It seems as if weeks' worth of ideas swirling around in my head have finally turned into something concrete and frankly, between 3 projects on the fire and a daily drawing for 29 Faces, I've been crazy-busy. But in a good way . . . .

On this post I shared some Instagram shots of a teeny tiny project I started last week. If you guessed that it was about Thumbelina - one of my favorite childhood stories - you were right.  It all started on a walk with my baby (okay, I know she's 7 but still) when she picked up a pea pod type thing off the ground. I'm sure you know what it's called (I don't) but when I saw it, I instantly thought of a little bed. Which, for some reason, led me to think of the little fairy girl I have always admired. 

Ironically, Thumbelina is a Hans Christian Andersen tale about a peasant woman who could not have a child of her own. (Hum). She exchanged food for special seeds that once planted, grew into a tiny little girl, no bigger than your thumb. Here's my interpretation of the special keepsakes that I think her Mama would have saved - in a special place - just for her:

The altered soap box. Martha Stewart crackle paint (from the hardware store) on the sides of the lid and crackle paint covered in Martha Stewart glitter on the sides of the bottom. The top of the lid is covered in decorative paper, watercolor crayons and beeswax.

The first element: a little jar of "seeds" (or glass glitter). Vintage text reads, "Little Girl." 

The flower pot I imagine she sprang from. It was made with Paper Clay (a first for me) which I purposely (I promise) distressed and cracked. It rests on a shell that was painted and prettied with Stickles glitter, Swarovski crystals and a vintage tiny flower bud coming out from the cracks in the shell.

Little things for the little one: a decorative plate that I "chipped" and distressed. The napkin is a small piece of fabric and the glittered shell serves as her bowl.

Her bed. With a pearl for a pillow.

Everything in it's place. Keepsakes for Mama's tiny one.

All tied up for safe keeping. With a "T" for Thumbelina of course.

There it is! And now I'm off to a Tea Party . . . Check out the Instagram pictures (on my sidebar ;) if you wanna see some of the next WIP's I'm working on. Hint: Her name's Alice . . . .

Kristin xo

29 Faces . . . .

29 Faces, Day 1

Strathmore Visual Journal

Yep, I'm doing it too . . . a first for me. After seeing so many amazing sketches, paintings and participants creating a face-a-day over the last few challenges, I decided to bite the bullet and give it a try myself. At first I was intimidated by the sheer volume of would-be work, but I committed anyway, knowing that my girls were getting a bit, um, stale (just being honest) and that if I wanted change, I'd need to actually do something about it . . . .

So February first came and it turns out, I'm a busy girl. Had no time at all to start this new challenge until I got home that evening - at around 11 pm - the hour just before my pumpkin expires. But alas, commit I did, so I got to work and found . . . that I really loved it. Late night sketching in front of a bad round of reality TV is apparently a good combination, at least it worked for me. So much so, that I repeated that routine for nights 2 and 3 (which is why I have only Instagram shots thus far - no light ;). Here's what I came up with:

29 Faces: Day 2

Inspired by "Young Girl in a Fichu" 

Sculpture by Jules Dalou, early 1890's

(I told you I needed a change - I decided to try my hand at copying the classics ;)

29 Faces: Day 3

Inspired by Kees Van Dongen's "Lady in a Black Hat" (1908)

So, yeah, that's where I am to date. Since it's day four and I haven't gotten out the pencils yet, I guess the late-night sketching / bad TV routine will continue. . . .

Looking forward to more - and to seeing all of your 29 Faces!

Kristin xo

Instagram & Such . . .

Teeny Tiny WIP

Happy February!

It's been a busy week around here, but since I've been hopping from project to project, I don't have any completed artwork to show for it. Having said that, my current obsession with Instagram (and I know I'm not alone ;) does give me some WIP's to share. Wanna see?

Okay, I'm almost done with this teeny tiny assemblage that I've been working on. Can you guess the subject? (Hint: it's about one of my favorite childhood stories). Here's another bit of it:

My first attempt at working with Paper Clay. 

Thankfully, the project calls for "rustic." Whew.

And here's the altered box that all of the elements will live in. (I'll share the whole thing in it's entirety on my next post).

Beeswax and glitter. Swoon.

I've also been working on this collage piece using vintage children's dictionary definitions:

The Instagram shot

And where it is now. Still far from completion.

And in the spirit of truth, here's a picture of what was a new favorite piece. . . 

Working BIG WIP

Until I totally messed her up. This one's headed for obscurity (or under the bed), so you may never see her again. Humph. (And lesson learned). 

And lastly, I'm thrilled to say that I'll be attempting my first round of 29 Faces, beginning today! I bought myself a pretty new Strathmore Visual Journal (the big one ;) for the occasion and plan to work in it throughout the month. I expect to share a week's worth at a time, so wish me luck and keep checking back to keep me accountable. I'm looking forward to stretching myself and I know this this challenge will do it . . . .

That's it for now. Have a great weekend and keep arting, 

Kristin xo

Paint Party Friday: Art Journaling

"Hide Me"

Strathmore Visual Journal

Happy PPF!

I hope this finds you happy and well. 

I had a go at art journaling this week and wanted to share my progress with you here. Not sure if I'm really done with these pages as I often wonder how much of my art journals are complete without much, um, journaling, but nevertheless, this is what I've come up with:

Vintage Bingo card serves as a hidden flap

Glittered girl underneath

And this page features a fabulous picture of my Grandma (printed on a transparency) back in the day:

"The house the Grandma built"

Thanks for looking! I look forward to seeing all of your pretty pieces at the Party . . . .

Kristin xo

Paint Party Friday: "Damn, You're Hot"

"Damn, You're Hot"

12 x 12 Wood Picture Frame with 5 x 7 Opening

Happy PPF! 

I hope this week has found you happy and well. I've been having a bit of fun lately working on this painted wood picture frame and wanted to share it with you here . . . .

One of the things I discovered while drawing her (on a gessoed surface), was that anything caught in a kneaded eraser will scratch. Of course she was almost completely drawn when I noticed that I'd inadvertently made huge horizontal marks across her face with said eraser. Humph. But then, I realized that I loved the look of it, so I made more marks (and dents and gouges) until I was satisfied with my "distressed" frame. 

After that play, I painted her in with a combination of watercolor crayons, acrylic paints and glittery gel pens. I was going for a "made up" girl with "smoky" eyes and glossed lips (thank you, Stickles) and when I was done, my dear Hubby said that she looked hot, which of course is where the hand-drawn title came in. All that was left to do was some further distressing with sandpaper and she was complete. It's a bit saucy I know but, but . . . what the hey . . . .

Looking forward to seeing all of your painted pieces this week as well. Thanks to Kristin and Eva for inviting us all to the party.

Kristin xo

A Clean Slate . . . .

(Really, really big) WIP 

I love a new year. It carries with it the same air of possibility that you get as a kid at the beginning of a new school term; where fresh notebooks and new classes are replaced with goal setting and resolutions. It's endless potential, a blank canvas and a clean slate all wrapped into one . . .

And for me, this year truly is a new beginning. This is the first year I'm walking into without the expectation of having another baby by the end of it. Our decision to stop chasing after a second adoption after years of trying has given me a freedom that I never expected to have, and it has allowed me the opportunity to pursue my creative dreams sooner than I had expected to. I'm excited to see where this whole art thing leads and am grateful for the chance to go for it. 

So where will I be this year? Well, here. I've adjusted my schedule to allow for more time in the studio to create. I now have an Etsy shop to fill and want to give myself the greatest chance for success. With that in mind, I have also determined to be brave and try something new. I'll let you know what that means when I've actually done it (so I can still chicken out ;) but in the meantime, know that it is my intention to push myself and put myself "out there." 

As for blogging and blog hops, I will continue to play with PPF as much as possible and plan to be more present over at Sunday Sketches. I also hope to join a round of 29 Faces, which I have not yet attempted. I've just joined Life Book 2013 and am excited about watching those fabulous videos and learning from the bevy of talented teachers as well. 

Then there's the next installment of The Summer of Color 3: Artist Choice. As the name implies, it's all about choice this year and I think you'll like some of the changes I've made in order to keep the event fresh and exciting. I for one can't wait as I know this will be our best yet. . . .

So that's it (well, for now I suppose) - a year full of potential and possibilities - for us all. 

Bring it on,

Kristin xo