It's Hot And I'm Lazy, And I'm Rambling

It's a very still, hot, lazy day here in good ol Cali. The fires are raging just north of me in Santa Barbara. The pictures are horrendous! Beautiful homes, the lives of so many disrupted and changed forever. I can't imagine everything gone in a matter of minutes. Possesions, history, your safe place burned to the ground. I will be saying prayers for all those families who no longer have a place to call home.

I am lazy today. I have no air conditioning in my house, but at least I have a house. I am slowly getting ready for my class tonight. I am going to introduce my students to pastels! I love pastels!! One of my fav mediums really. So smooth and so immediate.

I have also done more work of my own. I am involved in Gary Reef's "Painting A Day For 30 Days" project on his Ning site. Day #7 and I did finish it. I'm not sure I like it so I may play with it a bit more till I do. It needs something, but like I said, I am being very lazy today and I'm in no hurry to fix it, so there! :)

You know what I need?..........A power nap. I'm going to go take a power nap! A nice refreshing rest so I will be bright eyed and bushy tailed for my students tonight! I think I may even get myself a nice tall, cold glass of chocolate soy milk first. Anyone out there drink Silk Chocolate Soy? I am sooo addicted to it, it's yummy. Soy is supposed to be good for all of us maturing women. Who knows, all I know is that I love it. Finally something that is supposedly good for you that actually TASTES good too! Ok. Well I'm heading towards the kitchen, have a great afternoon!!

Ugg

They Live Again!

Have you ever had a pair of jeans that were so comfortable, so familiar, and so loved, that when they became thread bare, with holes and worn bottoms, you just couldn't fathom cutting them off to make shorts, or worse, throwing them out?

Well.......here are my pair. I wear these all the time. They are like an old friend to me. They are old and ragged and I still love them, so much so, that I decided to try and salvedge them. I really don't sew that much, but I have tons and tons of fabric. So I picked out this bright red paisley piece out of my scrap box and voila! I have brought new life back to my old friend.

It's Earth Day today. Maybe thats why I wanted to "recycle" these jeans. What is happening to our planet is really scary. If we all do one thing today to make it better, it will have such a large impact. My first grandchild is on the way, due in October, and I often think about what kind of earth are we leaving for them? What global problems are we leaving behind for them to try to fix. And by then, it may be too late. Anyway, lets do what we can now, not just Earth Day, but every day, one little thing, each day, to make a difference. Thanks for listening to me ramble! Now I'm going to work to bother my boss.

Make Art!

Ellen

Moving On

Ok........So the Flea Market show didn't go really well. It was terribly windy. Luckily hubby brought 45 lb. weights to hold my canopy down, but my stuff kept blowing away and I had to chase it down. Not fun. Also it was like 180 degrees out, alright, I exagerate a bit but it was hot! I have sunburn to prove it. So not too many people were out and about.

I did get a lot of my flyers out about my classes though. And I did have fun talking to all the other vendors, many of which are fellow etsyans. So I am going to gather these other etsy sellers and we are going to have our own show! In June. So stay tuned for that. I tried to video tape this show but I was too busy running after escaping objects and such so I only shot about 3 minutes of my hubby and our friend Neal trying to put the canopy up in the wind, pure comedy, I gotta say!

I'm working on some larger canvasses and wood panels. Also doing some clay work as well. I will post my progress with that soon. You all have a great art filled week and keep the paint flowing!

Much love

Ellen

Almost Showtime!

I hope everyone had a great Easter holiday. Mine was very relaxing. I didn't even have to cook! My family and I went out to eat and just lounged around the restaurant laughing and joking and just enjoying each others company.

The countdown is on. I am busting my rear getting all the last minute things done before sunday. I have set up a mock display just so i can have an idea of how I want it to look before the show and I am trying to finish up some last minute paintings as well.

I completed this painting yesterday, again, while I was at work. I just need to varnish it today and it's done. I really like how this turned out. It is a acrylic and enamel diptych on canvas the colors are luscious and bright and it's all set off really well in two floating frames which I painted black. I am going to try and make a video of the show this weekend. If I do I will post it for all of you to see. have a great week!

Eat Your Peeps!

Happy Easter everyone!.............Enjoy your families, your egg hunts, your chocolate bunnies and anything else this holiday brings.

Happy Easter Wishes!

Ellen

My Website is Up!

I have my new website up and running. Please check it out and let me know what you think. The link is on the right but here it is anyway......http://www.ebelsh.otherpeoplespixels.com

The URL will change as soon as I get the rights to my domain. It took me all day saturday to get that site going. It's lots of work but soo worth it.

I'm still working hard to get more work done in time for the show. I finished 4 more 8X8's today and started a 5th one. I will post those pics up here soon. Got my business cards done and now I just need to figure out how I want my display to look. If any of you have any good ideas for a show display, please share them with me. Thats all for this evening folks!!

Hugs

Ellen

More Art..Art Is Life!!!

I am busy getting ready for the show. I have been going non-stop all week trying to get my artist statement revised, my display thought out and of course creating more works!

The photos I just uploaded here are of a few small 4X6 photo size encaustic paintings. I think having some small works to sell will be to my advantage. I really want to get information about my classes out there. I have plenty of openings left and we are having a ball with them! We are all getting to know each other and my students are creating beautiful works of their own.

I am searching for another featured artist to put up here on my site. If you want to be featured, just e-mail me and let me know. Also, if you have never checked out WetCanvas, you really need to do so. Lots of wonderful artists and and beautiful artworks are there as well as being a very supportive group of people. I have been a member there for years and it has been a real inspiration to me. See the link on the right.

Talk at you all later!
hugs
Ellen

My Computers Back And A Show!

YES! I have a computer again! I don't have all my programs installed on it yet, but I am making progress. It's weird not having a computer. It's amazing how we have grown to rely on these machines for our day to day existance. My computer maintains my life! Kinda scary..............

Anyway, I have a show coming up on the 19th of April. At Sinaloa Junior High School here in Simi Valley. If your in the area, come and say "Hi" I need to get some more paintings done, get some new business cards and such but I am looking forward to it. I haven't done a show in a long time!

This is a fundraiser show to qualify for a non-profit status so we shall see how it goes. hubby has volunteered to help me set up.

I have more paintings to photograph so I can get them up here on my blog and into my etsy shop and I have to be at work in two hours so I better get busy! Ohhh so much to do! Hugs to you all!

Ellen

The "Blues" Have It

Happy Sunday!....I am meeting up with my kids for a birthday brunch for my son. Then it is off to work.

In my previous post from yesterday, I told you all that I had a lot of new work so I thought I would post another quickie before I go to breakfast.

This is a three part painting known as a Tryptich. This one has an incredible amount of texture in it as well as gold leaf.It is called "Earthen Seas" I am a texture freak! I love to add all kinds of unusual things to my paintings. This one has crushed eggshells. Thanks to Gary Reef for all the inspiration! I am currently working on a 3D type of painting and I think I will make a video of my progress on it so stay tuned.

I hope you all have an art filled Sunday :)

Ellen

My computer is coming back to life! Hubby bought me a new hard drive with his poker winnings, and my soon-to-be son in law Wayne, installed it for me.

But.....Just when we thought all was well, the computer wouldn't boot up. It was very disappointing. Wayne told me that it might be the power supply and he just so happened to have an extra one lying around. So, he threw it in and sure enough, it's a computer once more. Yay!! Wayne is in the process of installing windows again and other software so I will be back up and running any day now with a much faster computer.

On the art front, My classes have moved over to my teaching studio, and are going very well. I have some very gifted and talented students. I will be posting their work up here too.

In the meantime, I just finished lots of new paintings this week, including this encaustic which I named, "Meadow Spires". Encaustic is painting with hot wax. The effects you can achieve with this medium are just incredible. I have been listing more paintings up on etsy and I just purchased more birch panels today for my future paintings. All in all it was a very busy day. I hope you are all enjoying your weekend too and I will catch you all later.

Happy Arting!

Ellen

Featured Artist

I would like to introduce you to Mo Godbeer. Mo is a very talented artist who works abstractually and does magnificent encaustic paintings. Encaustics are paintings done using hot wax. You can see more of her work here, http://www.youtube.com/mogodbeer

My First Video... Yay!!

Well here goes. My very first video. You can tell I was being careful not to move too fast and you may want to turn down your sound as I might have been blabbing a bit to loud, but here it is. Enjoy!!

New Art Work And ....................

I figured out how to use the video feature on my digital camara! YAY!! So at some point in time today or tomorrow, I will try to get my first video up and running. I really have NO idea what I am doing!

I have been painting small 8X8 artworks on archival paper, one a day, everyday now for this week. Being small in size, These are easy to do while I'm at the shop in between customers. I have finished three and I am going to try and get them up into my etsy shop today, barring any unforseen circumstances that is.

My Damar crystals should be here saturday for my encaustic work, and I have started a 16X20 canvas that I will try to put into my first video to show you all.

Lets see..........other than that, I am off work today and I need to get some housework done too. I guess someones got to do it huh? Hopefully I will be back later with a video. Keep your fingers crossed for me! :)

Hugs

Ellen

Computer Nightmare And Other Stuff

My poor old computer had to be put down. Hard drive crashed, everything gone. So now I am using my hubby's Dell. He's trying to be patient with me as we share.

I need to purchase a new hard drive. What a bummer. Oh well, thats life. In the meantime, I'm still at the scrapbooking store while we try to offer discounts to empty out the stock. It's sad to see such an empty store every morning when I go in. Luckily, Penny, the owner, is on a week long cruise with her man so she is getting a respite from watching her "Baby" close up after 14 years.

I am excited to say that my encaustic supplies should arrive this saturday! I have everything set up in the new teaching studio for my students and I can't wait to move my classes here to my studio. I have plenty of reference books out, a big comfy sofa to sit at for reading the books, easels and plenty of great lighting! I will try to get some photos up since all my photos went "bye-bye" with my old hard drive.

Well folks.....Iv'e got to pack the car with art equipment and then I'm off to the store. I will catch you all later. Peace

Ellen

Up And Running!

My classes are now up and running! I have been sooo busy getting class outlines done up and advertising and promoting and making room in the the new studio and, yeah WHEW!

My job of 13 years is coming to a close. Sadly, due to economic hardship, the stamping/scrapbooking store I have worked at all these years is closing. I will miss the wonderful customers and the comraderie we all shared. I have only the best wishes for my boss and friend and hope she will find a new journey as well.

I have also been working on a small series of 8X8 paintings. These are mixed media and I will soon have them posted on my etsy site. I do plan on being much more active on my blog as well as online now that I will have more time to do so.

So here is a little taste of one of my small paintings. Look for them soon on my etsy site. Have a great week and get those paints out!!

Haste.............Not Waste

Hey everyone!.......Happy friday the 13th! Remember those positive thoughts!!

I was at work the other day and as usual, I took along my studio with me. I use a foam paper plate as a pallette when I'm at work. I use these little plates over and over again till they are sooo laden with paint to the point where I can't tell which color is where!

So I was about to switch over to a clean plate when I realized that the one I was using still had beautiful, vibrant, juicy paint on it. Not wanting my paint to go to waste, I grabbed some bits of watercolor paper scraps and placed them onto the plate and let the pieces soak up the remaining paint.

I ended up with some really cool pieces that I can cut up and use in my collage work. It was a bit messy, but fun! It's a good way to use up that still wet paint! Now I may have to figure out a way to use the foam plates too! Have a great weekend all!

A Matter Of Control

Hey everyone and happy Monday!

I was thinking last night about selling your art or craft in these terribly slow economic times. I get discouraged sometimes too. Lets face it, we could ALL use a little help these days, our own little "Bail Out". It's a tough time and it can be very disheartening at times but, I for one do not want to fall victim to it.

I have to learn to control the things I can control. I cannot control the economy. I cannot control the banks and Wall Street. But I CAN control my art and my little art business.

I can control the quality of my work and paint the best I can with the best materials I can find. I can control the way I interract with my clients and provide them with excellent servive and trust. AND and most importantly, I can continue to paint with my heart and soul and no one can take that away.

So............paint. With abandon and keep the faith. Look forward to better times and build your body of work. When this is over, we will all come to realize just how strong we can be!

Also......while I'm still here, This is a brand new painting I finished up over the weekend. It is a mixed media on birch wood and sealed with beeswax. Lots of really cool texture and color in this one! I already have it listed in my etsy shop ladypaintershey.etsy.com I am also doing a series of small mixed media paintings on watercolor paper which I will post soon too. Have a great week and hang in there!

The culprit

Here is my very large, 28 pound kitty, Sonny. This is the cat my blog is named after. Yes he is the one who spills things, breaks stuff, (this morning he broke a vase!) and just reeks havoc about the house. Yes, I know, he looks all innocent here but don't let him fool you. He's just contemplating his next crime spree. I LOVE him so much though!

Another day In The Life

Yes it was another day, a day to accomplish more creative endeavors. I have another painting started and two to finish up. I usually have more that one going at a time.

I was thinking a lot about artists today while at work and I have come to the conclusion that most just don't have enough confidence in themselves. You see, I work in a stamping/scrapbooking store. Many very artistic people come in daily and I start a conversation with them, they will say to me, "Oh I could never paint anything that well", or "I am just not that creative".

I am a firm believer that everyone can create. The most important thing in creating is just wanting to. The rest will follow. Set a time aside for creating, even if it's only 15 minutes. Doodle while your talking on the phone, sketch while watching tv. You will be surprised what you can create! Especially in these hard financial times. Finding your creative self is more important now than ever.

I still have a little daylight left so I am going back into the studio! Everyone have a great week and break out those pencils, paints and paper!! Get creative!

Welcome to my new art blog! Yippee!!

Well here it is...........My new art blog (insert Ta-Da here).

I will be putting up my paintings and prints here in just a bit. I hope you will find amusement and inspiration in my work.

You see.....I have this cat. He is huge, about 28 lbs., and he just HAS to be in my studio with me when I work. If I have anything out like paint, water cups, yes, even the fish bowls etc, he will spill it.......always.

I am a mixed-media artist from so. california. I know what your saying......"Wow, there are a lot of mixed-media artists out there!" Yes you are right! And I am one more!

Hopefully, you will find my work to be fun, colorful and quirky. And i would like to feature other artists work too! If you want to be a part of my new blog, just e-mail me and let me know! Talk to you all soon!!