Nah, just playin'! This gunmetal bracelet are actually pretty lightweight. To see more about the jewelry that inspired today's pieces, click here! ...also...this just in...I have an ART SHOW coming up! Yay! Just received the final confirmation today for a show at DaDa in Delray on January 22. I will also be live-painting at the event. More details to come!
As for Miss Matchy Matchy...I took the 'chevron' (c'mon don't be fancy, ya'll know this is a ZIG ZAG pattern!) and used that in the design of her full skirt, keeping the earrings pretty much as is. Once I started working on the piece I felt like it was kind of festive...like, 'fiesta' festive.
As for Trinket...she's just holding on...she really wants to be included so tomorrow I should accessorize her, too! I had the best teacher workday today! Not only did my friend Jess from Art Hive stop by with all kinds of goodies to donate to my classroom, but I did so much cleaning and organizing! But wait, let's back up...here are some pics from when I first 'got my keys' and stepped into the madness that was my classroom; I have been trying to organize as I go, starting in the front storage and the front half of the room. These areas were pretty clean but I did work on them some more today. Here is the front storage, all nice and neat ready for second semester! This view shows basically the entire room, both the 2D (front) and 3D (back) halves. This classroom is so gigantic, I feel so lucky every day to have such a great space to teach in , especially considering last year I didn't have a room of my own! ...and THIS...this is where I spent most of the day- the 3D portion of my room. It really was still pretty unorganized. I still need to go through some cabinets and label things...but this is so much better. We will be focusing more on 3D for the second half of the year so I really needed to do this today. The first view show the view looking from the middle of the room to the back and the picture below that show the view from the back of the room looking to the front. ...this is the kiln room...still needs some work but much better. I think we are ready for some CLAY PROJECTS! ...and this folks is the last frontier...the back storage area. I can't even think about this area right now...hoping that if I tackle one shelf/area a week that by the end of the year this area will be good to go. If not...I know what I will be doing those last days before the break! ...then I came home and made my daily art!
To read more about the jewelry inspiration for Miss Matchy Matchy and Trinket today, CLICK HERE!
After working on my daily piece today I started to think about some other pieces that were directly inspired by ECU, many because they were made on game days. I started trying to incorporate things like this (my sports teams playing) into my art as I work because it is kinda fun for me, and it helps me add a little extra narrative to the pieces in the series.
Below are some of the pieces that I created last year that were directly related to my beloved Pirates or just included the team colors. This is something that I think I will continue to do in 2015...just 'cause! But first... before I start speaking...er...typing...about my new monthly series...I just gotta get this off my chest. I had a good, no a GREAT year in 2014. Many great things happened for me as an artist...but one thing that I am not excited or proud about...I only created one fashion illustration in 2014. Yeah, just one. Now, if you have ever been on my blog or seen my posts on social media in past years then you would know that fashion illustration is a side passion for me. Like...I love it. My weekend routine for 2012 and 2013 almost always included a trip to the beach followed with 2-4 hours of sketching time at Barnes and Noble, usually on Sundays. I would grab a stack of fashion magazines, get my coffee, place my paper and drawing/painting materials on those tiny tables (seriously, kinda small for makin' art, people!)...and I would just pour over those images...then recreate them in various media, with my own lil' take on the images. Well in 2014...I just got out of the habit. I don't know if it was partly due to where we were living, it was a 20 minute drive to B&N vs being able to walk before, but I just didn't take the time to work on this side passion. Thinking back on it, I know that some of my time (I am talking a couple of hundred hours at least!) creating a wedding gown from past issues of Art Hive Magazine...so I did do some fashion-related work of sorts and I will comfort myself with that. When I was thinking of what I wanted to do for my first series in 2015 this 'failure' on my part wasn't far from my mind. (Don't worry, I am just really, really tough on myself) I knew that I wanted to start with something related to fashion, just to go ahead and tackle what I feel was a low point for me in 2014. But wait- there's more. All this year...I have been setting the stage for something else I love to be a part of my creative process...my love for accessories...jewelry...and heck, even organization. All year I have been tagging posts of my various accessorized outings with #MissMatchyMatchy. I even launched a brand new blog dedicated to my obsession with the sparkle life, Here's my thought process for this series. I am going to spend a month hanging out with Miss Matchy Matchy (and Trinket, her cat!) Each piece will be inspired by jewelry/accessories from my own collection. I will be linking the new blog to this blog....cross referencing in social media...it promises to be chaos...but hey, it will be well-coordinated chaos! So...ummm...here she is- Miss Matchy Matchy...and her little cat, Trinket. And just in case you were wondering....Miss Matchy Matchy is me...and any other gal, guy or feline that appreciates jewels...thought-out color combinations and textures...and the sheer joy or over-organization bordering on OCPD. Yeah, this is for you, ya sparkly soul! Now keep in mind that I am still figuring out how I want to link all this together...but if you are interested in finding out more about this crazy necklace and how in the world I wore it (seriously, I know it is a little over the top!) Please check out the related blog post; http://missmatchymatchy.blogspot.com/2015/01/is-statement-for-this-necklace-that-i.html
To say that both of my wrists feel like they are gonna fall off...that is an understatement. I have been working on some things all morning...like, since 5am...and sometimes things don't go as planned. That being said, I gave up on my original slide show idea (I mean...it was going to be so fun, with music and everything...sigh) and instead started from scratch. I just wanted to document in one spot all the fun art-wonderfulness that went on in 2014. So...ummm....here it 'tis. ...and the new series, and related brand new blog (!) are both ready to go...gonna wait on releasing that info for a bit...wrists need a break! First day of 2015 and so far I haven't done anything artistic...well...I did gather some materials for a DIY New Year's project for my friend before leaving Orlando...stay tuned for the how-to's...and for her finished piece! (No pressure JPM!) I have also been trying to finish up a year in review slide show but have been having technical difficulties...so rather that continuing to refresh the page and yell expletives at the computer...I will just revisit that tomorrow. (fingers crossed) I do have some goals for 2015 and some related art projects and fun news that I will be sharing...hopefully in the next few days. After all of this traveling I feel like I just need a minute to regroup and refocus...but it's all coming soon. Right now...right now I need to figure out what in the world I am going to do for my series this month! |
AuthorArtist and Art Teacher
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