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...so...kind of an eventful Friday so far! I received some mentions in emails that went out today for some upcoming art events, pretty exciting! The first event is this coming Sunday at the Cinema Paradiso in Fort Lauderdale. The dress I created for Art Hive Indie Bride and the Armory Fashion ARTillery Runway show will be featured on the red carpet for their Academy Award Telecast Party. They included a picture, which is always fun...I do want to note however that my beautiful friend, Sofia Vargas Brown, will actually wearing the gown (again) I will post pictures from the event later! Here is a link to the mailer that went out via email. 
...and side note...I did some searching and I found this video created by the Broward College Art Club. Jessie, modeling her own creation is on at 12:55 and my model Sofia Vargas Brown, escorted by David Runyon, walk the runway at 17:05. If you have a minute, check 'it out! 
The second piece of news that went out- the announcement that I will be the Featured Artist for Muzart for the March ArtWalk. Tina has been a big supporter of my work since I met her in the fall and I am really looking forward to this event! One thing that was really tough for this particular show was trying to decide which series to pull my pieces from...I finally decided to make the show a mini-retrospective of all of the art I created in 2013. This weekend I will take on the task of going through all of the work from the year and selecting one piece from each monthly series, just to show the variety of works completed but with the constant theme of the female face. I am excited...and scared! I should probably get back to finishing up my 2013 inventory while I'm at it...tsk, tsk. 
...so that's it for now. Well, sort of. I had a conversation with Sally over at SMASH Beauty Lounge and I will be making some more pieces for her space, specifically for the back gallery area. I would like to create about twenty new paintings for SMASH. I am also working on a new batch of zebra divas for Javier and Maranda over at Fairytales Hollywood, a commission they set up at one of their events and maybe some fun lil' plaques. Both businesses will be featuring my pieces for the Downtown Hollywood ArtWalk this coming March.
Feeling happy, overwhelmed and inspired! Wow!
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My piece in the Square Show at Bear and Bird Gallery is coming down this weekend (single tear) but if you didn't make it over there, they posted a great, high-res picture of it...check it out! http://www.flickr.com/photos/bearandbird/12024443934/in/set-72157639672683754 ...and check out the other pieces of course! Warning: Some are a little racy...hey, it's not your typical art show, or venue...just wanted to warn ya! Alright, let me get back to my celebratory dance, so excited to see this pic on the interwebs! 
For my #tbt post I chose works from February 2012 and 2013. February 2012 was my second month doing the Creative Everyday Challenge, and I was still figuring out my approach to making art every day...in fact, I think I still am, but that's another story altogether...sorry, I digress. February 2012- figuring it out...I was making small heart paintings for my 'daily' art but it wasn't satisfying my need to draw faces...so I did a series drawings on the side, mostly pencil sketches that I then outlined with pen...and then added watercolor hearts as a consistent motif throughout the pieces. The second picture if from February 2013, my 'Light' series. I had just completed a series of dark images, so I wanted to lighten things up with light, sketchy colored pencil lines and watercolor. I went off on a little tangent and started using a heart shape for the actual shape of the head...something about February...I just want to use pink and red and be all silly and make hearts. So be it.
...and just like that, 5300 miles later...the journey from Hollywood, Florida to San Diego, California and back is done. And I am tired, and I think I have some dark circles under my eyes still...and I have the beginnings of a sinus infection...but mentally, spiritually and artistically I am rejuvenated. It was an amazing trip and I can't wait to go back again. 
John and I have been making the trip back faithfully every year since we left...well, except for 2013. We never made it in 2013...too much going on. We were moving... there were weddings and other trips...starting new jobs, John was in the throes of his dissertation...it just didn't happen. And I felt it. I felt a void. It may seem like going back to the west coast is just a vacation, but it is so much more. We only lived in California for that one year, but it really made such an impact on myself and John, not only as individuals but as a couple. We literally packed up all of our belongings and put them in storage, loaded up our two cars and drove across the country. We only knew two people in San Diego...didn't know where we were going to live, ended up switching jobs when we got there...but we did it. And we have so many memories of our time out there, it was just us, our time.  This pic shows our first day in San Diego, back in September of 2006. We had just driven through the mountains out in east county straight into rush hour traffic...which totally freaked me out. We were driving two separate cars loaded down and stacked high with our belongings...it was just us. And I was scared...and I remember thinking, 'Oh my God, what was I thinking?' But we made it through the mountains, and through that insane traffic...we made it to Pacific Beach, parked our cars, walked and found the perfect bean and cheese burrito at Cotijas (still a favorite)...then we went to the beach. And we remembered why we came in the first place. And every year we are reminded of why we keep going back to San Diego, to the West Coast. It is really weird when I go back to visit now, and art is so much more a part of my life. I carried my art supplies with me to CA when we moved out there in 2006 but honestly, I didn't create much. I was think I was taking one or two classes on-line...I remember making some jewelry outside one time...but really, I wasn't creating art. And now, that is all I do. It is who I am. I made my daily pieces every day without fail when I was on my trip, not beating myself up if I didn't complete the piece and had to finish it up the next day. (which is really a big deal for me, this is something that I stress myself out about) In addition, one thing that I was really excited about this year was that I left a trail of angels everywhere I went. I made fifty angels on the plane en route to California and started making my #angeldrops on Friday. I ventured out on the boardwalk and left angels from Pacific Beach to Mission Beach and then dropped some off in Seaport Village and North Park. Saturday I left angels in Ocean Beach with the help of my 'angel street team' consisting of John, Jake and Jen aka my traveling companions. Sunday I left a special angel for Paul, our old landlord and friend and then a couple of angels at LAX. I love leaving angels. This might be the most I have ever left in one batch, but as a small goal I would like to try to leave at least one every Friday as part of #freeARTfriday and the whole pay it forward idea. So...well...I am back on the east coast. Ready to make more art...but every once in a while if you see me looking off in the distance...you know what I am thinking about. California. Here are some pics I pulled from my IG posts that show snippets of the trip and all the ARTastic adventures over on the west coast...enjoy!  Collaboration, whether or not it was intentional...it was a collaboration. In fact...it always has been. Let me back up...see, I have this AMAZING friend. She is my own personal muse and her name is Jen Turley, but I call her muse, soul sista...and I call her my heart. I have known Gin for over twenty years now, which looks CRAZY when I type it out, but it's true...and we're still kickin' it. My friendship with Gin has spanned so many events in life...high school, the life and death of Amy Elizabeth German...college years with time spent in Greenville, NC and Charleston, SC...meeting the love of my life and marrying him and Gin doing the same...and now, well, now she is the mother of a feisty little man named Maylon. Gin and her family are in Colorado and I am here in Florida with John and the cats. Miles apart but close together, always.  Pics with my muse, Gin And we have been collaborating for years now...creating and cultivating the women that we have become and are still becoming. I have piles of cards and letters and handmade items from my dear friend, and so does she. For years we have kept eachother going regardless of where we are in life geographically and personally...and nothing has changed. So...Gin mailed me a Valentine, and I received it in the mail yesterday. There is nothing like opening the mailbox with no expectations and finding a letter or package from my muse. She always does something to make the outside of the package special, whether its stickers or gems or just a fun handwritten note or quote. This year's Valentine from my friend was a note written in purple ink and a sparkly pink heart surrounded by the word, 'muse'. To me, this year's Valentine really represented us- our friendship built on inspiration and love. And when I opened my note and saw it...I was in fact inspired. I knew that I needed to incorporate it into my daily piece, so I did. And to my friend, this is the best Valentine, because now it is the one we made together. "2 muses connected on the journey of life."  (Left) mail lovin' from CO (Middle) getting inspired by this beautiful heart and a funny face I found in my Cosmo (Right) The finished piece, a Muse2Muse collabo!  I posted these collages to my Instagram account...this is the first time in several years that I have not been in Atlanta judging Cheersport...hope to be back next year...I miss all my cheer friends! Love you guys!  CED14- Feb 14 I must say...Valentine's Day, or any holiday really, is extra fun when you are a teacher. I used two of the items given to me by students today in the creation of my daily piece, the plastic 'Bee Mine' ring off a cupcake from Aura and the heart shaped box from the chocolates that Claudia gave me. Thank you so much, ladies...for the Valentine's Day gifts AND the inspiration!
 ...daily piece from Wednesday shown on my lil' art table by the couch Either it has been busy...or I haven't been using my time wisely...whatever the reason/excuse...I haven't been updating my blog as much as I would like. So...this will be brief, but an update nonetheless. I am twelve pieces into my monthly series and having a blast! Working with mixed media really appeals to all that I enjoy doing as an artist- drawing, collage, painting...maybe down the road I can even work in some sparkle and/or beading. I think sometimes I feel pressure to draw the women's faces more realistically, especially in terms of the proportion...but I am kind of throwing that out the window and just working in the silly, exaggerated style that comes most natural to me.  (Left) For my #tbt pics on Instagram today I posted some collages of photos from February of 2012. My monthly pieces were small heart mixed media paintings on square canvas panels, and true to form I also started a side series of drawings...yep, you guessed it- ladies. I worked with a heart motif inspired by Valentine's Day and came up with some fun images that focused on the heart(s) and lot's of hair. Jess and I participated in the ANE group show for that month, the theme was Love Struck/Love Sucks. Per usual, we had fun getting into character for the event.
(Middle) In addition to the daily heart pieces and the side series of drawings...at that time I was still trying to complete a self portrait each month...of course it had to go with the theme for the month...starting to see a pattern with me and all my OCD self-imposed rules? This particular piece was fun to make, I painted on a wood panel with acrylic paint and then embellished the piece with jewels. It was very, very sparkly and colorful. (...just like me!) (Right) Lastly, I posted some pics from a girls 'art afternoon' I hosted at our place in Palm Beach Gardens. Jess and Sof came over and we all worked on different projects. Sof was making a coiled heart for Valentine's Day, Jess and I were bedazzlin' some high heel shoes...because...well...why not? 
(Left) Johnny Nice back in the day (Top) Thanks for the cake, Aunt Nancy! (Bottom) Now John can wear the shirt our nephew bought him! (Right) ...the man, the myth...Dr. John Gironda! (insert celebratory Ric Flair-style 'woooooo!')
...one MAJOR thing that happened in the middle of all the other craziness... JOHN SUCCESSFULLY DEFENDED HIS DISSERATION!!! Aughhhhhhhhh!!! It's been a long time coming, but he finally earned those three lil' letters, PhD! It's official! We will celebrate again when he does the formal graduation ceremony in May, but that cover page is signed and he is legit.
I love you so much, Dr. Gironda! You are such an inspiration...and you better believe Lucy and Amy are toasting you from above! |
AuthorArtist and Art Teacher 
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