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I made art every day! Every. Single. Day. Yes! If you are new to this blog..about a year ago I took on a challenge…and embarked on a journey that I can truly say has made me more disciplined artist...and more excited about making art and being and artist then, well, ever. If this blog post reads like a gal out of breath- I kind of am, I feel like I have been caught up in a whirlwind of art making. Deep, breaths...let me take a step back... I wanted to push myself so a year ago I found an on-line challenge called Creative Every Day and I signed up…and I have been creative every day since then. That is putting it quite simply. I.Made.ART.Every. Single. Day. Now, the challenge wasn’t specific, it just encouraged those involved to be creative every day. But...ummmm...if you know me then you know I like to work a little differently. Seeking more structure, for myself I committed to not just being creative every day, but to making a piece of art every day, which I created within monthly themes. For the most part, I used the themes designated by the challenge, there were a few times where I had another idea and went with that, but throughout this year I started and finished with the same theme for a month-long focus. Today I just completed piece #366...which confused me a bit because I was like, 'well, there's 365 days in a year, so...' As I sat there scratching my head and feeling the 'Jenny gets a headache when there are numbers involved' headache starting to form, my husband says, 'leap year, beb'. Oh yessssss....leap year. So I made art every day, plus one. Even better! But…ummmm…I made some more art, beyond the challenge…because well, making the decision to commit to this challenge made me want to create even more, beyond my own self-imposed 'one a day' goak. So…almost 100 fashion illustrations (ugh, I wish I had rounded that 93 out to an even 100!) and some odd and end pieces for shows and just for fun…and it’s looking like close to 500 pieces. No, I ain't kidding. So at the end of this year of making art...I want to make MORE art. I have learned that I can push myself and that I can be disciplined, more so than I ever thought possible. I have started to really figure out my aesthetic, what appeals to me as an artist, what influences me, what materials I like to work with. And I learned that there is always time for art. No matter what. Well, it's New Year's Eve. I have some thoughts about 2013 and what I will take on next, but might as well blog about that tomorrow. For now, I am going to sit back and just be happy for a minute. 2013 is going to be a very productive, ART-tastic, sparkly, fabulous year. Just wait! And, here's the work from this month!
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...internet connection is a little slow here...rather than succumb to technology rage, just gonna wait til I get back to FL. Gotta keep it CHEERful!
 It's Christmas Eve and the last few days have been eventful...artin' in the car on the way to St. Augustine, artin' there, artin' on the way to North Carolina for Christmas, artin' at my father-in-laws kitchen table and restaurant...art, art, ART!
Wishing you an ART-filled Christmas Eve...will post the final pics of my daily piece either later tonight or ! Well, it's been a busy one. The week, I mean. It has been busy. The last week before school is out for two weeks, I have been trying to finish up grades, spend time and attention on my students, make my art, finish Christmas shopping and pack for my trip back home to North Carolina. So here is what went down since my last post... And now, well..we are caught up. We, I mean me, I am caught up in this here blog. Tonight I also completed the piece for Sandy Hook Elementary. I will be mailing that piece, along with CED #350 to Newtown, CT...in hopes that they will make it to someone that can share the pieces as the community continues to mourn but looks to healing. Here are the two pieces;  ...now, sleep. Tomorrow promises to be an emotional day, as it is a week later and I know the events in Newtown, CT will weigh heavy for everyone...
..just some work from Dec 17th...a small peek of part of a commission that I completed and delivered, will post the whole piece after Christmas...my piece for Sandy Hook Elementary, slowly but surely happening one butterfly at a time...and my CEDs 351-352...one started yesterday but both finished today! And all of the Christmas presents are WRAPPED!! Yes! 
Artin', December 17th...
 I posted some of the pieces that I have been working on in my CED Blog...but the picture that has meant the most to me is the one that I made yesterday...hoping that the image will pay proper tribute to those innocent lives lost on Friday, December 14th at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. Please note: I am posting this version on my various social media pages and my website so that others can share as they wish. The shooting of twenty-six people...almost all were children...completely, utterly senseless. Horrific. When I heard this on Friday...I just wept. I cannot imagine what the families must be going through. And so close to the holidays. It made me think back to the years I taught K-2...all those little folks, excited and so full of life. I just cannot fathom anyone wanting to hurt a child. I don't want to understand such evil. I just want to make art, hoping that it will help in the healing process, or at the very least commemorate the lives lost on that terrible day. Yesterday I spent the day with my husband. We were at City Place in West Palm Beach. They were having a 'Snow Day', which attracted a pretty big crowd- mostly children. Walking around watching the kids so excited about one little patch of 'snow' in sunny South Florida...and just feeling their general holiday excitement... I just kept thinking about the children lost in Newtown. I enjoyed my afternoon, but I kept finding myself with tears in my eyes, my heart heavy. So last night I made this piece, CED #350. My theme has been 'celebrations' and I have been working with a Christmas theme, most recently whimsical girls with candy cane hair. The piece I made last night uses the same motifs found in the work from the series but has a more somber feel to it. It represents taking a minute to remember those lost, and to remember to 'celebrate' those that you love.  In progress And I started another piece last night. I have been thinking about this piece since Friday night and I finally started it. I am working with a female image, an angel, and the idea of releasing butterflies...twenty-six butterflies, souls, that have left us. Us. The collective us who are mourning this loss, a whole nation of people who stood still and wept when we heard the news. And this is all I know to do, make some art. Send it off. Hope that it will provide some comfort to someone, somewhere.  The piece as it unfolded last night...will see where it takes me today. And I want to end this blog post on a lighter note. I just have to. Yesterday, we missed the Macy's Santa but there was still paper there for mailing letters to him, so I took my time to send him a special note for all the kids out there...  Seriously, sending love to nephew and little cousins and to my 'kids'...aka my STUDENTS! Current and past, I love ya'll!  #347-348...in progress... Fast forward to right now. Blogging. Rain from earlier drying on the palm trees outside. Husband working on some crazy PhD business. Cats sleeping. And two pieces of art on my table, not quite done. I mean...I guess they could be done. But I really want to go back in with some washes of black acrylic for some outlining and emphasis...so...I consider them to be 'in progress'. And I am trying to be okay with that. It was either stay up and keep on keepin' on with the art...or catch up on blogging. Torn, because leaving either unfinshed makes me a little crazy...I opted to blog. Hey, paint's gotta dry anyway, right? Now...rewind. To Wednesday. Wednesday was...eventful, to say the least. After a busy day with my students I had the holiday cheerleading party (Ugly Sweater theme, no less) on my mind and...everything came to a halt when I got a flat tire. I just made it back home, any farther and I would have been driving on the rim. Not cool, man. Not cool. 
12-12-12...flat tires, sweaters, ornaments and hanging with the PBG cheer crew
 Sons of Anarchy and artin'. ...but I made it home safely, along with my carpool buddy, and it was a tire, which can be replaced (and was replaced, today)...so thank you to whoever is looking out for me. And I get it...I need to take a minute, pay attention...relax, enjoy things a bit instead of constantly rushing around and keeping busy. So I made some ornaments for my team...and my outfit for the party...and even had a little time to work on CED #347 before falling alseep. And that was, well, that was Wednesday. Now I am getting ready to sleep, fresh art on the table waiting for the final layer of paint, a new tire on my car, some ideas in my head for tomorrow's piece...now I can hit the pause button and get some rest. Night, ya'll. 
...in progress pics from today...
My day...teachin'...artin'...nappin'...coachin'...pretty typical.   So...I don't even know where to start. Art Basel...for the short amount of time I was there with Jess and Angela (with press passes, yay Art Hive!) ...was...just...an experience. There were several points on Sunday that I wanted to just sit down in the middle of everything and just cry I was so overwhelmed by the energy and talent all around me. All of the major galleries, the major art dealers, the art that is 'now'...it was all there, sprawled out in a labyrinth of mini-gallery settings...and it just...went on...an on...and on... Too much to even begin to talk about. So...uh...here are some pictures of some art in the car on the way down south, evening events, Sunday morning artin' to get my head straight, a day at Art Basel and a few pics from last night and today as I tried to get back to reality...and finish up all of my in-progress pieces from the last few days! (CEDs #341-345) Enjoy!
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AuthorArtist and Art Teacher 
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