It's Fall Out There!

Have I mentioned how much I love my new studio?

I truly do! Notice the small footstool under my new easel....That's because I am too short to sit at my easel and touch the floor with my feet! Hee Hee Also I have severe arthritis in one of my ankles and sitting with my leg hanging will cause alot of pain so I use the little footstool and am quite comfortable.

I have been having a little trouble with my studio of late tho. The trouble is this. It's fall time! No matter where I have lived, fall is always my favorite time of year. The weather is perfect and it's the last hurrah before winter sets in, so painting gets put on the back burner thru fall for me.

Oh! but everywhere I look there is inspiration! I started this piece this week. Here's the first layer.

The next layer... the beginning of what will be at least a million leaves.

Painted one by one...

Almost all of the leaves, I think I'll go back and add a few more for a better balance.

And a few more details but not finished yet.

I will try to keep working on it this coming week. I also have a piece I need to start on for a friend of mine who is expecting a baby soon. I'm going to do a family tree for her! 

My inspiration this week is......Artist AmyLynBihrle

  

https://www.etsy.com/listing/162728233/black-cat-one-love-art-print-or-aceo-by?ref=exp_listing

I love her art, it is done with such humor and beauty! Everytime I look at it I smile! Thankyou Amy!

Here is a link to her store.

  https://www.etsy.com/shop/AmyLynBihrle?ref=l2-shopheader-name

Whatever makes you smile, whatever you love to create keep on doing it! Have a great week everyone!  

My New Studio Space!

First let me say how sorry I am that I didn't post on my blog last week. It's funny how quickly things can change. I'm hoping, however that we are now in a spot that will remain the same for at least the next year! We moved into a little house! I tell all about it in my other blog www.chemicalfreeliving.blogspot.com so you can jump on over there to hear the whole story! but.... here's my new studio space!

I'm so excited to have a little more elbow room to work in and the floors don't move! Painting in a camper is challenging not just because of the space issue but also that it's on wheels so it moves every time someone moves inside the camper. This is a very difficult thing when you are trying to paint! This is the back corner of our living room, which makes me happy because I actually like to paint where my family gathers. Sometimes I am hit by a need to paint all by myself but that usually occurs in the middle of the night and everyone's in bed so this space works really well!

So...Right before all of this change occurred  I finished that painting of horses I posted about in my last blog. Here it is all finished. I was very nervous about this one but am so happy with the outcome! I really dread to stretch myself but am always happy that I did! I hope you enjoy the final product!

Here's  the beginning....

and here's the finished piece!

"Romping thru the Sunflowers" Sold

This week my inspiration is someone I've already told you about(T. Michelle Jacobs) but last week she released a new book! It's  "When Roses Were Red" I cannot wait to read the whole thing! Here's the facebook link so you can find out about it. You can find her books on Amazon.com. Now that I have a mailing address again I'm dashing off to purchase her new book!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/When-Roses-Were-Red/445335178847008?fref=ts

Thankyou T. Michelle Jacobs for inspiring me once again! I love your poetry!

and....I'm off to paint! 

Paint is flying!

"Blue Skies Ranch" Sold

How was your week? I hope it was all you wanted it to be!

I'm about back on track painting in a regular schedule now. It's lovely to be able to pick up brush and just paint again! I finished this piece that I had begun a long time ago and then it sold. I was very excited. I'm always thrilled and surprised when I sell a piece. Someone asked me why I should be so surprised that my paintings sell. It was a kind thing to say.  I think all artists suffer from some sort of insecurity when you put your art out there. For me the reason is that in every painting I do I put myself into  so when I put it out there it's the same as putting myself on display. It's always surprising and gives me such joy when someone loves my work. I hope to make people smile.  


Since I started working on finishing pieces I had begun some time ago I kind of got on a roll. Next I finished this piece. "Hey! That's my fish!" It's a 12x12.

"Hey! That's my fish!" 12x12 available at www.stacysartstudio.etsy.com

Twice I have enjoyed watching a bird sneak up on a fisher and steal a fish! Once with my nephew a great blue heron stole a fish right off his line. On another occasion while traveling down to one of my favorite places in south carolina I enjoyed this scene. A little boy arguing with a snowy egret over the fish he caught! Real life is better than what any of us can make up!


Then I began reworking this painting just a bit. The clouds have always bothered me so I went ahead and repainted them and I'm quite happy with it now!

"Storms' A'brewin" 16x20 available at www.stacysartstudio.etsy.com 

Then a very exciting thing happened. Someone asked me to customize a painting to include her two horses only in my silly style. The background is finished now.

Right now it's primarily blue with purple highlights because I'm planning on layering in much more purple. I've never tried to do a specific horse before so we shall have to see how it ends up! but I am excited to give it a try!

Now, it's time for what inspires me this week! I came across this amazing shop on etsy. It combines three of my favorite things. Re purposing, words and art! This wonderful artist has turned pallets into art. Here's the link to her shop so you can see her beautiful work!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/RescuedandRepurposed?ref=pr_faveshops

And here is one of my favorites of hers.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/155748124/and-though-she-be-but-little-she-be?ref=shop_home_active

I suppose it's because I am little and there are times in life when I have had to be fierce! (If I had to be fierce to someone who didn't know me, it always comes as quite a shock to them!)

Thanks for your inspiration this week artist Tess Angeline! 

More Horses!

I finished this piece this week! Another horse in one of my silly little worlds! I hope everyone had a great week!

sold

"Valley of Purple"

"Wandering thru the desert feeling slightly lost we stumble upon a dream. Purple mountains behind a purple valley, a purple tree right in the middle of all the purple and there stands a blue horse in a blue pond! Not all who wander are lost."

This week has been a very productive one. I figured out how to create a light box to photograph my paintings and then re-photographed all of them. They are so much more accurate. I'm really pleased with the outcome. I may one day find another better way but for now this is what works. Here's the one that I had in the blog last week. This is the new more accurate photo.

"Blue" available at www.stacysartstudio.etsy.com

Earlier I said that August was going to be the month of horses, but it seems that we are near the end of the month and only one horse has been painted! That's ok since we can just extend it into September! September will be the month of horses!

This week my inspiration is another writer. You might have noticed that I love the written word. My son, mom, sister and I are addicted to books! This week is a book called 3470 C.E. by author Jeanice Deering.

It's a fun story based far into the future with some really cool ideas. I had alot of fun reading it. Here's a link to the facebook page.

   https://www.facebook.com/3470C.E?fref=ts

Thanks for the fun inspiration Jeanice!

I hope everyone has a really great week!

    

Getting my Groove Back

Have you ever lost your groove? Over the last year I've been painting in between all sorts of stress. We moved from a home of about a 1,000 square feet into a camper of 240 square feet. I carved out a small space to paint inside the camper but it has been limiting since the thing I love to do most are very large paintings and I love, love, making a huge mess! In a small space it's difficult to make a mess. Yet, I've still loved painting and have learned to be more disciplined which is always a good thing. Then we moved the camper across the country from the ocean to the desert. It took quite a bit out of me personally, but as a mom it has been very rewarding. I've seen my son doing better health wise and he's back with his old friends making him very happy. It's true what they say, "You're only as happy as your unhappiest child". I of course only have one child but the saying still fits.

It's been a joy to see him smiling and feeling a little better. While it's true my studio is not the ideal place to work out of but one of the things I've learned in life so far is that, if you wait for things to be ideal, you'll never go after the life you want. I've struggled a bit with my ability to really let go when I'm painting but I still get to paint! This is what I painted this week.

This one is called "Blue"

"Blue skies, Blue Mountains, Blue Fields of Blue hues. Blue is the color of my loves eyes. Blue is the color of my heart. Blue is what makes me happy!"

Since it's been awhile since I've had a regular schedule of painting all of my ideas have piled up in my head and have become all jumbled together! I've also really enjoyed getting back with old friends and spending time with them so I've neglected my groove! I'm looking forward to getting the groove back and in the meantime I'm enjoying painting what comes to the top of my head first. One day I will have a great space to paint in but in the meantime I'm just grateful that I get to paint!

Who inspires me this week? I love work that makes me feel. Mostly I love to feel moved in a positive way and this artist does it very well. Vickie Wade is an incredible artist and has such a beautiful style she inspires me always. Here's just one of her incredible pieces!

  https://www.etsy.com/listing/86656983/cowboy-art-print-dad-and-daughter-cowboy?ref=sr_gallery_4&ga_search_query=vickie+wade&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_ref=auto3&ga_search_type=all&ga_facet=vickie+wade

You can find her on etsy, this is the link to her store 

 https://www.etsy.com/shop/VickieWadeFineArt?ref=l2-shopheader-name

This week I will be throwing paint around, since thats the best way for me to work and we will see what shows up on the canvas! 

Have a great week everyone and have a laugh or two!

   

Changes

Life is always full of changes. 
 The picture above is of our new surroundings. Some of us like to resist change. I personally don't like change, however after some time I usually come to a place of accepting that change and appreciating what the change has accomplished for me. I'm surprised at how this recent change has affected my painting. I needed to pause for a bit to find motivation to paint again. I didn't expect that to happen. I wanted to paint, I just needed to re-assess (something that in the past I would call procrastinating). Then yesterday I was able to pick up the brush and start again.  It was really nice to be able to move forward again. I worked on this piece that I started before we moved and it's coming along nicely.

The trees need to be filled out a little more but I know where it is going so all it will take is time to finish.

Then I was motivated to begin this small piece.

This piece isn't finished of course. I think that it's going to be the first horse painting of August. We'll just have to see where it goes!

My inspiration this week is someone who I've been following a long time.  Jessie Art of France is a lovely talented artist and I am always excited to see what she does next! Here is a link to her store on etsy.

 https://www.etsy.com/shop/JessieWorksOfArt?ga_search_query=jessie+works+art&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=all&ga_facet=jessie+works+art&ref=sr_gallery_3

I'm sure you will enjoy looking thru her wonderful works of art!

Have a really happy week everyone!

  

I'm Back!

New Mexico Sky

I'm back! Stacys' Art Studio on etsy has been re-opened and I am having a grand re-opening sale. Just use coupon code WEE25 for 25% anything in the store. I apologize for being gone this past week. My family and I moved from the coast of South Carolina back to our home place in New Mexico and it was quite a task! I am almost ready to be back at my easel. Creativity is an odd thing. It seems to me that it's rather sensitive. I seem to need to be in a certain space in my head in order to paint. When life is chaotic I cannot paint. I don't even really think about what I want to work on, but as soon as I am able to calm the chaos down, I'm itching to get back to the easel.


                              This is a piece I was working on right before the chaos came to town!

It's for a friend who inspires me. She's young and has a beautiful heart. She and her husband are about to begin a grand adventure of their own. Every adventure requires some sacrifice. She won't be able to carry much with her so this is a little piece. It's an 8x10. It will fit in a small suitcase and she can take it wherever she likes. It's not finished yet. There must be tree's in love, of course!

This one that I've been teasing about no longer needs to remain a secret.

I painted it for the mother of the bride. She's a very strong woman who is raising four incredible young ladies on her own. Her strength surrounds her little ones.

My  inspiration this week is  Traveler On the Backroads since I recently traveled all of the backroads!

Here's a link to their facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/TravelerOntheBackroads?fref=pb&hc_location=profile_browser

I'm going to try to dedicate the month of August to my painted ponies! August is the month of horses on the easel! I can't wait! Have a great week everyone and don't forget to take a minute to enjoy a lovely cup of tea!