August Pieces

With the move and homework, I only got three pieces entered in the August shows, and I won't be entering nay in September. Hey, a girl's got to unpack and get her schoolwork done, you know?

However, I thought I'd share the August pieces with you.

From the Pet Show (where artists trade photos of their pets and then paint portraits for each other):

This is a photograph of Collete, and elderly kitty:


And this is the portrait I did:


Tracey has done some MARVELOUS pieces, and I was very excited to get to work with her. In exchange, she painted my puppy, Scurvy, on a stone for me:

One of Tracey's other stone paintings won a Patrons' Choice award in the Pet show!

Here's a photo of Earl and his dog Zeus:


And here's the piece I made for them:


Earl's mother, Susie, entered the two of them in this as a gift for Earl, and I hope he really likes the piece. She painted a picture of Fabio, my inlaws' cockatoo, for me. I think I'm giving it to them for Christmas. It even won a Patrons' Mention award in the show!



Then I entered on piece in the Wanderlust show:

EBSQ statement

They're allowing us to apply to be the featured artist, so I decided to take a crack at the questions:


• What, besides your art, brings you creative fulfillment?
I write, less than I'd like, but am working on two biographies and a fiction novel (putting that English degree to good work). I edit photography and keep a website of photographs up for each of my kids, updated weekly and monthly. I blog and read and daydream, and I'm enjoying decorating the old Craftsman house we bought.

• What are your motivations for creating?
I get this urge, this pull, sometimes, that is nearly compulsive, and then I have to fight to do anything else until a piece is completed. I'll ignore other responsibilities and stay up until all hours of the night working, until a piece gets done. Normally, inspiration strikes at very odd times, but I've found that entering EBSQ shows sometimes gives a direction to my madness, if you will, and encourages me if and when I'm in a creative funk. I especially like the paired shows, since working with these amazing artists is such an honor, as well as a pleasure.

• How do you know when a piece you're working on is done?
I usually have a pretty good idea of what I expect it to look like before I start, and when what is in front of me matches or exceeds what I was hoping to create, I know I'm finished. Sometimes, it doesn't match what was in my minds' eye at all, and I either have to start over, or accept that art takes you unexpected places. Most of the time, I start over, but if I have a deadline, I may decide to allow flexibility in my vision for the sake of actually finishing.

• What do you find stimulating right now? How does this influence your creative process?
I've just moved to the most beautiful city in the world, and I'm looking forward to photographing it, especially in the rain. My husband supports my wild and artistic side, and his love makes me want to create. My daughter inspires me to have patience, my son to be joyful, and my brother reminds me that you never know who you really are until a crisis point. Faith impassions me, and fantasy tickles my creative processes. All these outside forces tend to congeal into one piece, leaving me exhausted until I feel the urge to do another.

• What are some of your artistic goals for the future?
I'd love to sell some of my art, and to get it viewed by more than just the people I deal with on a daily basis. Getting into a physical show would be a high point for me. I'd love to finish up my mother/faith/disability artwork that is just sitting in my computer, and I'd really like to try my hand at some stained glass when the kids are a little older.

And here's my artist profile picture:


I'm in a tree in front of my daughter's future elementary school.

July's Pieces

So, here are the 10 pieces I entered in the July shows at EBSQ.

The Liberty show:

Liberty from Responsibility


Sewn Flag



The Parades show:

Water and Earth Dragons


Red Dragon


Purple Asian Dragon



The "Ripped Off" show:

Nature's Cathedral

Ripping off:


Sugar Skull With Candy

Ripping off:


Sugar Skull With Roses

Ripping off:


Paper Cranes

Ripping off:


Couch Cats

Ripping off:



There were some fun "rips" of some of my pieces, too:


ripping off



ripping off



ripping off


(By the way, if you are one of my "Ripped Off" partners, I owe you a copy of the artwork. I'll get it out next week as soon as I have everyone's addresses)

First of all, let me express that I was stunned with my award last month for "Dead Man's Bells." I was astounded, honored and very, very surprised.

This month I entered 10 pieces, many of which were far, far dearer to me as an artist, and I wanted to share them with you. I was secretly rooting for Couch Cats to take home an award of some sort, and I find it strange and unsettling to find myself sometimes disappointed at not "winning" something. I mean, I had ten pieces that were viewed by a few thousand people, and that should, and usually does, thrill me.

Still, I think because I consider seven of those pieces some of my all-time best, I wish they'd been recognized. They did, however, face some impossibly stiff competition, and I think the winners deserved their awards, and I'm so happy to be part of a community where I can enter pieces in shows every month, and get them seen.