Branching Out

I decided to mix things up a bit by taking a break from lettered signs and moving in the direction of paintings.

  

Like, actual paintings.

But other than high school art, and one drawing class in college, I haven't had much in the way of instruction.  So I was a bit timid  when go-time came a-callin'.  So yes, I painted a picture, but no, I used no color.  Is black a color?  

Still, I found my first attempt none too shabby, so I girded my loins and put some colors in my little plastic palette.  I picked up my paint brush, took a deep breath, and tried again.

Much to my surprise, this goat appeared out of nowhere on this scrap of barn wood.  Like he had been hiding in there.

  




Confidence bolstered, I tried a few more.

I was having fun!  I was finding my fair share of frustration, too, but that's to be expected, I should think.  Being pretty new to this and all.

And so I gathered up my newly minted animal paintings on barn wood and slate and other odds and ends canvasses, and brought them with me to an artisan's market I was signed up for.  They did great.  They flew off the shelves!  I sold just about everything.

I have some custom signs I'm working on right now (lettered pieces), but once they're checked off my to-do list, I will turn my attention to exploring this animal thing a bit more.  I've signed myself up for a beginner's acrylics class this summer, and I'm anxious to learn more about this and looking forward to expanding my abilities.

And I welcome any tips or feedback from any artists!

Fledgling Blog

I'm starting a new blog today.

How exciting!

Well.  Exciting for me.

Is exciting really the right word?

Escapism for me.  Yes, that's better.

See, for the last couple of decades, I've been, first and foremost, a Mom.

Mom to six darlings that have led me to the drink.

Because there's only so much cooking, cleaning, washing, hair-cutting, refereeing, counseling, nursing, toenail cutting, diaper changing, breastfeeding, homework helping, sports practicing, chauffeuring, boo-boo kissing, play-date arranging, and life-lesson teaching that one can do without needing a 12 step program.

Add to that that all of this took place on a small farm complete with horses, goats, chickens, and other  walks of life in the furred, feathered and scaled divisions.  So you can add a few less-than-glamorous jobs to the above list. Just to mention a few: poop shoveling, rat killing, and testicle removing.

But nowadays?  I'm finding that my life has taken a new twist.  I only have four still in high school, and one of them is flying off to college in the fall.  So I've started doing, for lack of a better term, arts and crafts.

I just threw up in my mouth a little.

That sounds so...

so....

so third grade art class.

So kindergarten birthday party.

But saying I've become an artist doesn't seem to fit.

I don't even have a beret.

And the stuff I create is hard to categorize.

Am I a mitten-knitter? No, but I have made mittens out of recycled sweaters.

Am I a painter?  Not really, but I paint folksy things on wood and sometimes canvas.

Seamstress?  Well, I do sew, but mostly I make pillows out of dish towels.  Which I consider cheating, but there it is.

Sometimes I make floral arrangements with painted Mason jars, or hot packs and boo-boo bags, or assorted stuff with old horse tack.

So there it is. And here I am. Looking to find a way to get the things I do out there. I'm selling things at a TO DIE FOR little shop called Rooted, located in New London, PA. I love-love-love Rooted. It's a consignment boutique, with all of the items for sale coming from local artisans that make soaps and jewelry and purses and scarves and gourmet popcorn and all kids of pretties and lovelies. And I bet every single last one of them has a theme or a category of the things they make. Everyone but me.

This will be a learning phase for me.  I am hoping to connect with other crafters/artists, get some ideas, maybe start doing some craft fairs or start an Etsy shop.

Did I mention learning?  Because this is all new to me.  I only just started making my first pieces  a couple months ago.

So please say hello and let me know what kinds of things you do, and how you market, and whether you do craft fairs or online shops, or just anything you can tell me about what you do.

And how you dedicate time to your passion in between raising your kids and hitting the sauce.