Gathering Inspiration

Finding inspiring things to propel you into your next creative endeavor is a necessity for me. I am not one of those people who can just sit with an empty canvas and have an aha moment resulting in my next masterpiece. Instead I need some sort of catalyst. That is why I have decided to use my 1 month trip to Boston as a inspiration gathering expedition. Equipped with my camera, sketchbooks and some simple supplies I am going to go out and "find" that art that I know is inside of me. So stay tuned....

Gut Art

Well I have had a great time taking The GutArt class with Mystele Kirkeeng . If you have the desire to push yourself in the painting realm then you should take one of her classes!!! You won't be disappointed!!!
http://www.littleglimpsesstudio.ning.com/

It's that time of year...

Well, it's costume building time and I just finished my first build of the season. My pint sized client is a dead ringer for Peter Pensive from Narnia so I had to make sure I gave the young lad a costume that measured up to his good looks!

what I am working on

Well, right now I am working on all the pretty stuff for a wedding. It has been a crazy ride with a funny bride (did I mention she's family?) who believes me to own a magic wand! After all...... it takes a certain amount of money to pull off a glam wedding..right? well, she believes that less is more! so... we will see!
After I finish this project I will be working on a new series of mixed media art inspired by an impromptu trip to Texas..... come back soon for a peek!

A couple of my sculptures

One of my favorite things to do is find cast off items in the garbage or someones garage sale and turn it into a work of art. After all recycling is good for the soul and the planet!

No time like the present.....

"Inside the Bowl" Acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas with 3 dimensional seaweed


"Crows in My Cornfield" acrylic on canvas with drywall mud to create texture then sealed with heavy coats of poly-acrylic. I did this to see if it would work...and it did!

I don't know why it takes me so long to photograph and upload images to my blog but it does.... I am sure I am not the only artist who would prefer to be making art rather than documenting what they've already done, but it is a necessary step in the process and one I've neglected for far to long. So, with that said here are some of my pieces that have been patiently waiting for their debut.

Chairs 4 Charity..... the final piece

The seat of the chair is a fused mixed media quilting technique. The detail on the cloth doors was done with hand embroidery, and the poem is an original poem written by little ole me! As for the wings, they are hand carved and shaped from stock pine then whitewashed and slightly antiqued to help the detail show up more. Behind the doors is another little surprise... a guardian angel on it's way to watch over you!

The Old Man of the Woods

The "Old Man of The Woods" was born out of the find of an interesting piece of driftwood. It layed on my workshop bench for months before whispering to me in a dream what it wanted to be. All of the leaves are hancarved from stock pine as is the face. Then I added the copper details cut from sheet copper and then embossed. The eyes are green marbles which have a lovely eerie glow, as if he is always watching over you.

Another piece of my art

This is a piece I made a few years ago, I call it "Bad Hair Day". It is a mixed media piece using carved and burned wood, wire, acrylic paint and hair rollers. I was inspired by Pablo Picasso's "Weeping Woman".

"Ungaw", A Tribute to my Nephew, Jackson

This sculpture is entitled "Ungaw" and was a the first sculpture I made on my artistic journey. My inspiration for this little tribal warrior was the cry of my nephew, Jackson; whose cry sounded like he was saying ungaw. It has been 8 years since he came into the world with that little tribal cry of his which launched me into my journey as an artist.

This is my husband,Joe Bolero performing on Orlando Live. Enjoy!

Joe Bolero (Sax Player) on Orlando LIVE from Concrete Lion Pictures on Vimeo.

A New Decade

Well, even though this New Year/Decade has started out with more of a groan than a bang I am determined to not allow myself to slip into a funk! Art is happening around here and I am eagerly riding this creative wave and looking over my shoulder for the next! My "Chairs4Charity" project is well under way and I am feeling inspired and happy!! So here is a peak at the beginning... but you will have to wait to see what this unassuming chair becomes!

Embracing your Fabulous-ness

fab⋅u⋅lous

The dictionary defines fabulous as" almost impossible to believe, incredible: exceptionally good or marvelous"
How many of us would adopt the word fabulous as a descriptor of our persons? We can accept compliments like "Your dress is fabulous!" or "My you look fabulous"; But try this on for size...
I AM FABULOUS! did you cringe as you read it? try saying it out loud! I wonder what would happen if you made a commitment to say that everyday to yourself out loud .
Would it silence that inner critic that is always throwing doubt into the mix? Would it bolster your confidence in ways you couldn't imagine? Would it cause you to step out in faith to do something you have wanted to do, but never had the courage? Well, let's find out.
I challenge you to 30 Days of FABULOUS-ITY!

CHA Craft SuperShow

Well, this weekend was the first CHA Craft Supershow open to the public and what a great time we all had! The glitter was flying, the paint was squirting, the scrappers were scrapping, and everyone was learning new techniques and getting hooked on new crafts! I met so many wonderful people and even got to chat and have my picture taken with Traci Bautista, one of my all time favorite artsy graffiti divas and Kathy Cano-Murillo, aka "Crafty Chica"who can make glitter your new best friend. What wonderful talented generous women! So, with my creative tank on full I will be putting it into high gear in my studio!! After I get a good nights sleep!

(top pic) Me and Kathy Cano-Murillo
(bottom pic) Me, Traci Bautista, & Loren

a couple of my many handbag designs

I call this "Flight of Fancy" because it was inspired by a pile of fabrics on my design table, and an afternoon visitor outside my window.

I call this my "Cute As A Button" bag for obvious reasons. It was my first crocheted bag and i just made it up as I worked. I'm pretty pleased with how it came out!