life inspires art

A couple of recent paintings inspired by the past 9 months. Life has a way of affecting what flows from the paint brush.:)

Art

Just FYI if you're in the Indy area you should probably be attending IMAF (the Independent Music and Arts Fest) tomorrow from noon-8 p.m. at the Harrison Center. This is a pretty sweet event and encompasses many art forms. The Indie Handicraft Exchange will also be taking place in conjunction with the music fest. And my new favorite local brewery, Sun King, is sponsoring and will be sold at the event. Looks like a pretty sweet day.:) I have to work part of the day, but I will get down there sometime after 3 and will be opening up my studio and chilling in there when I'm not out shopping the handicraft exchange and listening to sweet tunes. Swing by if you're there! (I'm right next to the Underground).
Also, this piece made it into the book arts show at the Harrison Center in August and there will be a gallery opening on the first Friday in August. Yay!

a brief update

I've taken an unintentional hiatus from blogging. I'm going to blame it on moving, unpacking, illness and... well a general lack of inspiration. Things are looking better around here, but there's still plenty of organizing to be done. Inadequate shelving is partially to blame for the time it's taking me to get unpacked.:) Between books, movies and records we need a ridiculous amount of shelving.

We are loving the Zionsville area and are very happy to have located here. My work commute is about half the time and is a much less stressful drive. I'm enjoying not having to get on the interstate at all.:)

We acquired a pair of old yellow his and her cruiser bikes from craigslist (I'll post pictures soon) and, after a few minor repairs, have been taking advantage of the nice weather and biking on the trail that goes behind the apartment complex. It's been a lot of fun!

With the move I haven't been to my studio as much as I would like, but I've still been able to get a few projects done and have a few larger paintings in the works. I recently finished this piece for submission to a show at the Harrison Center in August. We'll see what happens. The painting was done on book covers with ink & acrylic. The separate pieces are bound together with a leather like cord. This photo isn't the best, but it's extremely difficult to take an accurate photo of a painting. You get the idea though.:)

better late than never

I'm not much of a new year's resolution person, but I have a few goals for the year and I figured maybe if I put them in writing, for all to see I might be more likely to stick to them.:)

1. Put together and stick to a workable budget.

We've already started working on this, but we need to finalize it and the real key is sticking to it. An aspect of this will be working towards getting as debt free as possible as quickly as possible, but also saving some money for future goals. Seems like every time we get close to working all this out, something is missing or something changes etc. Enough of that. This time we're doing it.

2. Menu plan.

Marge and I have started collaborating on this. We figured two heads were better than one and this way we could share ideas, recipes etc. We still have some kinks to work out, but we're both excited about it and feel that it will help our busy lives (not to mention our pocketbooks:). Working full time makes it an extreme challenge to feel like cooking or being creative, so I'm hoping that planning ahead and having groceries in the fridge will spur me on to success in this area. I know everyone does menu planning differently, but our idea is to have 5 or 6 different week menus (complete with recipes, side dish options and a shopping list) that we can cycle through either at random or in order. This way we can plan meals in the same week that might use some of the same vegetables or other similar ingredients that would need used up. Each week will have 5 planned meals, which leaves room for leftovers or spontaneous ideas (or restaurant visits:). If we get bored with the weeks, we can make up some new ones!:)The accomplishment of this goal should go hand in hand with goal number 1.

3.Complete Jillian Michael's 30 day shred in 40 days or less.

Yes, I said 40 days. Unless you are an exercise maniac who loves this stuff, it would be hard to complete this in 30 days. It's quite challenging, not to mention exhausting, and I value a day of complete rest here and there.:) Even though it is an extremely intense workout, I like it because it only takes 30 minutes a day and after working on my feet for hours on end, that's about all I can handle.:) So my plan is to buckle down and complete it, just not in the 30 day time slot. After accomplishing this, i hope to do it a few times a week for maintenance purposes.:)

4.Get to my studio more frequently.

I've had a painting studio at the Harrison Center for a few years now and I love having that available. I have 24 hr. access to my studio, which is great especially since I feel more creative at night. However, I never feel like I'm getting there enough. Between my work schedule and trying to maintain things around the home, I often feel too worn out or don't have enough time to get there as often as I'd like. I've held onto the space as a way of holding on to my dream of being able to pursue art more fully in the future, and I'm very glad that I have even though it's been an added expense. I recently switched studios within the building and I love my new space. It's half the cost of what I was paying, I'm no longer sharing the space (although I loved my former studio mate), and it has a much more creative atmosphere to it. (I'll post pictures of it soon!) I've been feeling much more of an urge to be there, especially since I know I'll be able to work alone and in my own way. So hopefully this goal will accomplish itself with my excitement over my new studio.:)

5.Read more.

Stephanie is always putting me to shame in this category.:) My list of books to read is endless, which is not helped by the fact that lately I've been a very slow reader. I especially would like to read some more classics as well as art related books. I've started reading more before bed at night, so maybe that will help me plow through them. I won't set any particular goals in this area (pretty sure those don't work for me), I'll just try to read more frequently. It's good for the mind.:)

6.Start a movie review blog.

I've already mentioned the possibility of doing this and I would really like to get this going sometime this year. We watch a lot of movies and it would be cool to share some of those with others. I love watching, thinking about and discussing film, so a film blog could be a fun extension of that. No promises as to when this will happen, but hopefully before too long.:)

7.Grow in my walk with God.

This is always a goal for me at the outset of each new year. Some years are definitely more successful than others, but I know that God rewards faithfulness and my meager efforts. I know that focusing on this goal will also help and encourage me to accomplish the goals that I have previously mentioned.

one of my favorite birthday gifts ever.:)

I am now the extremely pleased and proud owner of a Mikita miter saw. It may sound slightly odd, but Luke new just what to get me for my birthday.:) After spending many hours framing with me over the years and hearing me often pine for my own miter saw, he found one on craigslist for a good deal. I was quite surprised and am seriously ecstatic to have my own. I really enjoy making my own frames for my paintings and I've appreciated Luke's help and support in that. I am currently admiring the saw from across the room.:)

In other birthday news, I enjoyed lunch with my friend today and then a night out with Luke. We went and saw "the Road" (which was good, but depressing) and then we went to P.F. Chang's for dinner. I love that restaurant. If you haven't tried their shrimp dynamite, you should. Tomorrow.:)

my plan for my day off:

Making frames. For some reason I only ever get my act together until right before the December first Friday when I realize that I'd really like to get some of my new paintings framed up and looking good. You can ask Luke. We never make frames during the summer and for some reason we only make them once a year (and yes I realize this is entirely my fault and not his at all). I'm pretty sure this is 3 years running that we will be making frames in my parents garage in the cold of December. My poor, devoted husband. He really is a trooper.

the big day

So, Marge got married last weekend... and it was a pretty awesome occasion.:) She did a great job planning it and achieving her dream wedding (a vintage hollywood feel). Alot of people contributed their skills and helped make it a very memorable occasion. It's hard to believe she's married; I'm so happy for her and Philip and I'm very proud of them.
I enjoyed designing the invitations and programs. There were moments where I had school flashbacks of deadlines and printer problems, but in the end everything came together fairly well.:) (Although I'm still trying to catch up on sleep:). Alaina and I collaborated on the wedding favors. She made 250 rice krispie treats (Marge's favorite and no small task:) and I designed the tags we attached. For the guestbook Marge and I had the idea to do a painting that everyone could sign and that they would then have as a memory piece from their wedding. I wasn't sure if I would get it completed, but at the last minute I did and we were both happy with the result. I still have to frame it for them... I didn't quite have enough time for that.:) You can see the painting (pre-signage) at Alaina's blog along with several other wedding photos.
Marge looked amazing in her dress (designed and sewn by her new sister-in-law; accessorized by mom (veil) and our sister-in-law (jewelry)). I really appreciated the charge that the pastor gave to th couple; as a married person I find it encouraging and refreshing to concentrate on the Godly advice given to couples at their weddings. I felt that Pastor Beachy's charge was very meaningful and full of good reminders for any married couple. My aunt did a great job decorating and maintaining the "vintage" feel Marge was going for. They had a wonderful jazz band for the reception: the John Harden Project. I have a feeling that if I could have this band at my house playing that music all day long, I would get a lot more done.:) It was a truly beautiful wedding. Congratulations to Marge and Philip!