All Artists Need to be Square ... Like Me! SOLD

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"Three to Sail"

Oil, 6" x 6" 

Sold.

Good news ... if you are an artist and you have always wanted to be able to accept credit cards without the hassle of setting up a merchant bank account ... the solution is finally here. "Square Up" is a relatively new gadget that works with the iphone, ipad and Android. It's very easy to get as all you have to do is sign up online. There are no set up fees, credit checks or agreements to sign. You just sign up and link it to your bank account. They even send you the "reader" gadget for free that plugs in to your phone.
It's actually cheaper than paypal if you physically swipe the card (2.75%). It's a half percentage more if you enter the credit card number manually. And the money is deposited directly in to your bank account, less the transaction fee. So, why do artists need these?
Well ... you can finally accept credit cards ... on the go. You can use it at an art fair,  a collector's house ... or even at a workshop. Think of all those times you could have made a sale ... only if you were able to accept credit cards. Well, now you can. And pretty simply at that!

Being Happy - SOLD

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"Whistler II"

Oil, 6" x 8" 

$350.00 framed.

OK ... confession time. These past two days I have basically hung around the house with my boys in my sweats for pretty much the entire weekend. I am in heaven. When my three sons are back home together ... just hanging out ... I feel complete. And I am reminded why I am here on this planet ... to be a good mother. It's pretty simple.
So my role this weekend was to cook good food (or take my boys out for good food as was the case last night), and just sit around and love every minute watching my three boys interact. Today we spent hours as they tried to "modernize" my itunes music collection. I do have 23 new downloads that will definitely bring my "workout playlist" into the 21st century. Unfortunately my oldest refused to go through the play list of songs from Glee, so that task ended sooner than I had hoped. We have also watched a lot of basketball ... and for those of you that don't know ... I love sports ... hah!
Finally, our golden retreiver Speffy is actually showing a little bit of improvement. I think the pain pills are helping as occasionally she will actually stand up and limp around a bit. The boys claim she is "higher than a kite" but we're happy if she's happy. I mean really ... isn't that what life is about?

A Tough Week

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"Leaving the Winery"

Oil, 8" x10"

$500.00 framed.

I am posting a painting I painted a few months ago because I have been so busy with marketing consultations that I have had no time to paint. I have seven consultations this week so it has been crazy. Plus I am still working on the large commission and that is taking a lot of my time as well.
But, the hardest part of the week has been caring for our 12-year old golden retreiver.  Speffy has been a part of our family forever and sadly, she woke up on Sunday unable to walk. At first we thought she was showing signs of geting better, but now she has taken a turn for the worse. She is home and taking a lot of medicine. So we will see. But my heart broke last night as the five of us all piled in the car to take her to the vet. We were all afraid she might not be able to come home with us and it was pretty hard. But let's see how it goes the next few days. I hope and pray she will get better. Only time will tell.

The Cheat Sheet

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"Springtime in Paris"

Oil, 6" x 8"

$250.00 with display easel.

One of the things about filming in your home is that the production companies often remove every single item out of a room. (This includes furniture, knick-knacks, rugs, lamps, etc.) In the past they have turned my dining room into a bedroom and a bathroom. When the time comes to put it all back I sometimes use this "opportunity" to start my spring cleaning. Last week, I let a film company empty out my office. This was, in fact, the first time I had allowed anyone to ever film in my office. And this time it was a good thin is a good thing because at the end of the day I made sure that only about half of the contents were put back in my office. What a difference. It is amazing!
Fortunately my new clean office has subsequently led to many hours of "spring cleaning" ... sorting, creating lots of new folders and organization!
So ... why is this post titled "cheat sheet"? As part of my one-on-one marketing consultations, I offer all of my clients access to what I refer to as my "cheat sheet". It's a website that has links to all of the resources I use for my own art marketing and for research on the "Artists Helping Artists" radio show. It's "one stop shopping" for my resources. The concept is a new one and this weekend it became a reality. It's wonderful to have all of the resources and awesome links in one place. And it's even better that I can now share it with other artists.
I should probably mention that Dreama is a bit out of sorts with all of my new "organization".  I think she's just jealous ...

A Trojan Day - SOLD

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Study for USC Commission

Oil, 12" x 12" 

I am very fortunate to have been awarded a commission for a new medical building for USC. The painting will be located in the lobby of a new USC medical building. So today I presented this small study to make sure we were on track with the right format, colors, etc. Fortunately I was given the ok to proceed with the larger peice, which is 40" x 40". Needless to say, it will be a busy month.
I was also very lucky this week to have been featured on a wonderful website titled "Fab Over Fifty". It's a feature about women artists (who are over 50 ... not sure why they picked me since I am 29 ... kidding ... it's true I am actually over 50 ...). I was featured because of my association with Daily Painters. It's a fun article and I would love it if you "liked" it or "shared" the article. Thanks!

Safe and Sound - SOLD

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"Safe and Sound"

Oil, 6" x 6" on canvas panel.

Sold.

After painitng a beach scene yesterday ... I decided I would paint a boat scene. I spent most of the day working on a big commission but just wanted to try some different colors and compositions while I had lots of leftover wet paint.
I had a fun interview with a very popular on-line women's site. If the article appears tonight, I promise to post it tomorrow!

Nothin To Do

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"Nothin To Do"

Oil, 6" x 6" on canvas panel.

$200 with display easel.

Nothing to do ... hmmm ... what is that like? We just finished a whirlwind week of sporting events ... prelims and finals every day at the Pac10 Swim Championships,  CIF finals and win for FSHA in soccer, CIF finals and win for Poly girl's basketball ... not to mention volleyball and baseball games for my other two boys. Now here is where it gets tricky ...
When your three children all have sporting events (oh wait ... we need to factor in the game of my middle son's girlfriend here too ) ... at exactly the same time ... how do you choose which one to attend? As a parent, we try to be fair ... trade off between kids when you can ... try to catch the first half of one and the second half of the other. But, this is where I draw the line ... when one of your kids (or their girlfriend who you really like) is playing a really big game (like a championship or something really important like that) then that event trumps all other others. Make sense? You would think ...
But no ... I am still under extreme scrutiny in my house for selecting the events that I attended this past weekend ... not to mention that I let down my workout group for missing MY big event (but that's another story).
In a nutshell,  a girl (or in this case ... a mom ...) has gotta do what she can. And yes, I chose to attend two championship games in which I did not have a blood relative competing in the event. And I chose the swimming CHAMPIONSHIPS over baseball scrimmages and volleyball pre-season tournaments. I know I am in the dog house. But what can I do?
I would go on ... and on ... but I can't. I have to go watch a baseball game ....

Taking A Break - SOLD

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"Taking A Break"

Oil, 6" x 6" 

Sold.

I guess you could say that's what I have been doing ... taking a break. Its been a weird few weeks. Lots of highs but also a few lows. Great stuff and yet some scary stuff. Just remember to be thankful for good health and don't forget to tell your family members how much you love them.
Needless to say, I haven't been painting much. Finally got back in my studio and had some fun with this one.  Now that things are all okay again, it's time to put my "cheering" hat on. Big soccer game today and lots of baseball and volleyball games. And ... the Pac 10 Swimming Championships start tomorrrow. Go Stanford!!!!!