Over The Bridge

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"Over the Bridge"

Oil, 6" x 6" on canvas panel

$200.00 with display easel.

Today I tried something new for the first time. I went to a yoga class. Now, I should probably go ahead and remind you all that I am 5'11" tall and not really able to touch my toes. I was an athlete in high school ... not a gymnast ... not a cheerleader. I swam, played volleyball and basketball. I will even go out on a limb here and confess that I have never been able to do a cartwheel (and that even includes an evening in which my sisters tried to teach me ... once and for all ... in my front yard ... vodka tonics and all ...). Still no luck.
So back to today's yoga class. It was an advanced class but the time slot worked well with my girlfriends. And I figured, why not? I was a little worried when the instructor started talking about the light and reaching inside our hearts to find the light which somehow had something to do with the Royal Wedding. I am not exactly sure what she was saying because my mind instantly wandered to the huge auction I am in charge of that is next week.
So, once we got past the "touchy feely" talk, the work began. We spent an hour stretching and bending and stretching and twisting and stretching and bending some more. It was hard. But not impossible. And even the cracking in my knees wasn't bad. Loud, but no pain. And that's a good thing.
So, what was my take home? I probably should have started this 30 years ago. But it's never too late and I will go back. I just might want to buy a yoga mat, remember to turn off my cell phone and take three Advil before the class starts.

Let It Blow - SOLD

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"Let It Blow"

Oil, 8" x 10" framed.

Sold.

So ... the Lakers played well tonight and beat the Hornets by 18 points. That means all of my paintings are 18% off until the next playoff game. I assume that will be sometime early next week. If you would like to make a purchase, just email me and I will calculate the discount for you.

If you missed today's Artists Helping Artists radio show, the recording is available. You can listen to it on-line or through itunes. It's a good show ... lots of good tips. I hope it is clear on the show excited I am about "Evernote". For the first time this year, I actually feel as if my "creative thoughts" are organized. I spend a lot of time on the internet surfing and finding really great ideas and "Evernote" provides a great solution to "organize these thoughts". You should really check it out.

Colorful Reflections ... and the Lakers Playoff Discount is back!

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"Colorful Reflections"

Oil, 6" x 12" on canvas panel.

$350.00 unframed.

I spent most of the day yesterday in Balboa and so it was a forgone conclusion that I would end up posting a boat painting today. I took 73 photos which will inspire at least 20 new paintings so I am very excited to start painting Balboa again!
I forgot about the crazy LAKER PLAYOFF DISCOUNT I offered last year during the NBA playoffs. Since my team (the Lakers) appear to need all the help they can get, I am offering the same great promotion. If the Lakers win, then I will discount my paintings by a percentge that is calculated by the number of points the Lakers win by. So, if the score of tonights game is Lakers - 100 and Hornets - 75, then I will offer a discount of 25% off my paintings. And the discount only lasts until the next playoff game. Hopefuly this makes sesne ...
Need I remind you that the Lakers won a playoff game last year by 38 points?????

Update ... Lakers won by 16 so all of my paintings are 16% off.

Just Relax ... - SOLD

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"Just Relax ..."

Oil, 6" x 8" on canvas panel.

$200.00 with display easel.

Just relax ... now that's a new concept. I have decided it is time for a life style change. Yep. I need to relax more. AND SLEEP MORE. I am not kidding.
At some point in my life I decided that "sleep was overrated". If you know me personally, you have heard me quote this a few times. But my oldest son, who took a class at Stanford called "Sleep and Dreams" (I am not kidding ... he really took this class) says it is very dangerous to sleep less than six hours a night. I probably average five. On a good night.
My lack of sleep probably started when I read somewhere that Martha Stewart only gets four hours of sleep a night. Now I do think that her lack of sleep led to some judgement lapses (and four months in jail) but other than that slight problem she is a pretty accomplished woman. Until now I have been able to get a lot accomplished on very little sleep. But I am thinking it is time for a change.
So I am looking for advice on how I should go about getting more sleep. Getting a good night's sleep begins with "going to bed early" ... continues with "actually falling asleep" and ends with "staying asleep once you are asleep". If any of you have any good sleep suggestions then post them here. Please.  And all suggestions that include alcohol will be disregarded. I promise.
In the meantime ... just relax.

Moving Forward - SOLD

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"Moving Forward"

Oil study, 6" x 6" on canvas panel.

Sold.

There are moments in our lives when we will always remember where we were when the news hit ... whether it was a national event or something far more personal. It was just barely two weeks ago when I was sitting at my desk and the phone rang with the shocking news about my mother-in-law. At the time I never imagined the end result would be her untimely death but life has its way of presenting us with twists and turns. It's been a very emotional two weeks and definitely the time to spend with family. I have been away from my studio, away from painting (and posting on my blog and facebook) but grateful for the kind and comforting messages from so many of you. We hosted a beautiful memorial service here at our home yesterday. It was tearful but a wonderful celebration of a wonderful woman, wife, friend and grandma.

So, as the saying goes "life goes on". And this morning I knew it was time to start painting again. It felt good to head up to my studio and squirt out lots of new paint on my palette and get back in to my "routine" of painting. I had indicated to Dreama that I would "probably paint a boat painting" when I returned to my studio today. But a funny thing happened when I got ready to paint. I had an incredibly strong feeling of contentment and a very strong desire to paint something different. I felt I needed to do something different. I just felt different. So I changed everything ... my approach, how I start a painting, my perspective, everything ...  and I just painted. I felt more at peace painting today than I have in months.  And I am happy to be back doing what I love so much.

I should also mention this week is the one year anniversary of the "Artists Helping Artists" blogtalk radio show. So ... if you like to win free stuff ... such as original oil paintings, a workshop with Dreama and me, a free marketing consultation ... then you might want to call in live to this Thursday's show at 9:00 am PST, 12 noon EST. Because we will be awarding our live callers with lots of really cool stuff! So don't miss the show. We promise it will be a good one as we move on forward as well ...

Waiting For ...

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"Waiting For ..."

Oil, 6" x 6" on canvas panel

$200.00 with display easel.

That's right ... what have I been waiting for? It's been so long since I have actually painted in my studio that I was afraid maybe I had forgotten how to paint. I know these "stages" happen, and I had a lot of valid reasons why I haven't been painting ... but ... it was time to get back to what I love most ... painting!
I think I was inspired by our AHA radio show with Carol and David Marine yesterday.  If you think about it ... Carol is almost a month ahead with her paintings ... yes ... that means she has an entire wall full of paintings that are drying and just waiting to be posted on her blog. I still don't have any "waiting" to be posted, but at least I have one to post today!
I think I underestimated the response I would have to my private marketing consultations so I have been very busy working with artists to sell more art through their blogs, websites, newsletters and facebook. It's been fun but has kept me out of my studio for too long. Dreama even "threatened" me yesterday. She said if I didn't find something to paint today she was going to pick the subject matter ... and I believe the word "Eddie" was part of the conversation.
One final thought ... one of the good things about being so busy is that I just didn't have time to take advantage of the fact that today is April Fool's Day. Over the years I have been pretty creative and have pulled off some pretty funny pranks ... my favorite was when I put my girlfriends house up for sale. I know this sounds harsh but if you knew the pranks she had pulled on me this was actually pretty tame. Although I advertised a price that was less than half market value so she did get a lot of calls ... for months ...
So to my dear best friend Dreama ... you are safe for yet another year ...

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!!!!!

A Lazy Sunday Afternoon - SOLD

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"Lazy Sunday Afternoon"

Oil, 36" x 36" 

Sold.

I shipped this painting off today. It was one of my "Larger Painting" specials. It's a pretty big size ... 36" square. I love to paint larger paintings but I am a bit amazed by the quantity of paint needed for these bigger palette knife paintings. That reminds me ... in my workshop in Atlanta a few weeks ago one of my students commented that I wiped off almost as much paint as I put on my canvas. As a palette knife painter, I do not use any terps ... just my knife and a paper towel. I usually wipe my blade after every stroke. Maybe I need to re-think this and find a way to save my paint! Kidding ...

A Boat Load of Boats

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"A Boat Load of Boats"

A collection of boat paintings ...

Yep. I thought it mght be fun to put together a collage of some of my recent boat paintings. All of them are for sale and you can find them here. I might even paint a few more this week ... so check back soon!

I have been busy these past few months with my One on One Marketing Consultations. I absolutely love providing this service and helping artists sell their art. Each session lasts 90 minutes and usualy involves a pretty comprehensive discussion about an artists' blog and website.

The last two sessions acheived some pretty remarkable results. With one artist I spent some time examining the pricing structure for her art. Within a few weeks she sold two paintings each valued over $500 as a result of our session. Another artist changed the process in which visitors to her blog could purchase art. In the first week she sold two paintings totaling $500. Both artists told me they would not have made these sales without the marketing consultation. Of course there is no guarantee, but I am absolutely thrilled!! Follow the link for more information about my One on One Marketing Consultations.

A Warm Day - SOLD

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"A Warm Day"

Oil, 6" x 6" 

Sold.

Ok ... so a warm day it is not! But wishing and dreaming for a warm day is always a good thing!
This has been a really busy week and now we are headed up to Stanford for the biggest dual meet of the year. The weather forecast is not good but we are hoping for a Cardinal victory. Somehow I managed to fit this one in today. I love the colors!

Good Things Come in Threes - SOLD

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"Good Things Come in Threes"

Oil, 6" x 6" .

$200.00 with display easel.

It's true. Especially for me. I have three wonderful boys.  My workshop with Dreama lasted three incredible days in Atlanta last week. And I love creating paintings with three boats! (I could go on and on but I will spare you ...  promise ...)
You may notice the colors in this painting are a bit different from my normal palette. Last week Dreama and I stayed at my brothers house and I was inspired by the color palette in their house. So I decided to switch it up a bit in this one. Next one will be much larger!

More Workshop News

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Here I am starting my demo with the palette knife! 

These are the amazing paintings completed by the workshop artists with palette knives!

I remember the conversation I had with Dreama many months ago about ways in which we could make our workshop "different". We talked a lot about many of the workshops we had attended and about how we thought we could enhance the "workshop experience".
One of the decisions we made was to add two evenings with all of the artists. Because I love to cook, I thought it would be wonderful if we could cook dinner for the artists. By inviting them in to our home (or my brother's house ... as was the case this week) we could provide an environment where we could share even more about ourselves.
This past Friday night each artist had the chance to share their personal feelings about their art. We all shared from the heart and laughed ... and even cried. The experience of that amazing evening will be with me forever. As artists we know we are unique and yet we found how we all shared so many common traits, stories and funny "crazy crafting" stories from our childhood.  This was the opportunity to share and talk  ... and to reinforce that we are definitely on the right path.

Atlanta Workshop - Day Two

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"Hanging With Friends

Oil, 12" x 12"

Sold.

Day Two of the workshop was my day to "demo". With such an amazing group of artists in attendance, it I knew the chance to discuss limited palettes, color mixing and palette knife paint application would be fun. But I had no idea that this day would be such a personal and rewarding experience for me.
The day was packed ... the paintings from Dreama's demo yesterday were photographedfirst thing and they are displayed below. When you look at this incredible group of paintings, don't forget we had some artists in this group that had painted for only 9 months and others who were attending their first workshop. Dreama's demo was wonderful and our painting method allows the artists the chance to understand not only the "process" but also enjoy the final result!
Here are the paintings from Day One:

After a full day of palette knife painting, we had the group over for another home cooked meal. The food was good (and yes Dreama ... you are a better cook than you think ...). But, the intimate conversation (or fireside chat) was incredible. It's too late to write about it now. I am both fulfilled (and emotionally drained) and so thankful for the opportunity to share tonight with these 24 artists. It's funny though ... as one of the artists commented tonight "Did this workshop start last week ... or was it really only yesterday?".