More fun in the studio and punkin patch with my boys!

Hi Everyone!

Had to share a couple of 'Bookmark /Cards' that I have just finished!

I've combined the laminated bookmarks with a custom greeting card by attaching the decorative brad at the top of the bookmark to the front of the greeting card ~ My latest idea: Give a card and a gift

(the bookmark) at the same time!

Would love to know what you all think of these - I have several other styles made up too!  I am having so much fun and getting some great feedback here locally!  Beginning of next week I head out to some local shops to see if any of them would like to carry these beauties for the holidays!  Wish me luck! :-)

I just love this color combination!

And this sweet gal is a huge hit with all of my friends little girls!  I've sold a couple of these

bookmarks already. 

The little local show I did last weekend was pretty slow, but I am doing another one in a couple weeks that may be busier... I did get to meet some really fabulous local artists and that was so much fun!!!

I also got two of my pieces printed as giclee prints on gallery wrapped canvas and they are so beautiful!  I showed them to a local business owner and she sent me over to talk to another business that may be interested in doing a little show for me - I will keep you posted about that!  I plan on bringing the canvases over there early next week!

And had to share a visit to the local punkin patch with my boys ~ Here is little Eamonn feeding the chickens with fresh ears of corn!  Both the boys LOVED the animals and wanted to stay feeding the chicks FOREVER!  Soooo much fun!

Eamonn did start out the day very reserved - I just love this pic!!!

And Liam, Proud as punch to be feeding the chicks!  He was truly in heaven! 

The stayed with the chicks for at least 20 minutes.

Boys waiting for their turn to pick just the right piece of corn for the chickens!  My sweet Lovies!!!

So I am full of creative spirit and enjoying my family and friends and Art!

I hope you are all enjoying a creative holiday season, and spending time with your families and friends as well 

Smiles!!!

Julia

Bookmarks and Cards! - Sunday Sketches

Hello Everyone!  Look what I have been up to in my little studio!  :-)

Getting ready for a local craft show and making lots of pretty laminated bookmarks and greeting cards!

This is such  great way for me to share my art with people at a reasonable rate! And my creativity is going wild as I look for new ways to embellish each piece.

Love this beauty! :-)

The details on these two at this tiny size are insane!  I just love what shrinking my work

does to the detailing on each piece!

Fun!

Dreamy!

Just back from a trip to the Oregon coast where I attended several gallery events and had an absolutely inspiring weekend!  I got to talk to several artists that, like me, got serious about their art later in life.  I am so full of ideas and so inspired I could burst! :-) 

Don't you just love when that happens!

Smiles and exhuberent hugs to you all!

Julia

PS - the bookmarks are available to purchase here :-)

And I will have the cards up soon...

And for new work...These are some bookmarks I did for the kids a while ago...

But I am working on new ones to add to my online shop with popular girls and boys names - These can also be custom ordered. :-)

Please stop by lovely Sophia's and check out all of the other wonderful artists that participate for

Sunday Sketches!

My Art is now offered for sale HERE...!

I'm very excited to announce that Archival quality prints of my work are now offered for sale HERE!
Artful Explorer is a new sight I found that does not charge you a fee to list your work and they do a great job setting up a little 'shop' for you with pay pal capabilities and everything!  This will be my first time offering my prints for sale online, so I am quite excited!!! :-)

Just listed a couple of pieces so far, but I'm excited to have it out there to share with people!  Yeah!

Hope you are all having a wonderful day and have exciting things going on as well.

By the way, I am thinking about offering some of my work as cards - would anyone be interested in a set of cards and envelopes?  Just trying to see what the market may be...

Smiles and hugs!

Sunday Sketches - Ode to Klimt's 'The Kiss' Complete!

Update:  Here is the professional scan which should allow you to zoom in on the detail a little more...

Enjoy!

Happy Sunday Morning Everyone!

I worked several long hours on this piece and it is finally finished!  Yeah!

It's often difficult for me to know when to stop embellishing...I could keep adding details forever I think! :-)

I'm pretty happy with how this turned out.  I definitely learned A LOT with this piece and I'm really getting comfortable with etching the paper to bring out details, something I have not seen a lot of people do - it's fun to be using a technique that not a lot of people use, since I really have to push

myself to develope my own style.

I have to give a shout out to Rebecca over at Penny Lane Ink for some inspiration with patterning and the medalion on his chest in this piece.  I never leave without being inspired when I visit Rebecca's place!  If you haven't visited her, please take the time and treat yourself!

Hope you are all having a relaxing Sunday, and get the chance to visit all of the wonderful artists that participate in the Sunday Sketches group over at dear Sophia's place! 

Big Smiles

Julia

Sunday sketches Latest work in progress - More Klimt inspiration...

For Sunday Sketches too...Head over to Sophia's place and check out the other participants!

Latest work in progress - Inspired by Klimt's 'The Kiss'...

Still not sure about drawing men, but I like how this is turning out overall.

Hope you are all enjoying a great week so far!

Smiles

Julia

'Bliss' finally finished and new work in progress...

'Bliss' 12"x24"

Hello All! 

I have finally finished this piece that I started over a month ago!  It is filled with details, but I haven't had it professionally scanned yet so you may not be able to catch them all with these photos.

I haven't been at my drawing

table for that long!  Yikes!

Life has been challenging lately and getting in the way of blogging and my art, writing, etc. 

It felt so good to finish this piece!!!

As you know I had been on a Klimt kick before this last break, and below you will see the sketch I started today, inspired by his work 'The Kiss', one of my favorite pieces of his.  It will be fun to see where it goes.

We are heading into Fall, my very favorite time of year, and I am enjoying every moment of this wonderful season!  Lots of hot tea, baking has begun, (two punkin' pies in the oven as we speak) and just that general crispness in the air!  I do hope you are all well and enjoying this beautiful time of year, happy and healthy.

Looking forward to visiting you all more often to see what you have been up to!

S m i l e s

Julia

ps ~ my thoughts go out to Sophia at this very difficult time...please stop by her place

and give her your support.

Summertime...

A glimpse at what I have been up to this summer...

This is an old table that I sanded and painted a cheery red!  I covered the cushions on these two chairs with this beautiful red toille fabric to match!  This was a fun project and now a favorite place for everyone in our family to perch with a hot cuppa tea and a favorite book while looking out over the small pond where the birds, squirrels and butterflies are always busy...

I love how the chairs turned out!

This last week has seen me busy sewing new little man shirts for my little men...

This bright blue one is for Liam who is 4.  He looks so handsome in it!

And this cheery plaid is for sweet Eamonn - It looks perfect on him!  I am quite proud of how I was able to match up the plaid stripes on this one :-)

Another cheery color for Liam!  The wooden buttons are perfect don't ya think?

A long drive up the Cascade loop into the Cascade National Park and we stumbled upon this old steam engine that was used to ferry workers and supplies up to the Diablo dam while it was being constructed in the early 1900's. The boys had a blast climbing all over it!!!

Eamonn on top of the engine!

Liam is in his element!!! They just didn't want to leave!!!

Two boating trips out into the San Juan Islands - We were very fortunate to have a friend loan us their beautiful 32' Nordic Tug and as you can see the kids loved being out on the water! Above Vidal, age 11, can hardly contain his excitement at being able to sit out on the bow while we were underway!

(I just love his braces!!!)

Liam stayed inside for the most part, but loves being out on the water!

Lummi island where we stayed for several days...You can see the boat anchored out off shore a ways!

Enjoying the day...

And finally, lots of berry cobblers being made around here...My absolute favorite dessert!  With fresh vanilla bean ice cream - Oh I am in heaven!

I hope you have all had wonderful summers so far! 

I know I have been absent from bloggerland for most of the summer,

but now you have a little peak as to why :-)

Looking forward to Fall, which is my favorite season!!!  As well, when everyone has returned to school I will have much more time to visit you all and catch up on all you have been up to!

Hugs and S M I L E S

JULIA

Incredible artist Marcio Diaz

'Sunflower Dance'

'Spring is in the Air'

'Ladybug'

'The Red Barn on the Hill'

I just had to share these INCREDIBLE paintings by Marcio Diaz,  a Nicaraguan-born painter who now lives in Seattle and had a booth at the arts festival here in my little town!

I got to chat with him for a few minutes and what an interesting artist!  (also got to brush off my spanish and tho a lot rusty, I didn't do too bad:-)

Both he and his wife were very nice and didn't mind a bit when I couldn't find the right words in Spanish to explain what a HUGE reaction I had to his work!  You know how much I just love COLOR - well I sure found it here!!!  Marcio's work just MOVES as you look at it! 

Don't you just love it when you find an artist that makes your fingers itch to just get home and CREATE something, anything!  If you have the time, click on his name above and take a delightful journey through his inspiring work! 

Sunday Sketches - 'Bliss'

Happy Sunday! 

This is the progress on my latest piece that I have titled 'Bliss'.  I was inspired again by Gustav Klimt ~

His picture 'Mother and Child' is just so beautiful! 

Started with a sketch of course :-) and had a bit of difficulty with the baby's face...

I like how the faces turned out though!

This, to me, is perfect BLISS, having my babies in my arms...Such precious moments.

I wonder how all of your summers are? Mine has been very busy and not left me much time for blogging! Been really missing Sunday Sketches so up early this morning and posting this to share. I hope you enjoy it!

Head over to Sophia's for more talented artists.

Now off to the Arts Festival which is one of the biggest events here in my little town...Love all the inspiration I always find there! 

Smiles and hugs to you all!