hello, my lonely blog!

I have been a bad blogger!


Consumed these last four weeks, with lots of excitement, especially with my son Kevin's  college graduation!  Did  i tell you that he earned his degree in Art Education, from my alma mater, Nazareth College? I earned my Art Ed degree exactly 30 years earlier, to the day!  We couldn't be prouder with TWO Naz Art Ed grads from the class of 1981 and 2011.  AND to add to thar, my 30 year reunion is in 3 weeks at the college.


Then there's been the prep for the Create! retreat in Costa Mesa (i can't believe the ton of supplies i am lugging cross country!) and getting my Etsy shop (so many prints going out to new homes) up and running!  Won't bore you with all the details, but will get back in the saddle from Costa Mesa and blog about the four workshops i'll be teaching……..for now, i must get to sleep, flying out this afternoon.  Even though i live in New York, looks like i'm already on west coast time, bloggin at 2am!!

Mr. Kevin Sharpe, Aspiring Art Teacher

….and me, i'm flying off to Create! in Costa Mesa…...

whimsical wednesday, thank YOU!

...thank you for everything…this is for you…

I just want to thank YOU, and can't tell YOU how much YOU 

touch my heart.  

I wish i could list you by name and thank you for your support, sending me notes and emails and for leaving comments on my blog and Facebook.  It encourages me on a daily basis. 

…you are my inspiration….it's my hope that my little artworks make you smile, touch your heart and stir your soul.  Thank you for letting me know that it moves you. 

…this is joy….How lucky i am, blessed to live in the joy of my creativity and to know and accept that my art is my vocation.  This lifestyle looks really great and dreamy, but it has it's challenges, like anything else.  But, i can't imagine myself being anything other than an artist.  I joyfully embrace what i was born to be and hope, in your beautiful life, you can too.

In my life i have such great joy….thankful for YOU and all the opportunities that support my life journey.

Right at this moment, NOW is just enough………creating, painting, lettering, journaling, teaching, inking, writing, researching, learning and sharing.  It's so good.  Thank you for appreciating what i put out in the universe!

…doing life artfully…. I'll always be making new artsy things with my abundant colorful tools.  I hope i can inspire you to even color a little!  Paint, ink, get messy and play.  Try new things and experiment with new ways of making your art and expressing your creative spirit.

 …Love you for making my colorful world joyful and bright.  I thank you by your name, so thank you ____(insert your beautiful name here)________, for everything!

A woman who works with her hands is a LABORER; a woman who works with her hands and head, a CRAFTSMAN; but a woman who works 

with her hands, her head and her heart is an ARTIST.

 St. Francis of Assisi

magazine and marker magic

It's here, it's here!  My first article for Cloth Paper Scissors magazine has arrived to subscribers! (these photos are from my friend Mel)  The May/June 2011 issue should be on your news stands any day, if it's not there already. 

I'm over the moon excited about this, even made it on the cover!  Well, almost.  Those are my little hand drawn flowers in the upper right corner of the magazine cover.  My 5 page article is titled "Making Magic with Markers".  It's about my love for Copic markers in my artwork and teaching.

It features my original, hand drawn art, full color illustrations and some small tutorials on how to use Copic markers and get beautiful blends in your projects.  It's my take on an "artful" way to color.  After all, coloring is very relaxing and really good for you!

I must say that my favorite part of the article is some FREE ART!  I created this black and white illustration for readers to print out and color.  It's a special little "whimspiration" that you can practice your coloring and then display.

So pick up the May/June issue, color along with the little lesson and create your own Copic color-full masterpiece!

My original illustration colored for this magazine shoot

Thank you, thank you to my editors Jenn Mason and Barbara Delaney!  The article is gorgeous, and you've done it to perfection.  So very proud to have my name on it.

it's "in the NUMBERS"

Well, my art will "BE" the numbers!  Tomorrow, Easter Sunday, i will be featured on the Create Mixed Media website in the "The Week As Art" section for an entire week.  The hosts ask artists to illustrate calendar numbers on their page, and it links right back to the artists website for seven days.  


Create Mixed Media is an interactive website from the book publisher North Light Craft/ F+W Media.  It's such an enjoyable site, showcasing everything exciting and relevant in the mixed media art world.  There are technique blogs, book reviews and art product promotions, artist interviews and more.  A great site to find inspiration and the courage to create your heart out.  Go visit!

  

What an honor to be featured.  Thank you Create Mixed Media! 

Whimsey Making Wednesday

This week's "Whimsical Wednesday" post is a little tutorial on how i use a "Color Journal" to inspire my vibrant art.  All of these "Whimspirations" and illustrations were made with just four different products: Derwent Inktense Pencils, Sakura Koi Watercolors and Micron pens, Faber Castell Gelatos and Pitt pens.  Being an illustrator and mixed media artist, i use many products for my artwork.  I have the most fun with the challenge of choosing which mediums will achieve the look and best illuminate the message i want to convey.

I'm all about CoLoR and love color on everything!  Have you figured that out about me yet? LOL!  Maybe that's why i crave traveling to tropical places, as they are usually the most colorful destinations in the world!  

When i buy "collect" art products, i must have most every color that it comes in!  There are so many art products, all so unique.  Different materials give you  specific effects, variations of colors, hues and textures.  With a pile of art materials and choices in front of you, it's challenging to decide just exactly what product will give you just the right look, the perfect effect for an art piece.

I have a designated sketch book i call my "Color Journal", (i use the Strathmore Visual Journal Mixed Media) where i keep every color sample from the variety of art products in my studio.  Illustrated scribbles showcase the actual colors and effects for each product.  I label the page with the product and each color name.  It's also very helpful when i am tying to find the perfect color look for a specific project.   Playing with the materials and recording them in this journal is also a great activity when i "need" to just use my art stuff and not have to worry about creating a masterpiece. 

Here are samples some of my reference sketchbook pages and how i create the pages:

DERWENT INKTENSE PENCILS:

FABER CASTELL GELATOS:

SAKURA KOI WATERCOLORS:

WATERCOLOR TEST OVER BLACK MARKERS AND PENS:

Faber-Castell Pens

I also have color sample pages with my Copics, Ranger products, watercolor crayons, etc.  It's such a valuable tool that i use in my creating.  So, grab a little plain paper journal and have fun making your very own "Color Journal"!

whimsical wednesday on video….

Whimspirations on video!  Here's a different way for me to share my artwork, a video portfolio, telling musical stories with my images.  I know it's really Thursday, but i did make this on Wednesday but wanted to wait and post the best version.  Enjoy it anyway!   Here's my first try, such fun!  Pass the popcorn.

whimsical wednesday by the sea….

You thought i disappeared, didn't you??!!  All the days blur together in my island state of mind… but i'm being a "creating art machine" in my beach vacation art studio.  

If it were only a permanent address here on the Florida gulf coast!

 So far, I have completed 14 new illustrations in 5 days on my beach cottage "deck studio" nestled in the sea grape leaves.  Winter is brutal in upstate New York, and I desperately need the sun and our sea breeze retreat every year to recharge my artsy batteries and fuel my soul.  My  creativity explodes in this environment.

 …and it's so true, in the right frame of mind, covered in sunshine and surrounded by deep turquoise waters, everything is brighter………Everything DOES sparkle by the sea... 

Looking forward to sharing all my sunshine art with you in upcoming posts.  It's soooo good to be at the beach!