Good News

It's been difficult working full time while going to school and I rarely have the time to sit down and create anything, much less be rewarded for what I create. So it was a pleasant surprise yesterday to receive an e-mail from the Design Laboratory of the University of the Arts London (Central St. Martin branch) requesting to use my decoupaged shoe tutorial in their next issue of the school's Mix Interiors Magazine! I know, I know... that was a really long sentence with way too many embedded links, but I am totally excited. I'll be honest, I would love to go to London myself and teach it to them in person!

While this is a great thing, it is also frustrating to me. I want to be getting more opportunities like this - and I should. But in order to do that, I have to have more time to dedicate to my art. I am second guessing myself now. Should I be working on my art instead of college? Should a passion come first, and a favored career second? Or should it be the other way around?

Chunky-Charm

I've started making these little chunky charms. I took an earring loop and attached a bunch of beaded wires to it with one charm or bead in the eye. This is the first one I made and it now hangs from the rearview mirror in my car. I made another one recently out of blues and greeens but when I went to take pictures of it my camera ran out of juice. So I'll post it soon, just not today. This one is about 3" long by 2" wide when laying flat.

Yes, It's More Jewelry

Here's two more necklaces I made. The one on top was my first multi-strand attempt. It originally had three strands, but it was a bit too much so I detached one. The pendant necklace on the bottom is based off of the colors of a sunset with the pendant itself representing the (duh) sun.

Yes, It's Jewelry

Long time, no see people!! Yes, I have finally succumbed to my deep dark desire to make jewelry. I knew that once I started, I wouldn't be able to stop. And I can't. I can only pray that I don't ever learn how to knit (wipes brow). Here are my first couple of stabs at jewelry making. The one on top is based off of the cherry blossoms that can be seen blooming around this time of year - the pink is obviously the blossoms and I used blue to represent the sky. The bottom necklace was my second stab at multi-stranding. I'm really happy about how the colors work together on this one.

Yo-Yo Flower

Just something I whipped up last night for a friend. I love making these yo-yo flowers, as I call them. They're great quick little exercises in color theory. Origami and other papers were used for the flower itself, paper and acrylics on canvas board for the background.

Home-made Gift Boxes

For my mom's birthday this year, I got her a necklace and earrings. It was only later when I got home that I realized I had no wrapping paper. So, I transformed those boring little white gift boxes I got at the store into something FABULOUS (as they say here in the Hamptons)! With a little paint, paper, glue, ribbon, and a couple silk rosettes, I turned the gift boxes into gifts themselves. This is a quick and easy way to make any gift way more special. Maybe when I have some extra time, I'll run a tutorial on this project...

Polka-Dot Lily

Yes, despite all my schoolwork, I've actually been able to do a little creating. Here is something I finished over the X-mas "break." This is a mixed-media piece using paper, paint, feathers, and tinted acrylic gel medium. In the end I gave it a hot-wax coating effect using my graphics program. Lots of bright colors to warm up these winter months. The bottom picture is a kaleidescope effect done on the original.

essimar

Hi there. Thought I'd post since I have a tiny little break from school. I really miss this blog, and I really miss my artwork, but I suppose this is what happens when you work full time and go to school. I just wish I had one extra day each week...I'd call it Jackurday... Anyway, I was browsing around on Etsy, and totally drooling when I came across this...Meet Essimar. Her delicately cut paper creations are completely sophisticated, yet fun, and her color theory skills are pretty sick. Love the igloo.

Orlando Halloween 2007

Ah, I finally have a few minutes to post some pictures from vacation. How was it, you might ask? Awesome...everything I expected and more. Definitely the best Halloween I've ever had(so far at least). I'll post some more details when I have the time.

Golden Tarot of Klimt

Here' s the Golden Tarot of Klimt which is "inspired by the artistic style of early twentieth-century Austrian painter, Gustav Klimt. The art is vivid and sensual, interspersed with mosaic patterns and accented with gold metallic accents.

This will be my last post for awhile as I'm going on vacation, and then immediately after coming back, starting school again full time (whilst working full time no less). *Gulp.* It's definitely time for me to commit to finishing college. I finally know now 100% what I want to do as far as a career, where before I wasn't that sure... so it's time for me to light the fire under my ass and go!

See you soon.