How About These Colors?

I dabble in painting, and I admit I am untrained, but I love, love, love to paint. I love messing around with colors, painting backgrounds, trying to make something out of it. I look for inspiration where ever I go. Lately, I've been drawn to graffiti. Not so much the gang names, but the scenes, with great detail. I'm going to leave you with a few shots I came across. Maybe they will inspire you to do some painting. These are all photos of graffiti that I found walking the streets of Asheville, North Carolina.

Flying ATCs

Here's how I interpreted the ATC theme of Things that Fly.

-- I started with watercolor paper cut to ATC size (2 1/2" x 3 1/2"). I use a 9" x 12" pad of paper, and i can get 9 cards to the page, with a little trimmed off.
-- I had some white tissue paper that had been painted with acrylics, then dried. I tore scraps and adhered it with a little glue.
-- I used a violet ink pad to stamp a dragonfly.
-- I colored the background with watercolor pencils, then dipped my finger in water to wet and smudge the pencil
-- when that was dry, the whole card was brushed with a matte gel medium so the scrap paper would stay on.
-- While it was still wet, I placed a few beads, adding a little more gel medium with a paintbrush to make sure they'd stick.
-- And finally, I signed the back.


When you're making a few cards (I made 18), you can do step one for a few of them, switch to step 2, and go back again while you're waiting for things to dry. My cards always end up slightly different -- I use different colors, different beads. But I still label them "1 of 18", etc., because they were made in a batch and are generally the same.

Just Finished Some New Jewelry

I needed to get back into some basic jewelry making. You know, going through your stash of beads, arranging colors, patterns. I'll give you a sneak peek, and I'll be posting these to Etsy later in the month. The focal beads are ceramic. I've found a few of these in different colors at bead shows. I've used brown and black glass beads and seed beads to accent them. The turquoise beads are ... turquoise? I'm guessing not for real, but they are beautiful.

Check Out This Artist

I've been meeting so many artists online through the e-course I took with Kelly Rae Roberts. These artists are from all over the world, so all kinds of art, and art at varying stages in their art careers. One of these artists is Carrie Schmitt, who writes a blog called Art & Soul. You can see examples of her paintings here.

I'm giving a shout-out to her because she is doing a giveaway on her blog. Giveaways are fun (especially if you win!) but also because you get introduced to an artist you may not have found before. Here's a link to her giveaway.

Altered Book -- Gardens

Here's my latest addition to a friend's book in an altered book swap. Her book's theme is Gardens. I decided to go old school, and I broke out my rubber stamps, glitter, and jewels. Sometimes the simple things work well. Her book is an old volume from a set of encyclopedias. I wish we still used those! I'd love it if my son had the experience of lying down on the living room carpet, pulling out a volume from the bookcase, and flipping the pages of an encyclopedia for an hour. What fun.

Baby Raccoon Update

If you remember my earlier post about our encounter with a baby raccoon, I'm here to give you a happy update. My son was sitting on the couch in our living room, by the big front window. The front of the house is where we have the two palm trees, one of which I suspect is filled with a raccoon family. He heard chattering in the bushes, and looked out to see -- the mama raccoon! Then the baby raccoon! We screamed with delight and excitement. We were so pleased to know that the baby is alive and well. We got many views of the baby climbing up the tree. And judging by all the chattering, we think there might be 2 or 3 babies. At one point, a baby fell off the tree. More screaming! The mama came back down and grabbed her little one by the neck, making sure it safely got to the top of the tree. We discovered that they climb up one tree, probably because it has a rough surface for clinging, then at the top they climb over to the other one. The next day we verified that they sleep in the one closest to the house when we looked up and saw the mama's paw sticking out from the fronds. Here are the amazing photos we took.

Interview with Kecia Deveney: Part 2

As I continue my interview with Kecia Deveney, I asked her if she has an artist statement. As artists, we try so many different media, we take classes, we share with other artists. At times it's easy to forget what our artistic goals are; an artist statement will clarify in your own mind what you are doing and why, and can give you a gentle reminder to get back to your roots when you feel a little lost.

Here is Kecia’s Artist statement:
Creating is my key to another time. It unlocks the gate to my secret garden; it is my refuge. It takes me to another era where things were simpler and I find the process soothing to my soul.

Lemoncholy’s Studio began with my fondness for vintage items. Searching flea markets, I find items long forgotten, sometimes damaged, but still purposeful. They just need some love and attention. I want these found objects to tell a new story, have meaning and to be inspiring. I have a vision for them to begin again.

Intuitively I combine elements in an enchanting way to provoke a narrative response that alludes to something we seek without knowing it. Often, it is a reminder of our childhood.

My jewelry is about craftsmanship and virtue but not perfection. By removing perfectionism, I free my imagination to play and ultimately, this freedom results in whimsical pieces of grace and beauty.


I consider my art more “trouble shooting” versus technique. Usually I know how I want something to look and then I set about figuring out how to do that. I know for fact that I often do things the hard way. But what I’ve come to learn is that this search has resulted in my own unique look.

I think artists now are realizing that they can’t rely solely on selling originals of their art. I know you do a lot of teaching. What other things do you do that add to your creative business income?
Due to my situation at home (I am the mother of a severely disabled child), my time is very limited. As his caregiver, it can be stressful and exhausting so I create to cope with these feelings. So mainly I spend my time either creating, teaching or taking classes. I am also the newest design team member for ObjectsandElements.com, so my time is pretty much spoken for now! I find it hard to keep up on my etsy listings, which I really need to start dedicating more time for. So little time, so much to do!

What is your favorite location for teaching and what would be your ideal class size?
I really enjoy teaching in Connecticut for a venue called Art-is. They are beginning their 4th year. I attended as one and this year will be my 2nd year teaching. It is a smaller venue, yet more fulfilling and intimate. I've developed some wonderful friendships. I'm used to teaching big classes, so I don't really have a problem with any size of a class as long as there is plenty of room for me and everyone to work. This year I will also be teaching a class at Artfest, (Port Townsend, WA) which is another favorite venue that I have attended. I am very excited to be a part of it this year and very much looking forward to it.

Is there a direction you’d like to spend more time with, such as teaching or writing?
I'm not so much interested in writing. I have several people suggest I write a book, but I find the concept overwhelming; probably due to my home life. I've heard it's a good year out of your life and very stressful. I think I already have enough stress! I would like to continue teaching at the right venues, as I really enjoy it. Another modality that I would really like to explore is drawing and painting. My drawing skills are very limited and I am always inspired by mixed media paintings. I'll see something and find myself wanting to go home and paint. And I have painted before, but it's usually something that I was inspired by, versus an original idea. I have ideas in my head to paint, but can't get them to come out! So I'd like to eventually take some drawing classes.

You seem to have worked hard to cultivate an online presence as an artist. I see that you have a blog, which is more like a website, you’re on Facebook, and you sell your art through Etsy. How else are you connected via the internet? What do you think each of these connections do for your artistic business?
Yes, I do them all, blog, facebook, twitter, flickr and I do have a website as well (which is being revamped at the moment). Trying to sell off of etsy and a website became too much of a burden for me. So now the website is more of a homestead about me and where to find me on facebook, etsy, flickr, twitter, etc. I'm trying to simplify things so that the website is more self sufficient. For me the biggest two areas are my blog and facebook. I started a fan page on facebook where I list classes I am teaching in my home, or upcoming art retreats. My blog is real time. you can find my current work posted immediately on my blog. I'd actually like to get to the point of selling right off my blog.


Where do you make your art? Do you have a dedicated space in your home, or different spaces depending on the art that you’re making?
I have a few dedicated spaces. Upstairs in my room, I have a small area where I create jewelry and do my computer work. I have screened it off with a huge rattan panel so that I can't see the area when I lay in bed. It is important to me to be able to put down a project and still have a tranquil area for rest or relaxation. I don't feel pressured to keep the area clean since I can't see it from my bed. Then across the hall is another small room where I paint, do mix media, mosaics. I also set up a certain area when I sew. It is easier for me to keep all the areas separate so that I don't start feeling overwhelmed.

Thank you, Kecia, for opening up your artistic life to us. You are an inspiration, and a true talent!

You can meet Kecia in person by taking one of her classes throughout the U.S. In addition to this list, she teaches classes in her home in New Jersey. Watch her blog for notices of any upcoming home classes. Click on any of these links below to see the details.

Art in the rough - Aug. 13-16 2010
The Creative Connection (vending) - Sept. 16-19, 2010
Art is...You - Oct. 7-12, 2010
Artfest - April 6-10, 2011
2011 schedule will be up Aug. 1, 2010)