The Luck of the...

It's a little early for St Patrick's Day but I wanted to share some of my luck. I hope I don't jinx it! I am grateful for all the abundance in my life! This is just one of them and I will be posting more to come.

A few months back I commented on Diana Mieczan's Express-o. You can see her blog here. I've been following her blog for years now and always enjoy her posts about fashion, movies and the simple little things in life. She has such a positive outlook on life and her blog reflex this. As soon as I saw the giveaway I knew it would be perfect for my daughter. The shop is called I Adorn U by Mary Beth Heishman and she's on Etsy too!

I had just talked with my daughter about how she liked all the geometric influence in fashion lately. So when I received an email from Diana telling me I won I was so excited and new instantly this would be going under the tree for Christmas. I finally got the photo of it so I could share it with you. You know how busy a college girl can be... She absolutely loves it and wears it almost every day! It fits her dainty wrist perfectly and the coral color is just perfect! The quality is wonderful and the packaging was so nice. I would definitely recommend this shop for anyone looking for cutting edge fashion. And believe me, my daughter is cutting edge. She's the girl that likes a band before anyone has ever heard of them and I don't know how she does it but she knows what's going to be in style well before any of the stores do. I keep telling her she needs to have a blog but she's so busy getting A's! Ok, yes, I'm a proud mom...but it's true; she's amazing!

Thank you so much Diana and Mary Beth for a wonderful surprise!

Another lucky thing that happened to me was a few years back now. I don't think I ever blogged about it so I'm doing it now. I was so happy and surprised when Simone from Beach Vintage bought one of my paintings and if that wasn't enough she showed it off in her blog here.

It might seem like a small thing to you but it meant a lot to me. 

Spring Musings...

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on my easel 

close up

The sun came out again today was welcomed with open arms and smiling faces. This painting is another in my Bloom series. I however, did not use a palette knife for this one, just my brushes and lovely poppy red! I'm inspired by the pantone colors for 2013. I'm loving all the colors this year! 

I can't wait for the Spring fashions to be released! 

Looking forward to some nice weather here. I'm not sure about my trip to Mexico now. I haven't been feeling very good lately and don't want to buy a ticket and not be able to go. I'll keep you up dated if things change. Check back here for more Spring musings!

click here for the full view

Field of Poppies...

On Etsy Here

I like the close up

on Etsy here

Canyon
8x10
acrylic

Circus
16x20
oil on canvas panel

So these are my new abstracts. I've been wanting to venture in to the abstract world for a while now and have finally done just that. I'm hooked! I imagine the more I do, I will develop more of a signature style, but I'm just having fun completely freeing myself to discover new things. It's not as easy as thought it would be though. I had to completely paint over a few. I find it more challenging than

painting any real subject. It is so therapeutic though and I can't really put it into words. I reminded of my days in art class. So much inspiration and energy there!

If you have tried abstract painting yet, you definitely should! You just might like it!

I was planning on putting a piece in the local art cruise for this weekend but the paint is taking longer to try because of the weather. The theme was Absolutely Abstract. 

So I won't have any new pieces this month but you can still see two of my 

paintings in the Highland Art Center if you're in town!

I'm also having a very difficult time capturing the fresh colors of my paintings on "film". It's like this every winter and I have yet to splurge on some good lighting. I use the sun because it's free, but not always reliable! I just had one of my collector's inform me of how much better my paintings look in person. She went on about how absolutely beautiful it was when she received it. I really wish you could see them in person, but until then I need to work on getting a better representation of them online.

I have another piece I just completed of some more poppies! I'm thinking of Spring and they're so sunny! It's a smaller 8x8 impressionist style. I'll be taking some good photos

 of it tomorrow and posting soon!

If you're interested in purchasing any of these that aren't on Etsy 

you can contact me on my email or Facebook

Roses are Red...

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Here's my latest of the Bloom series, done with a pallet knife. I have a few more to post but am not quite ready for whatever reason. I promise to get to them though. My next one I'm working on is a little different. Kind of abstract with mixed media. 

I just found out that I'm going to Mexico soon. I'm going to be painting a commissioned piece while I'm there so it should be fun. I'll have to post photos when I get back.

Looking for Spring Blooms...

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I can't wait for Spring so painted these to help. I used a palette knife for this one and realized I really like the texture and depth and that loose feeling I'm after. I'm working on a floral series all done with a knife. They are different sizes but all of beautiful flowers. Did I ever tell you I was a floral designer for a while? I love flowers! I only wish I could grow them! I'll never give up trying. 

If you've been following me through the years you know my daughter is away at college and that it was a very difficult time for me getting used to her not being around. I go through a mini empty nest every time she comes home for break then leaves again. Now she has a boyfriend and is even further away from me and so so busy. I know she's grown now but I still think of her as my little girl. 

This series I'm working on is a reflection of what I'm going through and I will call it Bloom, referring to my daughter blooming into the beautiful girl she has become and of her mother 

blooming into her new life. I'm still struggling with the later, trying to define what exactly that is, but I'm moving in the right direction. 

Waimea Abstract

Still continuing with a painting a day, I've completed a few more today and revisited my favorite place with this one. I think I might like this version more than my first. I will be retaking the photo and post it on Etsy or DPW tomorrow. Hopefully there will be a little more light. I'm trying to loosen things up and I find using acrylics can really help with that. I feel less committed to a painting and more free to try new things, because of the cost and the fact they dry so fast! I had forgotten how convenient acrylics are. As soon as I'm ready to take it off the easel to start another, it's dry! No messy wet paint all over. 

I'm starting to work on some abstracts and feeling a little out of my comfort zone. I sent photos of them to my daughter and am awaiting her opinion before I show everyone. I like them...but who knows what they really look like. It's a lot more difficult to go abstract then it looks. It's all about color harmony and design. But it can go bad fast! I had to completely paint over one that I did. I've been working fairly small to start but eventually (when I get some really big canvas) I plan on going large!

I really appreciate your comments! 

Branches and Lemons...and Peonies and a starfish

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I'm doing the 30 in 30 painting challenge from Leslie Saeta. I've been following her blog for years now and love her pallet knife paintings and her amazing show, Artists Helping Artists. I always get so much inspiration listening to her radio show and the information is endless! Only problem is I can't keep up with it! Just as I'm having a hard time keeping up with posting a painting a day. I've done about two a day but posting them each day is the hard thing for me. It's great to have goals though, and the new year brings fresh ideas and inspirations! This painting is acrylic which is not my normal choice of medium. I enjoyed the quick drying time for a change and liked the results. I have a few more to post of a few barns and another landscape so look for those in the next few days.

A little bit of Italy...

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I love New Year's. It's a time for fresh starts and new plans. I can reflect on the past year and all it's joys and maybe think about what might make it a better year to come. I have lots of plans and am going full steam ahead! I welcome in this new year with open arms! Hello 2013! 

You're ring to be the best year yet! Happy New Year to all my blog readers! Thank you for sticking with me through the years and welcome new readers! I hope you find something interesting enough to keep you coming back! :)

Misty Hanalei Bay

no longer available 

I just finished this one for another workshop from Richard Robinson. I'm really enjoying doing his workshops and am learning new techniques! I also started using walnut oil instead of linseed oil. Walnut oil is non toxic so I love that! The workshop focused on little figures in landscapes being made with simple brush strokes. 

If you've ever been to Kauai you know how misty it can get over on the North side of the island. It doesn't matter whether it's rainy or sunny, though...it's always magical. 

I've been selling a few paintings and prints these last few weeks. I hope to keep up this momentum 

in the coming new year! 

For the new year I plan on keeping up with the workshops and

getting in some more galleries and boutiques, but I also want to get back to doing more paintings like I was doing when I started. Think more floral still lives with a whimsy feel (and more watercolors Vicki). I noticed I've been getting away from florals and whimsy feel. I guess the workshop and comparing my work to other's is what's happening and while it's good to improve my skills I don't want to lose my expressive touch, which is where I started. I'm working on another Venice, Italy piece right now and am conscious of this thought. I think it's looking a little Monet like. 

But you'll have to tell me what you think! 

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Ok..I'll add more later:)

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year! 

A Day on the Trinity...

click here to view on Etsy

This should make the fisherman in your life happy! It's cold and snowy now but not too long ago it looked like this. It's amazing how the seasons fly by! I'm enjoying every moment with my family this special time of year. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful time with friends and family these coming days! 

I'm so fortunate to have so many followers of my art and this little blog. You truly bring a smile to my face with every comment! Thanks for hanging around all these years! And welcome to my new readers! 

Roses with Fruit

I just finished this one and I think, I have to say, this is my favorite of all my paintings so far. Probably for the fact that I love peach but I really like it. I don't always feel like that. This one isn't for sale.

So I'm sure everyone is super busy with shopping, parties, and decorating for Christmas! I'm excited for my daughter to come home from college. She'll be here for almost a month. It's going to be great and we always have fun! 

An early Christmas gift!

a gift to you

Hi to all my blogland friends! I would like to give you this Christmas card as a gift for your loyalty and support! You mean so much to me and have touched my life in so many ways. This is my way of saying thank you! So please feel free to download this image for your own use (no mass producing as the image still belongs to J Beaudet Studios) You can make cards to send to your friends or just enjoy it in your own home:) If you do accept it please help spread the word about my work! Please post this on your blog if you have one and mention following my blog. Sharing it is so appreciated just as long as you give a link back and mention me:) I would be forever grateful! 

Happy Holidays!

#twitterartexhibit in L.A.

I did this little painting for a charity exhibit in Los Angeles called #TwitterArtExhibit. This is their 3rd year and it just keeps growing. Each entry can only be 4x6 inches or smaller. This was a little difficult because that's usually the size use for my sketches. I also did it on paper instead of canvas because I don't have any loose canvas on hand right now. I chose a reference photo I took on my trip to Maui last Spring. Just another beautiful road in the upcountry area with beautiful jacaranda tree lined roads.

If you're interested in joining the cause you can find more information here.

Have a great weekend:)

Still Life Study in Blue

no longer available 

I did this study for the weekly challenge on daily paint works. I haven't painted anything in over a week 

so I wanted to keep this one loose and spontaneous. I think I'll have to retake the photo because it was dark when I took this shoot. Actually it was dark all day. Dark and rainy. This painting shows the mood I've been in for the last few days. I've been feeling tired and achy, maybe fighting something off.

Also here
frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com

And here

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