First Friday at Queue Studio

I'll have some of my art pieces at the Queue Studio again this month, so stop by tomorrow night for First Friday and check out all the new art. I'll also be selling some of my Christmas greeting cards, so stock up now! It's that time of year again!

Some Exciting News!

If you can't read the little yellow triangle, click on the picture and it'll bring it up for you.

My first inspirational artwork since finding out. I can't wait to do a huge painting.

Bake Sale and Art Show at Queue Studio

Tonight, Friday November 7th
Bake Sale and Art Show
at Queue Studio
218 N. Duke St

Fall Newsletter

My Fall eNewsletter is out now. Check it out, and sign up to receive the next one in your email.

And the Winner is . . .

. . . MELISSA!

Congratulations Melissa. Even though summer is over, these sunflowers will go great with your Fall decor.

Happy Halloween

I saw this the other day in an email forwarded to me and then the next week I saw a real one in Millersville, PA.

There's still time to enter to win my art before the end of the day! Stay tuned for the winner!

4 More Days Until I Pick the Winner!

If you want to be entered in to win this cute little set of flower magnets, leave a comment on any of my posts. I'll draw a winner at random this Friday, so hurry before it's too late! For details, check out my original entry.

New York Trip

I can't believe how bad I am at taking pictures off my camera. I've had this shot for over a month and completely forgot to download it to my computer for the whole purpose of inspiration. How am I suppose to be inspired by it if I never actually save it and look at it again?! Well, I have now, and I thought I'd share it because it was the coolest piece of art I saw the whole day I was in New York with some friends of mine back in September. Isn't that pathetic? A whole day in NY and a store wall had more inspiration for me than any other gallery or museum we went to that day. Must have been an off day for that city, or I just chose all the wrong places to go to. Owell, it was so much fun just walking around the city, I didn't care all that much.

Below is a picture of the fun girls I went with.

Art Journal

As I meet with other LIA (Lancaster Indie Arts) members each month, with the intention to share what we've been doing in our Round Robin Journals based on specific colors, it's been a really good challenge for me to step outside of my comfort zone and use colors I don't normally choose to use. This month has been especially tough since I have the "Red and Black" journal. I have despised this color combination for as long as I can remember. I don't know why, but every time I think of those two colors together, I think of my old elementary comforter I used to have on my bed that screamed 80's all over it. Now, I am an absolute huge 80's fan, but for some reason that combination of colors just reminds me of all that was wrong with the 80's, from the hair to the clothing styles. But, I'm up for the challenge, and I've done it once before, so I know I can do it again.

Above is a picture of what I came up with the last time I had it. You can tell I tried everything I could to not use Red, so I cheated and used Pink. But this month, I'm going to make myself use pure Red with Black. I promise, Cinda. Wish me luck!

Here's another little doodle I did in the last journal I had: Teal and Brown.

Fall ArtWalk

Don't miss out on this weekend's Fall ArtWalk in downtown Lancaster, a fusion of visual, performing and culinary arts featuring the Lancaster arts community. Core ArtWalk hours are Saturday 10-5 and Sunday noon-5, but some venues start Friday evening, and others continue into Sunday evening.

If you missed October's First Friday show, I'll still have my work on display at the Queue Studio (218 N. Duke St.), so check it out while you're out walking around. For a map and details about the weekend, click on this link.

October 3rd First Friday

If you're out and about for October's First Friday, be sure to check out a new gallery called Queue Studio. I'll have a few pieces on display along with other local artists so I hope to see you there!

Friday, October 3rd
5-9pm

Queue Studio
218 N. Duke Street
Lancaster, PA 17602
717-341-0851

Enjoy Art While Grocery Shopping

Receiving salary wages, benefits and stock options for creating chalkboard signs that actually make your shopping experience not so mundane!? What a great idea to employ artists for this task! Kudos to Trader Joe's and Whole Foods! I wish we had them in Lancaster so I could get a job like that. Read this short npr article and learn more about it.

Painting a Wall Mural

I stumbled upon this video today as I was researching whether or not to use acrylic paint or latex house paint for a mural I'm bidding out. If anyone has an opinion on what you prefer, I'd love to hear it. I've used both and know of pros and cons to either, but to bid out a job with acrylic is much more expensive than latex, so I'm stumped.

Anyway, enjoy the video! Hopefully it'll inspire some of you to finally do something with that ugly white wall in your home!

Another Baby Painting

A good friend of mine from San Diego, and her husband, commissioned me to do a painting for their new baby a few months ago. I knew I was going to be flying into San Diego at the end of August, so I was hoping to finish it by that time and take it on the plane with me to avoid shipping charges AND to see the couples faces when I presented the painting. Well, there's nothing like waiting till last minute, and I've found that I'm actually pretty good at it, so it wasn't a surprise that the morning of my flight I was still putting on the finishing touches. The worst part of doing that is never getting to actually enjoy the painting, so my husband and I were both pretty sad to see it go, but to see their reaction was well worth giving it up.

The painting is based on the song "The Sweetest Gift" and you can listen to it here. What a great song.

The Sweet Smell of Ocean Beach

I'm going home tomorrow! And I can already taste the sweet smell of the West Coast's salt water and Mexican food. Why fast food mexican restaurants haven't hit the East Coast yet just baffles me. What can be better than a Carne Asada burrito with sour cream ready in 5 minutes for you to carry out? I guess not having the warm sun and beach down the street to eat it at while watching the surf isn't exactly easy to do when you live in Pennsylvania.

And then, where can you go to get a quick white chocolate mocha with the best whipped cream on top delivered right to you in your car? Only at Ciggi's in Ocean Beach. Everyone working there is Brazilian, so it's never hard to convince Andy to go.

And where else can you go to just sit and be alone with God while watching his amazing creative hands transform the colors of the horizon at sunset, perfectly contrasting the color of the ocean so you get color combinations that no artist can ever imitate. Oh yeah, and all the while watching surfers from ages 6 - 65 head down to the water and be one with the waves.

No where else can you experience all this in one day and truly understand what it's like to have grown up in the small town feel of San Diego. I'll never get sick of people asking me why I moved here from there because it just shows how even those who have never been there know just how awesome it is. You won't find that with any other city in the US. So, I'll always be proud to call San Diego home, and wherever God puts me, I'll always bring a little of it with me.

Eastern Market Painting to Music

We had such wonderful weather last Saturday, it was the perfect setting to be painting outside. And that wasn't even the best part . . . I had a display set up at Eastern Market where anyone could come and paint to the live music by Lonesome Stragglers being played right next to us. It was such a great day, I had to document it. If you missed out on it this summer, I'll be doing it again next summer!

Cafe on Main in Landisville

For the month of August, my art will be on display at Cafe on Main in Landisville. I am very excited about this show. I have a few new paintings up as well as my greeting cards, magnets and smaller framed pieces. It's a great little coffee shop too, with the best Strawberry Lemonade Smoothie you'll ever have. You have to try it! So, whether you're passing through Landisville or just need a relaxing and comfy place to check email, stop in sometime before the end of the month. They're at 329 B Main Street (Harrisburg Pike runs right into it) and their summer hours are Wednesday thru Friday, 3-9pm with live music on Thursday nights.

Art Ministry Logo

I am very excited to announce that my church's art ministry finally has a logo and its own web page. The logo was designed by Jason Horst and perfectly captures the spirit of letting imagination and creativity take flight. You can now watch for updates on what the art ministry is up to by visiting our web page here.

Art Prize Listing

Start posting now to be entered to win this magnet set of Gerber Daisy prints that brighten up any kitchen or office. Taken from a 3 piece set that I painted a few years ago, I wanted to bring them back just in time for summer. Please refer to my original posting for rules and dates on announcing the winner. Good luck!

July eNewsletter

I just published my July eNewsletter. It lists my upcoming art shows and workshops, as well as my latest design ventures. To view it click here and to subscribe click here.

Motivation for New Painting

I love this prayer. It is deep at the heart of what God is teaching me right now, and where most of my motivation and inspiration for my paintings have come from recently.

St. Theresa's Prayer:
"May today there be peace within. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and every one of us."

New Web Service Offered

In the last few months, I've been asked to take on a few existing websites that need routine maintenance updates. Some just need simple updates while others need a little flare or a total overhaul so there's consistency to each page. Check out my website for a list of services that may meet your needs if you have a website that could use a little kick, or need help with regular maintenance.

Enter to Win!

Each quarter, I'll be picking at random, a winner of a piece of art made by me. It could be custom made art magnets, packs of greeting cards, a print or piece of art! All you have to do is make a comment on my blog and you're entered to win! And the more comments you make, the more chances you have of winning! I'll announce the winner on my blog and eNewsletter. For a list of upcoming dates to see when the prizes and winner will be announced, see below.

August 1, 2008 - Prize Listed
October 31, 2008 - Winner Announced

Round Robin Journals

The Art Ministry at NewSong Fellowship has started a new Round Robin-type Journal project where we meet on a monthly basis sharing what we've done in our themed art journals. The theme we chose was "Elements and Principles of Design" and I chose Movement. No surprise, I'm sure. But ever since our zucchini plant has grown and blossomed I've been wanting to draw the beautiful movements of the vine-like stems. Every morning I excitedly go out into our backyard and am not only amazed by how many new zucchini and yellow squash we have growing, but how long and curvy the stems of the leaves grow. It's beautiful to watch.

Paintings for girls bathroom

I painted these for NewSong Fellowship Church's little girls bathroom. They're a set of 3 wooden pieces with cute yellow polka-dotted ribbon attached to hang it. Aren't they cute! Below are pictures of the final product.

Our Garden Bounty

How beautiful is this?! Not only because of the colors, but because it all came out of my garden yesterday! And it was as delicious as it looks. Talk about another natural inspiration!

Group Show

DogStar Books & Gallery

529 W. Chestnut St
July 1 - July 26
1st Friday Opening Reception, July 4th 5:30pm - 8:30pm

Artists:
Deirdre Citro; paintings
Cinda Collins; pop-art
Maggie French. folk art; collaged salvage
Victoria Gertenbach; Fiber arts/collage
Rachel Marie Kantner; Fiber arts
Ann Kimmich; paintings
Magdalen C. Mowery; paintings and prints

Natural Inspiration

I just got back from an incredible trip to the Olympic National Park in Washington State. From walking through the Hall of Mosses in the rain forest, following along the turquoise Hoh River, to picking up wild purple star fish at Ruby Beach, you can't be in more awe of God's creative hands.

Gift Cycle

The Gift Cycle is a cross country cycling project that carries works of art as gifts from local artists of one town to local artists of the next town along the route---a 3,000 mile journey uniting 12 plus communities. Watch the slide show here /// giftcycle.org

I think this is such a cool idea, I just had to participate, so I donated a couple pieces for when they come through Lancaster. One is a print of my "Your's or His" painting. The other is a painting that says what I think everyone needs to tell themselves everyday.

For their schedule, go here and to see pictures of artwork donated so far, go here.

Painting 2 for New Baby

I have a friend in Portland who commissioned a painting from me right after she had her first baby a couple years ago. She just had her second baby last September and I'm finally finishing up the next one. I LOVE how it turned out and can't wait to hand deliver it to her tomorrow night when my husband and I fly into Portland to see her.

It's based on a story book with the greatest line in it:
"I love you right up to the moon and back."

Frame for New Baby

Shhhhhh.
This is the frame I just finished for a friend and mailed it off this week. I was too excited to not show it, so I'm risking the chance that she'll see it before it arrives in her mailbox.

LIA Fundraiser Buttons

Who doesn't love buttons!
Lancaster Indie Arts, a small group of independent artists in the city, have created 1 inch buttons to sell as a fundraiser. Our main objective is to encourage and promote growth and success in our community, while helping each other through our own artistic endeavors.

We've done a lot this last year, for example, we helped implement the Arts Market section at Eastern Market last summer (which continues this summer). We also led the effort to hold Art in the Garden during the September First Friday. And you'll notice in my New Orleans trip article below, we sent a gift basket to a Habitat for Humanity home owner while I went with a team from Lancaster.

We're looking forward to the next few months as we've added another member to our group and are in the process of working on a show at DogStar Books for the month of July. And as a way of making sure we have the funds to continue helping our community, and outside it, we're selling buttons. If you'd like to purchase a random mix of 10, go to my etsy shop.

Press!

To my surprise, there was a great article about me and the Abstract Expressionist class I taught last week in the Lititz paper. It was a wonderful promo for my business and led a few people to contact me through it. Thanks Sallie for putting it together!