Hand painted stool - the finished product

I am so pleased how this came out!!

A hand-painted step stool: the "before" image

I bought this today from Salvation Army for just a tiny price. It looks drab and awful, right? Well I am going public with a promise to transform it into something lovely. (Speaking the commitment in public helps make sure I actually DO it!)

Stay tuned, for the "after" photo. :-)

Wide-Eyed Owl

Here is another pen & ink with digital coloring. This is SO cute as a magnet and pendant. I will put them up on Etsy as soon as I can.

Mermaid Magnets

Pen & ink has long been a favorite of mine, but doing simplistic pen & ink illustrations and coloring them on the computer is a relatively new thing for me. I like the clean, flat color I can achieve. Here's a mermaid I just did. It looks awesome decoupaged to a little wooden tile, and embellished with a little sparkly glitter!

Welcome to my new blog

I am a creative person. I'm also an artist trying to make money with art. This has a built-in conflict, and lately it's been taking a toll. My purpose in creating this blog is to have a place where I can share my art, my writing, and other creative ideas, without the self-censoring need for it all to "fit into the business plan" (such as it is) or conform to a certain medium or style (to fit in with the "body of work") before being shared with others. This has ben a stifling influence, and my inner artist wants to be heard. So...

My cat is in the window, the coffee's fresh brewed. I'm up to my eyeballs in scraps of paper and craft supplies, paints and recycled items awaiting repurposing. My 6-year old homeschooled child is playing happily on the floor, in a little "world" he has created out of Legos, Tinker Toys, modeling clay, a rock from outside, a folded blanket, a discarded foam square ("the aircraft carrier), wooden chess board (a "dock") and various pairs of my shoes (i.e. "boats"), populated with beanie babies, plush sea creatures, small die-cast vehicles and transformers who are in the midst of non-stop drama and intrigue, from the sounds of it.

But before I can get creative, I have to go out back with a bow saw and hack away at some more of the trees that fell last December. And complete the order for the store who may buy something this Friday. But my printer's not working today, so I have to FTP a file to the print shop and zoom over there later....

....I digress. (which technically could be the title of my memoir if I ever write it)

Thanks for stopping by. I look forward to sharing this creative life with you.