My Article in Somerset Apprentice!

I received my copy of the March 2011 Somerset Apprentice magazine, and it was so exciting to see my work published. I wrote a step-by-step article on how I created my Alice in Wonderland mixed media painting. I am on page 100. I do have the original painting and prints available in my Etsy store, if you are interested. I do have to say, that the photos in my Etsy store are more true to color. The background is more yellow in the magazine, and it is a pea green in person.
I haven't had much creative time lately, as I have started working at my husband's new dental practice. I spend most of my time in back, sterilizing equipment and getting surgical supplies ready. We've also been house shopping, which is stressful, confusing, and exciting...all at the same time. I just finished a black cat painting and will post it soon. I just found out I have the day off, so off to paint I go! Have a super week, and thanks for stopping in!

My poor, neglected blog!

The holiday season has crept up on me, and my to-do list is getting longer each day. This is the first year that I haven't put up my Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. In fact, I've decided that this year, we might just do a Christmas wreath instead. Rob is doing a lot of traveling for work, we are planning on going on a cruise, and when looking at the calender, I realized we will barely be here to enjoy a tree. It reminds me of the time in college, when my roomies and I didn't have a tree. We had a large house plant, which we put lights on, and a "Christmas chair." Yes, we decorated that chair!
I finally had to sit down and make a to-do list this morning, to keep me on track. Updating my blog will be the first thing I cross off today. I've had some exciting opportunities pop up recently that will happen in the new year. I will have my artwork and an accompanying article published in one of my favorite magazines, I am sending out two book proposals, we will be purchasing our first home, I will be helping my husband out at his new practice, and I am already setting some New Year goals.
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I will try to post more often on my blog. One of my goals is to get more paintings up on Ebay each week, so hopefully, I will be able to start on that goal very soon. Thanks for stopping in, and here's to a happy & safe holiday season for all!

I took a little vacation from blogging....

I realize it's been over a month since my last post. After my nerve pain medicine kicked in and I could finally paint and make jewelry, the last thing I wanted to do was spend time on the computer. I have a slew of new paintings and jewelry listed and have even started working with fiber/fabric and leather. The good news is that my nerve pain is not related to an auto immune disease. We have finally figured that out. I've been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and Repetitive Strain Injury. I've been told I still need to get an MRI done of my arms. With RSI, all of the nerves in your arms (ulnar, median, radial) can be affected do to over use and swelling of the muscles/tendons in the affected area. I will have to remain on my medicine and work on strengthening exercises. It may go away, or it may be chronic.
The bad news, is that my meds aren't working as well as they did a few weeks ago, so I am getting less done. My painting style has had to be adjusted, my jewelry will no longer involve metal work or lots of wire wrapping, and I will be spending less time on the computer.
I look forward to sharing my new work with you! Thanks for checking in, and thank you everyone for the nice comments and prayers. They are very much appreciated!

Diagnosis

So, this will be short, but just wanted to update. I had a Nerve Conduction Study and an EMG done on Tuesday. It turns out that I still may have carpal tunnel, but in addition, I've been told I have Peripheral Neuropathy. It is affecting both my arms now and after testing my legs and feet, it is there too. My nerves aren't firing as fast as they should for someone my age. So, I started on Cymbalta for the nerve pain in my arms, but it could take about 2 weeks for it to start to improve that. In the mean time, they will try to find the cause. More tests for me. I will still be meeting with a hand surgeon in August, but they want to do more tests first. I will keep you updated. I am itching to paint! I sadly, will not be going back to doing any of my metal work jewelry. The hammering and cutting of metal is just too much on my arms. Any pieces left in my jewelry store on Etsy that are this style, will be the last ones ever. Once it's gone, it's gone.
Hope everyone else had a nice 4th. Thanks for stopping by!

The descent into insanity....

Want to know how to push a creative person over the edge? Take away the use of both arms. Instead of getting better, I now have flare ups in both arms. I'm wearing a splint on each one. Tasks as simple as opening my toothpaste cap are becoming painful. I am typing this with one finger. Next week, I am being hooked up to Electrodes and having a nerve conduction test that lasts 1 1/2 hrs. I can't get a consult with a hand surgeon until August 4th. I don't know how I will last over a month like this. I am sorry to be a "Debbie Downer" but this just plain sucks. I am a busy body by nature, and not being able to use my computer much, write, paint, draw, do my hair, drive very far, etc is making me nutty. I feel like a prisoner in my own house. If it wasn't 95 degrees out, I could at least go for walks. I don't handle heat well, nor do my swollen arms. A lot of people seem to think that carpal tunnel is just numbness and some stiffness in the fingers. It can be that, but it can also be nerve pain in your forearms that feels similar to when you hit your "funny bone" on a wood table. I won't be doing much blog updating for a while, and have stopped using twitter. I will keep my Etsy stores open ( going to need surgery money!), but won't be adding new things anytime soon. I have some finished paintings, but don't think I can handle all the typing needed to do the Ebay listings. Too many pictured to resize, and html to write.
Thanks for listening. I hope you'll start visiting my blog again when my hands/arms are better and my creative life can resume. Take care friends!

The verdict...

I got back from the doctor today with a diagnosis of carpal tunnel AND tendonitis. I wasn't expecting both. He thinks I already had the carpal tunnel for a while and the tendonitis is making it worse, and most likely occurred from lifting heavy items (i.e luggage) while I was on vacation. That's when the pain started. So for now, he has me on a super-pack, one week dosage of Prednisone, Aleve for pain, and if that doesn't take care of it...off to the occupational therapist for shots or surgery. If I can get rid of the tendonitis and do the suggested exercises for the carpal tunnel, maybe I won't need surgery. I worry because my husband works long hours, and we don't have any family nearby to help me with daily stuff that requires 2 hands/my right hand. Right now, I am off to ice my arm and relax a bit. Have a nice weekend! I will check in next week.

Update on life in general....

I took some time off from blogging to rest my right arm, and learn to use the mouse with my left. It took about 2 days to master it. I can't really do much in Photoshop with my left hand though. I'm not THAT ambidextrous. I've scaled back on phone calls too. I've been trying to pick things up with my left hand and do other things, like vacuum and clean with my lefty. However, somethings...like putting on my makeup, getting dressed, shaving, doing my hair, and cooking are a wee bit too dangerous to attempt with my clumsy left hand. I have my Dr. appointment tomorrow morning. I don't know if there are any specific tests they will do. I guess I'll find out soon enough.
In the mean time, I was going stir crazy not creating ANYTHING. I decided to set aside my "tight" more detailed painting, and mess around with some collage mixed media work. I've been spending a small amount of time on a painting each day and just have a few finishing touches. It was fun to get a bit loose and take a break from painting faces. I have given up on my stamped jewelry all together for who knows how long. Hammering sends shooting pains up my wrist to my elbow.
So, that's what's going on in my corner of the world. I'm pretty much staying inside until this horrible heat wave weather in Florida is over with. I hate the summers down here as much as I hated the -20 degree weather in Minnesota. Our air conditioner is having a hard time keeping up with the 96 degree temps and hot sun beating down on our house. Ick!
I will check in later, when I have pics of the new painting. Take care!

Art and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Well, this is my fabulous new fashion accessory. It makes using the computer very difficult and painting pretty much impossible for now. While on vacation, I started waking up at night with numbness and tingling in my wrist and forearm. Then, the pain kicked in if I picked up anything over 6 pounds or moved my hand in a funny position. I had noticed stiffness in my fingers and hands after driving, long before we left, but figured it was just because it makes me tense. I've had tendonitis before and know the drill, so I started on Advil and got myself a wrist brace as soon as we got home. I can't get into the doctor's office until June 18th, so I will have to wait for a verdict. It sounds like Carpal Tunnel though. I was really depressed for the first few days, then looked up artists with carpal tunnel on google. I found blogs and other stories of artists being able to eventually return to their creating after surgery, so that gave me hope. I wish I would have been doing better arm exercises in the first place. If you create with your hands, I suggest looking into it now, rather than later. I may have ended up with it anyways. Women with a history of hypothyroidism and a small frame (both of which apply to me) are more likely to develop it. So, I will share pics of 2 paintings I finished prior to vacation. They may be all there is for a while. ) :

Upcoming vacation

This month has flown by! Heck, before you know it...it will be Christmas again! ( : Gosh, I hope it doesn't go by that fast. I just wanted to let my customers know that from May 27th - June 6th, my Etsy stores will be in "vacation mode" and I will not be listing anything new on Ebay until after June 6th. I realized this week, that listing anything now, would have them ending when I would be gone. I am looking forward to visiting with my parents. So, if there's anything in my Etsy stores that you've been procrastinating buying, if you want it soon...better snag it now!
I am still working on the "rework" of the painting I started over on (with a much better canvas surface) and am nearly done. I think I may finish today. I usually start painting in the afternoon, but am tempted to just stay in my pajamas and start painting this morning! I will post a pic as soon as it is done. Hope everyone is having a good week!

Starting over...

I can't remember ever getting so upset with a painting that I had to start completely over on a new surface. The painting I started 2 days ago, got to be a big mess due to an awful painting surface. I had wanted to try Ampersand Gessobord afer reading so many good things about it. I am RUNNING, not walking, back to canvas. The surface absorbed my paint so fast, I couldn't blend anything. I tried adding a "slow-drying" medium to my acrylic paints, but that did nothing. I finally gave up after the paint layers started to build up and look chunky. It was FAR from smooth. It's hard to give up on a painting. I am not a fan of giving up, but I knew I would never be happy with it, and I didn't want to waste a good painting idea on an icky surface that was just going to quadruple my painting time. So, goodbye Ampersand. Maybe you work for oils, but acrylics and you just don't get along well.
On another note, my painting angst was quelled with an antiquing shopping trip with a good friend today, so I am ready to start over and relax. The Chinese takeout helped too. ( : Hope you all are having a great weekend!

Finally....

I finally started on a new painting today. So, I don't have anything to show for this week, but hopefully will soon. I plan to spend more time listing new paintings on Ebay. I will still list new prints on Etsy, but probably won't be listing my painting there. Due to some changes they have made over the past year, I have pretty much fallen out of love with Etsy, and don't know if it will ever be the same again. A lot of sellers are feeling the same way.
Since I don't have anything creative to show you, I will end my post this week with an impromptu picture I took of my cat last week. Consider this your weekly dose of cuteness! Have a great weekend! I have a date with a pint of Haagen Dazs and the DVD of New Moon. ( :

Frustration

I am completely confused at how some people do it. I tell myself every week, that this week, I will get at least 3 small paintings done. It is Thursday, almost noon, and I haven't had ANY time to paint this week. No matter what I do, stuff keeps happening to prevent me from having the time to do so. Between running errands, doing ALL the housework, cooking, making phone calls, keeping up with church stuff, keeping up with social networks (which are a must these days to get your work noticed), listings for Ebay & Etsy, car repairs, and more things than I could possibly list...I just don't have the time. I wonder...do these other people who do manage to get 3 or sometimes up to 7 paintings done in a week do any housework? Do they have assistants? Are they speed painters? Do they sleep? Cook? Does anyone have an answer? I just had to get that off my chest. I have been feeling overwhelmed lately, and feel like there are many things I need to be doing to further myself in my art career, but just can't.
Well, maybe someday I will have a room I can paint in at night when I should be sleeping. I think that is the only time I will have. Right now, my studio is the kitchen, so any lights or noises (we have a ranch style house) keep hubby up.
I had better go hop in the shower. It is nearly noon and I have spent all morning doing laundry, cleaning, and preparing a slow-cooker dish for tonight. After lunch I will have about 2 hrs. till my art lesson student comes, then husband will be home for supper. I think I need a chocolate bar....

New Auctions on Ebay tonight!

Late tonight, 8:30 PDT, I will have 8 paintings up for bid on Ebay. The auctions will run for 7 days. To view them, simply click HERE and it will take you there....or you can click on the button in the left hand column of my blog that says "My Artwork on Ebay." Remember to save me as a favorite seller! I want to have more of my original pieces on Ebay in the future on a regular basis. Hope your Monday wasn't too hectic!

The Kraken is finished....

In addition to working on a huge custom stamping (sterling silver discs) order, I finally finished my Kraken painting. For those of you who may not know what a "kraken" is, it is a mythological sea monster, usually depicted as being a giant squid or octopus. Kraken from Greek mythology were sometimes depicted with dragon like features. I think octopi are pretty darn cool, so that's the interpretation I went with. Provided I have time tomorrow, and don't run into an obstacles, I plan to list the painting on Ebay, along with a slew of others that are waiting for homes.
I also decided to open a different/new Etsy shop, just for my graphic designs. I plan to offer prints, tags, and possibly cards and digital scrapbook sheets. My graphic work is different than my paintings, and the whole look of my ArtWorkByLori store is a little off because of it.
I'll introduce my new store to you in a few days. I have my banner made, now I need to do an avatar, shop policy, announcement, and set it up to process payments. I have a lot of new graphic designs to add to the shop right away, and will be moving my other graphic prints over from my other store.
Well, hope everyone is having a good start to their weekend. I got a lot done today and plan to reward myself with a movie and "loaded" nachos. ( :

2 New Mixed Media Collage Paintings

Hello again! I promised pics of the 2 new pieces, so here they are. I will either be offering them in my Etsy store or in Ebay auctions. I haven't decided yet. Today was a wee bit crazy. I went to get a new key made for the new car (it only came with one set), and that took about an hour...and cost...wait for it.....$100! All these fancy micro-chipped car keys make me long for days gone by. After that, I was to take the car to another dearship to get the racing stripe decals taken off, as my husband didn't like them. Well, along with the stripes, some of the paint came off in a small spot. After sitting there for 1.5 hrs, they finally came and got me.....and told me the bad news. They are fixing it free of charge, but send me home with a loaner (which started running on fumes on the way home...no gas!). So, back to the dealership I go tomorrow morning. Tomorrow we are getting some interior work done on both our cars. They humidity down here has a bad effect on the adhesive used to attach the cloth upholstery to the doors. We have a neighbor who is coming by to fix that.
I haven't gotten much painting done this week, and tomorrow is already Wednesday. I was planning on making chocolate covered bacon today, but it will be a tight squeeze for time. It sounds like an odd treat, but hubby is begging for some. Who knows? Maybe it will be divine. I could use some chocolate-y relief after dealing with all these car problems for the past month. I DESERVE some chocolate covered bacon, darn it!

Red Poppies Painting

Well, here she is! This is the monster painting I have been working on since last week. Each panel measures 12 X 24 inches, so the combined width is over 36" when hung on the wall. As usual, photographing was difficult. We finally had some clouds roll in so I could get some outdoor pics, minus the sun shadows. I just listed it in my Etsy store. I have always wanted a red couch, and this set would look so fabulous with one! The background of the panels is really neat when you look at it up close. I used an acrylic texture paint and then did some glazing techniques. The flowers took me quite a while with all the shading!
I hope you all have a nice weekend. I finished a mixed media collage painting today and will try to get some pics of it tomorrow. I may also offer it as a print. It's a happy flower piece! See ya soon!

Howdy!

I am finally feeling better...as far as my back is concerned. Some rest, and doing my stretching exercises each day has really helped. The past few days here in southern Florida have been lovely and it has been nice to get some fresh air in the house. Usually, it seems we have the air conditioning or the heat on. This has been an odd year for weather here. Currently, hubby and I are on a car search to replace one that is out of commission. That's been taking up a sizable chunk of time. I did finish one painting, so I will share it with you. It is listed in my Etsy store as of today. It measures 12" X 12" and is titled "Hope." Hope you have a great weekend....I hope to get more painting done next week. See...we all need hope! ( :

Paintings starting on Ebay tonight!

Hey there, it's been a quiet week on my blog, which usually means it's been a "noisy" week in my life. Lots of stuff going on! I have no idea where the week has gone, but it seemed to fly by. My back went out on Sunday and was very painful for a few days. I did some logo work. I just finished teaching a private art lesson and that was really enjoyable. I've been working on an owl collage this week that took much longer than expected. I finished it this afternoon and will try to get a pic available tomorrow. It will be headed into my Etsy store. In the mean time, my 2 newest Alice in Wonderland paintings are hitting Ebay late tonight and will end next Thursday. I also adding the painting below (a few posts down) of the gal holding the bird nest.
Well, I hope everyone had a good week. I hope to get more made next week! Have a super weekend!

New Alice in Wonderland Paintings!!!

I haven't blogged all week because I was busy getting 3 paintings done. I had some requests to do some more Alice in Wonderland themed paintings (for Ebay), but went ahead and put the prints in my Etsy store. The "Alice & Cheshire Cat" is a two piece painting (on 2 separate canvases) and will be sold as a 2 piece print set in my Etsy store. The other painting is of the White Rabbit, and is called "Late for Tea." I had so much fun with the mushrooms! I do think I may need to sit down with a pic of the Cheshire Cat from the new movie and see if I can get that done this coming week. Hope you enjoy them, and have a wonderful weekend!

Finished painting...

Well, here she is! I don't have a title yet, but have an idea in mind for one. I will eventually have the original painting itself on Ebay, and will offer the print of it in my Etsy store later tonight.
I made a flour-less chocolate cake today, and that cut into my creating time. I don't think I will regret it once I eat it though! I love baking. If only there was such a thing as calorie-free baking! Once it passes the taste test, I will post a link to the recipe online if you would like to try it. Hope everyone is having a nice Wednesday.