My newest painting...it's a BIG one!

Here's the painting that I finished last Friday. This is the one that on Monday I hated, and by Friday, I was in love with. Sometimes, the paintings that give me the most grief, turn out to be my favorites. Odd, huh? This one measures 24" X 36" and is done a stretched, canvas with staple free sides. It is a mixed media piece done with acrylic paint (including textured paint), vintage text paper, scrapbook paper, and colored pencil. I can't seem to get away from the bird theme these days. ( :

What I learned this weekend

It is Sunday morning, and I am up early...getting around for church. I am hoping I can stay awake. I have one tidbit of information to share with you that I have learned this weekend. Spicy hot wings followed by a pile of french fries drenched in garlic, butter, and parmesan cheese does not lead to a good night sleep. I would avoid it, if I were you. Now...back to your already scheduled programming.

See ya Monday!

I made the front page on Etsy this morning!

I haven't been on the front page in literally....wait for it.....YEARS. But, my earrings were on this morning at 3:30 am. Sadly, we were all probably sleeping. LOL I don't know how to share the screen shot though.

Yesterday, I started working a painting, got really mad at it, then got called in to the dentist (my husband) for a cleaning. I ended up coming home with a shiny new filling too. He does such a good job, I didn't feel a thing!

This morning, I woke up to find a few of my 1 gallon water jugs in our food storage had spontaneously exploded....all over in the cupboards above the laundry machines. Water was EVERYWHERE. Then, I went to open a plastic bottle of Dr. Pepper, and it blew up all over me and the carpet. I hadn't even jiggled it at all. Very odd. I am hoping the day improves, and there are no more liquid explosions in this house! Have a terrific Thursday!

SECRET SALE TODAY ONLY!

I am having a secret, one day only sale. I have posted the sale to Twitter, Facebook, and here. I don't run sales like this very often, and may not do so again in the near future, so take advantage of it while you can. Art prints make great gifts!

So, here's the scoop.....Buy 1 art print, get 1 FREE from my artworkbylori Etsy store! You spend $12 plus shipping for one, and get a second free. That adds up to only $6 a print!

Here's what you need to do:
Order and pay for your first print, and when you send your Paypal payment, include the name of the print you want for free, and the word "Blog" in the Notes To Seller box. That's it!

Have fun shopping! CLICK HERE TO VISIT MY STORE AND PICK OUT YOUR PRINTS!

It took a few days, but here they are...new folk art angel drawings!

Once I finally hunkered down this afternoon, I was able to scan some drawings I had been working on over the past week into my computer and play around with them. I drew the lady and here wing separately, scanned them in, added her halo (which is from a scan of an ancient tomb design), and a digitally created background. I decided to offer her in grey-tone or sepia. So, these are the fruits of my work. Hope you like them! I added them to my Etsy store, of course.

Concentration problems

I am totally ADD when it comes to creating. Some days, I get a headache from trying to decide what to work on first. I have a bazillion different projects floating in my head. I am having a hard time concentrating today, and know I need to start on something. A painting? A digital collage from some drawings I did this weekend? A wooden sculpture sitting in my kitchen? Should I keep playing with Photoshop to learn more stuff? I swear, there are days when my mind feels like it is standing on a busy street somewhere in downtown New York, with everything rushing past...not knowing which direction to go in.
Then, there are the other distractions that come with working at home. Food is a big one. The internet another. My two adorable kitties who are impossible to ignore. Phone calls. Thoughts of other things I need to get done. There's always cleaning, laundry, and cooking that needs attending too. Is this a common thing for artists? I feel like I may not get as much done/made compared to others and I wish I could just focus. Any suggestions you can offer as to what you do when you feel like this?
Well, I hope everyone had a super weekend. We stayed in, listened to a conference from our church that was broadcast online, watched some movies, and ate too much. LOL Talk with you soon!

New Jewelry in my Etsy store!

Sadly, one of the boutiques I have been consigning my jewelry with is going out of business (another victim of the economy), so I got some more jewelry pieces back this week. I just finished listing them in my Etsy store. I have more jewelry on the way, and will then be continuing to concentrate on my paintings and illustrations. So, if you want to see the stuff I just added, here are a few teasers! Click on the pics to visit my store. Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Hello October...nice of you to visit!

I feel as if October sneaked up on me when I wasn't looking. He tapped me on the shoulder this morning and I jumped. "When did you get here?" I asked him. I seriously thought I had a few more days left of September.
I started my Christmas shopping this week, and am doing my best to shop online, purchasing from handmade artists this year. Being one myself, I know we have been hit pretty hard. I appreciate unique gifts and am always finding items I like on Etsy and Artfire. If there's anyone on your list you aren't sure about this year, see what you can find for them that is handmade! Stay home and avoid the chaos at Walmart the day after Thanksgiving and shop from the comfort of your home...with a nice cup of hot chocolate. I won't tell if you sneak another piece of pumpkin pie for breakfast! I promise!
Well, have a fabulous month. Halloween is just around the corner. I suppose he's going to try to scare me too. That's his job!
As always, I will be adding new prints, paintings, and even some new jewelry to my Etsy stores. If you have any custom requests, let me know!

Alice in Wonderland Mixed Media Painting...

Hey folks! I've been busily trying to get this finished and shipped before the Oct. 15 deadline for submission to Somerset Studio magazine for their upcoming Alice In Wonderland themed issue due out in March of 2012. I have never submitted anything to a magazine before, so this is exciting and scary at the same time. I am shipping it off tomorrow, but wanted to share it with you before it goes "on vacation." I may not get it back for a long time.
It took me a while to decide what I wanted to do. I had a bunch of different characters floating around in my head. Because of my affinity for all things feline, I HAD to add the Cheshire Cat. I wanted him to look wacky, and perhaps a little spooky. I have always found the pictures in the original book of Alice trying to hold onto her flamingo to be hilarious, so that ended up going into the final painting also. I tried to make the rabbit look a bit mysterious. This was so much fun to do, and was a great challenge. Wish me luck! I hope you like it!

I need hearts! New Contest for free art print!

New contest! The 150th person 2 "heart" my Etsy shop (add as favorite store) gets a free print of choice!
If you haven't hearted me already, CLICK HERE to visit my shop and add it to your favorites!
Whoever wins will be contacted via convo on Etsy. Thanks!