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Showing posts with the label UWS

New Studio and KonMari

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Roses, Peonies, Iris Summer is here! We had a wet, wet, wet spring (an unusual amount of rain for Utah). But, thanks to all that water, I have some beautiful flowers in my yard. This year has also been my personal project push to finish the KonMari tidying and decluttering method to my home. I started KonMari in 2015 (long before the Netflix special)...but, I paused in the middle due to life commitments. (I accepted the nomination to V.P of the Utah Watercolor Society 2016-2017, then President 2017-2018, then Past President 2018-2019).  With the 2019 UWS year closing out at the end of May, I decided I would push through to finish the tidying event in my home that had been on hiatus since 2016. I know, I know...that's not what the book says to do. "Tidy all at once, quickly, in one go." But, life happens! So January 2019 came, and I said to my husband "We're going to get this done!" and we jumped back in to the Komono (miscellaneous) ca

Time Flies...

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I know it's cliche, but it's so true. Time just gets away from you! My kids are growing right before my eyes...time marches on! Some goals are accomplished, and some are left unfinished - to accomplish another day! I am still in the middle of my #KonMari tidy event. Even though I haven't followed her direction to do it "all at once"...I also don't feel that I quit in the middle. I just had to take a hiatus. Two years of commitment to the Utah Watercolor Society, first as the Vice President, and then the President. My "free time" was non-existent. Now, I am Past President and Communications/Webmaster. But, the demand on my time is significantly less. Last fall, I remodeled my master bedroom, including new paint, pulling up carpet, screwing down squeaky floor boards, and laying carpet tiles. (and yes...I did all the labor). We have an older home, rambler style, built in 1967. It needs a lot of fixing up, and we are slowly trying to work our way thr

Busy, Busy Summer!

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Besides working on new paintings for next March's Art & Soup event and trying to coordinate the many spinning cogs and wheels of the Utah Watercolor Society as we started our 2017-2018 UWS year, I was also able to take a couple of days in early August to attend a plein air workshop in Logan, UT with the incredibly talented Brienne Brown . Now, as you know if you've followed my blog for a while, I am not much of a plein air painter. But, it was lovely to get outside for a couple of days and to spend time with Brienne and the other participating artists. What a beautiful state we have here! Here is my plein air setup and the little sketch I did for my painting on the second day (the painting didn't turn out so well!) Here is the wonderfully talented Brienne... In mid-August, I also attempted to take my family camping in a cabin at Moon Lake Resort in the Ashley National Forest. As it turns out, my husband and sons are not so into the "great outdoors&qu

Exhibitions, Workshops, Paint Outs and Nibbles

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Where has 2016 gone? Only a few more weeks until the new year. The holidays are upon us! The first few months of this year, I busied myself preparing for an exhibition at the Utah Arts Festival Gallery and finishing up my two years as the Newsletter Editor for the Utah Watercolor Society (UWS). I had been asked to take on the UWS Vice President role for the coming 2016-2017 year and, in June, I was voted in as Vice President. Since then, I have been super busy with all the duties that come with the role of VP! Over the summer, I also learned that I had been selected for another exhibition at the Utah Arts Festival Gallery - but this time for their October show! So, in addition to the VP duties, I worked hard to prepare eleven new paintings for this show. In October, I was also privileged to be the UWS liaison to Iain Stewart , the national artist that UWS hosted for our 2016 Fall Workshop. He was also the juror for our Fall Member Exhibition. What an amazin

Presenting at Utah Watercolor Society - Social Media for Artists

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Last night I had to opportunity to speak to the members of the Utah Watercolor Society (UWS) about using various social media platforms to promote and market your artwork and yourself as an artist. What a great experience for me and such a fun night!  Of course, in all the effort to get my presentation set up, my iPad set up to record a video of my presentation (which, unfortunately stopped recording after 5 minutes - I'll have to figure that out), and getting ready to speak...I didn't think to take a "selfie" with myself and the group of wonderful UWS members who attended the meeting.  DUH! Very UN-social of me! So, I will be depending on the photos taken by others who were in attendance. (Thank you!) What makes me a social media expert? I'm not, really. Just a user who has been blogging, Facebooking, Twittering, and Pinteresting for a while to promote my artwork. I just happen to have a little bit more knowledge and a little bit more experience than many

A Fall of UWS Shows!

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I have been working to set up a new studio space in my home for  the past couple of months, and also to  clean up our house a bit - so I am not constantly bombarded by the mess factor, feeling guilt that I should be cleaning or doing laundry or dishes rather than painting. In fact, we are in the process of using the KonMari method of tidying our entire home! The end goal is to allow myself to get into a higher level of art production and to create a "sanctuary" at home. I am hoping for a place that feels relaxing when I walk through the door, so that I can unwind and let my brain rest and rejuvenate - thus allowing me to focus better on all things I would like to accomplish. (That is what I hope to do by tidying our living space...create some peace for all of us! Getting the hubby and boys on board hasn't been too difficult, but we still have many things to do in order to achieve that sanctuary!)  Additionally, in the last few weeks, the new school year started for b

Painting with paper

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I was so lucky to attend a fabulous and fun Utah Watercolor Society mini-workshop with Nancy Maxfield Lund at the end of March! I learned about staining paper, reviewed composition and design, and how to create watercolor collage with the papers I had stained and/or other paper. Painting with paper! AWESOME! My work table Hand-stained papers Stained papers drying Stained papers drying and partially used I have long admired Nancy's work in the 12 years that I have known her, and have been wondering how she creates her wonderful collage work. Now, after a decade, the question has been answered! (At least on a basic level). :) Nancy demonstrating Nancy is a great instructor with helpful hints to share and she gives you straight-up feedback. I'll be honest...my brain was hurting by the end of this workshop! I only managed to get three paintings completed during my time there -

'Twas the Night Before Workshop

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Twas the night before workshop And all through the hous e,  An artist was scurrying,  As fast as a mouse Paints and paper all packed Anticipation abounds Palette, cardboard and towels No scraps of paper left to be found (okay...maybe a few...) The hour is late As she checks her list twice Do I have all my supplies? Missing some wouldn't be nice Morning will be hurried, Make sure things are ready Tuck the kids into bed With a blanket and teddy The artist is tired She hopes all is done Tomorrow she's off  To learn from Nancy Maxfield Lund ! Paints, palette, papers all packed for workshop. This is my "empty" studio space. :) I'm registered for a two-day collage workshop with the awesome Nancy Maxfield Lund  that starts tomorrow. This is another "mini workshop" sponsored by the Utah Watercolor Society . I am super excited! Hopefully, I will have some interesting art to share afterwards. :) As always, thanks for sto

Recharging my Art Batteries

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Wife, mother, referee, nurse, cook, laundress, time-out enforcer, maid, dishwasher, lawn care specialist, gardener, research director, referee, artist, newsletter editor, primary worker, recycling coordinator, referee... As so many of us do, I wear many hats. Mother and wife are the most important hats. Research Director puts food on our table and a roof over our heads. Dishwasher, laundress, cook, lawn care specialist, gardener, etc... are all necessary to keep our household running. Referee, referee, referee...well, that's what you get with two little boys in the house! Newsletter Editor and Primary are voluntary jobs, but I try to do my best. Unfortunately, the "artist" hat, because it is my personal pursuit and not something that currently provides much benefit to my family other than "making mommy happy," often gets put on last and in the moments when I can eke out a few hours to myself. I am trying to carve out regular painting time in my life, work it