Flourish and Crap in 2012

happiness, good fortune, contentment, longevity and love. my wishes for you in the New Year...

In winding down the year and in anticipation of the New Year, throughout the online art community there has been a big 'movement' to choose a word for the year. Though I don't really know all that much about it and have wondered how one tiny word can fill such a tall order, I think I am safe in assuming that it is a word that states what you hope to accomplish or one that represents your frame of mind. Most people, it seems have chosen words like trust, hope, live, love, seek, believe and so on. Hey, those are really nice words. Beautiful words. But really. The sweetness starts to, well, get too sweet. 
So, Me? I chose Crap. I mean, crap is such a useful word. Just think about it. I buy a lot of crap. I make a lot of crap. I take a lot of crap. People give me crap all the time. If I bump my toe, I can yell, "Oh Crap" and it is not all that offensive. You can add fun endings to the word to make other great words too, like, crap-py, crap-ola, crap-tastic! I mean, crap is cussing without sounding to foul. The word crap gives you all the pleasure of cussing with only half the calories ! 
Well, anyway, I just thought crap was a very good word for the year. It was different than all of the rest. It stood out from the crowd. *sigh* But some people thought crap was too cynical. It was suggested that I should have a better word. I think they thought if crap was my word than I would have a crappy year. I began to doubt my choice...and so I officially revoked my word "crap" and chose "flourish" instead. Quite diverse, I know. But I figure if I am gonna make the change, I may as well go all out. And if you think about it, they actually go well together. Because I can FLOURISH even when life hands me a bunch of CRAP!!

And now, in all seriousness, my best wishes to you for the New Year. May you have only happiness, good fortune, contentment, longevity & love (and definitely no crap :)

Thank you so much for all of your friendship, support and   for reading my words and looking at my art this year. I look forward to 2012....

With much love and gratitude,

xokp

Thought-Full

"Thought-Full" by, me, Kae Pea 2011

I think I painted these ladies (Thought-Full and from my last post, Up-Do) because my head is SO VERY FULL of ideas. Sometimes I feel I may burst at the seams! Honestly, I do believe my brain, my heart and soul are brimming over with color and imagery and thoughts of all that I hope to create....

The same goes for here on my blog. Sometimes I have so much I want to share that I often share nothing because I don't know where to begin! But I can no longer hold back.  I  really feel and see changes in my work and feel a shift in my attitude about my art and my business. Little things, little steps. I liken it to watching my children grow....sometimes the changes are subtle, almost imperceivable and then all of a sudden they are taller than you! Well, my art and my work is not yet 'taller than me', however, I can feel it beginning to take real shape and I am gaining my footing. It is an exhilarating time and I am very happy to be able to share these moments with you.

Right now I am working on a new series of paintings, I am getting ready for a little Holiday show at 6 North Cafe, I have been sprucing up my Etsy shop, I am loving working and showing at Wood Icing, I am ecstatic to announce my first stencil design through Stencil Girl Products and to say I have now been published for the first time in Sprout Magazine! Whew! Amazing and I know in my heart of hearts that this is just the tip of the iceberg! I have just begun to put my intentions out into the Universe and be bold and brave enough to speak my hopes and dreams aloud. I am amazed, it not only feels great but it is working!!

As always, I thank you from the bottom of my heART for looking at my art and reading my words.

xokp

Up Do

I wanted to share my latest painting. I have written before about how I find it amazing that what seems to come out on the canvas (or paper) really mirrors what we are feeling. At least I have found this to be true. And it is true here now. I painted this piece intuitively, just going with the flow. No real direction in mind but like so many times, just bits of imagery floating through my brain and it was as if as the images floated past I would reach out and grab one and bring it to the surface. Does that sound crazy? Sometimes, I admit, it feels a little frenetic and I marvel at how I work in fits and starts and the ebb and flow of it all. It is like a dance with an unseen partner. I am unsure of my steps but I follow along anyway....This piece is me, though not a self portrait. It is me because her face says all that I feel... scared but sure, tired but strong, wise but still a bit vulnerable. And the ideas! Oh the ideas piling up in her head! Yes. the painting is me, but the wonderful thing? It just may be you too...

'Up Do' 5 x7 Acrylic on Canvas

xokp

just imagine!!!

Yes. Just Imagine what you can do when you persevere....

About 6 years ago, long before I ever went back to school to get my art degree  (and my husband was in school getting his Bachelors degree), I called him and asked him if they sold canvas at his school bookstore. When he said yes, I asked him to bring me home the biggest canvas they had. He promptly brought home a 30 x 60 canvas. I, for some reason, had the urge to paint. Now keep in mind, I had done a lot of illustration and crafts but never had I painted a thing! I had a small set of acrylic paints and some brushes but no clue what I was doing. I had no art space and we lived in a 900 square foot house. So I hung the blank canvas on our only wall that it would fit on and this is what I painted...

my painting in 2006

Then I got stuck. I changed my mind. I could not decide how to proceed. I didn't know what I was doing. I quit. I left it like this for over 5 years! When we moved to a bigger house, I took it with us and rehung it, in it's pathetic state, and left it unnoticed and unfinished. Various family members, at various times, would ask me when (or if) I was ever going to finish. I said I didn't know but I thought I would someday.

Then last year, we moved again. Back into a smaller place and I was going to ditch the painting. My sister said, "No." and she took the painting home and hung it on her wall in it's pathetic and unfinished state for another year.

Two weeks ago my sister was packing to move. She asked me if I wanted my painting back. I did not have the heart to toss it out. I knew I must take it and finally attempt to finish it. After all, I had more paints and brushes and a bit more technical skill....

So, I brought the painting home and hung it on the wall! It only took me a couple of days of looking at and then I knew I was going to finish. I took it down and worked on it for 3 days. I honestly don't know if I am 100% finished at this blog posting...I want to live with it for a few more days before I declare it complete. But it sure is a whole lot closer and I am very happy. Happy that I did not quit, (only took a long break)! Happy to finish what I started. Looking back on this whole process and what the last five years held, I see now that I REALLY wanted to paint!! Here is to perseverance!!

my painting today

xokp

Girls Rule...

I made this today. I don't know why. I had sketched these three little girls a few weeks ago and they were just sitting on my table waiting for me to 'bring them to life'! I kept looking at them and they just were so sweet. I was compelled to finish. So I guess, that is my reason for making this...although I feel sorta silly knowing I have loads of other work to do, and yet, this still kept calling! I wonder why I do that? Anyway, I have promised myself that I am going to be more focused and try my best not to get sidetracked! I keep telling myself that there is a method to my madness and that all of my making and creating tangents will ultimately serve me well and not to be so hard on myself for following my muse! It is all leading me to something. I just know it! In the meantime, I think this piece is for all of my girlfriends (on line and in person) who 'get' me and support me and are there for me cheering me on! (Yes it's YOU!) Girls DO Rule! xokp

Coffee Happy

I am working on a series of illustrations of the things that make me happy. My first one, you may remember, was art supplies! I liked it so well and it got such a good response that I decided I should do more and so the idea of painted "happy lists" were born.
Though I created my first 'happy list' painting before I began the Creative Courage e-course, the whole idea of writing out and illustrating my goals, dreams and wishes has been strongly encouraged. I figured I would just run with that concept. I have found that getting this type of reinforcement onto paper
has been really good for my spirit and has kept my outlook and attitude positive and optimistic!
I have decided that I like focusing on what makes me happy and saying nice things about myself! Hooray for that!
So far on my "happy list" I have art supplies and coffee, but I have plans for a lot more. My goal is to finish one per week. That should keep me busy for about another ten weeks!! Well, if there are any that YOU would like to see please follow me and leave a comment! Thank you, as always for being here and looking at my art. It makes me happy ! xokp

I wish I may...

...I wish I might....have the wish I wish tonight. 

As you probably have noticed, I have been writing, posting and talking about the e-course I am taking with Stephanie Levy. It is called Creative Courage. We just finished up our first week and WOW what a thought provoking and productive week it has been. We have had amazing interviews with  Susannah Conway  and Jessica Swift both wildly creative, talented and successful women. I have had the opportunity to meet other like minded artistic souls and we have discussed things like, creative visualization and dream overload. We have done exercises to make us more aware of our dreams and goals and help empower us to vocalize, clarify and solidify them. It is a lot of heart-work, but so rewarding. One of the things Stephanie told us in the very beginning of the course was to actually write our answers out and not to just think them in our heads (haha she must know me!) She said, "Your "homework" is to actually answer these questions. It's easy to read through the exercises and imagine answers, but it truly makes a difference if you take the time to write things down. Writing down your dreams, goals and next steps is the first step to making them come true!"

I definitely think it makes a huge difference to take the time to define your thoughts and visualize your answers. I have been having a wonderful time being thoughtful with my answers and illustrating them as I go along.

On Friday (our last 'lesson' for the week) Stephanie assigned us a weekend project. It was to make a 'wish jar'. She said she got the idea from Keri Smith and thought it would be a great project for this course.

All we had to do, was get or make some sort of container. It could be a jar or a box or any vessel to hold scraps of paper in which we would write down our  wishes/goals/dreams. Of course, we could add to our wish container at any time and it would be something we could revisit at any time to remind us of our wishes/goals/dreams.

I, of course, was super excited to have this lovely reason to make something fun and creative.
And I even have a fun story to share with you as a result...

About two months ago I purchased this really cool jar a thrift shop for $3.00. I love this jar. Here is a pic:

I think it is super cool and I thought I would use it for my 'wish jar'. 
Then, on Friday, I stopped at another thrift shop, a thrift shop all the way across town from me (but it is just down the street from my daughter's apartment...) and here I saw another very cute jar/vase. It was a round glass vase and had cute daisies painted on it. It was only $1.99 but I decided not to get it, well, because I didn't need it and I figured I would use the cool jar I already had. Needless to say, when I arrived home on Friday night and began to gather my materials for my wish jar project, I took all of the candy out of the jar pictured above and set it at my art table. I was thinking about my wishes and how I wanted to make my art and fill my jar and suddenly I knew I COULD NOT USE THIS JAR! It had a lid!! I realized I could not have and did not want my wishes to be contained! I did not want to keep a lid on my dreams! My wishes needed to be able to go out into the Universe! They needed air and flow! I called my daughter immediately and asked her to go to that thrift shop and find that vase and bring it to me on Sunday (she was coming over to get a manicure and do laundry, so I figured it was a fair trade!) So Saturday morning she went and found it (I guided her over the phone) and here it is...
I call it my Wish-Full jar! It is Wonder-Full and I am so Great-Full!
                               

I am happy. Just looking at it makes me feel that all my wishes will come true! Silly? Maybe. But I don't think so! Here is a peek at the 'wish-full stones' I made...

It is a great project and exercise. If you are inclined you should try to make one for yourself...as I placed each stone inside, I held it and read it out loud. I could actually visualize each wish coming true. It was a very gratifying feeling. Thank you Stephanie and the 'team' you have put together for the wonderful inspiration, ideas and motivation. Yay for wishing and dreaming!

xokp