A Giveaway!!! Celebrating My First Year of Blogging!!

"Grungy Love"

Today is my first blogging anniversary!! YAY!!

And to celebrate I am hosting a giveaway!! So excited!! Its hard to believe it was one year ago that I started this blog with my very first post! I will never forget what a warm welcome I received!

This past year of creating and making new friends has changed my life in so many ways. I have loved every minute of it! It has opened up a whole new world for me full of inspiration and bliss. I have learned so much not just from my many online classes (can u say addiction? lol) but from all of the talented artists I have met through my little corner of the blogging world!

Now for the giveaway! I am giving away one print of my favorite mixed media painting "Grungy Love" (shown above) AND one print of your choice from this album of my textured photography . . . Textured Photos - a set on Flickr. The size of "Grungy Love" is 6x8 and the textured photo will be 8x10, each centered on 8.5 x 11 inch matte photo paper.

All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post! I will be announcing the winner next Wednesday August 10th!!

Thank you all for coming along this journey with me!! I look forward to another year of creating, sharing and fun!

Good Luck!!

xo

Sending Birthday Wishes To Heaven . . .

This is one of our first pictures together. Dad and I on my first christmas circa 1969. I think I was about 6 months old. Today is his birthday. He would have been 63. Three years ago today was the last day I saw him. He passed away from pancreatic cancer 2 months later.

Our relationship was a difficult one no doubt but in the end none of that seems to matter. My dad was an artist. He liked to sketch and draw but unfortunately life got in the way as did an alcohol addiction and he never utilized his creativity. I think I get my creative side from him. And I never realized this until he was gone and I began creating art! Sometimes I feel sad that he never lived to see my art but I think somehow he does see it from where he is now. Or at least I hope he does.

This photo was taken of us together at my wedding in May of 2003. I am pretty sure we were dancing to a Sinatra song. He was a big Sinatra fan. One of his favorite's was "Summer Wind". These days I try to take some solace in knowing he is now free to fly in that summer wind . . .

Winter Sunset and A New Year!

winter sunset over the reservoir, 12/30/10

I took this photo yesterday at the walk trail. It was my first time there since the blizzard. I was happy that the sun had melted enough snow so that I could walk across the bridge to be near the water. It was so quiet and peaceful. And I couldn't help but think about how important creativity has become for me.

When I look back on 2010 I will always remember it as the year I began my art journey. In February when I picked up a paint brush for the first time I had no idea how far I would go, how much I would learn, and how many great people I would meet!

I am thankful for each and everyone of you who have warmly welcomed me into this creative blogging world! My art has begun to take on a life of its own. I am excited to see where goes next! And I am so happy to have you all to share in this journey with me!

As the sun sets on this day I wish you all good health, happiness and much love for the New Year!!

My Pastel Butterfly

I wish I still had a picture of it. Actually I wish I had kept it. I was in fourth grade. We had to draw a picture in pastels. I drew a butterfly. It certainly was not perfect but I remember using a different color for each of the sections of the wing and the body was yellow. It was pretty and bright. To my surprise I won first place in the art contest with it that year. The only award I ever won for art.

I remember loving art when I was a child. I was always doodling something, making my name in bubble letters on my notebooks, and even though I could barely draw stick people that didn't matter. I had fun. And then life got in the way. A crazy childhood, my parents divorce, becoming a widow at 25 and then breast cancer at 31. I went to college for a degree in occupational therapy and worked for almost 20 years in that field. Then I started writing. And most recently back in February of this year I picked up a paintbrush for the first time. And I haven't put it down since.

My life after cancer has been tough at times but what I have found is how much creativity helps me deal with stuff that comes with that. It helps me deal with the fear I live with. It gets me to a nice place in my head and quiets my mind. I get lost in those moments with my camera or with my paintbrush. And although I am just beginning I am enjoying the process. I am having fun learning the how to's and seeing all that I am capable of which is more than I ever imagined.

So I have decided to write all about it here. This is my art journal. I will be sharing my photography, my art, and all things creative that I am working on. And I look forward to meeting and getting to know you along the way!

When did you know you loved art? Do you remember your first art project? Were you hooked from that point?