My Etsy Shop

As you can see by the badge to your right - I am now the proud owner of a brand new Etsy Shop!  I've been thinking about this for awhile, but never made the time to sit down and get it going.

So, now it's up and running  - and I'll be adding to it probably daily for the next week or so.  I'll be selling the usual things - original art, art prints, handmade cards, and coasters - who knows what else I'll dream up?!

And, for the moment, FREE SHIPPING to the United States!  I hope you'll check it out, and tell all your friends!!

Crazy Love

8" x 10" Acrylic/Collage

Yay!  I got to get into the studio today and play!  This is my third in a series, using that wonderful paper from 7 Gypsies that have words on them.  I saw this photo of the 2 birds in a magazine, and imagined them as an old married couple - both talking at once - and knowing how much they loved each other!  If you look closely, there are also a pair of frogs in the grasses below (courtesy of a cool napkin!)  This was also made on an Multimedia Art Board, like the others.  Don't know yet what I'll do with them all - maybe mount them on wood.  We'll see.

I'm Back!!!

I finally got my computer back and up and running!  How did we ever survive without these contraptions?!

While it was away, I was able to do some cleaning in my studio.  I'm beginning to feel like one of those people on Hoarders!  I took everything out of this space, and then had to figure out how to put it all right back in. So that's why I have this tiny little space in this nice, big room to make art!  This room is the only storage we have in the house, so everything that doesn't have a place, goes in there.  And, since I keep buying art supplies, it's starting to fill up!

And, tomorrow, I hope to make some art!!!

See you later!

My laptop is going away today -- back to the Toshiba Notebook Depot.  I have no idea how long it will take them to fix the problem and get it back to me.  So, in the meantime, I will be going to the library a lot to use their computers.  But, I won't be able to download photos, so any posting I do here, will be text only (How Boring!).

While I'm not getting sucked into the Internet's black hole, maybe I'll find some time to clean up my studio and start getting myself ready for the collage class I'm teaching at the end of January.  Now, that would be a big accomplishment!

A Little Bit Crazed!

11" x 14" Acrylic/Collage on Gallery Wrapped Canvas

So now, my new computer is about to leave me for awhile.  It's still working (for the time being), but keeps showing me this box that says that there is a hard disk error.  I took it to my computer guy, and he backed up everything for me and said that it needs to go back to Toshiba and probably will come back to me with a new hard drive.  AAARRRRGGGGHHHH!  I've finally gotten this thing to the place where I'm comfortable.  Now I have to do it all over again.

Thinking I will be without a computer over Christmas, when we will be doing some traveling, made me just a little bit crazed!  Yes, I am addicted!  So, I went to Barnes & Noble and bought the new NOOK TABLET.  Of course, there is a learning curve, so I'm still wired!  But, I will have some electronic gadget with me that I can access the internet with.  Whew!

Back to the new collage:  I'm going to be teaching some beginner collage classes after the new year, so I thought I better come up with some different ways to do it.  This one started with collaging the canvas, adding paint, then adding my own painted papers (the yellow and purple) - and even the black lines are actually painted tissue paper rolled up and glued down!  And I added some stamping and stenciling, and there you go!

I've still got another idea brewing, and hopefully, I can get it done before the end of the week.  If I gon't get back - I hope all of you have a Wonderful, Happy, Merry Christmas!

Abundance

8" x 10" Acrylic/Collage on Multimedia Art Board

Well, I didn't get to collaging with my painted papers - yet!  I wanted to try using one of my magazine girls in a collage.  I have this pad of great papers from 7 gypsies that I love!  Several of the pages have great words on them (also see last post).  Sometimes it helps to have word or color or theme to work with.  Especially for me - I don't seem to be too creative without a boost!

Anyway, it was a fun collage to do.  And, I'm really loving the Multimedia Art Boards! (I'm thinking that I can mount them on a piece of wood for hanging.) The circles are part of some great napkins that I got.  I tore around the whole circle, and didn't really like the way it looked, so I cut the half circles out.  Now, I love the whole one and not so much the half ones - go figure!

Now I'm really going to start something with my painted papers!

Collage Play

8" x 10" Acrylic/Collage on Multimedia Board

After spending the last few weeks making stuff to sell -- I finally got back into the studio to play!  I'm starting to think of my class coming up next month, so I want to play with collage as much as possible in the coming weeks!

I really loved the way this one came together.  I was trying to figure out how I could use this magazine picture of the bird -- and somehow, I found the right papers. 

Next, I'll use some papers that I painted today.

Acrylic/Collage Workshop



I will be teaching a new all-day workshop at the Unity Church of Citrus next month.  If there is anyone out there who lives in the area, and is interested, please let me know!  If you right-click on the picture, you should be able to print the flyer out - if not, just email me at: nbeaton @bellsouth.net.  This is a beginner course as an introduction to the medium.

A Childhood Memory

If you are around my age, you remember a time before microwaves.  And, you probably remember making popcorn on the stove!

I recently read an article in the newspaper about this activity.  The writer helped me to understand why I have never liked microwave popcorn.  So, off I go to the store to get some popcorn!  I remember well making popcorn on the stove (ours was gas then, so it was a little easier to manage the heat) - opening the lid to let some steam escape, and watching as some popcorn bursts out of the pan - melting butter in the pan (we used Parkay Margarine then, instead of butter) - putting on the salt.  Trust me, it DOES taste better!  I've popped popcorn twice since I read the article, and I remember the pan we used - I think it was only for popcorn - and I've thought of the kitchen I grew up in (that house burned down after my parents moved out) - and I think of my mother.  She passed away in 1993, but I think of her every day and miss her terribly!

After I eat popcorn, I always want something chocolate!  My sister reminded me that Mother made fabulous fudge, and we would usually have fudge with our popcorn!  What popcorn memories do you have?

Another Sale on Fine Art America!

So I just was notified that I sold a print of this painting on Fine Art America!  I hope this one goes through - but they did order the smallest print (approx. 8" square) on Canvas - so it should be ok.  I'd love to see how this looks since the original was done on a piece of wood, all collaged with gloss gel medium.  I think it would look cool!  Anyway, it's nice to see another sale!  Speaking of .. . we're having a small art show and sale after church services for the next 3 Sundays -- maybe I'll get lucky then!