Animal Portraits: For the Love of Color

     In times like these, it can be hard to find the silver lining and to stay positive.  I like to tell myself to make the most of it, but it's harder on some days than others.  Looking on the bright side, I've had more time to paint.  Last year, I focused more on crafts and small projects leaving little or nothing to add to my portfolio.  One thing I've been working on is finishing a series of colorful stylized animal portraits.  I wish I had a more interesting or deep story that could give you all the feels, but, honestly, I just like painting them.  There's nothing like being at my desk with a sweet drink and listening to my favorite music and putting brush to canvas.  I just hope I can find homes for all these pieces where people will love them as much as I loved making them.  As I write this, these three are all available, but have not been framed yet.  (Frames are on the way.)  I'm also experimenting with putting my images on various products, but haven't been able to do any shows recently to see how they're received.  My usual art festivals this summer have been canceled, but no doubt they'll return and I can't wait to see all the art that people have created during this time and all those "I'll get around to it someday" projects we've all been putting off that we've finally completed.  Until then, stay healthy, stay safe, and love one another, my friends!

Coloring Page: Little Bird

     When times get hard and things get stressful, there's nothing like a little art therapy.  I don't know about you, but a little coloring usually does the trick for me.  Last night, I drew this bird for you so feel free to print out a copy and curl up with a box of crayons or the media of your choice.  Hope it helps!  Have a good day and stay safe out there, my friends!

Stay Home Online Art Show

     These are some strange times we're living in.  No one's been here before and we don't always know what to do or how to help the situation.  Our public events have been postponed or cancelled and that includes the art shows and craft fairs artists like us would be involved in about now.  Well, since we all can't be together, I thought this could be the next best thing.  Thanks to everyone who sent me images and supported this little project.  I hope it brightens your day.  So put on your formal wear or your finest jammies, pour yourself a glass of wine, and enjoy the show!

Christine Cassatt-Salva"Untitled"
Painted wooden bowl
2020
$50 (paypal.me/ChristineSalva)

Carol Fielding
"Dragonfly"
Acrylic
2020
(https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/carol-fielding)

Mia Sky
"Day 3"
Digital media
2014

Mia Sky
"Day 4"
Digital media
2014

Mia Sky
"Day 67"
Digital media
2013

Mia Sky
"Day 92"
Digital media
2012

Julie Gocal
"Harley"
Acrylic
2020

Lani Harmon
"Untitled"
Mixed media
2020

Lani Harmon
"Untitled"
Mixed media
2020

Lani Harmon
"Untitled"
Mixed media
2020

Lani Harmon
"Untitled"
Mixed media
2020

Sam Perry
"Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy"
Acrylic
2019
NFS

Sam Perry
"Leda and the Swan"
Acrylic
2019
NFS

Cathryn Stranahan
"Any Road Will Take You There"
Acrylic
2020

Cathryn Stranahan
"Goose Sitting"
Acrylic on canvas panel
2020

     Thanks for coming and supporting the arts!

God bless.

Celtic Inspired Paintings

     For the past eight years or so, I've painted a series of small acrylic paintings featuring some Celtic/ Book of Kells- inspired creatures and people.  As a person of Irish descent, the colorful designs and illustrations always spoke to me and I sought to give them new life with bright vivid colors and my own spin on the designs of birds, hounds, and more.  They're pretty fun to do, but also quite labor-intensive.  Depending on the size and complexity of the design, they can take anywhere from a couple weeks to even a few months to complete!  Birds are my favorite to do because of the feathers.  The bird pictured above is painted with acrylic on stretched canvas measuring 4x4 inches and is titled "Nollaig."  Nollaig is an Irish name meaning Christmas and the painting features some bright red and green designs.  

     I call this one "St. Matthew's Angel" and it's the only person I've painted I think.  I've done paintings depicting all four symbols of the four Evangelists including "St. Johns Eagle," "St. John's Eagle 2," "St. Luke's Ox," and "St. Mark's Lion."  While some have sold, I'm still looking for homes for the others and have been trying to add them to my Etsy shop weekly.  If you would like to see what's available, you can head over to my shop at ravenmaidcreative.etsy.com or click on the link in my banner.  Thanks for stopping by today!  If you have a minute, comment below and just say hello!

2020 Vision Board

     Hi, friends!  Hope 2020 is treating you well so far.  Make any new resolutions?  If so, how are they holding up nearly a month in?  It can be easy to start the year off with ambitious new goals only to lose sight of them in the midst of everything else that comes along.  This year, I decided to try something different.  At our most recent meeting for the Rising Tide Society (Tuesdays Together,) we talked about vision boards and how they can help you visualize and keep your goals in mind.  There are plenty of articles and videos about vision boards that can probably explain better than I can, but I wanted to show you my (current) version. 
     First off, this digital vision board doubles as the desktop wallpaper on my laptop.  I've left some blank space on the right for my folders, etc. and some space along the bottom for my dock.  The great thing is I can easily go into Photoshop and change things around as necessary.  You can see my colors match my logo.  The images remind me why I do what I do (faith, family, and to hopefully fund future mission trips) and some goals I have.  Some of those goals include passing the CPP exam and becoming a PPA Certified Professional Photographer and traveling more.  This year, I also hope to produce more quality work for my portfolio instead of a bunch of smaller projects.  What about you?  Have you ever made a vision board?  If so, do you have any tips to share?

The Rest of the Year in Review

     So obviously, I haven't been keeping my blog up to date, but here's a quick summary of the rest of this year's shows.  Starting in July, I participated in Waterfire Sharon.  It was a beautiful day and I had a great location as well as some new equipment.  I got to see some of my Sharon artist friends and find some new homes for some of my art and crafts.  Here's a look at my setup for "Beach Bash."

The view down the street.

My teal bunny was all decked out and a big hit with the crowd.

Unlike past years when I've only done the July Waterfire, this year I did the September event as well.  The theme was "80s to the Max."

     In November, I had some holiday shows including one at the Zem Zem Temple in Erie and one at the East Erie Moose Club.  

     In December, I once again participated in the Holiday Art Market in Sharon and it was one of my best shows of the year!  My friend Christine was able to join me and we had a great time at the Landing.

                            

My Pittsburgh-themed ornaments were my best sellers!

     So as another year draws to a close, I'm thankful for everyone who's joined me on this journey.  I'm always experimenting and trying to find my niche and better ways to do things.  I still have a lot to learn about the creative industry, but with all the support from awesome people like you, it's bound to pay off soon.  Thank you and see you in 2020!

Hermitage Arts Festival 2019

    I spent all last weekend at one of my most favorite festivals, the Hermitage Arts Festival.  Held in Rodney White Park, this year's festival featured about 45 vendors as well as a 5K race, live music, fireworks, a dog costume contest, and kids crafts.  As usual, it was a wonderful atmosphere and the staff and volunteers did an awesome job! 

I have some of my bird wall ornaments back for the summer!

Saturday night features a fireworks display in the field by Hickory High School.

My teal bunny is a big hit with the crowd!

One of the great things about a two day festival is the the opportunity to try a couple different display arrangements!

Another view of my "gallery."

Here's a shot of me and my booth taken by some fellow guild members in the booth next door.

I spent part of Sunday working on some new butterfly ornaments.

This year, I was on the side of the park closer to the stage so I could hear the music a lot better which was nice!  This is a shot of the local community band.  

Here's a view of the entrance from the food court area.

Finally, here's where kids can come and paint and participate in some art activities.

Well, there could be some changes coming.  Word is the location may be changed to Buhl Park.  I don't know if that is good or bad, but I'm still excited for next year.  You can find me next at Waterfire in Sharon on July 27!