Art updates! a look at my art journals and a few other fancies.

This post was scheduled beforehand because it is actually my Anna Ruth's BIRTHDAY TODAY! woohoooooooooo! My sweet, smart gal is FOUR.  

I'll devote another post to her day soon. 

But for now, we must celebrate!

Although I haven't been doing the sandwich board walk of advertising my art back and forth (and back and forth) via the web this summer, I've actually been quite busy.  The lost in la la land kind of busy.  With a few custom canvases thrown in! My fave!
 I started the summer desperate to paint my bliss.  To give myself time and space to play and have fun.  To see which colors I like smashed right up next to each other and which ones didn't play so nicely together.  That's just precisely what I've been up to.  

This little canvas panel was done for a friend for her birthday.  I most definitely liked the colors on it and would like to try and repeat them on another canvas sometime. 

Always good to have the Sofia the first plastic phone around in case of emergency. :) Every now and then I get the urge to really, really clean out the studio and maybe even go wild and do something drastic like paint the walls.  But then I remember how my painting time comes in little pockets or waves of time and suddenly it makes complete sense that the counter is usually quite crowded, the art supplies shoved together to keep one another company until I can steal a few more minutes. 

My most favorite thing to do is wake up real early and start the day with coffee in hand, art supplies in the other.  As I tiptoe into the dark of the studio it just seems like there's not ever a more possibility filled moment.  

 A big part of my art I also love is photo styling.  I keep a rather random list of things I'd like to have for my photos in my my mind and antique spoons have been on there for a while.  Last weekend while I was in KC I found a whole pile at the half-off sale at the thrift store!  Wooohooo! That means these were 10 cents each.  I almost wanted to squeal with excitement.  

 My biggest record keeper and most favorite book ever right now is my altered book art journal.  

 This is where I rub paint with my fingers, swipe it with a brush, or simply dribble, draw, and just delight in the pleasure that is art.  Some pages end up like these, a story waiting to be finished.

 While other pages are filled in with details or thoughts of the day and called "done." 

 (a personal favorite spread)

 I have dedicated this particular art journal for prayers, poems, happy lists, color combos, photographs, washi tape, and all types of paint.  

 I've also been playing around in my sketchbook from Barnes and Noble some.  I only use Stabilo pencil, Sharpie pen, or watercolor pencil in this particular journal.  It holds many ideas I'd like to turn into a painting on canvas someday! 

 My art hasn't stopped at the journals lately though.  I've also enjoyed doing a few projects for Canvas Corp and am having so much fun painting on the tons of cute, inspirational products they make like this bag!  I even carried this to the library and fit a ton of books inside.  It is painted with paint from Canvas Corp, which is Tattered Angels brand, along with a couple of additional colors from a big box store.  You should check out Canvas Corp's website!
(this is the same place I taught the class at last week!)

And last, but certainly not least,

I added these to my shop if you're interested! 

(I also do custom canvases! Simply send me an email and we'll get started talking! 

sunshinebysara@hotmail.com)

So friends, my summer has certainly been an artsy one.  I'm just taking one day at a time, painting and photographing away.  Not sure what I'll have coming up in the future as far as events, but I DO know I'll be teaching again at Canvas Corp, hosting a few classes at the farm, and getting a website makeover next month! 

How about you?  How are you including art in your days?