Garden Blooms Collection Releases Soon

I am so ready for spring.  Montana spring is full of the occasional snow.  Gardens full of peas and lettuce will be a welcome sight.  And flowers.  I am excited for flowers.  The year 2020 has brought so much unpredictable and strangeness for daily life.  So while we might be feeling impatient for some beauty in the garden, I can bring you some blooms earlier than they will bloom locally.  Color so vibrant and touches of playful watercolor effects are on the way.  They are titled, in my art inventory,  have been photographed and now being uploaded on the website!

It has been my goal to remain  creative.   I find that even if no one needs my art, I need it.  I crave and heal through the process of creating art.  This outlet helps me cope with what is happening around me.

There are roses and sunflowers among the artworks coming soon to my website.   Nearly twenty in all, ranging in sizes from miniatures to 5" x 7" with prices that are super budget friendly.   My target date is May 21st, 2020 for these to be available online to purchase. 

I would like to add a few larger pieces to this collection though that may take a few weeks.  I have limited time available now.  I have returned to my seasonal nannying position on weekdays.   The small pockets of time available are key to making art and getting it ready to release online.

Would you like early access to see new artwork? 

My plan at the present is to release an art collection every 2 or 3 weeks.  That is dependent on a lot of things but it always helps to have a target.  There are seven collections ready to be released.  I will need to create the listings on my website which takes a few hours for each collection.  At this time, the collections are as follows:  Garden Blooms, Ethereal Expressive (landscapes), Summer Memories (landscapes), Waterfalls and Rivers, Trees, Autumn, and Winter.  I have plans to add two more collections, Wildflowers II and Prairie.

My website is www.christysheeler.com so go visit and you will be invited to sign up for my mailing list.  I have not been brave enough to actually try sending out a newsletter...until now.  Do it scared, right?  I do plan to send out an announcement for the release of each collection.  Sign up and you'll know before I publish it on social media!  What can be better than that?

I have two private commissions in the planning stages.  These will be larger pieces considering the sizes I have been working in lately.  I have been trying out studies in watercolor to prepare myself for working out the composition and values and color pigment choices.

One of my goals for this season is a better morning routine,  with about an hour reserved for being in my art room.   

Along with this, I have been bringing a small bag of watercolor supplies to work and I can find time to paint one or two times a week.  Even 30 minutes helps my outlook so much.

The two palettes shown are the Cornucopia Empty Watercolor Palette Trays.  They come as a 2-pack with 72 empty half-pans.  I ordered them from Amazon and they were under $20 total.  Dick Blick sells a larger variety for sizes of empty palette and full pans or half pans.  I chose pigments that would be lovely together, either just the one palette by itself or both together.  They have primary pigments and other favorites for pairing and mixing.  The sketch journals are Global Handbook Artist Journals.  The collapsible water cup is the Faber-Castell Clic & Go

I have been searching out a small and medium size bag perfect for organizing and protecting my art supplies.   Another of my goals is to have a perfectly packed for small quick day trips and longer ones as well.

It's great to be able to post this update and I will be working hard to make this spring and summer productive.  Thanks for stopping in to join me for this chat and let me know if you have any comments or questions.  You can comment below or send me a message through the link off to the right.

Christy

-She must make art.

Hollyhocks Blooming on Paper

I've got an attraction to hollyhocks and it started quite a while ago.  Years ago...before I was a mom...I painted with a group of artists.  It seems like another lifetime, really.  On one of our artist get-togethers, we met at Pat's place.  With art supplies and lawn chairs, we scouted out our subject for the day.  We sat out in the sun, sketching and painting while we visited together.

The subject was an old house on the property...with hollyhocks in the front garden.  Unexpectedly, I found delight in painting the hollyhocks.  They weren't detailed but more of a suggestion, their form and creating them was so fluid.  They were more effortless than I imagined they could be.  This was a nice change from my need to be so detailed and exact.  Turns out, this has been a theme in my creative time...letting go of exact.

Reflecting on days spent with artist friends.

This very painting now hangs in my art studio and it's dear to me.  A little house with so much charm that's been maintained and cared for...like a little bit of quaint beauty that takes the viewer back to a different time.  There was so much about it that I loved, which is how I hope it is described it on paper.  A lovely day with artist friends, captured here, has a lot of sentiment attached.
Do you see the hollyhocks all loose and fresh as they welcome you onto the front porch?

I was just walking along, minding my own business.

Fast forward quite a number of years to summer of 2015.  I was walking down our alley and there are reseeded hollyhocks in all shades of pink.  They just grow untended along the backside of a storage shed.  I remember how the view affected me.  The tall stalks and blossoms against the weathered wood out building with full sun.  I quickly retraced my steps back home to grab a camera because this was perfect art reference material!

Undeniably, I am an artist.  It's a crazy process.

I have been able to find more time and energy for my love of watercolor.  The art studio is no longer an abandoned place without life.  My life, in my mind, is described in seasons tied together with whether I was able to spend time with watercolor painting.  Does that sound crazy?  I was created with this deep desire to create and watercolors just hit the target like no other medium.  When I must place it further down on my priorities list, I feel it deeply.

I have been all over the place with several different subjects.  Hollyhocks, a black beach on Maui, and several mountain landscape views.  The hollyhocks keep drawing me back to study them, capture them with paint one more time.  There's been joy mixed with frustration.  In certain moments, I was tempted to toss the current one aside and call it unsalvageable.  Sometimes, I would rather start again than keep making more effort on the same painting.  It's hard to say which is the wiser option.  I've learned that it's worth pushing through and seeing what another hour's effort will do.  Undeniably, I am an artist.  It's a crazy process.

I am trying to communicate through my brush what my mind wants to communicate.

In a frustrated state, I'll state out loud to no one in particular, "I guess that flower does NOT want to be in this painting?!"  And I regroup.  I rethink where I would like to go with this effort.  It happens.  It happens often.  With time I have gotten over thinking this isn't supposed to happen.  I can shrug it off and start again more flexibly than my younger self would have done.

Sometimes I'm just loving where the brushstrokes are moving and mixing on the paper.  Other times, I'm wondering what just happened and how should I move forward next.

Artists may work in a way that appears to be easy.  From an onlooker's point of view, the artist may seem to do it so well that we suppose they never struggle in the process.  That's just not true.  If it were, we'd probably find the art process very boring.  I don't think the level of skill matters...artists will continue to strive for improvement in their skill.  Artists want to develop and grow and capture more.  Artists have an intense need to communicate what captivates them better than they did in the past.

I've been working on Yupo synthetic surface and watercolor paper both.  I'll share my results with you.  There are pockets of joy in the results.  There are areas of struggle.  Petals and shadows that I didn't fully capture to my satisfaction.  I didn't describe it all in the way it affected me.  I'm growing in my ability to change up the composition and the forms.

Something exciting is happening.

These next artworks show something changing...I am not sketching at all.  I am letting myself have freedom from being so married to the art reference photo.  Get the music playing, spray down the palette and then I explore the emotion these flowers draw out.  Their shape, the space they fill, the colors created by sunlight and shadow.  What is a pink blossom in the sunlight?  What is it in the areas of shadow?  What type of yellow green captures the leaves and stalks?  Add some water for a bloom and then some spatter of color.

The learning comes in the doing.

If you are itching to pick up a brush and have a go with the watercolors, do it.  Go.  Don't hesitate.  You'll find a joy in the movement of pigment across the paper.  There are so many opportunities for learning now.  Order a book.  Watch a YouTube video.  You will fight fear and hesitation.  The learning comes in the doing.  The doing brings a peace and relaxation.  It's a therapy.  You will grow and understand it a bit at a time.  You'll never master it.  That's okay.  You'll be excited and challenged and alive.

What subject or art medium has hooked you so strongly?  What have you felt you must try creating one more time?  What do you desire to capture on paper, on canvas, or in clay?


-Christy

She must make art.

Roadside Views of Yucca Blooming

Montana life means

 time spent on the road.  

Road trips mean fast stops for photography!  I spend my time in the passenger seat with a camera in my lap.  While we travel down the road, I watch for interesting details along the way.  Recently we drove to Bozeman to see some of my family.  A few hours and Famous Dave's BBQ made a great Father's Day!  We didn't have much time to spend together but we made the most of it!  We spent the evening with them and then drove back home late that night.

While we made our way to Bozeman that day, I gazed out the window at the landscape.  A beautiful day was framed in with bright blue skies above and these lovely yucca blooming on the hillside.  We pulled off at the next exit, giving me opportunity to hop out of the car.  A quick 3 minutes with my camera resulted in a few great reference photos.  The blossoms are bundled in clusters on the stalk.  The shades of color vary with outer petals having more of a rusty pink tinge.  The wind was blowing (of course it was...this IS Montana)  so the petals are more open in some areas.  The roadside views of yucca blooming made for such a nice surprise that day!

Artist in the Garden, May 2016

This was the ideal day for planting!  With plenty of sunshine, I got outside just after 9 a.m. and began the garden work.  It's more therapy than work.  My aching back is now arguing that it still qualifies as work.  Two raised beds, a planting guide in grid form, and a wide variety of seed packets were all ready to go!  We began gardening this way in 2010 and it's an easy, low maintenance way to keep a garden.

A perfect day for planting! Studio plans on hold. Seeds are in the ground!!! #artistonpause #plantingseeds #squarefootgardening #best therapy #sunfilledday

A photo posted by Christy Sheeler (@christysheeler.artist) on May 4, 2016 at 2:46pm PDT

There are quite a few plants already doing well in the soil.  I was pleased to see the beautiful red tulips.  The bulbs have been there for many years, planted before we moved here in 2000.  They are determined to come up and show their faces every year!

The bunching green onions are from seed planted last year.  Soon, they'll have blossoms and then seed.  Last year, I tried the onion bulbs for $1.49/bag.  I had no idea they could be so easy to grow!  We enjoyed small onions all summer long.

The Johnny Jump-Ups are popping up from where they self-sowed last year.  There are several rogue mint plants.  Though I transplanted the main mint plant to an herb bed last year, there continue to be  a few more popping up in the garden bed.

Johnny Jump-Up and rogue mint leaves. They greeted me as I began sowing seeds. #squarefootgardening #artistinthegarden #purpleviolas #gardentherapy

A photo posted by Christy Sheeler (@christysheeler.artist) on May 4, 2016 at 3:47pm PDT

More spring photography from Instagram!

When a subject from nature interests me, I take the opportunity to take as many photographs as possible.  Building my photography collection for art references is a serious effort.  I'm sure I've mentioned this before but it's crazy true.  My obsession with attention to detail, watching for a perspective or angle that I can't pass up is always there.  In the past few days, I've checked on the cherry blossoms often and taken perhaps 200 photos...some turn out and some don't, so I go a bit overboard to allow for mess ups.  I've been experimenting with the backgrounds being less distracting and more blurred.  I'm also learning that the tripod needs to go along and be put to good use!  New habits 101...

More cherry blossoms opening over the weekend. Camera is being put to work! Grabbing as many photos as possible while they last. #cherryblossoms2016 #firstbackyardblooms #artreferencephotos #happyforspring

A photo posted by Christy Sheeler (@christysheeler.artist) on Apr 5, 2016 at 8:04pm PDT

Sketchbook has a bit of ink and watercolor, excitement for projects coming soon. Delicate pale pink cherry blossoms. #quickinkandwatercolor #sketchbookquickie #nopencilnoerasing #springishereagain

A photo posted by Christy Sheeler (@christysheeler.artist) on Apr 6, 2016 at 11:39am PDT

I'm excited to share a few more photos from our afternoon drive in the Lewis and Clark National Forest.  We just say, "let's take a drive up the Teton."  The fresh, clean air and big, blue sky combined with the scent of pine is just a rejuvenating way to escape regular life stuff for a while.

Sunday afternoon. Brilliantly vivid green lush moss. Numbingly icy cold fresh water. Can you just hear the lovely sound as it moves over the rocks? #wonderfulwaterfall #localsknowthisplace #moreartreferencephotos #northforkoftheteton #sundaydriveinthemountains #lewisandclarknationalforest

A photo posted by Christy Sheeler (@christysheeler.artist) on Apr 6, 2016 at 10:55am PDT

More down below the road, near to the river bed. The moss stands out against surroundings still waiting a turn for waking up to spring. #wonderfulwaterfall #moreartreferencephotos #lewisandclarknationalforest #sundaydriveinthemountains #northforkoftheteton

A photo posted by Christy Sheeler (@christysheeler.artist) on Apr 6, 2016 at 11:23am PDT

See you tomorrow!  I'm preparing to share some useful tips on keeping a better perspective, a continuation of the topic from last week.

-Christy

Spring at Higher Elevation in Montana

Spring means crocus on the foothills of the mountains here on the east side of the Rocky Mountains.  A Sunday afternoon drive includes a packed picnic of hot dogs, potato chips, and store bought cookies.  Hmmm...and a 2 lb. bag of Sour Patch Kids candies.  No, we didn't finish it.  It was a nice unexpected treat that made the ride more fun.  The late-afternoon sun danced through the trees and off the icy water running downstream.  I would have stayed for a week, given the option!  Thinking now on how to pack the summer art bag...is lighter possible?

I'll add another photo tomorrow.

-Christy

Sunday afternoon drive for mountain and fresh air fix. A few crocus on the lower foothills. #mountainwildflowers #purplecrocus #montanawildflowers #montanaphoto #springishereagain

A photo posted by Christy Sheeler (@christysheeler.artist) on Apr 3, 2016 at 7:45pm PDT

Mountain stream in late afternoon. Therapy like this is hard to beat. #coldmountainwater #soundofriverstream #sundayafternoondrives

A photo posted by Christy Sheeler (@christysheeler.artist) on Apr 3, 2016 at 8:13pm PDT

Christy Sheeler Artist at Society6

Another avenue for my watercolor artwork

It brings me much excitement and joy to share my artwork is uploaded and available to purchase online.

Christy Sheeler Artist on Society6:  A great selection of art design items!!!

My originals are available for purchase on Etsy ChristySheelerArtist now.  This one, titled Poppy Single hasn't been added to the Etsy shop yet...but soon.
In time, I'll have my own website and ready to have them purchased there.

How great would it be to have my art on a tote bag, an iphone case, a coffee cup...

Well, that is reality as of today!

This will be a project in the making...my work is cut out for me.  If there is a painting you've seen here and would really love to have available on the Society6 site, please comment or send me an email!  

                                      

                        Coffee Mug                          Mobile Device Cases                        Throw Pillows



                                           

                     Tote Bag                                        Rug 3 sizes                                  Fine Art Prints  




I am absolutely in LOVE with this Poppy Single artwork, as you can tell... it's the one I chose to take on this adventure.  So, now there are many more to come...

Thank you for visiting today!

You never know when I'll have something new I can't wait to share!!!

Have a fabulous weekend!

-Christy

Christmas Tea: Part 3

place card tags for a Christmas tea

Place cards are such a special touch and a few details can make them beautiful.  It takes a little bit of experimentation to come up with a design.  Brown kraft paper tags were my beginning of my idea.  I had the brown twine and the metallic washi tape.  I found the leaves rubber stamp set at a local craft shop, Creative Addictions.  The set is Fossil Leaves by Inkadinkadoo.  If you don't have a craft store near, Amazon sells them for less than $5.00.  The espresso ink pad used is by ColorBox.  I had been given a package of smaller white paper doilies and I wanted to incorporate them in some way.

My Pinterest board for many of the ideas and products I used can be found HERE.

In keeping with the simplistic design, I opted for clear plastic silverware from the dollar store.  At the Christmas Tea, platters of appetizers and desserts (in small portions) are served at each table; plastic silverware would make clean up so much easier.  I've got a silver/gray tablecloth and napkins from last year.  My napkin folded design would be a small rectangle shape with a pocket.  These place cards would be tied around the napkin.

In Publisher software, I created a table 4 columns by 2 rows.  By stretching this table to fit the paper, I adjusted to the size I wanted for my tags.  I edited the table format to have a dotted line outline for easier cutting on the paper cutter.  The names were typed in Landsdowne font, size 55 with placement at the lower portion of the rectangle shaped cell.

I printed a rough draft on plain white copy paper to check the size of the tags.  When I was pleased with the size and design, I printed it on brown card stock.  The tags were cut apart on the paper cutter.  I played with a blank tag to get the angles right; that tag served as a guide to trim the other tags.  With scissors, I clipped the top corners of the tags.  The square blue punch shown is a handy tool to have!  Slip the tag in, press down and the corners are now rounded.

I don't have step by step photos of the process.  I first stamped the tag with the leaves in espresso.  Next, I added the washi tape to the bottom edge.  White paper doilies were trimmed on the paper cutter to create a lacy edge.  I glued it on with a cheap craft brush and tacky glue.  A hole punch finished off the tag.  The brown twine was added and later tied around the napkin.

Christmas Tea Party

A rustic box, flowers and a string of lights

The past three weeks have been a whirlwind of activity!  While the art studio has been put to great use, there haven't been any paintings in progress.  The watercolor palettes are tucked away in the refrigerator for a while longer.  My parents spent two and a half weeks with us; what an incredible joy to have them here for my birthday, Thanksgiving and a special Christmas Tea.  If you haven't read previous posts, my exercise ball and I had a misunderstanding.  After a fall to the floor, my pelvis and tailbone needed some recovery time.  My parents arrived just when I needed them most, making it possible for me to keep up with several commitments.  They kept this house busy with activity, cleaning, repairing, organizing and decorating.  I just can't thank them enough!

Last time, I shared the making of seed packets to share with my table guests at the annual Christmas Tea at our church.  I've been planning my table decor since September but had to make some adjustments to those plans.  Simplicity and ease were now more important than ever.  Thankfully, most of the hard work was behind me.  I just needed to set up what I had envisioned in my head; whether it would look like I imagined, I needed to see for sure.

"The grass withers and the flower fades 

but the word of our God will stand forever!"

Isaiah 40:8

That was my inspiration for this table decor.  As I mulled over what to share this week, I thought that it might be fun to share the process of putting all the separate elements together.  Hopefully, you'll find this fun and interesting.  I believe home decor IS art.  My sister claims she doesn't have the same talent I have but I disagree.  Her home is just lovely and her ideas are fantastic.  I draw so much from what she does with every room of her home.  She doesn't know how much I quietly observe and gather ideas from her.

Nature's Water Therapy

Have you ever needed to get away for few days?

At the end of July, our two teens were gone for a week.  We had a weekend to get away by ourselves.  We went camping.  I know, you're saying, "really, again?"  It's what summer in Montana is made for...there's no other way to explain it.  The beautiful blue skies and the landscape is just too irresistible.  We packed up the basics we would need and headed for the mountains.  It's under an hour's drive and we have our little home-away-from-home parked and settled.  We had a great time sharing one another's undivided attention.  There wasn't a set schedule and we ate when we were hungry.  It was so freeing to not be thinking about a regular mealtime schedule.  We ate our favorite junk food.  We didn't have to be a good example of healthy eating!  It was a nice vacation from the typical camping trip for our family of four.  We missed our kids while they were gone for that ten days but the break relaxed us a great amount.  The weather that weekend brought high temperatures and I noticed that many flowers were done blooming.  The vegetation was changing, preparing for late summer turning to become autumn.  There were signs that the local area was dry, which would in turn result in a great number of wildfires.  

While we were out taking the dog for a walk, I had my camera but it late morning which meant the sun was high.  The lighting was not best for photography.  Everything had a tendency to be washed out and had less contrast.  The longer shadows of morning and evening really add to composition.  I ought to make myself get out earlier and sacrifice sleep for my art.  I wished that I'd been out early in the morning but sleeping in late was such a welcome option.  I didn't really view this weekend outing the same as others.  I had been pushing so hard at home in the studio and felt the need for some time off.  My main focus was on enjoying a relaxing time with my husband.  Photography for art references wasn't the main goal that it had been on previous camping trips.  

This area runs along the road and is a series of beaver dams.  The colors were a little washed out, especially in the sky but I used a few Picasa filters for improvement.  When I have a photo I'm not

Summer's Brief Beauties in the Garden

September is here and soon we will kiss summer goodbye again.  It's Wednesday afternoon and I am so wiped out from a morning at the dentist...but I can't bear to see a week go by without a new post here.  I had figured to push hard and spend the afternoon getting caught up on work in the studio.  After two and a half hours in the chair, coming home with a numb mouth...thoughts of potato soup were in my head.  So thankful for my dear husband and his potato soup today.  He made it on our rainy Labor Day weekend.  I spent several hours comfy with a good book and a warm lap blanket.  Next, I just felt an urge for a nap and didn't fight it.  A wonderful time of quiet, hoping that Lucy, my feline assistant was behaving herself but not caring enough to not fall off to sleep. (Insert photo of hot potato soup and good book here.)  I have been so pleased with my ongoing weekly posts, with no lapses in holding to this challenge I've given myself.  It would be sad to let it go so whatever this post becomes by the end, I didn't give up.  Hang in there with me and we'll see how this goes.