Fine Art America

I just started posting on Fine Art America. I'm really enjoying looking through the artwork. There are amazing, inspiring artists on this site.

I love this painting by Ken Valastro, of course it reminds me of my daughters :) Yes, I am a sentimental sap.
I hope you'll check out my work on Fine Art America! I'll be putting more work on as I can!

How much do I really need...

My husband thinks he needs the whole house "right" before he can do any artwork.  He doesn't have a good place to work right now.  He's right, we really need to put some elbow grease into our house.  I've been satisfied to make do with it how it is- but it's time to rearrange things.  He's also right that it's much easier, and less stressful to work in a space that is clutter free and your materials are easily within reach.  We need a space that makes sense for our art.
We have been trying to weed, and purge anything in our house that we don't want anymore.  What a nightmare!  Have you seen those shows on tv about hoarders, or "buried alive"? Yikes! When we took everything out of the attic, that's what it looked like! I have been stuffing things in that attic for 17 years.  I really had no idea what was buried in there anymore.  I re-found some interesting things- arrowheads, antique jewelry, an old wedding dress. I've been sorting and sorting.  I took clothes to the "Hodge Podge" consignment shop yesterday in hopes of making a little cash.  Today I will tackle the basement.
My biggest collections are books, clothes, decorating stuff, art stuff... I don't have really valuable things, but I keep some strange things that I just find interesting.  I also keep little things that trigger fond memories, like tickets to shows, wedding programs, notes, etc. and I intentionally leave them in purses and pockets, because I love refinding them and remembering something sweet or fun.  I have accumulated a ridiculous amount of stuff!  I know I don't need it all, but I can't seem to make decisions about what to get rid of.  I always think I will make something out of it, or my students could use it, or my own children will want it when they have their own home.
One thing leads to another- we took everything out of the attic, and put things into the basement and garage, now they are a mess!  Somehow the basement being a mess led to the decision to move the vcr upstairs, which led to rearranging the upstairs tv hutch, which led to needing cords to connect the sound to the overhead speakers, which led to a new sound box, and so on...
Right now my husband is working on the technology dilemma, what do we need in each room, what wire and cord is best for which device...
I'll be really excited when we are done.  When the whole house has been sorted, fixed, redefined! Maybe then we can get back to our art!

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back from Chicago...

We just returned from a trip to Chicago. I'm so inspired by all the artwork! Everywhere you turn there is beautiful artwork!  Here are just a few examples...

at the train station

public art on the street

stained glass museum at Navy Pier

the wall outside of our hotel 

even the sink at the hotel was "artsy"

Art is everywhere you look in Chicago...