I wake up in the morning, grateful for another day and I get to start all over again.

The days, when I’m stumped or can’t get the creative flow going, I look to my fuel packets…my art journals! :)  I either create pages in my art journal or I look through art journals, I’ve created in the past and that usually gets me going.

It’s good to revisit my art journals from time-to-time.  I especially look through all of them, at the end of the year. This year will be more meaningful to me, than ever. There is a lot of emotions in this year’s collection.

Art Journaling  is the best fuel for me and it’s accessible at any time.

What fuels your creativity, your peace and/or happiness? I would love to know, leave me a comment(s).

Have a great weekend and fill up on the things that make you happy and at peace with yourself.

(Photo Image:  On-going 2011 Art Journal Collection – ©2011 Indigene)

ALA - Ibo Goddess

Last week, she was just a pretty face, with a splash of blue in the background sitting on my easel. Voila, this week, she is making her debut.

ALA, also spelled ALE, ALLA also known as ANE - Earth Mother Goddess of the Ibo tribe in Nigeria. Creator of the living and Queen of the dead. Provider of communal loyalty and Lawgiver of society. Her symbol is the crescent moon.  She is still worshiped by the Ibo today, who pay tribute to her each year during the Yam festival.

Ala is a part of my Goddess Series. I think this series may be ongoing for some time, since there are thousands of goddesses from all over the world clamoring for me to paint them! Feminine Energy is rocking the world now and forever!

Ala’s Vital Statistic: 30″ x 22″, mixed media (Graphite, layered with many layers of watercolor paint and finished with acrylic paint).

(Inside info: Ala’s face is based on a beautiful young woman who now lives in South Carolina, and her baby bump was fashioned by a lovely mommy who gave birth to a lovely little girl, in January last year! Thank you ladies!)

Original Price: $800 – Unframed, plus S/H   -  Limited Edition Prints of (150) Signed and numbered – $75 Unframed plus S/H.      All framing would be an additional cost.

I’m in the “nookery” (another word for my art studio). I’m just humming with creativity and joy! I have so much that I’m working on now. I am working on images from my Southwest Landscape Series. I took an extensive trip to New Mexico and took over 700 reference pictures and also did numerous sketches. There is something about Taos, New Mexico, that just does it for me, I was so feeling the vibe of  artist, Georgia O’Keefe.

I’m in the “Nookery” (another name for my art studio), humming with creativity and joy! I am also working on some commissioned work, which I’ll post about another time in the future.

Well, it’s Friday, I stop work at 7:00PM, when I will kick back with the family, have a nice glass of Champagne, listen to world music, chat about our day, eat some comfort food and then watch “Legends of the Guardians”. Hmmm…I can’t wait!

May you enjoy what makes you happy and healthy. Peace to you all.

Many people have New Year’s resolutions and I’m no different, but for me they’re a little more special, since it’s my birthday, too and they become my birthday wishes as well. Making resolutions, writing them down and letting others know what the resolutions are, help me to stay the course during the year.

Big Thanks and shout out to Maria Brophy for giving me a little help in my artistic resolution department.

FIVE NEW YEAR ART/ARTIST RESOLUTIONS:

1.) I RESOLVE TO PROMOTE MYSELF SHAMELESSLY. I will always have photos of my work with me to show to people I meet. I will introduce myself as an artist, and I will have a business card ready to hand out and make it easy for people to remember me and what I do.

2.) I RESOLVE TO CULTIVATE A GREAT WEBSITE. I will love it and nurture it and keep it updated weekly. My site will clearly demonstrate what I do and how to reach me.

3.) I RESOLVE TO CONTINUE OPERATING WITH COMPLETE INTEGRITY. I will DO WHAT I say I am going to do, WHEN I say I’m going to do it, 100% of the time. I HAVE earn a reputation for being reliable and upfront, and dependable. I HAVE become the person that people come to because not only do they love my art, they trust me and can count on me.

4.) I RESOLVE TO CONTINUE EDUCATING MYSELF IN THE BUSINESS OF ART. I will read at least 3 new books this year on marketing art, selling art, the business of art, etc. and learn new, better ways of doing things.

5.) I RESOLVE TO CONTINUE CONNECTING WITH OTHERS AND SHARE INFORMATION. I will spend more time with other creative people, sharing information and ideas and exchanging pricing strategies, tips on techniques, and anything else that will help a fellow artist (and myself) be more successful. I will be generous with my time and information. I will come to believe that the success of others only helps with my success, and vice-versa.

Most of all I will continue to love and support my family, whom give me the greatest joy of all.

May everyone be blessed in the coming year, when one door closes on you, may another open at the same time.

In peace.

I was in the “zone”, (which is the preoccupation of obsessively creating an image), becoming so strong in my mind’s eye, that I am only freed from the zone by completing the actual work.  I worked days, excessively on this image.

I know that I feel exposed when I show any part of the process to anyone outside the zone of my head.  I am aware that I am exposed.

I took breaks, but it is the night of another day of obsessing over every little piece of it, adding, subtracting, pacing around the work, only stopping to take nature’s breaks, which can be a nuisance when in the creative zone.

It is only when the image is getting near the final stages that I feel I have revealed my subject or an aspect of them in an honest approach.

]]> http://indigeneart.com/2010/02/11/next-stage-wip-obsession/feed/ 2 http://indigeneart.com/2009/11/01/autumn-bliss/ http://indigeneart.com/2009/11/01/autumn-bliss/#comments Sun, 01 Nov 2009 07:43:28 +0000 Indigene http://indigeneart.com/?p=705

I’m in the studio finishing up Autumn projects and basking in the glow of Fall’s fabulous, beautiful and rich colors.

Enjoy everyday of this season!!  Peace to you all.

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Well the unique part of doing work in my studio is that my studio is also my living area, my dining area, and my study area! So every time, I need to do anything not related to art, let’s say eat, or relax, I need to jump up and put everything away or move things aside or ask for family help in doing some of these things!

It makes life very interesting or very frustration for me, depending or whether or not it’s a full moon! I’m affected by the moon, the seasons, whether I’m awaken from a well-deserved sleep or been rudely awaken! Thus the name of my blog: Mood Swings

Now back to the studio…

This area is where I usually paint. I like to use clip-on lights to surround the easel in addition to lighting from the ceiling. I use daytime lighting. I have a mirror on the right side of my easel, so that I can pull the artwork off the easel and look at it in the mirror to allow me to see any things that appear off that I may not notice while I’m working on it. This doesn’t mean that all my work is perfect, it just means that I may notice something needs to be changed and I’ll change it or I’ll leave it, because it feels right to me!

Next to my easel is a very long table, that I love to work on (much to my family’s dismay!) because I am constantly trying to remove the evidence of my work!

This is where I do my traveling when I can’t actually afford to leave the house! I sometimes relax and look at the hundreds of reference books/images I’ve acquired to give me that inspiration boost that I need after setting up for art or putting my art stuff away!

This is where I work on my computer, and where the life blood comes in, I’m talking projects for money! This is as neat as it ever gets!

So there you have it…you now see where I work and play (they are one and the same)! Over half the work on my website now was created in the areas I’ve shown you! So now you’ve had a visit to my studio.