Ya Know...It's the little things...

It's the little things in life that can really make your day... I've had a phenomenal few days.

1. All this going through old material of mine has really inspired me and gotten my creative juices flowing again. Lots of writing lately, lots of thought.. and even lots of painting.

2. I had to make some room for some new things and ended up pulling out a bunch of clothes that I used to be able to wear a few years back when I was super skinny. Now, I haven't really been *trying* as hard as I could be to be losing this extra weight, but I have been eating smarter and moving more... anyway, I tried some of the clothes on, and even though some of them were tight, they went on and buttoned! For a girl, this is HUGE excitement. I was even able to wear one of my favorite jean skirts the other day.

3. Sometimes it's nice to feel appreciated or *remembered*... and that's happened a few times in the past few days for me. Even again tonight with a message from an old friend of mine... just makes a girl feel good.

Lazy Sundays are awesome, by the way. :)

NEW Pieces of Art.... by me! :)

This is the painting that I did for the Sweethearts Gala.

It's 24" x 24" Acrylics and Mixed Media on gallery framed wood

"I Believe In A Thing Called Love"

1 of 4 in the What Is Love? Series

You can get this painting by bidding on it at the Sweethearts Gala, link in my previous post.



This one is the second of the series.

It's 24" x 24" Acrylics and Mixed Media on gallery framed wood

"Crazy Love"

2 of 4 in the What Is Love? Series

This painting is available currently, for $450, which includes shipping within the continental US.


If you'd like to see more of my artwork currently for sale, you can view my Facebook Album. I also accept commissioned work.

Thanks!

-Audrey

Painting More...

Finally!

One of the things that I've been doing over the past couple weeks since getting back has been painting. I'm not sure if it was the complete spiritual renewal while I was there, or if it was a little because I finally felt that it was time... but I went GUNG HO on the painting. I actually plan on painting again today.

While I was in Nashville, with my car all loaded up, I ran into my friend Danny, whose girlfriend Renee has a salon/spa on 16th St (right on Music Row). I gave Renee one of my pieces of art when she was just opening up the salon, for her area. It matched the color schemes perfectly. Well, once she saw that, Danny and her wanted to see what other paintings I had, because they wanted to put more of my artwork in the salon.

Well, when I met up with him, and explained that by the Grace of God, most of my things were salvageable - especially the things that meant the most- he asked if I was able to salvage any paintings. I opened my trunk and showed him that I had most of them.

He offered to buy several, smoke smelling paintings right from my car, and explained that if I could wait a few weeks for payment, he would take all of them, as they were expanding the salon and would need some more art for the walls.

So, when I arrived home, I had almost no paintings left... just the few that I kept because they were so important to me...

It was time, I knew, to quit talkin' about painting, and actually PAINT.

Here are some pictures that I hope you'll enjoy- the whole process of the paintin'... and finished projects. I already have an offer from a myspace friend to purchase at least one of them.

"These Arms of Mine". Also 24" x 24" on wood with a wooden frame, painted black.

**I painted this one, with the intention of it being a gift. He is a new country artist, but longtime songwriter and a friend of mine. He's got a real "soulful" background, and one of his favorite artists is Otis Redding... so... I put on that song... "These Arms of Mine", hit repeat... and found myself with that painting when I was done. Once I was done, I stood back, and it's truly one of my favorites that I've done. It's reminiscent to me, colorwise, of Starry Night.... though I never had any intention of that in there.

I knew I wanted lots of blues, because... well, Otis sings the blues... as does he... And it's more like an open arm hug there, in the light yellow... Flowers need the open arms of the sun, the warmth and all that.... anyway, that's where I got that one. When I paint, I kind of just do it, and it's meditative... that whole image just showed up when I was done. I was hoping to see my friend this weekend, but my budget and his schedule aren't working in our favor. So it will have to wait till I see him after Christmas. Guess he's getting it as a late Christmas gift.

I think this one, I'm gonna call "Love Song". It's 24" x 24" and on wood with a gallery wood frame, painted black. If you're interested in this email me/IM me. It's available for sale.

A very HAPPY me. Wow that was freeing!

This one is 36" x 48"... on gallery wrapped canvas. It is also available for sale. "Healing All Wounds"

I'm so happy that I started again... it's something that is so fulfilling for me. I enjoy it so much!

What do you see in the paintings? I talked with my mom, and she sees some interesting stuff. I always like to see what people find within my artwork! Leave comments and let me know. :)

A fitting daily horoscope.

I have felt absolutely sick this week. Lethargic, achy, sore, run down in general... but I have yet to take a day for myself. I can't.
I remember my mom used to call them TLC days when we just needed a little extra TLC for ourselves, we could take a day off and recharge our batteries.
At home, I have laundry to do, a kitchen to finish cleaning, vacuuming... and then I have to reclaim the basement, and pick up all the beads that K and M dumped out of their heart shaped jewelry case. About a thousand, I'm sure.

Of course, I also have to make dinner, take F to Football, pick F up from Football, and feed the kids. I also have to make sure that at least two of them get their showers tonight (they skipped out on them yesterday).

I'm worn out- physically, mentally, emotionally. I have barely slept, because I've been so frustrated over the fact that the money I thought I was going to be making hasn't been a reality for the past couple months. The economy sucks. Gas is expensive. I don't have time for anything, it seems. I'm just going to bed and waking up tired... I'm sleeping, but I'm tossing and turning.

Last night I had a weird dream, one of those vivid in color dreams. The ones where you remember details when you wake up. I always pay attention to these kind of dreams as the universe trying to tell me something. In the dream, a jealous woman pulled a gun on me. I take this to mean that I should be cautious in all my activities and figure someone out there is probably looking for an opportunity to stab me in the back/threaten me. Dreams like that (for me) are usually not far off in forewarning of the events about to unfold.

So my horoscope today, from DailyOm, was fitting.

August 13, 2008
Self-Care Comes First
Aquarius Daily Horoscope

You may feel listless, which could be due to a lack of energy and motivation today. This lethargy could be the result of your either having overexerted yourself or not taking care of your own needs. Perhaps this would be a good time to make this a day just for you, listening to the calling of your innermost desires, wants, and hopes. Turning off the phone and unplugging from the world, you might try to do things that are healing and reenergizing—meditating, doing yoga, taking a soothing bath, or engaging in a hobby or activity that interests you. Try not to let the needs of others distract you for today is your day. Doing something just for yourself could make you feel a greater sense of well-being and increase the amount of energy you have.

When we take care of our own selves we put our energy into the most important aspect of our lives. While it might seem noble to do things for others, unless we are consciously attending to our needs, we will expend more energy than we have. Although the energy of the universe is unlimited, it is only accessible when we find a means to positively tap into it, and caring for ourselves lovingly and compassionately is the best way to do this. Taking the time to rest and care for yourself today will infuse your life with a greater amount of positive energy, which will make you more motivated and productive in the long run.

***********
So maybe the secret here is to pay attention. My to-do list isn't going anywhere. My life isn't going to get *less* stressful - unless by some miracle I win the lottery. I really want to sell some of my artwork again, but of course, to do that, I'd have to actually paint some more.

That might be a solution to de-stressing. Hm. A bottle of wine and my paintbrush. Something to consider for a late night pamper-fest.