Gutless, Grateful, and Canvas Facials.

Well Hiya Tuesday...

Hope y'all are having a great start of the week.  I've been painting so much that I think acrylics are permanently etched in every skin crevice.  Oh well.  I always did need a bit of a tan.

One of my first experimentations with coloring on magazine ads :)

Remember, follow my Pinterest Page Show Me Your heART to post your own inspiration - once you follow it, you can just comment here if you want me to invite you, and then post away!

Show Me Your heART!!!

I'm Gutless & Grateful!

My one-woman show!

So I've mentioned my one-woman show, Gutless & Grateful a bunch.  The last time I did it was part of the United Solo Festival in November 2014, where it actually got some additional shows because it sold out quickly.  It was great fun and a tremendous honor to be a part of.

You can read more about the United Solo Festival HERE.

Artists from all around the world came to perform their solo shows.

You can watch a short teaser reel for Gutless & Grateful at this link HERE.

Promoting my show in WNBC

Preparing for the very first show EVER at the Triad in October 2012! (NYC)

I hope to be performing my show again some time soon and will keep you posted!  The most rewarding part of this experience was being able to share my own personal story in the medium I love the most - the theatre - and truly be able to inspire others with it.  What more can a performer ask for?

In the Studio...

I have really been having a TON of fun with that spackling plaster!!!

This time I bought a HUGE jar and I've already finished it...

It is so therapeutic to apply - it's literally like giving a canvas a facial - and I love working with my fingers.  Of course, you can add little nuances with tools - anything from a nail, a fok, paintbrush, you can stamp it if you want - it's great.  And apparently there are different variations on this that I am quite eager to try - rougher textures, silkier, grout - the possibilities are endless!

I had been mostly playing around with creating textures on the canvas very abstractly, but since I'm getting more comfortable with using the spackling, it occured to me that I could really get crazy with this stuff - I could create really three dimensional sculptures on my canvases - mountains, tunnels, faces...

You can really form this spackling into huge mounds...it's great.

So I decided to actually form a face from the spackling - and it's wonderful because it doesn't turn out exactly how you want it, so you end up with some kind of abstract formation that isn't exactly what you had in mind, but that's where the fun part of art comes in - the improvisation!

Once it dried, I began to paint over it.

I discovered these Martha Stewart glazes at Michael's the other day, and they work extremely well - they give a beautiful metallic sheen to the plaster.

And before you knew it, I had a face!

It was funny, because doing the spackling is very much trial and error, and being surprised as you go.  I didn't plan on putting the eyes or nose there, but the crevices just formed that way. I took a good look at it, and thought, well I think that looks like a nose to me!  And it seems to work!

Then I added some regular acrylic paint on it, and some puff paint to make a few things pop.

Then, to really highlight things further, I sprinkled on some embossing powder and glitter.

I could have finished it there, but I wanted to add just one little fun doo-dad to it - I know, it's an addiction.  But just one.

So I rummaged through my little basket of goodies...

I just added a small mirror, an evil eye charm, and a necklace with a little heart on it.  I've always been fascinated by these little evil eye beads - they are ancient good luck charms to ward off evil spirits - but I think I'm mostly fascinated by the eye because it is also an excuse...

...to add my signature tear!!!!

Of course I needed to add my tear. Can't leave a painting without it!  I think one of the most beautiful things about life is that we are able to experience such a wide spectrum of emotions.  Sadness can be such a beautifully rich feeling...

...and then the sweetness tastes even more spectacularly succulent!

I love how my spackle piece turned out - it's a precious little 6 x 6 canvas and something about it really grabs me.  Here are some products I used if you're interested...

Martha Start Glitter

Liquitex Acrylic Paint - I love this big set!

Tulip Puffy Paint - the only kind I've tried that doesn't dry out right away!

Embossing powder - just to sprinkle over the paint for an accent.

And the star of the show - this wonderful Spackle!!!

Here's a preview of what I did yesterday...I made a connected series out of four small panels - and I love how it turned out!  So stay tuned this week...Can you see a figure there...?

I've gotta eat too...

Afterwards, I baked up some delicious PB & J Thumbprint cookies - it's a Martha Stewart recipe.  I tend to find that her recipes are usually very standard, fool-proof and yummy.

Peanut Butter, Jelly, COOKIES.  What's not to love?

And if that's got you craving more PB & J - you'll go crazy over this article on Huffington Post:
14 Ways To Instantly Upgrade Your Peanut Butter And Jelly

Before I go...

Well, I should.  I'm actually on campus now about to go to class, but here is some wonderful inspiration to leave you with before I stop procrastinating!

Let this be your art inspiration for the day:  Did you ever think science photography could be so beautiful?
And for inspiring people in this world, 11 Inspirational Stories Of Women Who've Fought For Gender Equality.
Oh, and because I'm still hungry:   The "best" pizza in every state!

Have an inspired Tuesday, full of Guts, Gratitude, Canvas Facials, and Peanut Butter & Jelly!!!

"The here and now is all we have,

    and if we play it right it's all we'll need."