Butterflies in my stomach!!

Well, I am so excited..my brand new Epson R3000 printer arrived!  The large box is sitting in my foyer, just waiting for me! Now, to open it and begin the process hooking it all up and of learning to print gorgeous prints of my artwork.  It is a dream of mine to make beautiful prints of my artwork for people to frame and hang on their walls, to enjoy at home or work. 
The prints will be available in 5 x7" or 8x10" size.

I didn't get the butterflies in my stomach until now...it's okay..it's excitement!!!  I just placed the order for the archival mats, backboards, tape, protective clear polybags..doesn't even include the professional papers and inks...WOW!   That's alot of moola invested! But, I know that I want the BEST QUALITY prints.

They will be printed with quality inks, achival paper, and will arrive to the customer with a beautiful  white double-mat, and backboard ( in a protective, clear poly bag), signed & dated and  ready to frame!

I will list these prints in my Etsy shop www.joancarverart.etsy.com  and on my web-site www.JoanCarver.com ASAP!!  The very first one will be "She Sells Seashells"..The one that was on the cover of Sasee Magazine (Feb 2010) and the painting that I'm using to represent the series "Soaring to Success" Interviews with artists, authors & photogs, that I am posting on this "Making Waves" blog!

My wings are accepting the gentle winds that are taking me in new directions....  (smile)  
                                                Joan

***Come Back Tomorrow, Get Inspired!!  Look for another sizzling interview with newly published author Bonnie James .... 

Soaring to Success-Interview with a Printmaker from England: Carol Nunan

                              Soaring to Success
                                     Interview with an Artist from England: 
                                             Carol Nunan

 

My name is Carol Nunan. I live in a small market town in the North East of England not far from Hadrian’s Wall.  I am a printmaker currently working mainly with monotype and collagraphs but occasionally I dip in to linocut, photo etching and mixed media printmaking.

 

 An interest in art has been a strong influence in my mother’s family. My grandmother’s youngest sister (on my mother’s side) went to The Slade School of Art in the late 1920s /early 30s. This was very unusual at that time especially for a young woman from Ireland. The likes of Professor Henry Tonks were amongst her tutors and by all accounts she was very good. However, she was never allowed an opportunity to pursue any art career once World War II broke out. She was ordered home to Ireland by my great grandfather and that was that. My mother’s sister also went to Art College in Dublin and she went on to teach. I have a clear picture of myself in class at the age of 7 deciding I wanted to be an artist like my two aunts though I had no idea what that actually entailed. I just loved drawing and painting and that’s what I wanted to do. 

 

 

At 17 I started Art College with no clearer idea of what I wanted to do. By default I ended up doing graphic design although at the time if things had been a little different I think I would have liked to have done textile design. Anyway, I worked as a graphic designer for thirteen years. My last job in that industry was design manager for Procter & Gamble UK where I was responsible for the brand heritage of household brands such as Pampers, Fairy Liquid, Flash, Ariel, Lenor (Downey in the States), etc. Then my daughter was born. Initially I went back to work but when she was a year old my husband and I took the decision for me to be at home full time.

I discovered printmaking after the birth of my son. I was still recovering from severe postnatal depression by the time he was eighteen months old and my husband was often away with his job for up to three weeks at a time, crossing all the continents, so I had little time for myself. On one of his weekends home I grabbed the opportunity to do a monotype day workshop. I had no idea at the time that one day would have such a significant impact on my life in the years to come. Six years later my tutor, Rebecca Vincent and I became business partners when we started a small independent printmaking studio (Horsley Printmakers) to make and sell our own work whilst we both continued to teach the printmaking workshops we offered through the University of Sunderland’s Centre for Lifelong Learning.

 

Two years ago my husband was made redundant and this precipitated the end of our joint business venture although Rebecca and I continue to work together on occasional projects. At that time though I needed a more secure income so I left to take up a part time position at a local art centre. Sadly that job only lasted 11 months. However, the circumstances that basically put me in a position where my back was up against the wall, has forced me into taking my work and myself seriously. As Julia Cameron says in her book ‘The Artist’s Way’, “Anger is fuel … Anger is meant to be acted upon … Anger points the direction. We are meant to use anger as fuel to take the actions we need to move where our anger points us”.  And so, 5 months down the line I have embarked on just that, taking my work and myself seriously, to generate a proper income for my family and me.

 What are my fears? 

My fears are probably the same as most people; fear of failure, fear of my prints not being good enough, fear of me not being up to the job of turning what I do into a successful business. Possibly also, fear of success, in case I balls it up!

How have I faced them? 

One day at a time. When I first walked out of my job the fear was paralyzing. Initially I thought what the hell have I done, and yet the prospect of continuing in the job was far worse than that of leaving it. By that point I had really begun to believe my own self-defeating hype and that which had fed into it across the preceding months. I had, without realizing it, become very isolated. I was however; humbled by how many of my friends rallied round once they were aware of my circumstances. Offers of help, practical and otherwise came in from all kinds of unexpected quarters and gradually a path began to emerge.

 

4. What makes me different…unique from others? 

I produce one-of original prints. The theme is flowers loosely inspired by the Art Nouveau / Art Deco periods, - Charles Rennie Macintosh, Clarice Cliff, Josef Hoffmann, etc. In November 2011, as part of my first solo exhibition, I brought out a range of table lamps and coasters while working with another craftsman using my print images. This is when things really started to get interesting. The table lamps flew out the door, as did the coasters. Since then I’ve lost count of the number of people who have said to me my images would look great on textiles as well. In addition to that aspect of my work I am also in the process of creating an e-course specifically aimed at artists who want to improve their marketing and to help them in their approach to defining their own marketing strategy that includes everything from step-by-step guide to approaching a gallery to being able to put into words what makes them special for the purposes of being able to promote themselves across on and off line platforms. I’ve found Kelly Rae Roberts “Flying Lessons’ really good in helping me to clarify and have confidence in my own knowledge and experience in these areas, though I have a long way to go to be in the same league as Kelly.

I currently have a blog that doubles up as my website, www.carolsoriginals.wordpress.com and I also have a Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/CarolNunansOriginalPrints and I’m on Twitter @CarolsOriginals.

 The techniques I use to make my monotypes have been garnered from Rebecca in the first instance and then developed by me over time to suit the way I work. Fellow artist/printmaker, Mandy Pattullo was the person who set me on the road of making flower prints. She is a guest tutor at Horsley Printmakers and I signed up for an evening class she was teaching. When I first started making my own flower prints I couldn’t see any merit in them at all and I was surprised when others responded so favourably towards them.

My other favourite printmaking medium is collagraphs. I learnt a huge amount from Peter Wray, Fellow of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers. He was very generous with his extensive knowledge of the medium and I learned a great many tips and tricks which not only made life easier and much quicker in making prints from plates but his help also opened up a shed load of new creative ways to approach printing the same plate.

What are my goals & inspirations? 

What’s great about where I am now is that my husband, although back in full time employment, is my biggest supporter. This wasn’t always the case but now we can both see that my work ‘has legs’ and the potential to allow us both to be masters of our own destiny rather than be at the behest of fickle employers. Two years from now I hope I will have a thriving collection of e-courses for artists. Alongside the courses I plan to have expanded the number outlets and the range of high end products that feature my print images. Ten years from now I would really like to build on my own success and work with a small group of likeminded artists to create a ‘stable’ not unlike Angie Lewin’s St. Jude’s Gallery.

 Where is my creative space?

 My creative workspace where I do my printmaking is back in the studio that I once shared as a partner in Horsley Printmakers with Rebecca. I go to the studio once a week. It isn’t enough really but I don’t have the space at home and I need to the use of a press. It is great to be back in this space, which I rent from Rebecca as it is away from the house and all domestic distractions. The fact I am paying for the use of the space also focuses my mind not to waste the time I have there. I can switch off and concentrate completely on being creative.

 

 

 

What are my “whispers” or callings begging me to do? 

Actually, since I joined the course I’ve been inspired to paint. Not that I have put that into action … yet … but it’s something I might do when life slows down … just a tad!! Right now I feel I need to build on what I know I’m good at and not get distracted by something else. I’d also love to do more textile work, ceramics, jewelry, you name it but right now I have enough to be getting on with.

What made me decide to take this e-course with Kelly Rae Roberts?

I came across Kelly Rae Roberts website a while ago. I’m trying to remember how. I think it might have been through another e-course, Susannah Conway’s ‘Unravelling’ course or simply through Susannah’s regular posting on her blog ‘Something for the Weekend’.  At the time I was taken with her creative work and I had a quick look at her courses but did nothing about them. She kept popping up though through other participants on Susannah’s courses. Finally, I spotted a post by Jessica Brogan who was doing Susannah’s “Blogging from The Heart” course with me where she said she had just signed up for Kelly’s last Flying Lessons course and this was the last time it would be available. Instinct told me this was exactly what I needed right now “Following the breadcrumbs” as it were. I was that bit further down the line with my own work and I knew I was ready to hear what she had to say about various aspects of making a business out of ones creativity with which I was less familiar.

Do I keep a daily journal or sketchbook, or write in a diary? 

The short answer is NO! I am trying very hard to develop the habit. I missed that bit in college (long story), was never a diary keeper when I was a kid although I did try, and right now I’m trying, unsuccessfully for the most part, to get into the habit through Jessica’s Art Book Group doing The Artist’s Way together. I will get there.

 

 

 

How do I market myself?

Once I left the day job I got back to my blog, which lay dormant while I was working. I’ve developed a new one and my next step is to convert it to a website where my blog resides. My work is currently in a number of galleries in the North East of England, North Yorkshire and Scotland. I make every effort to keep a good working relationship with them being professional at all times and making sure they have what they need to promote my work on and off line. I have my blog linked to my Facebook page and Twitter account so that anything I post goes out to my network. I also produce a bi-monthly newsletter. As yet I haven’t got into online selling and no I don’t advertise. I might in the future though. I am selling through my off line outlets quite successfully and I’ve had enquiries for online sales but I have a number of practical issues to iron out not least of which is packaging of glass lamps so they arrive in one piece and different electrical requirements for different countries.

What type of music (if any) do I listen to when I create?

I tend not to. I like listening to BBC’s Radio 4 that is mostly news, informative programmes, dramas and that kind of thing.

 

 Who is your favorite artist, photographer, author? … 

The person who has had the biggest influence not so much on my creative work but more in setting an example of what one can do if you’re good and you really believe in yourself is a local watercolour artist Mary Ann Rogers. Her work sells worldwide now and yet she started out as a single mother with two small children to support when her husband walked out some twenty odd years ago. She is self taught and started out on Maggie Thatcher’s Enterprise allowance – I think that was about £30 a week at the time – a pittance even then. She became the highest selling self-published artist in the UK in 2009. No small feat.

 

 

 Are you encouraged to follow your creative path by your family or friends?

Yes I am. My husband as I said before is my greatest supporter, followed by my mother (who also took up painting some 30 years ago) and of course my friends. Not sure my kids take me seriously though.

 How do I come up with titles for my work?

With great difficulty to be honest. I don’t think my titles are particularly inspiring. They are more descriptive to me so I have some idea of which one is which.

Do you work on one project at a time, or have several going on at a time?

It depends. My monotypes flow one into another. I simply start and then one print suggests the next step and then the next. At other times it is the colours I feel like using on a given day. With my collagraph plates I can’t make up my mind if it’s a good idea to start and finish one or make several at the same time moving from one to the other. In order to get a body of similarly themed work the latter way of working might be best but on the other hand each plate has to be ‘learned’. By that I mean the first time I print a collagraph plate is more for information, what’s there, how does it print, what’s working, what’s not, making adjustments. The it’s about trying different ways of inking it up, trying different techniques to find out the full extent of getting the very best out of the plate. Sometimes that involves printing the plate, trying a few things, then putting it away for a short of longer period of time to ruminate over it before returning to it with renewed insight and then really getting a set (if I’m lucky) of really good prints from it. In that instance I find it difficult to be working on more than one pate at a time.

Thanks Carol, for allowing us to peek into your artistic life, sharing your tips and ideas.. and getting to know about you!  Your story is very interesting and inspiring to the rest of us.  I appreciate the chance to interview you from across this huge Atlantic Ocean, and grateful in this world of technology, that it can bring us all so close...we have a common goal, to succeed, to soar -  with creative wings!!!

Thank You, and wishing you the best of success!   Sincerely,  Joan

…We are all unique, we are all special.  We all have a different path, a different way of approaching our art. That is exactly why I want to do these interviews, to celebrate what makes us, US!      Thank you for participating : )              

                                     www.makingwavesbeachdesigns.blogspot.com

                                                     Joan Carver       (e) joanecarver@yahoo.com       904-230-6155

  

I was Featured on Alisa Steady's BLOG!!! Read on..

I was featured on a Alisa Steady's Blog today.... I will share it with you!  It was so much fun!

The Soaring Artist's Voice - An Interview with Artist Joan Carver

Interview with Joan Carver

Joan Carver's paintings are nothing short of mesmerizing -ranging from large acrylic and oil canvases depicting water and beach scenes, to portraits of animals that capture the characteristics so well, the viewer almost feels as if they might know the subject, too! She also paints on silk, creating the most beautiful mouthwatering pieces, as if you're wearing a gem colored canvas around you neck. Please join me in discovering what makes Joan Carver soar...

How long have you been painting? Could you share with us some of your background, and how it’s lead you to being the prolific artist you are today?

Joan Carver

I have been painting since I could hold a paintbrush! Seriously, I was one of those creating, coloring, cutting, gluing & painting, even in kindergarten! I was fortunate to take an oil painting class from a local woman who was a professional artist at the age of 11 or 12 years old. It was an evening class of adults, so I felt “special” when she allowed me to join the weekly class.

I majored in commercial art at first, because I had no intentions on teaching…. Little did I know that is what would become my passion – teaching art. I taught art in public, Montessori and private schools. Gathering knowledge, experience, and it happened to be the “right time” in my life - I opened my own art school! The Wizard of Art in Concord (Charlotte), North Carolina! I loved every single minute of teaching and inspiring so many kids, teens and adults! I had that wonderful art school for 18 years!

Painted Birds, Acrylic on Panel

When my husband came to me to tell me about a job transfer, I was devastated! Everything I worked for, to build and to promote …I had a wonderful, successful business and we’re MOVING?!? Yep ..It was like a “death” or losing a family member. Once, in Jacksonville, Florida, I decided that it wasn’t an end to my life, it could be just the beginning of a “new chapter”! Trust me there were tears, but you know, new things aren’t all bad. I could start over, build an art school here,..I did it before, I can do it again. As the weeks and “unpacking” unfolded, I decided to promote my own art this time, rather than my art school & art students. Now, it meant overcoming my fear of going into a gallery and asking them if they would look at a few of my paintings and if they would be interested in including my artwork in their gallery. They loved my work… and within a month, I was in three of the most prestigious galleries in the Jacksonville, FL area!!!! The next hoop to jump through was now proving to them that the work would sell! Again, as luck would have it, I sold my first painting. Another gallery I submitted art to, (further away),in Hilton Head, South Carolina, had been watching me and my successes, without my knowledge. A year later, I wrote them again, saying that I had submitted work a year earlier and wanted to send a few of my new paintings…that was when they said YES! And they explained to me that they had been watching what I was painting and selling during the span of that year, and wanted my work in their gallery. My work is still there today in Camillia Art Gallery on Hilton Head Island and she sells more of my paintings than anyone.

A Brush With The Sea, Oil On Panel, 48 x 48 x 2

Who are some of the artists that inspired you throughout your artistic journey?

Even at a younger age, I always did admire Claude Monet’s painting “Waterlilies” and the story of how he created his colorful gardens , bridge & water surrounding his home in Giverney. Also, the painting of the Japanese Bridge was a favorite. It may have been the water..or the water reflections..but I related to him.

Another artist that inspired me:

I took a workshop from an artist that traveled across the country teaching her techniques…it was an “experimental water media” workshop, taught by Mary Alice Braukman , while I was still living in Charlotte, NC. She demonstrated how to do a “pouring”. I had never seen or heard of this technique before! She had small plastic cups all lined up containing her mixtures of watered down acrylic paint and white ink. Mary Alice picked up her pre-mixed solutions one at a time and controllably poured her liquid paints onto her prepared surface. The results were so thrilling for me to see & experience. I knew this technique was for me. She continued to pour creating a flow of colors – a wave, a river. I don’t do these, as often, today, but I do paint “water”….it is still my love!!! 

Treasures of the Sea, Acrylic on Canvas, 30 x 24 x 1/2

What does a typical day of painting look like for you? What does that process look like for Joan Carver?

I love to get my morning coffee, walk a few paces into my art studio and plan an idea for a new painting. It could be an idea I had sketched in my journal, a photo I had taken, or maybe just stand-back and study the painting in-progress perched on the easel, started the day before. I enjoy the quietness of the morning, and a chance to plan what I will do that day. Once I get started painting, it’s difficult to get me to stop. That’s probably why my creativity is “messed-up” when I have an appointment or something else planned that day. That’s is my excuse for not exercising or working-out! HA HA. Also, I love to paint to music, it makes me happy. Mostly, it is rock, sometimes latin music…lately, it’s been country…whatever mood I’m in.

I do have a process that I will share, because with this idea, I never have an artist’s “block’. It is unusual to see me without my camera. I take tons of photos. Once I look over the photographs I have taken, I choose my favorites – ones that will make great paintings - I put them in an album or binder. Whenever I am ready to create a new painting, I just leaf through that binder and usually end up choosing several!  



Hidden Messages in Water, Acrylic, 60 x 48

What are some of your favorite supplies and mediums you employ in your artwork? 

My favorite supplies are my oil paints, my 12x 16” Strathmore pad of Palette Paper (disposable!!!), some old favorite brushes I always seem to grab. Some paintings I may want to add texture - so the very first layer may be of gesso or joint compound applied with a trowel, then I add markings, writings, hidden messages, or other designs with tools, bubble wrap, or found objects to make an impression in that layer.




Your animal portraits are amazing! You really capture the essence of your furry subjects. How do you go about distilling what those individual characteristics are with paint?

Sonny, Oil on Canvas

I am an animal lover, so for me those pet portraits are fun to create. I like to meet the animal, know it’s name, and get to see their unique personality. The animals on the canvas do seem to come alive as I paint them. I did one of an adorable Yorkie-Cairn Terrier, full of energy and so loveable, named Sonny. That one has a red background ( energy), and his face is ¾ of the way on the canvas to express his “hyper-movements” and excitability! What a cutie. Another one was of a huge, loveable, gentle-giant …a Saint Bernard, named Bentley. He was a beautiful, furry, calm soul..so I painted him just lying there looking at me, pondering & almost posing!!

Bentley, Oil on Canvas

I typically paint on smaller canvas (but I’m working my way up to larger!) – Could you describe your approach when painting on large canvas sizes like 48x48”? How do you overcome the “white canvas” syndrome?

I used to paint smaller, too. I moved to Florida and have these 14 ft. ceilings – they would dwarf the paintings that I painted. Paintings 16 x 20” are small for me. I mostly paint 36x48”, 48x48” and occasionally 48 x60”. I sold a painting titled “ Reflections of Koi” measuring 48x36” to a family that bought it for their family room. The wall was so large ( not necessarily high, but a long wall) , the family contacted me to possibly do another one the same size …or needed a solution. I suggested painting two smaller paintings ( 12x36”) to add to either side of the original one. The result was a gorgeous 3-piece “triptych” measuring 72”x36” … it added the WOW factor to that room!

Reflections of Koi, Oil on Canvas, 36 x 48 x 1.5

To overcome the new “white canvas” fear, apply color with a watered-down color – or if using oils, use turpentine to dilute the color, wipe off with a rag, just enough to “stain” the canvas. That helps overcome the “white canvas” problem. : )

Painting on silk strikes me as being complicated. What got you interested in painting on silk, and how long before it became a comfortable ‘canvas’ to work on?

Sea Turtle, Silk, 22 x 22

Painting on silk was something I wanted to try for a long time. I was actually afraid to try it. I attended an art league meeting where a woman displayed her silks and explained how she did them. I went up to her after her talk and told her that I loved her beautiful, colorful silks. I explained that I was afraid to try, because it looked difficult and intense. She said.. “Just try it!” As it turned out, it was so much fun, and relaxing, not difficult. Eventually, I taught my students as young as elementary school how to paint on silk! My teen students and adults really enjoyed getting creative with the painting process. I would compare it to painting with watercolors, because of the flowing colors, but you’re using silk instead of paper and the dyes instead of the paints. You can be comfortable with this process on the very first project…I would love to teach you!!

Your paintings have such ethereal, mesmerizing feel to them. Do you have a favorite ‘go to’ palette of colors for capturing that calming element to your paintings?

Scarlet Ibis, Oil, 33 x 48

I seem to stick to sea glass colors for my water paintings. Really, I don’t want all the paintings to be the same, so since I decorate with greens and browns in my home, I have used a lot of various greens, teals, browns, khakis, and some blues. Trying to bring mix it up a little bit and add some vibrance to the reflections , I may add yellows, limes and reds. The blues are beautiful, but because I’m in galleries, I see the trends are not so much the blues, right now, but more the greens & browns.

What is some of the worst advice you’ve been given about being an artist?

Summer Memories 2011, Oil on Canvas, 36 x 48 x 2

The worst advice I was given was from another artist. She asked me why I didn’t just choose a medium and stick with it. She tried to tell me that’s what you should do because your audience will want to be able to recognize your artwork. I explained to her, that she could be right about that…but, in my circumstance, I owned and operated an art school and needed to be able to demonstrate various mediums and techniques to all my students whether they be children, teens, or adults. The community needed to have a place to be able to explore, experiment and learn about different mediums and various interests , such as watercolors, oils, acrylics, pastels, pen& ink and painted silks. I stayed current with the newest trends & new products by taking workshops with well-known artists that offer their classes around the country , as well as, travel to and from Europe.

"Penny" The Pitbull, Oil on Canvas, 20 x 16 x 1

What is some of the best advice you’ve been given?

Two ideas came to mind for this question…

“When creating art, it’s okay to break the rules!!!!” …Great advice!

More great advice, I found extremely helpful: Keep a journal by your bedside. Every night write in your journal the “three best things” that happened to you that day! So, when wonderful things happen, they are documented. If it wasn’t such a fabulous day, you can actually go back a few pages and read about the best things that have been going on. It not only helps you to realize that good happened despite the bad, it’s a little easier to accept the not-so-terrific events, and go to sleep with the good thoughts because they are the last thing I remembered. Positive thoughts always bring good results for me.

Do you have some advice and/or wisdom to share with your fellow artists?

Joan's "assistants" - Matisse (Mattie) & Gucci (Bicons Frise pups)

Don’t ever try to be like someone else by copying someone’s artwork. Look at other artist’s art, take in their ideas as inspiration – then go make art, do what you love. Make art, have fun, …remind yourself to PLAY! You will find that it is there deep inside you, your style, your passion… your own creativity!

For more information about Joan Carver, and the galleries that display her artwork, please go here:

Website: http://www.joancarver.com/


Please also visit Joan's blog and Etsy store:

Blog: http://makingwavesbeachdesigns.blogspot.com

Etsy: http://JoanCarverArt.etsy.com

As if this artist isn't talented enough, Joan also creates hand painted canvas clutch bags! Available in her Etsy store




My mouth is watering! Is Yours!?

One last delicious image of what's on Joan's Easel:




Skipping Stones, Oil on Wood Panel, 48 x 32

Thank you, Joan, for a FANTASTIC interview! And thank you dear reader for sharing time with us.



How are other people Soaring to Success?

                        Soaring to Success!

 

Come SOAR with me.....

 

I have had the pleasure of interviewing some very talented & creative women.  I'm so excited to share my  interviews of artists, writers and photographers.  Learn tips and ideas - read how they are facing their fears, and promoting themselves.  They reveal their secrets and tools they use to create their art, see inside their studios, their work and their plans that lie ahead. 

These girls are ready for "take off "....  Watch them SOAR!

 

My first Interview was with creative artist: 

 Leslie Harvey

My name is Leslie Harvey, but, you may all know me as Momma Harvey. I live in Newton, Kansas, USA... and no... I don’t own ruby red slippers. lol  What I DO? Well, for my job, I’m the Marketing Manager for the Wichita Kansas Convention and Visitors Bureau. Which means, I help market the biggest city in Kansas to Meeting Planners and Visitors. I do all of the graphic design and manage the website for our company. Now, my passion on the other hand is creating and inspiring. Whether it’s Design, blogging, crafts, fine arts, play doah, cooking, etc, I love it all and try my hand at anything new that may cross my path.

2. When did you know you wanted to be an artist, writer or photographer?

I’ve always been an artist. I can’t ever remember a time when I decided I wanted to create... I always have... it’s in my blood I guess.

 

3. What are your fears?  How have you faced them?  Or your plans of how you plan to tackle your fears.

My biggest fear is getting lost in the crowd of creativity.  I’ve learned though this class that I’m not the only one who fears this. So, I guess by connecting with others, we find a place in the crowd... even with our fear, and that brings me hope.

4. What makes you different…unique from others? 

What sets me apart in the crowd is taking something beyond what it’s supposed to be. (well, that’s what everyone tells me anyway). I love to problem solve and think WAY outside the box. You can see my most recent work here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sunshinetiedye/collections/72157627378021549/

5. Any secrets to reveal about the tools you use or your techniques?  Tips or tricks?  

I have been creating traditional art for years, but, recently started creating more digital art. I use Adobe programs to create my art journal pages am In-LOVE with Tangie Baxter digital products (if it’s ok to put in a plug. Tangie deserves it!) I plan to move from the computer, back into physical creations VERY soon and I’m SUPER excited about it... it’s been TOO long since my hands were covered in paint. :) For my special think that helps me think positive...I LOVE to listen to ENYA when I paint. The music is SO beautiful and flowing.

6. What are your goals & inspirations?  Where will you hope to be in 2 years?  5 years?  10 years?

2 years - I hope to have a nice collection of pieces ready to sell and start participating in local art events. I WILL finally be able to take a Honey Moon with my husband to a beach somewhere... 12 years after our wedding. lol.

5 years - I hope to have my creative business running well. I would also like to be teaching classes at this point. I WILL be planning our first trip to Disney World to introduce my son to the childhood dream I had.

10 years - I hope to have new insight in the creative journey and start fresh with some new ideas. I would also like to have a well established teaching class and help inspire others in their journey too. I WILL be paying off our house and making plans to scope out the lake house we want to purchase.

 

 

7. Where is your creative space or studio?   (example: At home in an extra bedroom, kitchen table, a rented space for your craft.)

My creative studio is in our home, on the second level of the house. Our house used to be two apartments. One upstairs and one downstairs. When we bought the house, the upstairs kitchen was dedicated for my studio. We have yet to remodel the upstairs, but, I have big plans for that space when we start!

 

 

8.How much time do you devote to your work?  (Is it at same time everyday? Are you disciplined to go into your studio at 9:00am every morning?  Or do you wait until you are in a creative mood?)

I would say that 50% of my day is devoted to work, as, I’m ALWAYS thinking creativly. The rest of my time is devoted to my son and my husband. :)

9. What are your “whispers” or callings begging you to do? 

My whispers are not begging me to do one thing...just yet... I’m still listening as close and I can and keeping my ears perked, but, right now, I’m just soaking EVERYTHING in. There will be a point when I get my “THAT’S IT!” moment, but, it hasn’t hit me just yet. so, until then, I’m preparing and learning. :)

 

10. Do you keep a daily journal or sketchbook, or write in a diary?  

My journal into my life is my facebook and my blog. I’ve tried to keep diaries for years, but, never seem to stick with them. It used to stress me out that I wasn’t writing things down, until, someone pointed out that my facebook timeline IS my personal diary, as, I share just about everything. LOL.

11. How do you market yourself? 

I’ve started with my blog. https://www.momma-harvey.com  I belong to a handful of online forums and social media groups,. And I’m taking several online classes. I love connecting with people.  Once I actually have something to sell, I may look at etsy, or advertising.

12. What type of music (if any) do you listen to when you create? Enya. :)

13. Who is your favorite artist, photographer, author? …  In other words, who do you admire, and look up to?

whew... the list is too long. I have a favorite in just about every medium and craft. But, my whole life, I’ve ALWAYS looked up to Walt Disney. I’ve done countless book reports on the man and his story. His magic has touched lives in ways I could only wish to. And even after his death, his legend continues on in each generation. Inspiring.

14. Are you encouraged to follow your creative path by your family or friends? LOL. Yes and no. depends on what day and what creative path I’m talking about. They do encourage my spirit and my art... I just think I overwhelm them from time to time with all of my BIG IDEAS. lol Bless their souls.

 

 

15. How do come up with titles for your work?

Momma Harvey... um... I really don’t know... probably because I became a mom in 2010 and it’s been the best creative journey I’ve accomplished. And it’s a project I’ll never stop working on. Motherhood is the ULTIMATE masterpiece.

 

 

16. Do you work on one project at a time ..or have several going on at a time?

I never have ONE project going. I’ve got 3 projects I’m working on at this very second... as you read this! LOL. I really don’t know what would happen to my mind if I only worked on one thing... brillance... or disaster. (shrugs)

 

   Wow, Thanks Leslie for sharing your beautiful art, and giving us a peek into your life, (your adorable son!), work and studio.  All your artwork is lovely, and I know you are going to be one girl we will hear more about, because you have those creative wings... and are ready to take-off for flight!  Thank You so much and the best of luck to you!    Joan