Wednesday, April 25, 2012 at 7:53AM Sorry about that...I've been wrestling with my painting demons that snatch my good ideas and tell me that I'm not good enough. But I came up with a solution...well, it's a start. I made a life manifesto! Hooray! Want to see it?
Thursday, October 27, 2011 at 5:18PM I have a confession...I was slack in posting while I was in Italy. But I did THINK about posting....I even wrote the post below while I was over there. So I thought I'd share it now and try to be better about updating you all in the future. I won't subject you to my 300 pictures (and those are only the ones that made the cut!) but I'll try to share some of them as I use them as inspiration in the studio. Sound like a plan?
And now.....here's what I did in Italy.
Ciao from Bella italia!! I'm on an major life-changing/soul- searching/adventure finding/research trip, also known as a dream vacation or the one of the hardest things I've ever done, for 2.5 whopping months. I know- I can't believe it either. I pinch myself constantly. So what do I do with myself every day? Well....
8:15ish: I wake up in my host family's lovely center city condo in the quaint beachy town of Porto San Giorgio. Then I make my way to the kitchen for what may be my favorite meal of the day because it involves an espresso machine (how have I lived without that gadget?) and sometimes cookies. Or crostada. Birthday cake the other morning. I love Italians.
10ish: I'm ready for my day so I set out to explore. A couple days a week I hop a train to another beautiful town (yep-everything is postcard worthy here) but most days I stroll around Porto San Giorgio. On Thursdays, I practice the self-control I was lacking at breakfast and browse the stalls at our local Mercato (open air market). They sell clothes, shoes, purses, food, flowers- it's pretty great.
Or I head to the beach to contemplate the exact color of the Adriatic. (greeny, bluish, grayish??)
And I always find inspiration...ah, if only I hadn't had to ditch my paints at the airport due to luggage weight limits...I'm itching to paint!!
1:00- back home for lunch with my host family. Italians eat pasta for lunch. Everyday. Have I mentioned that I like it here??
1-4: all the shops close and the city shuts down while whole families gather for lunch and some downtime. Even the kids are home as school's out at 12:30. I catch up on emails (um, I miss you guys!!!) and tutor Irene, the 9 year old daughter in my family, in English (that's my official job here).
4-6 or 7ish: another stroll, this time on the hunt for a new coffee shop or paticceria that I haven't tried yet. (I'm happily working my way through them.) I spend a delightful hour or two studying Italian over a cappuccino.
Then a leisurely stroll back home (complete with photo ops) for family time and dinner.
Ciao ciao!!
Monday, September 19, 2011 at 3:15PM That's pretty much it...I added two more paintings to my sale. It's still a "Buy one, Get one free from Italy" sale. And here they are:
Can you tell that I like blue? Phthalo blue, be be exact. I swear I'm a pretty happy person! I should have a couple more newbies up before I leave...they're oils so send me speedy-drying thoughts!!
Thursday, September 15, 2011 at 4:55PM I do not love change. But I REALLY love making myself uncomfortable (only way to grow!) so that's why I'm travelling to a country where I don't speak the language (Ciao! Mi chiamo Laura!) to do something I've never done before (teach English) for a really long time (almost 3 months!). Sounds fun, right? And maybe a little scary. But mostly fun!
In honor of my trip- I'm having a SALE over at my shop! If you buy a painting between now and October 1st- I'll paint you something while I'm over in Italy and mail it to you! There are so many good things about this- let's count them!
Good Things about my Super Fantastic Italian Fundraiser
1. You get two paintings for the price of ONE!
2. You get mail TWICE! (Everyone loves getting mail- don't pretend you don't.)
3. I get money to help buy all these art supplies that I'll need. Italian art supplies! (They just sound more fun than American art supplies, right?)
4. I get to name a fundraiser again! (Every fundraiser I've ever named has been some variation of super, awesome, fantastic, fabulous...you get the idea. I'm very creative.)
5. This finally prompted me to get my online shop up and running. Nothing like a deadline to whip me into action.
Okay, enough list making- let's buy some ART!!
Saturday, September 10, 2011 at 1:13PM Being self-employed is super fun, albeit surprisingly busy at times. And lately, painting has been last on my "To Do" list. I know, it's sad- I may need to redefine my priorities...should karaoke really have been above my life's passion?? Maybe just this once....
Anyway, I did start working on this big piece based on a pic I snapped while hiking on Mt. Mitchell. (Yep- that's the tallest point east of the Mississippi, ya'll!) I love it so much, I'm afraid to keep painting on it for fear that I'll ruin it. (This happens a lot which is why I have many half completed oil paintings sitting around....)
I'm taking some time now to paint as much as I can before I leave for Italy in October. Oh, did I not mention?? I'm just heading to Porto San Giorgio for 3 months to do a little painting, travelling and English tutoring. I'm so excited about this trip, it's ridiculous. More on that...and my upcoming fundraising drive...coming soon!
Ciao!
