I'm Unique, Just Like Everyone Else

I'm reading about branding - not the cattle kind and not the fraternity kind - my business.  I'm thinking about the Cool Beans Art logo and the colors and style we chose for it.  Aside: a friend from work was my webmaster and logo designer. She has graciously let me continue to use the logo even though I will be my own webmaster, soonish.  Anyway, the logo has bright colors, which I have always loved, but has a brown background which all represents nature. I love my garden, spending time outside, and I love photographing plants, insects, the outdoors in general. The colors and design also represent my personality. I'm fun and outgoing, but I'm also reserved.

Taking all of this to another level: my drawings, paintings, and lithographs truly show my style - attention to detail, the whole picture and everything working together is how I'm happiest and most productive.

The alcohol related art is newer than my lithos and maybe what I've focused on more in the last five years or so. Does it mean I've become an alcoholic recently? Not at all; however,  I have grown up a lot and lost a lot of my naivety. When I was a teacher, my goal was to reach the kids with self esteem issues and show them there's a way up through and with art. After teaching for several years and seeing how undervalued art really is, I lost those great ambitions. Then I got into the wine business, and that is how the alcohol related art began.  Drowning my sorrows and crushed dreams? Perhaps.

Where'd the name come from? I used to say "cool beans" all the time growing up, and one of my nicknames is Jillybean.

Now you all know much more about me.  My brand, ladies and gentlemen, is Cool Beans Art.

Sunday Evening Post

So, I'm reading this book...

and hoping for ideas to get things moving on Etsy and ideas in general. More and more favorites are being made by viewers of my shop, so that's encouraging.

I met with a friend for drinks the other evening and she said that one of the things she's always liked about me is that I do my art for myself. I greatly appreciate her noticing. If other people happen to like my stuff, too, I may sell it, like I'm attempting on Etsy. Or if I have extra (lithography), or am not limited to how many reproductions I can make (photos). I'd probably never sell a painting though, because they take so much time and I get attached in a way.

Another friend mentioned to me recently that I should copyright my work. By definition, once a work is in a tangible form it is considered copyrighted; however, if someone were to copy the work and pass it as their own there is no legal recourse unless the work has been copyrighted by the government. My thesis was all about that, so it is something I'm considering, especially for my bottlecap art. It's so great to have friends who understand and support. If I could someday live in a place where I had likeminded neighbors, that'd be heaven....but that's a whole other story. Dream Studio Equipment in this wonderful place would include:
A kiln, a potters wheel, a collagraph press, a large work table, a sewing machine, and a photo area set up for taking pictures of completed projects.

That's enough rambling for now. Hope everyone has a safe and relaxing Memorial Day!

The Tale of Two Projects

The other night, I was trying to prioritize.  I needed to apply for jobs, do some art and a few other things.  I applied for two jobs and did two art projects.  I patched a hole in one of my gloves with a felt heart and embroidery thread....

and started painting the eggplant, titled Aubergine, which is eggplant in French. 

With this three day weekend ahead, hopefully more art and job applications will get done. 

THE END

Painting the town....

It's been a very busy week, but lots of fun for the most part visiting with good friends.  Music is typically part of life for my friends and I.  Oftentimes, musicians use their emotions or life situations to create a song. A new band to my ears was at Bayou Boogaloo on Friday night - Kelcy Mae.  Painting to her music would likely be very abstract and use several shades of blue because it's relaxing to me. Maybe if I really channel my emotions into my art, I could turn out some neat abstract paintings.  I'll have to try that. 

On the drafting/art table now, though, is an 8X8 canvas with an eggplant drawn on it awaiting some paint.  I also plan to do a creole tomato painting after I buy some fresh ones at the grocery.  Both vegetables are beautiful to me because of their colors and because of their skin texture - and of course, they taste so good!  There are 4 started, but unfinished paintings in my studio at the moment.  One of them has been awaiting it's cool factor and final part for over five years now.  I've just been afraid of screwing the whole thing up, so it leans against the wall...waiting. 

To close out the weekend, a fabulous beach trip was had with some friends from grad school.  It has been years since I had been to the beach - not counting Nantucket last August, which is a totally different kind of beach - and I reminisced and reverted back to my younger days when my whole family would go together for every single vacation.  We built sand castles, enjoyed the Gulf, and just relaxed on the beach.  Lots of pictures are about to get uploaded to Flickr from the excursion.  And of course, I'm totally inspired by the beach trip and living out my Cancerian dreams, so I'm excited to see what I'll start making in the studio...

Stay tuned!

Pure, Creative Energy aka Artist Energy

What is it about a crisp white shirt and freshly washed blue jeans that catch the eye?  Many family portraits use that idea - everyone wears a button-up white shirt with jeans and sits together under a big oak tree. Even just a plain white t-shirt does the trick.  White is the absence of color, black is all the colors mixed together.  The fresh, crisp, and clean theme makes me think of lines and of etchings, and then of printmaking with linoleum blocks. 

What inspires you?  What sounds or words or colors make your creative gears turn?  What gets your blood pumping (even if your are not artistically inclined)?  Do you ever brainstorm on a whim?

This book is currently providing me with words and colors that I am then taking and turning into artistic ideas and eventually projects.

Songs sometimes get me pumped up to do art, too.  Currently, one of my favorite songs is "Titanium" by Sia and David Guetta.  It's about strength and not worrying about what other people think.  If we need songs again for Dragonflies next year, I'd like to use that one because I have already envisioned what I could do with my bustier.  Lots of silver beads, but also attach stiffened fabric pieces to add extenstions to the bustier.  The whole thing would be Lady Gaga/Katy Perry-esque. 

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

My mother has always been very supportive of me being an artist and using my imagination.  Mom attended art school in the French Quarter, and graduated with a degree in Art  History from LSU.  She was a medical artist for years before she had me, and she volunteered at my brother and I's schools when we were little, providing creative energy and direction many to classroom and school projects.  Still, to this day, my mom is encouraging me to continue creating and to pursue my art business goals. 

I love you so much, Mom!  Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Day!

I was reading an Etsy blog and it talked about this article, which is supposedly what most people think of artists.  Locally, maybe not so much, but then again, maybe since so many of my friends are fellow artists or admirers of the arts, my perspective is a bit warmer than the article's. 

This is a dream coming true for me.  For any other creative, sensitive type I imagine having your talent acknowledged and admired is a truly wonderful feeling. Being able to bond with fellow artists on Etsy who all are willing to share their experiences and knowledge is really a treat.

This afternoon, someone favorited my Etsy shop.  That makes me happy, pure and simple.   

It's Almost a Full Moon....

Good evening.  I was actually attempting to type this post on my phone, but as fate would have it, the keyboard wouldn't come up.  Just as well.  I'd be blind!  Tomorrow night is the full moon.  It's a super full moon, although I'm not really sure what that means other than it should make for some awesome photographs.  It's also Cinco de Mayo, or as one friend retermed it, "Cinco de Drunko".  There is also the Kentucky Derby, and if that weren't enough, locally, there is an art show happening in Abita Springs.  I don't know what I'll be doing in the evening, but I'll be at work all day.

During my initial posting attempt, I was facing 20 library books stacked on my coffee table, no exaggeration.  The majority are art related somehow, and the others are for job searching, interviews, and the like.  I was flipping through them at commercial breaks while I watched "Grimm".  There is a book on blogging that I've checked-out and the term "crowdsourcing" was mentioned.  It's meaning is irrelevant for this post, but it made me smile because it was also a term we learned in graduate school regarding libraries.  When my work and my passion overlap in life, it makes me happy.  I could also say that when everything is connected in some way, I feel like I'm on the right track and there's a higher purpose. 

I'm tempted to make this blog much longer, but I'll save it for another time; however, I will leave you with this story.  Remember that long stretch of craft paper that was used as packing in a shipment that I posted a photo of recently?  For some crazy reason, I awoke at 4 AM today.  After several "naps" between then and 5 AM, I decided to just get up and get the day started.  Changing my routine must have scared the other creatures (read as insects) that reside somewhere hidden in this building.  A large black, "outdoor" or wood roach came scurrying from my stairs into the dining room and then ran under the dryer in the washroom. I grabbed the bug spray and hoped for the best.  Not too much later, as I was making breakfast and kept hearing a rustling sound that I couldn't place....until I realized that the craft paper was being explored by the roach in the dining room!!!  Thankfully, when I was vacuuming later today, I saw that the roach was out of the craft paper and no longer alive, so it could quickly be sucked up.  Oh, southeast Louisiana summers, and what a girl does to save her art supplies!  Sigh....

Next weekend is Mother's Day, so please don't forget to check out my Etsy shop if you want something unique and special for the woman who brought you into this world.