'Tis The Week After Christmas...

...and somehow, in all the travelings afar and gatherings at home and tree decorating and cookie baking and present wrapping and talking and laughing with the ones we love and dog-sitting for my son's Great Dane and eating waaaaay too much delicious holiday food and doing a thousand loads of laundry and about the same amount of dishes....

... I'm just now getting around to showing you the paintings I made for my Etsy shop to celebrate Christmas this year.

First up is "Jolly Old Saint Nick." I had never painted a Santa before, so I was really excited about creating him!  :)  I used an original sketch I'd drawn and painted him with acrylics on a 5x7 inch canvas panel. The background is a soft gold I mixed up, with gold dots on top. I really like the contrast of his dark red suit and hat against the background. Wonder what could be inside that present he's holding???... I'm kinda in love with his cute little grin!

The second Christmas painting I made was based on an illustration I'd created several years ago... "Away In A Manger."

This one was also painted on a 5x7 flat panel canvas. It's simple and a little "quilty" and sweet... just the star that led the shepherds to the baby Jesus, who was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger.

What an amazing event!!... Who could ever have imagined God's gift to us!!???
 

Finally, this is the canvas I painted for an Christmas tree ornament this year.

I never did get a photo of the ornament on my Christmas tree before the season was over... so this scan will have to do! The background is a 2x4 inch flat panel canvas that was painted bright white and flecked with gold. I hand lettered the word "Rejoice" with a black fine point water-based Sharpie paint pen, and painted the heart a deep red inside the letter "O". I finished it by gluing white string to the back of the canvas, covered the back with white cardstock and signed it.

So that's it!... My Christmas 2017 RoundUp of Etsy paintings!!  :)

And, since today happens to be January 1st of 2018, I'd like to wish YOU a very Happy New Year filled with Love, Joy, Hope, and Creativity!!

A Little Update on My Newly Re-Opened Etsy Shop...

"Mermaid Treasure"

It's the end of August now, and I've been happily working away most of the summer in my studio, painting little canvases. So far, most have been just 4 x 6 inches like this little mermaid above... but a few have been as large as 5 x7 inches, like this sweet angel below:
 

  "Whimsical Angel"

I'm still not quite sure as I've been working along if what I'm painting has an overall theme or feel... "Whimsical Folk Art" is hopefully there; but also, "Playful Childrens' Art," "Happy Family Art," "Family Friendly Art." I don't know yet... Hopefully all of the above! *wink!*

 "Enjoy The Simple Things"

However my artwork ends up being characterized, I hope it ends up making you SMILE!!!

My Aha! Moment

I have to be honest with you... I feel a little foolish about writing this blog post. At the beginning of last month, I thought I had all my art plans figured out... I was going to create digital stamps & offer them for sale to crafters through my Etsy shop, PholkartStudio. I set about the process of creating TWO new blogs... one to feature my handcolored digistamps & another to host a monthly challenge for crafters who create handmade cards. Yes, my plans were coming together nicely!

But something just wasn't sitting right with me... and without taking time to explore my discomfort, I pushed those uneasy feelings aside & pressed on with my plan.

Midway through the month, I began to realize that I just wasn't very happy. I was feeling a constant inner push to create brand new designs. I had put on my organizer's hat & was directing my new operations, clucking over each area like a mother hen over her chicks. I had taken on the role of marketer/social media guru with new zeal & began spreading the word about my big plans... In the end, I discovered I was juggling too many balls in the air and I was feeling completely frazzled!!

Finally, I took time to listen to my heart. And I rediscovered what I probably knew all along... I missed creating colorful little pieces of original art by hand & I missed working on my illustrated art blog. As a BIG introvert, I had been pushing out beyond my comfort zone & I wasn't spending quiet time renewing my energy. Most of all, I was running out ahead of the Lord.

And so... I began the process of pulling back & deleting. No more digital stamps. No more challenge blog. I put the brakes on my daily social media. And I went back to my studio & started "makin' stuff."

"Little Red Riding Hood"

Honestly, I began to feel lighter... and happier... and more "me" almost right away.  My inner self breathed a deep sigh of relief.

So here I am... a little lost, a little 'between things,' with no big plans or arty business goals. I'm just trying to show up each day with my sketchbook in hand, trying to listen with my heart to the Lord & hold whatever comes next for me very loosely.

Thank you Lord that you keep loving me even when I go off in my own direction. Thanks that you have good plans for me & I can trust you to lead me. Please help me to listen to you with my head & my heart... and to follow wherever you go.

A Little Rainy Day Work-In-Progress

My sweet husband surprised me this past Christmas with an iPhone! (Thank you, hon!)  He knew I had wanted to take pics & share them more easily on the web. I'm still working on getting the focus right, but here goes with a little work-in-progress from my art desk!...

Since last fall, I've gone "back to basics" art-wise... which for me is creating small format original illustrations, especially ACEO's (artist trading cards which measure 2.5"x3.5"). I've learned that I love little projects... I get bored & restless when an art project takes too long. Seems I'm always eager to move on to the next fun idea!  ;)

I'm also back to my "first love" art materials... a mechanical pencil with a kneaded eraser, a fine-tipped Micron pen, my rainbow of Prismacolor pencils, and a wonderful mix of Copic & Prismacolor markers... Just love being surrounded by all those yummy colors!  :)

This ACEO ended up being a bit of a "Stop & Go Project" as I fit my art time in around the rest of life! I finally got it finished & listed in my Etsy shop yesterday...

Say hello to "Rainy Day Friends."

"Rainy Day Friends"