Update .....

I will have these available by tonight ( Sat. 8:00 pm e.s.t. ). I just love these small chunky canvases. I am a bit intimidated by the larger chunky canvases. I like small spaces.....

Not much happening today..... I am taking the kids to the park ( if the weather will cooperate!!). My husband has a horrible case of poison ivy..... I told him not to go off the trail last week on our nature walk. I know I am a nagging Mom, but ....

I have a thought, everywhere you turn you hear about how bad the economy is and the soaring gas prices and the housing market..... I just do not want to hear anymore. I will think of all that is positive today and create positive energy. I can not change the bigger things , but I can change what is in front of me. Focus on what you can do and not what you can not.

Talk to you soon,

Courtney

New collage and more....

This new piece is now in my etsy shop. Go check it out!!!

We also had quite the adventure at the local farm. I just love these two cows. I hope everyone had a great relaxing holiday weekend. We ended up taking some hiking trails ...... thinking it would be a nice way to wear off some energy...... 5 miles through the woods later.... everyone was pooped!!

Talk to you soon! Courtney

New collage

This is a new collage in my etsy shop. I just love the wind on a sunny day. Make a wish and the wind will carry it away to come true ( Just the hope of it makes some days a bit more bearable! )

Have a safe, happy and relaxing holiday!!!

Talk to you soon,

Courtney

New collage

This is my new Trout collage now in my etsy shop. It is a departure from my usual work... how I love Trout. I hope to do a series on these.... if you did not know , there are about 200 or so different types of trout around the world!! My son saw this and really liked it , however he said

" Mommy .... where are all the ripped papers?". They are there , just a bit more organized!

Talk to you soon,

Courtney

Inspiration

This is my favorite book . It has the most beautiful watercolor work ...... . It is meant for the sport fisherman , however I happen to just be in love with Trout. I am not sure when this all started , I just think they are so beautiful. Although my artwork does not reflect this ...... yet, my inspiration really is from the many patterns and color in the many kinds of Trout. Is this a hint of new work..... possibly . I am working on something , however I love it so much I might want to keep it for me!!! By the way, I hate going fishing.

Talk to you soon,

Courtney

How often do you work???

This is my new forest piece now in my etsy shop.

I was thinking about how often I try to work on my art and what qualifies you as a Professional. I work every day no matter what. Sometimes it is mere minutes stolen in between homework with the kids, dinner making or laundry folding. Every night I work at least 2 hours uninterrupted. I try to start before 10:00 and work until 12:00. I am not always productive .....
I think I am always thinking about what I want to do , or what inspires me. I was curious about everyone else...... How often do you commit to working and what makes you a "professional"?

New Work....

I just added this to my shop. The inspiration is from my son's little umbrella walk at preschool. I just love a happy , hopeful rain.

Talk to you soon,

Courtney

A little Hope.....

This is a piece that is available at " The Muse " in Frederick. I really like the image of hands with nature. We forget at times that just a little work can go along way. It is not easy to move mountains , but smaller tasks can be just as impactful on anothers life. Hope is in everyones hands.........

Remember being a kid and wishing on a star. Be a kid again..... have faith ..... work hard at being the best person you can be ..... accept your limitations, yet strive for greater.... breathe deep....

and I believe that hope will get us all through.

Talk to you soon, Courtney

My little guy...

My little guy seems to always be around me when I am trying to work. I loved this day, I was working on one end of the table and he was on the other. It was a quiet ,wonderful , productive day!! He is painting a lion.... I love that he made it green.



Talk to you soon,



Courtney

New work

These are some new pieces that I will have at " The Muse" in Frederick. It is a departure from my usual work a bit. I really love the colors. I am working on some similar pieces and hope to have them in my etsy shop by next week.



Talk to you soon,



Courtney

Handbag challenge

I just sent these in to the magazine " Haute Handbags" . Wish me luck. I love doing these magazine challenges. They really make you think outside the box.





Talk to you soon,





Courtney

Down at the Farm

You just have to love a window with chickens. I have always had a romantic view of life on a farm ...... I still dream of living on one. Call me crazy..........

Rainy Mondays......

It seems like it has been raining forever!!!! I should not complain, the flowers are getting
lots of love. I hope everyone had a great Mothers day..... it is bitter sweet after my Mom passed. I am almost finished some vintage paper purses for the "Haute Handbag " challenge. I will post pics very soon. I just bought some watercolor paper , and am going to fool around a bit. I have tried before , but water color and I never got along. We will see.

Have a great Monday ! Talk to you soon,

Courtney

Sometimes I hear the news or read the paper and it just gets to be too much...... there is so much going on and it seems it never ends. I feel the realization of how small we all are. Today enough! I will not succumb to the negative energy. Sure , there are alot of bad things going on , and I can not make even a dent in these major tragedies. However it has occurred to me ...... for the large scale miracles to happen, there needs to be many small miracles along the way. I can and you can make this happen. Many feel that they must travel far and wide to help or seem like they are helping make the world better. I salute them for their efforts, someone must do it. For those ( like myself ) , look around at what you see. Make a change ..... create the domino effect right where you are. I have not done much to make change where I stand, but I have hope..... and the simple wish for hope can be enough until the courage pushes us to take the steps.

Talk to you soon,

Courtney

Here are some pics from our nature walk. The poor tree looks like it could just fall any day.
We stumbled upon this gravestone.

Just added these to my shop. I used chunky canvas for these and love the way the colors worked out.

Still can not find my book ...... oh well.

Talk to you soon,

Courtney

The wind and not finding the willows.......

Just finished this ..... it is a model for a class I hope to teach this summer. I love my vintage papers .

We took the boys on a walk today around a wooded path that followed a creek. The boys loved finding things and we saw so many little critters. I had this bright idea..... I had been saving my childhood book of " The wind in the willows" to read to them. Today is the perfect day to start. The boys were so excited , especially knowing that I would read from the book my mother read to me ( she has been gone for 2 yrs now ). So I went to find the book and to my surprise could not. Where could it be? The boys and I looked everywhere. Mind you , my house is small so there is not much that could be hidden or lost. I did alot of " oh , I have been looking for this" and " Why have I been keeping this ?" . We found just about everything else but that lovely little book. I told the boys that I would go to the library in the morning , but somehow the excitement was lost. Perhaps it will return when I find my book. Funny after taking the house apart I am sure I will find it in the most obvious place. Do you ever wonder why that happens?