Happy New Year 2023

 This year my goal is to participate in at least 3 out door Art Festivals.  Fortunately I already know I will attend Citrus Art Market twice this year. (Once in April and then in November)..............that leaves me with options for another or other venues.  If all goes well, I will try to attend a Festival in New Iberia on March 4th...............however, if I can't swing it, then I will try for one closer to my home in October.  Really I just want to get out and meet people and talk about art:)

Having enough original artwork to sell has been an ongoing process.  I continue to paint in watercolor and encaustic but sometimes not everything I paint looks good.............so I keep at it. Already I have completed 2 original watercolors with a third one in the works.  So far so good.

I am still selling on Etsy; which has had it own unique issues.  (Using Plaid to verify your bank info...(for anyone in the know,) it is hard to trust Plaid, but it is the only way to sell on Etsy.) Oh well.  As a back up plan I did create my own website............even if I don't sell from it yet, at least it is an opportunity to sell from in the future. 

Enough conversing, let's get to some images:

First up:  Work in progress (when photo was taken): "Dangerous Mushroom II" Magical Series, watercolor 

Second up: Video of work in progress: "The Start of Spring" Magical Series, watercolor

Third up: Work in progress: "Under the Swamp's Spell" Swamp Series, watercolor 

I am looking forward to sharing my upcoming shows with you all.

My very best,

Christin

Citrus Art Market- Check out my tent

 Our Art Sale took place this past weekend, and wow what an experience.   We battled rain, wind, and very cold temperatures ....but we managed to survive and make sales:) 

I learned many valuable lessons this go around....and I should be able to bring my A game for the next event; which should be in the spring. 

The biggest lesson was trying to create sales receipts but without a carbon copy. I did loose track of inventory numbers and had to physically count my left over inventory after the show........which was time consuming.  Another artist suggested not handing out sales receipts but keep a notebook with items that sold.  Maybe I will do that, but I did spend lots of time making fancy sales receipts and the carbon copy would solve the problem.  Something to think on. 

Anyway, check out the doors.  They are so beautiful and give my tent a unique look.  One mistake I made was not checking to see if they would fit under the canopy of my tent.  By the way the doors currently do not fit under the canopy. I  need to trim about 3 inches off the doors.  Anyway, on Saturday, we had misting rain that started to collect on the paintings on the doors, so I had to continue to wipe them with a towel to keep dry.  Lesson learnt.  

Over all I am happy with my display and do plan to add something else to give my display a little bit of pop. 

Check it out: 

Happy Creating

Christin 

 

Fall Art Market -November 12th & 13th

 Next weekend the weather looks to be beautiful.  I have been working for months preparing for this outdoor event.  I am very excited to be showing off my new paintings and sharing the weekend with my art friends. Check it out: 

I hope to see you there,

Christin

Half of my studio ceiling is complete

Slowly my studio is coming together.  I had a little bit of extra time on my hands and was able to paint the newly installed studio ceiling.  Since I painted the ceiling the same color as the walls, the studio has a very light airy feel to it.  Although, it is a little messy.............organization will be for another day. 😃

Check it out:

Here is another photo:

I feel very fortunate to have this wonderful space where I can create to my hearts content.

My best,

Christin..................keep creating.

Vacation = Studio Time

August is a good time for me to take a vacation, since this is the time that least effects my job.  I have been  looking forward to taking time off so I can work in the studio and prepare for November's art sale. 

Here is a recap: in April, my artist friends and I had an outdoor art sale in my front yard.  One of my artist friend's has a house on a busier street......... so for November's sale we will be in her yard.  We are all very excited about the change of venue.  

Even though during April's sale I did some things right, I still had some failure moments.  Like when my art prints took flight from the "clothesline" display idea I had.  Oh well.  Anyway fast forward, I really want to have a display wall to hang my original watercolors.  Of course I am on a budget and even though the metal grid walls are very functional I really don't want to spend that kind of money. So, that is when I purchased vintage wood screen doors.  Finally, I built the feet and tested out the functionality of my idea...........and with great relief it works.  Check it out: 

Here is what I purchased to make these:

6 pieces of 2" x 3" lumber ($4 each)

4 metal inexpensive shelf brackets ($2 each) 

4 decorative metal shelf brackets ( $7 each)

8 metal stakes to push into grass ( $2 each)

Of course I had screws, glue and miter box for cutting. 

Here are the details:

40" length of feet with holes in the front and back to push metal stakes through

30" tall vertical to hold door in place.  (One in front and one in back which makes like a sandwich. ) Vertical wood pieces were predrilled, glued and then screwed in place with 3" screws. 

Decorative shelf bracket secures the front of the wood and inexpensive white metal secures the back.

 My tent size is 10' x 10'.  The doors are approx. 3' wide so with two of them that will fill one side wall  with room to spare.

I hope this blog helps someone with the freestanding door idea.  It works!

Keep creating.

My best..............Christin

Decorative cover for folding Chair

 If only being an artist was creating artwork...............

Ok enough of that.  Currently, I am preparing for a fall outdoor art sale.  This may seem silly to some, but I want to sew up a decorative slip cover for my folding plastic chair; which I will use for the sale.  I really want the appearance of  my tent  to look more like a pop up shop.  So for me having a decorative slip cover is another element to my "brand" or "look".  

The words I think of when I think of my brand, are :  natural,  feminine, ethereal. etc.

 Here is the fabric I picked out from Fabric.com: 

Here is my folding chair:

To create the pattern, I pulled out my freezer paper and folded it along the chair edges. I use a ruler to straighten out the edges and then  I will add a 1/2 seam allowance. I will gather fabric along the seat seam and that will be full enough to cover the legs.  Once this is finished I will try to remember to post the finished result............but I will definitely post photos of my tent at the show.

Also, I am working on a new series of paintings.  The Swamp Series.  Living in  South Eastern Louisiana the swamps and bayous play a significant role in most of our lives.  It is not surprising that I would embrace the imagery. 

Check it out: 

"Gliding Through"

I am in the process of test prints for this watercolor.  I am hopeful to have this piece listed on Etsy for August...............along with other Swamp Series paintings.  You can always check out my work on Etsy/ Softly Painted Stories (shop name)

Happy creating,

Christin

Freestanding Wall for Outdoor Art Sale

 What an incredible two days.  I am referring to our Outdoor Art Sale.  The art sale was surprisingly successful and we had a lot of fun.

With any outdoor event, the weather is a major concern.  The forecasters predicted rain one day and then the next day they would change the forecast to no rain.  The forecast would continue back and forth like this, but there was not enough concern to change the date of the sale. The weather was pretty good for us; however, we had a little bit of rain from a few passing clouds but nothing serious.  The wind was pretty intense for both days and I learned some valuable lessons.....regarding the wind.

As soon as I finished displaying all my prints and framed pieces, a gust of wind blew everything face down.  The super cute clothesline idea did not work for me.  Yes, my prints took flight and a customer helped me pick them up.  When this happened, I laughed and immediately starting thinking how I could better display my pieces, and not lose them. 

Besides the wind, moving furniture out of my studio to the front yard is fine; however, we are now changing the location for the next sale and I don't see how I can lug my furniture without a moving van.  So portability is my next issue to conquer. 

Check out the look of my tent:

 As you can see the wind was blowing my sheer curtains all over the place.  Eventually, I pinned them to the table cloth.  On the left side of the photo my artwork is laying face up because the wind knocked them face forward.  In this photo I ditched the clothesline..........no need for hanging cording if there are no prints hanging from it.

Moving forward.   I went out of my comfort zone and looked on Craigslist for some old doors or screen doors to make freestanding walls.  Fortunately someone was offering two for $20.  And I did not hesitate.  My sister did come with me to make sure I stayed safe, and now I have two vintage screen doors that with a little bit of work will be my future portable displays.

Check them out:

I do plan on cutting off two inches from the bottom............they are pretty tall. 80" I believe. Also, they will be painted the same heirloom white color.   Of course...........the hardest part will be making feet for them so they will be standing upright.......even with the wind!

What a great find! 

My artist friends and myself are very grateful to all our friends and family members who came out and supported us.  We are truly lucky and thank everyone who stopped by.  We really appreciate ya'll. 

Keep creating.

Christin