Wordless Wednesday

Beth♥

Planning for a busy Summer

Since moving to Northwest Arkansas in March, we have been looking for some Art Festivals/Shows, that are close by, to participate in. Last week I found out that I was accepted into an Arkansas Art Festival called The War Eagle Fair Art Festival for October. I've heard good things about this show, so I am hoping that my artwork will sell well at this type of show.
So...
STEP #1...Get busy and create A LOT of artwork to sell!  Yes, October seems like a long time away from June, but I know that October will be here fast! And the show will be a 4 day long show, so I MUST create enough product to have plenty to sell during that 4 days. So after a little bit of excitement from being accepted into this big show, panic started to take over a little. I know that I have to start now, creating lots of new little goodies. It takes time to create my little clay pieces, so obviously, I have to start making them now. I'm also going to create some whimsical and colorful paintings. (I want to make sure I have plenty of choices for my customers.) I also plan to apply to another local art show, or two, that will be in November or December, so that means even more product to create. But that is what I love to do, so I look forward to the challenge and having fun with it.

Last week was filled with playing with the clay, sketching ideas for paintings, shopping for paints and other additions to my booth.  So, it was a busy week, as will every week from now until October. Here is a sampling of what I've been working on in the studio. I'll be posting updates here as I go. I hope you will check back in with me and leave a comment every now and then. I love to hear from other artists and friends who read this.  If you have had a booth at War Eagle Fair before, I would love to hear from you about your experiences.

Beth♥

Painting Birds with Acrylics

Painting is Good for the Soul
After spending hours and hours getting ready for the Norcross Art Festival and finishing up a large commission, last week I just crashed!  I spent several days unpacking and re-organizing my tent display items, then re-listing items in my Etsy shop, so I was working, just not on the creative part of my 'job'.  So Friday I pulled out a canvas commission that had been waiting to be finished and by Saturday morning I was in the mood to be creative.  I painted all day Saturday, finishing 2 painting commissions and then on to one just for fun!  And it felt really good to paint! It was a rainy day, so it was good to be in the studio.  It lifted my spirits quite a bit.  The blahs turned into a happy feeling.  I think I will spend more time painting in the near future, mixing my time up with some drawing, clay work and painting.  Sounds like a good mixture to me.

Whimsical Birds on Canvas
 A couple of months ago I painted the background of this canvas.  I used a coral color first. Then I rolled blue on top of the coral, leaving some of the coral showing through.  After that was dry, I drew the outline of the birds on the branch.  Then I put it away to get ready for the art show...then pulled it out Saturday. I got so excited about painting, I forgot to take photos of the background first.  I started lightening up the background (around the birds and branch) with loose brushstrokes of lighter blues, pinks, and yellows.  Monday I worked on the painting again and ended up here...

I'm letting it sit for a few days to decide if its finished or not.  We'll see. Now I'm ready to work on some commissions because my Soul is refreshed!

Beth  ♥