Original Art For Sale NOW

This is a rare opportunity to own one of my original paintings. Featured on pages 55 & 83 of our book, "Untitled" is acrylic on stretched gallery canvas. (14x14x1.5" approx.) The sides of this painting are painted in coordinating reds; this is ready to grace your walls! The back of this painting is signed by the artist. (That's me!)

I am out of space and need to clear room for new paintings..  

Orig Price $675

Sale Price $200 includes domestic shipping. International buyers will be charged $35 for shipping. Payment is due on the same day of purchase please. Thanks for looking!

Thankful Every Day..

12x12" Acrylic on Stretched Canvas

We have been praying for those effected by the tragedy in Boston..and we are thankful that as I write this, the problem seems to be coming to an end for the people there.

I've had one hell of a marathon editing and preparation session for my new online workshop that debuts this Sunday. Will you be around to paint with me then? I'll post the workshop registration and details here on Sunday. Subscribe to my newsletter to get your news from The Land of Lost Luggage delivered right to your inbox.

I'm also on Facebook..would love to connect with you there too. Be sure to "like" a post of mine here and there so that my updates continue to show in your feed.

See you Sunday... it's going to be a fun and creative day!

The Red Letter X

Friday. Butterfly.

Fading Memory; Mixed Media on Canvas 16x20"  Original for Sale $475 + Shipping if applicable.

Hey- where have you been? I've been on self-imposed work "lockdown" all week. This happens to me every time... I think of a new class, shoot the class, and then announce the date that the class will be ready... not taking into account anything else on my calendar. Next thing you know, you're stuck on the computer for HOURS editing HOURS of footage so that you can release the class on time.. Well.. The lockdown paid off, we will open on the 21st. 

I feel like I've had a lot of growth with my editing platforms (written, audio and video) and I think you're really going to notice a nice difference with the new workshop. Stop back by on the 21st to see me...will ya?

New Online Mega Workshop Opens April 21st.

The feedback from our book has been really fantastic...I am so happy. Don't forget you can download it today or have a copy shipped to you. See the book here. (Fading Memory (shown above) is featured on page 62.)

Untitled. Red.

We Have Paris.

"We Have Paris" 11x14" acrylic on canvas. Purchase Inquiries please contact, SDAI (619)236-0011 April 13-May 26.

I submitted three of my paintings for consideration into the 52nd Annual International Juried Exhibition at the San Diego Art Institute. Two of the works were my top two favorites ever and then I threw in this small painting. To my surprise, the top two favorites did not get in...only this small painting did. I was very surprised to say the least. 1200 entries were submitted, only 95 works will hang in the show. When the letters of rejection started to hit my email, I was already cheering myself up. Then, I found this good news...in my SPAM folder. The horror....

If you're in the area, join me on April 13th at 6pm for the opening gala.. I can't wait to see this show!

Oh hey....rumor has it that the book started shipping today! Happy weekend to you!

Signed prints of "We Have Paris" here.

Yes. Sound City.

"Fragments"; 24x24" Mixed Media on stretched canvas. 

A couple of things to report from San Diego, CA...

First- stay tuned, I am beginning to post new art that I created for our book which is shipping soon! Hooray, Book! Click here to pre-order your copy. And thank you to everyone who has already ordered...it's a huge thrill to see the book hovering around  #1 and it isn't even released yet!

And now.....Sound City. Don't think this doesn't apply to you.. I am going to go out on a limb and say that since you are reading this blog, you're probably creative...and an artist..maybe even a photographer too... Oh yah? That's why I am going to mention this documentary.

I've said this before and it still rings true today. Dave Grohl's feelings about musicians and how he feels that they need to be able to read music and know their instruments inside and out....well....I feel that way too. 

Technology allows us to pretty much make a lot out of nothing...and pretty much, making a lot out of nothing to me means you are creating a whole lot of nothing. Make sense? 

See all those hip, cool, (cliche) photographs that look like they were taken in 1974..they all look the same...and know those consumers who pop over to the membership store, plop down X$ on a fancy-ish camera and then head home only to download free photoshop actions and call themselves photographers? They're booking clients... making money.. and I think ripping people off.

Why? Julie, don't be such a bitch... It's true. They don't know how to shoot outside of auto mode, they know nothing about the actions they are running...and god help them if they could run the same procedure manually in photoshop.. they see pictures on pinterest and pin them (don't get me started) and head outside to capture the same look that someone else created. Where is the creativity? Where is the TALENT in that?

It's fine for some people. Hear that? I said, it's FINE for some people. But I am not some people. I have drive..curiosity..and the urge to be BETTER every day.. So..that's what I am trying to say...if you want to be inspired....if you want to marvel in someone else's creativity...go watch the documentary. If you like music too..then that's a bonus.

Me? I'm cleaning my music library... APPRECIATING those artists who are unique...TALENTED and NOT putting junk into the mic and getting junk out.... the same way I want to shoot and paint as well. (That's shoot photos....not bullets... in case you were wondering.)

Sound City

How many times did Tom Petty say they played "Refugee" before they were happy with it?

How do you make art that comes from the soul?

What's your "click track"?

Does your art represent some sort of integrity or truth?

"Play arrangements over and over in a similar fashion....."

Restoration.

"Restoration" 24x36"; Mixed media on stretched canvas.

Spring toys with us.. it's 80 and clear and now 62 and overcast.. The roses are all budding...but it's not time for shorts yet.

Spent some time cleaning out my reader this afternoon. Flipboard makes me want to read blogs..on the iPad...do you have that app? I am weirded out by the super high number of blogs that are now defunct. What happened to everyone?

Hope you read my last post.. someone is going to win a book on Friday... lowest odds I have ever seen.... just sayin.........................

And the Judge Says.... Third and Fourth

Mixed media on paper, Feb. 2010

Well...I had a nice surprise... The San Diego Art Institute welcomes volunteers on juror night.. They help with bringing all of the submissions out of storage and onto the gallery floor for judging. I couldn't miss this.. I want to know all the ins and outs of gallery stuff, so my friend and I went down there.

We were told to hang back several feet from the Juror and not to distract him while he is judging. After all of the art was lined up, we watched from a distance to see if our pieces were selected for the next show.

I have been having trouble working on small format pieces for the one-foot show.. this month, I nailed it and finally got a 10x10 (Vintage Picnic) into the exhibition. For the regional show (works up to 8 feet) I have been getting in... so after he picked my 10x10, I was happy....I had no idea what was coming next.

On the floor, he walked over to my large piece (The Score) and looked at it for a long time.. I am sure it was only a few seconds, but it was the longest anyone has ever looked at one of my pieces (that I have seen). That's my thing.. I hang back on opening night and watch how people react to my art..people have not been stopping, but the jurors have been selecting my paintings.. so there is the dilemma..do I make things more interesting for the sake of people to look at them, or do I keep to my true self and just be happy to get into the shows? I am not sure... He walked off.

On his official route by the piece, I got an orange sticker. The Score was selected to be in the Regional Show. Yay! After several more minutes of helping move paintings to and from storage, he stopped to chit chat with some people. I wanted to see who would win one of his four awards...

At the end of his conversation, he walked over to The Score without any hesitation and marked it "Juror's Choice". I tried to remain calm... my friend and I have a saying we share, "Act like you've been there before"..do you do that? I think it worked that night because I was a little stunned to tell you the truth. This was only my third time entering a show. (Three different jurors so far.)

So there it is...my first award. It's a thrill honestly...to be recognized by another artist is really special to me...

So that brings me to the updates:

SDAI Regional and One Foot Show now through April 7th, Balboa Park.

Acrylic Solutions (our book!!) ships around March 22!!

Get in the mood for our book with another book...come to my facebook for a chance to win "Acrylic Revolution". I have a copy I can ship to you if you're in the US.

edit: The Score is a 24x36" piece featured here.

The Tale of Two Paintings

The New and Improved "Vintage Picnic". Acrylic and graphite.

Maybe the juice fast is making me more indecisive than normal... last night, I went back into this painting, darkened some areas, added more pencil and then covered it in a thick coat of Self-Leveling Gel (Golden). The gel makes the painting much more ethereal.. and brightens everything up a bit. I highly recommend it on smaller works.

Vintage Picnic.

"Vintage Picnic" Acrylic and Graphite; 12x12" canvas

I'm on day 4 of a 7 day self-imposed juice fast.. The juice I have been making is delicious..combinations of carrot, strawberries, kiwi, apples, cucumber, ginger.. my family and I have been sucking them down. The juice, surprisingly, is very filling. Even though I have been embracing this new "lifestyle" since late August, I have not been juicing. The smoothies I make every morning are usually: Avocado, cucumber, ginger, bell pepper, cilantro, lemon and kale..a lot of kale. It's a thick shake that my friend affectionately calls, "my gazpacho"...also delicious. So, technically, I am not juicing exclusively I guess...there is that morning gazpacho. Either way, I'm feeling great. What's weird is that I am getting a lot of compliments on my "makeup"...which has not changed...I can only guess people are noticing my vegetable glow.

This is a new painting...it's cold and windy here...and I am looking forward to spring. A lot. What's up where you live?

School Auction, 2013

Completed project. Center frame holds a 5x7" photo.

I love this kind of stuff..... but I have never worked with this medium before. These are Sculpey tiles that I stamped and cut.. the 31 large tiles were each painted by one child in the 1st grade class.. I painted the remaining tiles. I had the idea to make a piece like this..but then I had to think of a way that we could generate high bids at the auction. By incorporating a frame (the frame remains accessible from the back of the piece) into the art, the piece can now be customized to hold whatever the highest bidder desires..

A close- up of some of the tiles..

I am proud of this project because my husband PERFECTLY executed my plans for the base work on this. Trust me...my plans are not like those drawn up by an architect.. they are a lot of "you know..like this.." and "one of those thingies" type of plans.

Bead grout.. now affectionately called "Brout" (Patent pending.)

Laurie Mika is a genius in this medium. I don't have her book...but if you're looking for the know-how for a project like this, don't email me. Buy her book. A special *wink* to my friend who helped me with the stamps for this too...and you know who you are.

She's glorious... I may even bid!

I'll leave you with one last image. These are the custom built innards we made for the project out of plywood, painted black:

From left to right: The piece without her tiles; the top removed to see the inner structure; the back of the piece.

Ahh...remember the rosary I made for the preschool auction? The good ol' days..I have my fingers crossed this project does as well if not better for the school. The school auction project time is my favorite time of the school-year. 

Rain. Rain!

Ichiro checking out the mystery water from the sky...

Southern Californians everywhere are in a panic because today...Friday..there are water drops falling from the sky, The city is on storm watch, and I am sure, tonight when I tune in, news reporters will be on location throughout San Diego, documenting the storm. (In actuality, we'll maybe get .5" and some wind...maybe snow at 3000'....no need to panic and crash the car.)

The surface of the pool...

The Ornamental Pear Blossoms will soon be gone....victims of the "storm".

...and new leaves will be coming soon..

8x10" acrylic on stretched canvas.

So...dark..gloomy....cold...I wanted to spend casual Friday on the couch today. Instead, I re-photographed some art (see the new "Score" here), wrapped up this painting, replenished my tuna supply, hit the treadmill for 31 mins, cleaned, gesso'd a huge new canvas and now I am writing to you. I'm exhausted!

I'm sad today... along with the seasonal sadness due to weather changes here, our school librarian passed away yesterday. Suddenly, of natural causes. I'm only speculating, but I think she was in her 60's...too soon. Another reminder that our time here is short...and precious...and it's so important to make the most of it.

Have a great weekend....and thank you for stopping by today.

Note: If you are a blogger, and you leave me a comment, make sure to leave your website address...in the field provided by the website (not out in the open) I want to stop by and say hello!

Second.

Me at the San Diego Art Institute opening reception, Balboa Park. Thru 2/24/13.

I set a goal for myself this year. I won't tell you how many paintings I am trying to get selected into shows this year, but luckily, I am off to a good start. This is my second attempt, second entry.

This show made me nervous. When I got to the reception, it was extremely more crowded than the reception last month.. The art selection was completely different, highlighting the fact that there is a different juror every month... and even though I knew that, seeing the collection hit home. I was able to listen to the juror speak this month and he noted how he tried to get a good representation of many different categories of art into this show. I think he did an excellent job.. Frankly, I am surprised that my selection made it in this month.

You never know what you're going to get....keeps me on my toes.

Hope you're on your toes too.... how do you stay up there?

Settle The Score

All work and no play makes Julie a dull girl...

Friday I started this painting. I've had this 24x36" canvas hanging around and for a long time I couldn't think of anything to paint on it. Forget sketchbooks...plans...you know.. I make this stuff up as I go. I get an idea and let it percolate in my brain for a day, week, month and then I paint. No test painting...who has time for that? I'd rather torture myself.

So I started painting. It was a beautiful day, low 70's, sunny....fantastic.

Windows open.

Birds chirping.

Nespresso in hand...

And man....did this ever turn out to be a boring painting. With circles even.

Painting progression. Clockwise from left: Block in the initial idea.. tune the idea...draw in something I will hate in a few minutes....test on wall....test in potential hanging space....repeat. (Not pictured) toss and turn...lose sleep....imagine what is wrong....think of solution....change idea....complete.

I hate curves...

Angles. Squares. That's my M.O.

Someone pissed me off.. big argument...and then THAT'S when things started to get interesting with said artwork:

The Score 24x36", stretched canvas. 2013

So I guess it's true what they say about passion in artwork..

Get some.

My Seat's Been Taken By Some Sunglasses...

8x10 Mixed Media on Stretched Canvas.

I just had my teeth tightened.....here is some rambling:

Jodie Foster made me think a little the other night during the Golden Globes. I like her.. I think she is a good actress and I like something else about her: She is mysterious.

Jodie isn't at the Ivy having lunch...she's not caught up in publicized love triangles...she's not falling down drunk on TMZ. Sure, her speech was a little random, but I chalk that up to nerves.

I like how she hinted about privacy. I've been thinking about privacy a lot.

We blog to connect.

We facebook to connect.

I'm still trying to figure out why we instgram...

We harbor "friend" counts and connect with everyone.

I know more about people these days then I cared to know even back in the day when we were friends.

And what for?

I believe in the argument that if you are an artist it is important to have a blog and internet presence..especially for me...running an internet business. But when did having to share my every move and family life cross into that need? To me, it is the art that is important.

I stopped posting on my personal facebook page...

And if you "know" me, I'd like to speak to you on the telephone instead...

The truth is, that if you think you know me, you don't...although I have always portrayed myself in a true and honest manner, online and off..

But I'd like to retain my air of mystery.

You don't need to know where I am and what I am doing... I'm me.

I'll be here.. digging in to 2013.. I'm not giving up blogging. But another interesting point to consider is that I think the internet is doing more harm than good these days.. How much exposure is over exposure? Isn't everything starting to look the same?? 

Rock on...

Good read: We are raising a generation of deluded narcissists.....

The First.

I submitted one painting to the San Diego Art Institute in Balboa Park last week and patiently waited to see if the judge would call me on Wednesday. It was my first time submitting anything anywhere, and after seeing the mass of paintings when I dropped mine off, I thought my chances were pretty slim.  And then.....

Yay!

Opening Reception.

I am so thrilled to be included in this exhibition! If you're in the San Diego area, the show will be up until January 20th. Hopefully you can stop by to see my painting.

Thank you so much to those of you who continually support my art. This is a dream come true. Next goal- Solo Show. It's out there. Boom.

Painting.

Thank you for your comments and visits during the Art Gallery Tour series. There is one more Gallery show this Friday. These days I am making my list and checking it twice...I'm enjoying making holiday gifts and staying busy. I am much happier when I am busy. I cannot get enough of the Act Natural color palette...neutrals all the way! See you soon...

Open Doorway

This is one of my favorite paintings.. I ran this print off the wrong size, and I wanted to offer it at a discounted price to one of my blog readers. 

Printed on beautiful 350 gsm art rag with archival inks. This signed print measures 7x8 5/8" and is printed on 8.5x11" paper. It is stunning in person. The textured paper makes this look like the actual painting!

This signed print costs $17.60 and includes very careful packaging and priority domestic shipping. There is only one print available in this size. For more prints, please see my etsy shop.

New Art

I carved out some time for a small painting last week. This is painting #4 in a series that I have completed based on my Mucho Metallics online workshop...which is OPEN and on SALE. You can read about it here.

Mixed Media; 8x10