New Works!

I've been off of the blogging grid..  but here are some photos to update y'all!

Peace, Love, & ART.

Wanted - Art Students!

Mondrian Inspired....

These kids are as natural as it comes with paint! Loved the outcome of these!

Enjoy!

Kayla's Abstract, 16" x 20" Acrylic on Paper

Colin's Abstract, 16" x 20" Acrylic on Paper

All done!

,

Just beginning!

Peace, Love, & ART.

Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder...

Oh Boy... 3 months sure does fly by fast these days! I can't believe I've neglected this page for 3 months... well, lets not harp on details. Here are some photos of what I've been up to... 

 

These are all available for sale on my Etsy site: iheARTohio

Stop by and 'FOLLOW' me! :) 

Also feel free to swing by my FACEBOOK page! 

Peace, Love, & ART!

New Painting...

Just a sneak peak at my newest painting! Can't wait to get this up on my Etsy shop... Follow my shop at iheARTohio.

Peace, Love & ART!

Sunday Funday with the Arts.

I'm back!

I am so happy to share with you some photos of how I spent my night. I decided to have my niece Alexis over for the night. I wanted to test out some painting techniques for kids, and what better way to do it, than to test it on your 8 year old niece?!? Maybe it's because I do not have kids (...yet) or am not blessed to teach kids and be around them on a daily basis, BUT every time I hang out with my nieces and nephews they blow me away. They are truly intelligent little souls. 

Alexis definitely didn't hold back, she was full of her normal sarcastic behavior. It's so fun to watch her grow up and evolve into a little impromptu comedienne, smart, beautiful little girl. I can't wait to see what her future holds. So without further adieu, here are some photos from our Sunday-Funday Arts Extravaganza.Disregard the poor quality photos... as explained in my previous posts... my camera has bit the dust (RIP). So, my cell phone will have to do for now.

Alexis in Action with our 1st painting of the night.

Working in the stamp effects... she did this on top of the solid colors once they dried.

These are the 'stamps' I made. I wrapped yarn around an old to-go box lid (you can use anything hanging around the house), and used pipe-cleaners to create a 'spider'-like shape.

This time we used the masking tape to create her name, and she chose how she wanted to paint the solid colors on, and as you can see she is onto the stamping process of the painting.

Alexis the little artist.

Finished name painting. THIS WILL LOOK GREAT in her room! I love the neon acrylic paints!!!

This is my favorite of the two, this too will look great just about anywhere! :)

Luigi likes it when Alexis comes over too, he gets dressed up in pipe-cleaners!

I hope you enjoyed these photos, and found inspiration for your little ones! I had a great time tonight, and I hope Alexis did too (it sure did look like it!) 

Peace, Love, & ART!

Nostalgia.

Nostalgia: 

     nos·tal·gia, noun, a wistful desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in  one's life, to one's home or homeland, or to one's family and friends; a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time: a nostalgia for his college days.*

I have spent most of my day filling out job applications, and with doing this I have had to really think about what my long-term goals are. I am faced with this question because, not surprisingly, employers want to know the answer to this. With this I have had to think about why I went to college, what I got out of college, and what do I want to do with this experience and knowledge I have gained. 

Well folks, I can't say I've really pin-pointed an exact career goal, but I do feel strongly that it is my calling to spread art to the everyday people. I don't know how I will do it, or if it will happen in my near future... but I want everyone to feel like art is accessible to them regardless of their demographic background or their education. I want to emphasize the importance that art plays in a person's life, whether that person be a child, an adult, or anyone in between. In the meantime of figuring this out, I began to feel nostalgic. Much like the definition of Nostalgia, I was aching "for my college days". Not the house parties... or Athens' plethora of bar choices... or late night/early morning delivery options... Well, let's be honest-I do miss those! BUT my true nostalgia lies within the School of Art at Ohio University. 

The school of art (SOA) building is truly where I was tested as a person, student, and artist. There's a sense of community among the art students... because college is hard, and all-nighters are common in all majors-no one's arguing that-BUT nothing compares to practically living and staying all night in a BIG, scary, retro, empty building that creeks and cracks over the blasting, diverse sounds of Talking Heads, Tupac, or The Velvet Underground, all while you are supposed to create something that defines you and is wonderful and concise--TALK ABOUT PRESSURE! Not only do I miss this building, and the community, but I miss the constant push, and enlightenment I got from fellow students and faculty.

This being said, whether those faculty and students know their impact on my artist voice or not, I want to share some of their works with you. Make sure to visit their websites too, I know you won't regret it! :)

First on my list of inspirational students is Paige Wright. I made the mistake in one of my last quarters to take a ceramics and the figure class that I was beyond under-qualified for. Not to mention, it was my first college-level ceramics class (and a 400-level class, at that). Not only was this class one of the hardest classes I had to push through, but I felt I was an amateur amongst pros. Paige was a grad-assistant to Tom Bartel-Associate Professor. With her and Tom's efforts, they made me feel at home in the Ceramics studio, and helped me to push through this class. This was the beginning of my love and admiration for everything ceramics.

Page Wright, CHECK OUT HER WEBSITE!!!

Rosemarie Basile, a Professor, an Advisor, and above all-A MENTOR. I would never have graduated if it were for her. She is truly an inspiration, and an amazing woman.

Next on my list of inspirational faculty would be John Sabraw. Initially, he scared the shit out of me-I will be honest, but as time went on... I realized 2 things: I gained more out of his class than all of my beginning classes combined, & his bark is much bigger than his bite (but that secret is safe with me... assuming SOA sophomores are not reading this blog).

John Sabraw, CHECK OUT HIS WEBSITE!!

I hope you are equally as inspired by these artist's websites as I am, more inspirations to come. 

Peace, Love, and Art. 

*All photos in this blog entry are not my personal photos, and were found on the web. Definition of Nostalgia provided by Wikipedia.com*

Pebbles & Pathways II

Hi Friends and Family!

I decided to spend my night re-touching my previous painting that I started about a month ago. I knew it didn't feel finished... but I felt it was best to walk away from it, and not force any false ideas onto it. I wanted to wait for the right creative direction to approach me. Finally, it hit me... while I was spray-painting my new shelves (black) for my apartment. The newspaper I was using to protect the ground from spray-paint debris had a fantastic value grade (ombré... if you will), I felt like the panting needed more depth. So I cut the newspaper into little squares and rectangles, and decided to collage that onto the painting.  Focusing on areas of the painting that were loosing their interest.

I have a little further to go with this, just small details-BUT here's the painting as is... I feel the new additions made the difference I was looking for. 

Detailed shot of the painting... 

ALMOST finished!!! Need a little more gold and white tones.

My best Critiques come from Luigi... he really knows his Art.

Well my friends, I am sleepy... Will update again soon!

Peace, Love, and Art.

Art, Artists, and People

Art, Artists, and People that Inspire...

Initially when I created this blog I wanted it to be a place where people could keep in touch with my projects (past and current). I have decided to expand this blog to a place where you can also see the things that inspire me. I use my family and heritage as a way to fuel my desire to make art, I wish to always keep in mind the people who have worked hard to allow me to do the things I love--which is making art. 

Keeping this in mind, I have also met a lot of fellow artists that also inspire me to keep trucking on and creating. I will always remember the people, professors & faculty, and many lessons learned through Ohio University-School of Art. They taught me the importance of always creating and never ceasing to push myself as an artist. They also taught me that the art world is a wonderful community to be involved in, and that I should cherish each artist I meet and appreciate the works they have done and are currently doing. This community of people will always know what you go through as an individual trying to find and evolve your artistic voice and that in itself is the beauty of fellow artists.

So, as I continue to showcase the works that I am creating... I want to take the time to showcase some other artists who inspire me to keep creating. I hope you feel so inclined as to visit these Facebook pages or blogs, and support these men and women as they continue to push themselves as artists. 

Kaiti Deddens 

Michael Bush 

Rachel Clark 

I hope you find the time to enjoy these websites, blogs, and Facebook pages. I will be sharing more artists or photographs of the many things in life that inspire me.

Just a little of my pottery made in my last quarter at OU

Peace, Love, & Art folks!