Road Trip to Arizona

Next week we will be leaving from Vancouver Island to travel down the west coast of Washington, Oregon and California.  This is a long road trip (about 2500 km) with two dogs but it will be well worth it as the scenery is supposed to be awesome!  Then, we head across to Arizona where we have rented a house for three weeks.  After a long and tiresome winter in Alberta we have been in BC for two weeks enjoying the cherry blossoms.  Finally having a shot of Color is like candy for the eyes.  Now, we are heading south for some intense heat in Arizona.  I think it will be a welcome change.

My biggest problem is trying to decide what art supplies to take.  I am on holiday but the thought of not having the right supplies, sends me into a panic attack.   I am more worried about that than what clothes to take.  Should I take an art journal? -  that means taking acrylic paints, watercolours or gouache (which I currently love BTW).  Not sure I want to commit to an art journal....?  Do I take a sketchbook with drawing and shading pencils for faces?  Then, I wonder if I should take a doodle or zentangle journal and all kinds of microns and markers?  So many decisions and I have never been good with decisions.

Does anyone have any ideas for how to pack a small case with essentials for travel?  If so, I would like to know.  Please leave a comment with your suggestions so it will make my decisions easier.  

Thanks for stopping by.  Now go back to splashing Color, OK?

Color as Inspiration

As an artist I am very much  inspired by colors around me.  Seasons, big blue skies, mountains with snow caps, ocean water, and the most vibrant of all....sunrises and sunsets.

Whenever the timing is right, I try to capture the sun as it peeks over the horizon.  The most amazing thing is that it is never the same. So many hues of brilliant yellow, orange and red.  Sometimes muted, other times intense, but always beautiful and inspiring.   

Winter sunrise

Beautiful Rocky Mountains of Alberta

Would love to capture these colors in a painting

I am now inspired to go splash some paint - how about you?

Hope - My Word for 2014

" A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed 

 hopeless failure may turn to glorious success."  - Elbert Hubbard

Love these magazines - so inspiring 

We can all use a little hope can't we? This word came to me because I just had shoulder surgery for a rotator cuff tear...... for the second time.  I fell in 2005, landed on my right shoulder - had it repaired in 2006 and now it tore once again.  Not good for someone who is right handed and artistic.

For the last four weeks, I have been watching videos online and catching up on courses.  I bought several (maybe more like a dozen?) Art Journal books and am slowly making my way through them.  

Here is what is inspiring me these days:

Traci Bautista, Kelly Rae Roberts, and Pam Carriker

Dina Wakley, Sharon Soneff, L.K. Ludwig, and Jenny Doh

Yes, hope is a wonderful thing and my heart is full of it while I wait for healing, inspiration and my muse to allow me to carry on with art and mixed media.  As always, thanks for stopping by.

Now why don't you go splash some color?

Designing a blog creates many decisions

What colors?  What font?  Do I want a bold background color?  I love color but is it too much?

Too many decisions.  Not enough Tech savvy knowledge...!        Maybe I need a blog designer.

I am going to jump in with both feet and see where this goes.  I will need to let that perfectionist voice in my head scream and yell.  When I listen to it and change things, invariably I will go back to my first choice.  That is the creative artist in me.  Am I crazy to start a second blog when I don't practice regularity?  Maybe this will motivate me to show up more often.  

Just keep adding more color is my motto

Here is the link to my jewelry and bead work blog...my other passion.

Terra Beadworks

Thanks for dropping by.  Now go splash some Color.

Katherine