Art Journaling Pages: Featuring Anahata Katkin

Today is my usual day to post my latest art journal pages, but since I've been so busy lately, I haven't had the chance to work in my sketchbook in a while.  So I thought I'd feature the art journal pages of another artist who never ceases to inspire me.  I recently discovered that the incredible Anahata Katin posts her journal pages on her blog.  She has been such a motivation for me as she seems to be an unending source of new ideas, inspiration, and has created an incredible business from her work.  If for some reason you've never heard of her, you may have seen this on the cover of Somerset Studios last year featuring her Fearless artwork.  She is also the driving force behind Papaya (an amazing online boutique that features her artwork on the products).  So without further accolade or adieu, here are some of my favorite Anahata journal pages from her online album.

Arent they amazing! Do they inspire you to grab your art supplies and get messy today?  They really do for me.  I cant wait for life to slow a bit and get back into my Art Journal.  Who's work is inspiring you this week?

*All images seen in this post are from Anahata's Blog, they are all her amazing work,  found HERE.

XO, HARMONY

Artist Inspiration of the Day: The Lovely Wyanne

 Together is Better by Wyanne

I really wanted to show you a new painting process video today, but it seems that hitting the 8 month mark in my pregnancy has seriously slowed me down and I am not working as efficiently as I used to.   So until I finish that project later, I thought I would share another artist's process video today.  This is a snippet of one of my favorite artists to get new technique ideas from.  I watch her videos all the time and get filled with inspiration and creative energy.  Her name is Wyanne, said "Y"-an, and if you havn't discovered her yet and explored her world, you've been missing out on some beautiful paintings and probably some of the best painting process videos I have ever watched.

Garden Wild by Wyanne

It was actually her videos that encouraged me to start using alcohol and inks in my mixed media works.  She just posted several new videos and listed new paintings, and I instantly fell in love with this amazing little owl.  If I could afford to snatch it up and put it in my boys room, I would do so in a second.

Hello World by Wyanne

Whether you are a painter, art journaler, creative player, you should spend a little time today exploring her videos, they truly are inspirational and FUN to watch.  Maybe it will give you he courage to try something new and artsy today.

I hope you found something inspiring here that brightens your day.  The idea is to keep going, keep pushing through, and keep your eyes open to discovering your creative self bringing the world alive to you in totally new ways (oh and playing with lots of bright colors helps too). 

XO, HARMONY

the magic of sisterhood

"Sisters Are Magical" Digital Artwork done by Harmony Lenasbunt 2010

I have a little sister, well 3 years younger, we are actually pretty much the same size ;)  She and I have a very special connection.  I have a feeling all sisters have something similar going on between them regardless of age difference and closeness of their relationship.  There is something about that other girl in the family that creates a bond like none other.  She and I can fight like you wouldn't believe, and we have very little in common, but still I could not imagine my life without her.  I wouldn't be who and where I am now without her support, love, and yes even that competitive influence that sisters also seem to have with each other.  So when I was approached with the opportunity to create a custom work on the theme of sisterhood for a very special sister birthday, I couldn't refuse.  No matter how infuriating my baby sister can be, she is also my greatest ally and my dearest friend.  That conflict within our relationship rooted in such deep love for each other, intrigues me to capture in art.  So I thought I'd take a few moments this morning and look at ways other artists have presented sisterhood in their artworks.  Here are a few that truly inspired me, and maybe they will connect for you as well.

Found HERE

Found HERE

Found HERE

Found HERE

Found HERE

Found HERE

Found HERE

What does sisterhood look and feel like to you?  What does it mean for where you are today? I'd love to hear your comments on this.  Whether they are bonded to us by blood or some other worldly connection, sisterhood is something truly magical.

XO, HARMONY

new loves and merry labor day to you

I found a few lovely little things to share with you for this week.

1. Harps

 pic found @weheartit.com

As a child (about 10 years old I think) I was obsessed with learning how to play the harp.  I have no idea why.  I just thought that it was so beautiful and I always saw such beautiful and graceful women playing them.  My mother complied and spent the better part of the year trying to find me a harp teacher.  Needless to say, there arent that many of those around, and in the end we could only find one, a professor of music at a university 90 min away.  Well he was a bit eccentric and I was a very shy child, and when we went to meet him, he freaked me out so much that on the ride home I told my mom I didnt want to learn how to play anymore.  But to this day when I hear someone playing the harp, a bit of my childish dream leaps up in my heart.  I discovered this lovely young lady this week and have been truly enjoying her quirky style and the beautiful harp that she plays.

2. www.ShopRuche.com

Being that almost everything I own is now several years old, getting worn out, getting boring, and getting completely destroyed by my art making routine, I find myself "window shopping" some of my favorite online sellers more often than I should (considering that for all intensive purposes, we have no available funds for clothing shopping while I am investing in art supplies for craft shows).  So for now, these lovely pics will have to do...I adore most everything I find at Ruche and and this seasons lookbook is just pure inspirational eye candy.  Here are a few of the dresses that I fell in love with.

Swoon :)  If only I could put a pair of jeans on under these lovely ladies and walk out my door in them. 

3. http://www.magnoliapearl.com/

 I found this fashion designer on one of my blog wanders and just fell in love with their photo shoot design.  The clothes are gorgeous and romantic, and while I am not sure that I would rock one of their pieces in my normal life, how badly does this make you reminisce about being a young girl reading about Laura Ingels Wilder and getting swept up in the romance of a homestead life on the prairie.  Absolutely gorgeous!! Spend a few moments looking through their pics.

4. Artsy Bloggin Moms

 Pic of "I Dream of Flying" Print by Danita Art (made by a soon-to-be Artsy Mom!)

Creative and Artsy moms totally inspire me.  I have been very blessed to meet many incredible women through my blog who walk the fine line of motherhood and running a creative buisness both as an important part of their lives.  Whenever I find myself feeling creatively drained or that inevitable guilt for getting too wrapped up in my own art when I could have been with my child, I gather  new energy, perspective, and joy from reading a blog of a young creative mom, just like me, feeling stuck in the same predicament and finding their own path through it.  These are incredible, talented, and inspiring women!  Here are a few lovely blogs with even lovelier people behind them, that you must visit and "meet" them as well.

Jessica - http://www.discoveringbeautyinchaos.com/

Evelyse - http://whimsyluvdesigns.blogspot.com

Jenny - http://jennyswanson.blogspot.com

Emily - http://blog.thenest.ie/

So if you are in the mood for a bit of inspiration and beauty in your day, take a few moments and check out a few of these links and see where they take you.

I hope you had a splendid labor day weekend!  I got in a bit of work, a bit of play, and a good dose of family time.  It's never what I plan, but I couldnt have asked for more.

More New Loves Monday :) Get Inspired!!

 Artwork by Colorbee

So having recovered from my stress attack, I am now looking both outward and inward feeling creative and hopeful.  So to start off the week, here are a few things that are inspiring me right now:

1. Yoga - My lovely sister returned last week from an incredible 2 week yoga certification retreat, and she is excited to start teaching classes and brimming with lots of yummy information about healthy living and body awareness.  I've always been big on having an active lifestyle and living healthily, and I've practiced yoga part time for several years now but havent really dedicated myself to the art as I probably should, considering I have a very slight curvature to my spine.  (I am currently on the hunt for a yoga video that I can do with my son in the morning.)  I was inspired by my sister's new career choice and want to honor her with some Yoga art.  I've been searching for other art that is out there that touches on the subject but there is surprisingly little that I would consider to be very good.  But I remembered that Curly Girl Designs did several pieces with yoga poses in them.  She always does beautiful artwork, I adore the prints and cards they put out, and they gave me a few ideas to try.

 www.curlygirldesigns.com

So dont be surprised if you see a standing tree posed girl show up soon.  Do you practice yoga?  Does it inspire you to make changes in other parts of your lifestyle?  I am hoping to start adding more raw food into our family diet (something I've been talking about for awhile but havnt really tried).  My sister is currently all jazzed up about organic/local/raw food to fuel the body, and I am feeling inspired to try something new.  I think this week we'll try a totally raw meal and see where that takes us (i'll keep you posted on the outcome.) ;)

let go of your tears by jessica gonacha

2.  Great Design Elements: This last piece was done by Jessica Gonacha, and I find myself more and more drawn to her work.  Its simple and fresh, but expertly designed and thought out.  I have to admit that I am a secret junkie for good design in artwork.  It was a raw talent I discovered while in my brief stint at art school.  I have very little technical skills right now, but I find it is my ability to recognize and plan out a few good design elements that helps me pull off halfway decent paintings.  I do really appreciate spontaneity and organic creation of art (like the beautiful signature backgrounds that Kelly Rae creates for example), but there is something magical about a precisely planned design to a piece.  Something that draws your eye perfectly to the page and makes it follow the story the artist intended.  JG is a master at this.  She designs but doesn't over design, and its refreshing to look at her work.  

If you dont understand what I mean by this, here's an example: This artwork above seems very simple, almost childlike in what it is, but I am drawn to it, it evokes calm feelings in me as if I were in that peaceful spot in that restful pose.  You see there are layers of design and thought to be discovered here.  In this piece JG chose a simple line drawing slightly off center - so that it is a focal point but not screaming for all of your attention, the repeating pattern behind her is also off center and balancing each other without creating vertical lines (allowing the body and balloon to create the vertical dimension), the lighter yellow stripe draws your eye across going behind her pushing the figure towards you while the parallel heavier green line goes over her head (balance), the string of the balloon match the curve in her body and pull you up to the top where there is a negative space in the green stripe - so its almost like the balloon is not even really there!, the background and the focal pieces interchange in this way (balance), and dont even get me going on her choices for where to let the images touch the edges.  I think she is genius in design and I am really enjoying perusing her portfolio some days for inspiration and lessons I badly need to learn.  Here are a few more of her paintings that can be found in her ETSY SHOP.

Just gorgeous!  What design elements do you notice in her work that excite you and draw your eye in to take a second look?  How does it make you feel to look at it?  Good design in a piece can really affect a viewer's experience when looking at the art, and I find that this exercise really helps me understand what draws me in and what I may need to start incorporating into my new pieces.

WOW! I feel like that was a lot, even though it was only 2 things, but they are both really deep and rich wells of inspiration for me right now, and I think it will be good to just sit with each of them for a while this week and see what comes!  Hope it brings you a bit of creative energy as well :)  Oh and I'll be posting up a Shop Sale for Art Journals in my Etsy shop later this week, so if you need a notebook for school or a creative outlet for your thoughts, or even a unique and special gift for an upcoming occasion, check back for the coupon code.  It'll be a good one, since I need to unload some of the art journals that dont work for the craft shows I am preparing for right now.  Time to clear off some shelf space and find new homes for a few journals :)

 



 

New Loves Day!!

While I am waist deep in creative process in the art room, I thought I would introduce a new idea I had for a weekly blog post.  I get a lot of my inspiration and ideas from other artists, fellow creatives, and things I discover while exploring on the internet.  I thought it would be fun to share a few of the things I have recently discovered that are inspiring me right now.  I'll put a new list up each Monday and maybe you will find something new to inspire you in each new week.  We'll call it New Loves Day! Here goes...

1. Gritty Jane: 

Jane DesRosier is just lovely.  I adore her blog, her work, her style and her spirit.  She does mixed media artwork, with a religious theme, and is currently opening up a brick and morter store front in her home town in NC.  Her art expertly holds the balance between dark edginess and soft beauty.   Her mixed media angels lift my heart every time I see a new one.  Her work is currently inspiring me to push myself into new techniques for painting faces and bodies in my work (she was hugely influential in my choices while painting Dream Flight.  Check out her work, follow her blog and I know you will find something there to push you to a new idea.

2. Charity Elise Designs: 

 She does pottery mainly, but has an impeccable eye and feel for incredible color and texture combining.  I want to turn her plates into a background for one of my paintings.  I love the idea of using more texture and patterns in backgrounds or within a figure that I am painting.  Every time I run across her stuff on Etsy I swoon again and kick myself for not using some of her palette choices in my own work.  (I have also been dying to buy a set of her clay stamps to use in artwork.  I need to just go ahead and do it.) She also blogs, just not very often.

3. Knitalatte's Etsy Shop

I want to fill an inspiration wall with her prints.  They intrigue me, confuse me, and make me smile.  I adore it all.  The way she plays with her arrangements, colors or lack of colors, and the texture and patterning of the crocheted bits, speaks to me somehow.  I always feel connected to nature and the natural world.  The Earth element is definitely where my heart and soul lies, and this artist seems to share that sensibility in her as well. She inspires me to take ordinary things that I find everywhere in my life and make them spectacular!

4. Florence + the Machine: 

 I've been listening to her "lungs" CD for weeks now, primarily when I paint.  I adore every song on it and find that it puts me in a perfect creative zone everytime. The last time I found a whole album that did this for me was Radiohead's KidA.  Oh Man,  I love this girl's music so!

From her website: “I want my music to sound like throwing yourself out of a tree, or off a tall building, or as if you’re being sucked down into the ocean and you can’t breathe,” says Florence Welch. “It’s something overwhelming and all-encompassing that fills you up, and you’re either going to explode with it, or you’re just going to disappear.” - that is often how I feel about making art.  Perhaps that is why the music connects me to the art process so well. 

5. Karen Michel 

 Karen is always an inspiration.  I think her book was one of the very first I bought and tried the techniques when I got into Mixed Media artwork, and I am dying to take one of her workshops sometime.  The link to her blog is on my sidebar, but she recently listed these incredible assemblages of tiny mixed media squares on her etsy site, and I absolutely adore them.  I love when I am confronted with the realization that simple and rustic can be very beautiful and my inclination to over complicate and over perfect is totally unnecessary.  I am going to try a few of these types of assemblage pieces for one of my fall shows.

So there you are.  Some inspiration for your monday. Hope something in there gives you a bit of a spark this week!