I did it! I updated my blog! Yippee!

Let me start off by saying I am sorry to all of my blogger friends. I know I have been horrible about my blog. I had to make some choices and put updating my blog in priority order. This is has no reflection on reading your awesome blogs, but it put updating mine at the bottom of the list.

Now, I have to recognize my blessings. I have been very fortunate and have been selling lots of my art to the local community. I have been commissioned for several projects and requested to fill orders on a weekly basis if not daily. Wow!!! Yes, this is a good busy. :-) Also, I have continued my work in the acting world. Aside from working my usual full time job during the day, I have been casted in several theater and film opportunities since my last blog post. I have had the opportunity to work with Page 2 Stage Productions, Ocean Troupe and others. It has been so much fun, and a wild ride! I love it! :-) Last but not least - I love my Paranormal Ghost Hunting team, Ghosts of Georgia . We have had some wonderful opportunities to investigate some very interesting places. In turn this has helped me continue to learn about my sensitive gifts. Very cool! The best result out of this, is using my sensitive gifts in my art. I can't tell you how good it feels when I hand over a painted item to a customer, and they say; "Wow, this is just what I wanted - how did you get inside my head?" Cool huh? :-)

I want to take the time to thank my wonderful Etsy friends. I am blessed to be on both the GA Etsy Team and Original Artists on Etsy. They have been my rock, and so supportive. If you sell on Etsy, please consider joining a team. You won't regret the time spent with these friends. It is a great support network and a wonderful tool to help you learn. You can never stop learning, and this is a great outlet.

If you have not had the chance to become a fan on my Facebook Fan Page - please stop by. http://tinyurl.com/kiwiarts I try to keep pictures updated as much as possible. I also Twitter, you can follow :-) Thanks for continuing to support me and encouraging me to update my blog. I will do this more often, I promise.

Now - I need your good vibes, energy, prayers - whatever you want to call it. Lots of orders to fill this week, a movie to start filming and another one to study, Two different dinner theaters to prepare for, a program to create for a New Dawn Theater Company, and I go back to work (I work in the school system). Did I mention my 5 kids and husband that are so supportive? I am so blessed!

Have a wonderful week everyone - hug your family and be good to yourself. Here are some pictures of one of my latest sales.

Hugs, Beth

Dance Painting (taking too long?) - part 1

Ok, so I have worked ALL day on this one painting I have been commissioned to do. It is only a $50 painting. The specs were given to me, so it is taped off at 14x20, and the color palette she would like me to use was given to me as well.

So, I am trying to stay in this same family of the color palette, but I am not doing so well - ha ha! I still have several dancers to add to this painting, lots of flowing material and gowns, and as you can see, I am not getting anywhere too fast! I figure by the time I am done with the painting, I might make $ .02 an hour! LOL! :-)Oh well - it is a challenge, and I love a challenge. I spent much of my time with the negative space, and texture. Even though, she has a specific color palette in mind, I still wanted her to be able to see the richness of color in the negative space behind her color choices. I am afraid if I stick to her colors, it will be very flat when I am finished. This is no big deal, I love building the paint. I don't think this painting will look anything close to what it looks like now.

The things I want to fix in this painting already.......... The one dancer's face in this painting. I hate faces! I don't do them well at all. I don't want the reader of this painting to be too distracted by the face of this dancer, and not looking at the movement and grace of the dancer instead. It is more important to show movement, soft flowing material, and to be able to hear the music by the time it is finished. I am thinking of swooping her face out, a little more abstract. What do you think? The other thing I need to finish.........I started off with some great transparencies, but I added too much opaque over my transparencies. I was scumbling over the texture, and I did too much. I lost some of that really nice rich color you could see through her gown. So I am trying to figure out how to get that back. Once you have used an opaque, it is hard to do much more. I figure I can add some transparencies back on top of the opaque, so I can add more color and tints to the fabric of the dress.

Well, this is part 1. I will post again with more pictures soon. Thanks for looking. I hope to finish after work tomorrow. We shall see after getting home, then transporting all my teens to where they need to go, and cooking dinner. I wish I could stay up later and work on it. I hate going to bed with that unfinished feeling.....

Everyone have a wonderful week! Stay warm, dry, and happy. Keep positive thoughts with you night and day. We will have so many good things to write about at the end of the week. I can't wait to hear them all!

Hugs!
Beth

Cool things to show off and be proud of!

Ok, first of all, I know I am really bad about keeping up with this blog. I am making it a goal to keep up. I wanted to share a couple of pictures of the wedding gift I made for one of my really good friends. It turned out really cute. Her wedding colors were black, silver, w/splash of red! Lots of sparkles too! So, I painted one of my really HUGE Martini glasses with a abstract look (this is her style). Painted little silver/black rocks all around the glass/bowl. They were very artsy with the directional strokes, making them look really round. Then I followed down the stem with some red/black/silver/sparkle polka dots on the stem. The bottom of the glass (on the underneath - so you can see from the top) was a cobble stone look with splashes of red. Then I sealed the bottom with a basic shiny black and wrote their names/wedding date - and of course, I signed Kiwi Arts in RED! LOL! Then I bought some little silver pebbles (perfect silver) and filled the glass, and put little white floating candles on the rocks. This way she can add water, and light the candles for a perfect center piece. Or as my friend pointed out..........she can fill the glass with vodka and olives! The two can share a HUGE martini! LOL! :-) Here are the pictures, and I threw one of me and one of daughters that went to the wedding with me. We are both friends of the bride. Well she dances for her as well.

Then I had to show you my new business cards!!! I am so excited! Thank you so much Uniquefavors! They are unbelievable two sided, glossy cards - designed by Uniquefavors! http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5417266

The best part is my really awesome "Kiwi" ring made by Diffraction! How cool is this ring? And it goes with Kiwi Arts! Who would have thunk it? I can't wait to wear it tomorrow! Now when people ask me why I am wearing a Kiwi ring........as if they did not know by looking at my Kiwi Arts decals on my car, and all of my art work that says Kiwi Art - I can had them a card! Yea!!! :-) Advertising at its best! :-) Here is the link to Diffraction. She is so talented! Take a look! http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5874408

Ok, night all! I will post again soon.

Please send your good organization, time crunching, vibes my way. I am still trying to figure out how to get all of this side stuff done while being a mom taxi, and working full time.... sheez! But I LOVE it!!! Did I mention I LOVE IT? I really do!

Hugs to all!:-)
Beth

Yea! It has been a successful day for Kiwi Arts and Peters Path! Christine and Rhonda w/Peters Path have a clothing line and are part of a huge show in Savannah GA this weekend. They carry my art work. I painted these special wine glasses just for Savannah from the famous cemetery statue. If you know Savannah, then you know this symbolic statue in the cemetery. My understanding is that Peters Path was on the local news this weekend in Savannah twice! Sales were great for both of us! A few of my painted glasses, including both of these special ones made just for this show sold. Apparently the show goers liked my St. Patrick's Day glasses and some of my painted bracelets sold as well. I will find out more when Peters Path returns on Sunday. Way to go girls! Thank you for taking my Kiwi Arts! :-) Now, all I need are some Etsy sales, and I think I will be on the road of feeling a little more successful.

So, my next project? Hand paint my new natural wood bangle bracelets I bought off of Etsy, and get used to the natural elements of wood. Paint two full size paintings that I have been commissioned to paint, paint a special wedding gift for a friend, and paint more inventory for some local stores and theaters here at home. Whew! I will start tomorrow! :-) Thanks for reading!

Hugs!! Beth, Kiwi-Arts

The new art studio make-over is done! Time to work!

Yea, I am done! I can't believe it! I never realized how much there was to clean out and move around. The new art furniture is in, and supplies have been organized. Now, I know I will be more productive, and have a renewed energy as well. It feels so good to work in a clean and organized room. I have attached pictures of the finished room too.

So, this week - I must prepare for two shows and get some inventory together to sell on consignment. I want to paint some bracelets too. My daughters have asked for them, I think it will be pretty easy. Cross your fingers they sell well. I am so excited! My mind is full of so many ideas! They are endless!

I put several art pieces and painted glass in a local performing arts theater about 20 minutes from me this week. They were so excited, and so was I! I hung 4 different paintings, and scattered painted stemware all over the place. It added some color to the theater, and made it possible for me to sell my work. It was a good deal for both of us.

I am going to try and sleep. I need to prepare for the busy week ahead, but I am so pumped I don't know if I can. Well, I will try anyway..........

Thanks as always - for the support you give.

Beth - Kiwi Arts

Before pictures of the "new" art studio!

Ok, so the studio renovation is going very slowly. Had 3 glass orders to fill this week, and of course I had work during the day. I came home from work everyday this week, played taxi mom to kids and activities, then I started to paint in my kitchen as usual. I stayed up 4 nights in a row until 4:30 am, at least! It caught up to me today. I was wiped at work! So, now that all the glass orders have been given to customers, I voted on a nap after work! It was needed. :-)

Hopefully all the art items/furniture I ordered will be in this weekend. I will post pictures if and when I get it done this week. You have no idea how much I am looking forward to getting this done. My back is killing me trying to paint at my kitchen table. It is going to be so much fun when I finally get in there.

Updates on my weekend coming up - I got a call from a local performing arts theater with an empty lobby. She saw my website and invited me to hang and sell my paintings in the lobby! Yea! Go me! I am so excited! :-) She is not even taking a cut of my sells. What is the catch you ask? Who knows? I guess she only wanted art work to hang in her lobby and I lucked out. There is a big concert on Saturday night, so I will have them hung in time. I am going to bring a little table and set up some of my stemware too. The theatre is Red Clay Theater out of Duluth GA. Wish me luck! :-) I am still new at so much of this, I am not sure what to even expect out of it.

Ok, after all the exciting art events this weekend, I am going Saturday night to spend the night again in an old empty Antebellum Plantation in Marietta GA to do a follow up Paranormal Investigation! We got some really cool EVPs the last time we were there, and some great evidence to show there is some activity in the old home. It once served as a Civil War hospital and was one of the last plantations left in Atlanta not burned down. It has a wonderful vibe! So, if we don't turn into human ice cubes spending the night in 15 degree weather, in a haunted home with no power or heat, I will let you know how it turned out. My GOG website is http://www.ghostsofgeorgia.com/ if you are interested in paranormal investigations.

Have a wonderful and blessed weekend! BTW - go Dynamic Edition! Way to rock the clogging world on America's Best Dance Crew tonight! You were hot!

Beth

The journey

Ok, so I have noticed this is going to be a long road, journey, or whatever you want to call it. Just when you get a burst of confidence, you realize you only took a baby step.

So, I have decided to create a new space for creating my art. I thought it might give some fresh light and energy. I am so excited! My husband decided he wanted to move his office to the basement, and clean up the office upstairs. Then I decided I wanted to clean out our sunroom and make it my art studio. I put some stuff from the sunroom in the old office upstairs. We also did some winter cleaning and are having several large items from the three rooms taken away. It is amazing how much better we can create and work with some clutter taken out of our lives.

With all of this said and done, I will begin the process of growing. I think I will be in a much better place to nurture my talents and struggles. It will allow me to be a better artist by having the room to stretch and think. I will post pictures of the progress soon. Right now the sunroom is almost empty and I am waiting for the art/craft table, new art chair, daylight lamp, and rolling organizer/bins to come in. I can't wait to get it all put together! I think the kids will enjoy seeing me in there as well. It will give them more space to hang out with me too.

So, I will post the progress, and I can't thank some of you enough for the inspiration as I look at your blogs and shops. This is so much fun!

Beth

Painting Glass and selling on Etsy

I have just posted some new painted stemware on Etsy.com. Please take a look and let me know what you think. http://www.kiwiarts.etsy.com/ I have several design ideas and more stemware on my website. My questions - how often do you think your product is viewed and purchased? Is there a special "in", I need to know about to get my art work discovered by local buyers?