Logo Design ~ Jagd Mafia

I was recently in contact with Beau, the owner of Jagd Mafia again and he said they were sure liking their logo design(s), which made me happy and I realized I hadn't shared it online yet. This was my most complicated logo design to date. I was given a photograph and was told they want to use the person holding the head of the stag. Jagd Mafia is a hunting adventure based out of Germany. If hunting is your thing and you are in that area you should get in contact with them, as it looks like they have a great time!

Like all logo work, I like to give the customer a few different options. Here are a couple that were not chosen, but I wanted to share anyway:

The two logos below are what they went with:

Thank you Beau! I wish you and your business the best!

You are so loved! {NEW Art}

{You Are So Loved Art Print}

The giving of flowers primarily shows an act of love. Valentines day and funerals come to mind when I think of moments when flowers are often given, although any time can be special, whether a particular reason or not. It is a caring gesture from one to another.

Love one another. God's greatest commands. If only people of this world followed that one command. Just think how life would be so different. Sometimes it is hard to love others... difference of opinions, jealousy, hurtful words and actions. Someone's negativity can greatly affect us and cause us to react. What reaction do we generally lean towards showing? Is it kindness in return after we have been hurt or is it revenge or even shutting out the other person so we aren't hurt again? I wish I could say I respond in love and kindness just as my heavenly father would and wants us to. But often times it isn't. I am trying to become better at this. I've been slowly reading my way through the New Testament in the Bible. I love how God has given us a life's manual. When we take the time to read His book, learn from His teachings and show it through our own actions life becomes better and full of new meaning. At least that is what I find to be true. Life and situations around me are viewed so differently... better now that the Word is such an important part of my life.

My pencil drawing/charcoal painting, You Are So Loved, was inspired by Him. He blesses the earth with such beauty. It is truly amazing how a simple seed can be planted and it grows into something so beautiful and then can be given to another through a loving action or simply enjoyed where it grows. To me the book of John is one of God's greatest love letters to us. Jesus healing others, comforting others even though he knows what lies ahead for himself. He only did good yet was extremely mistreated. He showed love but was not loved in return. Yet he still died on the cross for each one of us to take away our sins. We are so not worthy of such a sacrifice. When it sinks into our mind of what He did for us because He loves us so much you can't help but want to become a better person and follow His word.

Last weekend we took our daughter to see the new movie Cinderella. It doesn't have quite as a happy feel as the older animated one but it does a great job in showing kindness even when one may not "deserve" it. The big part that stuck out at me was towards the end when Cinderella was leaving the wicked step mother with the prince and Cinderella turned and looked at her and said, "I forgive you." Powerful. For everything Cinderella had put up with you would think she would have reacted with revenge, but she reacted in love. Such a great lesson for young and old alike. ♥

Lately { Art & Snow }

Here is a glimpse of just a few things going on around here...

{drawing in progress ~ hoping to get this finished at the next painting group day}

A custom request came in for this prayer and I thought it was pretty cute, so changed up the colors and made it into an art block for my Godson's baptismal birthday. It was a fun project!

Loving my extended work space! Unglued is opening a pop-up shop on November 20 in Sioux Falls SD! I can't wait to check it out. I am sure it will be just as amazing as their Fargo shop which is filled with lots of amazing and unique handmade gifts! More info to come.

In other news, the weather has changed significantly. A few flakes came this past Sunday,

more came Monday. This photo was taken before K headed to school Monday morning. School was dismissed at noon since it started getting nasty out and we had blizzard conditions. What kid doesn't like a snow day especially when friends get to come over? :)

 Little B didn't want to leave and instead of putting on his snow gear, put on David's shoes. Such a cutie!

While I was waiting for K to get done with Holy COW yesterday, I was watching the most beautiful snowflakes fall on our vehicle. When I arrived home I had to try to capture the detail.

Aren't snowflakes amazing!?! The intricate details in each one... love it! God did so good! :)

Inspirational Horse Block

Last month I completed my horse drawing and made an art block out of it for a special graduate.

In a very subtle text I put this quote: 

"God made the horse from the breath of the wind, the beauty of the earth and the soul of an angel.

May they forever run with our hearts." ~Bonnie Piper

You can read the words easier in person; my quickly taken photos give you the idea.

These two photos show the protective clear finish I put on. I like giving blocks a fun painted texture. 

It adds another dimension.

Here's another look at the drawing when it was in progress...

I always think its fun to see drawings come alive.

Eventually I will get more of the horse blocks created. It's a fun project!

Spirit {art prints}

Hello all! Looks like we are blessed with another beautiful day. :)

The weather forecast for tomorrow is above 75! I sure hope they are right.

{Spirit Horse Art Print}

Just wanted to share that prints of "Spirit" are now available in the shop. I cropped off the pink painted portion from the original mixed media piece (shown here) so it would go with anyone's decor. Just in case pink isn't your color; not sure why that would be. Ha, ha!

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Drawing in Progress!

If you didn't know already, I LOVE to draw!!! It is the one thing I feel confident at. I could draw all day but sadly it never seems to be at the top of my priority list. I don't know why. Maybe I feel like it is too much fun and I should be doing harder work instead? It is a good thing I'm part of an art group that meets once a month or who knows when I would make time for it. I'm starting to think my priorities need to change. :)

Friday Fun {keeping kids busy}

Happy Friday! I don't know how another week flew by so quick. Before I get going on another project I wanted to share a picture of the mixed media K and I created this week. We started doing an art day once a week. Kaelyn has a night of painting with her dad and part of an afternoon of creating a mixed media with me. On this one she came up with the scene she wanted to create (inspired by one of her books). The idea was to take turns drawing different parts, but she was so excited she took over most of it. :)
It's definitely a fun project to do with a kiddo. Start drawing/painting something and have them finish it. I look forward to seeing all the creations that will be made. A book might have to be made at the end of the year.

Hope you have a fun weekend!

Guide Me {mixed media painting}

First of all, thank you to those who read my last post and sent emails and texts of support. It means so much to know you care. I normally don't like to share the not so good things on my blog, but felt like I should in case someone else is going through something similar. I also don't mind the additional prayers. :)

Ok, moving forward, many of you probably remember seeing glimpses of this mixed media painting in progress. It has been finished for awhile but I just got prints made and I'm happy with how they turned out.


{"Guide Me" mixed media painting}

"Guide Me" is another one of my views of not being in control. A sailor cannot control the weather/wind just as we cannot control every aspect of our own lives. At some point in our life we realize (hopefully) that there is a bigger power guiding us. Which direction will you go? Only God knows the answer and your journey continues. Allow your sails to move freely. Yes, I find this extremely difficult to do, but I am to the point where I have no other option. I can't even guide my sails. He is in complete control.

"Be Still & Let God" was another one of my mixed media paintings that had a similar meaning.

The original piece measures 20 inches by 16 inches and was done in graphite and acrylic paint on wood. My dad was an avid Hobie cat racer when I was younger and pretty much always took home the winning trophy. He inspired this painting. :)

 

Prints available in the shop.

New Mixed Media Painting { Spirit }

Here is my latest piece...

 

{Spirit ~ 24"x20" graphite and acrylic painting on wood}

I often get images in my head of what I want to create, sometimes there is an immediate story that accompanies the image and other times there isn't. When there isn't a story right away there is usually a stirring inside of me, like a nudging telling me to find what the piece is supposed to mean. On this piece, I knew I wanted a mostly white space with a light, dreamy horse emerging. When the artwork was almost complete I felt pushed to look into the bible for a verse that would go along with the image. Sure enough, this is what I found...

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse,

whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war.

Revelation 19:11

"Guide Me" mixed media painting

I'm so excited to say, "Guide Me" is almost finished! Just a couple little things left to add.

I will share more details about the piece once it is complete.

Guide Me {mixed media in progress}

{Guide Me ~ in progress}

 

"Guide Me" is about giving up control and letting Him show the way. The sailboat racers are like us who want to have complete control. The sailors want control over their boat to come in first. Well like in life there are other components that factor in and no matter how hard you try there is a bigger power in control. In the sailboat race, weather/wind is a huge factor... something that cannot be controlled. Sometimes you just have to roll with what comes your way even if it isn't easy.

 

I get these kinds of images and thoughts in my head and feel the desire to tell the story through artwork. I have no idea where my fine art will lead if anywhere. I don't know if others will like the final pieces I come up with. Maybe no one will care about the meaning behind them or think they are crazy but that is okay. I create them because they share a bit of what's on my heart. They tell a story to me and I love creating them more then doing anything else. (other then time with my family)

 

Giving up control takes time and a lot of faith. When you switch your thinking to thinking about His purpose for you, you may have a change of heart. I've been learning this more and more and realizing my desires may not be what He has in mind. And when you let go, everything is good. The pressures on yourself are released. Life is brighter.

God is the one in control and I'm more then happy to allow Him to guide me.

 

Linking up with Jennifer from Studio JRU.

Check out her fun giveaway going on and see what others are working on.

 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Another Mixed Media in Progress

 

Here is a glimpse of my newest mixed media in progress.

I love when the picture starts coming alive! 

Time to work on this piece has been hard to come by, but thankfully my art group gets together tomorrow, (Yay!) so hopefully a lot of progress will be made. :)

 

Linking up with Studio JRU.

Check out what other creatives are working on HERE and feel free to join in!

 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Eye of the Heart {horse mixed media on wood}

{Eye of the Heart}

 

It is complete! I have to admit, I didn't go all crazy with this one like I was planning. My original idea took away from the horse too much. I decided less was more with this one, but I did still have some fun. :) The knot in the wood looked exactly like an eye and I just couldn't cover it up so I worked with it. After doing some research I found that the horse's heart is actually right near that area where the eye/knot is located. I won't go into the meaning of this piece right now, so I hope you enjoy looking at the detail.

 

The white spots are glitter! Something new that I wanted to try and I think it adds so much. Every angle, every light you see the glitter differently, sometimes not at all. Something unexpected and exciting! :)

 

 

Linking up with Jennifer's in the studio sneak peek friday.

Check out what lots of other creative souls are working on and join in the fun!

 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Trying New Things {horse on wood}

Working on wood isn't new for me, but allowing the wood grain to show through is. I'm having fun experimenting with this one. The way I finish the horse is going to be completely unexpected... I'm not even quite sure how it will end, but it will encourage some thought from the viewer to make sense of it. Few will probably understand it, but to me it will make perfect sense.

Everything that is new or uncommon raises a pleasure in the imagination,

because it fills the soul with an agreeable surprise,

gratifies its curiosity, and gives it an idea of which it was not before possessed.

~Joseph Addison

Let Go & Trust ~ mixed media

Remember this "Let Go & Trust" mixed media piece I showed in progress a few weeks ago? Well it is almost finished. I just need to sign it and seal it, and hopefully not mess it up during the sealing process. Here are a few more progress photos:

She's coming alive! :)

Now for the pop of color on the bird.

And there she is as of today. I had fun experimenting with the border by adding water to charcoal. It was like turning the charcoal into watercolor. Worth trying out if you haven't before.
One of these days I hope to get better pictures of this piece and my last mixed media in good lighting. I think that is the hardest thing to do. :)

Projects and WIP

This past month has been filled with so many get togethers and projects. It has been great and crazy! I'm hoping August is a bit more relaxing, but who knows... little K will start school! My baby is going to school!?! That time has gone by all too quickly!

Anyway, I thought I'd share a couple of the more interesting projects from the month.

A friend asked me to design and paint a sign to go behind her reception table. Her theme was a rustic/elegant wedding. She supplied the awesome barn door. The grooves and old chipping paint definitely made the project more interesting but I think it turned out pretty nice. :)

My very talented hubby and owner of Wisp Woods, requested the logo I previously designed for his business to be put on a cap. I made sure to get it painted on in time for his birthday. So glad I didn't screw up since I had no time to go get another hat.

{work in progress ~ Let Go & Trust}

Then after shop orders have been completed and if I don't have to run somewhere (which has been rare) I work on my newest mixed media piece, "Let Go & Trust". This one is quite a bit darker then my last... maybe because my mood was a bit darker when I started? I guess that is one thing about being an artist... you can show your emotions through your work. I'm excited to see her finished and get working on the next one! :)

Be Still & Let God {mixed media painting}

Standing back from the piece and seeing if I need to tweak some more, but it is almost finished. Need to put a glaze on once I know for sure I don't want to change anything else.

Sweet Robin from My Creative Peace interviewed me on her beautiful blog today! You can read it HERE.

Linking up with Studio JRU. You can check out what other creative souls are working on HERE!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Pop of Color

{Be Still & Let God ~ mixed media in progress}

The pops of color are being added! Yay! I really hope to finish this piece up over the weekend. We'll see.

Linking up with other creative souls at Studio JRU!

Be Still & Let God {mixed media in progress}

{Be Still & Let God ~ mixed media in progress}

Finally, a new piece in progress! I am so excited about this one. It has been on my mind for months! Every part of it has a special meaning... I could almost write a book about it! Ha! I won't bore you with the details but I'll just say it comes from a lot of things that have been on my heart lately and this was the creative vision I had from it.

I have always loved drawing portraits. Making them come alive through their eyes is so much fun! Really the eyes are the only thing that is actually done on this piece. Lots of layering left on the rest of it. And I can't wait to add a pop of color to a few places. That will take some time!

I hope you enjoyed seeing a preview. Have a wonderful Easter weekend!