Getting ready for yet another art show! Seren and I went to the hanging party at the gallery yesterday and I let her help clean the floor while we had a business meeting. She’s close to crawling and walks if you hold her arms up.  Still the happiest baby in town!

Then, we all spent some time looking at each others’ hangings and work and planned out the display for next month. Above is a shot of several of our artists talking about art type things.  My art is hanging in this spot now. I plan to get in the gallery some time this week and take pictures of my hanging group to share with you guys who can’t make it to the First Friday event. Fortunately, the worst of the weather should be over in Tennessee by then so hopefully we’ll have a good turnout. I have my costume planned finally. Can’t wait to show pics of that! hehehe…
Finally, a couple pieces on clearance that I’d love to get out of my storage area:

A still life – 16″x20″ on canvas – staples are on the edge, but the whole edge is painted black.  $85

And these two Dr Seussy bottles on a hill. Acrylic on canvas with a frame attached (16″x20″) $115
Some of my long time followers will remember both of these pieces – lingerers from old bodies of work. Both are likely to be repainted soon if not purchased. 

Baby’s calling me.. gotta run! 

Stay warm and safe wherever you are!

This is a crazy day… crazy couple weeks coming up…
Today, I need to deliver a piece of art and I have an event to go to at the gallery which will run late. Hopefully I’ll get some photos to share here.
Sunday is the hanging party for our next show so between now and then, I have to get hangers on all my new work, print out title cards for myself and who knows who else, do the event announcements for the gallery, and figure out how to dress myself and tiny (who will be strapped on me in the carrier) for a Halloween event. I think I know what we’ll wear, but I don’t like it… I just feel HUGE with that 20 pound baby strapped on my front! It’s the least awkward way to deal with her at an evening event, but it’s still awkward and unsexy lol… Not that I want to look like a young hottie, but I do like looking sleek… Oh well…
This weekend, I think the husband is going to slaughter and cook a lamb to sell at a local Halloween festival if all goes well. We keep getting alternating good news and bad news regarding availability of various things he needs. 
Then I get a week to just think about commissions before the art show and whatever hits us next…
Yesterday’s project? Well I’m thinking about the holidays and what our family will be giving out. We typically make a variety of neat things and give packs of whatever to people… Small paintings, wooden mallets, walking sticks, soap, canned goods… whatever… This is part of this year’s goodie bag:

Magnets with our little family on them to give to family. I’m also offering it as a service and have sold a couple sets already ($20 for the first set of 4 or 5 images with graphics editing work; $10 each for every set thereafter).
Yeah… like I don’t have enough to do already.
I also want to make some seed packs with some of our surplus, but I don’t know if I’ll get there. At least I’m starting on the holiday gift project a little earlier this year.

Ok – back to work for me!
Onward and upward!
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So… this morning has started off strong. I’ve already done a load of diapers in the wash and made coffee and took a couple photos. I haven’t gotten to painting yet, but that’s next on the list. First, a magnet I haven’t shared before… I like it. It was from a print of a black and white piece I did. I think I may make a set of these spiral-rose things for my own fridge.

Next… A cute picture of the baby… Just because… She frequently looks kind of studious and serious like this.

And the best for last! Yesterday in the mail I got the best gift!!! @plantinthewindow sent me a super nice canvas print of his barn photo which I love SO SO SO much! Seriously… art is the best gift in the world! When you’re considering Xmas gifts (or whatever winter holiday you may like), consider supporting the arts… Not because I’m an artist, but because it’s one small way we can support each other, help restore the economy (by supporting locals instead of mega-corps) and bring real flavor into our lives. Keep in mind that artists can create something unique and special for the ones you love instead of some mass produced piece of easily forgettable blah blah… Go to your local art walk or gallery – or shop on Etsy for that special something… just my two cents…

My photo is a little blurred because it’s not bright in here this morning, but the photo is on the easel in front of the painting that evolves from his photo. Now, his barn has turned into a nest… It’s come a long way from the original inspiration, but still, I have to say that the nest is the same as his barn to me – both suspended from the sun in some way in my English major type brain… Ahhh…. maybe I’ll get it done today.

Go forth and make something!
Onward and upward!
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my two cents…
Just like every other election I’ve watched, the decision for most people seems to be more about voting AGAINST one guy than voting for the other… lesser of the evils… blah blah blah.
That’s all I have to say about that. 

Today I’m putting some art in a shop I haven’t worked with before in West Knoxville called Nest… I’m interested to see how that goes. It’s always nice to be accepted somewhere…
I’m also going to a meeting regarding an event at the gallery I’m working with and picking up some art from a location I used to hang at…
And then I will have beer

I finally got some shots of the garden!  Here’s our Japanese Yam patch!

That’s red leaf lettuce in the upper right, rainbow chard behind in the center… My tasty terraced yard. 

And this is the other side:

The dill is self seeding at this point and doing great – That’s creeping rosemary on the far left with a bit more chard toward the front. There’s horseradish on the top terrace, more sweet potatoes (small vines) toward the front of the image and our leeks are self seeding and spreading as well.  We get a lot of food out of our tiny patch…
and yes… we love sweet potatoes.

And for you lovers of the cuteness: Seren stole Daddy’s hat and played with it for a while… She’s close to 20 pounds now at 7 months and doing great!

I just have so many ideas right now… I just can’t keep storing some of these pieces. This one’s bound to get painted over or revised pretty soon so before that happens, I’m giving folks a chance to save it as it is.  This one’s going for $85 with shipping included w/in the US.  16″x20″ – tissue is gessoed over the whole piece so the staples don’t show on the edges – edge painted black.

Autumn Path
Save it before it’s gone forever!

So today, there are also art packs going out to MO, MN, AZ, and OK.
I made a batch of magnets including some new ones by request (which I’ll photograph and add to this post later on when the glue is more dry).   

@plantinthewindow‘s barn has already been painted over… the barn has become a bird and the field, a nest.  Interesting how things evolve.

Onward and upward
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Two new magnets – up on Etsy
I have lots of magnets there – If someone wanted a batch as custom stocking stuffers or something, I’d be happy to offer bulk discounts or do something special – family photos or something… just brainstorming…

   @Bellart (hope I spelled that right) posted a survey and I decided to play
1) How are you?
Happy and full.

2 What is your favorite color?

Yes.
3)What is the book your are currently reading?

Not reading anything but proofreading and editing a wide variety of texts
4)What is the next movie you are going to watch?

Not into movies… Can’t pay attention that long
5)What is your hovercraft full of?

Panties and calamari
6)Animal, vegetable, or mineral?

Plasma
7) Why did you say mineral?

Panties
8) If I were asleep and you were my alarm clock, how would you wake me up in the morning?

Octopus to the face
9) If the President has been captured by ninjas, are you a bad enough dude to rescue the President?

Depends on who gets elected…
10) If the Presidential Candidate has been captured by pirates, are you a bad enough dude to rescue the Presidential Candidate?

And what’s my motivation?
11) Red.

Yellow!
12) Why is this question here?

Fudge sundae

Aside from filling out silly surveys and editing a whole bunch of documents, books, blogs, etc, I’ve got to pack up a pile of stuff to take to the post office tomorrow. I’ve been re-releasing a bunch of old-ish paintings that I don’t show in galleries any more and need to get rid of… I only show new work so a lot of stuff is getting in the paint-over-it pile. 
Tomorrow’s piece (I’ve been releasing these on my Ocean Starr Cline page on facebook first so today, xanga gets the first release lol)

Koi and Ginkgo
24″x30″
$175 including shipping
Definitely will be painted over or severely revised if it sticks around in my house much longer…

Ok.. back to work with me…
Go make something
Or take the survey
Or eat some ice cream


This is the piece I’ve put up on the block for Saturday – Merci
Acrylic on canvas with permanent frame
17″x21″
$125 including shipping w/in the US

Onward and upward
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Hello again. It’s me.
Another beautiful day in WorkingArtistLand… Yesterday I went and helped a friend write some English papers so I didn’t get a whole lot done at the house, but I did get some painting done and started experimenting with some knot tying ideas.
I’ve been clearing out the closets trying to make room for Seren’s stuff (ah… another human to accumulate stuffs)… and found this jacket. I spent a year or two embroidering it by hand and now it doesn’t fit. It’s a size 16/18 ladies Levi jacket and I’m.. well… too small to wear it without looking ridiculous.  So I’m trying to sell it. Right now I have offers up to $350 so whomever gives me the best bid will get it.  I’ll be moving more stuff at crazy low prices for another month or two – follow Ocean Starr Cline on facebook for all those updates if you’re interested. 


 
In other news… Today I think my husband is putting the trim on my new studio/home office built in. I’m really excited to show that off and get moved into it!  I also have a painting almost done and a bunch of stuff to photograph and a couple commissions to paint and a couple pieces to mail out.  So it’s bound to be another incredibly busy day – including a nice dinner at the end with a couple of good friends.
Stay warm and go make something!
Onward and upward
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The nest that we’re in may be humble and small, but in good company we don’t mind at all
Acrylic on muslin with lots of textiles to create the texture
13″x13″

I’ve been clearing out old work and making tons of new work these days… Super busy. It really does take an incredible amount of time to make a living as an artist, but I have SO much fun. The days just fly by!

My husband is building me a new studio/home office work space. As soon as he gets the trim stained and attached, I’ll share some images of that. I also need to get some pics of our incredible Japanese yam patch before the leaves turn and we harvest the tasty tasty taters.

Gotta run – Fun with baby time!
Onward and upward!
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