This year has been really crazy. So many ups and downs, good memories and sad ones as well have been made this year and now the year is almost over. I hate it when I go through the days, weeks and months at high speed because some how I miss out on my own life. Last year I vowed to myself that I wouldn't do that and as the old cliche says I would take more time "to stop and smell the roses." I started out the year at a sensible pace and like someone on roller skates going down hill I kept accelerating. I will try again this year.
I did very passionately make time for my dolls and my textile art. Someone earlier this year asked me how do I find the time to create and make art. I hadn't really thought about it until the moment she asked and my own answer surprised me. I told her that to an artist, we have to create or our lives are out of balance. Creating art is like food for us, we can't live without it or we wouldn't survive.
I haven't been very good about posting my new work or writing about what has been going on with Cre8tiv Glory. I had to decide whether to spend the time creating things I'd like to write about or writing about the things I wanted to create. I chose to create instead of write. But now I feel the need to catch up on the writing and to give each of the 12 dolls I've created over the last few months her day to be debuted. I will start at the end first and present the first of my three Christmas angels.
I made two angels last year and I wanted to do the same this year. This is Crystal, she is my first Christmas angel for this year. I kept all of my angels very simple and chose to make them without faces. Three of my favorite artists paint and sculpt and create images without faces. I saw an interview with one of the artists, Cynthia St. James and she said that even though her images had no faces you can still see and feel the expressions and emotions and the viewer fills in the face from their own memories and experiences.
Crystal is a beautiful snow angel and she holds a strand of snow flakes. Only an angel's touch is so light that she can create a garland made of snow flakes.
She is wearing a midnight blue gown with silver sparkles just like the night time sky when it is filled with stars...
...and if you've heard the tinkle of a bell recently, it means that Crystal just got her wings.
Every year I make Christmas stockings to sell. This year, I will be selling my stockings in 3 or 4 different locations in addition to my own space. Keep your fingers crossed for me, I have 2 confirmed locations and 2 pending. Anyway, I wanted to create some very unique designs to compliment the business that will be carrying them. These are some of my first designs for the first location (more info on the location later).
I wanted this set to be beautiful, glamourous and exotic using rich colors and eclectic fabrics.
I had so much fun choosing the embellishments. I used huge rhinestones, beaded fringe, eyelash fringe and animal prints.
I thought about what kind of Christmas stockings would Paris Hilton, Beyonce and Lady Ga Ga buy.
I got an offer last week to put some of my work in a shop at the Brick House Gallery in Sacramento. I am very excited and very honored. I will give you more details when I find out more. I decided that I need to be working on Christmas projects since Halloween completely slipped through my fingers. Last year I designed and created some old fashioned ornaments and some Christmas stockings that did very well. I sold out of the stockings and wished I had made more. The one thing I didn't get to do last year was to create some Christmas cards so that has been my focus for the last couple of weeks.
I love this effect of these Christmas ornaments kind of floating on a black background. It was an idea I had last year but I never got a chance to draw them. Here are the first two designs, I have two more with ornaments almost done and about six more designs that I am determined to finish this year.
I used Prisma pens, Sharpies, Tombow watercolor pens and gel ink.
These are the finished cards. I can't wait to finish the rest and share them with you. Anyone in the Sacramento area can purchase my work at The Market Place in Rancho Cordova and soon at The Brick House Gallery.
