Merry Christmas

To all my lovely friends, both near and far - I wish you a very Merry Christmas filled with your favorite people, delicious food and lovely music!

Take Time to Watch the Sun Set

A spot of sunlight on the shortest day of the year
From my Digital Art Gallery

Ballroom Dancer

A small framed painting on the wall at Flying Apron (Redmond, WA)
See it on Etsy

Artwork Display at Overlake Senior Center

Changing out artwork as they sell
Love how Overlake Senior Center grouped my paintings... Hate to break them up

Things I Love

'Fuzz Therapy' - the ability of a pet to make you feel better
Cinnamon toast (even if it is gluten free!)
The USPS delivery girl who always smiles and waves

How to Use the Colors of the Year

Tangerine Tango? Radiant Orchid? Marsala?

(here are the #1 colors of the last 3 years used together)

#ColoroftheYear

Colors come and colors go - the color industry declaring what is hot right now and the fashion, home decor, beauty product industries scrambling to keep up by issuing new clothing, new jewelry, new paint, new pillows and towels, nail polish... This is of course designed to keep us buying!

But how do we keep up? What if we really love the colors from 2 years ago? What if our wardrobe is filled with last years 'Radiant Orchid' (2013), our dining room painted with a bright red wall from oh sometime in the early 2000s, our living room brightened up with accents of 'Tangerine Tango' (2012). How does the new 'Marsala' (2015) fit in?

My #1 Mantra: Define your color palette, the one that makes you feel happy, comfortable, energized, the colors that make you light up from within. Surround yourself with 'Your Colors', stick with them whether they are 'in' or not. Then - only after you feel good - for a bit of fun, throw in accents of the Color du Jour.

But, you ask, what if the Color of the Year doesn't go with my color palette?

This is the fun part!

My #2 Mantra: All colors (can) go together! Yup - even if they are very far apart and look off when viewed side by side by their selves. The key is what you put with them!

I go into a lot more depth in my eBooks: Artful Color for Creative Projects and Dip Into ColorDip Into Color - but here is the heart of pulling colors together - add transition colors, the ones that guide your eye from one color to the next and voila! they all look good together!

Have fun pulling colors together and adding accents of the Color of the Year to your palette!

Beadweaving Retreat on Whidbey Island

Give the ultimate creative gift to someone you love!   
Do you know someone who would cherish 4 days of creativity?

Gift certificates for Beads and Color Retreat available

 

BEADS and COLOR RETREAT 

February 5-8, 2015

Join us for a beading retreat on beautiful Whidbey Island! Held in my sun-filled studio, you will be surrounded by beads, color, natural light and creative people and pampered with individual instruction, delicious food and wine!

Classes include:

 Beads on Metal, Thursday February 5 

 Wander with Flair, Friday February 6

Wander with Color, Saturday and Sunday February 7-8

Registration is now open for individual days within the retreat. Discounts are available for those wishing to attend all 4 days. Bonus! grab 3 friends and enjoy a 10% discount when all 4 of you sign up together!

Get your creative juices flowing and join us for the entire retreat, or just a day, and find out why attendees come back again and again from all over the world!

Moon Dancer

A gal who collects tall figures approached me to make a metal print of one of my Moon Dance ladies... here is her Moon Dancer - she will be 10" wide x 30" tall

Etsy Sale - Last Day

Last day of my Etsy sale and your chance to win 1 hour of Free Color Consultation!

Everything in my shop is on sale including original artwork and my books on color (don't forget to enter in the code 20Holiday2014)

Color Inspiration - Barberry New Growth

Pantone's 2015 Color of the Year - Marsala graces this cool earthone color palette
Color wheel from Eye For Color

Color Inspiration - Mustard Plant

Color Inspiration with 2015 Color of the Year - Marsala (4th from left)

This little Mustard plant self seeded itself next to some bright green Euphorbia in my garden last spring.

Color of the Year - Marsala

Looking at how Pantone's new color of the year works into a Purple and Gold color palette!

Color palette from a few days ago - with added 'Marsala'

Color Inspiration - Lavender Glass

A small section of one of my paintings - the colors inspired by old lavender bottles on my window sill - I love the touches of rust on the glass and wonder where the bottles were before they came into my possession.

Where do you get your Color Inspiration?

Etsy Sale

All of my Nuno Felt scarves have found new homes this week - from Australia to Paris, from Maine to Washington.

Guess I had better get back in my studio!

Sale is still on in my Etsy shop

Color Inspiration - Swirling Snow

Swirling Snow
Actually swirling camera as the snow fell on our garden arch that my son covered with twinkling lights

Color Inspiration

Kale in Snow
Denim and Pink, what a lovely combo!

Things I Love

First snow of the season
Icicles
Hot Chocolate

Etsy Sale and Enter to Win

Ho Ho Ho!
20% off my entire Etsy Shop (including original paintings!)

-->

Plus Enter to Win!!

For every item you purchase during the sale, your name will be entered to win a free 1 hour Color Consultation. Winner to be announced December 10.

(pass the word and spread the cheer)

Knitting

Knitting project planned for Thanksgiving - merging creativity and visiting with family. No pattern, who knows what it will end up being...

Holiday Bazaar

Excited to participate in the Keller Williams Realtor's Holiday Bazaar today

Donating an hour of Color Consulting to their KW Care program

And my booth is next to LizzyKate (I'll be sipping on their Earl Grey Creme tea)
Should be fun!

This One is Big

 

'3 Purple Poppies'

 

(Detail)

 

(To give a feel of size)

When one painting goes... another takes it's place!

I was asked to remedy a bare spot left by one of my sold paintings
Little did they know they were getting a HUGE one (48"x30")!
'3 Purple Poppies' available on Etsy

Mouse Pad

Artist's dilemma:
Excited when my paintings sell
But a bit sad too
It's sometimes hard to let them go

This one is going to a new home today... but I decided to hold on a bit longer

I'm printing up mouse pads and you can see them in my Etsy Shop

Vibrant Color

Though I love Black and White, I just can't stay away from Color!

Here is a digital art piece I created from an original photograph.
'Radiant Iris' is available in my Etsy shop as greeting cards and prints onto metal

I'm in the process of printing one in large format for thet Overlake Senior Care Center in Bellevue. Will let you know when it is hanging!

In Black and White

With such a high contrast photo, I thought this might look fun in Black and White.

My Artwork in Incite 2 Color Passions: The Best of Mixed Media

 

'Moon Dance' and 'Field of Daisies' included in Incite 2: Color Passions

 'Moon Dance' adorns the Dust Jacket

 There are bits of color wisdom/advise by each of the artists

My artwork pictured in the new book by Tonia Jenny - "133 pieces of mixed-media art showcased in the second edition of Incite, The Best of Mixed Media..."

Things I Love

Roses blooming in November
My hubby gathering a bouquet of roses before they freeze
Sharing a pot of tea and a gooey dark chocolate brownie with a dear friend

Flower Power

It's grey in my neck of the woods right now
So here is some 'Flower Power' to brighten your day!

Available as Greeting Cards in my Etsy Shop

Autumn

Autumn leaves
Digital Artwork from photo

Poppies

'Purple Poppies'
Going on display at Overlake Senior Health Care Center in Bellevue WA

Also on Etsy

Black and White Photo Challenge - Final Day

This watery reflection soothes me - as water always does. Does water calm you too? Or is it just because I grew up surrounded by it?

It is Day 5, the final day, of my participation in the Black and White Photo Challenge.  Nominated by Joie Moring, the challenge is to post a B&W photo and to nominate another person to join the challenge each day for 5 days. Today I nominate Thereza Howling who finds calm serenity all around her and a keen connection with the sea. In fact, she dips her toes into water everywhere she travels around the world explaining that all water is connected.

Thank you to Kenda-Lee Gaynham, Heike Grodecki, Dagmar Fleuren and David M. Small for playing along with the Black and White challenge!

Flying Apron Cafe

Some friends and I have coffee and eat some delicious Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free muffins at Flying Apron Cafe in Redmond WA

My art work is on the walls behind us...

Black and White Photography Day 4

Day 4 of my Black and White Photo Challenge and I had to post a pic of some of the dramatic clouds that flew past my window yesterday. From warm sun and bright sky to deep dark clouds, rain and high wind, it definitely felt like November.

The B&W Photo Challenge consists of posting B&W photos for 5 days and each day nominating someone to join the challenge. Today I would like to nominate David M. Small who is a fabulous photographer... and has been a family friend for over 50 years!

Thanks to Joie Moring for nominating me and to Kenda-Lee Gaynham, Heike  Grodecki and Dagmar Fleuren for playing along!

Purple Sunset

On display at Flying Apron Cafe in Redmond WA
In my Etsy shop

Black and White Day 3

Day 3 of my Black & White Photography Challenge and I am drawn to this mass of bicycles atop a van - the sculpture set off by the white washed wall behind.

Whenever I see large numbers of bicycles I'm immediately reminded of the Netherlands and my dear friend Dagmar Fleuren who tells me the question in Holland isn't 'do you have a bicycle?' but rather 'how many bicycles do you have?'.

I am nominating Dagmar to join the challenge - she is a true master of photography (if you want some amazing eye candy, visit her website). 

By the way, know anyone getting married? If you want a truly creative touch for wedding photography, it is completely worth it to fly her across the pond!

Black and White

It is Day 2 of my Black & White Photography Challenge (challenged by my dear friend Joie Moring) and I'm posting a photo of my handsome cat who has very graciously welcomed in another cat to his domain. This is a big deal for Cat #1 who is extremely territorial, picking fights with raccoons and big dogs who stray into his declared territory... and winning!

After 2 months of carefully introducing them bit by bit, Cat #1 allowed Cat #2 to wander through our house - and I caught them curled up together on my son's bed yesterday!

The B&W photography challenge includes posting a B&W photo each day for 5 days, and nominating someone else each day to join the challenge. I am nominating Heike Grodecki, not only for her amazing photography skills, but also because she is a neighbor who quite possibly lives within the sphere of Cat #1's declared territory!

Black and White

Joie Moring has nominated me to participate in a Black & White Photography Challenge in which nominees post one black & white image and nominate another to join the challenge each day for 5 days. So today I challenge the lovely Kenda-Lee Gaynham who has an amazing eye for detail, shape and value. For my first photo I'm sharing a bit of shell/rock/seaweed conglomerate I found on the beach and am holding at arms length.

Art Show at Flying Apron

My car is loaded with paintings to hang at Flying Apron in downtown Redmond! Thanks to my lovely boys who are on hand to help me dash paintings through the rain, hammer in picture hangers and set up the display.

Watch out Flying Apron - your walls are about to explode with color!
(drop by for a cup of organic coffee and delicious gluten free vegan cookies, muffins and savory delights: http://www.flyingapron.com/)

Art Show

I'm honored that Flying Apron (Bakery and Coffee house in Redmond) and Overlake Senior Health Care (in Bellevue) have both asked me to adorn their walls with my paintings!

I'll be hanging numerous paintings at both places next week and will let you know when they are up and ready to be viewed.

Persimmons

Aren't persimmons lovely?!
I'm enjoying them tossed into a green salad with avocado, onion, pumpkin seeds and a splash of olive oil and vinegar

Staging Photos for Websites

How about some chamomile tea?
Wrapping up website shots for LizzyKate Tea Company
And launching into a new area of business helping companies make their websites more beautiful! (More later)

The Colors of Tea

So many luscious colors of tea from green to amber to red!

Staging photos for LizzyKate Tea Company - soon to launch their on-line store