We interrupt your regularly scheduled blog program to bring you

Vacation Baby!

We're headed to Orlando for the week to see the mouse and hit the water park.

I'm a little nervous about the 60 mph, 12 story drop on the Summit Plummet water slide atop Mount Gushmore, but totally excited about chillin' by the pool at the hotel, cocktail and sketchbook in hand.

Oh and whatcha think of my PINK highlights?

I've wanted to do it for a while and figured

vacation was a great time to give it a shot!

See you Friday.

Have a Magical week!

Mmmmwhaa!

Carmen

midnight rendezvous

I love the warm glow of the paper lantern lights strung in my studio. Late at night when it's dark and quiet in the house, I love to retreat to my private little sanctuary. Surrounded by little reminders of what my dreams are made of, where I am and where I'm headed. There's no place I'd rather be at this very moment.

Well hello there.

Good to see you.

new sketch, modified with Photoshop

more new sketches...

will be making their debut on the transfer scene soon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Speaking of Scenes...

Evidence from the scene

of the TCWAA Kick-Off !

I have the best friends in the whole world!

We had a great time last night.

Read all about it on the TCWAA blog

and see the rest of the evidence.

And if you love Giveaways, you're in luck!

There is still time to enter to win a Reach locket set!

Just click here and leave a comment to enter!

I'm looking forward to another

FIERCELY

productive week!

I have articles to write.

Art to make.

People to connect with.

Kids to play with.

Emails to send.

Friends to call.

And love to share!

What's on your agenda for the week?

Mucho love my sweet friends,

Carmen

I'm featured on TCWAA today and I'm hosting a GIVEAWAY

I'm the featured artist this week on the Treasure Coast Women's Art Alliance blog and I'm hosting a giveaway. Read the article and interview on TCWAA and leave a comment there to be entered to win a Polarity Locket Set with my artwork on it.

All aboard the crazy train!

cropped snippet of a 16x20 painting in the works

digitally altered with text only

up close and personal
cropped snippet of the same 16x20 painting in the works
(no digital modification)

here's a peek at the current state of the whole painting
you may remember the beginning of this piece from this post
lots more love will be poured into this painting before it's finished
(click the images for huge-mondo views)

It is Thursday right? My days have been off all week. I even left a "Happy Tuesday" comment on someone's blog yesterday. I'm sure she thinks I've lost my marbles... perhaps I have. I'm going a little crazy on the canvas I'm working on and it feels so right. I'm letting go of all my inhibitions on this piece and just doing what comes naturally.

I feel like I turned a corner artistically one night not long ago when, during a tearful, hormone filled, emotional evening, I instinctively let loose on canvas. I squeezed big glops of paint right on to the canvas and instead of grabbing a brush, I jumped in with both hands. So liberating, making a huge mess, paint covered hands, splashes of water, ripped paper... the best kind of rage... rage against the canvas. Creative energy at it's finest. Expression of my dark and my light.

What better place to release pent up, raw emotion?

Canvas is so accepting.
Understanding.
Forgiving.
Unlimited do-overs always welcome.

How do your emotions play into your creativity? Do you embrace them and allow them to guide your creative process? I'm finding the more I allow them their place, the better I feel about what I create and that's a really, really good feeling. Empowering even.

Get your crazy on!

Mucho love,

Carmen

Pulp Friction

Lots and lots of friction required to get the pulp off.

Can you see the images coming through?

Almost all of the pulp has been rubbed off.

A bit more elbow grease and these two will be ready for some finishing touches.

Looking forward to an awesome week!

Preparations for Saturday's TCWAA Kick Off are in the works.

Ideas are buzzing in my head for a future workshop.

Mucho love,

Carmen

~♥~

Transfers galore!

Xerox transfers on 8x10 canvas boards in progress

Mixed Media on 6x6 deep edge canvases

I did the two smaller paintings at Kat's Thursday night.

I'm learning to love transfers and all their possibilities.

I can't wait to reveal the three works in progress in the first picture.

I'm home alone today. The kiddos are at Grandma and Grandpa's for the weekend and my hubby is working today. The house is so peaceful and quite. Nag champa incense burning, sipping coffee, pure bliss.

So grateful for my wonderful friends and family today. ♥

Your support means the world to me.

Here's to dreaming big and watching them come true.

Mine and yours!

Hope you're enjoying your weekend!

Mucho love,

Carmen