Still excited

I'm still excited about Monday's radio blog show where I hope to keep my foot out of my mouth. But today I must do tax returns.  Monday is the tax deadline for many entities like Corporations and Partnership business.  So it's off to work I go.

Yesterday was Thursday painting class and I started a new painting.  I love blocking in the painting, deciding colors, using big brushes letting my creative side figure out what goes where.  Building up the painting after the block in requires much more concentration.

I did drop off the new painting at the photographers yesterday and I didn't hear anything about him being to busy at home to do the job.  Thank goodness.  And he thinks he can everything done for me on Tuesday.

So off to work.  I'll post an art blog soon.  Happy Friday.

Detail of "Spring in Bear Country"

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PURCHASE 8x10 painting prints, holiday & birthday cards!

I am helping to support a great animal rescue center with portions of my sales from my Etsy sales site.  I am giving 10% of all sales to this fantastic animal rescue center.

Forever Wild Exotic Animal Sanctuary

http://foreverwildexotics.org/

Visit my personal portfolio website:

http://www.LCurtin.com

Thank you for stopping by, hope to see you back soon.

Perfect Christmas Lunch

Today was our once a year painting class Christmas Lunch. What a day!  We went to the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach and spent 2 wonderful hours eating designer food and talking. A bit expensive for lunch but what a nice view and it's only once a year. Most of us in class have been together for 20 years. I should find one of the really old pictures of Christmas lunch and see how much we've changed. Maybe not. Bee is 99 now and still drives to class and lunch today. I followed her to the club today and I had to drive 60 down Pacific Coast Highway to keep up with her. I was afraid I might get a ticket. I was thinking she probably doesn't care if she gets a ticket. How many of us will live to see 99 Christmases.

The decorators at the club really go all out with the holiday decorations. Although they decorate the same every year. Now I'm in the mood to get my tree up at home and decorate. I think I'll break out all my old Hallmark decorations this year. I have a lot of moveable ornaments that plug into the lights on the tree. It's been 10 years at least since I've had them on the tree. There is one where kids slide down the banister, Santa in a workshop, reindeer flying through the sky and so many more. Maybe it will be nice to have a nostalgic Christmas this year.

Bee got cut off the side of this picture, but you get the idea.

Check out the Balboa Bay Club http://www.balboabayclub.com/ What a beautiful place.

It's located in Newport Beach California where they have a spectacular boat parade each year
http://www.visitnewportbeach.com/things-to-do/holidaylights/  This event will really get you in the Christmas mood if you aren't already.

Really should include Hallmark, they are the Christmas people.

http://www.hallmark.com/christmas/ideas/

Please come to the Tustin Holiday Boutique this weekend December 7th and 8th 2012.

http://www.visitnewportbeach.com/things-to-do/holidaylights/

Thanks for reading

PURCHASE 8x10 painting prints, holiday & birthday cards!

I am helping to support a great animal rescue center with portions of my sales from my Etsy sales site.  I am giving 10% of all sales to this fantastic animal rescue center.

Forever Wild Exotic Animal Sanctuary

http://foreverwildexotics.org/

Visit my personal portfolio website.

http://www.LCurtin.com

Thank you for stopping by, hope to see you back soon.

Keeping my chin up

I made a decision a couple of weeks ago to not give away my power to anyone anymore. Which to me means staying up at night worrying about the things people do.  I'm talking about people I know, close to me, not people I read about and wonder how the heck they could be so horrible.  I'd wake up in the night and think about people that were probably at the time, sleeping peacefully with no idea I was letting them keep me up.

So I made this decision.  If I wake up at night I have the power to not think about people and things and go back to sleep. After making this decision, it worked. I'm sleeping when I should.  I applied the same principle to my waking life.  Quit worrying about what others are doing in the day and tap into that new ambition of mine and work on making art.

Boy am I tired.  Do you know how hard it is to be up and in charge of life?  It's exhausting.  I have to find a medium spot to be, at least part of the time.

This small mental shift has led to hope. Now I'm thinking, I can do this.  I have talent and a hard working staff and we are having a great time making the what if a reality.

I don't know if I can take how happy I sound.  Really.

Remember, anyone local to Tustin California please come to the Holiday Boutique December 7 and 8. 2012
Here is the flyer.

http://www.businessallianceoc.net/?page_id=369

My very kind brother David Hess is the owner of "The Bookman" in Orange California. He can get you any book you want.  Check out "The Bookman" website.
http://orange.ebookman.com/index.shtml

Thanks for reading

PURCHASE 8x10 painting prints, holiday & birthday cards in the shop.

I am helping to support a great animal rescue center with portions of my sales from my Etsy sales site.  I am giving 10% of all sales to this fantastic animal rescue center.

Forever Wild Exotic Animal Sanctuary

http://foreverwildexotics.org/

My personal Site

http://www.LCurtin.com

Thank you for stopping by, hope to see you back soon.

"How to Paint Cats Eyes"

I finally started filming a painting video. "How to Paint Cats Eyes."  It was much easier than I imagined it might be.  I suppose that statement makes sense in many aspects of life. I feel relaxed painting. I don't think I've ever minded people watching me paint. Writing this I remember about 20 years ago participating in a Mall art show, setting up my easel and painting all day. I had so much fun. I remember the kids being so interested in painting, asking questions.  I think I was painting a cougar. Wow I forgot all about that. Anyway. It will take awhile for the video to be finished.  I have to let the paint dry between layers then add audio.

I'm going to make as many How to Paint video's that I can think of, how to paint fur, how to paint ears, noses and paws.  Then I can start making videos of painting dogs and on and on.  It'll be fun for me. Maybe not so much for my kind brother David who's filming all the videos.  If you like the finished product maybe you might have something you want filmed by my kind brother Dave.  I'm hoping he'll read this so he can see how much I appreciate him.

Here is the first layer of Chloe's eyes. Next Monday we'll film more. I'm so excited.

Remember, anyone local to Tustin California please come to the Holiday Boutique December 7 and 8. 2012
Here is the flyer.
http://www.businessallianceoc.net/?page_id=369

My very kind brother David Hess is the owner of "The Bookman" in Orange California. He can get you any book you want.  Check out "The Bookman" website.
http://orange.ebookman.com/index.shtml

Thanks for reading

PURCHASE 8x10 painting prints, holiday & birthday cards!

I am helping to support a great animal rescue center with portions of my sales from my Etsy sales site.  I am giving 10% of all sales to this fantastic animal rescue center.

Forever Wild Exotic Animal Sanctuary

http://foreverwildexotics.org/

Visit my personal portfolio website Dan has products listed for sale here now and you don't have to sign up to buy.

http://www.LCurtin.com

Thank you for stopping by, hope to see you back soon.

Holiday Boutique

Well hello out there.  Thanksgiving is past and the Winter holidays are nearly here.  I participated in a Holiday Boutique a couple of weeks ago that wasn't well attended.  The show benefited the Second Chance Pet Adoption and I think they did do pretty well for the pets. My friend Jennifer and I worked hard for weeks preparing prints in mats and frames for sale.  We designed a display and practiced setting up and taking it down. I got one of those credit card swipers for my phone and I did use it for sales.  We didn't sell a lot but we learned a bit about the boutique business.

We've signed up for another Holiday boutique December 7 and 8 in Tustin California. This one includes a tree lighting ceremony and Santa!  I think we'll change a few things in the display and hope for the best.  You wouldn't believe all the time, energy and cash I've invested in this project.  I think I've mentioned before I recently caught ambition and I'm still burning with the fever.

Please come visit the show if you are local to area, If you come to the show and tell me you read this blog I will be so happy that I will GIVE you a free print.  Limit 10 giveaways!!

This is the display set up in my office.  Pretty Holiday Boutique wouldn't you say. Well I'm glad to be back here and I will post more soon.

This is the link for the show.
http://www.businessallianceoc.net/?page_id=369

Thanks for reading

PURCHASE 8x10 painting prints, holiday & birthday cards!>

I am helping to support a great animal rescue center with portions of my sales from my Etsy sales site.  I am giving 10% of all sales to this fantastic animal rescue center.

Forever Wild Exotic Animal Sanctuary

http://foreverwildexotics.org/

Visit my personal portfolio website:

http://www.LCurtin.com

Thank you for stopping by, hope to see you back soon.

Hello again

So I haven't posted anything lately. When I mentioned that statement to my husband about a week ago he said, "And we all thank you very much."  So I figured if my husband doesn't even want to read my posts they probably aren't missed.

But here I am.  I've got my happy face on and thought I'd say hi.

I'm painting the desert tortoise.  I have overcome the obstacles of the geometric designs and really feel better about the whole painting.  So happy to be learning. I told my 12 year old granddaughter that the painting was going so slow and she said "Well Grandma, it's a turtle."

Dan is moving most of the Etsy store to my website. We will offer more sales options on the same page and quit having repetitions when trying to view the paintings, photos and cards.

I hope to be back writing here regularly and if you should drop by I hope you leave a note.

The McDowell Sonoran Conservancy champions the sustainability of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve for the benefit of this and future generations.
http://mcdowellsonoran.org/home

Thanks for reading

PURCHASE 8x10 painting prints, holiday & birthday cards!>

I am helping to support a great animal rescue center with portions of my sales from my Etsy sales site.  I am giving 10% of all sales to this fantastic animal rescue center.

Forever Wild Exotic Animal Sanctuary

http://foreverwildexotics.org/

Visit my personal portfolio website:

http://www.LCurtin.com

Thank you for stopping by, hope to see you back soon.

Back in the Market Place

I'm putting together prints for a holiday boutique set for November. I haven't been in a art show in 10 years.  I'm excited about the show but I have no idea how to anticipate what people will want to buy.  I'll bring greeting cards, prints of original artwork, nature photos and Christmas Cards and see what happens. Barbel from the gallery is going to participate in the show with hand painted Christmas ornaments and vases. Barbel's artwork is amazing.  I'll get pictures of some of her items before the show and post them here.

I'm looking online for other holiday shows in the Orange County California area. Some of the shows require a substantial investment in the booth accessories and decorations. Other shows are smaller indoor boutiques that might work for someone like me getting started again. Next thing I'll research is how to have a successful show on a limited budget.

Bluejays in Crestline.

I have been trying many different types of promotion for sales on my different online sites and sales are slow.  The most common advice I hear from successful sellers is that it takes time to build up the customers and to keep on going.  Funny, that's the same advice I'm always giving myself about painting.  I also hear people saying that after the election in November sales might go better.

Dan is designing original nature print Christmas Cards for the holidays. We are really close to the final styles and will be posting them on Etsy soon.  The holiday cards are cute and festive and I can't wait to get them online.

Here is a pretty comprehensive list of holiday celebrations in Orange County California
http://www.orangecounty.net/html/weekend_winter.html

Here is one that looks promising for me.
http://www.businessallianceoc.net/?page_id=369

Here is Barbel's Gallery website again
http://barbelsartcenter.com/

Thanks for reading

PURCHASE 8x10 painting prints, holiday & birthday cards!

I am helping to support a great animal rescue center with portions of my sales from my Etsy sales site.  I am giving 10% of all sales to this fantastic animal rescue center.

Forever Wild Exotic Animal Sanctuary

http://foreverwildexotics.org/

Visit my personal portfolio website:

http://www.LCurtin.com

Thank you for stopping by, hope to see you back soon.