Commission Painting Blooms

Happy Tuesday!  Since it's after Christmas now, I can finally share photos of my recent commissioned painting!  Earlier this month, I posted a tiny sneak peak of the beginnings of this project.  A dear friend of mine wanted an abstract sunflower painting (my favorite flower!) to give to her sister as a gift. 

I was so excited to have the opportunity to paint something I love knowing that it would give someone else the same joy.  The feeling of having one of my paintings in someone else's home or workplace is just so exciting to me!  

This painting is 2.5 feet wide by 3 feet tall, making it the largest painting I've done since my senior exhibition (read more about that here!) which is a great size to fill a wall with lots of color (and it's still fairly portable, too).  Working on a larger scale definitely has it's advantages as I am able to add more variety of brushstrokes and textures to the surface.  

This painting started out in acrylic paint and was finished in oil paint.  I was asked to include some metallic color too, which was definitely a fun addition (I mainly used a copper color which highlighted the sunflower's glow most effectively).  The background is full of painted texture of different purple shades.  I haven't painted with purple in a while either, which added to the fun for me! 

I love having new challenges, projects, and the opportunity to work with sweet customers to create a lively, colorful painting just for them!  I'm so thankful to have had this opportunity and support for my artwork!  Here's a close-up image for some additional details :) 

Feel free to contact me with your own commission ideas and projects! :)

Ukulele!

Hello all!  Just thought I'd share a picture of this fabulous Christmas gift I received from my amazing mom and stepdad! While I still love playing my banjo, I'm excited to learn a fun new instrument too! 

I've found numerous apps and youtube how-to videos for the ukulele, and I've already worked on learning the chords for the song "Stand by Me."  The ukulele will be much easier to teach myself than the banjo was (I took lessons for a few months to learn the banjo!) so I'm looking forward to this new little hobby.  I've still got a lot to learn with both instruments though, that's for sure. 

Did I mention how cute my little ukulele looks on the blanket I made, too? :) 

Thanks for visiting my blog, much love! 

calligraphy paintings

Hello everyone!  I hope that all of you had a fabulous Christmas!  I enjoyed spending my Christmas with my wonderful family and boyfriend...going to a lovely Christmas Eve church service, eating lots of yummy food, exchanging gifts, playing board games, and traveling a bit too.  I have so much to be thankful for, that's for sure :)

 

In addition to all the holiday festivities, I made sure to set some time aside for painting too.  Since it's been such a busy time of year, painting time tends to have to be a bit quicker than usual for me.  I want to share with you some fun little projects I've been working on and offer a few tips for those of you who enjoy painting as well! 

I usually do a lot of oil painting, however, that process involves a longgg drying time, so acrylic paints were the next best thing for the layered outcome I set out to achieve.  So, gather your favorite acrylic paints (metallic paints are a great addition to this type of painting, too!) and some heavy weight paper (I used some made specifically for mixed media), some paint brushes in different sizes, and a few more tools listed here: 

This image includes labels for some of my other favorite painting tools: a comb tool (found in most art stores with the paint supplies), different sizes of palette knives, unsharpened pencils (used to draw lines into the wet paint), and even mason jar lids dipped in paint! 

Using a combination of these tools, plus paint brushes (and your fingers too!) can be used to spread and layer the paint onto your paper in an efficient and fun way.  I like to experiment with different color combinations and textures, so my outcome is usually a surprise.  The more layers, the better, too!  Here's a few close up images of these paintings:

  

For Christmas, I was excited to receive a calligraphy kit from my sweet Nana!  I knew these abstract paintings needed a little something extra to make them complete, so I decided to try making some calligraphy additions to some of them as well.  Calligraphy will take some getting used to, but I am just thrilled with all the new possibilities.  

This evening, I gathered up my different calligraphy pen tips, some skinny paint brushes, some metallic silver ink, and black ink.  I decided, however, that white writing would be better for these paintings, so I mixed up some pearl acrylic medium with white paint and water to make my own white "ink." 

 And here's the finished products! 

I absolutely loved working on these abstract paintings, as it frees the mind and allows for playful creativity to shine through.  I'm exploring the possibilities of selling high-quality artist prints of a variety of my paintings, too, and would love any feedback that you may have about what types of art you'd like to see as prints!  Questions and comments are more than welcome.

Also, I'm always looking for new quotes, verses, words, etc. to add to my paintings, so any suggestions that you'd like to see would be great!  

Thanks for everyone's support, comments, and feedback!  Have a lovely evening! 

A Special Giveaway!

In honor of reaching 202 page likes on Facebook today, I'm offering this mini heart painting for free as a giveaway! Painted (with hanger) just for the lucky winner this evening  

To enter, either share my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/thejoyfulbee
- OR -
Comment on your favorite blog post of mine here:http://alwaysbloomingartwork.blogspot.com/

*Entering BOTH ways will enter your name twice, increasing your chances of winning!

Winner will be chosen at random on Wednesday evening (December 17) and contacted about getting your new painting delivered to you! I am beyond excited about gaining more support for my art and business ventures! Thank you all so very much 

This painting is on a wood panel, and is full of many layers of acrylic paint.  The back is painted as well, although not nearly as detailed.  Although it is a smaller painting, the layers and vibrant colors give the viewer many abstract areas to enjoy!  I'm definitely excited to see who the winner will be! :) 

Weekend Blooming!

Hope everyone has had a great weekend!  Mine was time well spent with my love, Josh! <3  The weekend wouldn't be complete without some painting time though!  This evening I cozied up with some tea in my favorite mug and continued working on an exciting commissioned painting!  I can't share the finished work with y'all until after Christmas though since it is going to be a gift, so stay tuned to see how this painting turns out!

If any of you are ever interested in working with me to create your own custom painting, please don't hesitate to contact me about commissioning a painting!  I'd be more than happy to brainstorm ideas and possibilities with you so that you can add just the right artwork to your home!  Contact me through this blog, email, or my Facebook page Bee Always Blooming Artwork!  I hope to be posting some great painting commission offers within the new year, too, and am looking forward to working with you! :) 

Also, throughout my internet browsing this evening, I have signed my blog up through Bloglovin so be sure to click on the link and follow my blog!  

Thank you all for your continued support :) 

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/13310793/?claim=6j4xuv85g6m">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Sharing the Love!

Good morning sunshines!  Today I thought I'd share with you all one of my favorite blogs.  I enjoy researching other artists and finding inspiration through their daily blogs and most recent art.

The first blog I ever began following about two years ago features the artwork of mixed-media artist Mae Chevrette.  While taking a mixed media course at Brevard College, I discovered her nature and travel themed paintings that are all just full of so much life and history (she uses vintage postage stamps, sheet music, maps, letters and more!)  Through her blog, she shares photos from her travels as well as from her studio.

I personally bought a print "Need the Sea" from her etsy shop and just love all the rich layers of paper, photos, and words that she works with to create such intricate compositions. This print hangs in my room and continues to serve as daily inspiration for my own artwork.  I hope you all will find her artwork and blog as inspiring as I do! Enjoy :)

http://togointotheworld.blogspot.com/

Blooming at the Rugby Craft Fair

This past weekend I had the opportunity to participate in my very first craft fair!  This has always been a dream of mine and will be the first of many art and craft shows and sales I plan to (hopefully!) participate in. These shows most definitely take a lot of hard work to prepare for so that everything goes smoothly throughout the sale. Throughout this process, I have most definitely learned so much and gained a new respect for people who go through this process many times a year.  Not only do you have to prepare tons of products (the fun part!), but preparing banners, business cards, signs, publicity, booth layout, and more proves to be quite the task, too!  Preparing yourself mentally to become vulnerable and hope that people like your art and products and to stay encouraged throughout the sale and process is definitely a challenge as well.  I would definitely call this first sale of mine both a great success and learning experience that will prepare me for many more to come!  Feel free to comment or ask any questions you may have regarding your own craft sales as well :)  Here are a few images from the craft fair before sales began! 

Having this booth would not have been possible without the help from my sweet, loving mom, boyfriend, best friend, stepdad, or nana!  I am beyond thankful :)