Studio Update: More Word Art

Howdy, everyone!

Custom orders have kept me in the studio and away from my computer for quite a while! Though that is indeed my favorite way to spend my time, it means that y'all have been rather left out of all the excitement. Even now, in fact, I should be knitting away on yet another lovely project, but I'm finally bursting to show y'all what I've been doing.

A couple months ago, I shared the word art I created as a gift for a teenage gal in need of some encouragement.

A quick nose around Etsy showed me that no one else is really doing word art like this, so I added it as a custom item in my shop.

In May, I got my first order! I put together this piece as a gift for a mom from her 4 kids:

It included some of their favorite qualities about their mama and was "signed" by them. At 9x12 inches, it's also large enough for her to frame and hang it where she'll see it every day.

Then, a few weeks later, I received another order. This time for a family heirloom piece to be featured in the couple's new library. This piece took more planning and skill, and I loved the challenge!

This painting was huge: 16x20 inches. In fact, I ordered special watercolor board for it so that it would be easier to manage, ship, and for them to frame.

The family name was Scottish, so I incorporated some of the better known Highland flowers: thistle, heather, and bluebells. The "calligraphy" is all outlined by hand then painted in and lends it self to the classic, heirloom feel of the work.

I hope to do more work like this in the future--I really enjoyed working with my customers to select color palettes and draft sketches. It challenges me to listen well, ask careful questions, and think outside of work I've done before. It's a unique adventure!

Want to learn more? Check out this listing in my shop!

Adventure well; Live fully.
HAK

A Month's Adventures

Happy April 1st!

It has been over a month since I blogged, y'all, which is just nuts to me.  In some ways, I suppose my life has been too full of living and has left little room from writing about living. 

I've been on Instagram, so those who follow there have seen all that I've been up to. Two things on that:
1) FOLLOW ME! @MesAventureHAK 
I definitely Insta more than anything else because I love sharing snapshots of daily life.  
2) Look up^^^ I added that cool, scrolling bar of photos this morning. Those are my Instagram pictures via SnapWidget. So, if you click a picture it will take you to SnapWidget, but you can link to Insta from there. Fun stuff. 


There will be more stories on all of the below soon, but for now let me give you a fly by of the last month:

1) Moby Gimli Bat-Cat. He's that silly black cat in so many of my photos. He has quite a story all by himself, but the gist of it is that we have the best cat in the world!

2) Biking. With only 7 weeks till the Tour de Cure, training is in full swing. Audrey has been a trooper as I challenge her day after day to push her mind and body just a little further in the saddle. To climb one more hill, pedal one more mile, practice riding on the roads and in the rain, etc. 

3) Drawing. I won't be so bold as to say that I'm doing a drawing a day, but I'm trying to do several a week. Some are just quick sketches inspired by a verse in my morning devotions, and others are exercises in my sketchbook. I tend to be a bit pencil shy--strongly preferring my paintbrushes-- but the time has come for me to develop my drawing skills. 

4) Reading. I.love.reading. But I've done less and less of it in my spare time over the last few years as college work has dominated my reading energies. With just a month of university left, I am being more intentional about building "fun reading" back into my life. I recently finished Demon Fish and Ender's Game and am now tackling Atlas Shrugged. Good stuff. :-) 

Remember, I always love to hear about your adventures in the comments or on any of my social media outlets! Be in touch!

Adventure well; Live fully. 
HAK   
 

Studio Update: Watercolor Word Art

This piece grew out of a desire to encourage a young teenager who has been struggling to find her place in life. The details aren't my story to share, but the bottom line is that she has been needing some reminders of God's plan and purpose in her life and His love for her. 

As I worked on this piece, I also decided to offer Watercolor Word Art as a custom listing in my shop because I think other people would enjoy having their name surrounded by their favorite quotes, verses, lyrics, words, etc. 

This piece is unique in that I spent a lot more time planning it than I usually do. I'm rather notorious for just sitting down to create or paint without putting proper forethought into the matter. Sometimes it works, but trust me, there are plenty of things that never make it to the shop or the blog or anywhere else! 

I got a text in class one day about what was going on in Siena's life and almost immediately jotted a doodle on the corner of my paper:

Over the next few weeks (and our move), I kept scribbling ideas in my sketchbook, playing with lettering and how to frame her name...how to include verses and add color, but without making it look too "busy." 

By the time I sat down today to give this idea its first real go, I had a general idea of where I was heading...just enough that the work took on a life of its own as soon as I began. 

My very first steps were in pencil, then I inked over those lines and added the verses. The little geometric shapes were my first hint that this piece already had its own ideas.

Shockingly, I slowed down enough to make a color palette. I'm so glad I did!

About halfway through I panicked. Her name was colored, the key words were "highlighted," and I'd started adding the extra geometric shapes around the outside sections. It looked VERY awkward, and I wasn't sure it was going to work at all... But I was surprised and delighted when I finished!

Once it dried, I took it off the painting board for proper photos:

 

As I mentioned, your own customized word art is available in my shop. 

Names, quotes (verses/lyrics/words), colors, and general style are all fully customizable!

Click here to learn more. :-)

Adventure well; Live fully. 

HAK

Share a Friend: Audrey

Howdy y'all!

As you know, I recently started a wonderful nannying job as "Mary Poppins." What you don't know is that one of my new kiddos, Audrey, is a super awesome artist!

 She has been taking classes from a local artist, Larry Smith, and this is her latest work in progress. 

Here's a few questions I asked her this afternoon: 

Why do you like to paint?
A: It's relaxing. When you have so much to do, and you finally get to sit down to paint, it's calming. 

What do you plan to paint next?
A: A fox in the snow from a photograph my friend's grandfather took. 

What other creative things do you like to do?
A: I like to sculpt polymer clay, and I like to paint with watercolors. And I occasionally sketch. 

Watch out, Etsy, she's heading your way in a few years! ;-) 

Adventure well; Live fully. 
HAK

Studio Update: Knits and Paintings

Greetings from The Studio!

In this case, I mean not only my studio, but also our home, recently christened The Studio because of the way my arting space is central in our new place. 

If you've been following the shop or any of my social media, you know a lot of things have happened in the last week or so. Here's an overview of all the latest shop items!

Custom Order Watercolor Painting

 This listing is for one custom order painting from a photograph (or an idea. ie: "I would like a painting of a field and barn." I can make that happen!).

Subjects can include:
Pets
Animals
People (faceless only)
Cityscapes
Landscapes
Homes (or other buildings)
Flowers, trees, etc.

Sizes range from 4x6 inches to 11x14 inches. 

The photos above are examples of the kind of work I can do--I love creating custom paintings!!


Tree of Life Fingerless Gloves
 I have been wearing a pair of these for the past two winters, and I looooove them. I recently worked out a deal with the pattern designer so that I can offer them to YOU in my shop. 

Mine are moss green and knit from wonderful soft wool. But, I can knit them in any number of colors for you! They come in two sizes: S/M and M/L. 
 (Photos courtesy of the wonderful designer, Jenny Williams)

 

Snow Day: A Mixed Media Painting

If y'all have been following the news, we got a lot of snow and ice here in Atlanta this week. 

This piece was inspired by the view outside my new studio. It was also a lovely foray into mixed media art, using permanent pen, watercolor, and oil pastel. It is 12x7 inches. 


Celtic Cable Knitted Mug Cozies

These originated from a custom order, and I loved them so much, that I just had to put them up in my shop.

 

 There are two colors listed, hopefully with more to come soon. If you are just itching for a different color in the meanwhile, all you have to do is ask! 

Last one, y'all:

Kissing Gouramis: Watercolor Pencil Drawing

These fish compete for dominance through lip-locking...

...but I think they're a pretty cute idea for your fish loving honey, too! 

Remember, Valentine's Day is coming! :-) 

Adventure well; Live fully.

HAK

Studio Update: My New Sunroom Studio!

Hey, y'all!

The Hubster and I are back to my hometown outside of Atlanta, and I'm just about done setting up my studio! I wanted to sell some early photos with y'all. :-)

My studio is in our sunroom, nestled between the living, dining, and guest rooms. 

 I have this huge, wonderful window, too. 

It's been snowing all afternoon, and I have the best winter view in the house!

 One of my bestie's Christmas gifts was this "Hipster Decorating Set." 

Polaroid cards, strings, and clothespins.

I love it!!

And, in case you were wondering, it's still mug cozy central around here. 

I love these, too! :D

But, wait! There's more!

 Mes Aventures, Crafts & Co. has a mini "store front" in my studio now!

I'm hoping there will be some snowish art soon to come. Until then, stay warm!

Adventure well; Live fully. 

HAK 

Seedlings of a Creative Life

"To live a creative life,

we must lose our fear of being wrong."

~Joseph Chilton Pearce

It's an odd and interesting thing to feel oneself transitioning from someone who likes art and does it occasionally to someone who does, pursues, and lives art. 

I have this ideal in my mind of the slightly eccentric, fascinating artist that I want to be. Long hair, cleverly matched (or mismatched) clothes, fun jewelry, the occasional paint smudge. Sketchbook toting, notebook keeping, book-loving, new food cooking, adventurous, traveling... My list could go on and on. After all, I've loved art and admired artists for a long time, so I've had a chance to dream and idealize. 

On the one hand, my ideal can be paralyzing. I fear doing it "wrong." Whatever the heck that means. While I sometimes exemplify parts of my ideal, I don't think I've ever really embodied it. But that's okay--"Life's a journey, not a destination," right? 

But I have to admit, I get really excited when I find myself growing into this graceful, creative being, albeit in very small ways. Little things, like a day of knitting, feel like seedlings of a more creative life. 

That's part of my 2014 blog goal, I guess: to document and share with you the growth of these little seedlings.

Now, that day of knitting I mentioned: Yesterday, I put a halt to everything except hours and hours of knitting. Sure, there was a bit of unpacking from a weekend trip and even some cooking and laundry that "needed" to be done (and today they will be so), but yesterday I indulged in hours of wonderful knitting. In addition to my Tree of Life gloves (warm fingers--finally!), I finished the first of those mug cozies I told you guys about. I'm completely in love.

(I'm working on an order right now before I put any up in the shop, but if you're interested in custom ordering some, let me know!)

Adventure well; Live fully. 

HAK

(Top image from crushculdesac.tumblr.com via Pinterest)

Share a Friend: Tiffany at One Small Sparrow

Hey y'all!

I'm out of the studio for a couple days, so I thought this would be a great opportunity to share another Etsy artist with you! 

Tiffany Moeller, based out of Chicago, started One Small Sparrow at the end of September. 

I fell in love with her work when I saw this painting:

Isn't it FABULOUS!

So creative! 

Brilliant, endearing, wonderfully rendered. 

Tiffany shares on Etsy, though, that portraits are truly her passion because of the value of each and every human life. 

"For me," she writes, "painting and drawing people becomes so interesting and beautiful because it is a celebration of that truth."

This portrait is listed in her shop right now:

Captivating. 

Why not hop on over to her shop right now by clicking here?
Think about commissioning her for a portrait. :-) 

Adventure well; Live fully. 
HAK

Studio Update: gloves, mug cozies, and cichlids.

Hey y'all!

It's been a good week in my studio, and I wanted to let y'all behind the scenes. 

As y'all know, I drew a lionfish earlier this week. In case you missed it, check out the drawing here. 

It's winter, as even Georgia has been reminding us lately, so I've been knitting lots (as often as I can thaw out my fingers, that is. ha!) 

As posted, I started a new set of gloves for myself. And, TA-DA! The first is finished!!

Must keep knitting. The sooner that second glove is done, the sooner my hands will be warm again!

I've been knitting something else, too. Mug cozies! They're going to be fabulous. 

And, last but not least, another drawing. I'm loving my watercolor pencils. These are Regal Peacock Cichlids, native to Lake Malawi in East Africa. 

 If you want to learn more about this piece, click here to head over to Etsy!

Adventure well; Live fully. 

HAK

2014

Happy New Year!

As you may have seen on Twitter or Facebook, the Hubster and I celebrated fairly simply and had a lot of fun with just the two of us and the two dogs we're petsitting. We played Monopoly (he won), sipped champagne, watched The Fall of Sam Axe, and hid under the table with the pups when the fireworks freaked them out. You think I'm joking:

Yesterday we dutifully, and delightedly ate our pork roast, kraut, black eyed peas, greens, and cornbread. I was very pleased that I managed to cook all of the above--four first times in one meal was a bit daunting--especially the greens which I bought fresh! I was glad I had saved some of our Christmas ham in the freeze for flavoring the beans and greens, too. yummmm.

Anyway, I also spent some time reflecting over the past couple of days, looking back at 2013 and ahead to 2014. I thought a lot about the "hats" I wear. 

I became a wife in 2013--a role that I love and am still growing into. 

I learned a lot about being a daughter, a friend, an adult. 

In light of two of my best friends' moms dying this past year, I have been both mourner and comforter, prayer and prayed for. We carry that weight with us into 2014--a weight of grief and a weight of the hope of glory. We're all hoping that this year brings renewed joy and peace as we weave memory and hope into our hearts. 

I continue to be a student, and, for maybe the first time in my life, I struck a healthier balance between schoolwork and the rest of my life. I was astonished that, other than in French which is really hard, my grades didn't change that much even though my quality of life did. 

I started a business, too--something that maybe surprised me as much as anyone else. Mes Aventures, Crafts & Co. started as an art shop about place and has already morphed a bit to be about all kinds of life adventures--big and small. With this rather big leap I became an entrepreneur/ small business owner and, of all things, a professional artist. 

I don't ever remember not wanting to be an artist. Whatever else I was pursuing, I always seemed to add "and an artist." in my head and heart. But after about age 6, it was always like that--a sort of afterthought. 

And yet, here I am, a newlywed in 2014 (another thing I didn't see coming ;-) ), who has decided to take a break from the education required for all those other pursuits (after I finish my B.A. this semester), to encourage and grow the "afterthought." 

But now that I "really am" an artist, I find myself paralyzed with fear of my own inadequacy. 

I didn't go to art school--I'm a lit student, teacher, and budding linguist by training. I find myself spending plenty of time thinking about art and much less time doing it. I want that to change. I don't want to just pursue the idea of art or creativity. I want to embrace and act upon them. 

So, a couple of days ago, I sat down with journal and tea to make a plan. (Just ask April: I love plans. She can tell you, too, that things rarely go according to plan.)

 Across one page I scrawled the words of Andy Warhol:

"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if its good or bad whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art."

That's where I'm heading this year. As I create, I know my skills will improve, as will my focus and routine. 

Maybe by the end of 2014 I won't feel so sheepish when I tell people I'm an artist. ;-) 

Adventure well; Live fully. 

HAK

NEW on Etsy: Lion Fish Watercolor Pencil Drawing

 I'm pleased to announce a new addition to my Etsy shop! 

Click HERE to learn more about this item. 

I'm hoping to add more fish to my shop soon. :-) 

Is there an animal you'd love a painting or drawing of? 

Request a custom order from my shop!

Adventure well; Live fully. 

HAK

Small Business Saturday

Now here's a shopping event that y'all may not be aware of! Did you know that November 30, 2013 is Small Biz Saturday?

Here's a little update from my studio...

I sent this little beauty off on Wednesday. This painting of a stunning wedding venue is 5x7 inches on a 6x8 piece of watercolor paper. It was a custom order, and I particularly wanted to share it with you as a reminder of how much I LOVE CUSTOM ORDERS.

So, is there still someone on your list that you haven't found something for?
I'd love to paint or knit something special just for them! 
Visit my Etsy shop to make a request!

Three final thoughts:
FREE SHIPPING on everything in my shop. No code necessary!
and
Leave a request in the "note to seller" box when ordering, and I will Christmas gift wrap your order for FREE. 
and
$5 OFF your order of $25 or more! Use the code SMALLBIZ13 (valid thru 12/1/13).

Adventure well; Live fully.
HAK

The Thing About Art

Thanks, "The Beginning Writer." :-)

I think I repeat this to myself every day. It's very, very true. Any of you ever wonder what it is like for me to be a newlywed, painting and knitting my heart out, and owning my own company? I'm scared to death. Every day I think, "What if I don't turn a profit by the end of they year?" Or, equally terrifying, "What if I do?"I don't really have an answer to either of my scary questions, but that's okay. That's part of it, too--I plunge forward (somewhat wildly at times), and pray I'll figure it out as I go.

But why is art so scary? I think all of us recognize that it is, that's why, when I taught nature study in high school, I heard more parents say "I can't paint" than I heard first graders say the same thing. As we grow up and become self-concious, we realize that art is scary. I don't know who Chuck Palanhiuk is, but I think he said something valuable:

"Your handwriting. The way you walk. Which china pattern you choose. 

It's all giving you away. 

Everything you do shows your hand.
Everything is a self-portrait. 

Everything is a diary."

Art gives us away so much that we feel the vulnerability. Every brushstroke, every stitch in my shop gives me away. Gives away that my strength is in details--not motion--when I paint, that I knit too tightly, that I'm more "classic" and less "trendy" (I try, really I do. Ask my best friend about my new leather moto jacket).

But does my art show that I am a business woman, a professional, a skilled artisan? Sometimes I don't know, but I sure hope so. While I love and respect the thousands of "hobby" sellers on Etsy, I do want something bigger. This is my job. And a lot of times, I'm scared to death. But I want it to be more than that, too...

I'm an English major with a streak of teacher in me, so I love to summarize. Here we go:

1) Art is scary. 

2) Art gives us away. 

But that's not all (if it were, we'd crawl into our fear and never create again, right?).

3) Art is valuable. Because it gives you away, it also gives your audience a way to connect with you more deeply. We artists take a big risk, and sometimes it hurts, but sometimes we are given the chance to speak from where we are or have been to someone else who really needed to hear what we had to say. 

Sidestory: I have this friend named Melissa who is a wonderful and insightful artist. One time, when I was 15, she showed me a painting of a large English cottage. Something about it struck deep in my soul, and I knew, in that moment, she had done more than paint stones, water, and grass, as beautiful as they were. In that painting, this house was hope and Home (for more on those themes, go here). I wrote on my bucket list that night: "Live in the house from Melissa's painting." I meant this figuratively in the keep-my-eyes-on-Heaven sort of way, but I also meant this literally in the visit-that-house-in-the-Lakes-District way. Have you seen these?

Scenic England Greeting Cards on Etsy

 See that top left card? That's the house I was talking about. It's called Stepping Stones (the stones across the river are the ones Wordsworth wrote about), and it's about a mile outside of Ambleside in the Lakes District. About 5 years after I first saw Melissa's painting, I spent a week living in the Garden Cottage of Stepping Stones after 5 weeks of studying at Oxford. And why was my heart set on spending time there? Because of ART. Because a painting grabbed me and wouldn't let go.

I hope I can paint things that inspire hopes and dreams like that someday. 

Finally, Wordsworth's "The Stepping Stones:" 

          THE struggling Rill insensibly is grown
          Into a Brook of loud and stately march,
          Crossed ever and anon by plank or arch;
          And, for like use, lo! what might seem a zone
          Chosen for ornament--stone matched with stone
          In studied symmetry, with interspace
          For the clear waters to pursue their race
          Without restraint. How swiftly have they flown,
          Succeeding--still succeeding! Here the Child
          Puts, when the high-swoln Flood runs fierce and wild,
          His budding courage to the proof; and here
          Declining Manhood learns to note the sly
          And sure encroachments of infirmity,
          Thinking how fast time runs, life's end how near!

Art on, mes amis! :-)

Adventure well; Live fully,

HAK

WIP: Christmas Whimsey: DONE!

I know, I know... I'm a couple days later than I had hoped, but this little beauty is DONE. It will make a lovely hanging in your home or special cards to send to friends and family.

It is  available as a custom print here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/169309764/custom-holiday-print-christmas-home 

And as greeting cards here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/169309764/custom-holiday-print-christmas-home 

Sample customizations include:

 "The Knights," "The Knight Family," "Merry Christmas," 

"Happy Holidays," "Merry Christmas from the Knights."  

Like this:

Adventure well; Live fully. 

HAK