Blog Interview

Hi all! Happy Friday!! So a few weeks ago, I got an email saying my blog had been recommended for an interview at Blog Interview.com. I was not familiar with the site, so I went on, checked it out, and read some of the other blog interviews. Looked easy enough, so I answered the questionnaire, and the interview is up this morning. Although I did notice that some of the other interviews were way longer than mine. I guess I should have noticed that before I answered the questions, but I am not entirely comfortable when it comes to describing my own work. Needless to say, it won't take you but about 15 seconds to read my interview! LOL, Oh well, hopefully you will spend more time on my blog anyway. You can go check it out here, and while you're there, hit me with a thumbs up...I think I could win something!!

Online classes, Cub scouts and Demented DeMeng!!

So lets see, what's going on with me? Well, I recently signed up for an online class with Chris Cozen and Julie Prichard called "Complex Collage" and I am really enjoying it. These ladies do a great job of instruction, materials and support, and I have learned a ton already!! When I have some finished pieces, I will post them here and you guys can fall over each other getting to Julie's site to sign up for the next one!!

I was invited by my friend Kendra, to come to her sons Weblos/cub scout den meeting next month, as they are earning their Art badges, and talk to them about being an artist. Wow, seriously excited. My first Art lecture, and they have to listen to me or they don't get their badges!! LOL, just kidding!! I am sure it will be a blast. I would love to do the same with my boys pack too, when they get that far.

Saturday morning I will be joining a few other artists at Zinnia in Pasadena for a class with Michael DeMeng. I love taking classes from Michael. Even though his realm is a bit outside my comfort zone, when it comes to media, I learn a bunch, and always come away with a project that is unique, bizarre and always a little bit demented! And I like taht about it!! I took two classes with him at Asilomar last year for Art&Soul, and had a blast. Michael is a very generous artist with his style and technique. He just wrote a fabulous blog post about teaching, and what should be the end result. You can hop over here, and check it out.

So we took off for the boy's Easter Vacation last week, and heaed out to Havasu for a little R&R. The weather was a little wonky for a few days. Cold and windy, but with the sun shining. and when I say windy, I mean WINDY!!. Anytime we were on the boat, I couldn't tell if I was windburned or sunburned!! We did get a chance to go riding though, since it wasn't too hot. Connor loves riding and exploring, and I love to take my camera and shoot some nature. Since I don't have a grown up camera yet, someday, I have been using and LOVING my Iphone camera with my new favorite Hipstamatic app. It takes pictures like the old toy cameras of years gone by. I think it's funny how we used to look at the quality of those prints, and complain because they were crappy. Now we pay to have camera that give us the same effects. Anyway, these photos are taken with the Hipstamatic app, and I love them!!Click on my links and cruise around the blogosphere, you will be glad you did!!

Huge Goal Attained.....Now what????

Five years ago, when I began to get serious about being an artist, I thought about what I wanted to do with it. I knew I didn't want it to be something that I started and gave up on. I knew I wanted to learn stuff I didn't know, and I knew it had to stay exciting. I also knew that if I didn't set some goals, I would not continue to push myself. These were my goals 5 years ago:

1) Sell some artwork

2) Show my art in a gallery

3) Get published in my favorite magazine.

So now it's 5 years later, and I have achieved these goals. And let me tell you; the first was just as exciting as the second and the third. What a huge ,blessing!!

In life, as in art, I need to set goals for myself to continue to grow and change. With this in mind, someone got the bright idea that I should get my General Contractors License. Hmmmm.

My husband is a commercial GC, and I have worked for him for the last 15 years. I love the business, and I love my job. During the last year, through a series of events, we came to the conclusion that I should also get my license. There are a whole lot of opportunities for a woman with a GC license, believe it or not. There are huge companies that we do work for, that have to spend a certain amount of money per year, with companies that are either minority owned businesses or women owned businesses.

This is where it gets hard. In December I started school, and thus began the hours, days and weeks of studying. Now I don't like to study. I didn't study in high school, and I did ok. I marginally studied in college, and did great. This was different. This was hard.

In order to pass the State Exam, you have to study the law side and the trade side. Now I have no problem with the law side, like I said, I have been doing this for 15 years. The law is the business practices, the employee financial requirements, and the legal issues of contracting. NO problem.

The trade side, being that it is for a General Contractor, meant I had to learn basics of the 8 major trades: Electrical, plumbing, HVAC, framing, drywall, insulation, roofing, and concrete. Let me tell you what I know about these trades: I know how to call my subcontractors to answer any question I might have!! Needless to say, about halfway through this process, I figured I had bit off more than I could chew. But I'm stubborn like that. I would continue to work hard, and when the test date came, I would be prepared the best I could.

Well, I passed. I am the State of California's newest Licensed General Contractor! Whew!! Boy am I glas that's over. But the question is: Now what?

This piece is titled "STRONG".........11"x14" mixed media on canvas. Because I am!