happy birthday Frida!

my first ever Frida-inspired art  piece

my first ever Frida-inspired art piece

today Frida Kahlo would have celebrated her 107th birthday. although she passed away in 1954, she continues to be a huge source of artistic inspiration to many.

i love Frida’s art work. she portrayed beauty alongside tragedy, joy alongside sadness, and her pieces are full of raw emotion you can’t help but also feel if you really look at her work.

above is my newest art piece, simply titled “Frida”. it is my first ever Frida-inspired piece – but i really enjoyed making it so it definitely won’t be my last!

til next time…

LOTS of new items added to my Etsy supply shop…!

as an artist who likes to try out any creative medium i can get my hands on, i have lots of art & craft supplies. LOTS. so i opened a second Etsy shop (Susie’s This & That) to destash these extra supplies. i’ve used several of these items in my mixed media and assemblage art pieces – the miniatures especially are perfect for Dia de los Muertos shrines, altars, and art pieces.

the shop (which i opened in february of 2012) has really taken off! it keeps me busy; i wish my Etsy art shop and our website were as busy, but i’m grateful for any and all sales coming in…

here are some of the items from my supply shop. several i just added over the weekend – some of which have already SOLD OUT! 🙂

variety of heart milagros from Mexico...

variety of heart milagros from Mexico…

miniature bottles...

miniature bottles…

miniature clay moons (imported from Mexico)...

miniature clay moons (imported from Mexico)…

gorgeously detailed clay suns (SOLD OUT!)...

gorgeously detailed clay suns (SOLD OUT!)…

star milagros from Mexico...

star milagros from Mexico…

gorgeous Virgen de Guadalupe clay tiles (from Mexico)...

gorgeous Virgen de Guadalupe clay tiles (from Mexico)…

FIMO clay...

FIMO clay…

set of 12: miniature food & drink items...

set of 12: miniature food & drink items…

a set of miniature paper roses (more sizes & colors in shop)...

a set of miniature paper roses (more sizes & colors in shop)…

miniature clay skulls...

miniature clay skulls…

sugar skull puzzle cubes...

sugar skull puzzle cubes…

hand milagros (or charms), imported from Mexico...

hand milagros (or charms), imported from Mexico…

black floral Raschel stretch lace trim...

black floral Raschel stretch lace trim…

miniature wood guitars...

miniature wood guitars…

there are SO many more items in my supply shop, you’ll just have to go see for yourselves!

’til next time…

 

check out my husband’s new Etsy shop!

hey again…

after the experience we had a few weeks back (remember my last blog post? opportunity knocked – we answered!) i think my husband was inspired to get back to creating more work – and he decided to open HIS own Etsy shop!

his shop opened this week; he only has a few pieces, but each one is unique, mixed media in style, and if i say so myself – very cool.

here are some pieces created by Lawrence. let me know what you think – and then head over to his Etsy shop, Art by Lawrence Aguilar. it’s still in the very beginning stages, but we’re working on it…and remember, Lawrence also has work available at our website Arte de Nuestro Corazon.

who knows, one of you reading this may be his first Etsy customer! 😉

’til next time…

angel shrine, Lawrence Aguilar"La Dona" by Lawrence AguilarDOD mixed media cross, Lawrence Aguilarmosaic cross by Lawrence Aguilarmosaic cross by Lawrence Aguilar"El Jefito", Lawrence Aguilar"El Jefe Musico", Lawrence Aguilar

 

opportunity knocked – we answered!

two weeks ago i saw an instagram post about a television show that was looking for artists to participate in an episode for their upcoming season. (we had to sign a privacy clause, so i can’t say much right now…)

much to my husband Lawrence’s surprise, i mentioned the post to him, as well as the fact that our nephew, David, had tagged me in a Facebook post about this opportunity. i figured – this post came to me twice, who was i to ignore it? we decided to pursue it; what did we have to lose?

i sent in the necessary photos of art pieces for both of us. that was followed by an email asking for some more information and photos of our booth set-up for art shows.

i was cooking dinner when the phone call came: they wanted us for the show! more information was shared, and the necessary paperwork was completed and faxed back to the appropriate people.

last week was a whirlwind of being on set: early mornings, loooong days, watching the behind the scenes action of filming a TV show, interacting with a very cool and helpful crew, meeting awesomely talented artists, making new friends…and getting lots of exposure for our artwork!

did i mention that Lawrence was surprised? i’m not the type to jump into new things – far from it. it felt really good when, driving home after our last day of being on set, he took my hand and said, “did i tell you i’m really proud of you for doing this?”

it was a good week… ❤

til next time…

papel picado

papel picado

 

i’m still here!

canvas stack WIP

okay, so i’m not great at this blogging thing – yet. i just realized that it’s been over a month since i’ve posted here. i’ll try to do better! i won’t bore you with the details of internet problems and a non-working camera. i’ve gotten accustomed to taking all my photos on my iPhone, and it’s really convenient – i just need to work on taking and editing better photos…

just wanted to share some of what i’ve been up to. i HAVE been painting A LOT lately – finally! i’m getting back into the groove and loving it. the top photo shows a stack of canvases with finished backgrounds (most from my gelli printing sessions) that were just waiting to be finished. i’m working my way through the stack one by one…

forever: mixed media original

this 8″ X 10″ mixed media original is one of my new favorites! titled “forever”, it’s a gelli printed canvas with acrylic paints, recycled papers (love to reuse and recycle!), and hand drawn touches. it will be available in my Etsy shop later today!

Love knows no boundaries: mixed media original

“Love knows no boundaries”, another 8″ X 10″ mixed media original, started with a map of the Pismo beach (California) as the background, then layers of texture with acrylic paints, Sharpies, and recycled papers (hearts are cut out from gelli prints). (this one is available in my Etsy shop now.)

heart with wings: original canvas

stay tuned for more new artwork! 🙂

i’ve also been destashing supplies i’m no longer using (again!). i’ve been giving a lot of thought to this art business i think i’m in, and i’m come to the realization that i need to FOCUS. i want to try SO many creative things, i want to do it ALL – painting, drawing, beading, hand stitching, collaging – you name it, i wanna do it. which is fine, but if i want to sell my work successfully i think i need to focus on my strengths.

so – my Etsy supply shop is getting filled with items i’m no longer using: stamps, ribbons, paintable items, miniatures…you need to see for yourself!

Etsy supply shop_destashing

newest items added to my Etsy supply shop

Etsy supply shop collage

Etsy supply shop collage (from Instagram)

that’s all for now…hope your May is off to a great start!

’til next time…