what i’ve been up to…

it’s been a while since i’ve blogged…

every time i tell myself i’m going to blog consistently – life happens.

the end of october brought with it the first anniversary of losing my sister patty

then, on november 2nd, my mother unexpectedly lost her sister, josefina (my Tia Chepa). once again, we were faced with the loss of a loved one right before the holiday season.

i won’t go into emotions right now…i’m just dealing with making sure my mom’s okay and that she not get ill, as she did when we lost my sister. she’s still recuperating from that…

i’m just getting back to work again. on a personal level, i am not thinking of celebrating holidays right now. from a business level – life goes on…shops remain open…

this past week or so i’ve been working on Christmas ornaments. i just listed some to our website – i’d love for you to check them out!

wood ornaments by Susie Carranza for www.ArtedeNuestroCorazon.com

wood ornaments by Susie Carranza for http://www.ArtedeNuestroCorazon.com

pot of marigolds with mini serape & heart milagro...

ornament: pot of marigolds with mini serape & heart milagro…

ornament: Frida with El Venado Loteria card...

ornament: Frida with El Venado Loteria card…

ornament: large orange rose with miniature clay pottery...

ornament: large orange rose with miniature clay pottery…

ornament: Frida with wing milagros & flowers...

ornament: Frida with wing milagros & flowers…

for these and lots of other handmade art pieces, please go to http://www.ArtedeNuestroCorazon.com

i’ll also be adding new items to my Etsy art shop and Etsy supply shop in the next few weeks. please support the handmade community and original artists this holiday season! ❤️

(i bought the raw handmade wood ornaments i used here from Terramaya on Etsy – make sure to check out her shop!)

’til next time…

my 30 paintings in 30 days…

if you’ve read my previous posts, you know I took part in a ’30 paintings in 30 days’ challenge in the artists’ group HeARTspace on Facebook (created by artist Jeanne Bessette). the challenge ended yesterday and I’m proud to say I completed the whole challenge!

I won’t lie – sometimes I didn’t post one photo each day. with both my mom feeling under the weather (again), then my mother in law being hospitalized (again), my mind was often occupied with other things and I couldn’t get myself to finish artwork in front of me. but I played catch up, staying up late when needed. one day I posted four (or five?) paintings all in the same day in order to catch up!

here are all 30 pieces. I still consider a couple of them to be unfinished, but the purpose of this challenge was (I think) to dig deep into our creative selves, paint consistently and purposefully, and see what we learn about ourselves in the process.

I’m still marinading over what I learned about myself, my work, and where I want to go with it. (another blog post for sure!)…in the meantime, here are group shots of all the pieces. Look for much better individual photos to come, as well as most of these new pieces being available for purchase! 😉

’til next time…

paintings 1-15 of 30 paintings in 30 days challenge...

paintings 1-15 of 30 paintings in 30 days challenge…

 

paintings 16-30 of 30 paintings in 30 days challenge

paintings 16-30 of 30 paintings in 30 days challenge

30 paintings in 30 days: Days 5 through 10…

I’m happy to say that I’m still going strong with HeARTspace’s 30 paintings in 30 days challenge! Here’s what I’ve been up to…

Day 5: "For Patty", mixed media on 7" X 9" hardboard.

Day 5: “For Patty”, mixed media on 7″ X 9″ hardboard.

Day 6: "Unknown", mixed media on 8" X 10" canvas board.

Day 6: “Unknown”, mixed media on 8″ X 10″ canvas board.

Day 7: "It Never Stops", acrylic paints on 5 1/2" X 7" canvas.

Day 7: “It Never Stops”, acrylic paints on 5 1/2″ X 7″ canvas.

Day 8: "Dream", mixed media on 11" X 14" canvas.

Day 8: “Dream”, mixed media on 11″ X 14″ canvas.

Day 9: "Still Together", mixed media on 5" X 7" wood plaque.

Day 9: “Still Together”, mixed media on 5″ X 7″ wood plaque.

Day 10: "Two", mixed media on 6" X 9" canvas.

Day 10: “Two”, mixed media on 6″ X 9″ canvas.

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…

instagram pics…

some recent images i shared on my instagram account…

new mixed media piece: "Flower Heart", available in my Etsy shop

new mixed media piece: “Flower Heart”, available in my Etsy shop

new paper mache hearts added to our website www.ArtedeNuestroCorazon.com

new paper mache hearts added to our website http://www.ArtedeNuestroCorazon.com

items available in Lawrence's Etsy shop www.etsy.com/shop/LawrenceAguilar

items available in Lawrence’s Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/LawrenceAguilar

one of my favorite instagram pages! makeblackoutpoetry

one of my favorite instagram pages! makeblackoutpoetry

was having one of those days...then my sister Lulu shows up with this. <3

was having one of those days…then my sister Lulu shows up with this. ❤

source unknown (if any one knows the source of this, please let me know!)

source unknown (if any one knows the source of this, please let me know!)

Saturday date night: Home Depot! (love these zinnias!)

Saturday date night: Home Depot! 🙂 (love these zinnias!)

page from my sketchbook...

page from my sketchbook…

that’s all for now! don’t forget to check into my Etsy shops – i’ve been adding items to both stores!

Etsy art shop: Susie Carranza Studio

Etsy supply shop: Susie’s This & That – LOTS of new miniatures being added to the shop!

’til next time!