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…

working on: hand painted and decoupaged wood boxes…

boxes WIP:june 2014i love painting on wood. it provides a smooth surface for paint, and can take LOTS of it. and wood boxes? FUNCTIONAL art! 🙂

i came upon these boxes in my storage area, one already base coated in a beautiful turquoise, so i decided to finish them up…(forgive the photos; i mentioned previously that my digital camera stopped working, and i’ve been relying on my iPhone for photos.)boxes WIP:june 2014-2this 1987 Webster’s dictionary has been with me for years (obviously – 1987!). i love to write, and during my college years and several years after that, i wrote short stories and poetry. this dictionary helped me out, so i thought it would be cool to repurpose and upcycle it into my present-time creative work…boxes WIP:june 2014-4i love to fold and tear my papers, rather than always rely on scissors. it gives paper nice imperfect edges, and old paper is awesome for tearing this way!boxes WIP:june 2014-6Hard Coat Mod Podge from Plaid is the BEST for decoupaging, collaging, etc. i don’t remember when i first used it, but it’s what i always use now for these kinds of projects. it doesn’t have the tacky feeling that the regular mod podge leaves behind, and you can build up lots of coats for a more durable seal. works great on wood…boxes WIP:june 2014-8this box ate up lots of paint! it needed a few coats of paint, and there were drawers and crevices to deal with…(i’m using one of my FAVORITE colors: Americana Acrylics from DecoArt in Calypso Blue. LOVE!)boxes WIP:june 2014-9

the colors on the flower in this photo are NOT true to life! this was taken late at night with the only light source being a table lamp…boxes WIP:june 2014-10boxes WIP:june 2014-11 i always paint the inside of my boxes, but this wood looked so pretty that i decided to just seal it as is and let the beautiful natural wood color show.

as soon as the boxes are finished, i’ll be posting them to either my Etsy shop or our website at www.ArtedeNuestroCorazon.com – stay tuned!

’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!

 

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

 

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…