i’m still here!

Posted on May 6, 2014 by susie carranza studio

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…

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”, 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.)

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!

newest items added to my Etsy supply shop…

Etsy supply shop collage (from Instagram)

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

’til next time…

winter around here…

Posted on February 25, 2014 by susie carranza studio

i’ve been seeing SO many beautiful photos all over instagram and facebook of snow storms and snowy landscapes! i’m a bit jealous, since we never get snow around here – i don’t remember it ever snowing in my lifetime.

i was outside the other day checking out the cactus plants, when i got the idea for this blog post. so here i am sharing OUR winter here in sunny California – enjoy!

yup, winter around here right now is flip flop weather!

’til next time…

inside my sketchbook…

Posted on February 22, 2014 by susie carranza studio

i’ve been using my sketchbooks more and more lately, and really enjoying it. it’s part of my “create every day” goal for 2014. when days around here are so busy that i haven’t picked up a paintbrush all day, i love to sit late at night (when the rest of the familia sleeps) and draw in one of my sketchbooks.

i find myself using words and phrases so much more now, like this drawing from a couple of nights ago, “live a colorful life”. i drew it very late one night and left it to be colored in next chance i got..

…and i LOVE the results!

this work-in-progress photo was posted on my instagram page (one of my “good morning!” posts)…

i love working with colored pencils; i think they offer such great texture and layers to a piece…

like i said, i love how this came out! the flowers are a little bit different than my usual flowers, and the colors are bold and vivid – perfect for my handwritten phrase.

even my father, a man of very few words, asked me “why don’t you paint this larger and sell it?”

and i plan on doing just that, maybe on a 12 X 12 inch canvas. i am also recreating something similar on a canvas tote bag; stay tuned to see how that works out!

so – what’s in your sketchbook?

’til next time…

***

where else can you find me?

facebook

etsy

google+

trying to get back to work…

Posted on March 13, 2013 by susie carranza studio

since lawrence’s dad (my father-in-law) passed away life seems to have…stalled. it’s already going to be one month that we lost him (on the 15th) yet it still seems unreal.

so…this week i’m making a conscious effort to do something creative (art therapy?) so i’ve been going through our packed boxes looking for my art supplies. so far, not bad: found my boxes of acrylic paints and my box of wood pieces, so i can hopefully have new work to share really soon.

yesterday, my creative endeavor was to photograph textures found outside. i enjoyed it; it was a very warm day, and i’d been sort of hibernating inside lately. i liked all the textures i found around my parents’ yard (i even included Canela, our dog).

i was hoping this would spark some idea or light a fire in my artistic brain…

…and it did. it gave me the itch to work on some mixed media pieces. i’ll be starting with the large green heart in the photo below (seems like i painted it eons ago, with watered down lime green acrylic paint).

i have been busy listing sets of cards in my Etsy shop – each set includes 3 greeting cards, blank inside, with images of my original artwork on the cover. take a look and let me know what you think! Below is the “Flowers” set; click my shop link below to see the other sets…

https://www.etsy.com/shop/asucarr

’til next time…

playing with paint…

Posted on September 1, 2012 by susie carranza studio

i’ve been painting. painting LOTS. finally! i’m trying to make more time to paint. it’s so easy to let myself be caught up in other things – dishes have to be washed, laundry needs to be done, phone calls need to be made, need to post something on my facebook page, gotta work on etsy shop……………yadayadayada..

not this week. this week i painted. happily and without guilt. i finished work left neglected, i found canvases, partially prepped and painted, and created new work. i painted with no thought to results. i just enjoyed playing with paint: brushing, dripping, splattering, mixing. messy and fun!

i also wrote out a ‘to do’ list for myself that was all creative stuff: create new canvas work, finish mixed media pieces, hand stitch new fabric ornaments, bead some new bracelets, take new photographs…

how do you find time to do what you love? is it easy, or do you have to plan for it? let me know!