Well then...

Hello there all you happy people...and depressed people.

I've had an awful fall...with some good in it. I now live in the Pacific Northwest's wet part of the Evergreen State. Good because I now don't sound like a horse when I sleep, didn't end up in hospital or almost dying, and can breathe loads better. Bad because money...costs a lot more to live where we're at. At least my family is together again.

I've been depressed. Severely depressed. A huge portion of it has been situational. Things I don't want to talk about in specific, but lies, betrayal, people pretending to be your friend, being apart from my kids during the week, being gone from youngest (whom I had with me) for 13-15 hours a day as I commuted to the job I found...yeah. Bad times. Depression like I've not known since Post partum hit me, only this was worst. I'd lost my center. I found it again. Depression is still trying to nip at my heels, but I finally have a grasp on its horns and can toss it out the window easier and quicker.

But I think why it hit me so hard, all the above things were happening and I had little to no time for my sanity. Ie art, writing, crafts. Didn't have time for anything. Well, I'm writing again. Pulled paints out of storage (I'm currently living in a friend's garage with my family!) and plan to paint again. Haven't painted in months due to time and space.

I love where my kids are going to school, but unless some miracle happens, we aren't going to be able to stay. Well, I'm trying to make that miracle happen. How? With my writing and art. I've started a newsletter, claimed all my books on my amazon author page, have marketing plans, new release, new covers being made, and am back at the editing job. Plus, I'm going to be back to selling my art. Have been through a lot of boxes in storage. I have found a few paintings that haven't been destroyed with the move (It was a bit depressing to see how many had been messed up) and will be putting the listings up.

I've added the subscribe list to the sidebar here on this blog.

I've put new stuff up in my Etsy shop here.

Point is, I haven't completely given up, though it was close sailing for a while. But onwards and upwards. Here we go!

First of all, let me show you our new release cover of the box set I'm in with some fabulous authors.

 

Isn't the cover gorgeous!! Pick up your preorder for only 99 cents here! You won't be disappointed.

 

PS Thank you to all of you whom have stuck around through my ups and downs. Time for more ups than downs, don't you think?

Arting and The Princess Bride

*Waves* It's Monday, so time for the art stuffs and things. I'm feeling a little stressed about my personal life finances as a check we are waiting for (A LARGE one, so if you owe me money, don't think that's about you LMAO...I don't think anyone owes me that kind of money?! Well, if I'm wrong, and you do, I have a paypal *cheeky grin*) is taking it's sweet time through the mail services... Waiting, waiting...I am waiting for Vincini...you surely are a meanie. Okay, okay, I couldn't help it :D Love The Princess Bride.

Why?

There are many reasons, but, besides the well honed script--seriously, helps to be able to see the costumes than hear about them lol--we have fun characters, and sumptuous landscaped scenes. It inspires me deep inside. Now, that may sound silly, but think of it. Which books or movies do you enjoy the most? I think you'll find that all the things we enjoy the most, well, art wise (yes movies and books are art endeavours), touch your heart and soul. They can lighten it, put a burden on it, stroke it, soothe it, piss you off, make you think...it touches you. And, I believe the best art doesn't just touch your mind, or your heart, but also, the soul.

The pieces of art that last, that become classics, are those that do all three. The Princess Bride wasn't released yesterday, yet, I betchya that a large portion of peeps got a smile reading that bit about Vincini! The Princess Bride doesn't just tell us a love story, it gets us to live it with them, despite the impossible things. The Cliffs of Insanity? Yeah, every author and artist has been there. LOL The ROUS's. Well, those are a bit much, but still, we laugh, we worry, we smile, we feel... Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die. Who didn't feel that satisfaction as the sword grazed the cheeks? As he said, I want my father back, you son of a bitch. How could you not feel that. Not only was the acting well done (another form of art!), but the line was intense.

One of the ways it touches us is in the repetition. The repetition of him saying that built it up. In oil painting, it's much the same way. The balance of repetition and contrast can make or break a painting. I have one that the repetition has dulled the power down. I'm going to have to apply a fix. Also, I still have more glazing to do, but here, see this:

 

I like the original way I did the underpainting better for the shell, though, when I'm finished glazing, It *should* look more like that but with depth. The outer sand, I want more abstract, and I do love the bits, but it's too much. I'm going to scrumble a bit. Problem is, choosing a color.... LOL that will break up the monotony of the brush strokes, and I think both add to the abstract and get it looking how I want it to look. I don't want it to look like individual grains of sand, but I want you to THINK of individual grains of sand when you see it.  Something I hadn't considered when starting this painting was of the very repetition of the sand. However, I love the texture of sand against the smooth shell, so that's where I'm going to focus.

In my art, despite set backs like these, I not only think of the technical bits, but of the emotional bits. Truth be told, I think of the emotional bits first. And that, my friend, is what makes my art different. I focus on the emotional aspects of the art. I want them to be good, no, excellent, but more, I want you to feel touched in the depths of your soul. I want it to inspire you to smile, to feel peace, to feel love, to go out and follow your dreams. I want to empower people.

That's not asking for much...

Who inspires you to feel with your soul?





Art Show Sunnyside Museum

Well, it's another day in paradise for me :D I've really been working hard at balancing my life. The results are amazing. Regular time painting, focusing on writing, still getting editing job done. Head editor stuff is taking an enormous amount of time, some of which I resent as it sometimes feel as duplicate stuff I'm having to do by doing things that are frustrating and give me literal splitting headaches, but since balancing, it's less intrusive and I'm more productive. So, even in your day job, learning to balance and make time for what's important, you will improve.

I've strived hard in writing and painting. Lately, both had fallen to the wayside. But no more. First thing that's happened, is I've made time to do stuff daily. Made a schedule of sorts. Business morning, arting afternoon. And it really is a basic as that. A tight schedule wouldn't work for me as my needs change. But, I've had time to swim with my kids, and my husband and I have had a little time almost every night that I've been able to spend with my husband doing nothing but watch Bones. (He's going to kill me for getting him into this when he reaches the episode involving Sweets and not making it. LOL) That's huge to me. Spending time with my family is important, even if my kids are whining about chores every time they're asked to do them! lol

The change has led me to really focus and look at what I want which led to me seeing and taking time to respond to announcement of a call for artists from my home town. The Sunnyside Art Commission and the Sunnyside Museum are working together. The artist reception is my first not school related and I'm nervous!

I have six pieces looking to be in the show. Here's the one that made it to the front page of the Daily Sun News:

The original photo was done by my friend Toby. He lives in Scotland, where my heart is...um, Scotland, not Toby :P This photo doesn't do my photo justice. You can get an idea of it here, as well:
http://www.dailysunnews.com/news/2015/apr/09/prepping-museum-art-show/

It's something I may not have seen or participated in if I hadn't made my focus change. I want to create art, both visually and with the written word. I love to edit because it improves my craft and allows me to help a lot of writers make their dreams come true, but I love writing and painting more, because I truly believe that stories and paintings can change a person at a soul level. That it's more than about the story, but about the love, the loss, sadness, happiness, fantasy, the time spent going to a new place in your heart and soul, somewhere that you may not go without the author or artists leading you there. I believe that I can speak to people's soul, and that is my calling.

Mondays, I'm going to make a concerted effort to be about art. I will be sharing my artwork and talking of some of my favorite authors, both alive and dead :D

Here's a photo of a work in progress (original photo by Justine Littleton):

I am currently waiting for it to dry so I can do the next stage. I usually work on my photos, but one, my hearts in Scotland and Toby's photos and willingness to allow me to paint them, soothes my soul. Two, I needed more inspiration and asked friends if they had photos. Justine is a client and was nice enough to send me a bunch. I love lighthouses and the ocean, making this a natural choice for me.

Something in the picture has to call to me in order for me to paint it. It's not the same as simply enjoying a pic. It's something different and intangible. I'm not a realism painter, nor do I do copies. I like to say I'm an expressionist impressionist. Basically, if I don't like you or the subject matter, the pic won't be as good as my emotions will color through. I also do a bit of abstract here and there, but that style is style derivative of my main one. Here's an example:

A very up close picture of an Iris. Oil on canvas, mainly done with a palette knife. (This one is sold.) It's part of my Ode to O'Keefe line. I have a canvas up to do another one this week, so I hope I find the right inspiration as I'm itching to do some of this bold style.


I hope that you enjoy my new art series and that it soothes some part of your heart and soul. Please notice the new subscriber list. I'm just starting up and will be doing news and more details on their, as well as book releases and when paintings go for sale.

Art up!

So we're back with the update on the art business. I've not done too bad, considering that I ended up in Seattle with my son for an audition of sorts (not what they had said, so a bust, even though they want him back.). I did another HUGE one 24x36 in oil on canvas, as well as a 16x20 in one. So I'm up to 14. Way behind where I wanted to be, but in terms of size, not shabby at all. Here are my two new ones.

The top one is the 16x20x1 in oil on canvas. The bottom is the 24x36x1 in oil on canvas. Both are done from my own photos. The colors of the bottom one are actually a bit darker than my camera is taking. It's annoying the heck out of me.

Sheri is on a roll! her cards (which I believe are 2.5x3.5 ATC/ACEO size) are too freaking cute. She's also mentioned that she's inspired to take an official art class next semester...she hasn't had any?! I love her style.

This girl is rocking it! I'm going to have to do a bunch of small ones to actually make 30, but either way, I'm happy I gave this a go. I've completed more paintings this past month, than the prior year. Thanks for following us!







Today's photos, I dedicate to those who lost their lives in the Canadian Parliament shooting. It's hard to remember there is such beauty when ugliness is so in your face. But if you find the beauty, you will find the profound meaning of life.

Art up

And I'm back...and it's still Wednesday! LOL It's later in the day, but woot! It's here. The longest bit is tracking down the photos. I really should track this better. I did a bunch since last Wednesday. I did a set of sketches on canvas, and one LARGE painting and some holiday stuffs. These are all backwards LOL. The canvas sketches will be painted, but I have to figure out the colors. Here are the sketches (Day 9):

These are 4x12x2in (museum quality canvas). I'll be selling them as a set. I had a client say she wanted to see some with words, so this is my first set. You can see some erase lines lol But, I think I'll like them. I love the doves. They were an unexpected result of inspiration. :D

I've had a Scotland one I've wanted to paint for ages (there's still one I need to do that has my heart from years ago. We'll see when I can do that one!). I finally did it. It's the mists in the Highlands of Scotland. Here's that one (Day 10):

This is 24x36x1 in. Definitely a large one. Landscapes seem to be my thing. My friend "El Gee" let's me use his photos of Scotland. He has a great eye.

I did a bunch of Halloween ones.


The ghost is day 5, pumpkin, day 6, cauldron day 7, and hat day 8.  The purple isn't represented well here, but it's close enough :D

The holiday ones have already sold. The Scotland one is for sale :) Just finished it today!

Sheri Velarde is hot hot hot. Here are her next ones:

I asked for someone to do this challenge with me, and woot! She's kicking my tush! She's also making jewelry, going to school and, I think, editing her stories :D

Look for the next updates on Sheri's Blog. I hope to see you all there.

Where My Art Roams, virtual walkabout

Hi :D

*grins tiredly* I am soooo tired. I have been moving! It came up fast and sudden. Thankfully, I had about 1/3 of our loose goods packed. Maybe a little less. I thought the rest of my art room would be a few hours. Yeah. No. Partly because my art room had everything in it. Makeup, books, tools, oddball stuff. Yeah. However, my family is super excited to be in the new place. I'm less sick there already, even with moving back and forth to old place and new one. I'm fighting the allergies with meds, and with washing down everything that comes in from old place. Course, this slows down the unpacking somewhat. But I know I'll be more than glad of it when I'm through.

 

In the meantime, I'm on this virtual walkabout tour with my art, which I'm calling, Where My Art Roams. Today's bit is North Carolina, in the United States J These were done as commissions from the costumer's photos. Here they are in their new habitat.

First, one of her cats J

 

 

Then a friend's pet, a black lab, I believe.

 

 

This customer also graciously allowed me to use her photo as a base for this one:

 

 

 

This is sold :)


If you want something commissioned, you can go to my Etsy shop for general pricing, or email me, or message me at the various places I'm available at :) I will give you an estimate for your painting based on difficulty and size (materials). Thank you for joining us!

 

Where My Art Roams is the first of what I hope to be many virtual walkabouts. I'm taking you on a tour of my paintings that I have given away and sold. From Australia to Washington, to Scotland, and places in between, I will show you the paintings in their new homes.

Next Stop is August 19^th, and Robin will be hosting it.  You will find that a lot of my friends are writers :D And some of them are also artists, like myself!

I have a FB art page: https://www.facebook.com/LeonaBushmanArtisteExtraordinaire

 

And an Etsy page: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LBushmanStudios

 

You can follow me on twitter: @L_Bushman

 

My blog where I share my writing journey and post some of my artwork is here: http://www.lbushman.blogspot.com/

 

Do you have a favorite artist? From past and present? I love the impressionists, notably, Monet, Renoir, and Van Gogh (I hated Van Gogh during art classes...learned to like him as I was exposed to more of his work J ), Georgia O'Keefe, a lot of Dutch artists, particularly Jan Van Eyck, and his painting, Arnofini Wedding. Modern day includes Russ Potak and Jennifer Beaudet. Okay, anyone who comments, can PM me on FB and get 50% off any artwork they'd like! Also, will provide an ACEO (2.5 x 3.5 inches) if I get 20 comments or more on today's blog. Open to USA, UK, and Canada J