Still Here and Lizzie

"Lizzie"

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth.  Really!  I know it has been a long time since I have posted, but I am following through with my decisions that I made on my last post.  (No, don't go looking for the post because I deleted it.)  I am so thankful for my friends who commented on that post and showed me support.  I had just come to a cross roads and needed time to figure everything out.

I have also been hard at work framing and getting ready for my first Fine Arts Show which is on March 30th.  I have done craft fairs before, but this is my first time in the "big leagues".  How that show goes will also figure in to my decision making concerning where I am going with my art.

I have also been playing around with making home-made soaps.  That was a fun experience, but I don't think I will do much more of it because just how many dozen bars of soap do two people need.!

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In my last  post I stated that I wasn't going to paint unless I was inspired to do so.  Yesterday after a month away from the easel I was inspired.  Yea!  Above is the beginning of a new painting of my niece Lizzie.  Lizzie is a special little girl.  In fact, Lizzie used to be Christine but told her Mom one day that she didn't like her name and wanted to change it.  Her Mom asked her what she would like her name to be and she said she thought she liked "Lizzie".  And so she is now Lizzie! How many kids get a chance to do that?  The reference photo is from Lizzie's Mom Gail.  She is a great photographer.

I will post again when the painting is done.  I may not get much painting time tomorrow because I am the "Mystery Reader" at my oldest grandson's kindergarten.  They have a fun program where the mystery reader gives five clues about themselves and the kids try and guess who the mystery reader is getting one clue a day for a week.  My final clue is I like to paint and I have painted a picture of my grandson.  (Hopefully Josh will be able to figure that one out!).

If you haven't signed up for my give-away, sign up soon because I will be drawing a winner on April 1st.  I have had fun reading each and every comment that has been made about how many pieces of original art people have in their homes.  There have been comments from "I'm really not into that" to "dozens".  I have to say I am surprised (and encouraged) by the number of people who do have art that was created by someone other than an immediate family member.  And no, I am not against family art it is some of my favorite.  I was just curious about the collecting habits of other people.  Click on the mixer in the top left corner to enter.

Thanks for reading!  And a special thanks to those who take the time to comment.

Karla