Did I mention I was published!!

I just cannot tell you how excited I was when I received an e-mail a while back from Jana Holstein of Somerset Digital Studio to tell me that they would be adding one of my pieces of artwork to the Spring issue.  To say that I was over the moon was an understatement and it was all thanks to the encouragement of Dawn over at The Feathered Nest.  Dawn is such an inspiration to so many people, she always takes the time out of her busy life to send a personal message of love, and is like the guardian angel of blogland!  She wrote to me over a year ago and suggested that I try submitting some of my digital work to Somerset.  I was very hesitant at first as I always felt that I was not 'good enough' as I was self taught and knew nothing about PSI and layer masks (still don't actually!).  But then I decided 'why not?'  What's the worst that can happen?  And look what did happen!!!  See, anything is possible, you just need a bit of a prod, belief in yourself and the guidance of an angel in disguise!  So thank you Dawn and thank you Somerset for making one of my dreams come true!

And on another note...

We, at last, had a beautiful day here in northern Va.  It was chilly but sunny for the first day of Spring.  I managed to clean all of my flower beds, put on new topsoil and wood chips and start my herb garden.  I hope you all had a Sunday as wonderful as mine!  Happy week ahead! 

                                                                      

 

Drop Cloths Rock!

So…what have I been up to in the last few weeks: Painting enormous canvases!Six to be precise.  Over five feet high and four feet wide, these were one of my biggest challenges yet!  Now, you must take into account that my house is the size of a dolls house, not to mention the fact that the only place I have to work is the family/work/junk room in the basement.  Not a happy household for a while I can tell you!  But it was definitely worth the disruption just to see the look on my client Gloria’s face when we hung them yesterday.

I was on a bit of a tight budget so buying pre-stretched canvas was a no no.  Way too expensive for a project this size.  Guess what I used?  Drop cloths of course!  Those things have a multitude of uses as we all know, and are perfect for making a custom sized canvas.

I purchased 1 and a half inch width furring in 8 foot lengths and cut it all to size, then screwed and glued it all together.  I washed all my drop cloths so that they would shrink and so that I could stretch them more easily onto the frames.  I think it was at this point that I lost it!  Have you ever tried stretching canvas onto a frame on your own?  Not a pretty sight!  I think I went through about 50,000 staples, 6 band aids and a trip to the chiropractor! 

I primed all the canvases with 2 – 3 coats of primer and then started the background painting.  I was lucky that Gloria gave me pretty much free reign on the composition which gave me a lot more freedom to work.

Sizing everything up was tough as I had  to prop the canvases up on any and every flat surface including in front of the t.v. and the sofa (my husband was still on it at the time!).

At this point I’ll let the pictures tell the story:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And yesterday they were at last in their final resting place and boy do they look impressive if I say so myself!  What makes me happiest though is that Gloria and her husband Sean LOVE them!  And if they are happy, so am I.

If I ever decide to take on a project of this magnitude again I think I would have to charge a gazillion dollars - or move house!

Hope everyone is having a great week!

From the heart…

I photographed this hydrangea at my dear friend Nena’s home last summer.  It really was heart shaped (only a little bit of photo editing was used) and I knew there would be a time for me to use it.  So this is for all of you wonderful blog buddies out there, who leave such heartfelt comments and brighten my day – everyday!

May you all have a wonderful Valentines Day, filled with love and laughter and of course …. chocolate!

And remember – if you can’t be with the one you love -  love the one your with!

 

HAPPY VALENTINES!

The first of 2011!

Well Christmas came and went, as did the new year, without one single post from me – sorry!  So to all – a very belated happy new year and may you fulfill all your dreams and ambitions in 2011!

 

The Boy With The Broken Halo

My first piece of digital artwork for the new year.  It does have personal meaning to me but, as with all my artwork, I like to think that my images evoke something meaningful and special for whoever views them.  If you are interested in purchasing any of my pieces please just drop me an e-mail or you can view all my artwork for sale on  Red Bubble.

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

Art for Art sake

This is the first piece of digital art I have made in over six months!  I'd forgotten how much I love to do this.  I don't really know where the inspiration came from for this one but I think it came out just fine.  My son came up with the title "CRANIUM' - d'ya get it?!

 

Hope your week is going well.  I still have jet lag (or that's my excuse for getting up late!) and can't seem to get back into the work groove, but oh well - it is nearly Christmas after all!

I’m Back…!

…from my trip home to Peacehaven in east Sussex, England.  And peaceful haven it was not!  The weather was unbelievable: snow, bone chilling winds and a high of 30 degrees every day.  At least I was on the south coast which made for a much warmer climate than the rest of the U.K.   Those poor folks up in Scotland are housebound and oh how I remember that feeling of cabin fever from the snow storm we had here in Virginia last January.

All in all though, I had a wonderful time with my mum.  She is getting on in years now, 81 to be precise, and I worry about her so much.  Her health hasn’t been great of late and with the loss of my sister and nephew this time last year, things are taking a toll on her.  I just want to wrap her up in a big cozy blanket and make sure she is safe and taken care of.  I wish she lived closer so I could spend more time with her but as lifestyles are so different now from the ‘good ol’ days’ that probably will never happen.  I will just have to make more time in the coming year to visit as often as possible, finances permitting.

So it’s back to reality now.  Work for me starts again tomorrow and Christmas is quickly approaching.  I haven’t even thought about Christmas here yet as I had an overload of it in England!  Every high street was decked out in lights and garland and all the sales were in full swing.  I even put up the Christmas tree at my mum’s house a week ago!

Below are some pics I wanted to share with you all.  I am so lucky to have homes in such beautifully scenic locations even though they are so different from each other.  I never take that for granted.

 

The view at the end of the road from my mum’s house

The English channel

Below is a view of the walk you can take from Newhaven (the cliffs in the background) all the way to Hove (about 20 miles) along the coast.  Very exhilarating!

Brighton Pier just before sunset

…and Brighton Pier at sunset

And of course Brighton wouldn’t be Brighton without seagulls!

Brighton Pavilion

And the sky as I left on Tuesday morning…

I will catch up on everyone’s blogs tonight.  I have been computer-less for over two weeks which was quite freeing I must say, but I did miss my nightly read!

Have a great week!

   xx Anji xx

A bit of a break

One last post before I go on my merry way to visit my lovely mum in the U.K.  A much overdue visit I must admit but at least I will make it home before the year is out and before Christmas.  Naturally, I have nothing ready!  No packing even thought about let alone started, still need to get some gifts, do my laundry, feed the cat, milk the goats (oh, I don’t have any!), and all in the next 24 hours!  A challenge, I know, but it will all get done.

I have been so fortunate in the last month or so to have worked with some wonderful new clients.  They have all been so welcoming and generous – it makes such a difference to my job.  I have frescoed a two story home for Karen and Alex (let me tell ya, that 28 foot ladder was rather daunting!), faux marbled a kitchen for Gordon and Ann, faux plastered a powder room for Michelle and faux gold leafed a hallway for Gloria.  A lot of strenuous work for these ol’ bones but so worthwhile.  I love leaving a clients house with a smile on my face knowing that they loved what I did.  It’s amazing what a bit of paint can do!  Below are a few pics of the finishes but as usual the quality is pretty bad.  If anyone has tips of how to take a good photo of a paint finish – please let me know!

 

        

I will be away for two very short weeks (which is definitely not long enough) and will not be able to comment on any of your blogs but will catch up on all the happenings on my return in December.  Wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, stay safe and keep warm!

For You