So very true.  Whatever we want, we can have if we work hard enough, and visualize its reality.  We hear this all the time, that we make our own luck, our dreams can come true, we are the creators of this life we have.  But, when you are finally just where you "want to be", do you realize that you once dreamed, imagined or destined yourself to "be there"?  That is designing your own destiny, and it's a beautiful thing.

This i know.  To create is my passion, my purpose is to share it……….. 
 

More art journal experimentation, another creative adventure… full of light, textures and my signature inspirational words.  This journal spread was created with layers of paint, and goop, gel mediums, distress inks,  grunge fonts, gesso, stamps, my drawings and pencil sketching…..pure play.  I like.

  

 

…zoomed in really close to see the delicious textures and glass bead reflections…..

You saw the beginning sketch of this journal page earlier this week.  

Here is the completed piece,"Just Be…"

 
 And now for something completely different!  Here is my soft sided ipad case. Love my new ipad!  But this pathetic bag was just too "plain jane" for me, as shown below: (starting the base painting with gesso.) 

 So, of course it had to be a drenched in Golden Paints*!  I painted my signature "painted posies", and  (those are not white painted dots on the bag)  I smothered them in Golden's Glass Bead Gel!  Now that's some cool stuff, bring on the bling!  It adds sparkle and texture and loves how it catches the light.  The coverage is thick, rich and so bright.  (*Brought this to Golden Paints with me, and had the thrill of sharing it with the company owner, Mark Golden)  

 I had such fun painting my own, i made another one for my good friend Jen, who owns a new toy company, called Zwirlz.  The bright colores stars and bead gel bling, it fit her energy just perfectly!  

It's a HAPPY THING!!!  (you know how Martha Stewart has "Good Things"?)  Well, along that thought, I have "HAPPY THINGS"… fun stuff, joyful things that just make you happy…….and these painted posies cases……"IT'S A HAPPY THING"…..

Been totally absorbed in the journal doodles, and decided to manipulate my art a little, on my Mac.

 So i started with this:

…and got this print in black and white!!!!!  

…it's not a photocopy, it's a newly defined altered image! 

 I love it!  It had as a different feel than the original page.  This is how i started to color the print, partially finished of course!  Love that I can print (color) my image over and over again, play with color stories, use different markers, pens, pencils and paints, etc.   Happy dance!

Here's another one…..you've seen this journal art piece before.  Love how it transformed.  Now what else can it become??
 

Here is the new banner i made for this blog.  Now i have to figure out how to display it.  How long do you think that will take me??

  In the meantime, finding it good for my soul, drawing, lettering and copic marker creating in one of my art journals.  Here is the progress of "Just Be"…… to be continued…..

Find your passion, tell your story, seek deep for the life things that set your soul on fire…….

…from my "ART DOODLES JOURNAL" PAGE

Sometimes we are so busy planning, scheduling, tasking and juggling, that we forget about "right NOW".  The very moment that is NOW, right this second as you read this is what makes up your life moments.  So take a deep breath, and appreciate all the "right nows", because that's what you have, and it really is plenty.

©joanne sharpe 2010 

Here's a dream day, three artists visit paint factory!  Yesterday i went with my very talented art friends, Chris Pallace and Kevin Serwacki  (the Benches On Parade "master artists" extraordinaire, they painted 27 benches!!).  

We drove 3 hours into central New York, literally in the middle of NOWHERE, on country roads like this: 

It was a beautiful drive, and we arrived in New Berlin, NY at Golden Artist Colors (GAC)!
   
You could feel the buzz in the manufacturing facility, making paint, innovative mediums and products, and the highest quality artists materials.  We felt very welcome, by the most down to earth staff. (who all own the company, check that out on the Golden website!)  Imagine being in a the hub of a Willy Wonka kinda place, where instead of candy, the purest pigments and polymers become luscious paint pouring in buckets and drums all day long! It was heaven on earth! Ahhhhhhh…….

It was a thrill to meet Mark Golden, the owner, who started GAC in 1980 with his dad Sam.  What an inspiring and rich family history.  Mark was so kind, gracious, and clearly passionate about artists and his products.  We enjoyed the time he took  to chat with us about our Benches on Parade (of which we used tons of Golden paints) and our artwork.

  Chris Pallace, Mark Golden, Joanne Sharpe, Kevin Serwacki

Our tour guide for the whole day was Mike Townsend, the Golden products Tech Support guy.  If you ever have any questions or concerns about anything Golden makes, Mike's the man. He knows everything, and takes really good care of everyone!  Here we are at their "Art Bar", where at the end of the tour we were able to learn and play with some great Golden products that Mike demonstrated.  
 

We were delighted to also meet the inspiring "Golden Goddess", who is the patroness of paint, the ever constant watch over the paint bar!  She is a vision.  Mike had her make our magic paint here, LOL!!

The "Art Bar" was inside the company store, every inch bursting with every single product that Golden makes!!  Took your breath away, a cause for celebration, and hyperventilation, LOL!!

 Real artists know that there is no other product like Golden, it's all like BUTTAH!!!

 

 
  It was a thrill to visit at Golden, everything i thought it would be and more.  Thanks for inviting us, we will continue to color the world with GAC!