This lil Birdie will be out of her nest from August 23 til Sept 9 so it will be probably be pretty quiet around here. I'm going to Charleston, SC for a hometown visit as well as the small inland town where my parents run their treehouse rental business as well as a music fest on the SC/GA border called Surrounded by the Sound. It's gonn be a whirlwind and I can't wait! See you in a few weeks!
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originally published August 24. 2018
'Morning Dew' was a spur-of-the-moment composition inspired by some unusual lighting streaming through the trees surrounding my outdoor bathroom here on lovely O'ahu. I had just woken up and was brushing my teeth when I beheld in the mirror those bright cuts of light splashed across the cool blue shadows of the early sun.
Much to my delight I noticed how warm those deep purple shadows were upon taking my reference photo, giving this painting the unique quality of having very cool lights and very warm shadows. Coincidentally I had been up somewhat late the night before learning about various constellations (and discovering that Jupiter resides just outside my outdoor shower every evening!), so I felt compelled to add a few of the more simple star arrangements into this piece.
You can actually watch me paint 'Morning Dew' in a timelapse video here.
oil and mixed media on linen, 4.5x9 inches
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originally published August 26, 2018
Aloha friends! I've been tagged a few times to share 5 random things about myself so here's my quirky little list :)
If you'd like to read my regular bio you can see that here and if you'd like to see more hula hooping check out my channel here.
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originally published August 23, 2018
Do you ever fear failure? I suppose all of us do to a certain degree... Perhaps a better question would be does your fear of failure ever prevent you from doing what you want or know you should be doing?
I have recently realized that I have more of a fear than I thought I did and it has been preventing me from branching out in certain aspects of my art business. It's not a fun thing to acknowledge (especially out loud!) nor to experience, but I feel like admitting there's an issue is always the first step towards growth.
I truly want to be more brave when it comes to sharing my work in person! Plus, if there's anything I've learned by listening to successful artists it's that you will fail a thousand times before you make it....
Right now I'm putting my fears in the spotlight and doing my best to overcome them. I know that the more I attempt to share my work, the easier it will become and the rejections will sting less than the successes will soar. Just gotta take a deep breath..... 🤗💙
((Excerpt from my Birds of a Feather monthly letter that will be going out in just a few days. If you're interested in a more personal peek into the ups + downs of this working artist's life drop your email below or pop over here to get added to my special list 💜))
drawing from life, pastel + chalk 6x9 inches
:: originally published August 19, 2018
Today I have a pencil portrait drawing timelapse demo for you of one of my favorite active artists, Octoplum. She is a unique character both inside and out and creates the most incredible little body positive figurines, art dolls and drawings.
Painting dreadlocks in oil is simple but can be a bit time consuming. I've developed an easy technique that I'll be sharing with you today so you can just relax and enjoy the repetitive and meditative process when you decided to tackle some dreadhead art of your own.
Round 0 Brush
https://bit.ly/2nqr2Tx
Round 2 Brush
https://bit.ly/2KLpn3U
Fine Liner
https://bit.ly/2vyJ9eh
Naples Yellow
https://bit.ly/2toymBq
Yellow Ochre
https://bit.ly/2nsPvHv
Cadmium Orange
https://bit.ly/2vvrzb6
Raw Umber
https://bit.ly/2nr2jOA
Burnt Sienna
https://bit.ly/2OVAs5G
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originally published August 9, 2018
Hi friends! If you remember from a few months ago I have started figure modeling for the weekly drawing session I attend and I'm always tickled pink to see other artists' renditions of myself so here's the latest batch. Enjoy!
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originally published August 6, 2018
Ok so today's topic is super duper daunting to many artists, but it really should not be... I'm talking of course about writing an artist statement... Yikes!
Now I know this video is a bit longer than usual, but I didn't just want to share some boring blah checklist like you can find anywhere online. I want to motivate you and give examples and get you excited about talking about your artwork because Lesson One is literally that no one will get excited about your work unless you are first!
You should definitely watch the video first and then this handy dandy little list below is going to make a lot more sense. I just wanted to make sure that you as my audience have all the great info organized here so you don't necessarily have to take notes during the vid.
Hope that gets you started in the write direction! See what I did there ;) Happy brainstorming!
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originally published on August 2, 2018
Aloha friends! Every time I create a new body of work or series I like to write a new artist statement to touch on my most current work. I think this is a really important step when making art because even though our audiences usually aren't looking for a novel, they do appreciate a little insight into what the artist is trying to get across.
It's a great way for your audience to get to know you as well as being a great way to get a handle on your own art making. It can be very easy to create without purpose but it can tend to lead down a rabbit hole that may not be obvious to everyone who wants to enjoy your work. (Make sure to read to the end for a little guidance when writing about your own artmaking)
I have always been a lover of light and these days now find myself a chaser of shadows.
I am a contemporary realist portrait and figure artist living the dream in Hawai’i. While in my studio I find myself constantly using the plant life, tropical atmosphere, and beautiful brilliant sun to capture my muses in unusual and remarkable positions playing and reflecting in elaborate cast shadows. One of the most important aspects of my work is my desire to help foster an inclusive atmosphere in the fine art world by portraying a culturally rich group of subjects, as well as representing an inclusive milieu of body types.
I believe that the modern art scene in general, from its exhibiting artists to its muses, should be ever more representational of all the unique citizens of this earth, so I use my work to lovingly highlight the beauty and character in everyday people from all over the world.
Certainly don't feel limited to these questions (and I'm for sure not the end-all-be-all for artist statements!), but sometimes just having a jumping off point can help get the creative juices flowing. And I often have two versions of my artist statement prepared for posting and gallery entry forms. One that is no more than two really short paragraphs and another that's more involved since some places like you to submit a long one and other like a short one.
Happy writing!!
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originally published July 29, 2018
Hi friends, so you know I usually try not to be a Debbie Downer on my blog but I just realized that I've been getting scammed by Facebook for hundreds of dollars so I feel like I should share my experience considering there are so many other small business creatives who I've connected with and I would hate for this fraud to happen to them.
I've been using Facebook ads since the beginning of the year to help promote my custom portrait drawings and I just discovered that FB has been lying about showing my ads to people and instead just sending Russian bots to click on my links so it looks like folks are interested in my business which means Facebook can keep charging me more and more to continue showing my ads. I've explained it all very clearly in this YouTube video so I don't want to sit here and write a whole novel about their super shady practices, but this is absolutely for real. I am certain and I have proof.
And not only did I discover it in my own small business, numerous reputable news sites have reported this same type of fraud from FB which has cost advertisers (ie businesses large and small) $3-5 million a day in fake ad space.
I'm so over Facebook and if I didn't have so many friends 6000 miles away in my hometown of Charleston, SC I would delete it entirely. UGHHHH Thanks for letting me vent friends, and make sure to pass the word along to any other small business owners you know lest the same happen to them.
Check out these reputable sources all citing the same shady Facebook behavior:
Forbes: Facebook 'Investigating' Claims That 80% of Ad Clicks Come From Bots
Fortune: Methbot Scam Is Just the Tip of the Ad Fraud Iceberg
NY Times: Russian Cyberforgers Steal Millions a Day With Fake Sites
Bloomberg: How much of Your Audience is Fake?
And this video by Veritasium explains it very well too...
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originally published July 26, 2018
