"Radiance," above, and 22 more of my newest paintings are up right now through April 22nd at the Goodfoot in Portland, on SE Stark & 27th.  But if you don't live in town you can still see the show & buy paintings through the Goodfoot's website!  While you're there, be sure to check out the awesome work by the 3 other local Portland artists I'm showing with--Emily Bates, Heidi Davis, and Nick Orr. 

I know buying original art online can be intimidating, so as always, I'm happy to answer questions, send you more details and pictures, and talk about my work if you're interested--just drop me an email at leak@leakarts.com 

Please pass it on!

xo

Have you heard? I am doing custom art work now for my friends at Bread & Badger!  I have been working with Amanda and Sean at Bread and Badger in other capacities for several years now, and I am super excited to put my skills as an artist to work for them! Above is one of my designs--I was asked by the client to do a "Wolf in Sheep's Clothing."

So if you need some custom glassware or mugs--I'm the one to contact!  I can work with you to create a unique design, fix up your artwork to go on a glass, or even add your name or other personalization to one of Amanda's sweet designs.  Just shoot me an email at leakarts@gmail.com for all the details, or visit our etsy shop BreadandBadgerCustom.etsy.com.

A couple of weeks ago I had a dream.  In the beginning I was literally on a toilet.  You don't want to know all of the details, but suffice it to say that it was everything that a toilet is that would not be polite to talk about.  Then the dream changed directions; I found myself at a party and had an enlightening conversation with my high school drama teacher about marriage and childbirth.  I was very young, and afraid.  Then I was standing with a woman near a picture window that looked out over the side and front of the house's yard.  There was a beautiful garden all around the house and on one side was a toilet that had been turned into a flower planter.  I loved the irony of it and thought of how all of the neighbors must either love it or hate it. 

So my dream literally went from shit to shinola.  (Sorry, I just had to say it).  I love the symbolism of it, though, the taking of something so disgusting and embarrassing and turning it into something shiny and beautiful.  A strong symbol of letting go of my old fears and using them as a jumping board for something new and incredible. 

This is something I've done over and over again in my life and I am definitely going through it now as I get ready to buy a house and get married.  I am beyond excited and kind of terrified in an amazing, I-can't-believe-this-is-happening-it's-so-incredible kind of way. 

It was something I went through in 1997 when my best friend and I chose Portland out of a hat and decided to move here to make new lives for ourselves and get away from some difficult things that were happening at the time.  Which is why when my friend Chris put out a call for artists for the annual LOVE of Portland show, I thought "Shinola" would be the perfect piece for me to submit.  You can find it at the show next weekend for $80, shiny resin coating and all.

Flow. It's that feeling you get when something goes perfectly, when you are absolutely, 100% in the moment.  Lost in the moment, even.  I have also heard it described as being so immersed in an activity and so enjoying an activity as to be in a state of bliss.  It is doing whatever it is you were meant to do exactly as you are meant to do it.  For me, it is a  time during which everything feels so completely right that I feel plugged in to something bigger than myself.  Call it whatever you want to.  I experience flow most consistently when I am making art, after those first few minutes of doubt or distraction from thoughts about all of my to-do's.  It is in many ways like meditation.  The rest of the world falls away, my thoughts fade and I am single-mindedly focused on my work.

Flow takes confidence.  I was going to say skill, but you can have skill and no confidence and never experience flow.  For example, as a child I learned how to play classical guitar.  I took lessons for a long time and even now I can read music and play chords, and finger pick with a bit of skill but I have very little confidence, musically, and so there have only been one or two times in my life that I've experienced flow with my guitar. When I've been able to let go, to not worry about how I'm doing or what anybody may or may not think, and just PLAY.  I have a tiny bit of skill with my guitar but a lack of confidence blocks my flow.

Flow takes passion.  Playfulness.  Not playfulness in the sense of being silly--not necessarily, anyway--but playfulness as in a willingness to try things, to let go of worry and fear. Passion and playfulness help explain the bliss.  It is when you are doing what you love and nothing and nobody is stopping you.  When you are not stopping yourself.  It is when you are the absolute most YOU, uninhibited. 

I spent an unbalanced portion of my life trapped inside myself, without confidence, awkward, clumsy.  I liked to do introvert-y things.  I still do, but I used to avoid physical activity and a lot of social situations for rear of making a fool of myself.  I felt uncoordinated and ugly for a long time.  Not a lot of flow in most areas of my life.

I got over that as I got older, and really moved past it a number of years ago when I started running.  I realized I was doing it for me, not for anyone else, and who cares what I look like or how slow I go?  I never was a great runner but it helped me feel stronger and more confident and I kept at it until some health issues got in my way.

Now I feel flow during a lot of moments in my life.  With my daughter when we're having a good conversation or cracking each other up, when I'm listening to certain music that I love and can't stop myself from singing or dancing (or both, and I'm often painting at the same time, so you can imagine how funny that must look!), when I'm journalling in the morning or painting any time.  When I am hula hooping. 

The hula hooping flow is recent and still working itself out.  I've been taking classes for a few years now--with a year long break because of the health problems, and unfortunately not a lot of practice in my tiny apartment & the rainy NW.  I am more coordinated than I used to think I was, though.  Hooping felt fun and right from the beginning, and I have learned a lot of cool tricks over the years.  I can't often get into that creative groove that it takes to literally flow from one move to the next like a dance.  Most recently in class I was feeling frustrated that everyone else seemed to be doing that and I couldn't, then, suddenly, I COULD.  It was during free time and I kept practicing and pushing through the frustration, gaining confidence and having fun and all the sudden I was in the middle of a routine that I'd just come up with without even meaning to. 

The point is, I can find flow where I couldn't before.  I do the same thing when I'm having a rough time writing or getting started painting.  I just start anyway.  Pick a spot and begin.  I can always go back and edit, paint over or sand off.  I can always pick up the dropped hoop again and again and again until it just clicks and my muscles know what to do and they just do it.  Automatically.  To the music.

Flow.

"Grace, glamour, elegance...It's all about you."  That is the tagline you'll see if you go to Red Magnolia Salon's website.  From being in the salon and watching them at work, I can tell you that is true.  And for the next two months (Jan/Feb), while getting a beauty treatment in this sweet little salon right off of Alberta Street, you can give yourself a real Goddess Treatment and buy a piece of art!  With over 15 pieces to choose from, you are sure to find something to remind you to keep taking good care of yourself.

Red Magnolia Salon, 1/4 block North of Albera St. at 5011 NE 13th Avenue, Portland, OR 97211

Have you heard of Society6 yet?  It's similar to Zazzle or CafePress in that they offer products with custom images on them.  But it's different in that you will ONLY find art there!  I love it because they have great products--prints, with the option to frame, stretched canvas, pillows (LOVE this!), t-shirts, tote bags, and greeting cards.  It's also a great place to discover new artists!  I am starting to fill up my shop there, and just in time for the new year, they are offering a great deal--FREE shipping now until January 13th!  Just in time to buy something with my Aquarius painting on it for up and coming birthdays ;)

To get your stuff shipped for free, you have to use this link:
http://society6.com/LeaKArts?promo=d5b036

They're in the mail!  If you visited me at the Siren Nation Fest in November, you may have painted a small artist trading card (ATC) while you were at my booth, with my promise to add my own touches and mail them back to you.  Free art and real mail all at once!  I did some block printing and hand coloring on most of them and now they're on their way to you.  A couple of them were so unique that my part was even more personalized. 

In both cases, I had so much fun doing this. I hope you love your mail :)

If you didn't get a chance to participate, but want to, leave me a comment below and include your email address and maybe we can make some art together!

Guess what?  It's 2013! That is amazing.  That means my girl will be 13 years old in a couple of weeks.  I am edging closer to an age-that-shall-not-be-named.  Ha!  We are well into calendar digits that sounded like so much science fiction when I was growing up.

The year is already promising to be a big one.  In case you haven't guessed yet from the picture above, I am engaged!  This is my newest news, and I am doing a happy dance something like the cute sock monkey on my favorite Bread & Badger mug ever (please pardon the coffee dripping down the side).  I have art projects galore, shows to hang, a house to buy (!!!), and so much more.  I am so excited to see the view around my laptop a year from now, and so, so thankful to have such a rosy view from where I am now.

I hope you are looking forward to a great year as well.  Happy New Year!

Just a reminder that everything in my Etsy Shop is 30% off right now (through Monday 11/26/12 at midnight)--that's the same as buy 3 get the 4th almost free!  Just use coupon code, "PDXETSY2012" during checkout.  Etsy not your thing?  Browse through my shop, write down what you want and send me an email and we'll work out the details.  

Once you're done shopping at LeaKArts, find more great gifts from the Portland Etsy Team (PDX Etsy), all offering discounts on Cyber Monday!  Find a comlete list of shops HERE.  You might just be able to get all of your holiday shopping done in one shot!

It's Thanksgiving in the United States and I have a few thoughts on gratitude.  Make sure to read all the way to the end for a special deal for the holidays!

Happy Thanksgiving!  Every morning I write in my journal for a bit before I get up and start my day.  Today I wrote a "thankful" list and it just got longer and longer.  When you give yourself a few moments to be truly thankful, and to name the specific things you are thankful for, it really fills out your life and makes you realize how much you have.  At least, for me it does. 

I've been practicing this lately, not just for the holiday, but in general.  Some times life gets so hectic I forget to stop and appreciate how good I have it.  The stress bogs me down, makes my mind run a million miles an hour in every direction, and I feel so unhappy and crazed.  For me, this is usually the time of year that happens the most.  I have several shows to prepare for plus holiday shopping and on and on and on.  I can get really cranky!  But this year, making lists of what I am thankful for has forced me to slow down.  To take a pass on the cranky and let things slide.  This is what happens when I realize that my life is so full of so much amazing. 

I think it's extra important, even if it's just privately, to actually NAME everything and everyone you are thankful for.  Pay attention to the details.  It's easy to say, "I'm so thankful for all my friends and family," and while it may be true, it's so general it doesn't mean that much.  The first time I made this list and started naming all the details--from my sweet 18-year-old cat curled up next to me to giggling with my daughter to my apartment in the best neighborhood ever--I felt so happy when I was done that I couldn't fall asleep! 

Whether you're new to my art or a longtime fan, I want you to know that I am so thankful for you, personally.  I have carved out a sweet little life for myself as an artist and I literally could not have done it without you.  Thank you! 

~~~

As a special thanks and in hopes that you will consider artists and small businesses before the big box stores, I am offering 30% off of everything in my etsy shop from now (Thanksgiving) through midnight on Monday 11/26/12.   This includes original art!!!  Just use the coupon code "PDXETSY2012" during checkout.  http://LeaKArts.etsy.com