A QUEST...

It is every artists quest to find out what they do best, and then to DO it! People say "oh, I like your style" but unfortunately, I don't feel like I have quite arrived yet. Granted, styles evolve...and I know mine will. But I feel like I am in between a few line techniques, and I just really want to finalize it! I have SO many images I want to put up in my shop...problem is, I can't decide what style to approach it in. But I hope that I am getting there.

The inspiration for my compositions come mostly from old vintage children's books. I LOVE the line work of the ink & wash days of the past century that seems to be over run now by so much graphic art. I am still trying to find my "technique" and I hope to get to the bottom of it. I want so much to find my own line work that will reflect upon timeless images like this...

I LOVE the scarf, and the boots, and this served as an inspiration for my latest print, "Little Vistor".

The first, I tried to get the consistent black lines like the artist of the above print would have done.

However, those pages are faded now, and look more like this...

Which I think I like better. What do you think?

As I am trying desperately to get more artwork in my shop, I am also so aware of the need to be consistent in my style. This is a quest, and I will get there. It is fun though...every drawing poses new problems. I find that by solving those problems, I am getting closer to my "style". We'll see!

Speaking of technique, my almost 3 year old daughter (in Jan) is just now drawing recognizable images!!! It literally happened just this week! She went from making rows of mountain range looking scribbles (her "homework" she called it) to drawing people and things. Yesterday, she drew this picture of her dad...(notice the detail of the hands and feet, and the unshaven whiskers)

And this one of me.

When I get the tinsiest bit impatient with myself, I think...wow. My love for art stems from these first passionate beginnings.

Cheers.

Overcoming Overwhelmedness

One of the hardest things to do as of late is to be "still". At the beginning of this year, I made it a real priority to have quite moments for prayer, meditation, yoga, listening...I loved it. As I have grown in my plans for this little business of mine, it has been harder for me to find that kind of time! But the truth is, I do so much better when my thoughts are clear at the beginning of the day, and that I feel connected to God and his purpose for me. Running so many things can be overwhelming, and I definitely can't do it alone.

On top of starting up this new Sarah Jane adventure of mine, we have added moving to our plate. We have put a deposite on a townhouse in Daybreak, UT...a new planned community that just started last year and will be done in 2020. It is a beautiful area with a great community feel. Our townhouse is scheduled to be done at the end of December, so we are scrambling to make sure we can sell the condo that we are in now. This townhouse has an unfinished basement which we will convert to a playroom for the kids, as well as my office/studio. It is far away from all that we are used to, but I am always up for an adventure. It's just A LOT to think about right now. Especially with the holidays coming, there is just so much on my plate. But then I remember who gives me strength and I am comforted.

I am quoting from Startup Princess...my new mentoring group for women entrepreneurs--

"Dr. Wayne Dyer says, when you are connected to “Source”, you will do your best work, because it’s not your work at all…it’s God’s work through you…when you aren’t connected it’s all about ego. So, he asks, “How corroded is your connection? How clear is it? What can you do to keep connected continuously? When you’re listening, you’re allowing God to give you the answers you seek. Be Still. Be Patient. Be at Peace."

SO...that is my focus for this week. Remembering that none of here are meant to do this alone!

Last night I took some pics of my house for MLS listings, so I thought I would post one to prove that my house can be clean when I really need it to be!

And here are my two favorite boys. I think it's time for Ian to get a haircut!

More artwork coming this weekend! I am excited! Stay tuned!

It's official.

I have had these two characters in my head for a long time. They are such a darling pair, and I have so much in store for them...can't wait! I have had their names on the tip of my tongue for months, but just couldn't get it out. But, now it's official: Wellesley & Winslow.

Why? My favorite childhood memories are from the 3 years we spent just outside of Boston. We lived in Wellesley, Massachusetts on Winslow Road. It was a romantic location...our little 'cottage' we called it tucked in a patch of trees with a path to Longfellow pond and a stretch of forest behind our house. It was a dream house for a 7 year old girl...lots of inspiration for a thriving imagination. It was here that I first realized that I wanted to be an artist. I would set up my bedroom like it was a store and display my things and pretend to sell them. And so...I introduce to you...

Wellesley & Winslow

This is my first christmas print with them...more to come. As well as many fun adventures they will share together...so stay tuned!

New in the shop

I promise I am doing boy stuff...just one thing at a time:)

Happy Halloween

Addie is a beautiful princess who needs to find her prince.

And then she sees him...bug-eyed and beautiful.

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She knows what she need to do to get her prince...

Well, he was asking for it!

She found her prince! the frog loved these kisses so much, he went on for more!

We had a great time watching the kids all dressed up. They were so interested in seeing all the kids in their costumes. Addie, however, became quite scared at some of the older kids and their gory costumes...poor thing. We didn't stay long!

It has been a busy week full of drawing and shipping. I am still trying to balance it all...it's a lot of work right now, but I am trying to streamline. I am getting there. If anything, I just love seeing each drawing come to life. I have so much in my head ALL the time, and so when it finally comes off the printer, I get so excited! Here are a few new ones:

Hope you all had a great weekend! Enjoy Hallowoeen!

We're back!

We are back from our trip, and missing the festive autumn weather.

We had so much fun going to the pumpkin patch, the national zoo, seeing friends and just being outside in the trees. Addie and Ian were in heaven with Kaile, Nani and Papa. It's so hard to live far away!

Getting home from Maryland was an adventure. We missed our plane by about 2 minutes and after catching our breath from running (sprinting) with two babies and all of their “stuff’ the entire length of the airport (most people take shuttles) we found out that there wasn’t any more room, and the plane was going to leave with out us. So, my children resorted to screaming in public not for the what-would-have-been four hour flight but now for the what-ended-up-to-be 10 hours of connections and flying time. 14 hours total including driving. It wouldn’t have been hard if my children could sleep. Addie didn’t go to bed until her exhausted body got into her crib…2:30 am her time. Ian did fall asleep after a big fight at 11pm his time. This was bad. They are asleep by 7 pm usually, so you can imagine. At one point, when the entire plane going to SLC had to re-ticket all of its passengers right at boarding (imagine big mob in front of ticket counter at 9:30 pm) I am holding Ian who is not wanting to be held. He is biting me, and crying poor thing. I finally just said…”let me just hold a big sign that says “would everybody please stare at me?” At least it made a few people laugh. It really wasn’t that bad of a trip…I just felt bad for my kids who just can’t sleep!!

Saturday was starting to get back to normal, but evidently not. I was out shopping for an hour and a half before my own mother pointed this out to me:

I had no idea!!! I couldn’t stop laughing. It had been one of those weekends!

But, I am now back into the swing of things, and creating new prints! I have SO many drafted or in my head…I just can’t keep up with it! I keep a notebook by my bed for the ideas I come up with before I fall asleep. I have to hurry and sketch them out or else I can’t sleep. I am excited for what is to come. Lots of “sets” coming, and more…more…more!

Now we are looking forward to Halloween…Addie is, of course, going to be a princess, and Ian…well, we still haven’t found a frog costume. Frog prince that is:)

First week open, and still running!

This has been an exciting week for me! Thanks to all of you for stopping by and visiting my shop. It has been a lot of fun. A bit of a whirl wind…trying to learn the ropes amidst a lot of other things going on, but it has been great. I have made a lot of really great contacts, and met some really great people. It is really exciting to see other parents like my artwork and see that it speaks to them and their own children. That is why I am doing this: I just wish I could see the children when they get their pictures.

This week I took a quick trip to Maryland (where I grew up) to visit my parents and little sister. I love it back east. It is an enchanting place…especially this time of year. It is a little more dry this year than normal, but it doesn’t matter. It beats the desert in October. The mountains are beautiful…don’t get me wrong. But there is nothing like being able to go out into my backyard and be with the deer and the squirrels and the fallen logs on an autumn afternoon. My kids are, needless to say, in heaven.

The first time we went out to the backyard, Addie insisted that she run back and put on her princess dress and get out her “I wonder” basket (Sleeping Beauty sings “I wonder” while holding a basket for berry picking in the dark woods...notice how her "I wonder basket" could also double as a 99 cent hot pink plastic jack-0-lantern bucket from Target). So, Addie is in her dress (and basket in hand) singing “I know you… I walked with you once upon a dream” all because we were in the trees. She LOVES trees, and here we are in the heart of it all. I love it!

My sister Kaile is a horseback rider, and so of course we had to take the kids to see the horses...and the barn cat they discovered. Addie and Ian LOVE animals, and depite the funny pictures, addie is actually very natural with animals.

And with the shop open and successful I have also managed to get my artwork in my first boutiques! It is really exciting. The first is a DARLING place in Northern CA called “Teapot Parties” and the second is in Leesburg, VA called ‘On a Whim’…a very vintage/ chic store with a lot of personality. I am so excited! My stuff will most likely be there by the end of the month.

So, a lot of learning going on here. I really just threw myself into this. I have at least a dozen more pieces I am just DYING to get printed, but that requires me being home. So, I will have to wait till next weekend. I just can’t stop coming up with new stuff. That is the fun of it…there never has to be an end to this! It's all just imagination!

Thanks again for all of your support and compliments. It’s great to think that my elephants and bunnies and little people are on the walls for other little children to enjoy. In some ways, I feel like a Santa…I just want to make children smile :)

Sarah Jane ETSY shop open!

Wow. What a week this has been. I knew it was going to be intense, but I don't think I knew how much. I Have had such a great time getting to know new people as I have made my first sales, and received help from other ETSY artists regarding all the details of starting up.

I am doing my own printing now, and wow! It is wonderful! Having my own printing abilities has opened up a whole new set of possibilities! I can't wait to learn more!

Despite the rush of opening, we were able to enjoy the beautiful Utah autumn colors this weekend as we drove the Alpine Loop. Addie and Ian were so stimulated, that they couldn't fall asleep believe it or not! (Well, Addie that is.) She stayed in her crib singing "I love the mountains, I love the rolling hills.... for 2 hours. It was so cute, but boy she was tired in the morning!

I hope you like the shop! I felt like a first-day kindergardener when I made my very first sale! Butterflies and everything! I couldn't believe it! I am a perfectionist (to an extent) and I just want my artwork to be JUST RIGHT for my buyers. Translation: Up late, up early, Bob the Builder for the kids, stretching left overs as far as they go and Kenneth did a weeks worth of laundry for the first time in years. I am ready to be a real mom again! (well, what is real? the fact that my kids have had the stomach flu and have been letting me hold them for the past two days while working on my shop? I guess that is REAL).

But I am SICK of Bob the Builder!