gatorgirlart

Moving Forward

Posted on March 29, 2012 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all,

My spiritual journey at the moment is working on trusting my intuition, listening to what is being said around me, including my dreams, and being grateful for everything. I have been cleaning, cleaning, cleaning in preparation for 2 weeks of fabulous company that starts arriving tomorrow morning. All the time being grateful for my furniture that I can dust, my floors that I can vacuum, and trying to be thankful for the toilets I can scrub. So far my spiritual plan is working like a charm.

Two new things are on the horizon. I donated The Heart of the Hurricane to the Easter Parade. They are raising money for music education in New Orleans. My sister met Miss Kitsy, who is in charge of the Easter Parade, on an airplane going to California. They hit it off and one thing led to another…

My youngest daughter is going to start selling Gator Girl Art prints and cards on Etsy. It seems like a win-win situation. With Etsy I will be able to sell at a bargain price and Katy will handle the mailing and correspondence so I can paint. While I was listening, I heard “Etsy” from three different sources in one week. I am beyond excited about this.

If you want to check out another blog, I have been reading knowthesphere.wordpress.com. Jeremiah is insightful and pairs his insights with stories. He is a freelance writer living in upstate New York.

Until next week,

With faithful, unreasonable love,

Gator Girl

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Spread the Love

Posted on March 23, 2012March 23, 2012 by gatorgirlart

Good Morning and Happy Friday!

Sometimes a kind gesture seems to go unnoticed, but makes a positive ripple in someone’s life. Today, I celebrate two fabulous women who do kind things every day. They both happen to be my aunts. I think aunts and grandmas are like moms only without the baggage. Unless they raised the child, they are free to just spread love.

My Aunt Ruth is in her 90’s. She is the older sister to my mother. She took the time to send me a card that someone had given her with an alligator on the front.

That simple gesture validated me as an artist.

It was double nice because Ruth is an amazing photographer and artist.

Another Aunt, Grace, lives an hour away. She came to my Gator Girl Launch Party and gave me a lamp that she bought at a garage sale. She thought it would be fun to paint. And it was.

It says, “This lamp offers no promise of enlightenment. It is only a lamp.”

I painted the shade with acrylic Mars Black. I love that black. I strung some glass Mardi Gras Beads on the shade. I love the beads, but maybe not on the shade.

I painted the words on the base, then went around them with a black paint pen to make the letters crisp.

I gave it to my husband for his bed side table. I thought the red would be good Feng Shui.

Aunt Grace and me at Gator Girl Art Launch Party. Isn't she cute!

Grace has 5 adult grandchildren and she still took the time for me.

Update on my art:

I have painted and re-painted.

From experience, I think the paintings that take a while end up being closer to my heart. I am starting to like this one.

The music is “Mardi Gras Mambo”. There are small words about Mardi Gras woven through her hair.

I started painting people from photographs for fun. I like them a little edgy, not like their photos exactly. I bordered this painting with dragonflies, because Maggie is in the dragonfly class this year. And a little crown for my princess.

Raffi looks so different now that he is 2. Such a little baby face here.

This is Katy’s Facebook picture. My husband, David, doesn’t like it because she has sunglasses on. I think she would appreciate being incognito.

All of the people paintings are about 10 x 10 inches.

I was totally long-winded today. Thank you for letting me share.

Until next time,

All my love,

Gator Girl

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Painting Your Future

Posted on March 9, 2012 by gatorgirlart

Hello all y’all,

Just wondering today if you know that you can paint your future?

A few years ago, my mentor, Rev. Shiloh McCloud, needed two people to help her run her women and girls publishing company. She started painting three women, just standing together, smiling. Shortly thereafter, at the exactly right time, the perfect women showed up. One of the women, Mary, just wandered into Shiloh’s gallery and fell in love. She was visiting from Canada at the time. She packed her bags and moved straight away — been here every since.

Three years ago, when I was living in California, I started painting alligators, angels, and swamps. I was consciously painting my way to New Orleans. Everything unfolded perfectly, down to the last detail. I told anyone who cared to listen that I was retiring in three years, moving to New Orleans and becoming a full-time professional artist. Speech is undeniably powerful.

Just as I believe all religions are roadways to the same higher power, I believe any means you use to project out to the universe what your dream is will work.

Do you write? collage? paint…sing…dance…sculpt… How do YOU put yourself into your perfect life?

I am holding off sharing Mardi Gras Muse with y’all because I just bought a miter saw, installed it in my kitchen, and am making a frame before I post her next week. My idea is to make a frame out of reclaimed wood and embellish it with whatever calls to me.

Until next week my loves,

Gator Girl

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Hello March!

Posted on March 4, 2012March 4, 2012 by gatorgirlart

Hi friends,

La Femme Fatale finished.

I put fine silver glitter on her veil to make it stand out more. I put red chunky glitter on her roses and gold metal finish on her gold tooth. She makes me very happy now. 2 coats of varnish insure her lasting beauty.

Mardi Gras Muse or as Maggie insists Maskatier Princess (named for her mask and partial tiara), is still in process. I played with both kids all day Friday and Saturday and it threw off my painting time in a good way.

Masked Muse — Mardi Gras Muse in progress

I am having a lot of fun painting the muse. She is wild and entertaining. Her hair is a mixture of purple and pink paint in Golden Heavy Gel. I like the ridges. It gives her hair a thickness that mine has never achieved.

It seems like Spring has arrived in New Orleans, at least for today. It is a little chilly, but the sun is shining. We are having a crawfish boil in Audubon Park by the Mississippi River later today. I don’t think life gets much better.

Until next week, my loves.

Gator Girl

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Mardi Gras

Posted on February 25, 2012February 25, 2012 by gatorgirlart

Hi y’all,

Things have been super fun and exhausting here with our first Mardi Gras. I think on Sunday there were 7 or 8 parades. It was like hanging out in a tent village. The best part for me was the parade goers. Everyone was so friendly. There are special throws that you try to catch at certain parades. Maggie got a shoe at the Muses all decorated with glitter, David got a Zulu coconut, and Will Farrell gave Maggie and David a cow bell. Pretty awesome and free fun. Y’all will just have to come see for your self.

This was walking distance from our house.

What I am sharing this week is the progression of 2 paintings that I am working on. You will have to use your imagination about what they are going to look like when I am finished or check in next week when I am done. The skeleton is finally coming along. I am going to call her La Femme Fatale. I went through a lot of names. I think it was because I started painting what I had in mind, but forgot to check in with her. A couple of names that she had for a while were Lasting Beauty and Haunting Beauty. Maggie wanted to name her “A field of Unicorns”. Apparently, the unicorns were invisible. I like La Femme Fatale because New Orleans has such a French influence and She is hanging out in the French Quarter around Mardi Gras. She is pretty fatale being beyond the flesh and blood stage of her life.

skeleton in progress — first skeleton picture

I decided that I didn’t like such small details, so I went larger.

In the second picture, I am starting to like her here, but she has a long way to go.

Fetching, I’d say, in a fatal way. Those are little crawfish fireflies in the street light, a small alligator playing a tambourine on her shoulder. She is now wearing a little hat with a veil that is so popular with the parade crowd. She had on a real Mardi Gras bead necklace, but I removed it for now. I may add it back in using an old glass bead throw that you can still catch once in a while. I put a net veil on the hat, but liked the permanence of a painted veil. I put little glitter fleur dis lis on her dress. This painting has been a labor. Some times things don’t come easily.

She is starting to look satisfied. I would say she’s almost finished.

I just want to introduce the painting I am having a lot of fun with. She is Mardi Gras Muse. If you want inspiration, paint a muse. They so love the attention.

I picked 3 colors: mars black, magenta and white. I painted these words on in gold: Mardi Gras feel the happy love. I added a big heart on the right and 2 little hearts on the left.

I am just going to have fun with her. Lots of symbols, pictures and words in her hair. She will have plenty of bling on her mask and glitter on her tiara. I see her so clearly already.

I hope you check in next week to see the progress. Life in New Orleans is a dream come true.

What we found out during Mardi Gras is that it is not a sprint, it is a marathon, so pace yourself. There is a bit of life wisdom in that.

With grateful and abundant love,

Gator Girl

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In Search of Grace and My Mini Muse

Posted on February 16, 2012 by gatorgirlart

Hi all y’all! A week sure goes by quickly!

I am still not sure that this is a valid use of my time, but I am trusting the process.

I like the part of journaling where I don’t have to worry about the longevity of my art. If the glue fails… whatever. And I can try new things like what I see Effy Wild and Tam Laporte create. BTW, they are both really fun to watch.

I find it interesting that I chose a word and I am still searching for the meaning of that word. Again, just trusting.

If you look closely, you can see I wrote “sharing what you have” and had to change it to “I“. LOL, that’s telling.

(I am in love with duct tape).

I layered the back page with prayers. I love to put a lot of intent into the page. I put some stamps that my Aunt Ruth gave me because at 93 she is still full of grace and remembers everyone with cards.

Now the best for last. Tonight is the parade of the Muses’s. I am pretty excited about that. Magpie dressed as a muse for preschool today.

Happy Mardi Gras!

In celebration of you!

Gator Girl

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A picture is worth 1,000 words

Posted on February 10, 2012February 10, 2012 by gatorgirlart

Hi y’all,

Choosing a word for the year has been so powerful for me, I thought WOW, pictures would be incredible. I have never made a vision board before. I always thought that it would take too much time. It’s kind of weird to think that, because I watch television. That should probably be the first thing to go when you think about wasting time.

I am going to show you in pictures step by step my process and what supplies I used. I had little regard for the visual outcome. I stayed loose and had fun. You can watch with me as the reality of the pictures unfold for me during the year.

Vision Board 2012 — What 2012 holds in store.

I used a piece a cardboard 26 x 40 inches. I didn’t want to use so much expensive paint to cover the background, so I covered it with spray adhesive (kind of glued my flip-flops to the floor in the process) and applied a piece of fancy red paper from the art store for $2.90. I bordered it with black and white checkered duct tape for about $5.00. I love the tape.

Next, I lit a candle and thought about what I wanted to see in the coming year. I Googled an image. When hundreds of images came up, I chose the one that spoke to me (not literally).

My daughter, Angie and I are adopting Samuel Square Park. You can click on the tab “Give Back” and see pictures of the park as it is today. We have a lot of plans, but are just in the beginning stages of development. We got the OK from Annie at the New Orleans Park Commission to start a booster club.

Just saying, there is an uncanny resemblance to Brad Pitt.

David and I traveling — Traveling with David

I drew a hat on David, because the picture had too much hair. I like this picture, because I have a rolling suitcase and David is carrying his. That is just how we like to do it. The picture has so many places to see!

For our sister road trip, I required a convertible and an open road. I colored the blonde woman’s hair red like my sis.

Year of the Dragon — Powerful, Change-Making Dragon

I have been loving Caran D’Arche water-soluble crayons. You can use them as is, wet them after you apply them or paint with them by rubbing your paint brush against them. I also used acrylic paint. Paint is still my favorite means of expression.

Let me know if you have been inspired to change your life using pictures.

You rock!

Until next week, in unending love,

Gator Girl

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Artist in Residence

Posted on February 2, 2012February 2, 2012 by gatorgirlart

Hi y’all,

Today, I am updating you on Maggie’s painting.

She started adding some detail. Skeleton Jack is on the left and Sally is the pink one on the right. They are using a “contraction” to walk. They don’t have proper feet. On the bottom she put a strip of painter’s tape and then removed it after painting over the tape. She is painting flowers on that strip for Sally.

Painting Skeleton Jack and Sally — Maggie Painting

With abundant love,

Gator Girl and Mags

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Living in Grace

Posted on January 29, 2012January 29, 2012 by gatorgirlart

No, I don’t understand what you are saying. I only understand you when you agree with me. –Nancy Kimberly

Do you ever wonder how some people just don’t filter what they are saying? I think my word used to be obtuse or maybe entitled or possibly big-baby, but now my word for 2012 is Grace. Words and intention are very important. Last year my word was Action. Choosing the word for the year is a combination of it being time to put something in motion and a desire for change. Choosing the word action accelerated the completion of ideas in 2011.

The problem with my word this year is the multiple meanings. You all can tell by my quote that I am desperately in need of grace. There is the grace that is bestowed on a person by God. There is being physically graceful like Gene Kelly.

There is also a grace that I don’t understand. For my word for 2012, I am going with the 3rd definition of Grace and hope for divine intervention. I am also going with the hope that you don’t have to be born with grace.

The prospect of seeing if a leopard can really change her spots excites me. Or more aptly said, can a gator live in grace?

What’s your word for 2012? It is the auspicious year of the dragon. Time for some timely changes.

Yours in unreasonable love,

Gator Girl

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What’s not to love about eternal love?

Posted on January 21, 2012January 21, 2012 by gatorgirlart

Good Morning y’all,

You know how it feels when you think you are on the right track, when all the pieces in your life are just falling into place? I feel like that about our move to New Orleans. At my launch party two weeks ago, 2 paintings sold and I was asked to donate a print to the Pussy Footer’s Ball. My friends Heather and Mimi are each putting my name in the drawing for the opportunity to be chosen for the marching krewe.

The Blush Ball is an event for charity. They are raising money for the Metropolitan Center for Women and Children.

This is the painting that I donated for the raffle. I decided on a mixed media original designed for the Ball. I put my mother’s glasses on the person in the painting. I have always loved these glasses from the 50’s. I said “person” because she could be a woman or could be a drag queen. It just depends on how you see her. I love how paintings have their own intentions.

One of the paintings that sold at the party is Eternal Love. Both paintings had to have emergency photos taken at the print shop. The turn around was too quick to have Dorka take the photos.

These two happy campers are pushing up daisies. The semi-transparent butterflies are emissaries between worlds. I painted this with my husband, David in mind.

I hope that 2012 is starting off fabulously wonderful for y’all.

Talk with you next week!

Gator Girl