Making a Mess and Living with it~

I am working on too many different kinds of projects at once which is good as I needed to just get started again. The only problem is that in every single corner of my house there is a different project going on and I can't put anything away until I am done. How do I calm myself down and resist the urg to clean? This has always been a problem with me and my art. I need to let it be! Here are some photos of supplies, sketches, and works in progress and fabulous books sent from a dear friend. Thank you Sis!

Etsy Finally!

http://www.pascal4aqua.etsy.com

Finally, I have got myself together(ok that is SO not true, but I continue to try) and put some of my art in my Etsy store! So far it is just a few things because I want to see how it goes. I just uploaded my pieces so I guess it takes a day or 2 for them to show up. Hopefully I am on my way to being in Etsy land! My shop is called "Art by Merle" and my username is "pascal4aqua"(I know this is a big boo boo but meh, that's how I roll I suppose). Please check out my shop and my favorite shops as well-there is a lot of talent and great art out there!

The Blog Award Again-Please pass it on!

I am posting this again as I really want people to know how much their blogs inspire me! Please accept this award and pass it on!

I have received this award from my friend Bernie's award. Check out her blogsite at
http://myplacetodreambernie.blogspot.com/
Thank you so much Bernie!



Here are the rules for accepting this award:

1) Put the logo on your blog.

2) Add a link to the person who awarded you.

3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs

4) Add links to those blogs on yours

5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blog

1) http://farmerjulie.blogspot.com/
2) http://sparrowsalvage.blogspot.com/
3) http://thebeautifulnecessity.blogspot.com/
4) http://oldflowers4me.blogspot.com/
5) http://3rexes.blogspot.com/
6) http://curioussofa.blogspot.com/
7) http://blissfulthings.blogspot.com/

I love Parrish Relics and the Art of Lisa Gill!

I love, love, love the work of Jen Parrish of Parrish Relics http://parrishrelics.com/

I first found her work when looking for jewelry for my wedding when I googled "Gothic Jewelry"(yeah, my marriage didn't work out, but I still have my relics and a great friend in Jen too). She also made me a custom piece with a photo of my 4 little black cats which is so dear to me(I found each of them as little abandoned kittens and they are just wonderful people-Jen gets this! She donated a portion of the sale to a charity that rescues ferral cats in Greece-one of the places I used to live).

Jen is also so sweet-she introduced me to several of her friends. One friend, Lisa is an amazing seamstress and graphic designer of her own business Arteffex at http://www.arteffex.com/ and has designed my website and my business cards-fabulous! She also made me a fabulous gown based on my love of Waterhouse's "Miranda".

Through the years and many emails, we all finally got to meet which was wonderful and I met more friends who share of my love of all things Gothic, Medieval and Fairy Tale(plus, we are all crazy cat ladies!). I thought I would share some of Jen's and Lisa's work here. I am truly blessed! Who knows what surprises life has in store for you.

Photographs found!

I finally found some of my photographs taken a few years ago that I love-still more to find! I really can't get organized! Here they are~

Thank you Audrey Eclectic!

Thank you Audrey Eclectic of http://reverieart.blogspot.com/ for nominating me for the "I Love Your Blog Award"! I feel I need to get blogging more! I have found so many amazing blogs which all inspire me so much. I am supposed to narrow it down to seven to nominate(so hard!) so here are my picks(ok, so I added a few more!):
http://alteredamy.blogspot.com/
http://bohemiart.typepad.com/bohemiart/
http://farmerjulie.blogspot.com/
http://sparrowsalvage.blogspot.com/
http://thebeautifulnecessity.blogspot.com/
http://myplacetodreambernie.blogspot.com/
http://oldflowers4me.blogspot.com/
http://nenufarblanco.blogspot.com/
http://helene-deroubaix.blogspot.com/

Thanks to everyone for making me feel like a "real" artist!

Blog award!

I have received this award from my friend Bernie's award. Check out her blogsite at
http://myplacetodreambernie.blogspot.com/
Thank you so much Bernie!



Here are the rules for accepting this award:

1) Put the logo on your blog.

2) Add a link to the person who awarded you.

3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs

4) Add links to those blogs on yours

5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blog

I want to nominate anyone who visits my blog! I found so many great folks and inspiration here thanks to all of you!

A few more new Paintings

I finally got a few more new paintings done. Some are for the shows in October. I need to start making dolls and doing some photography too! The weather has been weird and I am having all of my sinus and migraine stuff which makes it more difficult. I am not sure if I like how any of my new paintings turned out, but I really don't have time to do new ones! The first is my version of Poes "Annabell Lee" and the rest are a few of my gothic style ladies.

Some New Paintings

Finally, a few new paintings for one of my upcoming shows in October. These are part of the "Poe" series with pieces based on the works of Edgar Allen Poe. They include so far- "Poe Lady with Cat", "Poe Lady with Raven", and "Poe Twins". I still have a lot more to do!

New Art to Make and I Can't get Started!

I am having a show of my photographs, paintins a just a few dolls for El Dia de Los Muertos at the Indianapoli Art Center. I can see it all in my head so clearly. I have the photos picked out, the painting started as drawings, and I spent all day yesterday gathering supplies. Now I just need to start!

I am usually out swimming and doing other stuff like in the summer, but this summer has brought me a lot of migraines and just kind of feeling ick and down so I am as white as a ghost(not that I tan but, I am usually out doing something). I have been hiding in my lair gathering ideas.

Now, I wish my 4 little cats would just do the work bit for me and hang the show! They have seen me do this so many times- I am sure they can take things over from here. Pascal is looking very distinguised with his first white whisker! OK, this is what I do when I procrastinate-talk about my cats!

My only little girl cat, Sister Bijou, turned 5 this month! I can't believe that little brown checked dress ever fit her! Pascal looks quite royal wearing that beaded headpiece I made for a friend's wedding, Tobias Greenmoss looks especially handsome in his pink beret, and the whole "Bring me a shubbery!" photo crack me up! A friend sent it to me. OK, I need to stop being a crazy cat lady and try to get some sleep and get going!

I can't get anything done!

I am currently stuck with a notebook full of ideas for a "Dia de los Muertos" show that I have coming up in October. I will have a gallery show of my photographs, and have an altar up with monotype portraits of 2 dear friends I have lost recently-this will be hard, but I plan on making my altar all sparkly and pretty and setting a table with champagne and special treats for them. It is hard because they were around my age when they died. Life doesn't always make sense-well, rarely does it make sense the older I get.

I have a new digital camera and I am scared of it! I am scared I can only do photography with film and printing my own images by hand. I need to try to get up to speed and see if I can do digital though. I am excited because a book with my photographs is almost ready to be sold! It is through a Flickr photo group I am in-The Female Self-Portrait Artists Support Group book. This is a big whoo for me. I still don't feel that I deserve it as I have taken self portraits for years, not really because I have wanted to but because I have lived a pretty solitary life. Will see how it all goes.

So, I have just been making more plaques, trying to figure out etsy, making more jewelry-just little stuff-nothing new or amazing for now. Anyway, these are my newest plaques. I need to get going on some stuff! I mainly want to hide more and more. Not sure what is wrong with me. Summer is not my season.