Logo PageThe Earth Without Art is just Eh

Hey All!

All of my life I have done ART. My mother was a phenomenal
artist. When I was a child I would sit underneath her painting table with my crayons 
and paper when she was creating 
and think to myself..."Someday I will be a great artist like my mom". She passed away from cancer, when I was 9 years old. She never got to see the artist that I became. Fast forward 15 years and I graduated from college with degrees in Physical education and ART. (I picked up a few others along the way too ;-) )

First Job

I got my first job teaching Art & PE in the same school district. I was in heaven, getting to do everything that I wanted to do at the time, but I found that I longed for more art. So as I worked on different art projects and taught my students, I came across more and more different media to try. I would make examples for my students and love it and then create more pieces. Pretty soon I had art projects laying around. So I decided to start doing art shows to sell my work that was just finished and laying around. I often times would create something new to give as a gift. Sometimes it would be the only one that I made using that media or technique. If I found something that I really enjoyed, I would create more of it. I ended up always coming back to drawing portraits of people, animals and architecture. I found that this was my passion. In the area where I live, I became known as The Portrait Lady. I used to set up at malls and festivals and people got used to knowing from year to year that I would be at the venue that they enjoyed attending and would bring their photos with them and ready to place an order for a custom, hand-drawn portrait. (This was before my website and the wildly popular internet.) 

Original Website

Once I acquired my website, Bunches Of Treasures Studio (Using my married last name at the time, 'Bunch')I then had an online gallery with a trinket/treasure shop in it as well. After about 3 years, my website DISAPPEARED. Someone had somehow, stolen my URL. I found it and they wanted $2k for it. LOL. A couple of years went by and it became available again at a reasonable rental fee. YaY!! I have been BunchesOfTreasures.com ever since. Over the years I started putting other art items in my booth besides my portraits. I was Teaching school and doing shows once a month or every other month. Selling my Art was very part time. 

In the last couple of years, my schedule has changed drastically with teaching and online has been more and more prevalent. As I have taught Photoshop and Illustrator in the past, I have always LOVED graphic design. I have also for many many years wanted to go solo and give a 100% go at doing my art full time. 

Well, you know me, always working 2 or 3 jobs in all of my areas to continue doing EVERYTHNG that I love. And if you are just getting introduced to me, welcome to the journey. I am always willing to try something new, (as long as it is legal ;-) ) and I am ready to take this leap of faith. I am going to continue teaching art in some capacity and the safety aspects of driver education..........and 

A Leap Of Faith

It is time for me to leap, both feet in at one time to the art world. I have always worked this part-time. When I had no 'go to' job, Art put food on my table and gas in my car until I could secure another teaching job. I was scared to try it full time. I always felt I had to have a JOB. Who knew that I could be wrong. lol This past fall I did a huge art job for the city I live in. With that money I was able to invest in my future and I purchased a heat press so that I can make T-shirts, coffee mugs, masks, hats and tumblers. I also love working with resin and my new shop, affectionately known here at home at Studio B (with the proper ventilation to do these things) is slowly coming together, while my existing studio still is home to my portraits, painting and multi media. Adding into this, my years of marketing experience, I am excited to be serving a community of appreciative and interested people, here at home and all around the world. 

What Can I Create For You?

Put on your thinking caps my friends. Custom work has always been my passion, when it comes to art. So with the introduction to the new adventure in my art journey, I will be creating not only the above listed appearal items, but also expanding my resin work to include custom tumblers and Memorial Resin Art pieces. Keep an eye out on my website and facebook page for new examples coming your way. 

Dream to Reality? Why yes, I believe so...I am taking the Leap!

I love the traditional art of marbling.

When I first think of marbeling, I think about the inside covers of old victorian books. They are sooooo beautiful with the colors swirling around and intermingleing with each other.

There are so many different ways/techiques to marble. There is traditional marbeling on a thix (Thick geletinish water solution), water marbeling (nail polish on water), shaving cream marbeling (fun to do with little kiddos) and Marbeling on liquid starch, just to name a few.

My latest marbeling love though, is marbeling directly onto fingernails. Give me a box full of nailpolish and some toothpicks and stand back to watch the magic happen! The possabilities are endless.

Helpful Hints and Tricks Of The Trade

• Avoid the mess! It's fun, but can be VERY messy. Do yourself a favor and mask your fingers. You can tape up the skin around your nails for water marbeling, but I found a great trick. Use your lip balm and 'paint' it on your skin around your nails. When polish is dry, just wipe it off with a tissue. Another trick if you have the time is to use a brush and 'paint' your skin around your nails with Elmers glue. Let it dry and do your marbeling. when polish is dry, then peel off the dry glue. (That one is more fun than the lip balm. lol) Have a polish remover correction pen handy to catch stray polish dots or cuticle spots.

• Have your work space set up. Have caps loosened before you start. Put colors you will use in order of use. Have a paper towel ready to wipe off excess from toothpic or pin.

• You will work nail by nail. One nail at a time. Practice on fake press on nails first if you want to get a feel for what you are doing. Otherwise have at it with the following steps.
• You will choose to do dots or stripes. If stripes, horizontal or verticle. You must work quickly. If you don't like it, you can take it off and do it again. Beauty!

1. Paint the whole nail with a thick coat of white or black. I suggest starting with white and use black when you are practiced.
2. While the base coat of polish is still wet, paint/drop/dob lines of color bottom to top or side to side.
3. Take a dotting tool or toothpick and drag through the polish, from bottom to top or side to side. 
4. Once dry, apply a clear topcoat.

Yes It Is Made From Eggshells! 

I had the honor of being invited to be a guest on Hobbies Crafts and Collectibles with Duska Cornwell on WEIU television in Charleston Illinois. WEIU is the TV station at Eastern Illinois University. 

I was featured and demonstrated how to create Eggshell art. She did feature my portraiture first and then my other found object pieces. Enjoy!

Vincent VanGogh's Starry Starry Night

Have you ever wondered what the song Starry Starry Night by Don McLean was realy about? Do you ever listen to songs and wonder why did they write this or what does it all mean?

Below find the link to the song Starry Starry Night by Don McLean. On the webpage under the video are the lyrics on the right side and an explaination of the lyrics on the left.

Very interesting indeed.

Enjoy!

www.vangoghgallery.com/painting/starrynightlyrics.html

I suppose at some moment in time everyone has their 'WOW' moments. Their epiphany of something that has occured in their life takes a hold of them and pulls them out of their skin. I had one this last month when I was strongly urged by friends and family to step out into this big world and use my passion to make a living. I have LOVED photography all of my life. In the words of my father, "Genine, you take pictures of everything that moves and everything that didn't move."  I never thought about using my camera and God's wonderful gifts in me to record other peoples history and bring joy to their events. Lasting memeories.

Allow me to Draw on your past memories, today!