Feature on 'Jain Says' Female Empowerment Blog

Yay! I am always so eternally grateful for folks who want to help me share my art with the world. So lucky me when just a week ago a blogger who features women doing wonderful things and showing their strengths featured me and my Bohemian Goddesses!

Jain Ravensun, of Jain Says, has this to say front and center on her blog (I was tempted to paraphrase for brevity sake, but her mission is statement is both beautiful and succinct enough in its importance that I don't want to take anything away):

"This is a safe place where women can speak their truth and be validated. Life can be tough, but life can be so beautiful if you have the strength to open your eyes and see it! We are nothing short of superhero goddesses; let's support each other rather than tear one another down. The weight of the world doesn't feel as heavy when we have gentle hands to help us hold it up."

She features women from all walks of life and I've been grateful to take part in a sharing space. Go ahead and peruse a few other posts after you check out mine ;) I promise you won't be disappointed!

See the full article here!

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originally published June 10, 2018

YouTube Video Break + Super Sale on Prints!

Hey friends, I basically made a video to tell folks that I'm not making a video this week... or something like that ;P

But what I am doing is having a...

Giclee Print Super Sale

Yaay!!

I just have a small inventory left from my big art opening in March so I've lowered the prices as a fundraising effort to purchase a better quality video editing program and harddrive to store all the amazing movies I want to create for my lovely YouTube fam!

Hear the details below and then pop over to my Shop to grab a print before they're gone! I honestly may not be getting more printed in the future so don't miss out on some high quality Birdie art!

My bright and lush Bohemian Goddess prints are printed on high quality, extra thick 290 GSM Moab Bright acid free paper. This is a gallery standard, archival print with a 100+ year life expectancy for both the colorfast ink and the paper.

Snag a print + surprise sticker here!

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originally published June 6, 2018

Huge Success at My Solo Art Show!!

HOOORAYYYY!!! I can't believe how many people showed up on opening night!! I had a lot of familiar faces as well as so many new eyes on my work so it was perfect!! 

I'm sure you noticed my promised vid did not come out on this past Wednesday and I'm so sorry... who would have thought that framing 12 works while filming and editing the process in the same week as repainting the gallery wall (yep, I did that too :D ), hanging work, creating signage, shopping for and preparing loads of snacks and arranging a musician, while I worked my barista and surfboard painting jobs of course, might have been a bit of an overloaded schedule? 

Gosh, when I write it all out I can't believe last week even happened! Ha! 

So check out these fun shots from the show and I promise I'll have my 'How to Frame Paintings on a Budget' vid out for your enjoyment this Wednesday. Mahalo and big love to everyone who made it out!!

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originally published March 3, 2018

Creating a Flyer :: Putting on an Art Show on a Budget

Okee dokee artsy friends, here is Part One of my series Putting on an Art Show on a Budget :: How to create a great flyer. This is so  super duper essential for inviting people.

You absolutely positively must have something to hand folks as you promote your show. If you try to just tell people to remember or give them your website card to look it up you will wind up with one empty art opening. But have no fear, you too can create a super stylish yet simple flyer using this easy free program Canva just like me. Yay!

Let me walk you through all the steps to make a noteworthy flyer for your successful event!

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originally published February 21, 2018

Solo Show in 2 Weeks!! Aaah!!

Wow! That happened fast!! I'm thrilled to announce that I will be having a solo show of my Bohemian Goddesses on Friday March 2nd at an art and music space called Ong King here in Honolulu. Yaaay!!

So because of there is a lot more to curating a successful show than meets the eye, I have decided to do a series here and on my YouTube channel about how to throw an art show on a budget ('cause you know that's what I'll be doing anyway! Ha!) 

Here's the plan, though things may change...

1. Creating flyers (as you can see above that one is done so I'll have a video of my process this Wednesday. [UPDATE: Watch it here!])
2. Making simple, yet sophisticated, frames
3. Setting up the venue
4. The Big Night!

So enjoy the series! I'm looking forward to continuing to make it! 

Also, if your curious about some of the struggles of finding an exciting contemporary art venue here in Honolulu, sign up for my monthly Birds of a Feather letter here where I talk a bit more openly and honestly about taking the good with the bad when it comes to being a working artist. 

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originally published February 18, 2018

New Prints Unboxing.... Oops!

Oh boy, oh boy!! There's very little I love more than receiving bright shiny new prints in the mail!! Well... my prints actually come on watercolor rag paper, so their more of a matte, but you get the idea:)

I always like to do a color test for my prints before offering them for sale, and it's definitely a relief when they come out well the first, or even second, time. It can get pricey having to tweak over and over again!

I did have a lil 'print unboxing malfunction' but it's nothing that wasn't totally this goober's fault and I was able to remedy it soon enough. Enjoy!

Amazing Muse Connection + Doting Mama Appreciation

Wow! I cannot believe how lucky I am to be featured by two such amazing women this past week! Being shared as an artist is the most wonderful and helpful action that folks can take - and I especially love it when we as women can get together to create great art and build each other up too!

Farina, my last Bohemian Goddess, was such a pleasure to paint. Not only is she naturally gorgeous, I really loved painting the interesting shadows on her face and the lush green crown. If you've been seeing my newer paintings then you know this painting was a bit of a springboard for my recent works. 

As I mention on the 'Farina' painting page on my website (here),  she runs a really popular YouTube vlog and she has humbled me so much by including my artwork on a recent video! Wow!! I'm blown away! You can see her excitement while opening up her package of prints and a calendar - squee!! Thank you Farina for sharing my art with so many people! Check out that video here (Skip to minute 22:30 to jump right to the unboxing!):

And as if Farina's excitement wasn't enough... 

I also got to work with an especially sweet and thoughtful mom blogger who wrote a truly tender blog post about the pencil portrait I recently drew of her and her adorable son, Asher. How cute are the two of them together?!? Two peas in a pod for sure! :) 

Krista Happ of 'Happy As We Know It' is such an uplifting and gentle mama. Her posts are filled with love and light, and she writes very meaningfully about motherhood and finding one's place in the world. I am so honored to have my portrait be a part of Krista's tenderly written blog post last week. Thank you Krista for including me in such a wonderful message of love!! Read her post here:

'Because Love is Everyday'

(PS. Snag your own custom pencil portrait here!)

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originally published February 4, 2018

Artist Diary :: Cheers to New Beginnings

Hi friends! As you know I have been working so hard over this last year and a half on my beloved Bohemian Goddesses collection which has afforded me so many opportunities to connect not only with my muses from all over the world, but also viewers of my work as well. I have been so thrilled and honored to have numerous folks tell me that they have felt inspired and represented by my culturally rich group of creative and strong female subjects and I look forward to continuing to create more works that really speak to the soul.

This has been my most meaningful body of work yet, but alas, all good things must come to an end.....

So have a little listen and reflection on why I have decided to conclude this powerful series and what it has meant to my development as an artist, plus get a little teaser on the new and exciting oil painting series I have in the works!

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originally published January 17, 2018

She's My Calendar Girl!

....Or better yet, they're my 12 calendar women! 

I asked and you answered folks: a resounding 'Yes, I should make calendars' featuring all 12 of my Bohemian Goddesses! Thank you all so much for the feedback through my Instagram and Facebook pages! I will definitely be taking more polls on future art projects because hearing back from my biggest supporters made me all warm and fuzzy inside;)

You can watch my goober-y self get all wide-eyed while I unbox and see the calendars for the first time! Excitement!

Get some close-up views and snag one for you (and your BFF for Xmas) here:):) 

Only 22 bucks with free US shipping >here< Hot dang!

Poll :: Goddess Calendars?

Hi friends! I'm taking a poll and I'd love your opinion on a potential upcoming art project decision: Should I create a limited edition 2018 monthly calendar of my Bohemian Goddesses? 

I was just counting the squad and realized I am days away from finishing Goddesses 11 and 12.... and then it dawned on me.... what else comes in a set of 12 and requires artsy decoration? Why a monthly wall calendar of course! 

Luckily I found a pretty good website that can create 50 calendars for a decent price if I order in the next few days so I need to make a decision asap. And with this company I would be able to price them at $25 or less (including shipping!) which will make these a great way for folks to get a nice collection of my recent works!  

If you want to get all official with my poll, you can head over to my Instagram [here] today and cast your vote via my 'story.'

Or, if you're like me and don't wanna add any steps, just drop me a comment here. A simple 'yay' or 'nay' will suffice - short, sweet and to the point! Thanks for the input!

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originally published November 6, 2017