Salon de Maria Blog

Artists are from another planet.  That's the conclusion that I've come to. 

In general, people who give advice on productivity always tell you that it's better to get up early...blah...blah...blah.  Sure, this may work for other people, but the creative people I know are night owls who work into the wee hours of the morning.  They're idea of waking up "early" is 10-11 a.m. 

There's something about working in the very early morning...say, 1-3 a.m.  Except for the occasional dog barking, the earth is very silent.  No birds chirping and no rooster crowing. (I have a neighbor with chickens!)  Absolutely silent...and during those hours I'm able to just be inside my head.  There's no oohing and ahhing at how beautiful the sunshine is outside.  I'm focused on the task at hand (Usually I'm writing). 

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As I continue my quest to do something different each day, I thought I'd visit other blogs that I've never read before. 

Being that I am an artist, I wanted to discover other artists who blog and I came across The Affluent Artist Blog which is written by Rick DiBiasio.

I like this post, Too Busy to Get Anything Done, in which Rick talks about how many of us need to "declutter" our life to make room for the important things.  Here is a video clip of Rick expanding on that thought...

Continue reading "Lessons From Rick DiBiasio, "The Affluent Artist"" »

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It's been awhile since I've picked up the paintbrushes, but I found some inspiration today as I browsed the Park West Art Gallery website.   One particular artist whose work caught my eye was Jean-Claude Picot, whose art is featured at the gallery. 

Picot's work takes one on an adventure into the world of vibrant and bold color.  I especially like the piece pictured here, "Mediterranee" because of the simple use of lines that come together to produce a very detailed and whimsical painting.  My eyes move all around the composition - taking in the scenery...

Jean-Claude Picot offers us a modern view of impressionism, which is one of my favorite styles of painting.   

**Sponsored Post 

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Every artist needs a couple tools to keep the spark of creativity going.  In my life as an artist, there are two creativity tools that I have not been able to do without:  a notebook and a sketchbook. 

I literally have dozens of notebooks filled with ideas for blog posts, quotes, or pictures from magazines.  If I ever go through a writer's block or I don't have an idea for a drawing or painting, I'll flip through my notebooks to find images or information that will inspire me. 

I'm always aware of what's going on around me and the things that I come across in my daily travels.  As an artist you should always pay attention because you never know when or where that bit of inspiration will come from.  You could be at the mall and overhear a conversation that will spark an idea for an article or book.  Maybe you'll see something that you would want to interpret as a painting.  When you have a notebook handy at all times, it's easy to capture that idea so that you don't forget it later. 

The notebook is also a great place to simply write down your thoughts or to clear your mind of all that brain clutter that could be blocking all the creative ideas in your head.  Maybe you've just sat down to do some writing or to work on that painting, but you've got a million things vying for attention in your mind.  You've got a list of things to do, people to call, places to go.  Sometimes it's good to just get it all down on paper.  That way those creative juices don't get lost in the shuffle of thoughts. 

My other must-have creativity tool is an artist sketchbook.  A sketchbook gives you a chance to play around with ideas.  However, a sketchbook is not limited to just drawings or sketches.  One of the things I love to do with my sketchbook is to make multi-media collages like the one pictured here. (click picture to buy a print at my gift shop) 

Working in an artist sketchbook helps keep my mind open and gets me "warmed up" for other projects that require a great deal of creativity.  Sometimes I'll work on a collage in my sketchbook which will inspire a jewelry piece or maybe a simple sketch will turn into a full-blown colorful painting.  I think of the sketchbook as the catalyst for more creative ventures. 

If you're an artist or writer, I would highly recommend keeping at least one of these creativity tools nearby at all times!

Recommended Resource:The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity [10th Anniversary Edition]

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The beauty of the internet is that at the touch of a button you can visit other inspiring artists around the world!  It’s been a few weeks since I’ve painted, but checking out other artists’ work has fueled my creative painting energy ;) 

My first stop tonight was Wendy Ryan’s Folk Art blog where she has posted all these absolutely gorgeous paintings!  I adore Wendy’s angel paintings like the one pictured here…

Continue reading "Inspiring Artists' Blogs" »

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I subscribe to Ken Aldridge’s newsletter and received an email today notifying me of the launch of his new Symbolism Gallery. Pretty interesting pieces, I must say! The way people are eating these days, some of them would have to get liposuction to fit into those coffins! Anyhow, these works of art do make you think a little bit deeper about life...

Ken is offering $50 off all purchases of $100 or more or $100 all purchases of $500 or more until the end of the year!

**Sponsored Post

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Via the Liquid Sky Arts Blog I came across All Sorts, another blog by a great craft/art blogger, Jenny B. Harris. Jenny has some truly inspiring work and she shares some holiday dangles you can use (pictured here is a sample).

This has gotten me in the mood to make some cards of my own! Check out my current inventory of greeting cards...

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I've spent a considerable amount of time this week making jewelry and beaded dog collars for this festival next month.  It's been months since I've participated in a street fair because I've been so busy with my writing lately.  However, my soul was crying to take some time out and make jewelry and visit other jewelry artists....I came upon these two jewelry artists through an article I wrote at Customers Are Always about justtwogirls.com (a must read for those of you who are thinking about hiring a web designer!)  There's also a very long thread about it at The Switchboards.

• Dreams & Jewelry - a blog about artisans, jewelry, and everything else
• Castro Creations - elegant jewelry designs - Megan also offers some tips on pricing your jewelry - very helpful!

I still have yet to update my Etsy store with new jewelry creations, but it is certainly on the "To Do" list for next week.  Stay tuned!  Oh, and shout out to Stephanie of Back in Skinny Jeans for the write-up ;)

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I’ve been out in the business blogosphere gallivanting around learning all there is to know about the fashion business and customer service and now it’s time to settle back, reacquaint myself with the other fun and artsy side of me - the side that screams to be taken care of!!

So off to the artsy blogs I go to catch up on all the latest. Here’s some posts that I found of interest:

• Art News Blog tells us about some artists that are making a good living online by selling their paintings. I used to sell my art on Yahoo! Auctions and actually did pretty well there because there isn’t as much competition as eBay. Perhaps I’ll do a whole post on my experience selling online in the future...
• I oogled over a painting by Christina Hankins. So colorful. So fun. So absolutely inspiring! I wish I could whip out my paintbrushes right now, but they’re in storage until I get settled into my little abode in Mexico.
• Carolyn Goodwin introduces us to Nice Package, a Flickr group that shows off pictures of pretty packaging. I’ve always said that sometimes the presentation of the gift is better than the gift itself!

On a creative note, I’ve been a busy bee creating new jewelry for upcoming events here in San Diego. Oh gosh, the holidays are fast approaching! I haven’t been able to post new items to my Etsy store lately, but I should have some up by the end of the week ;)

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Ahh...the life of a busy artist!  From writing, to making jewelry, and taking pictures, it's a wonder how or when I get any sleep.  I just finished updating the photography page on my website and it's exactly 3:16 a.m.!   

I just can't seem to stop...the ideas just keep on flowing in...

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I love how the internet has opened up a whole other world to me.  It gives me the chance to travel to far off distant places and "meet" other people who share my same interests...

Today I came across Gina Halladay's blog, a quilter here in Southern California.  Coincidentally, Gina is married to Hal Halladay, who is the CEO of Know More Media.  Know More Media is the company I do some blogging for.  Small world, eh? 

Now, I'm not a quilter, but as an artist I can appreciate the design process of a quilt.  My mother (God rest her soul) made a quilt for me when I was younger and unfortunately never kept it. 

Anyhow, Gina is also a phenomenal writer and blogger and has truly inspired me... Visit her blog to find out more about quilting and check out some colorful projects:  http://www.quiltersbuzz.com

Photo Credit: Stitchinpost.com

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