This week I had the pleasure of working on one of my favorite types of projects ... a large format custom canvas!

It brings me such joy because I have felt the frustration of having an empty space but not being able to find the right piece of art for it. Many of us have a wall in our home that is begging for something special to hang on it... something that pulls your color palette together. I have the ability to create abstract paintings that are all about the specific mood and colors you want to convey.

I find it particularly interesting that this savvy client wanted something round, curvy, bubbly and full of motion and layers. I was just reading how this is going to be a strong theme for 2022 in terms of design trends. Check out this quote from Adobe's website calling these sort of shapes, "Soft Pop."

If this sort of thing interests you, you can read more about Adobe's predicted upcoming design trends here.

If you are local, we can schedule a home visit for me to see your colors. However, if you live out of town, you can send me photos of your wall, your decor style and your color palette. I'll give you a price on creating a unique piece just for your home. Contact me if you have questions about this process, or simply if you have a space needing some Creative Collaboration ; )

It's been a dozen years in the making... a dedicated place to create. If you or your children have ever taken an art class with me, you know that it's been at the dining room table of my big kitchen. We've sipped tea together, laughed, learned and experimented in this space. While it has served us well, it's been tugging at me to have a separate, bigger place to create with you. A Create Place. An attached art studio that I can hardly wait to move my giant, paint splattered desk into. We are about a week away from occupying it!

We don't know all of the ways that God will use  A Create Place , but we do know it will be a place to more comfortably collaborate with students and clients, explore different mediums, practice, learn, gather with community and be inspired together.

I'll be offering studio time each week on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Rather than the more formal class with a structured lesson approach, we'll be changing it up a bit. In Open Studio I'll be demonstrating as I paint and explaining what I'm doing as I go.  It will be an open forum for students to work on their own projects using their medium of choice or simply relax and learn by watching others. 

We also plan to use this new space to host a Thursday evening drawing class, private paint parties, watercolor workshops and monthly kid's classes. More details to come on all of those things, but for now you can use those links to read more about them.

I hope you'll join us at A Create Place. Here is the link to book your Open Studio time. 

If you've known me long, chances are you've heard me talk about my friend, Missy. She is one of those people that knowing her, changes you. You may think you'll just walk away and smile at her quirky ways and Missy-isms, but nope, she'll get in your head and affect you. You'll start questioning and thinking about yourself and your junk.

I met Missy in church circa 1999. Since then, we have shared innumerable cups of coffee,  done art shows together, talked until I needed a nap and laughed our heads off. She lives, creates (and decorates) by her own rules.

I recently visited her in Florence, Alabama, for her daughter's wedding. I also got to visit with her 6 kids who I love and see her new shop, Mom's. 

While that weekend was truly about her beautiful daughter's celebration, her kids had hired me to paint her in front of her shop and this was my opportunity to personally deliver it. While I was there, I couldn't help but reflect on some of the things that she's taught me.

Nobody has shown me better than Missy to let go of my people pleasing tendencies. When I'd worry about what people think or was steeping in anything that couldn't be changed or helped, she'd tell me, "Caryn, flush it!" This was her way of telling me to let it go, leave it alone, give it a rest, etc... I can't tell you how many times I've heard those very words replayed in my head when obsessing over something I can't control. 

Not only does she fill baskets and jars with Pez dispensers, spools, beads and vintage finds, but her friendships are colorful as well. She has taught me that those "fringe friends" in your life (the ones who you may not normally think to call, are some of the best and most underrated people.) When she lived in Florida, her big table was always full of different people all sharing a need to kick off their shoes and be in a place of non-judgement, laughter and soul rest. She lives out her motto that you don't have to go to church to be the church.

OK, maybe a clean house is lovely, but Missy has taught me that to spend your time listening to others, serving and exploring creative pursuits is worthwhile.  Cleaning house is good, but should not be elevated in importance beyond truly living and loving well. The same goes for dirty feet ...

It's OK to experiment and head down a creative path just for the bliss of it. She freely shares her in-process furniture, thrift store finds, and beads and baubles, knowing that in the end it may be junk, or it may be something brilliant. Either way, you explored something new, did not stay in your "creative lane" and tried what may just become your next favorite thing to make.

So, if you are lucky enough to find yourself in Florence one day ... come meet "Mom" at Seven Points. You'll be glad you did!

Last week I had the pleasure of creating a memory piece for a family whose father kept a journal. To bless his legacy and remind them of his kind heart, his daughter had me put together one of us journal entries with his handwriting and some imagery from the entry. I've never created a piece like this before.

I've always loved wild strawberries, dogwood trees and cardinals! All such glorious creations by the All Mighty! Since painting cardinals was new to me,  I had to study them a bit to see what details I wanted to include.

What makes these birds so unique to me is their vibrant coloring and their black mask. I knew that I wanted to feature it's mask prominently.

I'm not a gadget girl. I try to stick to what I know works in terms of kitchen untensils, woodworking tools and yes paint brushes! That said, I've wondered how people make those mini paintings the size of a dime without their hands getting in the way of their view! I like to quip that I have man hands. They are not big in size, but are certainly not slender in form. It's tough to see around my chunky fingers to what I'm painting if it is in a small area. While working on this piece, I decided to purchase and try out the Princeton Velvet Touch Tight Spot angled brush. I have to say, although the brush looks a little funny, I loved using it! Here is one of those, "form follows function" moments. I could easily see what delicate areas I was working with without getting in my own way.

I'm including a little step-by-step watercolor cardinal tutorial to show how I tackled this little guy.

This piece got me thinking about journal entries that I have of my dad. I may consider making something like this from one of the cards or things he has written on. I have a hard time throwing anything away with his handwriting on it. Just so special to memorialize I think.

Let me know what you think if you try out the Princeton brush or if you ever want a special piece made just for your family.