The Vertu Art Experience

The Vertu art exhibit was such a wonderful, amazing experience!  Just taking the leap and seeing what would happen if I submitted my work was a big step for me.  To be blessed with having two of my pieces accepted to the show was more than I could have hoped for!  I'm so glad I gathered up the courage to do it!  I've felt God gently nudging me and can't deny the doors He is opening!  I'm truly grateful to have been given this opportunity!

Here are the two paintings that were in the show:

"Cherish"
Mixed Media by Jennifer Snellings

"Rest"
Mixed Media by Jennifer Snellings

So, the day of the reception was a whirlwind.  We were having some work done on our home and everything was a wreck.  My entire family joined me that evening at the gallery.  I decided to bring my kids so they could experience the show with me; a decision that proved to have it challenges, but overall went well.  I'm so glad my daughter especially was able to see my work in a gallery show (my son is still to young to know what was going on).  She is very artistic and I want to expose her to all that I can!  And my amazingly supportive husband of course wouldn't have missed it!!!  We finally got ourselves dressed and ready to go.  Then on the way there the skies opened with a huge thunderstorm.  At least we needed the rain!! :)

When we arrived at the Artist's Showplace Gallery, it was already full of people.  I couldn't believe how well the show was attended, especially with the yucky weather!  I had several dear friends come to support me which meant the world to me!  It was a wonderfully festive atmosphere with an amazing saxophonist, wine, and great company! 

We browsed the show and of course found my artwork!! 

The night was a huge success and an unbelievable experience!  I'm so thankful to have been a part of it all and will definitely remember it always!  :) 

No Time Like the Present

It is amazing how time flies.  Here we are having already soared through June and are now flying through July!  I feel so overwhelmed at times trying to balance (there is my "One Word" again which you can read about here and here!) life...family, home, ministry, relationships, art, creativity, etc...  There is so much I want to do...how do I fit it all in??  So often I find myself putting my dreams on the back burner.  I don't have time in between chasing the kids, preparing meals, doing laundry, spending quality time with loved ones, grocery shopping, bill paying, and on and on and on (sound familiar) to start taking steps to pursue my dreams.  I've thought "I'm pregnant now and feel so yucky, have no energy, so I'll do it when I feel better" or "Not now, I have a newborn to take care of, so I'll do it when he is sleeping better", or "We may be moving, I better wait until after the move"!  I can think of every excuse in the world not to move forward.  One of my favorite artists, Kelly Rae Roberts, recently posted this on her blog:

"things are still a little wild and unbalanced over here but i'm trying to let it all go, embrace the chaos, and move along with an open heart. i was reminded on my birthday (i turned 35 on on father's day!) that we're so often living in the future (i'll do xyz when our house is done being renovated, when we have a baby, when the e-course is over, when when when). but really i want to be in the very center of where i'm at right now. because where i'm at right now is in the middle of my life's living dreams. it's so remarkable. i don't want to miss anything." ~ from Kelly Rae Roberts

I so needed to hear this!  I love the idea of "being in the very center of where I am right now", not allowing time to slip away, but grabbing hold of it and making the most of it!  And realizing that "where I'm at right now is in the middle of my life's living dreams"!  I too don't want to miss anything!  I want to dream and explore and take chances and fall and pick myself back up and see what doors God will open for me!  I want to not only live in the now with my family and cherish life passing so quickly with my kids, but also dream big creatively and go for it!  I want to stop making excuses and start planning, creating, and acting on those dreams and the steps needed to fulfill them!  I want to open that Etsy shop I've been talking about (and putting off for months now)!  I want to make my art a priority (still a struggle) and see where God will take me as I explore this gift He has given me. 

I'm so excited to see what the future holds, but I want to live into the now, pursue my dreams and take those steps to make my dreams come true!  There is no time like the present!  Will you join me on this journey?!

Vertu: An Art Exhibit

I'm super excited to share that two of my mixed media paintings were selected to be in a juried gallery show.  This is my first juried show!  I took the leap of faith and decided to go for it; the worst that could happen would be that they said "no thanks".  I'm so honored that my pieces were chosen and my work will be shown along side such amazing local artists!  The Artists' Reception is July 9th and I'll be sure to take lots of pictures to share!!  If you are in the Dallas area, my work will be up throughout the month of July at the Artists' Showplace.

More Gut Art

Here is another journal page from my Gut Art Book.  It was inspired by the artist Terri Hallman using Mystele's pulled art technique.  She is a bit different for me, but I loved creating her! The words at the side are a journaling list of all the things I love and that inspired me about Terri's work.  That is the cool thing about the Gut Art Class; it pushed me to look deeply at what draws me to other artists, artwork, imagery, etc.  I want to keep pushing myself to notice these things and then explore them more in my own artwork.

This little gal was inspired by my daughter.  Just a quick, blonde blue eyed girly. 

Here are some more background pages in my book just waiting to be explored further:

Super fun working in my Gut Art Book.  I'm looking forward to spending some more time with it!  By the way, Mystele is currently taking registrations for her 3rd Gut Art Class.  I highly recommend it!! :)

Work Of Art

I've always loved shows like Design Star, Project Runway, and Debbie Travis' From the Ground Up, so when I heard about this you can't believe my excitement!!!!




It looks to be exciting, creative, even a bit edgy, but I can't wait for it to start!!! :)

Balance

Balance is my "One Word" for the year. Balance in my life; balancing my family, my ministry, my art...my time! I've been struggling a bit to find balance, but I'm still working toward it and I think maybe I'm getting a bit closer. Having two young children (6 years and 11 months) really makes this challenging. I have a tendency to focus on them and not allow myself any time at all. Of course meeting the needs of my husband and children is very important, but I've realized when I make time for me (usually time for creating, reading or just relaxing) I'm a much better wife and mommy. So, I'll keep working on it! I'd love to hear some of your ideas on how you balance life and fit in "you" time, especially how you carve out time to create your art!!

One thing I have really found helpful is taking online art classes. They not only stretch me and allow me to grow as an artist, but they are also incredibly inspiring, motivating and force me to make time to create. I've been taking my dear friend, Mystele's, amazing Gut Art class. Wow, so creatively transforming! Mystele is one of the most creative and innovative people I've ever met and she is truly gifted as a teacher. Check out her community and dive into some creative loveliness!! :) I've been working in my Gut Art Book, pushing myself to really play as an artist and learn/discover more about my inner creative voice. Here are a few things I've had fun with:

This is the unfinished cover of my Gut Art Book. I created it out of recycled cardboard materials, mostly junk mail fliers and food boxes (like cereal, crackers, etc.). I layered collage elements and paint along with some stamping. I plan to go back and add a title and some other fun embellishments to finish it off.


My Gut Art book is basically an art journal, an area for me to play and not worry about the result. It has been very freeing to try new things and take chances!






This is a background I created on one of my book pages. It turned into this:





Mystele has this amazing technique of "pulling" art out of your background. Through the shapes, lines and colors in my background I was able to "pull out" this figure. It is a very cool experience to create an image of something from the elements that were placed before it. I've really loved learning this technique!


Below is another background page ready and waiting for some creating to happen. To make this page I glued several pages from an old phone book together, then used acrylic paint and water soluble pastels to cover it.

I'll share a few more peeks into my Gut Art book soon!

Happy Creating!!

Jennifer

My One Word

It is hard to believe we have already flown through January! This year is off to a quick start and as usual I'm running to catch up! I always love the beginning of a new year. There is a unique feeling that comes with it...that of anticipation, renewal, new beginnings and fresh starts. I always feel like I want to wipe the slate clean and start fresh! It is such a great time to take inventory and set goals.

One thing I really enjoy doing at the start of each year is picking my "One Word" for the year. I first heard of this concept through Ali Edwards' wonderful blog three years ago. My word for 2008 was "Create" and that was the year I committed myself to rediscovering my art. Last year I chose "Simplify" due to the big changes our family would be experiencing as we prepared for the arrival of our second child and I begun working toward my newly discovered desire to begin selling my artwork. I feel like I did well with Simplify; I focused on a few major areas such as:

• my home where I decluttered, purged, rearranged and tried to set up more simple systems and routines. Below are a few pictures of one of my biggest projects last year, my newly redone studio area.

I purchased new bookshelves and desk and purged a lot of supplies. I keep all of my art supplies here, except for my paints which I currently have in the laundry room off our kitchen. I do all of my painting in the kitchen (near a sink and where there is no carpet). That empty space on the wall above the desk is waiting for a painting that I recently finished. I'll share soon! :)

The bookshelves hold a lot of my scrapbooking supplies, stamps, art books, and albums. I keep my canvases, collage items, and sketch pads in the white cubes. Our kitties like it in here as well! That is Chloe catching a quick nap.

• my life by doing my best to say "no" when I really need to focus on other things. There are so many wonderful opportunities out there and different ways to spend my time. I've learned that it is okay to serve or help in some areas, but I don't have to, nor can I do everything!


• my art by reorganizing and purging my supplies. I'm trying my best to buy only what I need rather than "collecting" art supplies; they can be so addictive!!
  

• my ministry by stepping down from some much loved responsibilities.
  

I made a lot of headway...but still continue to look for ways to simplify this busy life even more so I can concentrate on and make time for the things most important to me!

So, my One Word for 2010...oh, it is a good one! One that I need a lot of work on! I'll share in my next post, but in the meantime, do you have a special One Word that you are focusing on this year?!! :) I'd love to hear all about it!