it's time for ONE WORLD ONE HEART 2011!

well, it's january 30th/31st...and you know what that means? 

 it's time for.....

i'm so excited to be a part of this 2011 blog-fest!

if you don't know what i'm talking about, you can find all about it here.

i talked a bit about it in my previous post, so you could also scroll down and read about it there.

i'm lori diane from lake oswego, oregon and come from a family of artists...my mom, my sister, many of her daughters, my daughter, and i'm sure there must have been ancesters further back that i'm not aware of, because it's so strong with us.  i have only recently in this last year hooked back up with my passion of art and decided to acknowledge that maybe i am an artist...maybe that is what my "gift" is...maybe it's okay to create in my free time, after many years of feeling i couldn't make a living at it, and so didn't even let myself do what i loved.  i have had a few artistic jobs...i was a photo retoucher pre-computers then became a stay at home mom for many years, during which time in the last few years illustrated for a children's toy catalog.  but for whatever reason, i still wouldn't call myself an artist...i had artistic jobs, but never created in my free time.  well now i do create in my free time and love every minute of it...typically i paint.  i have been painting with acrylics and have fun experimenting with mixed media added in there for texture or interest.  i painted with oils years ago, and think i might go that direction at times as well....i'd also like to experiment with pastels.  i have a good sized set of oil pastels i bought about 30 years ago and never touched...maybe because i didn't create in my free time.  so this blog reflects my art, the creation and inspiration of it as well as a glimpse of my life.  i also love decorating, thrift sales, flea markets, vintage stores and so you'll see a bit of that as well.

 i'm really excited to be a part of One World One Heart, and look forward to discovering new bloggers and future friends who share this same love of creating.

i guess that's it! 

 i hope you'll become a "friend" and stop by and visit often, as I am blown away by the support and true feeling of friendships that i have experienced thus far...really i am.  it's through this support that makes me feel that even if something doesn't sell, i could and should keep going.

i am offering a CHOICE of two pieces!  i really couldn't decide...option one is an archival matted print of one of my mixed media paintings i titled Purity. the print itself is approximately 5 x 7, and the outside of the mat is 8 x 10...ready for framing.  i signed the original painting which you can see in the corner, but also signed the border of the print hidden by the mat.

the original was painted with acrylics on canvas...i used embossed papers for the background, and used small beads and glitter in her crown.  i blogged about the process showing more pics in a past post here.

here is the picture from a magazine that was my inspiration for the painting, and the print before matting...

and option two is an 8 x 10 wood block mounted print of a mixed media painting i did using collaged papers in the background.  it's mounted on birch wood and has a sawtooth hanger on the back so it's ready for hanging. 

all you have to do to win EITHER my matted print OR my wood block print is leave a comment telling me which you'd prefer, and i will put everyone's name/visitor number in a bowl, and pull a name/number for the winner! make sure you leave leave a way to contact you via your blog link or some other method.  the winner will be announced february 17th and i'll post an annoucement at that tme.

        thanks for stopping by...have fun on your OWOH journey. 

i know i will!  and until next time...

much love and peace!

ONE WORLD ONE HEART!!!!

I'm so excited!  I am planning on participating in this year's On World One Heart!  I haven't ever done this but know those who have...including my sister at Rusted Wings and my niece at The Waking Artist, and they said it was such a great experience...so I'm really excited about it!

As explained on the Lisa's blog:
One World One Heart is a worldwide event for bloggers only. It gives all those who blog a chance to meet and mingle and form connections with those they may not have otherwise met from all over the world. In the past 4 years this event has grown to over 1,000 participants with lasting friendships (and even one love connection) formed along the way. Think of it as a GIGANTIC open house allowing you to travel without ever leaving your home........going from blog to blog(in various countries) seeing the wonder each one has created and meeting all the fabulous people behind those blogs. As a bonus each blogger participant will offer up a "door prize or prizes"....just for dropping by, saying hello and seeing their world. It's really that easy.

The link to the blog, A Whimsical Bohemian, which tells all of the rules and what to do to be a part of this great event is HERE.  I hope you all join the fun and spread the word!  Let me know if you've done it before and your experiences...I'd love to hear!!!

Girl with the red shawl

I finished another piece.  I used a photograph of an actress from the 1920's as inspiration.

Being a black and white photograph let me imagine what color her sheer shawl was.  I chose a deep red.

I had a hard time photographing it.  Using a flash surprisingly looked good ~ I just had to photograph it at a slight angle to not get the glare of the flash on the canvas.  Believe me there were a lot of frames with the glare.  And then when I used natural light there was a slight glare of the natural light.  You have to do it at just the right time to make all the stars align.

So, this full shot was at a slight angle too ~ with the flash.  I'll have to try again a little later without the flash to get a true straight shot.

MOTHER AND CHILD...

Just finished my latest piece.  It's a close up of old master artist Bernardino Luini titled The Sleeping Christ. The full painting was quite large and included angels surrounding them.  These paintings, although depicting Mary and Jesus, touch us as as a portrait of any mother and child, I think.  The love and tenderness that touches your heart.  I really love the way it looks...the depth, the soulful expressions...the blackest of black highlighting the soft, sweet faces.  That's what makes it an Italian old master. I am so drawn to the old master paintings...