Cloth, Paper, Scissors Magazine Giveaway!

Win this magazine - read below

I am honored and thrilled that the editors of my favorite magazine, Cloth, Paper, Scissors, picked my blog for their New Magazine Blog Tour.   I will be reviewing their magazines and offering free magazines to a few lucky Art in my Heart Blog readers starting with GIFTS, their first annual holiday issue.  This magazine is super-sized at 148 pages and can be found at Barnes & Noble for $14.99.  Or you can participate in my blog giveaway and perhaps win a free copy!

Here is what I need from you….
I have never done a blog giveaway before so I am looking for great ideas on how to do this.  Have you ever done a giveaway or participated in one?  What works and what is fun?  Anyone that comments will be entered into my CPS magazine giveaway. 
I have my cup of coffee and a fire lit in the fireplace.  It just started snowing outside.  I am off to read through GIFTS and will get back to you soon!

Lots to learn about Color!

Ingrid making a beautiful color study

Kim showing her book with her painted cover

Comparing books

More color studies

It has been a couple busy weeks teaching classes and trying to keep up on the holiday hoopla around the house.  Needless to say, my house doesn't look at all xmas-y yet as my priorities are always with my classes.  Friday I finished teaching The Good, the Bad and the Beauty of Color Class and everyone left with a beautiful spiral bound book full of color studies.

The Chickens are Back!

Ethyl's Home

My chickens see me coming from across the yard, with my food pail in my hand.  They come running in hopes that I have something very special in there or perhaps they want to be the first to the goodies.  If Ethyl or any of them ever get out of their little pen, this is a good way to get them back again. 
I have been having fun painting miniature paintings of my chickens giving them lots of color and life.  These paintings will be available for purchase starting on Friday for the First Friday Art Walk at the Birkenstock store and the Red Chair Gallery, December 4, 2010.  Hope you will come in and let me know what you think.

Getting Ready to Teach "The Good, the Bad and the Beauty of Color" Class

I always enjoy getting ready for this upcoming class starting on Friday at Bend, Oregon's Art's Central.  Students will be doing lots of color studies as well as learning how to use the color wheel to help them create beautifully colored paintings.  One of my favorite parts is teaching how the temperature of colors (either warm or cool) can greatly affect the color mixes.  By the end of the class we will put our color studies in a little spiral bound book, a perfect reference for taking to future classes.  There is still room in this class if you would like to sign up.  Just sign up on line with the Art Station.  Here are some photos from previous classes:

Daily Paintings

Romance

Cold, snowy days are great for painting small paintings for the upcoming Art Hop on December 3, 2010 in Bend, Oregon!

Miniture Paintings

Summer Repeat

I love painting these small paintings that are really meant for a spot on a shelf or coffee table.  My goal is to paint one or two a day for the next few weeks so that I have a good supply for the upcoming December Art Hop in Bend, OR.  Perhaps they will make a perfect Christmas gift for someone special.  If you are strolling around town on Friday, Dec. 3, please stop by at the Birkenstock Shoe Store to say "Hi".

Wishing you Sunshine, A peek inside my Watercolor Journal

Driving around the steep hills of the Island of St. Thomas, our car peaks a high point and we burst out of the lush vegetation to spectacular views of the emerald Caribbean Ocean below.  Then just as quickly, this gem is hidden again by the jungle overgrowth along the narrow roadside.  In this painting, I wanted to capture the colorful patterns and shadows created by the bright sunshine on the windy streets.  My hope is to depict warmth and light!

Painting in the Tropics, a Peek inside my Watercolor Journal

Spending a week in the tropics is refreshing for those of us who reside in a color stricken area such as Central Oregon in the drab months between fall and winter.  What a feast of color!  Even the Iguanas slipping into the bushes are colorful.  This ancient creature was sunbathing on a rock.  He actually had more color than I gave him!

Surprises along the way

Enjoying the view with a cup of Cortadito

We are traveling from Oregon to St. Thomas for a wedding and after 16 hours and 3 plane rides later, we were hoping for a good cup of coffee as we waited for our last flight out of the Miami airport.  Our layover was 3 hours.  I approached a perky looking petite woman holding an very official clipboard, dressed in a red skirted American Airlines suit and seemed open for questions.  "Is there a Starbucks nearby?"  "Just 10 minutes by the sky train," she said.  She had a beautiful Italian accent and we struck up a friendly conversation when she offered that her favorite coffee is Cuban coffee and available just around the corner!  I was up to try something new and so was David.  "You have to go past the sit-down area and go to the coffee stand-up bar and ask for Cortadito".  Which we did and absolutely loved our tiny cup of cortadito that we ended up having 2!  We also enjoyed Cuban pastries, savory and sweet.

Ladies at the coffee bar making Cortaditos

Making Plans for Painting in Provence, May 2011

I met with Helen yesterday about our upcoming May 9-19 trip to Provence, France.  I am getting so excited about it that I can't sleep past 4:30 in the morning.   We will be visiting  Roussillon know for it's red-ochre colors and designated one of the most beautiful villages in France.  Here is a photo that I took when I was there with my family in 2003.  This photo is inspiring me to get to my studio today to paint!  Daniel Smith Art Supplies has a color I haven't tried yet - Burgundy Red Ochre.  Described as a granulating, reddish-brown earth color, it sounds perfect for trying to capture the ruby glow of Roussillon.  They also have free shipping, so now is a good time to stock up on supplies if you need anything.