Paintings Featured!

I am a goal setter. Always have been. And one of the goals I set a year ago once becoming a full-time artist was to get my artwork published. I love to share ideas, it's the teacher in me, and I enjoy writing. I drool and read over and over again all the Somerset publications, so these were the first I started submitting to. Each publication they print has a submission guideline, it's just getting the ideas formulated that you know an audience would enjoy and want to try on their own that's hard. When I pack my ideas up and mail them, I have no idea whether or not they'll be published until I receive the email...and then my heart just flutters! I sent a sample of my texture paintings and a felted flower cone for review about 4 months ago. I knew within a week that the paintings were going to be featured and that they needed 3 more to make the article complete. So off I painted and mailed! And in the mail this week came the magazine! Oh that is a feeling I can not even describe. The editor (the adorable Amanda Belle for this one) emails you copy to proof, so you know what it's going to look like, but to really see the article in print is so amazing. And flattering. So here's the cover of Somerset Home this month. And here's the first page of my three. I expect my paintings back in a few more weeks. And these I'll probably keep for awhile in my home. So what's next.....well I can't say for sure, but I can say that really good things are on the horizon! For now, thanks Amanda Belle for including me in this amazing publication filled with projects that I am totally inspired by.

I'll be offline for a few days. I'm heading to Alabama for a family visit and the first planning meeting of our 20 year Homewood High School Class of 1990 reunion. Man, time flies. Crazy fast. So have a happy creative weekend!

A Very Productive Day

Today was just one of those days. A day where things fell into place and I was able to achieve so much. It was a "yeah me" day! (I watch too much Disney to think of that quote.) William and Mailey both had guests all day, which was a huge bonus. I love to have friends over, especially low maintenance ones. So here's some of what I did creatively today: New jewelry for the Naked Art Gallery. I think I wrapped up about 25 pieces for Vero. These cool brushed metal pieces were a find on Tybee Island from the Fish Art man. Great find....great find. I have thousands of more little pieces, I didn't even make a dent in my collection.

In addition to the jewelry pieces I was able to get the brides finished up and stowed away, the studio cleaned up and ready for jewelry making, 13 boards textured and drawn on ready to be painted, the turtle tank cleaned (it stunk bad), jewelry items photographed, jewelry items inventoried, jewelry items emailed over to Vero, called the principal of the new school and got the thumbs up for afterschool art there, and managed to not loose my head during all this. All because the kids were entertained and I had set attainable goals for myself. Sometimes setting attainable goals, and not reach for the sky goals is all it takes to get through the day. I even managed to get to some of tomorrows goals.

So now I am free to watch After the Final Rose- love that junk TV. Such a guilty pleasure! Hope you had a productive day as well!

"Here Comes the Bride(s)"

So here I am, painting. It's about hour 20 and I am going strong. It's strange how the hours flew by while painting these lovely ladies. Although the images were totally out of my comfort zone, I was able to find my way with ease. I even added some textured flowers. They are by far my favorite part of the entire composition of course. Here are Alyssa's flowers:

And here are Isabella's flowers. And folks, this is all I am showing you. Yep. I've decided that I want Amy and Ashley to get the whole effect when I bring them up to Nashville on August 12th. Photos really never truly show the texture and colors correctly I've found.

Speaking of working long hours, I really meant what I said above about the hours passing so quickly while painting. In fact, I am a little sad that the project is over. As much as I stressed over starting, once I got going the entire process flowed seamlessly. It's funny how when moving in the right direction, things can and will fall into place. When I spoke to Amy last night she said she was working all the time. It's good for you, I said. When I look at how far Valerie has taken the Flea over the past year on her own and now Amy and Ashley with starting the business, I just have to stand in their light and bask a little. These women have all taken a huge leap of faith and opened doors that have been along their life path, but waited to be opened at just the right time. It's funny how we travel, walking past the opportunities. We get married, have children, volunteer, play taxi, and all those other roles that follow with being a mother and wife. And some women are completely satisfied with never opening any more doors. But then there are women like Valerie, Amy, Ashley and myself who yearn for more. Who open the door and fall right in. And thrive on the successes and failures that come with turning the knob. I've closed some doors the past year that were so hard to do. But with those closings, opportunities have presented themselves I'd never had seen had I not been right here. And I am so very thankful that through it all these women mentioned above have been there by my side. And now I stand with them.

Isabella (The brides now have names)

You know how we are around this house about naming things. So if birds have names, then these ladies have to have names too. So I introduce to you Isabella. This photo is in the beginning stages. I got a bit panicked about the "Cinderella" blue background and sure enough, it had to be toned down. Ah, much better. Now all that is left are the flowers. I am off to tackle blondie for awhile before flowers. I wonder what Mailey will come up with for her name? I find that working on both at the same time gives them more of the same brush stroke.

Here's a close-up of the hair. I found a new texture medium that I LOVE! It dries in like 15 minutes as a opposed to my joint compound which is 24 hours.

I wanted her dress to look like fancy lace. I think the texture material, oil sticks and a little patience have gotten just that. Well, off to get the giant brush out and going again. See you later tonight..... maybe.

The Task Ahead

This is me and my BFF from childhood Amy Hill Dickerson below. I believe this picture was taken on our senior trip to Destin, FL. Anyhoo, why a picture of her on my arty blog? Well, here goes the short version of a long story. Growing up we were peas in a pod. We took piano from the same teacher, sang together (amazing I might add!), had show choir together, Star Spangled Girls together, amazing trips together, ate lunch everyday in the same spot together, even had the same boyfriends (not at the same time). You get the idea. For our class Who's Who I was voted "Most Creative" and she was voted "Most Likely to Succeed". Hummm...At the time I'd never had art and she was of course going to succeed, but at that point it was unclear as to the what and how. Our classmates saw something in the two of us that perhaps we didn't even see in ourselves. And those silly little who's stayed in the back of our minds and laid heavy on our hearts for quite sometime now. So fast forward almost 20 years and here's how those little who's have panned out for us both. I am now a full-time artist! "Wow" is what most of my classmates say that have found me on facebook. Most say, "I never knew you painted." And Amy, well she's starting a BUSINESS! Yipee, skippee! In Nashville, Tennessee along with her sister-in-law Ashley, they are starting Wedding 101. It's an amazing concept. As a bride you would go to their space where soon to be thousands of wedding oriented businesses are advertising through displays, binders and wall hangings. It's a virtual wedding library. All the leg work is done and waiting for you to plan your dream wedding. Wow. I know. It's been an exciting and yet overwhelming journey for them both. Having been a store owner myself at one point, I understand their anticipation and wanting to have it all just DONE. So here's my part of the business.

Yes, these are as ginormous as they look. And there are two of them. And they are going to have brides on them. OH my. You see, I paint birds and little flowers and happy things. not that brides aren't happy, but they are people. With skin and hair and big puffy dresses.

Yes, that is a big canvas going into my house. Lots of paint will be consumed by it as well.

Thank goodness I bought an overhead years ago when I painted murals. These chicks would have been totally unproportioned if not.

And of course Mailey is making here own bridal party right along side of me. I set both paintings up so I can work on them at the same time. They are going to hang flanking the door to their office. I'll be posting my progress, and Mailey's over the weekend. I will not be working on anything else until this is done. So just be prepared to be humming "Here comes the bride" when you visit me here!

She's Always By My Side

This is dear Ellie. One of the four cats running a-muck in our home. I truly believe in a prior life she was an artist. She's ALWAYS on my art desk. And if she's not here, she's resting on a new canvas painting laying to dry on the kitchen table. Her girth makes a hammock effect in the canvas. Which although it makes my head spin, I have to giggle too. There's always cat hair in my paint, in the palette, on the computer keyboard, on the edges of my collage paper, tickling the brushes and of course all over the floor my feet rest. But, I wouldn't have it any other way. When the rest of the house sleeps away(like right now), she hangs with me. And talks, and pushes things around. So if you receive a felted bird or painting some extra fiber, consider it good luck. She seems to bring the best luck to my little art world. (A day later I see in this photo she's got her paw on Uncle Sam and I am pretty sure she's on top of Lady Liberty. hehehe At least she didn't eat them.)..

Walking Lightly

Yes, my feet are once again tickling the sand. I was walking lightly, mesmerized by the patterns in the sand made by those silly little seagulls. I studied and photographed these guys for awhile. I found that they are spooked by the slightest movements towards them. So the long angle lens was a must for this picture. I can't wait to translate this scene with a Mattie bird. Here's how it will go: Mattie perched atop an abandoned docking post, making new friends at the beach with all the seagulls. A new social circle for her. Everyone needs a friend at the beach!

They seem so regal, and yet my husband calls them raccoons with wings. Haha. They do seem to love the people food though!

This one obviously has not learned to read.

Featured on Jars of Cute!

So today I found out that I was featured here for this above. Oh I love being CUTE! Thanks Ange in Canada!

Shop Updated!

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I am taking an e-course with the sweetest person you'll ever know, Marissa. In one of the courses she said a sentence that resonated with me in regards to blogging and your online presence. You have to "show up". Show up. Huh.... Sounds pretty simple. If you are a reader of this blog you know I have no problem showing up here and sharing my newest creations. But where they go from here is where I seriously don't "show up", "drop the ball" as my Mom always said. I am famous for loading up my etsy shop and then forgetting about it until I get a random sale. So here's my new goal, and I have a note on the inspiration board to remind me to "show up" at least once a week in etsy. I'll be adding new products and fun goodies at LEAST once a week. I really do have so much to sell, and can't wait for you to see it. Starting with these babies: Trixie
Paprika

Josephine

These are the girls featured in Sew Somerset this month! They are now famous magazine models! They are listed for $40 each. So fly on over here to buy one today!

******I need help! Does someone know why my etsy link won't work? It keeps putting http://www.blogger.com/ before it thus not making my link work? urghhhh I am putting in the correct link which is http://www.artsyorange.etsy.com/. See there it is....hummmm

Yes, I Will Dream

Yes, I continue to dream. I dream of being a famous artist. And I don't mean necessarily being featured in the High Museum of Art. I want to be famous for inspiring others to create by continuing to teach. I want to be famous for creating art that feels genuine. I want my art to speak my voice without any words. I want you as a blog reader to really know me. When I create a new painting or a new product, I want you to see not only the finished product, but the process by which I got to the end. And when something joyful happens in my life, I want you to sense the genuine joy along side of me. So come dream along with me right here. I promise to continue inspiring you and me both.

On The Road Again......

"On the road again....dadadadada...." yep, can't remember the rest of the words to that song, but got it stuck in my head after taking these cute photos. Well, we are back and boy are we rested and tan. I was very good with being unplugged for the week...no computer or cellphone (well maybe one time I checked my email and one time I turned on my cellphone). But I just can not be in a car for that long without a project. This time around I was itching to make some more felted birds. I would stitch away, then hold the finished babies up for the family to see and ooo... and then everyone would yell out names for them. Naming the birds is such a treat. Some of the names just crack me up. My husband even chimed in on a few. Like below, the yellow one is "Mustard Seed" and the black one is "Eloise". So be looking for these both, as well as the other almost 19 I have lovingly stitched to be listed soon!

I'm sure I'll be posting a few more fun pictures from the trip. Right now I'm really looking forward to sleeping in my bed with little Lily and my pillow. So nighty night to you all!

My Name is.....

I was just looking over my blog, since that was homework with the Fishbowl e-course last week and OMG! I could not find my name on it. Wow. What a thing to oversite. So here it is (drumroll would make this nice) Jenni Adkins Horne. Yep. That's me. So now you know my name and I've added it to the side bar. Okay, now I am off to the beach.

Taking Flight

I just love this image of my little birdies all packed and ready to go to show. Speaking of packed, my family and I are packed and ready to head on out to St. Simons Island this morning. I am not taking my computer.....angst in my voice as I say this, but I need to be away from it. So I'll be back next Thursday. Hope you have a creative weekend!

I Just Have to Create (and Blog About It)

As a full-time artist for almost a year now, I am beginning to see some patterns in my so called "routine". Part of this is due to the fact that I love to share my creations and thought processes through this very blog and can easily track back to see where I've been and where I intend to go (intend being the catch phrase there!). So here is what I have noticed so far:

1. First I go through periods of gathering. I gather trinkets for collage. I gather canvases and paints and wood to paint on. I gather sweaters to shrink and cut up into adorable bird sculptures. I go junkin' and flea marketing. I gather until my kitchen table is no longer being used for dining, but rather a storage unit for my wonderful collections and the garage needs re-organizing because you can't walk to the drink fridge.

2. Naturally, the second part of my process is to organize. Everything has a place, a bin, and of course a label from the label maker I never gave back to Valerie. I can't seem to start anything until the studio is in order. hmmmm...

3. The next phase baffles me a bit, but since I just left it, I know it exists, fear. I get terrified to dig in and start. I'll spend hours on the computer comparing myself to what others are doing, and hence what I am not doing. I'll angst over where to start. I'll sketch ideas in my sketchbook. I'll spend hours in Barnes and Noble looking at art books and magazines. I'll do this until the creative ideas literally explode out of me.

4. This is the phase I am not proud of, but I get irritable. Yep. Bottled up creativity is about as bad as it gets around this household. Not to worry though, this stage is not long. I really can't stand to be irritable.

5. The final stage is obviously the BEST. The art making stage. (Do you hear the angels singing?) This past weekend was my creative surge and I've not stopped since. I have 30 felted birds cut and ready to sew, the milk glass vases with paper flowers are ready to sell, 4 small paintings and 3 medium paintings ready to go and I bought a new printer today to start a new transparency thingy idea I have swirling around in my head. Whew. Yep. I'm on a roll.

This is a rather lengthy post, but I am taking an on-line course with the lovely Marisa over at Creative Thursday. After catching up on some classes tonight, ( I was in the irritable stage last week remember so I am a bit behind on the class), I felt led to share this with you. I want you to know why some weeks you see my children in posts more than my art. It's not that I am not always creative, because I am. Creativity is a huge part of my personality, a gift given to me that I so thankful for. It's just that sometimes I go through periods where I don't always create. And that's okay. Because for me to get to the place where I am right now I have to go through gathering, organizing, my fears, being irritable and then on to the creating. It's all those steps that make me the artist I am and make me more passionate about why I create what I do. They are building blocks for the foundation of my art. And that art is made with tons of love and happiness. I think you know that though. It's just nice to say it.

A Little Flower for You

This weekend I hit the jackpot with these amazing milk glass vases at a yard sale. I immediately scooped them all up with a little flower idea in mind. Adding some of my lovely button collection to the Carol Gavin paper flower kit flowers, the end result was an amazing site on my art desk this afternoon, I just had to share with you tonight.

Just see here:

Oh what a sweet gift these would make for a special someone, or even a "happy: for yourself! They will be available for purchase at The Vintage-Flea come Wednesday. Have a wonderful evening and happy creating to you!

New Inspiration Board and Getting Organized

I've always said that my inspirations come from many places. From the side of the road, to an image in a magazine, I can always find images to spark my creative juices. Lately though, I've felt overwhelmed with all the ideas floating in my head, articles laying around and deadlines being over sighted. Serious overload. And I like to be organized, a trait many artists lack. So off to the thrift store I went seeking a large bulletin board. Voila, look what I found! This fabulous tack board from an old office cubicle. Quickly I ran to the local fabric supplier for a zippy new pattern from Amy Butler, some tacks and now I have it ALL where I can see it and be inspired. Oh happy day.

I stamped on paint chips "custom orders, upcoming, inspirations, and goals" and placed images in those sections to be even more organized. I can quickly change out the ideas as I need. Yeah!

New ideas in the works....more bikes on the horizon, an old jeep and some silhouettes. So how do you keep your ideas organized? I'd love to see! Have a great afternoon. I'm off to the studio to finish up some paper flowers in milk glass vases I found this weekend.

We Found Love in the Rain

Here's a peek at some of the work I've had on my desk the past couple of days. We Found Love in the Rain is a collage piece on canvas. I combined my new layering paint techniques with favorite papers and stamping. It has been seriously dry the past month here in Georgia. So dry, that our Bermuda grass feels like toothpicks under your toes! Yesterday while painting this I was dreaming of rain and how lovely it sounds on the windows outside of my studio. And how sweet it really is to share an umbrella with someone you love. Then today it rained! So maybe I'll go paint up another rainy scene to get it to rain again tomorrow. hehehe....

Another Note from the 4th

Yesterday was such a great day. We started in Moreland eating yummy Southern BBQ, then hit the Newnan Square for Homeade Ice Cream and Market Day, took an afternoon nap and then went to be a part of the Newnan Annual 4th of July Parade. It was really a great day. See here my adorable family- Billy, Mailey and William waiting for our float to arrive. We've been a part of this particular small town parade since well before being in office, I think at least 12 years. I can remember William being a wee 6 months old for his first debut on a Republican float. He was of course wearing his wee-publican shirt I'd had made. This year I realized that my children are getting so big and can finally be a bit of an asset for my husband as seen here:

Mailey insisted on walking and handing out candy this year. Awwww.....I had a serious she's getting so big moment that of course I had to snap away (I probably looked ridiculous sitting on this huge float taking her pics, but I just had to!). Isn't she so cute handing out that candy? Those of you who really know Mailey really understand the enourmousness of this moment for me. (She's not on my hip guys......)

Anyhoo, I had to share. I was trying to keep it to myself, but could not help myself, really. Hope you had a great weekend!

Happy 4th Of July To You!

Just wanted to pop in and say "Happy 4th!" What a wonderful day to celebrate the Independence of our nation. We are in between events taking a rest before the big parade and local fireworks display. Our little Newnan is the best at celebrating in a big small town way!

Another Field Trip

On Monday morning Mailey came into my studio where I was busy working and said, "Mommy, where's our field trip going to be this week?" "Ooooo...Mailey I have a special place in mind for this week. It's called the Fernbank. " "When can we go?" "Tomorrow." Here's what the Fernbank is full of:

We had such a wonderful day in this museum. The best way for me to describe it on our way there was to compare it to A Night in The Museum movie. There was some disappointment that Sacajawea wasn't going to be there, and that it didn't come to life at night, but overall, the experience was first class. The new dinosaur exhibit was truly mind boggling.

Happy faces all around. After the museum we ate at a yummy Mexican restaurant on Ponce and hit Youngblood Gallery. Oh and ate fabulous cupcakes at Atlanta Cupcake Factory. So if you are looking for a days adventure in Atlanta, this has it all! Hope you are having a great summer too!

My Inspirations These Days

Some of you have been asking about my inspirations for my new collage techniques. So here they are. They are a must have in my opinion!