And the Winner is!....

Drum roll please!...the winner of my Cottage Charm Giveaway is:

#144: Happy Cottage Quilter!

Thank you! to everyone who entered 

& left such wonderful comments! 213 in total!:)

Be sure to enter my CSN Stores $50!! Giveaway going on now on my pet portrait blog, Painting a Pup a Day!

Fresh off the Easel...

  (available on etsy)

 (available on etsy)

Fresh off easel, two itty bitty bits of pretty paintings...I'll need to get some better photos tomorrow as the sun is fast asleep :) Both available on etsy. Hope everyone is having a wonderful, family-filled Memorial Day weekend! 
**Be sure to enter my CSN Stores $50 Giveaway!! by clicking here!Last time I checked there were only 16 entries!!Good luck!

FuZzY HoNeY BEES Flying in the Clouds 16x20

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I am so enjoying painting bees lately...I decided to do a large painting of a summer sky and five bumble bees...love those lazy, summer days! This piece is available on etsy.

FuZzY HoNeY BEES Flying in the Clouds Painting in OIL by LARA

("Fuzzy Honey Bees Flying in the Clouds, 6"x6",

oil on canvas, available on etsy)

Summer seems to finally be arriving here in Michigan! I'm not a big fan of bees, but I do love painting them :)

CSN Stores $50 Giveaway!!

Head on over to my other blog,  
Painting a Pup a Day

to enter to win a $50 Gift Certificate to 

any of the 200+ stores at CSN Stores! Good luck!!

The Woodlands Feather Collection...Painting in OIL by LARA

 

("The Woodlands Feather Collection," 8"x10",

 oil on stretched canvas, available on etsy)

A simple collection of feathers, a Blue Jay, Cardinal, and Northern Flicker...against a background in white. There's just something so lovely about feathers, don't you agree? :)...

A Vintage Vibe...Portrait in OIL by LARA

 ("Betty," 22"x 28", oil on canvas, 

private commission)

 I am finally finished with this piece, although I still wish I could get a better photo as I think it looks much better in person! My client wanted for me to create a vintage style portrait incorporating her late mother-in-law's love of jazz. She didn't want the piece to be just black and white, so I added a bit of silverish purple to her dress, the tablescape, and the jazz players in the background. I added just a hint of blue in the background, and there is a bit of light yellow enhancing the lights in the background as well as the small candle on the table. My client will be giving this to her husband for Father's Day and said it would be ok to share it with you here on my blog. This was what she wrote to me:

        "I cant wait to see my daughter's first heirloom and my husband's face when he sees this..she loved jazz and he once told me, she always had music playing in the house. I wish she or her husband could see it!"      

It has been a true honor to create such a special piece for their family! If you are interested in having a portrait done feel free to contact me....my pricing can be found here.   

Getting to Know You...

There is a Getting to Know You Blog Party at MannLand5 so I figured why not join in the fun!

1. The most expensive thing hanging in my closet is.....? Nothing really expensive, I feel almost unable to buy full price for anything these days...why give the retailers that kind of money? I'll keep it in my pocket thank you very much! :)

2. Have you ever played a team sport? No, but I often wish I had...I think it would have helped me to not be so shy and to have better self-esteem growing up.
3. If you were a bug, what kind would you be? A butterfly so I could fly wherever I wanted to go and look pretty doing it
. 4. Where on your body is the worst place to get sunburned?  My back...I got horrible blisters on a trip to Miami...I also ended up with a high fever as well...not fun.
5. Are you happy? I think we all have our days, but generally I am a pretty positive person and feel very blessed for the life I have, my family, and the talent God has given me!
6. People are always abbreviating..are there any abbreviations that make your skin crawl when people use them? Things like ttyl  in texts or on facebook, it usually takes me a minute to decipher what things like that mean.
7. Do you love where you live..or could you live anywhere? I love Michigan summers, but hate the winters...we are hoping to move maybe to NC or SC in a couple years...I need more blue sky days!
8. What, if any, extreme measures do you go to to keep yourself from overeating when you're full?  Hmnn well, I reckon if I'm full nothing would really sound appetizing...I would suppose there have been times when I've still fit in dessert though, like after Thanksgiving or something, but boy you don't feel very good afterwards!
*Keely hosts this party every Sunday so head over and read the answers of other bloggers.

A Truly AMAZING Find!

Can I just tell you I had one of those 'this has to be too good to be true' moments yesterday? We were just coming back from walking our two dogs when I told my husband I wanted to just run through a garage sale just down our street because you just never know what you might find. So I'm strolling through all the knick knacks, old books, used golf balls, and glance up to see some random prints for sale. Well, I just about lost my breath when I saw this vintage, limited edition (retired), hand signed & numbered print entitled, "Cousins" by none other than N. A. Noel! I didn't want anyone to notice my excitement, as I almost ran from the garage to get some cash from home...thankfully when I returned a few minutes later, it was still there. True, I felt a little guilty considering how little they were asking for this print, but for whatever reason the owner was letting it go. It's so rare these days to find such incredible items, or at least before all the scavengers get there...so this was my moment of true victory! I do love this artist's work, and have contemplated keeping it, but for now it's available in my store on etsy.

*Linking to Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home:

A Vintage Vibe...Portrait in OIL by LARA

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Now you may be wondering why this lovely lady is missing her face...well this is a portrait I've been working on for the past few weeks and it will be given as a gift, so hence it is in disguise for the time being. I still have some more work to do on it, but I'm really liking the overall vibe. Stay tuned for the grand finale!

Who Doesn't LoVe Hydrangea?...Painting in OIL by LARA

 

I had so much fun creating this piece...a little bit of everything I love, hydrangea, a robin's nest, vintage plant mister, transferware plate, and some old books yearning to be read. I need to get a better shot of this piece tomorrow... available on etsy. (*Kind of funny to think that the painting above comes outta this crazy mess below :)

 (**Linking to Between Naps on the Porch 
Metamorphosis Monday :) Be sure to enter my ART giveaway here, and the giveaway at My Domestic Bliss!) Both are part of the month-long giveaway extravaganza going on at My Cottage Charm...don't miss out! :)
**Linking to: 

 

A Stroll Thru Life

BuTtoNs aRe SeW CuTe...doN't eWe agRee?

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I dare say I don't think I could ever get tired of painting vintage plates...and buttons are pretty addicting as well :) This piece is available on etsy, the greatest handmade marketplace ever!
(*Linking this to the 'I Made It' Blog Party at Everything Esty :)

Hydrangea & Roses in Antique French Sevres Vase Painting in OIL

From my new blog, Turquoise Tuesday...a beautiful antique French Sevres vase filled with delicate pink roses and soft shades of green hydrangea...one of my 'Itty Bitty Bits of Pretty' :) This piece is available on etsy. (*Linking to an awesome new blog I discovered called Le Chateau des fleur.)
**Be sure to enter my ART GIVEAWAY below!

My Cottage Charm GIVEAWAY!...You Gotta Have ART!

 THE WINNER IS #144: Happy Cottage Quilter! Thank you SO much for everyone's kind words and comments & for entering!

I'm participating in the 4th Annual Cottage Charm Giveaway, and up for grabs is this miniature 'Itty Bitty Bit of Pretty' oil painting, a Sparrow's Nest oil painting, as well as your choice of a free giclee print from my etsy store. 

 

 

*To ENTER:

1) visit my etsy store and then leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite print or item in my store!

**FOR EXTRA ENTRIES, leave a SEPARATE comment for EACH ENTRY:

2) Become a follower of my blog, leave a comment telling me so! :)

3) Become a follower of my fellow artist, TJ Lynde's Blog, leave a comment telling me so! :) (*note-on TJ's blog scroll down to find his followers list...This is an example of his brilliant work, NOT a part of this giveaway)

4) Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter & leave me your twitter id so I can check :)

5) Post about this giveaway on your blog, comment with a link to your blog post.

6) Post my Blog Button on your sidebar, leave a comment telling me so with a link to your blog! :)

Good luck everyone! And be sure to check out all the other wonderful giveaways going on in this multi-blog event!

**Winner will be announced May 31!**

She Told Me to Squint...

One of my all-time favorite artists is Karin Jurick. I discovered her work a number of years ago on ebay and was instantly smitten as many who view her work are. And as an artist, she is someone I not only admire for her talent and ability, but I truly appreciate how willing she is to share what she has learned on her painting journey with so many others. She started a wonderful blog called Different Strokes from Different Strokes over two years ago, in which she challenges fellow artists to explore different subjects, share techniques & ideas, and learn from one another. Now on her personal blog, she is taking questions from artists which she answers during the weekend...so of course I jumped at the opportunity to ask how I can 'loosen up' as an artist. I tend to be a details person, but I want to evolve into an artist such as Jurick, with a more painterly feel to my work vs. strict realism. Anyway, here was her response to my question:
"With respect to staying loose - it's the biggest struggle with me. Enter the boyfriend again - he constantly catches me painting too tight and reminds me to stop.

There's some hints to stay loose - squint, squint, and squint. Use wider brushes. If you paint from a photo, make the image smaller. You tend to not nit pick."(Karin Jurick)
So I tried doing as Karin said on this small painting, and I have to say it really seemed to not only work, but was a truly freeing experience. I know it will continue to be a struggle for me, but perhaps with practice it will start to come a bit more natural.  Thank you Karin!