Seriously...Not So Much!

I've been painting like crazy lately.  The ideas for children's paintings keep flying out of my head and even have little poems or stories attached.  

It's crazy! 

It took awhile to put away the idea that one day I might be a serious artist and just come to terms with the fact that maybe, just maybe, my art just shouldn't be taken all that seriously.

I'm not that serious so this isn't too far to fall.  

It's not like I'm very serious about making my characters look real.  I've been known to throw a pair of glasses on a mouse at any given moment.

So, I guess it makes sense that I lean toward the whimsical world of children's illustrations.

With that little tidbit of realization....I went all in.

I've found a wonderful printer in the Chattanooga area and he is doing a great job putting my artwork in print form.  That cute little mermaid up top is a large print now available in my Etsy store for a reasonable price and still able to be personalized!  It's amazing how someone who really knows what they are doing can make printed artwork look so much like the original painting, especially watercolor!

How can one be serious with stuff like this floating around in one's head?

Well, I know now to embrace my whimsy and silliness and hope everyone will enjoy it too.  

Mr. Fox and his little poem is in transition.  You get to see just a portion of the painting and although that is the whole of the poem, it has not yet been determined how it will sit upon the page.  

The painting awaits a title, some design for the placement of the copy, 

and

then off to the printer.  

If you would like a chance to win the first, hot print of this little guy when he comes off the press....

                                  ....go visit and "LIKE" my FACEBOOK PAGE then enter your title submission under any picture of Mr. Fox.  

I'm going to let the kids decided which title is best!

Finding Artistic Ideas & Style

It all begins right here.  A quickly scratched sketch on any random piece of paper; it could be a bit of lined notepaper, a napkin, or even a receipt but almost all my ideas start like this.  I have hundreds of these bits of paper everywhere in my house and I never let them out of my hand to a client.  I made that mistake once and my little scratching ended up being the project of someone else.  Ah, live and learn.  

Each commissioned painting has one of these bits of paper and sometimes, the painting looks nothing like the first drawing but other times, it's a perfect match.  Lately, I've been working on my woodland creatures.  I have been trying to give some human attributes and even human accessories to some.  It's a lot of fun.  I won't lie, my inspiration came from favorite childhood books, the story was never nearly as important as the artwork.  My favorite artists always included animals with human attributes in their illustrations.  I adored the works of  Beatrix Potter, Racey Helps, and Jerry Pinkney, whoever illustrated my particular childhood copy of Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics, and of course, everything Disney.  However, I never wanted to copy their work but I always wanted to create characters with a style that was all my own.  I won't lie, you can still see the influence.

My biggest influence is often the client.  I love the process of meeting with someone who wants to commission a painting; listening to them while holding pencil in hand.  I listen and I sketch.  Most have an idea of what they want but everyone has a story.  There is a reason why they want a bit of art and they almost always tell me a story.  Some stories revolve around how they want that piece of art to make the space feel but more often, it's art for someone else and how they want to make them feel.  I take that info and I create, and that is easy.

What's so difficult about finding a style?  When I'm not listening to someone's requests, their story, or have a goal and I'm staring at a blank canvas with free reign; it's not so easy to come up with an idea much less a style.  I rarely know where to start when I don't have someone else leading the way.  It takes awhile to come up with what I want to paint and until that idea comes, a style will not emerge. I'm working on my storybook style, so coming up with ideas are easy.  So, maybe all this time I've been doing it backwards; I should have been working on my style because after I decided on the style, the ideas came much more easily.    
  

I've started to go back to the beginning.  I've noticed that those bits of papers that are everywhere and I've realized that they don't all belong to clients.  I have quite a few of my own.  My ideas that I have jotted down when I wasn't avidly seeking the ideas.  They are right there in front of me and come stress free.  Time to grab them and get busy.

Easy as A - B - C. 

Pinterest Users - Win iPhone 4/4s Art Cover

It's My Birthday - Win a Present!

One of a kind clip on cover for your iPhone 4/4s.

Win one right out of my Etsy shop, your choice.

Here is all that you have to do.

1. For this to work, you must be a Pinterest user.
2. Go to my Etsy shop called ArtisticallyNclined and take a look around.
3. Find any item that intrigues you and LIKE it if you are on Facebook OR Tweet if you prefer Twitter.
4. Then PIN it to Pinterest with descriptions used in my product, including a mention of the name of the item with my store name.  
5. Contact me and let me know that you followed these directions.  
6. Ready, Set, Go Pin!

Whichever PIN I find first using key words that are in the description of my product...wins any choice of the covers that I have in my Etsy shop.

I will begin my search on my birthday, January 11th.....so enter as many times as you would like before then.  First one to pop up on my Pinterest search wins!

Happy Birthday!

What I Learned About How to Use Social Media to Generate Interest ...

...or How Should I Use Social Media to Generate Interest in What I Do? 

Happy 2012...wait....2012...typed it wrong again!
Happy 2 0 1 3!  It's going to take a bit of time before my fingers get used to typing that.  I haven't written a check yet but I foresee a lot of corrections being made.

I've only had my Etsy shop for about a month.  Not very long but long enough to keep me in a steady panic about how to generate interest in my little, virtual shop.  This new year I am devoted to the concentration of promoting myself via social media.  This is not a strong point in my personality, it takes a bit of effort.
I Tweet, have a Facebook Page, am a Pinterest user, and I am trying to Blog in order to generate interest.  

Gypsy Wagon that I would totally buy.

However, after awhile, unless you are giving back, people lose interest in your endeavors.  So, not only does the info that you put out there on the internet, for the sake of promoting your business, need to be really interesting, engaging, and informative but it also has to be done well enough to look grab attention and LOOK professional too.  Some days, it is daunting enough to make you want to erase it all and go back to the days of cart and horse going door to door to peddle your goods.  I think that this cart would be a good representative of my artistic works, what do you think?
I could probably sell a lot of art out of this colorful storefront. 

No, not really.

I've learned that keeping the attention of potential buyers/clients involves giving physical items, as well as knowledge and ideas.  The problem is that I am a plethora of ideas that I am not sure if anyone cares about.  I have a few products that I can afford to give away, and I just need to figure out which of all these items that people are really interested in having.

Interaction is key to figuring these things out.  How do you get the interaction?  I am in the middle of this crazy learning curve.  This is hard stuff, especially when your product is one that isn't constituted as a need.  I have to make my potential customers, "ooh" and "ahh" and do more than just PIN my items.  I need to figure out a way to make them WANT my items enough to get off the sofa, go get their wallet, and click to place that order, then RAVE to their friends that they want to do the same thing too.

I've had one little contest, this was the source of my followers on my newly established Facebook page.  I encouraged my FB friends to go to my page and LIKE it, then SHARE it with their friends.  In just a few hours, I had quite few more followers than I thought I would.  I still haven't cleared the amount that I need to really get the traffic I need to my Etsy shop, but one of my FB friends got very excited and SHARED quite a bit and my reach is totally outside my social circle now and my friend won this cute set of original illustrated cards and a little promo for her own business!  

Goldygates Photography in Chattanooga

She SHARED my site, I SHARE hers in return.

What I learned:

The best way of using social media to the benefit of your business is

to

benefit the business of others.

Art Everyday

I like a bit of everyday inspiration, especially on those days when I feel like I am only pushing papers and playing taxi.  I tend to feel less than creative during those mundane chores, yet, a bit of artistic pleasure drives me through those boring bits.

I make sure to surround my days with functional art.  From a hand thrown coffee mug to that scented candle that was locally made; these types of things make me smile.  Why buy a mass produced item at relatively the same cost when I can have something that is unique and even one of a kind.

I love creating the bits of art that make people smile, however, most of my work ends up in a frame on someone's wall; not exactly portable.  So in my quest to create "art to go", I tried to think of the perfect, with you all of the time, canvas.  The thing that kept interfering with this thought process ended up being the answer, the phone.

I figure that a little bit of art can be with you all of the time especially since it generally doesn't go much further than your purse or pocket.  The question that came next was only what to put on the little cases.  I don't copy licensed work so when someone asks if I can recreate Disney or Hello Kitty, I feel a bit insulted. Not too much, just a little bit.

Yes, yes I can.
No, I won't.

The reason behind that is that I don't like to infringe upon the talent of other artists (and just because we see their stuff everywhere, doesn't mean that there wasn't an artist involved somewhere in the mass production of the item).  Mainly, every artist wants to leave their mark on the world even in a little bitty way....even if it is just a very tiny but original bit of art on a phone case.  So, here is my bit of contribution to the art world.  Hand held art to fit on those hand held devices called "smart phones" to lend some artistic cheer.

Enjoy!  

Going Etsy!

Christina Gets an Etsy Store!

After years and years of doing mostly commission work, I've decided to take my own personal creations and put them out there.  This is one of those really difficult decisions because much of these creations are based in sentimentality.  Funny thing about being sentimental, it takes up a lot of space.

So, I finally got it together, cleared my space...even found a few things that I thought I lost!  Mostly, I organized a lot of artwork.  Photographed, a lot of artwork.  Spent a lot of time in Photoshop cleaning up those photographs which could be a lot better.  But the end result is that I finally opened that shop.  That is pretty amazing!

I have my drafting table back and creativity is running wild.  I just hope that I can reel it and find what it is that people love when it comes to artwork.  I know that the little French crab on the easel was a hit, but that was a commission.  I was told once to keep doing what I love and others will love it too.  Well, we will see.

I love the pen & ink style.  

I think this will be a temporary fix until I decide on my business cards.

I keep wondering if I need a graphic style logo to be all professional like....or keep it here and be totally the artistic type.

So, the long and short of it is this...visit my shop and well, shop.

Christina Thongnopnua ~ illustrations @ ArtisticallyNclined at Etsy

Picture Book Style

Pierre Crab in Process

There are a couple of goals that I must accomplish as an illustrator and one at the top of my list is to illustrate a children's book.  Not the kind of book that can fit neatly into a diaper bag or backpack.  No, it must be the kind of book that sits on nightstands and must be read either bedside or whilst sitting on a lap.  It must be the kind of book that is read aloud and mostly covers the child's entire lap, often stared at for minutes before the next page is turned.

I have been working on a series of paintings done in picture book style.  I love this type of artwork because I love to see a child mesmerized by the items that can be discovered in the picture.  A bunch of hidden gems that make the story pop and come to life.

This series is commissioned as single panels, each telling a bit of a story.  By all means, the art belongs in book form along with the story that the client tells her child.  But for now, it will be placed in the child's newly designed room with intention of being what she will see before bed at night.

What a fun way to enter dreamland.

Pierre Crab 2012

One day I will find my author; maybe my own child, who writes non-stop, will pen a story just for this purpose. 

Maybe I will pull out some of my poetry written on bits of paper and tossed in drawers and just illustrate and compile.  

Until then, I will hone my skill and find a style distinctly my own.

ART is for Children Too

Creating for children is the most satisfying experience.  The look on a child's face when they see a bit of art that is specifically created for them in mind, is wonderful and delightful.  I have created illustrations for bedtime stories, theme room murals, and bits of art for rhyme.  A picture to go along with a favorite song or even Bible verse is a helpful for memorization and what child doesn't like to add a bit of art to call their very own?

One type of art that I create often is Bible lesson plan illustration to be used in many ways but mostly as a coloring sheet for the children.  I've found that there is a limitation on cute, colorful art that goes with Bible teachings.  I think that adults believe that cute illustration makes a Bible presentation less valid.  Not, so!  It makes it much more memorable in the eyes of a child.  Isn't that the goal, after all?  To help them remember the presentation?

Word play helps memory and what better way to help that word play than to add a cute bit of illustration to go with a Bible verse?

"But "BEE" ye doers of the word, and not hearers only..."

James 1:22a

How much "more" fun did that verse just get with this little bee art that was created digitally?  

The neat thing about this bit of art is that I can instantly have a

coloring sheet

with a few clicks.  

Back to Being Creative

Hello all.  I'm back.

I hit a creative block.  For quite awhile, I have not felt very artistically inclined except to do things that needed to be done.  This is not to say that I haven't "made" things.  I have.  I just didn't really feel like doing it while it was being done.  

My freelance work has been on hold for about 2 years.  My last major work was a series of large murals in the downtown area of Chattanooga in a local gym.  I ended the last mural and have not felt like getting back up on a ladder since.  My mural days just may be over but my desire to create has come back with a fierceness in the past few months that I have never felt before.  

I am very excited to explore scaling down my work so that I don't need a ladder to get a painting done.  

I have done bits and pieces of illustration over the years but have never really looked into doing it full time.  I anticipate that the client base will be a bit different as well as how to market myself but I'm pretty excited to give it a go.  

Simply Titled:  Mermaid ~ 2012

My first bit of work is whimsical and that's not really surprising.  This is your first peek at my new approach to freelance illustration.....wish me luck people!

Watercolor & Sepia Ink

Stuff & More Stuff

Let's be forthright, most Americans have too much stuff.  It's not a 1% problem, the 99% have this issue too.  The quality of the stuff might differ from class to class but overall, we as a nation, are a people with more stuff than we need most of the time.  Before we even come into this world, we are by tradition, "showered" with stuff.  When we celebrate that day again in a year; more stuff.  When we marry, again we are "showered" with more stuff.  By the time a year rolls around, stuff has come and gone out of our lives many times over thanks to holidays, special occasions, and unplanned shopping trips. 

Chicken "Stuff"

Think about the massive rental storage buildings that are full to capacity.  The yard with one or even two sheds and a garage too packed to park a car.  Some of us have too much stuff and it impedes upon a normal lifestyle while others have "needful" stuff that might be necessary for work or household upkeep.  However, how many times have you gone to the store and bought that "thing" that you needed because you didn't know where it was in the house or that you even had it at all?  Right now, this is a bit of my life.  I have too much stuff in my home.  To be fair, I share this stuff with 4 other people, 2 dogs, 3 cats, and a bevy of chickens.  Each of the residents of my home has their own stuff, yes, even the chickens.  The little feathered friends need at least a 25 square foot space for their stuff and yet, who wants to give that amount of space to a chicken for their personal items?  Well, I don't!  If a chicken collects enough stuff to fit in that space, can you imagine what amount of space is needed for a teenage girl or even a grown man with an acre yard to maintain?

I wrote in my last post that I am in the process of trying to control the clutter and I would like to do it with style.  I don't want to have a room of cardboard boxes with a collection of items that I won't use or that I am saving til later.  I don't want my children to have to come behind me one day and clean up that mess for me.  I certainly don't want to burden them with items that they may think are sentimental because I kept them therefore causing them to feel the need to keep them too.  A never-ending clutter story.

Drool Worthy Garage Organization by Flow Wall  = Big $$

The one thing that I have found through this process is that organization, real and functional organization, costs money.  Sure, one could collect used cardboard boxes from the liquor store and stack them neatly for the function but if any sort of cohesiveness is to be had, money has to be spent for most people.  Even making the boxes look nice and neatly coordinated would take covering them in paint or paper.  Shelves would need to be built or bought and even if you salvaged old pallets, the nails, and the rest of the tools and supplies, it is likely at some point you will need to make a trip to Home Depot or Ace to finish the project in a timely manner.  

Favorite Purses on Display

Thrift Store Candle Holders for Hooks

I recently organized my closet using thrift store items and a can of spray paint to tie it all together but it still had purchases that needed to be made if I ever wanted to finish the project.  To do it all for free would have taken at least a year of daily wanderings through thrift stores,
 Craigslist and Freecycle.  

Purses on Baby Hangers

Shoes Neatly Organized

I have come to the realization that if I want any of my organized stuff to be neat, coordinated, and functional (so I don't need to run to the store to buy another), I must create a budget for each of the areas and use it for even the smallest amount of stuff.  Shelves are my first priority to get the stuff off the floor and I plan to KEEP, DONATE, & TOSS my way to a more organized space.  REAL SIMPLE has some great tips to follow for basement organization.  I hope that once I start getting rid of unused and unloved items, I won't need as much organizational stuff to hold my stuff. 

More Shoes in Mudroom

Clutter Conundrum

No pretty pictures, no tutorials just checking in.  I'm in a clean and purge mode this year.  Have I done anything that is creative?  Yes, but it is out of necessity and on the fly.  I've created in rushes leaving a whirlwind of shredded paper, fabric, and other crafty accoutrements behind a giant steel door that separates the living part of my house from the creative part still dubbed, "The Attic Space" or "Future Master Bedroom".  It's a shameful mess and a complete waste of space which I am trying to control.  But while cleaning one room, I mess up others and the cycle never ends.  Sometimes I wish all of the mess would spontaneously combust (not really) OR just Martha Stewart itself into a nice & neat, color coordinated, arrangement that works for my mind.  

Ugly but Functional

I can't remember what the rule is, you know the one?

If you are faced with a series of problems, start with the hardest task first.  Or...is it, start with the easiest first?  Either way, I am still sitting amongst the clutter trying to organize, purge, and donate my way into some sort of usable space.  

I decided to work my way from the bottom up.  That means the garage/basement then up to the 2nd Floor for the studio.  One day I will have a studio.  Right now, I just need to find the dang drill!  Can you believe I just wanted this junk off the floor so bad that I hung it all on an unpainted wall?  Anyone who knows me, knows how difficult it was to resist just slapping any color up there but in all fairness, I was working with my husband and he doesn't have the patience to wait for paint to dry.  Since he was doing the heavy lifting, I had to comply.  

I am going to continue on my journey of Organizing my Life in 2012.  Meanwhile, bear with me and realize that when I do create that studio, good things will come. 

.................help me................

Creativity from Necessity - or - The Backpack Delimma

Just had to add this little guy.



Already, we are almost done with February, school will be out in just a few months! I have no idea where the time went but it has been a whirlwind of school, work, and maintaining. Creativity still has not been at the forefront of my days, however, I give pause out of necessity on nights like last night to be creative due to necessity.

You would think that elementary children would not need sturdy backpacks. After all, they carry lots of worksheets, silly little reading books, and lunch bags. Oh, not so with my little one. Her personal reading books are shoved into the canvas bags at the point of exploding. Her binder is large and stuffed, and I am certain that textbooks are no less than 5# and a third her body size! So with that in mind, the cute little Roxy backpack that I hoped would last her at least two years has not made it to the end of this second semester. I knew I was in trouble when I noticed she was carrying it like a baby up our driveway, wrapped in her hoodie to keep things from scattering.

The budget for another backpack was not available this weekend, at least I had no intention of spending one more dime on cheaply made imitation bookbags that cannot handle books the like of which little "J" carries. I will eventually go to L.L.Bean and order one of their beastly backpacks that they actually guarantee...but not til next year. Last night we rummaged through the hand-me-downs and discovered that aside from a very baby pink, rainbow strapped backpack the rest of the choices were from big brother or from promos that dad brought home. No rising middle-schooler wants baby pink nor cast-offs from brother so she settled on a bright red and black promo bag that was brand new. She sadly spat out the words, "Fine! I'll take the Georgia colored backpack" then hung her head as she climbed the stairs to bed. (None of us like football that much and adding insult to injury would be to wear Georgia colors. If we had to choose college ball, Tennessee Vols win out, even with that awful orange.)

She was trying to be a good sport and even if I had ordered the new backpack as soon as the other exploded, she would still have to settle for something until it arrived. Nope, that would not do.

So I sat and stared at the very functional but brutally offensive bag and contemplated the color red. Not a favorite color of anyone in my home. Red, the color of Georgia...ok, yeah, move on. It took me 20 minutes just to get past that issue. Red, the color of blood...ew, gross. Red, the color of hearts and love...getting closer but too frou frou for my little one. Red, the color of fire....fire for a girl? The girl on fire, Katniss! The Hunger Games Trilogy are her favorite books with anticipation of the coming movie! Perfect!


And now I have my idea at 11pm and I run with it.

This involved a rummage through the basement to find an old duffel bag to cut up, paints, hot glue gun, Sharpies, embroidery floss and needle, along with artistic inclination. I decided on a giant circle to cover the company logo that was being represented then painted the mockingjay emblem from the book. It turned out well. The hardest part was getting the needle and floss to go through the thick canvas.

Needless to say, little "J" was thrilled when she went to begrudgingly load that backpack for school and saw my little bit of inspiration. She chattered about it the whole rest of the morning while she got dressed for school. She even wanted her hair braided like Katniss for the day. Yes, sometimes creativity springs from necessity and yes, it was necessary to change up the bag to make my little one smile.

Hopelessly Devoted or Just Hopeless?

Blogging seems to be a lot like that diary that I referred to in my first post....a hopeless endeavor. I went MIA so quickly and felt little remorse. I got so busy all of a sudden and all creativity flew out the window with things such as laundry, soccer, school, work, and chasing that cat that can't seem to drink out of his own bowl and prefers to put his too fat head into any glass left out and proceeds to shake that fat head while glass is still attached, thus break said glass! All I can say is that it is a good thing he is adorable and a bit "slow". For this, I take pity on him and allow him to stay.

Well, here I am again for a bit of an update. No painting has been done. I am currently an artist without paint. Aside from a bit of watercolor, all my paint has seemingly disappeared over the past few months and since I have been less than artistic, I'm not certain of where it has gone and I am not in the mood to hunt it down.

In my absence, I have worked on craft and home projects but have not been as artistically inclined regarding the finer arts. It's sad really. I do miss it but feel unworthy to approach it for lack of organization and motivation in other areas of my life. Almost like a punishment or time out, it is as if I will not allow myself the pleasure of creating art until I behave myself and act the adult and get the other stuff accomplished.

I have allowed myself little bits of crafty pleasure as instant gratification rewards. A one or two hour break with the satisfaction of leaving with something in my hand. I have finally conquered the basics of knitting and am proud to say that with the help of a dear friend, I have been able to understand the cable knit. This means that I am one step closer to my life goal of being able to knit socks.
















Christmas came and went with the idea to avoid more clutter by refusing to pull out any holiday boxes at all. We purchased a cut tree this year and made a plethora of paper ornaments. The cats all but ignored them and not a bit of glass was swept from the floor this year. Evidently, paper ornaments are not as enticing as antique glass ornaments. I was pleasantly surprised by the vintage effect of the paper ornaments....added a bit of burlap and my tree was positively adorable. I figured that I was on a path of handmade so kept with the flow and headed to the local thrift store to hunt down old wool sweaters to felt and promptly made them into cute little stockings. The kids were ready for something more "grown-up" rather than their little kid stockings that they have had since birth. The idea of felting a sweater for a stocking was inspired by "The Martha" but you know that it was done way before she had her lovely magazine and I won't let her take all the credit. Christmas was a lovely and low key event with natural pine boughs, a few lights, and handmade loveliness this year. Easy to enjoy and even easier to clean up, however, we did gain an extra box to store.

I'll try to be more faithful in 2012 and less hopeless in my blogging. Maybe the desire to be artistic will return soon.

Happy 2012

Handmade Sentiments

Who doesn't love going to the mailbox and finding that little token of affection that let's one know that they are in someone's thoughts?

We open that little door on a daily basis expecting junk mail and bills but always in the back of the mind, hoping for something special. Everyone does it on some level, even if only once or twice a year.

In this modern age of emails and texts, it is almost a rarity to find that handwritten letter or even a card that which gives the receiving party a sense of being cared about, thus making the receiving of such a treat all the more precious.

Can you imagine the thrill of receiving not just a store bought card but something that the sender sat down to create specifically for the recipient? One might think that they don't have the talent or even the time to do such a thing but it's easy and creates the most beautiful of sentiments!

I was introduced to Stampin' Up at a Craft Social event in downtown Chattanooga. We were off to make Valentines and did not realize that it would create a bit of an addiction. Not only were we able to walk away with a gorgeous treat, we were able to visit freely while creating it. The concentration levels are not so intense allowing one to socialize throughout the process. It's a great "Girl's Night Out" as well as nice "Mother & Daughter Time".

No pressure and all the fun!

Joyce Gilmore, our Stampin' Up demonstrator, showed

us how to create a pretty card using punches, stamps, ribbon, a bit of sticky stuff, and written sentiments then allowed us a little creative freedom which gave us the opportunity to make the card our own.

Some of us got a little wild, while others stuck to the format but everyone was pleased in the end. I immediately found some postage and mailed my little creations out to friends and family while others decided to build a little box set for rainy days or gifts. Sending creative letters of love and adoration was considered an art form, "once upon a time" and it well should be still. Engage yourself in the art of expression with a little card making session. I promise, you will love it and so will the person that receives a pretty little sentiment from you!

What a wonderful way to show someone you care.

Give them a gift with your handiwork all over it!

The Good - The Bad - The Ugly

Inspiration from Undesirable Circumstances

Art can come from many places, the admiration of nature, a detail that stands out in the mind of the artist, and the desire to capture the joy of an event. Sometimes the inspiration to create art comes from areas that are not as pleasant but need to be created none the less for the voice of the artist to be heard.

The inspiration for this piece is a direct result of being privy to GOOD people in Chattanooga

who are organizing against a BAD situation

involving an UGLY company that is trying to leave the area without doing the right thing.

The candlelight vigil in the neighborhood church of Alton Park was what inspired this bit of "ugly" art. It is not the kind of art one generally wants to frame and hang over their sofa or display near their decorative vase. This is the kind of art that is meant to send a message. A bit messy like the thought process, scratched out in angry frustration at the mega-company that wants to leave behind their toxic chemical mess. It is a sort of pen and ink therapy for this artist who hopes that this piece, as ugly as it is, lends to the voiced protest making it all the louder and hopefully a bit more effective to the cause.

So do I see activism art as a part of my future? Not all days are peaches and cream. Some are evidently coal tar and benzoic acid, which make for a whole different kind of inspiration.

Appealing Color

...and the Delights of Booth #245.

I have my routine "shoppe" stops and one of which is the Knitting Mill on the Northshore of Chattanooga. I wandered in many years ago thinking that I was going to find some yarn for a project but to my disappointment and delight, I found this wonderfully quaint antique shop! The floors creak and the building stays a bit on the cool side, like most converted factories do but the walk through the booths occupies just enough "me time" to soothe the soul. Not too long to feel selfish but just long enough to feel refreshed. I have found a beautiful assortment of items, many which have made thoughtful gifts and with the combination of old and new there is something for everyone.

The store is made up of a myriad of booths, each featuring a theme or particular interest of the owner. Each has it's own flavor and I am like a kid in a candy shop. However, one booth keeps me mesmerized for quite some time and I am convinced it is because of the way the owner of booth #245 shows her love of color by her beautiful displays.

It takes a bit of time and a thoughtful nature to arrange each item

artfully by color.

She draws me in to take a closer look every time.

The whites are clustered in a corner with a combination of milk-glass and traditional china. All

very delicate looking...

The turquoise seems to be ready to move into a bright & fun kitchen with kitschy items that would bring joy to household chores...

The sage is a naturalistic look that seems almost

timeless with an easy transition into any style of home...

The pink is playful and girly, no doubt, suitable for teas and brunches with the ladies...

The lime and cobalt seem to have stepped right back into vogue with the electricity of the hues. The past could move easily into the present, feeling right at home in the room of a teen girl....

The cranberry hue is deeply saturated with an almost regal persona, even the casual demitasse cups seem to have an air about them...

If you find yourself wanting to indulge for the afternoon, why not stop into the

Knitting Mill

and wander around, you are sure to find a colorful treasure around every corner.