Is it Time to Quit?

Hi there. How are you? 

It's been almost nine years since I entered my current "Mixed Media Period." It was the summer of 2006, and I spent part of it living in Portland, Oregon. I had a lot of time on my hands and I was itching to make. I brought my watercolors, but never used them. Instead, I started cutting up the Domino magazines I was reading.

Here are some of the first pieces I made:

After that summer, I was hooked. It was a flurry of magazines, glue and Micron pens. And it was all about flowers. All fast, loose and gestural. I loved what I was doing and was making every chance I got.  

Then I made this chair.
It was a one-of piece I did for a friend. The image ended up in a brochure for a local gallery walk. People called the gallery wanting more chairs. So one chair turned in to years of chairs.

Enter the ball point pen.
My technique changed, but my primary subject did not. I still enjoyed illustrating chairs, and people were buying. So, I kept making. 

Then it was birds.
Matt (my husband) is a bird lover and encouraged me to try illustrating his feathered friends. Despite the fact that I didn't particularly care for birds HATED birds, I drew some. People loved them, so I continued. (After drawing birds for 2 years now, I will admit that I have more of an affection for birds than I used to. I think they're pretty darn cute now. I just don't want to touch them.)

There were abstracts too.
Throughout the whole 9-year creative phase, I've always made abstract work and drawn abstractly in my sketchbook.  I've made abstract collages, all about shape and color.

I've made abstract line drawings, all about form and movement. 

9 years is a long time to work without a plan.
I've flitted from one subject to the next, one show/event/fair/project to the next without much forethought. I've delved into wholesale, Etsy, a new website, new products, more art fairs, less art fairs. I never took the time to make a solid plan. There was never time. I wanted to make art, I wanted people to buy it, and I wanted art to be my main gig. I've had some successes, lots of failure, and I've learned a lot. But right now, I'm feeling burnt out and uninspired. I'm not confident about my current work and feel like I'm just going through the motions.

It's time for a break.
I'm not quitting art. I promise! I just need time to regroup, think, and plan. I won't be making any more mixed-media pieces for a time. Instead, I'm going to polish up that new website I started working 6 months ago, continue to blog, and do a lot of thinking. You'll still be able find and purchase my existing work on Etsy, at Dayshift and Bricolage, or directly from me. (If you've been wanting to purchase an original piece from me, now is the time! Get in touch!)

But I will be back. 
When I reemerge from this break, I'll have new, exciting, and most likely, very different work to show you. I promise to keep in touch and share my insight along the way.

Now it's your turn to talk. 
How did you know it was time to quit or take a break? In your work? In your life? In your education? I'd love to hear from you! 

Until next time. Ta-ta.

Things and Stuff: A Studio Update

A new shot of me in my studio, taken by Matt (my husband.)

Hi there. How are you?

I've so much to tell you since we last chatted! First off, I've got a new job! I'm now the Teen and Youth Program Coordinator at the Carbondale Public Library. I program and implement weekly programs for middle school and high school students at the library. I'm just a week in, but so far so good! The students and my co-workers are great.  My schedule is fantastic.....I work Monday through Thursday afternoons and early evenings, which means I have time every morning to work in my studio!

I've still been plugging away at my Every Other Day Sketch project. Do follow me on Instagram to see them as soon as I post them.

My sketchbook drawings have very much been influencing my work in the studio.

"Infinity and Beyond", 8"x8", ballpoint pen illustration.

"Looped", 8"x8", ballpoint pen illustration.

Yep. I've got a thing for yellow at the moment.

"Fruit Loops" 4"x4", ballpoint pen illustration.

If you are interested in purchasing any of these finished illustrations, do get in touch.

Well friends, that's all for now. Stay tuned for some new bird illustrations! Ta-Ta!

4 Mullins and a Swede: a Travelogue of Italia In October

Hi there. How are you?

This autumn has been a complete whirlwind. I'm not quite sure how it's November already. Maybe the fact that we spent about half of October traveling may have something to do with it! 

I was lucky enough to spend 2 weeks in Italy with my brother, parents and husband. (This is where the goofy blog title comes from. My maiden name is Mullin and as my lovely readers know, my husband Matt is a Swede.)  I wanted to share some snaps that I took during our most excellent of travels.

Our trip really began at the Dublin airport, at 5:00 AM on a Thursday. We drank Bulmers ciders in an incredibly rowdy airport bar. There must have been 100 people drinking there. Ireland truly lived up to the stereotypes in that regard! 

Mom, brother Kyle, me and Dad (4 Mullins)

Our first stop in Italia was Rome. We spent 4 days in a great apartment near the Vatican. We did our fair share of site-seeing along with much excellent eating and drinking. 

There's my brother and the Swede (Matt)

This guy was posing for me on the roof of the "Typewriter."

After Rome, we rented a car and headed to Tuscany, my favorite part of Italy! I love the small hill towns and the slower pace of life there. Of yeah, and it's breathtakingly beautiful too! 

We stayed in an agriturismo (working farm with guest rooms) near Volterra. Podere San Lorenzo is an olive farm on the site of an old monastery.  Meals were served in the old chapel. We had some of the best meals of the trip here.  This is the natural pool. Had it been warmer, I would have been in it in heartbeat!

As always, I was on the hunt for good chairs. Italia did not disappoint.

This concludes Week 1 of my Italian travelogue. Stay tuned for Week 2 adventures in Pompeii and Sicilia. Thanks for reading! 

Have you ever traveled to Italia? Tell me about it! 

Ta-ta for now.

PS: If you'd like to read about my 2010 trip to Italy, check out these posts on Venice , Verona and Florence, Tuscany, and Rome.

I Win!

I entered a giveaway last week on Michele Maule's blog. 

She's an artist I very much admire. Lady Luck was with me, and I won this sweet print.

It arrived in the mail just the other day. Everything about this screams cute. 

Even the package Michele sent the print in was cute!

Not only did Michele send the print, but also included an adorable owl greeting card, and a personal note. 

If you haven't ever seen Michele's work, do pop over to her etsy shop. I adore basically everything she does, but am particularly taken by her vintage camera illustrations and her little houses.

 And her chairs......Of course I love her chairs!

I haven't made anything new in the studio this week, just lots of prep work for my first show of the year, which is less than a month away. Whoa....How did it get to be the middle of April already?

Ta-ta for now!