Pencil Shavings

Pack Your Bags, We're Moving!

Yup after many years here at Typepad I've made the big leap to my own website with a full blog, webcomic and store.

The Webcomic launched yesterday and is here: My Gratitudes

And the new blog is here and is still called Pencil Shavings

The new site is still having some hiccups.  The developer of the tempplate my designer is using had made some interesting choices in optimizing it for IE and thusly kinda screwing it up for Chrome and Safari.  

We are working through the bumps (although it would be easier if the developer would actually reply to our emails) and things should smooth out nicely in the new year.  Meanwhile feel free to browse around and stop by to say "Hi!"

Preparing to Re-boot.

The school term is essentially over for me now and I am focusing on my goals for the winter break.  First of course is the gift buying for my kids’ birthdays and for Christmas - because  no matter what else happens if you screw up birthdays for your kids they will never let you forget it.

 But, along with that is the launch of my new website and the launch of my webcomic, My Gratitudes....  I’m insanely excited about this new project and I am really loving working with Alison Meeks at AM-Graphix in getting all my vague (and perhaps unreasonable ) ideas into a form that will work online and not just in my imagination.

On top of that I have some art work that I need to get started for a show at the University in February.  So many fun and exciting things to do in the next month.... can I get it all done?  Place you bets here!

Freedom of Speech Only Applies...

..... if you are not being a dick.  But the second you come onto my blog and insult my kids your comment gets deleted.  Period.

If you are spamming my comments you get deleted.  If you are, in general, not being a good online citizen, you will be deleted.

If you have something to say that is polite and respectful, and I don't agree with it, it stays.  But if you cross the line with me...

The delete button is wonderful thing, and I use it with great joy when required.  

The picture is of a wild turket making a break for it when it was discovered by me and my camera.... for some reason it seemed appropriate today when I scanned through my comment section of the blog.

She's Here, She's There, She's Everywhere!

I found out this weekend that I was going to be the featured on the EBSQ Blog as the "Blogger of the Week"

EBSQ is a great resource for self-representing artists.  You can load and maintain your own gallery of work (with links to your website, blog, and places you sell your work)

There is an artists forum where you can go for critiques, and a digital sketchbook section for little unfinished works that you have been working on.

It's a great, supportive environment to learn, and mingle with fellow artists.

I'm very please, and proud, to be the Blogger of the Week.

The Comment Catch Up....

Sorry that I haven't replied to your comments.  I'm going there RIGHT NOW... (honest!)

My Time Machine... (AKA Typepad)

I just got a note from a friend wondering why the date on my latest blog entry was Feb 23  (A week from now) and that the numbers are messed up on my blog entries...

All I can say is that they were right when I wrote them! LOL

I guess Typepad has a time machine and is taking me along for the ride!

Back in the Saddle

The 72 Hours for Haiti has wrapped up and I'm really pleased to say that my friend Jaqui and I raised $469.00 for the relief effort.

I was hoping to raise a bit more than that, but the reality is that I'm thrilled for any amount that we can raise for this good cause.  The beauty of donating now is that the Canadian Government is matching donations so that $469.00 will become $938.00 and that is awesome.  Add in my daughters allowance money that she donated without batting an eye (something that we can all learn from kids) and we are doing some real good here.

I haven't been blogging since the auction started because I wanted the blog entry about the auction to be at the top of the list when people came to visit.

Now it's back to work, if I can concentrate.  Lots of things are going on right now.  I am working on another painting for another art auction to aid Haiti (although this time I'm not running it), I'm designing some classes for grade 1/2s for the spring to teach them watercolour, and I'm getting my portfolio ready for another adventure.

It's amazing how quickly life kicks into high gear when you cultivate a positive and grateful attitude.

Stay tuned it's time to catch up on the 365 days of art... cripes I'm nearly a month behind in posts.  CAn you take the onslaught?

I figure you have the courage to do it!

72 Hours For Haiti - Live!

The Three day art auction to benefit the Haitian earthquake victims is live!  At this point in time the Canadian Government will match any money we donate to the Red Cross.  So what ever you bid will be doubled.

You can go to my Facebook Fanpage to view the pieces for sale by myself and my good friend Jaqui Mitchells.

You will have to become a fan if you want to bid (or you can contact me through my website to place a bid).  If you can't bid (I know what that's like) I would really appreciate it if you could spread the word.

The more people that know the better chance we have to make a difference over there.

I am way behind on the 365 Days of Art Postings, all my computer time has been taken up by getting this organized and off the ground, but I will do some catching up this week I promise.

I know, I know... But Here's the Reason why I'm Late.

I am still painfully behind on updating the 365 Days of Art.  I'm sorry about that.  I will catch up I swear it!  I have loads of scans to update onto the blog, I was just dithering and distracted yesterday.

Yesterday I heard what Pat Robertson and Rush Limbough  said about the enormous humanitarian disaster in Haiti.  

I think that at least Pat Robertson's misguided and bizarre assertion at least came from a willingness to help. Although I do think he needs to read a history book or two.  Rush Libough's statements come from a place that I can't even imagine, they come from greed, arrogance, and selfishness.  Frankly, though, his statements did do some good, they prompted me to even further action in my desire to help the people of Haiti.

My feeling is that it's not them and us.  The people of Haiti are not some distant problem that we don't have to worry about, because someone else will care for them.  We all share this planet, we are all connected.  They ARE us, and we all need to pull together to help.

In that vein, I am pledging everything I can to help the people of Haiti.  I'm low on cash, but I am not low on creativity.

I have pledged to help Julie Van Rosendaal with her fundraising effort (along with dozens of other people).

I will be competing with a fellow artist next week auctioning off paintings on our Facebook Fanpages to see who can raise the most to donate. 

Also, ALL the proceeds (every cent) of profits I get from my Artfire Studio, my Cafe Press Shop and my Imagekind prints for the month of January are going to the Canadian Red Cross.  Every dollar that I donate will be matched by the Canadian Government.  So... If you by anything from me this month it will be worth twice the amount with the matching funds.

It's time to do something positive.  What are you going to do?

The Weekend!

The weekend has arrived on the coat-tails of a Chinook.  A chinook is a wonderful weather system that comes over the Rockies in the winter and brings with it warm winds that melt the snow and stop all us residents of Southern Alberta from losing our minds during a long winter.

Alas chinooks also bring migraine headaches to many people, and I'm one of them.  I can appreciate the warm weather, but the headache can totally cripple me.  I had a nasty one yesterday that made looking at anything even remotely bright painful and eventually I had to go to pull the blinds and hide in bed.

I didn't get my 365 Days of Art updated on the blog for you, but I did have some really cool dreams about colour and art that I'm hoping to get onto canvas.

The kids have been effected by the weather change and are charging around the house like a troupe of chimpanzees, leaving a trail of destruction where ever they go, my husband wants to sleep, and I am thinking that another pot of coffee and some earplugs will let me get some work done!

Wish me luck!