"Flying Through the Snow" - An Animal Painting of an Owl by Melissa Adams

This sweet little owl was made as a commission for a wonderful woman from our church. She asked me to create a teeny-tiny painting of a Snowy Owl flying through the sky during the daytime. Of course, with my love of owls, this was a treat to do, and after having just gone to the snow myself, I was truly inspired!

"Flying Through the Snow"     2" x 2"     Acrylic on Canvas with an Easel

 SOLD

Here it is in my hand, to give you a good sense of scale:

I had a blast working this small, but I'm starting to really want to buy a magnifying glass that has some lighting in it as well, just so I can really get in more and more details as I fall deeper and deeper in love with working so small. In fact, a fellow artist friend of mine named Kyra suggested what looks like the perfect magnifying glass with light for me and I'm super stoked! (Umm... Yes. Sorry Kyra. But uhh, I consider you as a "fellow artist friend" at this point with all our writing back and forth on each other's works. Just thought you might like to know. Lol!) Oh, and by the way Kyra's work is seriously AMAZING!!! You should really check out her work here. My favorite works of hers are from her "Alice in Wonderland" series. They are just stunningly beautiful!

Well, as you can imagine, I had a lot of fun painting this one, but now it's onto my next commissioned work. By the way, if you ever want to order a specific painting you want from me, like a pet portrait, self portrait, a painting for your bathroom, or just about whatever, you can contact me via my email address by clicking here, and we'll work something out. I'm finding myself really loving the chance I've gotten to commissions lately, partly because of the surprise that's in it for me in what they will ask for, and yes, partly because of the paycheck. I'm not gonna lie - it feels fantastic making money from my art! I've always wanted a job that I just completely love, and I've finally found mine!!!  =D

Oh, and if you WANT A FREE PAINTING, guess what? If you didn't already know it, my prize for this month's contest is a 9" x 12" Gallery Wrapped Canvas that's commissioned by YOU (granted that you win, of course!) And all you have to do is Like my Facebook fan page, write a comment on it, and then have your friends like your comment after Liking my page, and then you're all set. The person who get's me the most likes wins, so good luck! Pretty easy, right? Ooh, and you have until April 13th to do this, which means you have a crazy amount of time to get them in.   =)

Well, I hope you're having a good night (or day of course). This little night owl needs to do some Yoga and then go to bed, hopefully sometime soon atleast. I mean, it is 1am over here after all... Talk to you later. =)

"Little Lovie's Toesies" - A Figure Painting of My 1st Little Baby's Toesies by Melissa Adams

"Little Lovie's Toesies"     Acrylic on Illustration Board     2" x 4"

 Not For Sale

And here's yet another tiny little painting from my small one week collection that I did back in June of 2010. I wanted to challenge myself to use rough brushstrokes in order to create the ultra smooth appearance of a baby's bum-bum and toesies, though I'm not quite sure if it worked. Either way, I still love this little painting and am thinking that someday I'll have to give it another go for my 2nd little guy, so I can put them together in my art room... How cute would that be?

When I think back, it seems crazy how much more motivated I became to create art and really begin my art career after having a baby. Part of it was due to FINALLY being finished getting my art degree and no longer creating art because I had to for an assignment which was a huge thing for me, but the rest of it was due to two other factors. One:  I realized I was getting nowhere fast with my goals in life, which when applied to work, were based around creating art and selling it. And two:  I think that when I lost all my free time by having a baby, I finally realized how precious our time here on earth is, and how little of it we really do have.

How many hours I spent wasted before having Levi hurts me down to my very core, and I still ache for that time back so badly so I could have used it for something more than just lying on the couch watching TV or reading. At the time, I felt like my schedule couldn't get any harder, but I was so, so wrong! I felt like I had no free time whatsoever, but in reality, I had so very much, even with a full-time job or education. But no matter how many people warn you or how many times that you're told not to waste your time being lazy before having babies, to go have fun on your own while you can because once you have them, that part of your life where you can just do whatever you want at just about any time will be almost completely gone. Well, at least for a season anyways. I suppose that changes back once your babies become more independent, but we haven't even come close to that stage yet. Oh man, no matter how much people tell you that having kids is tough, multiply it in your head by a thousand, do it again, and then you might get close to the reality of how hard it actually is.

Of course, there is another side to it. A beautiful, marvelous, miraculous side. You know that time you lost when you have your little one, well it gets replaced with some of the most beautiful, awe inspiring moments of your life. With cuddles and giggles and sweet moments that melt your heart completely. With soft baby bottoms and sweet little toes that just beg to be tickled, and tiny fingers that curl around yours, even if they're too tiny to make it all the way around them. With precious memories that will last forever and moments that you wouldn't give up for all the time in the world. Oh how I love my little guys!!!

But man oh man are they ever exhausting! Where does all that energy come from and why aren't we marketing it and selling it? But anyways, I think that once I realized how important each little minute in life really is and how hard and demanding the life of a mother is, it shook something up in me that made me so much more motivated than I ever had been before. I only wish it had happened years before, but at least it happened! =0)


MY TIP FOR THE DAY
So, if you're finding yourself wishing for more time or not following your dreams because you feel like they are just too lofty for you to accomplish, don't beat yourself down. Pick up a brush or a tool or a pencil and just get to work. Being successful takes a lot more work behind the scenes than I ever would have dreamed of, so if you really want it, you're gonna have to work for it, and work for it hard.

Now, to get yourself started down this road to success, first you need to define what that word means to you, because how you define that word changes everything, and you really need to know what you're working towards. So write down a few small goals that can be accomplished in a day, some bigger goals that may take a month or more, and a few really huge goals which may take years or even your entire life, and try to find little steps along the way that you can make to get from point A to point B. Because success just doesn't happen to you. Even those people who you think catch all the breaks have to work hard to keep their skills up (or at least most of them do...). But seriously, what could you do today that would take only 5 -15 minutes to get you started towards what you want for your life? For me, it was writing out what I really wanted from an art career, such as making my own hours, working from home, getting my art in a gallery some day and also, of course, making money from it eventually. All this helped me gain perspective on what I could do and what I had to do in order to get the ball rolling.

I prayed and prayed and after being told by my husband Tyler as well as my mom about a million times that I needed to just get painting or I'll never get anywhere with it, I picked up a paintbrush and tried to get to work. I've failed many times along the way, and I'm not even remotely close to where I want to be, but I am definitely farther than I was before and I love being able to look back at all my work and see that I actually did something with my time and the talents God gave me. I have a long journey ahead of me if God wills it, and so do you, but like I basically said before, you gotta start somewhere!

So I did what was suggested and I wrote down both big and little goals and just tried to make baby steps towards them. So if you can, why not go out and try to attain what you feel God has called to do, no excuses that there's not enough time or anything like that (well, unless you really don't have any time leftover in which case either your dreams shall wait or you'll just have to schedule some time in your calendar - I think most people call it an artist's date, and it's absolutely wonderful for making sure you make time for yourself and your art!)? There's always little steps you can take, whether it's researching, getting to work on a tiny piece or an abstract just to loosen up, or even just perusing other people's blogs for inspiration, and there's always reasons for not taking them, so it's really up to you how far you go, granted that God desires those goals for you as well.

Oh, and if you really just need that extra nudge, I highly suggest you go check out this amazing blog called Artists Helping Artists that deals with how to become more successful no matter what your goals may be (as you can imagine by the name it's really aimed at artists, so I'm not so sure how much it would help people in other fields, though you could give it a try if you want to). But seriously, it's an amazing site and it's changing the way I view the art world tremendously!

So go out there, make a list or whatever it is that motivates you and helps you keep track of your progress (making a blog or even just a mood board to help you visualize what you want are also great ways to motivate you to move towards your goals) and then get to work!

Happy Painting and God Bless!!! =0)

"Birds of a Feather" - An Abstract Painting by Melissa Adams

"Birds of a Feather"     4" x 5"     Acrylic on Archival Canvas Panel

SOLD

So I've finally discovered one way for me to get out of a slump, and it's painting abstracts! =) They are somewhat mindless, and at the same time challenging, beautiful and extremely fun to create, and I am just falling deeper and deeper in LOVE with them! This one was started a few weeks back and I never got the chance to get it finished. It actually started out as a palette knife painting of a pear and then transformed into this, which may sound a bit odd to you, but I actually like this painting a lot better.

And as for creative slumps, I also discovered recently that drawing out sketches for future paintings also gets my juices flowing like crazy. I love that you don't need very many materials to do this, too, so that you can do it just about anywhere. So great! So, what do you do to get out of your own creative ruts?

"The One Who Sits, The One Who Soars" - An Abstract Painting by Melissa Adams

"The One Who Sits, The One Who Soars"     Acrylic on Illustration Board     2.75" x 3"

Here's one of my quick little abstracts from way back when Levi was still an infant. It's pretty small, and I can see another potentially larger painting coming from this, if I ever get the time and am not extremely exhausted. I don't know what's been going on lately but I have been super exhausted - like every fiber of my being is rejecting any amount of work, no matter how small. I am napping and even with that I'm falling asleep around 9 at night, which is insane for me. I'm just pooped all day long, and even Ty is starting to feel it, because the less I can do, the more he has to, the poor guy! I really feel bad for him, but I'm not sure how I can help him when my body is acting this way. I can usually judge how well I'm feeling by how my hobbies are doing, as in if they exist or not, so you can see lately I just haven't had the time for any of it, which is generally a bad thing.

But hey, at least I finished my Chronic Pain Class on Thursday, so yay! I'm so very glad to be done with that, though it honestly did give me some great managing tools that I've been able to apply to my life that have helped a lot, and will continue to help as we move down this rocky path.

I'm really hoping to stay awake long enough tonight to be able to get some painting in, because I miss it immensely! I hope you're doing well and hope to talk to you soon!

Oh man, hold on, before I leave, I had the craziest thing happen the other night pain-wise. Like I said I've been going to bed super early, and on Thursday after pain class I put on some Capsaicin (it's a chili pepper pain med, that works to make your nerves non-receptive to normal pain signals. For example, you know those grandmas that can cut up a million jalapenos, wipe their eyes, and not feel any pain at all, whereas if you did it, even your hands would be burning like crazy? Well, it works like that - the more you use it, the less you feel pain in that area.)

So anyways, I put it on, dropped the boys off at Meema's house (that's my mom) =)  and then we went out on a terribly much needed date (all by ourselves - it was AMAZING!). When we got home at 9, Owen and I were fast asleep in the car, so Daddy had to get us both up. I fell asleep crawling up the stairs (we seriously need an elevator or chairlift or something because this is just getting ridiculous!) and then when Ty found me he helped me to get into bed. So in bed, I turn on my heating pad, put it on my lower back near my hips, fall fast asleep again, and 30 minutes later wake up with one of the worst pain sensations of my entire life. I felt like my back and hips were literally on fire!!! It was awful. My skin felt like the top layers of flesh were melting off - ughh, it was so bad. Ty rushed downstairs to grab an ice pack, and then again to grab another because having just one didn't quite do the job, and I just lay there panicking in too much pain to even pray or think.

So, the moral of the story? READ the box, and then LISTEN to the directions. I knew it said not to apply heat after using the product, but I thought it meant right after, and was so tired it honestly didn't even occur to me that I had used it earlier. But now I'm thinking that they meant what they said, and I'm a bit worried as to how long you have to wait before using a heating pad again after applying that stuff. I seriously don't want that happening again! Oh well, that was one lesson well learned, that's for sure!!! Ouch. =/

My Best Contest Yet!!! - And "The Evil King and the Grasshopper" - Abstract Photography by Melissa Adams

CONTEST RULES FOR MARCH 2013

So I know this is up kinda late, but it's finally time to announce what the contest for March 2013 is going to be. Now I told you before that it's going to be the best one yet, and I hope with all my heart that you actually think that it's so, SOOOOO.... Here goes:  The winner for this month will receive as their prize A COMPLETELY FREE 9" x 12" COMMISSIONED PAINTING done by yours truly, on a gallery wrapped canvas with paint wrapped edges!!!!! You may choose just about anything for me to paint, and be as specific or unspecific as you would like, though I reserve the right to say no to certain subjects, such as but not limited to nudity or other things that I feel that I would rather not paint.

So what do you have to do to win this time?! All you have to do is get as many of your friends, family or even distant acquaintances to "Like" my Facebook Fan Page by April 13th. I'm overlapping this one a bit with April's contest because I accidentally started it so late due to vacation and my many Drs. Appointment, and with Easter right around the corner as well I want you all to get the best shot at this contest as you possibly can. Plus, to be perfectly honest, I just want to get as many likes for my page as I possibly can get... Oh man! Lol!

Now, the easiest way to do this so that both you and I can track who is winning at any given time is for you to first write a sentence on my wall that says something like "Please 'Like' my friends Facebook fan page called Melissa Adams Art and then like my post on her page so I can win a free painting!" And then you just have to try to get as many of your friends to "Like" my page and your comment on my wall as possible, because the person who gets the most "Likes" wins! =) People cannot double dip on this, meaning if you were recommended by one friend to like my page, you can't like it and then like more than one person's post on my wall. It's just not cool and only your first vote will count. You can share my page however you want:  on your wall, in you blog, whatever, just make sure that #1, your friends click the "Like" button for my fan page, and #2, that they also "Like" whatever sentence you write on my fan page wall to show that you were the one who recommended them to do so. Make sense? I sure hope so! Somehow I seem to make even the easiest things seem difficult when I explain them. Yikes!  =0)

Oh, and just in case you want it, here's the name of the link to my page:
https://www.facebook.com/melissaadamsart

I'm pretty sure that might help you a bit... =0)

Well, good luck to all of you, and may the best man, or woman, win!!! =D

Oh, and I know this is also random, but I was just working on some abstract photography today as I was resting on the couch (haven't been doing much lately since getting back from the snow), and here is what I came up with. I'd love to know what you think, whether good, bad, or ugly. Lol! Have a good day my friends!

"The Evil King and the Grasshopper"     Abstract Photography by Melissa Adams

And the Winners Are...! =D

I am SOOOO, so sorry for not getting this up sooner, but we just got back from our week in the snow and I just have been crazy busy with packing, playing, unpacking and then my little one's birthday right before that... Oh and there were appointments, meetings with our wonderfully amazing realtor and so many more things. Oh man, what a busy month!

But what a blessing that I'm finally starting to feel up to doing things again - at least with help anyways! I called on some amazing friends and family and not only did they help throw a fantastic party for Owen, but they cleaned our house while we were gone as well too!!! How incredible is that!?!

So I apologize for not being around and posting new paintings and such, and especially for not posting my three new winners for February's contest! I have been dying to do this all day, but today was a little impossible for me, so here I am. Better late than never, right?!

So now it's time to get back to business and get to the fun stuff! Okay.... So the winners for February's contest are, in order:

1. Ancuta Gacea
2. Rene Michaels
3. Julie Love

Starting with Winner #1 first, you will each get to pick an ACEO (or if there is not one you really like, you may commission one instead, though some restrictions apply and just so you know this will take a little longer since it's not already done). So what you need to do if you are a winner is to email me your top 3 favorite picks as far as what's listed as options below, or tell me 3 different ideas of what you would want commissioned instead (remember, the size is 2.5" x 3.5", so keep that in mind as you pick, okay) so that I have a choice to choose from. That way it's a bit of a surprise for you when you open it, and I can pick the one that sounds funnest for me. And if you do those in order of favorite idea to least favorite, I'll try to take that into consideration as well.

Choice #1 - "High in the Treetops"   

NO LONGER AVAILABLE - "On the Rocks" - Thanks Ancuta! =)

Choice #3 - "Mint, Anyone?"

 So my friends and winners, go ahead, make your choice, and I will be here anxiously awaiting to see what it is. And stay tuned as well, because either tonight or tomorrow I will be announcing my newest contest for March, and it's gonna be pretty awesome!!! Oh, and just so you know, even if you've won before, that doesn't mean you can't win again, okay? Well, I'll talk to you soon! Bye now. =D

Happy 1st Birthday Sweet Owen!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET OWEN, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUUUUU!!!!!

So here's the post I wanted to write the other day that I just couldn't do because quite honestly I was suffering from some pretty heavy depression and self-loathing related to "Mommy Guilt" over having missed out on so much of Owen's first year because of my fibro, and just how little I am able to be there for him or take care of him on my own. I mean, Owen just turned one and I'm still in major shock that HE'S ONE ALREADY!!! Where has the time gone? No, seriously, where'd it go? Did it like, fly by me somewhere, like on a sparrow or a cloud or something, because I sure haven't seen it...

But you know, self loathing doesn't really take us very far, and hating myself isn't making anything better, so even though I'm still struggling with the immense loss of what this syndrome is causing in my life and the prospects of all it's going to continue to cause me to lose out on, as well as what it's doing to my family and how it consumes my every thought, I think that my little loved one deserves so much more than that. So Owen, I am so sorry Mommy failed you in this. I know you are far too young to care about it, but I'm not, and it hurts me so deeply to know that I failed you yet again. But I love you, and I'm trying to do my best, and even though I apparently need to try even harder, hopefully someday God will help pull us through this and will make a beautiful thing out of these ashes, but until then, I've just opted to write you a little letter instead about how wonderful you are, and what a blessing you are to me my love, so that someday you can sit down and read it and remember and fully know just how much I truly have and always will love you, my sweet little love bug.

To my sweet little Owen on your very First Birthday EVER! Well, you do only get one First Birthday, so really that's not quite right... But anyways...:

Owen, my love, I just wanted to take a few minutes out of today to tell you how much I love you and how much I care for you. God made you specially just for me, and you know how I know that - you're so stinkin' cuddly it's amazing - more so than I could have ever hoped for or imagined! Oh, and you're small and incredibly adorable too - so much that it hurts for me to look away from you at times.

You brighten each and every day, and when I say every day, I mean EVERY DAY! You are the love of my life little one. I can't believe that one whole year has already gone by since that scary and yet wondrous night you were born. The night that they lost your heartbeat for so long that they called in like 9 nurses and the NICU Dr., the very same one who helped take care of your brother during our long stay there 2 years before. The night that they told me to push and push and push but I just could push any harder so they tried to pull you out with the vacuum, that we pleaded with them to tell us if you were alright - if you were even alive, and they refused to answer us. All they would say is this is really serious, we need you to push, you had to get out right away. They were scared; really, really scared, but we were terrified. Terrified of losing the one we dreamed of and planned for and whom I had played with in my tummy, tracing your outlines, pushing your feet back to the right spot when you were being naughty and making mommy uncomfortable, and whom we had hoped for for so, so long. We couldn't stand the thought of losing you, and we hadn't even met you yet.

Oh, but Owen, when I felt that final push and heard that beautiful soft yet strong cry of yours, oh how my heart leaped for joy. Oh Owie, do you have any idea how much I prayed for you? After being told at 19 weeks we would most likely lose you, I prayed with tears over my Bible every day asking God to just allow us to hear your laughter. To allow you to live. Did you know that's why your middle name is Isaac? It means, "He Laughs." =)  How I wanted with all my heart to hear your laughter, and I guess we prayed for the right thing! You have the most beautiful laugh, Owen. It sparkles and dances and floats on the air like a magical thing - and your eyes sparkle with it. You are such a joyful baby, so much like your brother.

And you know what one of the things is that has brought me the most joy these last few months? It's seeing how much you adore your brother and how much he loves and adores you back. He asks for you ALL the time. "Where's Owen Momma? Where's Owen? Can we go get him? I wanna play with him. I wanna play with Owen." And seeing his own joy and wonder at watching your personality bloom, much in the same way that we are watching it bloom as well, oh, it's just so wonderful to see. You are becoming such a sweet, gentle lovey of a little toddler. You are so beautiful my son, so very handsome and so very beautiful both in heart and in soul. I love you Owen, much more than you will ever know. We all do, our little love.

I can't wait to spend every moment I can with you. I am so sorry for all the things I won't be able to do, and all the times I disappoint you in the future. Even if I was healthy as a horse and as perfect a specimen as a mother could be, I could never keep from disappointing you. It's just human nature. But I'm sorry if I do it more than most other mothers do. I'm sorry for all the things I'll miss, even things as simple as going to the park or playing with your trains because mommy has an appointment, or mommy has big owies or mommy is sleeping right now because she hurts. But please know that with all my heart, ALL MY HEART, I would rather be there with you three boys than anywhere else in the world! I love you my sweet bug-a-roo. My little snuggle-bug, Bubbarooskie, Bubbaroo. Sorry Roo. But face it kiddo, I'm your mom. I named our cat Mayonnaise the Ninja Kitty. Chances are your nicknames are going to be kinda odd as well... Lol! (Oh, and just in case LOL is no longer hip when you read this, which odds are will happen, that just means laugh out loud. Haha!) But sweet, lovable little Owen, you are my baby, my dear little baby boy, and I hope you know with every fiber of your being that I love you now and forever and forevermore and I can't wait to spend every second of every day that I'm able to with you, because I love you just that much.

All my love, now and forever and always,
Mommy